Principal Report

Welcome to our Week Eight newsletter. It has certainly been an exciting and action-packed fortnight at Highvale Primary School! The past two weeks have been filled with wonderful opportunities for our students to learn, create and celebrate together. We enjoyed a fantastic Book Week Dress Up Day last Friday, with our students and staff embracing the theme and bringing their favourite characters and stories to life. This was followed by our spectacular whole-school production, Porridge, which was a wonderful celebration of the talent, creativity and teamwork of our students and staff. There is so much to be proud of at HPS and I look forward to sharing some of the highlights from the past fortnight in this edition of our newsletter. 

I remain excited to celebrate and experience the following Term Three events with our community: Father's Day Breakfast, Pizza Lunch and Sports Colours Dress-Up Day. We encourage all families to join us for these exciting events as we continue to build a vibrant and connected school community.

Welcome to Highvale

This term we have had many new families begin their journey at HPS. Welcome to HPS to the following students: Liya F 3C, Dora E PA, Bella E 3A and Pehoo A 4P. We are sure you will love being a part of the Highvale community. Please reach out if there is anything we can do to assist with your transition into our school.

Happy Birthday 

Happy Birthday to the following students who will celebrate their special day throughout September: Hana Z 4P, Arshia D 5M, Vaishvi P 2L, Jasmine G 4C, Anika N 1P, Lindsay Y 1P, Kaiyah P 5M, Rose C PA, Leo G 5M, Isabella Z 6S, Omar N 2M, Claire H 3A, Lucas W 4C, Cindy W 1P, Chenxin Z 6D, Cooper K 3L, Lilah S 5S, Vinnie L 4C, Jonah T 5S, Xiuqi Z 5S, Eason Y 5S, Joseph T 1GC, Ezekiel G 4P, Emmy H 2M, Eelon L 6S, Winston L 6S, Winston Z 2M, Swanik O 4P, Astera Z PA, Raham H 4C, Wes W PFY, Dhanni S 3C, Zara L 3C, Joshua H 6S, Jonathan H 6T. We hope you all have a terrific birthday. 

Attendance

At Highvale Primary School we firmly believe that attending school every day plays a crucial role in shaping a child's educational journey. Regular attendance allows students to fully engage in classroom activities, discussions, and hands-on learning experiences. It provides them with the opportunity to grasp new concepts, ask questions and collaborate with their peers. Consistent attendance helps build a strong foundation of knowledge and skills, enabling children to excel academically. This term, we will be reinforcing the importance of attending school every day. 

Congratulations to the 133 students who have achieved 100% attendance in August so far. Some of these students include: Aalya A PA,Ghalt B PA, Alex C PFY, Norah S PFY, Fiora J 1GC, Adam J 1GC, Atharva K 1P, Ace H 1P, Ethan N 2L, Sean S 2L, Avaya A 2M, Aurora C 2M, Sukhvin D 3C, Liya F 3C, Alex Z 4C, Jane Z 4C, Juliet T 4G, Leo W 4G, Ethan C 5E, Jun LE 5E, Megan C 5M, Pritika G 5M, Jonah T 5S, Xiuqi Z 5S, Jack Z 6D, Seth Y 6D, Ridhi A 6T and Chloe C 6T.

Remember: It is not ok to be away!

Whole School Production – Porridge

Our whole-school production of Porridge was a fantastic evening of creativity, humour and entertainment. It was wonderful to see our students take to the stage on Tuesday evening with such confidence, enthusiasm and pride after months of rehearsals and preparation. The production was a wonderful celebration of the talent within our school community and we were incredibly proud of every student who contributed to its success. A very special thank you to Mx Dutlow and Ms Dowling for their incredible dedication, commitment and passion in bringing our whole-school production of Porridge to life. The countless hours they invested in rehearsals, supporting students, developing characters and preparing every aspect of the performance were truly appreciated. Their enthusiasm and creativity inspired our students throughout the process and we are extremely grateful for the wonderful experience they created for our entire school community. Thank you, Mx Dutlow and Ms Dowling, for your outstanding contribution and for making Porridge such a memorable success.

A special thank you also to the families who purchased Production T-shirts, Programmes and Cookbooks with profits from these sales contributing towards facility upgrades. What a wonderful night for HPS! If you still wish to purchase these things, please come and see us at the front office or call on 9887 8000.

Prep Enrolments 2027

We are currently accepting enrolment applications for Prep (foundation year) 2027 and have 40 students currently enrolled, although we are expecting quite a few more. I am continuing to conduct school tours for prospective families where I can showcase the school’s programs, facilities and values. If you are aware of families who may be interested in joining the HPS school community, they are encouraged to contact the school office for further information. 

Prep 2027 Transition Program

Our Prep 2027 Transition Program will commence tomorrow, providing our newest students with a wonderful opportunity to become familiar with Highvale Primary School, their teachers and their future classmates before beginning school next year. Transition sessions will be held on the following dates:

• Friday 4th September
• Friday 11th September
• Friday 9th October
• Friday 16th October 
• Friday 23rd October

Our final session will be held on Friday 30th October and students will be meeting their teacher and classmates for Prep 2027. Our Transition Program is designed to build confidence, establish relationships and help our future Preps develop a strong sense of belonging within our school community. We look forward to welcoming our 2027 Preps and their families to Highvale and beginning this exciting journey together.

Fathers Day Breakfast – Friday 4th September

We look forward to welcoming all dads and special father figures to our Father’s Day Breakfast on Friday 4th September at 8:15am. This special morning provides an opportunity for our students to celebrate the important men and role models in their lives while enjoying breakfast together, including delicious egg and bacon muffins. It will be a wonderful chance for families to connect, share a conversation and enjoy some quality time together as part of our school community. We warmly invite dads, grandfathers, carers and other special guests to join us for this celebration. See Compass for further information on this community event.

Book Week: Symphony of Stories 

Our Book Week celebrations last week were a wonderful success, with students embracing this year’s theme, Book an Adventure: Symphony of Stories. Throughout the week, students participated in a range of engaging literacy activities that celebrated the joy of reading, storytelling and imagination. It was fantastic to see students discovering new characters, exploring different worlds and sharing their favourite stories with their peers. Our Book Week Dress Up Day on Friday 28th August was a particular highlight, with students and staff bringing their favourite book characters to life through an incredible array of creative costumes. It was wonderful to see our school community come together to celebrate our love of books and the many adventures that stories can inspire. Thank you to everyone who was dressed up and attended our Book Week Parade on Friday morning, we appreciate you! A huge thank you to Mr Salamouras for the incredible organisation and coordination of Book Week and our fantastic Dress Up Day Parade. Your enthusiasm and attention to detail helped make the week such a memorable celebration of reading for our students. We truly appreciate your dedication and hard work!

Digimaker Seeds of Science Coding Challenge

Congratulations to Andrea L 4G and Katerina H 4P who participated in the Digimaker Seeds of Science Coding Challenge. They were among 84 brilliant young minds from 28 participating schools, exploring creativity, problem-solving and STEM through coding across four different programming languages. We are incredibly proud of their enthusiasm and commitment to developing their coding skills and look forward to continuing to encourage our students to explore and enjoy STEM learning. Well done girls!

Breakfast Club

Last week, we were delighted to welcome Jennifer Cunningham, Foodbank Community Relationships Coordinator, to our HPS Breakfast Club. Jennifer had the opportunity to see firsthand the scale and impact of our Breakfast Club and was impressed noting Highvale Primary School is one of the largest Breakfast Club operations she has seen in action. It was a wonderful opportunity to showcase the positive difference the program makes for our students and to acknowledge the ongoing support provided by Foodbank. We sincerely thank Jennifer and the Foodbank team for their continued partnership and commitment to supporting our students and families.

Chess Competition 

Our Highvale Primary School Chess Team achieved an outstanding result at the Term Three Northern Star Chess Tournament held last Wednesday at Brandon Park Primary School. Competing against 21 schools, our team finished equal 3rd overall, which is a fantastic achievement and a testament to the dedication and skill of our students. Throughout the day, our team competed in challenging games, demonstrating excellent concentration, strategic thinking, perseverance and sportsmanship. I would like to congratulate Yuvi M, Vishruth M, Swanik O, Bob W, Amay S, Shawn W, Elijah P, Tevin R, Austen H, Max W, Aadhi S, Jenil P, Caleb W, Hirvya N, Vrushank M and Walter Z for representing Highvale with such enthusiasm and pride. To finish equal 3rd out of 21 schools is an exceptional result and we are incredibly proud of every member of our Chess Team. Congratulations on this wonderful achievement! We are now looking forward to our Term Four Chess Event which is a Semi Finals event, that some of our Chess Team have qualified for. More information on this event will follow. 

Department of Education: Annual Parent / Carer Opinion Survey

We are currently conducting the annual Parent / Carer Opinion Survey offered by the Department of Education and is seeking your feedback. On Monday, I got a notification indicating that 29 HPS families have completed the survey so far. That’s 9% of all HPS families. The survey is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage and appreciate your participation. We will use the survey results to assist in identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. The Parent / Carer Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 17 August to Friday 18 September 2026. THIS IS A DEPARTMENT SURVEY AND IS DIFFERENT TO THE SCHOOL BASED SURVEY WE DO IN TERMS TWO AND FOUR EACH YEAR. 

To contribute and have your say, please go to the following: https://research.orima.com/parent

School Name: Highvale Primary School

Campus Name: Highvale Primary School

PIN: 605404

Aver & Line Photography Fundraiser

A huge thank you to all of our families who participated in the Aver & Line Photography Fundraiser last weekend. We greatly appreciate your support of this initiative as it was a fundraiser for our school. Your participation helps support our school and contributes to providing additional opportunities and resources for our students. Thank you for your continued support of Highvale Primary School!

I see, I care: Environmental Excursion

A group of ten Year Six students will be heading to Banyan Reserve in Carrum Downs today for an engaging environmental learning experience. They will explore the connections between inland waterways and the bay, investigate wetland invertebrates and frogs, test water quality and examine the impact human activity has on our environment. Students will also participate in a litter collection survey and use their findings to share their learning with others back at school. The excursion will provide students with a wonderful opportunity to develop their understanding of environmental sustainability through hands-on learning. We look forward to hearing all about this excursion in upcoming weeks. 

Gardiners District Athletics

We are looking forward to the Gardiners District Athletics event on Wednesday 16th September, where approximately 50–60 Highvale Primary School students will represent our school across a range of track and field events. It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their skills, demonstrate determination and sportsmanship and compete alongside students from other schools across the district. We wish all of our athletes the very best and know they will represent Highvale with pride! Good luck HPS!

Planning Week

Next week will be Planning Week at Highvale Primary School, providing our teaching teams with dedicated time to reflect on student learning, analyse assessment data and prepare for Term Four. Teachers will work collaboratively to plan engaging learning experiences, identify student learning needs and ensure our programs continue to meet the needs of all students. This dedicated planning time is an important part of maintaining the consistency, collaboration and high expectations that underpin teaching and learning at Highvale. On Planning Days, students will complete a range of activities with their specialist teachers all in one day rather than having these classes spread across the week. 

ICAS Assessments

ICAS assessments are now drawing to a close. I would like to congratulate all students who participated and completed the ICAS assessments this year. I commend our students for their commitment, preparation and willingness to challenge themselves. Participation in ICAS provides students with an opportunity to extend their thinking and apply their knowledge and skills in a range of challenging contexts. We look forward to receiving the results and acknowledging the achievements of our students. We will share these results with families once they are available.

District Basketball Round Robin

We are looking forward to the District Basketball Round Robin on Friday 11th September, where selected Year Six Highvale Primary School students will represent our school at the Waverley Basketball Centre. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to showcase their basketball skills while developing teamwork, resilience and sportsmanship as they compete against other local schools. We wish our HPS basketball team the very best and look forward to hearing about their day upon their return!

School Captains

I would like to take this opportunity to commend our wonderful School Captains: Keitarou, Minul, Maya and Aradhya for the outstanding contribution they make to Highvale Primary School. They consistently demonstrate leadership, responsibility and commitment and continue to be wonderful role models for our younger students. Whether they are leading assemblies, supporting school events, leading Breakfast Club, welcoming visitors or assisting with day-to-day activities, our Captains approach their responsibilities with maturity, enthusiasm and pride. We are very fortunate to have four dedicated student leaders representing our school community. Next term, the School Captains will assist myself and Mrs Soccio in selecting the 2027 School Captains from our current Year Five cohort of students.   

End of Term Three Reminder

A reminder to families that Term Three concludes on Friday 18th September at 2:30pm. Students will enjoy a two week break before returning for Term Four on Monday 5th October at 9:00am.

Have a great week ahead HPS families,

Carly Epskamp

carly.epskamp@education.vic.gov.au