Hazel Glen College Primary Years

Head of Primary Years' Report

Dear Parents, Carers and Friends of Hazel Glen College,

 

College Production - Rock of Ages

I was fortunate to attend the opening show for this year's College Production, 'Rock of Ages', last night. The audience was entertained throughout the story and the rock songs. Our Grade 6's stole the show, of course, with their talent. Congratulations to Zali, Ben, Mataya, Sierra, Pia, Amileya, Will and Ben. 

 

Book Week

Last week, our Primary Years community celebrated Book Week. The theme this year was 'Book an Adventure' and the week was full of imagination and adventure. I would like to thank Ms Jenna Christie and Ms Jess Frangos for their coordination of Book Week. This event is a treasured annual event at our school and we appreciate the efforts of Jenna and Jess, along with our staff and parent helpers, to make the event memorable for the Primary Years community. Thank you to the families who have supported by visiting and purchasing books from the Book Fair. The sales from this event help us to purchase new reading material each year for our library and classrooms. 

Farewell Miss Mifsud

Last week, we farewelled Miss Mifsud from 1B, who is now awaiting the arrival of her first child. We will miss her in the Primary Years and look forward to her visiting with her new baby in the future. Miss McKenna and Ms Lipinski will teach 1B for the remainder of the term, and Ms Hendry returns from family leave in Term 4 to commence with 1B. Families have been emailed with this communication.

Road Safety

We would like to remind all families that during pick-up and drop-off times, paths and designated crossings must be used when travelling to and from school. For safety reasons, students and families should not walk through staff car parks to enter or exit the College grounds, but instead use the College and public pathways provided. Additionally, we ask that all students and families use the pedestrian crossing when crossing roads. Thank you for your ongoing support in helping to ensure the safety of our College community.

 

Primary Years Wellbeing

We know that students learn best when they feel safe, supported, and connected at school. Our wellbeing approach is guided by the Mental Health in Primary Schools model, a Victorian initiative designed to strengthen the way schools support children’s mental health.

 

An important part of this work is the expertise of our teaching staff. As part of their education degrees, teachers complete training that prepares them to support students’ wellbeing and mental health needs alongside their learning. We build on this foundation with further professional learning through ensuring staff are confident to recognise early signs when a child may need support, provide strategies within the classroom, and work with families to achieve the best outcomes. Parents can feel reassured that their child’s wellbeing is in expert hands, supported by both teacher training and ongoing professional development.

 

Through this model, we:

  • Promote positive mental health – We build strong classroom connections, teach social and emotional learning, and reinforce respectful relationships across the school.
  • Provide early support – Teachers are equipped through their training and ongoing development to notice changes in student wellbeing and respond with care. Our College has school-based referral processes, consultation practices and a student wellbeing leader to support our College and classroom-based interventions.
  • At certain times of the year, we offer evidence-based programs to specific cohorts and groups of students. This Semester, 'Kids First' is delivering our 'All About Safety' program to support in identifying emotions, help-seeking and safety strategies.
  • Work together with families – We value open communication with parents and carers to support children’s wellbeing both at the College and at home.
  • Connect with services – When needed, we can link students and families with external health and community supports.

 

Our goal is to ensure that every child feels they belong, are understood, and have the support they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. If you have any concerns about your child’s wellbeing, please contact your child's classroom teacher.

 

Together, we can make sure our children are safe, happy, and ready to learn.

 

Student Learning Success

Victorian students have achieved their strongest NAPLAN results ever, leading the nation in 18 out of 20 measures. Around 70% of students achieved in the ‘strong’ or ‘exceeding’ bands, with primary students ranking first or second in every domain.

 

We are proud of our students’ achievements and grateful for the dedication of our teachers and support staff. These results show the impact of high-quality teaching and the strong partnerships we share with families. Hazel Glen Primary Years continues to excel in learning results within our local community.

 

Celebrating student writing from 3D

A favourite part of my day is when students visit to share their ideas or work. Ms Chard informed me of students in her class who were using their own time to write stories throughout the day and brought the students to visit me to share these. I was so impressed to meet Harry, who shared his story called 'Street Racers' that was 15 pages long and included sad and happy emotions. Jackson shared his story, 'Karate Kid' and had used the setting of Japan that someday he hopes to visit and Milly had written 27 pages for her story called 'Free From Danger', a story about the animals at a zoo escaping. Listening to the excitement of our students describing their work made my day and we spoke about the importance of imagination and how imagination helps us to engage in our learning at our College.

 

Year 6 transition to Year 7

Planning is underway for a smooth transition for our Year 6 students to Year 7. Leaders have been meeting across the College to plan ahead and students are participating in student voice sessions to have input into this process.

 

We will be having an end of year celebration for our Year 6's. This will be held on December 11th and will involve a formal assembly with families invited, followed by a family event at the College. More information will be communicated. 

 

Father's Day Breakfast

Our Father's Day Breakfast will be held on Tuesday, 2nd September 2025, from 7:15 am to 8:30 am in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC). This will be a day where our students can help pamper all our wonderful fathers and caregivers with a free open breakfast. If you have missed out on booking for this event, please call the office on 97177500 to secure your place. We look forward to another great community event.

Andrea Lynch

Head of Primary Years

Hazel Glen College