Principal's Report

School Lunches at Huntingdale Every Day

Currently we offer a lunch order service on Fridays. School Council is seeking feedback from parents on their views on providing a regular school lunch service every day of the week. I encourage all families to complete this survey:

https://forms.gle/9QhatqQNXFLNGQn87

Reminder- Parent Wellbeing Sessions

Just a reminder we are holding a parent wellbeing information session based around the topics of managing emotions, forming positive relationships and anxiety. These topics were identified by our parent community in a survey last term. The details are as follows:

Date: Wednesday 29 May 2024

Morning session: 9.15am- 10.15am

Repeat Evening Session:

5.30pm- 6.30pm

Venue: Library

*Light refreshments will be served.

*For the evening session, we encourage families to use Team Kids if they need their children to be supervised.

Sign Up: Please sign up for one or both sessions using the following link:

https://signup.zone/wy5otpEEnii33C4m6

The sessions will be run by Maria Ruberto, who has worked with our staff previously and with other schools in the Inner East Area.

Education Week

What a wonderful week we had last week celebrating Education Week. We hosted a successful morning tea for parents, open classrooms and our annual art show. Thank you to our many parents and grandparents who attended the morning. It was a great celebration of education and community. We thank Team Kids for catering for the morning tea- they are great partners of our school. I took some photos of the Art Show, which are attached here.

Year 3 Camp

Our Year 3’s were the last group to attend Camp Sunny Stones last week. I was fortunate to visit for the first day with glorious sunshine! When I arrived, the students had completed the walk into camp and we embarked on the first activity- hut making. Students were placed in groups of 6 and had to build a hut that could fit them all in it and could shelter them from rain. When then tested their huts to see how waterproof they were- some were better than others! The students enjoyed some billy tea, damper and oranges for afternoon tea. On the walk back to camp, we were fortunate to see some kangaroos.

Throughout the three camps, the Sunny Stones staff commented on how well behaved and engaged our students were.

I would like to thank teachers Linda Ooi-Chan, Hisae Hatigan and Jo Ewart for leading and organizing each camp. They were supported by Kumiko Nagata, Ari Gorney, Yoshiko Hayashi, Chris Everett, Pete Magart, Ryoko Kellam, Ryoki Fukaya, Nick Tolliday, Rie Mimura, Keiko Harada, Yukiko Shoya, Eiji Nishikubo and Junko Nakazawa. We also thank parents Amy, Jolify, Suniti and Parvathi for attending camp.

Box Hill Japan Festival

On Sunday, the annual Box Hill Japan Festival was on. The festival was jam packed with people and it was lovely to see so many of our current and past students and their families. There were plenty of displays, food and culture to indulge in.

Our Taiko, ukelele, Junior Choir and Senior Choir groups performed in the morning. The Taiko group opened the festival. The ukelele and choirs then performed after the official opening ceremony.

Thank you to Hanazono sensei, Iida sensei, Osugi sensei, Fukaya sensei and Smith sensei for coordinating such wonderful performances and our families for bringing their children to perform. It was such a wonderful day!

2025 Foundation Enrolments are now open!

Just a reminder to our community that we are taking 2025 foundation enrolments. This year applications for enrolment are to be made online through the portal ‘Vic Students’. If we have any current families who have younger siblings who start next year, please apply now.

If you know of any friends or neighbours that are intending to enrol, please remind them to do so as soon as possible. The school runs tours each week for prospective families. To book a tour please follow this link: https://huntingdaleps.vic.edu.au/.

On our website you can download the Foundation (Prep) enrolment information pack giving families an understanding of the enrolment process.

Applications for Foundation (Prep) are due by Friday 26 July 2024. https://huntingdaleps.vic.edu.au/enrolment/.

You will be notified of the outcome of your application between Monday 29 July and Friday 9 August 2024. If you receive an enrolment offer, you should accept the offer via the portal by Friday 23 August 2024.

Enrolment applications submitted after 26 July 2024 will be processed by our school as they are received, in accordance with the department’s Placement Policy.

To commence online enrolment visit https://students.educationapps.vic.gov.au/s/  to create an account and complete the online application form.

Yard Duty Arrangements

Student safety at Huntingdale Primary School is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students are aware of our student supervision arrangements before and after school.

Before school: School grounds are supervised from 8.45am. Students are able to enter classrooms at 8.50am to prepare for the school day.

After school: School grounds are supervised from 3.30-3.45. Classroom teachers are on duty in and around their classrooms. We also have 2 staff members in the car park.

Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless they are attending a before or after school care program or supervised extracurricular activity).

Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they are attending before or after school care, or a pre-arranged supervised activity (i.e. sports practice).

Families are encouraged to look at Team Kids webiste https://www.teamkids.com.au/ for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community

For a copy of our Yard Duty and Supervision Policy, please contact the school.

Stay well this Winter

Symptoms of influenza (flu) can hit very quickly and may last several weeks. Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and others from getting the flu.

Keeping our school community well

Parents, carers and students are encouraged to practice prevention measures, including:

washing and sanitising hands regularly
avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
covering nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing
staying home if unwell and consulting a general practitioner (GP) or Nurse-on-call as required
staying up to date with flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

Flu vaccinations

Flu vaccinations can be booked through GPs and pharmacies, many of which can also provide COVID-19 vaccinations. Flu vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and over.

Some people are more at risk of complications from flu and are eligible for free vaccination as part of the National Immunisation Program.

COVID-19 booster

The 2024 COVID-19 booster dose is available for everyone aged 18 and above.

Getting your booster dose remains the best way to prevent severe illness or hospitalisation, especially in people aged over 65 and those at higher risk of severe illness.

Children aged between 5 and 17 years who are at risk of severe illness can also receive a 2024 booster dose.

You can get your next dose at your local pharmacy or GP. To find one near you, refer to the vaccine clinic finder.

Find out more

For more information about preventing flu, and immunisation, refer to:

National Sorry Day – Friday 26 May

National Sorry Day is the day to remember and acknowledge the hurt and damage caused in the past by our governments when they forcibly removed Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, communities, and cultures.

National Sorry Day marks the anniversary of the tabling of the Bringing them Home report in the Australian Parliament in 1997. The report detailed the history of the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families, often referred to as the Stolen Generations, under laws enacted by Australian governments.

National Reconciliation Week

National Reconciliation Week – 27 May to 3 June – is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. The theme for this year's Reconciliation Week is: Now More Than Ever. The theme is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will —and must —continue.

At Huntingdale we include indigenous perspectives in our curriculum programs each term so that our students understand the culture, history and viewpoints of first nations peoples.

For more information on Reconciliation Week visit the website: https://www.reconciliation.org.au/

Have a great fortnight! Keep warm!

Ruth Biddle

Principal

Assistant Principal’s Report

I am enjoying the autumn scenery with beautiful leaves and I also enjoyed seeing the amazing aurora the other night. Today, we can see such a beautiful blue sky. Please keep warm and enjoy the rest of or Autumn.

Bilingual Book Fair

Thank you so much for Watashi Mo’s support in running our annual Bilingual Book Fair. The students enjoyed choosing books and having time to read with friends. I would also like to say a big THANK YOU to all our volunteers who helped out each morning and afternoon.

Education Week

Thank you to all the parents who came to the Open Morning on 14th May. Team Kids hosted the parent morning tea and there was an Open classroom, an Art show and STEM classes. Children were so happy to see their parents in their classrooms. We also had a special assembly after recess to say thank you to our Education Support staff. Children created a card each and presented it. Dr Dossi gave a speech about how our school grew, and it was lovely to hear about our school’s journey.

Mother’s Day Breakfast

A very Big Thank you to Team Kids for organising our Mother’s Day Breakfast on 10th May. It was great to see many mothers and grandmothers come along. I hope everyone had a lovely time with their children on Mother’s Day.

Japan Festival

Our Taiko Group, Junior Choir, Senior Choir and Ukulele Club performed on stage at the Japan Festival on 19th May. It was great to see our students showcase our school.

Naomi Mori-Hanazono

Assistant Principal

Acknowledgement of Country