Principal Report

Welcome to week eight of Term Two. We hope everyone enjoyed the King’s Birthday Public Holiday on Monday. It was great to have a long weekend and enjoy some time at home. Many students (and teachers) came to school feeling fresh after having a restful, relaxing and fun weekend. 

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 282 students who have achieved 100% attendance so far in June. Some of these students include: Arjan B Prep FY, Fiora J Prep FY, Jovin D Prep B, Lucas L Prep B, Anisha D 1S, Violet G 1S, Freya H 1D, Ewen L 1D, Kezia C 2S, Markus P 2S, Sia J 2M, Ann L 2M, Aaron J 2J, Jenil P 2J, Emily M 3CBB, Ushika T 3CBB, Aadhya R 3J, Shawn W 3J, Steven H 4A, Kai P 4A, Jason L 4U, Emma L 4U, Zoe L 5S, Nikki N 5S, Aaron L 5D, Mikayla L 5D, Myra D 6S, Lucas G 6S, Eugene C 6D and William T 6D. 

Here are some attendance figures for 2025 so far:

Remember: it is not ok to be away!

Parent Helpers 

We welcome parents to volunteer to help at HPS in a range of ways. We believe this contributes to developing strong home/school partnerships within our community. If you would like to volunteer as a classroom helper, you need to have a current Working With Children Check and have completed the Parent Volunteer Training and Induction. Onsite or online training sessions are conducted at the beginning of each term. If you wish to volunteer this term, please contact your child’s classroom teacher.

Dance Curriculum

Over the past fortnight, the students of HPS participated in Dance Curriculum classes. Omar led the students through some very fun and exciting moves and the students were proud to present their learnings to our parent community in two performances last Friday. We hope you enjoyed the show and we look forward to welcoming Omar and Dance Curriculum back to Highvale next year. Please see our ‘Student Voice’ page of the newsletter to gain some student insights on the program. 

Pyjama Day

On the last day of Term Two – Friday 4th July we will be having a Pyjama Day. We are anticipating some cold wintery weather, so students (and staff) should come to school in their winter pyjamas, onesies, dressing gowns or Oodies. Students can also enjoy a snack pack (cinnamon donut, packet of plain chips and Freddo Frog) for morning tea. The snack packs will cost $4 and must be ordered via Compass under the Canteen section by Sunday 29th June.

Prep 2026

We are currently conducting school tours and we are taking enrolments for 2026. It appears we have a lot of new families that are wanting to join us and become part of the Highvale Primary School Community. If you know of anyone who has a child that will be starting school in 2026, please let them know they are welcome to contact the office to book in a tour or use the Student Insights online portal to enrol. If you are having trouble with the portal, please contact the office and we can assist you. 

Financial Contributions 

Highvale Primary School sincerely thanks all parents and carers who have supported our school this year. Your generous contributions play a vital role in helping us enhance and enrich the educational experiences we offer our students. These contributions have enabled us to provide additional resources and opportunities beyond the standard curriculum. If you are yet to make contributions and would like to, please see Compass or come and visit us at the school office. You are helping to make Highvale a very special place for our students to learn and grow. 

ICAS Assessments 

This year we are excited to offer students in Years 3 to 6 the chance to participate in the ICAS academic competition. This is an internationally recognised program that provides students with additional opportunities to display their knowledge, skills and confidence across several areas of the Victorian Curriculum. ICAS is an optional program that gives you the freedom to choose which assessments your child participates in. If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please see the information on Compass or visit;  icasassessments.com/products-icas/

Changes to the turning circle

If you pick your child up at the turning circle each night, you may have noticed some changes across the past few weeks. Students are no longer playing on the equipment whilst waiting for their family, they are standing with the teacher in charge on the concrete and waiting there. The reason for these changes is that too many students were not realising their parents were waiting in the car and this led to beeping/ yelling out windows and a very congested turning circle each night. We have found this new strategy to be a little more safe and calm for all involved.

Gates being unlocked

Recently, we have employed a new strategy for unlocking the gates each morning. Students are welcomed into the school between 8:45am and 8:50am by HPS staff members. We hope you enjoy seeing familiar faces at the gate each morning.   

Late Pick ups

We have some students that are not being collected from school until after 3:45pm each day. Please ensure your child is collected at 3:30pm or as close to 3:30pm as possible. If you cannot arrange this, please enrol your child in TheirCare our OSHC (Out of School Hours Care) provider. Then you can do ‘pick up’ at a time that suits your family and the circumstances. 

A friendly reminder that when you are collecting your child from school at 3:30pm, you are not permitted to take other children with you unless instructed to do so by the child's parents. If this is the case, please make classroom teachers/ school aware of the arrangements.

IMPORTANT PHONE NUMBERS 

Kids Help - kidshelpline.com.au phone 1800 55 1800 

Parent Line - betterhealth.vic.gov.au phone 13 22 89 

Headspace - headspace.org.au phone 1800 650 890 

eSafety Commissioner - esafety.gov.au - Advice for parents and carers to help children have safe experiences online 

Have a great week ahead HPS families,

Carly Epskamp

Acting Principal

carly.epskamp@education.vic.gov.au