Principal's Report 

What a fantastic start to the term, with our students settling in quickly, and diving right back into their learning! We have an exciting term ahead, so please ensure you check Sentral for regular updates about events and activities across the school. 

Sunsmart – Hats Compulsory This Term

Just a reminder that Bimbadeen is a SunSmart school and school hats are compulsory in Terms 1 and 4. Children will not be allowed to play out in the sun without their hats this term or in Term 1 next year and will be asked to remain under the veranda in front of the hall at recess and lunch times. 

If you child has misplaced their hat or requires a new one, new hats can be purchased from our uniform shop via the link on our school website. 

World Teachers Day

Friday 28 October is when we in Victoria celebrate World Teachers Day. This is the community’s chance to thank our teachers and acknowledge the wonderful work that they do each day to support the learning and development of our students. Everyone, no matter how old, can remember a great teacher who made a difference in their lives. It would be wonderful if our community could take the time on in the week ending Friday 29 October to say thank you to your child’s teacher as I can assure you it will be greatly appreciated and will make their day. 

Please note, our final Curriculum Day for the year will be held on Friday 28 October, so please take the time to thank your child’s teacher before this date. 

Vandalism – Please keep an eye on our school

Unfortunately, we have had a spate of low-level vandalism from a small number of youths who have been frequenting the school grounds in the evenings. Last week, the group damaged the work trolley of one of our cleaning staff, and took items of value. 

If you walk past or visit the school in the evenings and see anyone behaving inappropriately, please inform the local police.

2023 Planning (reprint of direct Sentral send to parents and carers on 7/10/22)

While our students have completed the first week of the final term for 2022, we are well under way with our planning for next year. Each year, we spend a considerable amount of time working on class structures, staff recruitment, teacher placements and allocating students to classes. It is a complex and exhaustive process that we diligently work through so that we have school structures that best meets the needs of all students. 

To do this we consider several factors that impact on each child’s learning and success at school.

The people who know your child/ren best in the school environment are our teachers. It is also these people who will be working with our students most closely in the school environment next year, so they are given the main responsibility of developing class lists. Our teachers always strive to create classes that are balanced in terms of gender, academic achievement, behaviour, special needs, and friendships.

Nobody knows your child emotionally better than you do and we are most interested in your insights as to what you think will help your children achieve their best next year. To this end parents and carers are invited to write to us outlining what you think are 

important factors that we need to take into consideration when placing your child in a class for next year. We will be accepting these requests until Wednesday 19 October. Please pass this information in written form directly to a member of our Administration Team who will maintain its confidentiality and pass it on to us. Please do not send us an email, as it can be easily missed. Please note, information received after this date may not be able to be considered as the process will be advanced and late changes have a ‘domino effect’ that can impact on other students’ class placement. Do not wait until the class structure is published before you send us your considerations.

We encourage you to write to us even if you have spoken to your child’s teacher earlier in the year or have provided information to the school in past years. Do not assume that ‘the school will know’. It is worth considering that issues that may have been a concern at an earlier time in your child’s schooling may not always continue to be so as the children grow up and mature. Keep this in mind as you provide information for consideration. We suggest that if it is important to you, make sure you put it in writing so we can be certain we are considering your input.

Please note that it is not appropriate to include requests relating to particular teachers. Your requests will be shared with our teachers to assist them to develop the class lists. If you do have particular, confidential, concerns that you do not wish to be shared with the teachers, please make an appointment to speak to either of us.

You will understand that with so many factors to consider and the complexities of the process, it is impossible to accommodate all information and suggestions from parents. Multiple requests and multi-layered requests are even more difficult to accommodate. For example; ‘Could my child be separated from this child and this child and be with this child and this child and be in a class with a shared teacher please’. Be assured however that each factor in our decision making for next year, including your insights, are given our utmost attention.

One important part of this process is that our students are given the opportunity to identify up to five peers who they would like to be with next year. It is explained to them that the teachers will work hard to ensure that every student has at least one of these individuals in their class next year. We go to great lengths to explain to students to think very carefully about the names that they write down, so they don’t just write the names of the person they played with that day or just the name of the person who invited them to their birthday party recently. Sometimes students write down the name or names of peers they would like to be in class with even though they may not play with them. This can be because they consider this individual would be a good influence or someone they would like to get to know. This is not a bad thing and can be a sign of maturity and growing independence as they may be trying to be less reliant on one or two particular peers. 

(One of the most common concerns we receive is that a student is separated from all their friends. We can assure you that this is extremely rare and if it does happen, we consult with the student’s parents to ensure we are making the best placement for their child). We encourage you to speak to your children about this process to reinforce the importance of the names of the children they write down.

This term teachers spend a lot of time preparing our students for their transition to the next level of schooling and talk to them about this to reassure and help them understand the process. For example, teachers explain that having all of their friends in class together is not as important as they may think and is sometimes even detrimental to their learning success and what they may have heard about a particular teacher from an older brother or

sister may not be the case for them. 

Teachers also remind them of past successful transitions and how this is part of growing up and that we have confidence that they are ready to manage this next transition just as successfully as they have managed transitions in the past.

It is anticipated that the final school structure will be in place and published by the end of November, with students having the opportunity of meeting their teacher for next year before the end of the school year. Thank you in anticipation of working with us and for your understanding as we set our school up for more high-quality teaching and learning next year.

Thunderstorm asthma — be prepared this pollen season

Grass pollen season, which runs from October to December each year, brings an increase in asthma and hay fever symptoms. It also increases the risk of thunderstorm asthma. For people with asthma or hay fever, especially those who experience wheezing or coughing with their hay fever, thunderstorm asthma can be sudden, serious and even life threatening.

Bimbadeen Heights PS will implement a range of measures to keep our school community safe when the risk of thunderstorm asthma increases. Many of our staff are trained in asthma first aid, and we will monitor the VicEmergency app to receive thunderstorm warnings, and, where appropriate, keep students indoors when weather forecasts identify greater level of risk. 

How you can prepare 

During pollen season, there are some things you can do to prepare and protect yourself and your family:

• If your child has ever had asthma: talk to your doctor about what you can do to help protect your child from the risk of thunderstorm asthma, including updating your asthma action plan. Taking an asthma preventer properly and regularly is key to preventing asthma, including thunderstorm asthma. 
• If your child has hay fever: see your pharmacist or doctor for a hay fever treatment plan and check if you should have an asthma reliever puffer. These are available from a pharmacy without a prescription.
• If your child has hay fever and experiences wheezing and coughing: it is important to make sure they don’t also have asthma. Speak to your doctor about an asthma action plan.   
• Where possible, avoid being outside during thunderstorms from October to December, especially during the wind gusts that come before the storm. Go inside and close your doors and windows. If you have your air conditioning on, turn it to ‘recirculate’.

Protect yourself this pollen season – managing asthma and allergies matters.

Remain vigilant for COVID-19

It is important for students to manage any hay fever or asthma symptoms, as these conditions can produce symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose, and loss or change to sense of smell or taste, which are similar to COVID-19 symptoms.

If your child experiences these symptoms in different or worse ways to their usual hay fever or asthma symptoms, medical advice should be sought. 

Find out more 

For more information, visit your general practitioner (GP) or visit the Better Health Channel. 

Student Scholarships Available

Scholarships are available for eligible students in Grade 4 to Year 11, and for Year 12 students planning to undertake tertiary studies in 2023. 

The Department of Education and Training administers a number of scholarships that are available to eligible students who are currently enrolled in Grade 4 to Year 12 in 2022. 

Applicants for these scholarships will be evaluated on their:

• participation in school activities
• community involvement
• academic record for the current year.

Scholarships are either one-off payments or cover the duration of the student’s course or annual study. Many of these scholarships have specific eligibility criteria so please refer to individual applications for more information. Applications are open and close on Wednesday 1 February 2023.

For more information and a list of available scholarships, see the 2022 Student scholarships for Grade 4 – Year 12 fact sheet. For information on how to apply, refer to Student scholarships.

Invitation to the Rotary High Tea

The current president of Rotary Lilydale, Jenny Selway, has invited staff and families of Bimbadeen to their High Tea on Sunday 27 November from 2:30pm to 4:30pm. 

The event aims to show guests how Lilydale Rotary is involved in the local community. 

It would be a lovely opportunity for members of our community to connect with members of Rotary Lilydale, a local organisation with which we have enjoyed a great association for many years. 

Below is a flyer about the event, and bookings can be made via the following link https://www.trybooking.com/CBJIL (please note, there is a cost for families to attend this event)

We hope you enjoy a wonderful weekend, and we look forward to another fantastic week of learning at Bimbadeen. 

Kind regards,

Adele Gregson and Sabrina George