Principal's Report 

2023 Student Leaders

We are very pleased to announce that following a process that involved self-identification, shortlisting, speeches, and presentations to all Year 4, 5 and 6 students, a preferential voting process and an interview, our student leadership team for 2023 are:

Bimbadeen Heights PS 2023 Student Leadership Team 

Our School Captains and House Captains make up our formal student leadership team and will be presented with their badges and certificates at a special assembly to be held at the beginning of next year. We are very much looking forward to working with them throughout their final year of primary school and to see the impact they will make and the legacy they will leave behind for the future Bimbadeen students to enjoy.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank our current 2022 Student Leadership team for their contributions to our community throughout this year. These young leaders have worked hard to make a difference and lead our student body and have done so with enthusiasm and passion for their roles. We wish you all the best for your continued leadership journey into secondary school.

2023 Staffing Structure

After thorough workforce planning, we are very pleased to announce our Leadership and Staffing Structure for 2023 (repeat information sent home on Tuesday 13 December):

Leadership Structure

Principal:                                                                                             Adele Gregson

Assistant Principal:                                                                          Sabrina George

Leading Teacher – School Improvement/Inclusion:            Marty Gill

Learning Specialist – School Improvement:                           Bree King

Learning Specialist – School Improvement:                           Alec Baroni

Administration Structure

Business Manager:          Adele Gates

Accounts Payable:           Shelley Canning

Administration:                 Emma Chandler

Classroom Teaching Structure

0LN        Liz Nicholson (Team Leader)

0TJ          Tracey Johansen

0JG         Jemima Gange

0AJ         Ashleigh Janssen

0ST         Sam Tallentyre

1BD        Ashlie Rich (Mon, Tues, Wed) / Beth Dean (Team Leader/PMS*) (Thurs, Fri)

1MT       Melissa Thomas

1AK        Alycia Kennington

1JG         Joshua Gray

2SB         Stacy Brookes (Team Leader)

2SE         Sharon Egan

2MF       Michelle Franks

2MG      Tania Maniscalchi (Mon, Tues) / Michaela Gray (Wed, Thurs, Fri)

34B        Kate Buzaglo (Mon, Tues, Wed) / Rebecca Davenport (Team Leader/PMS*)                                 (Thurs, Fri)

34H        Bronte Hamilton

34M       Tess Mathews

34R         Melinda Ruscitti

34GS      Laura Simkin (Mon, Tues) / Virginia Gardner (Wed, Thurs, Fri) 

5OM      Olivia Maestri (Team Leader)

5LH        Lizzy Henderson

6BK        Bree King (Team Leader/Learning Specialist) / Annikka Hay (Tues) 

6AB        Alec Baroni (Learning Specialist) / Annikka Hay (Wed)

Specialist Structure

Art:                                        Amelia Laird (Team Leader)

Physical Education:         Kate Schie

Music:                                  Lynne Burt (Mon, Tues) / Natalie Lowe (Wed)

Chinese:                              Ben Liang (Mon, Tues, Wed)

Library:                                 Emily Russell (Mon, Tues, Wed)

Tutor Learning Initiative:               Michaela Gray (Mon, Tues) / Tania Maniscalchi (Thurs, Fri)

Team Leader Release:                    Karin Sansom (Wed)

Education Support Staff Structure

Student Counsellor:                        Liam Bransgrove (Tues, Wed, Thurs)

Equity Intervention/Library:         Karin Sansom (Mon, Thurs, Fri)

Integration:                                        Jenna Fowler, Tracey Price-O’Reilly, Mandy Riley, Jo Palmer, Kim Durose

Chaplain:                                             TBC

Maintenance:                                     Ray Leigone

ICT:                                                        Ken Worth

Retirement Congratulations and Farewell to Mr Laws

It is with grateful minds but heavy hearts that we bid farewell to Mr Matt Laws who is retiring at the end of this year. Mr Laws is retiring after over 20 years of service to the Bimbadeen community including 11 years as a Leading Teacher, and over 22 years of service to education in Victoria, after teaching in the State of Queensland in his early career.Mr Laws is well known by Bimbadeen families past and present. 

His contributions to our school community as a member of staff have been significant. He has taken on many and varied roles throughout the years, always with a student-centred focus and the best interests of our school community at heart. A small staff celebration has been planned in line with Mr Laws’ wishes to thank him for his contributions to our community. I am sure you will join us in thanking Mrs Laws and congratulating him on his retirement and wish him all the best for the next adventures that await him.

Welcome Back, Ms Russell and Mrs Hay (formerly Ms Smith)

Next year we will be welcoming back Ms Emily Russell and Mrs Annikka Hay (formerly Ms Smith) who are returning to their roles as classroom teachers after a period of family leave. 

Ms Russell will be working in the library, in our new Specialist program, while Mrs Hay will be working in the Year 6 team, releasing Mrs King and Mr Baroni on their Learning Specialist Day each week. 

We are very pleased to be welcoming them back to the Bimbadeen community next year.

Welcome to Bimbadeen

We are excited to be welcoming 11 new staff members to our community in 2023, in either Classroom Teacher, Specialist Teacher or Education Support staff roles. We are pleased to share the following introductions to our new Classroom and Specialist Teachers with our community, and we look forward to these professionals joining our team in 2023:

Alec Baroni – Hello Bimbadeen Heights Primary School families, my name is Alec Baroni (or Mr. B. to the students) and I am excited to be joining the BHPS community in 2023. I will be one of the school’s Learning Specialists, within this role I am looking forward to working alongside all the wonderful staff and students to learn about their goals and passions. 

I have been a teacher for twelve years, teaching everything from Foundation to Year 6 (and even being a Science Teacher for a few years). I am currently working as the Acting Principal at Marlborough Primary School in Heathmont, where I am fortunate enough to contribute to the positive school culture and develop practice excellence amongst staff.  

Before teaching, I spent four years gaining my qualification as a chef, working in restaurants across Melbourne. I am married and we have two children - Jonah, who is 15 and Charlotte, who is 4. We also have a cat named Zeus.

When I’m not teaching, I love spending time with my family, reading, playing guitar and cooking. I love all things Mathematics and recently taught myself to solve a Rubik’s Cube – which I can do in just under 80 seconds.

I am looking forward to getting to know all the school community in the new year, so please feel free to stop by for a chat.

Olivia Maestri – I am very excited to start my next teaching adventure at Bimbadeen Heights Primary School. I have heard such wonderful things regarding the culture at this school involving parents, staff and students and I just can’t wait to be a part of it in 2023. I started my teaching career in 2017 and have taught a range of year levels from Year 5, Year 1, Year 6 and am currently teaching, Foundation. I am a passionate teacher who really works on building strong, positive relationships with parents, staff and of course, students. I believe that every student is capable to achieve, and I enjoy encouraging them to strive for their best. I thoroughly enjoy watching students interact with one another, collaborating and sharing ideas to assist each other in their learning. As I have been a part of implementing the 

Student Voice program at my previous school, I foster a great sense of belonging and worth in and out of the classroom. When I am not teaching, I love spending time with my husband and walking our Hungarian Vizsla, Odin. I also enjoy going to the gym every morning, shopping and dining out to nice restaurants with family and friends. I am very excited to be a part of the wonderful Bimbadeen Heights Community and I am looking forward to meeting you all throughout my time.

Melissa Thomas – It is a privilege to be joining the Bimbadeen Heights Primary School community as a Year 1 teacher this year. I am extremely passionate about student wellbeing and believe that children learn best when they feel safe, happy, and supported. 

I wish to create an exciting learning environment that inspires students to reach their full potential, take pride in their achievements and build their confidence. 

Outside of school, I enjoy spending time with my two dogs, Molly, and Coco. 

Alycia Kennington – Hi there. My name is Alycia Kennington, and I will be joining the Year

 1 team in my first year of teaching at Bimbadeen Heights Primary School.  As a past student myself and working as a pre-service teacher across the school this year, I am excited to begin this new chapter of my Bimbadeen experience with the Year 1 cohort.

Teaching is my passion, and it is my hobby. When it comes to teaching, I am very enthusiastic and passionate about learning. I am patient and empathetic, understanding the support needed to help all types of learners flourish. I highly value a hands-on approach to learning, finding ways to make learning fun and engaging, while encouraging curiosity.

My adventurous nature fuels my passion for travelling and trying new things. When I’m at 

home, I am often learning new skills that I need to renovate my house. I also enjoy spending quality time with my family and friends, often spending a large portion of my time outdoors with my dog, Barney, playing fetch or going for walks. 

Next year is going to be filled with a lot of fun and learning and I cannot wait to meet you all and grow alongside you in 2023.

Lizzy Henderson – I have been a teacher for the past 3 years and am currently a Year 6 teacher at Templestowe Valley Primary School. In 2021 I taught Year 4 and in 2020 I taught Year 1. I am really looking forward to joining the Bimbadeen Heights Primary School community, working, and learning from all the teachers, getting to know my students and their families. I'm looking forward to teaching a new year level and being part of the Year 5 team and help students continue to grow their love of learning and sense of self. I have a huge passion for teaching, but I also have a huge passion for cooking as I am also a qualified chef. I am an avid dog lover and my partner, and I are looking to add a

fur baby to our family in 2023. I spend a lot of my spare time playing squash with my partner, going to new restaurants, or going to sporting events with my partner, friends, and family. I particularly love attending AFL games, all formats of cricket, tennis matches at the Australian Open and watching soccer, F1 and world events like the Olympics too when they're on. 

Ashlie Rich – My name is Ashlie Rich, and I will be teaching Year 1 with Beth Dean in 2023. I’m excited to be joining the Bimbadeen Heights Primary School community and learning more about the students, staff and the local area. For the last six years I have taught at a school in Parkdale, down by the beach, but I grew up in regional Victoria so I am happiest when I can see the mountains. I live in Ferntree Gully with my partner Rhys, our two sons Hudson and Spencer, as well as our Labrador Frankie. In 2023, we are building a new home and it's a very exciting time for our family. As a teacher I feel so privileged to be part of the 

students' everyday life and I love seeing how students grow throughout the year, both as learners and as people. At University I firstly studied a Bachelor of Science, then went on to complete an Honours year and eventually a Master of Teaching. I love learning and sharing in knowledge, so it is wonderful that I get to share in the student’s learning every day that I am in the classroom.  

Bronte Hamilton - I am so excited to be joining the Bimbadeen Heights community next year as a 3/4 teacher. I am looking forward to meeting the students in my class, learning all about them and beginning my teaching journey. I feel very passionate about educating young people and feel very privileged that I now get to call this my job. 

In my spare time, I love to read, this year I managed to read over 120 books! 

I also love to cuddle my very fluffy Pomchi called Bear and go on adventures with my partner exploring all that Victoria has to offer. 

Our new staff members have been engaging in a comprehensive induction and orientation program to support their transition to Bimbadeen and they are very excited to be a joining our wonderful school community. 

We are sure you will all extend them a warm Bimbadeen welcome.

Farewell

Liz Downs will be leaving Bimbadeen at the end of this year to take up a new position in school office Administration. Liz has been a part of our school community for over 9 years as both a parent and valued member of our Education Support team. I am sure you will join with me in wishing Liz all the best for the future and her new role. 

Mrs Anne Lawry has announced that she will be stepping back from her role as Chaplain at Bimbadeen Heights PS at the end of this year. Anne has been a wonderful support for our community after taking on the role at the beginning of 2020. Our staff, students and families have been so grateful for her support, kindness, and care, and she will be greatly missed by us all. Her last working day will be Thursday 15 December. 

I am sure you will join with me in wishing Mrs Lawry all the best for the future and thank her for her contribution to our community over the past three years.

Mr Nathan Percy and Mr James Salter will be leaving Bimbadeen at the end of the year as they take up new opportunities in their careers. We express a sincere thank you to Mr Percy and Mr Salter for their contributions in their roles as classroom teachers of 2NP and 1JS, respectfully. 

We recognise them for their work, service and contribution to our community and wish them every success for the future.

See you soon!

Ms Hayley Cook and Mrs Sarah Cherry will be taking 12 months leave from their roles at Bimbadeen Heights PS next year to spend time with their families. 

Ms Cook will be working as a replacement teacher in the second half of next year, so you will still see her around Bimbadeen, just not in her usual full-time classroom teaching role. 

Mrs Cherry has completed a comprehensive handover to Mr Liang, who is teaching our Chinese program next year, and is looking forward to enjoying more time with her family as her youngest child begins school. We wish them all the best for next year and look forward to welcoming them back to their roles in 2024.

Thank you also to Mrs Kylie Lowe who has taught in 3/4B on Thursdays and Fridays this year. 

Thank you for your contributions to our community, Kylie, and we look forward to seeing you next year as a regular replacement teacher at our school.

Congratulations Mrs Cherry

I would like to congratulate Mrs Sarah Cherry who has been successful in her appointment as a panel member on the next generation Victorian Curriculum F-10 reference panel for Chinese (Mandarin). Reference panels will be providing advice on the revisions required to 'adopt and adapt' the recently endorsed Australian Curriculum. 

The panels will consider recent research in curriculum discipline areas and reflect on the current Victorian Curriculum F-10 and Australian Curriculum Version 9.0. Panels will consist of 10 to 12 members from schools, universities, training, industry, and business sectors and are appointed based on their expertise and capacity to contribute to the review process.

Whole School Transition - Foundation to Year 6

Teachers have worked diligently to finalise our 2023 classes and prepare for our Whole School Transition Meet the Teacher and the Class session that was held on Tuesday this week. During this session, students including all current and new students attending Bimbadeen Heights PS in 2023 met their teacher and spent some time with their new class for next year. 

There is always much excitement around meeting your new teacher and classmates for the upcoming year. It was very pleasing to see the high level of resilience our students showed throughout the session and how much they enjoyed meeting their new teacher and peers. On this day, students completed a document to bring home to their parents and carers explaining who their teacher will be, something they are looking forward to in 2023 and some class members they are looking forward to working with. 

On the same day, our Year 6 students moving onto government secondary schools had their Year 7 Transition Orientation where they spent the day preparing to begin their secondary schooling in 2023.

2023 Timetable Adjustments

As mentioned earlier this term, we made some adjustments to our recess and lunch break times to accommodate the teacher break requirements of the new Victorian Government Schools Agreement (VGSA) 2022. 

With an increase in teacher non-face-to-face time in 2023, we will be making another adjustment to the length of sessions and weekly timetable to accommodate this increase. Teachers now have 3.5 hours of non-face-to-face time each week where they focus is on their important work to support the development of teaching and learning programs including planning, preparation, meetings, etc. 

Our timetable structure for 2023 will return to 1hour blocks and will be as follows:

Daily Timetable:

9am - Period 1

10am - Period 2

11am - Recess

11:20am - Period 3

12:20pm - Period 4

1:20pm - lunch eating

1:30pm - lunch play

2:30pm - Period 5.

Congratulations Kiara!

Congratulations to Kiara C in 1BD on her recent success at the Junior National for Physical Culture (dancing). Kiara placed 1st at the Victorian Zone in October as a 7-year-old to guarantee a spot at Junior Nationals in Sydney. On 27th November, Kiara competed at Homebush Bay Quay Centre, alongside 75, 7-year-olds from around Australia, being the only girl to represent Victoria for her age group. While she didn’t make it to the top 15 in the country, Kiara should be proud of her efforts as she danced so beautifully and gave her very best effort. 

It’s everyone dream to make it to Junior Nationals and Kiara has been fortunate to go twice. We are so very proud of you, Kiara!

We love celebrating the successes of our students throughout the school year. If your child achieves success in their personal endeavours, please let us know so we can celebrate them in our newsletter or at assembly. 

Thank you to our Parent and Carer Helpers

Each year, we thank our wonderful parent and carer helpers who have contributed to our school community in a multitude of ways throughout the year. Without the support and assistance of our parent/carer community, we would not have been able to support our students to the same level, nor provide the extensive incursion and excursion experiences that we have throughout this year. 

It takes a village to raise a child and the motivation that children get from seeing their parents and community members involved in their learning has a remarkable positive impact. Our school is known for the great relationships that exist here, and the relationships we have with our parents and volunteer helpers are relationships that we highly value and respect and it is a privilege for us to work with you. 

This year, we want to say a huge THANK YOU to all parents and carers throughout our community for the incredible support you have provided our students and for working in partnership with our teachers this year. Today we have sent home a thank you card with each student as a personal thank you for your contribution to our school community.

Child Safe Information & Documents

Bimbadeen Heights Primary School is embedding a culture of Child Safety at the school to create and maintain a child safe organisation. The role and responsibility for implementing and monitoring the Child Safe strategies at Bimbadeen is Assistant Principal, Mrs Sabrina George. Mrs George can be contacted on 03 9726 9989. 

The School Community will be informed about the strategies and allocated roles and responsibilities through the school newsletter and information via the school website. School Council ratified the Child Safe Policy earlier this year, which reflects the requirements of Ministerial Order 870 and outlines the school’s approach to Child Safety.

The Child Safe policy and associated appendices and other resources can be accessed on our school website at https://www.bimbadeenheightsps.vic.edu.au/policies-documents/

Student Reports

Our staff have been busily compiling comprehensive reports that were available through Sentral on Friday 9 December. These reports are a thorough representation of your child's growth over the last Semester. As part of our end of year student reporting process, we will also be providing the opportunity for parents/carers to discuss their child’s learning and progress with their current classroom teacher, if they wish to do so. If you would like to book a time to meet with your child’s teacher to discuss their report before the end of the school year, please get in contact with them via Sentral or direct email.

Victoria-wide single-use plastics ban – from 1 February 2023

Single-use plastics make up a third of the litter in our environment and are difficult and costly to clean up. They pollute the environment, harming wildlife and contaminating our food and water. They are also a poor use of resources – they are often used for only a few minutes and generate significant waste that is not recyclable They can often easily be replaced with reusable products. 

Under new regulations, from 1 February 2023, Victorian businesses, and organisations (including schools) will not be able to sell, supply or provide several single-use plastic items. The ban applies to the following single-use plastic items made from conventional, degradable, or compostable plastics:

• Drinking straws
• Cutlery including knives, forks, spoons, chopsticks, sporks, splades, food picks and sporks
• Plates
• Drink stirrers and sticks
• Cotton bud sticks

The ban also applies to:

• Food service items and drink containers made from expanded polystyrene. This includes expanded polystyrene plates, cups, bowls, clam shells and any cover or lid that is also made from expanded polystyrene.

Bimbadeen Heights PS will be implementing the Victorian government’s single-use plastics ban in the items we use as a school community including at the canteen, OSHC, catering at fundraising events, classroom and staffroom activities and other school events, etc. We will not be using any banned single-use plastic items from 1 February 2023. 

Exceptions to the ban

People who need single-use plastic drinking straws due to a disability or for a medical need will still be able to purchase and use these items. If your child needs to continue using single-use plastic drinking straws because of a disability or medical need, please let their classroom teacher or their year level team leader know, and we will ensure that there is a supply available for your child’s use at future school activities.   

The Victorian government has produced a useful Fact Sheet explaining which items are banned and which are not, including information about exemptions. 

Student lunches and snacks from home

Offences relating to the ban do not apply to private or domestic activities at home, e.g. individual families’ decisions about lunch packaging. The intention of the government’s new regulations is to remove these items from the supply chain prior to reaching the customer. 

If you have any questions about the implementation of the Victorian government’s single-use plastics ban at Bimbadeen, please contact us.

We hope the Bimbadeen community has a great weekend, and we look forward to seeing you all for the final week of 2022!

Kind regards,

Adele Gregson and Sabrina George