Principal's Report

I hope everyone is as well as they can be considering the number of ‘germs’ floating around at the moment. Between COVID, influenza and gastro it hasn’t been great for our staff and many students and their families. The amount of illness has certainly caused disruptions for families and while we have had staff away, we have been able to manage to employ replacement teachers. Many schools have not been as fortunate and have not been able to cover their staff. Leah Hodgson has been working tirelessly to cover classes with our quality casual relief staff (CRTs). We are asking that if your child is unwell, please do not send them to school as these germs are very infectious. Thanking you for your support.

Below is information from the Department regarding influenza and how to maintain the health of all:

The Department of Education is taking this very seriously and continues to follow the expert advice of the Department of Education and Training and Department of Health, to help ensure that schools continue to run effectively. To help protect your school and the wider community, we ask that unwell students stay home, given the impacts of flu and colds on our school community.

To help reduce the spread of flu, colds and COVID-19, students are being encouraged to;

wash and sanitise their hands regularly
avoid touching their eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
cover their nose and mouth when they cough or sneeze * get tested for COVID-19 if they feel unwell and follow the current Department of Health isolation requirements if a positive result is shown
if unwell, stay at home until their symptoms pass.

Face masks can be worn by any staff or students who wish to do so, including those who are medically at risk. Vaccination remains the best protection against both COVID-19 and flu, and we encourage you to get your child vaccinated.

Flu vaccinations can be booked through GPs and pharmacies, many of which can also provide COVID-19 vaccinations. If your child does become sick while at school, please also ensure that we have correct emergency contact details for yourself. This is so we can get hold of you as quickly as possible.

Pupil Free Day

Just a friendly reminder that Tuesday the 14th of June is a pupil free day. OSCHClub is open if you need your child minded.

Cadbury Chocolate Fundraiser

This week we sent home information regarding our chocolate drive fundraiser. We thank our community in advance for their support in this fundraiser, and also the community Hubsters for their organisation. Please remember if you do not wish to participate in the chocolate drive, please return the form asap. We thank those families who have already indicated they are taking the chocolates to their work and will be able to sell multiple boxes. All money raised will go towards our new playgrounds in the school. Every little bit helps!!

Camp Opportunity

Please see a link below for information regarding a camp opportunity during these school holidays.

https://www.oeg.edu.au/positive-start-holiday-camps/

Instrumental concert

Last Thursday evening we held our first instrumental concert for the year. It was fabulous to be able to sit back and listen and watch our students who learn an instrument and delight in their passion and enthusiasm. We heard from our beautiful Year 1 students who were at the beginning of their musical journey right up to our amazing Year 6 students who had been learning their instruments for many years, and who sang and played their instrument with confidence. A big thank you to Mr. Fox and our instrumental teachers with what was a very heart-warming night.

Prep Enrolments for 2023

If you have a child that will be attending Boronia Heights PS in 2023, we are taking enrolments NOW. The Education Department are requesting that all Prep enrolments are completed by August 12th. If you know anyone who would like to have further information about our school or enrol their child, please ask them to phone the school so we can talk them through the process or book a tour on our website. It was lovely to see new families and existing families at our Prep Information Night this week. It is a very special time talking to your child and preparing them for the beginning of their formal educational journey. A big thankyou to my leadership team and the Prep team for their organisation of the night. A very BIG thank you to our school captains Maggie Blomfield and Mat Windfeld-Lund for their insightful and well-prepared speech that they gave to the families. Also, thank you to Leia Barrett who heads up the Hubsters for her passionate talk around what Leia and her families’ experiences have been at Boronia Heights.

Lost Property

A reminder to clearly name all clothing items, lunch boxes & drink bottles. If they are lost, they can be easily identified and returned to the correct owner. The location for lost property is located next to the Chaplain’s Office.

Cadbury Chocolate Fundraiser

It’s that time of year again for one of our largest fundraisers of the year.

This year each family will receive a mixed box of 60 pieces, which is $60 per box.

Chocolates are to be sold for $1.00 each

You will receive the box of chocolates on Wednesday,13th of July with your youngest child, unless you return the slip indicating that you don’t wish to be involved.

We will have prizes for the most boxes sold.

Your support with this fundraiser would be greatly appreciated and all funds raised contribute to improving the school grounds and facilities - at the moment we’re working towards new playground equipment!

If you DO NOT wish to sell a box of chocolates this year, you must fill in the slip and return it to school by Tuesday,14th of July (second day of Term 3).

Year 4 Writing Expo

I had the great pleasure along with many Year 4 parents in visiting Year 4 classes during their writing expo. It was so lovely to see parents in the classrooms reading and enjoying the students writing. The high standard of writing was evident throughout the year level and all students should be extremely proud of their work. I was particularly impressed with the student’s clining (up levelling) of their words and the ability to use such wonderful descriptive words to develop their characters and settings to give the reader the ability to paint a clear picture in their mind. Thank you to the Year 4 staff for opening their classrooms for all of us to enjoy.

You are Invited on Tuesday 21st June - GEOFF'S FAREWELL

You are invited to attend a farewell for Geoff Dod who is sadly retiring from the school. Geoff has done the maintenance and gardens for the school for over 20 years and has been such a valued member of our staff. Geoff will be sadly missed by our students, staff and parents as he has been an integral part of all our lives in the most positive way. His passion and love for Boronia Heights and his willingness to have a go at anything has always been our very good fortune. We are very sad to say goodbye to Geoff and would like to invite all of our community to join us at 3pm outside the shed next to the oval where we will say goodbye with the students and staff. We would love to see everyone on Tuesday 21st June at the goodbye and good luck farewell for Geoff.

Have as terrific long weekend I hope you and your family enjoy the extra time with each other.

Leanne Jennings

Principal