Principal's Page

Mother's Day stall and Movie Night

Firstly, I would like to start with a thank you to our Parent's Association. Last week they provided our students with two great events; the Mother's Day stall and the Movie night. The Mother's Day stall was very popular, with students considering their mum's and special people. They thought about what their mum might like, made decisions around what they were able to purchase with their money, and enjoyed having ownership over their present choice. Many chocolates and lollies were purchased for mothers and I do wonder how many of these made it to being given as a gift on Sunday. I hope that mothers enjoyed receiving the gifts as much as the children enjoyed the purchase.

On Saturday night the weather was kind to HEPS. We enjoyed coming together as a community,  rugging up with Oodies and blankets to enjoy a movie on our oval.  This was a great community event and there were smiles on the faces of both adults and children as they enjoyed talking together while enjoying the bbq and movie snacks. We were very fortunate to have the canteen and food areas well lit, with the flood light installation being made possible from the proceeds of our last movie night. These will continue to be an asset for night events in the future. 

Thank you also to the staff who gave up their Saturday morning/afternoon/night to support the HEPS community. I am sure the children appreciate your effort. 

These events are not only fun but provide our students with the opportunity to develop their dispositions in thinking of others and in their own sense of belonging within the school community. If you would like to be part of supporting our community and ensuring events like these are possible in the future, I encourage you to become part of our PA. Please see the PA page for details of the next meeting time.

Student Free day

Next Friday 26th May is a student free day. Once again, teachers will be working on many aspects of their professional practice that enables them to have current knowledge in providing the best for your children. TeamKids will be operating if you need care for your child/children on the day.

Temporary Closure of Yallamba St and The Boulevard

Please see below the important letter of notification from the Maroondah Council.

Works Notification Letter - Drainage Works The Boulevard, Heathmont 

The purpose of this letter is to advise of upcoming works to upgrade Council’s stormwater drainage infrastructure at the intersection of The Boulevard and Yallamba Place in Heathmont to improve the overall drainage configuration in the area. 

The works will be undertaken by Council’s contractor APS Drainage and Civil and are scheduled to commence on Monday 22 May 2023. The works will take approximately five weeks to complete, subject to weather. Normal working hours will be 7am - 5pm, Monday to Friday. 

As part of our commitment to maintaining a safe working environment for both the public and our contractors, Yallamba Place will be closed to through traffic between the working hours of 9am to 3pm. We kindly request that you plan an alternative route during this time. We acknowledge the importance of this route during school pick up times and have made provisions to allow access through Yallamba Place between 7am-9am and 3pm-5pm, under the guidance of on-site traffic controllers. Council thanks you for your patience during these works and apologises for any inconvenience that may be caused. 

Further information relating to the project and Council’s Road Management Plan is available for viewing on the Maroondah Council webpage at http://www.maroondah.vic.gov.au/TheBoulevard-Drainage-Works Should you have any queries or specific requirements during the construction period, please contact Council’s Project Engineer, Aaron Yong on telephone (03) 9298 4458, or Council contractor’s representative, Amy Ridgway of APS Drainage and Civil on 0439 377 366.

CCTV

Recently we have installed CCTV in three areas of the gym. This is to provide line of sight to areas that are not easily seen by others, and to continue to maintain the best possible processes for the safety of our students. The cameras are in the sitting area of the gym foyer, the stage, and in the room used for drum lessons. These cameras provide footage to a screen in the office area, therefore providing direct line of sight with other professionals. 

Acting Principal

As of next Monday afternoon I will be on long service leave and enjoying a warm European Summer. I will be returning to HEPS for the beginning of term 3. In my absence Lou Corso will be in the Acting Principal role, and Kristen Bulfin will be Acting Assistant Principal. 

On my return to school we will be welcoming principal intern, Anthony Rowe. Anthony is currently in an Assistant Principal role at Oakleigh South P.S. He will be working alongside me as part of the Unlocking Potential principal preparation program, for the first four weeks of term. While this is an opportunity for Anthony to explore the role of a principal, HEPS will also be the beneficiaries of ideas and knowledge of another colleague and how different aspects of the educational program are implemented at his school. 

I am looking forward to both my holiday and returning to the HEPS community in term 3.