Principal's Report 

National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day is next week!

On Friday 4 August we will be celebrating National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day. On this day we celebrate one of the oldest living cultures on earth and acknowledge and support the work to strive for equity for all Indigenous children. This day is an opportunity for us to show our support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, as well as learn about the crucial impact that culture, family, and community play in the life of every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander child. To achieve equity, we must approach these challenges through a holistic approach, considering Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children’s wellbeing, safety, and development.

On 4 August and during this and next week, our students will participate in engaging learning tasks about Indigenous culture with a focus on this year’s theme: ‘Little voices, loud futures, through stories, images, and songs.

We hope that you can also take time to acknowledge this day and share learning together about indigenous culture in your homes. If you would like to find out more, please visit: https://www.aboriginalchildrensday.com.au/

Value Celebration Day

Wacky socks, amazing games and lots of fun was shared around Thursday for our school value celebration. 

We had unicorns, dinosaurs, hamburgers and much more on display and that was just the games! The socks were the highlight though, so much colour and creativity! The Leadership and Admin teams got on board too, here is our contribution to the celebration!

It is so awesome to celebrate the students hard work through demonstrating our school values. Our Junior School Councillors come up with some great ideas to celebrate and it's even better when we see them in action. 

Look out for more celebrations to come this term and thank you for embracing the SWPBS framework with us!

Parent/Teacher Interviews were a great success!

Parent/Teacher Interviews were held last week and this week, with parents and carers of students across the school, meeting with their child’s teacher/s to discuss their learning and wellbeing growth during the first semester of this year. Parent/Teacher interviews are an important opportunity for parents and carers and teachers to partner to support the learning, wellbeing, and engagement of our students. If you have not had the opportunity to meet with your child’s teacher, please get in contact with them to arrange a suitable time.

2023 Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents/caregivers/guardians think of our school. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage all families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

All parents/caregivers/guardians are invited to participate in this year’s survey. The Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey will be open from Monday 7th August to Friday 8th September 2023. A direct link to the survey will be sent to parents, carers, and guardians via Sentral.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones. The online survey will be in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. Last year we used the survey results to support planning for the Annual Implementation plan for this year. This data also helps us to measure the impact of success alongside our current Annual Implementation Plan and School Strategic Plan.

Please speak to your child’s teacher or contact the office if you would like more information.

A reminder about Parking, Traffic Management & Active Travel

Please continue to be ultra-cautious and safe around our school at drop-off and pick-up times. Also remember to be courteous and respectful. We have continued to receive reports from neighbours and members of our school community who report dangerous driving and illegal parking. Please remember, if you want to avoid traffic congestion in the mornings and afternoons, active travel is a great option! 

Walk with your children, get them to walk with friends, or park a few blocks away from the school and walk the rest of the way to school. The children will be exercised, socialised and much more ready to learn when they get to school, and you will not have to deal with potential traffic infringement notices, or other hazards related to trying to drop your child off at the front gate.

CCTV At Our School

As mentioned earlier in the year, Bimbadeen Heights PS has decided to use a closed-circuit television (CCTV) system in external areas across our school grounds. The installation of the CCTV system is now nearing completion.

Our school has an obligation to ensure the school environment is safe and secure, and fulfil our duty of care to students, staff, and visitors. The CCTV system will assist our school to fulfil these obligations and to prevent and manage other inappropriate behaviour on school grounds. CCTV will also provide enhanced capability to protect our school’s assets against vandalism and theft.

We will follow Department of Education and Training policy requirements for the design, installation, management, and use of the CCTV systems. This policy is available at: CCTV in Schools – Installation and Management.

We will also place a CCTV Privacy Notice on our school website with more information about our school’s use of CCTV, prior to its activation.

Stay well this winter

In Victoria, influenza (flu) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection numbers are high among children aged 5 to 11 years, particularly in those in their first few years of school. The Victorian Department of Health expects more respiratory infections over Term 3. Most children with flu or RSV have a mild fever, runny nose or cough. Some children, particularly babies and children with underlying medical conditions, may have more severe illness.

Keeping our school community well

Parents, carers and students are encouraged to:

· wash and sanitise their hands regularly

· avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

· cover their nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing · stay at home if unwell and consult a general practitioner (GP) or NURSE-ON-CALL as needed

· stay up to date with flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

Our school has masks for staff, students and visitors if they want to wear them.

Flu vaccinations

Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and your family from getting the flu. Annual flu vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 6 months and older. As part of the 

National Immunisation Program, it is free for:

· Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 6 months and older

· children aged 6 months to under 5 years

· people aged 6 months or older with underlying medical conditions.

Flu vaccinations can be booked through GPs, pharmacies or your local council immunisation service.

For more information about staying safe this winter, refer to: 

· Stay well this winter on the Better Health Channel, translated into 16 languages 

· Influenza and immunisation on the Better Health Channel 

· Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) on the Better Health Channel 

· Getting vaccinated against influenza.

If you have any questions or concerns at this stage, please contact Adele Gregson or Sabrina George on 9726 9989.

We hope you enjoy a lovely weekend.

Adele Gregson and Sabrina George