Principal's Message

Hello Hillsmeade community!

I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Linda Buckeridge and I am honoured to have been appointed to the role of Principal here at Hillsmeade PS.

I hope you all enjoyed a restful break, despite being in lockdown. Hopefully you were able to move within your 10-15km radius to catch up for picnics and take the opportunity to get out and about on those beautiful, sunny days we had. I know that I enjoyed a few sun-filled days of picnics and walks with friends and I became especially proficient in the forum of online shopping! However, I am still waiting for those deliveries!!

I hear great things about our school community and am looking forward to meeting you all and becoming a part of what you have all worked so hard at achieving together. One of the first things I noticed about Hillsmeade was the obvious pride everyone has in the school, from the student outcomes and opportunities, buildings and grounds, to the school uniform and beyond, it is obvious it is an honour to be in the HPS team.

The high expectations developed and enacted are evident in all areas of the school including, but not limited to, teaching and learning, social and emotional learning, remote learning structures, behaviour expectations and the ELC. 

I am extremely excited to be a part of driving us forward into the future and maintaining the high expectations that have been embedded so far.

This term is going to look a little different and we know that COVID-19 has had a huge impact on the everyday running of schools. However, the best part of this term is the anticipated return of all staff and students to onsite learning. We will continue to keep the community informed of the plan moving forward, and will adapt accordingly if changes occur. The table below gives guidance as to when your child should return to onsite learning. Please remember for approximately three weeks, students are only attending part time at school.

We will endeavour to keep events and timelines running as per usual, either remotely or onsite and I am very eager to see the evolution of the 2021 version of the Hillsmeade Cup in November! 

Throughout the term we will be moving forward with recruitment of staff for 2022, including appointing two substantive Assistant Principals. Both Nicole Page and John Cardamone will be assisting me in an acting capacity to ensure the smooth continuation of onsite and remote learning throughout Term 4. I’d also like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication Elaine Lesiuk demonstrated during her appointment as Acting Principal in Term 3. Elaine was able to keep the ship sailing forward during a very tumultuous time that included lockdowns and remote learning, in particular.

Take care of yourselves, stay safe and I will be in touch soon with further updates for the community as soon as possible.

Thank you

Linda Buckeridge