Notes

Year 12

Our 2018 Year 12 students have their last formal day of classes today, Monday, October 22 and tomorrow will be dedicated to celebrating the end of their secondary schooling. Students have been preparing for some time to come to school dressed in a stunning array of entertaining costumes. They will share a breakfast with school staff and then the whole school will assemble and the Year 12’s will present the traditional ‘Elroy’ awards. Following that assembly the students, accompanied by Mrs Jackson, Mrs Plunkett, Mr Hogg and Ms Mathieson will travel to ‘Funfields’ in Whittlesea for a day of activity. Best wishes to the students who are about to commence their final examination period.

Pupil-Free Day

A reminder that this Thursday, October 25 will be a pupil-free day. Students will not be required at school as all staff members will be completing a departmental training program entitled ‘Cultural Understanding and Safety Training’. As always, I appreciate your patience as staff complete this training as I know pupil-free days may cause difficulty for some families.

Art Exhibition

Many of you will have visited our school over the past week to view the amazingly diverse and high-quality artwork presented by our students and art staff in the (now) annual Art Exhibition. The feedback from visitors has been quite amazing, and yet, absolutely well-deserved for the students and staff members involved. The artwork on display was of such a high standard and so varied in its design and approach and all who were part of bringing the recent show to life should be very proud of their efforts. Just one example of the feedback received was the following:

My gosh! I have just come home from visiting the ‘Art Factory’ and was totally gobsmacked with the fantastic calibre of the art work on display.

It was so, so, so, good. There are not enough adjectives to positively describe the exhibition.

Have you noticed by now how impressed I was?

Congratulations to our talented students and congratulations and thank you to Emma Lumsden, David Lloyd, Tanya Ryder-Barnes and Shane Coady for their work in presenting such a wonderful show.

Reach for the Stars Concert

The annual highlight of the instrumental music program, the Reach for the Stars concert, is to be held tomorrow evening, October 23. The event is an annual celebration of the school’s music program and is a chance for the students in the program to perform on the big stage. Once again, a huge thank you to Amanda Morrison for all she has done in coordinating the music program and a huge thank you also to her team of instrumental music teachers. All are welcome to attend and we would love to see you in the audience.

Bushfire Preparedness

As we move toward summer it is vital that, as a school, we are as prepared as we can be for the potential of bushfire. Healesville High School is listed on the Bushfire At-Risk Register and will therefore be closed on a Code Red fire rating day in our district. I have included relevant information (below) to further explain and clarify this situation.

School procedures for the bushfire season

Fire danger ratings and warnings are used in Victoria to provide clear direction on the safest options for preserving life.

Schools and children’s services listed on the DET Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) will be closed when a Code Red fire danger rating day is determined in their Bureau of Meteorology district. Our school has been identified as being one of those at high bushfire risk and is listed on the BARR.

Where possible, we will provide parents with up to four days’ notice of a potential Code Red day closure by letter and SMS message. A Code Red day will be determined by the Emergency Management Commissioner no later than 1.00 pm the day before the potential closure. Once we are advised of the confirmation of the Code Red day we will provide you with advice before the end of the school day.

Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change, regardless of improvements in the weather forecast. This is to avoid confusion and help your family plan alternative care arrangements for your child. It is also important to note that:

No staff will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Code Red day.
School camps will be cancelled if a Code Red fire danger rating day is determined for the Bureau of Meteorology district in which the camp is located.
As a bus co-ordinating school all bus routes will be cancelled.

On these Code Red days families are encouraged to enact their Bushfire Survival Plan – on such days children should never be left at home or in the care of older children.

For those of us living in a bushfire prone area, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) advises that when Code Red days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Code Red day.

As part of preparing our school for potential hazards such as fire, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan, reprioritised any maintenance works that may assist in preparing for the threat of fire and clearing of our facility’s grounds and gutters is in progress.

What can parents do?

Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements in the event that our school is closed.
Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers. Keep in touch with us by reading our newsletters, and by regularly checking Compass and our Facebook page.
Most importantly at this time of year, if you’re planning a holiday or short stay in the bush or in a coastal area, you should check warnings in advance of travel and remain vigilant during your stay.
If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s bushfire survival plan.
You can access more information about children’s services closures on the Department of Education and Training website – see http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/pages/closures.aspx

For up-to-date information on this year’s fire season see:

https://emergency.vic.gov.au
Facebook (facebook.com/cfavic)
Twitter (twitter.com/CFA_Updates)
ABC local radio, Sky News and other emergency broadcasters
VicEmergency Hotline (1800 226 226

Allan Rennick

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