Principal's Report

Welcome to Term 4

I would like to begin the newsletter this term with a sincere thankyou to the entire Heidelberg Primary School community for the warm welcome I have received. It was wonderful to see so many of the staff and be able to work with them in person. Their commitment to, and passion for our students is clearly a driving force behind the success of the school.

I have also had the pleasure of meeting some of the parents, albeit briefly during drop off in the morning. I look forward to further opportunities to speak with you and get to know you and your families.

My biggest thrill this week, however, was finally getting to meet some of our students. It is sometimes easy to forget that all principals start as teachers, and remain teachers. We are drawn to this work with the goal of making a positive impact on the lives of children. Seeing the smiles on their faces as they came into school and online has been such a positive experience and I can’t wait to see them all back onsite as the term progresses.

Staged Return to Onsite Learning

As it has been previously communicated, this term will see a staged return to onsite learning for all students. It goes without saying that this next phase will be one of the more complex we have faced with regards to logistics, planning and communication. For this reason I will be repeating any information on this topic with an additional Compass message. Please read the following details carefully and you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate to contact me directly at brett.mackenzie@education.vic.gov.au

For those parents who would appreciate further clarification, I will be offering an online session next Wednesday 13th October from 6.00-7.00pm. The session will be offered through WebEx using the following link: HPS Parents - Staged Return to Onsite Learning

For the purposes of this communication I will be using the terms:

Onsite Learning for the days that students of a complete year level will all be onsite
Remote Learning - the existing online learning program
Onsite Supervision for those students of authorised workers who are onsite during remote learning.

Week 2 (Monday 11/10 - Friday 15/10)

Remote Learning for all students and Onsite supervision

Week 3 (18/10 - 22/10)

Monday 18th - Wednesday 20th

Foundation: Onsite Learning
Year 1-6 Remote Learning and Onsite Supervision

Thursday 21st - Friday 22nd

Year 1 and 2 onsite
Foundation and 3-6 Remote Learning and Onsite Supervision

Week 4 (25/10 - 29/10)

Monday 25th October

Foundation onsite
1-6 Remote Learning and Onsite Supervision

Tuesday 26th October

Foundation and 3-4 onsite
1-2 +5-6 Remote Learning and Onsite Supervision

Wednesday 27th October

Foundation and 3-4 onsite
1-2 +5-6 Remote Learning and Onsite Supervision

Thursday 28th October

1-2 and 5-6 onsite
F + 3-4 Remote Learning and Onsite Supervision

Friday 29th October

Year 1-2 and 5-6: Onsite Learning
Foundation and Year 3 and 4: Remote Learning and Onsite Supervision

Week 5 (1/10 - 5/11)

Monday 1st November

Foundation: Onsite Learning
Year 1-6: Remote Learning and Onsite Supervision

Tuesday 2nd November

Melbourne Cup - Public Holiday

Wednesday 3rd November

Foundation and Year 3-4: Onsite Learning
Year 1-2 and Year 5-6: Remote Learning and Onsite Supervision

Thursday 4th November

Year 1-2 and 5-6: Onsite Learning
Foundation and Year 3 and 4: Remote Learning and Onsite Supervision

Friday 5th November

Foundation to Year 6: Onsite Learning

School Age Care (SAC)

There will be some changes with the booking system for the School Aged Program over the coming weeks. Please see details below:

For Week 2 (Monday 11th to Friday 15th) bookings should continue to be made through the request for onsite supervision form shared with the school office.
From Monday 18th October onwards, all bookings should be done through the School Age Care booking system.

Families not returning to Heidelberg Primary School in 2022

The planning for the 2022 school year is already underway, with future enrollment numbers being a key factor in many decision making processes.

In order to support the development of our planning for next year, I would ask that families who do not plan to return to Heidelberg Primary School in 2022 to communicate this directly to the office as soon as possible at heidelberg.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Brett MacKenzie

Principal