Principal's Message

Hello Hillsmeade families!

EDUCATION WEEK

We had such a fun day on Tuesday 24th May here at the school. Students were wearing a huge variety of outfits for the "Come dressed as your future self" theme. I saw doctors, nurses, prime ministers, teachers, CEOs, sport stars, mums, tradies and elderly people! Some very creative ideas!! As you will see in the photos on this page, our staff enjoyed thinking about what their futures may look like too including travelers, retirees, artists, elderly people and pro sports players.

Our principal team also got into the spirit hoping to be a Carlton CEO, pro golfer and "old man"!! I was very excited to see that as the future CEO of Carlton I was able to start early recruitment with a few students willing to play for the Blues in the future!

We also had over 250 members of HPS families visit us for the open morning on the 24th and it was truly wonderful to see visitors back in classrooms. I honestly hope to create more opportunities like this in the future for our families.

DRESS CODE/UNIFORM

We are currently reviewing the student dress code/uniform policy at HPS. We sought feedback earlier in the year and look forward to passing the policy by Council in the near future.

Just a reminder that with winter starting, we encourage all extra items of clothing eg beanies, gloves and winter jackets to be in school colours - navy blue and red. 

STATEWIDE PRINCIPAL'S CONFERENCE

On Monday and Tuesday this week I was fortunate enough to attend the Statewide Principal's Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. The theme was Stronger Together, Every Student, Every School.  

The keynote speakers and workshop presenters all carried this theme throughout their presentations, with an emphasis on gratitude for the work being done in schools to keep everything as "normal" as possible and soldier on despite facing adversity with high staff and student absences and staff shortages.  Although we are moving into more of a post-Covid phase, it is still evident that we are faced with the challenges of the effects of the last two years. I want to recognise the outstanding efforts of our school staff and the passion with which they ensure high quality education continues for our HPS students everyday, in spite of interruptions to routine. I also wanted to extend my gratitude to our families who are being incredibly kind and understanding as we are faced with disruption to regular programming during this time. 

RECONCILIATION WEEK

Another strong conference theme was the importance of recognising and learning more about our shared histories, cultures and achievements. National Reconciliation Week is a chance for all schools to reflect and learn more about our shared history in Australia.

This year's theme, 'Be Brave. Make Change' challenges us all to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation.

During the week, from Friday 27 May to Friday 3 June 2022, Reconciliation Australia is asking everyone to make change for the benefit of all Australians, beginning with brave actions in their daily lives – where they live, work and socialise.

We will be recognising this important week during this Friday's assembly.

THANK YOU

A special mention to families that have been supporting us with our school fundraising events this year. Most recently, our Book Fair and Election BBQ were able to raise funds for our school to enable purchasing of items to enhance student learning opportunities. We will continue to fundraise throughout the year and ensure that all profit is directed towards positively impacting student learning.

I encourage all of our Hillsmeade families to take care and stay well during these winter months. Stay home when you or your children are unwell and take the time to recover properly before returning to school/work. 

Stay warm and look after yourselves.