Principal's Message

Principal's Message

We have enjoyed a smooth start to the term, and thankfully the school was spared of any water damage due to the recent downfalls experienced across the state. Our Grade 3 children also managed to getaway to Anglesea for their first camp experience. The children enjoyed a wonderful time together and you can see more of their adventures on the Class Celebrations page.

Last week we also received notification that the state government were relaxing pandemic restrictions, including lifting mask wearing requirements. We will continue to utilise air purifiers and promote healthy hygiene practices at school, as well as encourage staff and students to remain at home if symptomatic. 

I have repeated the message below re student placement in 2023. It may not always be possible to grant the requests received, however, they will definitely be considered, and with further consultation as required. Final decisions re student placement will be made by the school with our children's best interests at heart. 

Yesterday we received the results of our students who completed ICAS assessments alongside millions of students across Australia New Zealand and the world. Students who chose to participate selected from English, Mathematics, Science, Spelling Bee and Writing tests. Their results were outstanding, with 17 out of the 21 tests completed being awarded certificates for High Distinction, Distinction and Credit. We look forward to recognising these students in our upcoming assembly to shine a light on the academic excellence our students achieve here at BHPS.

I wish you all a happy week ahead. Please remember there is no school this Wednesday 19 October due to the Geelong Cup public holiday. 

Warm regards

Carmen Britnell

Student Placement 2023 

Early in Term 4, staff will place students into draft 2023 classes. Teachers have not yet been allocated to grades, and the teacher placement process will occur later in the term when we know all staff intentions for the new year. 

It is not possible for parents to 'name their child's new teacher' and this is not an opportunity to do so. We have full confidence in our staff and we expect only small tweaks of feedback from families regarding the placement of their child.

We value strong school-home partnerships and this process offers the chance for parents to put forward their perspective if they feel valuable information needs to be considered during the class placement process. The school understands there is sometimes valuable feedback to be shared when teachers are placing students into new classes. This information should pertain to academic and wellbeing outcomes for the child and not merely based on a 'preference for a teacher'. 

A time window opening from Monday, October 3rd and closing at 3.30pm on Monday, October 17th will be available for the Principal to receive any parent feedback about their child's placement that is relevant to education and wellbeing. This feedback may guide us in our placement decisions, but no promises can be made. 

The feedback will only be accepted in writing to the school's email address (barwon.heads.ps@education.vic.gov.au). No verbal or other submissions will be considered. A receipt will be issued to you via reply email acknowledging that your feedback has been received. Emails should be addressed with the subject line: "Attention Miss Carmen." 

It is important that parents understand that feedback offered outside this time window will not be accepted, except for exceptional circumstances. We thank you for your support in this process. Please note that whilst your letter will be officially acknowledged as being received, the outcome of your child's placement will occur using the same process and timeline as all other children. This is in keeping with the spirit of fairness for all. 

It is relevant for parents to alert us to any issues with relatives (e.g. cousins in the same year level) as we will not necessarily associate students via surname. Also, if you have made requests previously, please do not assume we will have a corporate memory of them in placing the students. You would need to mention issues raised in previous times via a new email.

Thank you.