Thank you to our staff, students and parents/carers for the commitment and support you have all shown to learning and wellbeing throughout this very challenging term. As we look forward to Term 4, we know that we will continue to face many challenges, but there is a real sense of hope and excitement that we may be able to move towards students being able to return onsite to school.

As a community, we have come together to support each other throughout this term. We have reached out for support and shared our challenges and worked on finding solutions together to enable our students to continue to attend school in a virtual environment, engage in the teaching and learning program and continue their learning.

Our students and parents and carers have helped us continue to celebrate student learning and achievements in our fortnightly newsletters by sending in images of our students engaged in learning at home or by sharing a special piece of work they have produced. It has been wonderful to focus on our achievements and the positive moments and experiences we have had during this challenging time.

In our assemblies, we have been able to celebrate our students who have been awarded Aussie of the Month certificates to acknowledge their hard work, focus on learning, engagement and successes during this period, as well as celebrate our students who have been displaying our school values at home and who have been chosen as their class student of the week. Congratulations to our award winners throughout this term; thank you for striving to be your best!

Our entire staff is excited for the opportunity to re-connect with our wonderful students in the classroom and our students can't wait to be with their friends; learning, laughing and playing outside together again. The sense of gratitude that we will feel, for what was once just a given, will be extremely powerful.

Current information is that the Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews, will announce on Sunday 19 September, the roadmap for the return to onsite learning for schools.

Students aged 12 years and over are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccinations

As part of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out, from Monday, 13 September, all Australians aged 12 and older are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Victorians aged 12 years and older are eligible to book and receive their COVID-19 vaccine at a state vaccination centre, Commonwealth vaccination centre, participating GP clinics, pharmacies and community health services.

Vaccination is not mandatory, but it is highly encouraged. Getting vaccinated is the best way you can protect your child, your family and our school community from further outbreaks and the spread of COVID-19. Please make an appointment to be vaccinated yourselves if you have not done so already.

The Victorian Government’s aim is to provide an opportunity for all children aged 12 years and older to receive at least one vaccine dose by the end of the school year. Students will be supported in every way possible to be vaccinated before the end of the school year.

Consent

Students aged 12 to 15 can book their own appointment and may be able to consent to vaccination themselves if the health professional assesses them to be a mature minor. This means that the health professional assesses that they understand the information relevant to this decision to be vaccinated and the effect of that decision.

Where a student is not considered to be a mature minor by the health professional, the health professional will seek consent from the student’s parent/carer. Parents/carers can attend with their child to provide consent in person, or can complete a consent form for COVID-19 vaccination for their child to bring to their appointment.

If you have any health concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccines, please speak to your GP. You can also refer to the Department of Health website for information on vaccine safety and possible side effects.

How to book an appointment

Bookings for a Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine can be made for children aged 12 years and older via state vaccination centres, Commonwealth vaccination centres, participating GP clinics, pharmacies and community health services.

You can find a participating Commonwealth vaccination centre, GP, pharmacy or community health service through the Australian Government Eligibility Checker. You can book your child’s appointment online or by calling the vaccine provider nearest to you.

You can book or change a vaccination appointment at a state vaccination centre through the Victorian Government’s COVID-19 vaccine online booking system. To find a state vaccination centre and opening times, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.au. For information on what to bring to a vaccine appointment please visit Checklist: before your COVID-19 vaccination.

More information

Translated advice about COVID-19 vaccines is available on the coronavirus.vic.gov.au website. For more information about eligibility, visit coronavirus.vic.gov.auor use the Australian Government’s COVID-19 vaccine eligibility checker.

For further assistance, contact:

the Department of Health Coronavirus hotline: 1800 675 398
the National coronavirus and COVID-19 vaccine helpline: 1800 020 080

Wellbeing Supports and Services for Students and their Families

It can be challenging to process and manage changes to routines and the uncertainty that comes with COVID-19 and related restrictions. To support our school community during this time, resources and support are available for parents, carers and families. These resources will help to support the mental health and wellbeing of our students and the young people in our care during this time. We encourage everyone in our community to access these resources and take care of themselves during this time.

A Quick Guide to Student Mental Health and Wellbeing resources is available for students, parents and carers looking to access expert guidance and resources to support wellbeing.

Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students remains our priority this year, especially during the continued COVID-19 pandemic and while students are learning from home during the current circuit breaker restrictions.

For students, the guide includes resources to support their own mental health and wellbeing.

Advice and resources for students about ways to adapt their learning during COVID-19, to look after themselves and where to get help.
Wellbeing activities featuring AFL and AFLW players with tips on managing stress, staying active and gratitude.
Smiling Mind mindfulness activities for senior secondary school students, including short videos, online tip sheets and meditations.

The guide also includes resources and supports for parents and carers to help them build their child’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. This includes:

resources to support children’s physical, mental health and wellbeing
wellbeing activities and conversation starters for parents of parents of primary school-aged children and parents of secondary school-aged children
Raising Learners podcast series
how to talk to your child about COVID-19
headspace is running webinars for parents and carers about offering support when they are concerned about a young person’s mental health.

Wellbeing guidance for parents and carers is also available:

on the Department’s website
headspace has created a video providing tips to support parents and carers during lockdown
through the confidential parent support hotline, Parentline, available 8am to midnight, seven days a week, Phone: 13 22 89.

Fun for children at virtual Victoria Nature Festival

The upcoming Victoria Nature Festival will offer Victoria’s students the opportunity to tune into nature while learning from home. The Victoria Nature Festival begins on Saturday 11 September and will run until Sunday 26 September, offering a great range of engaging digital resources and events for students of all ages.

The festival offers content such as videos, virtual excursions and webinars sourced from festival partners including Traditional Owners, Parks Victoria, Zoos Victoria, the Royal Botanic Gardens, the Phillip Island Nature Parks.

Highlights of the online program include:

Phillip Island virtual penguin parade
Virtual meditation in the Royal Botanic Gardens
Digital resources that support year three to six teachers to embed nature-based learning in the classroom
An online nature seminar
Zoos Victoria’s Animals at Home.

Victoria Nature Festival videos

Refer to the list below to access the range of videos available on the festival website:

Meet one of our Cultural Ambassadors for the Victoria Nature Festival, Tammy Gilson
Once thought to be extinct, watch the recovery of the Mountain Pygmy-possum
Be immersed in the splendour that is nature
Learn about a Wadawurrung-led cultural burn, with many organisations working together to improve the grasslands of the Victorian Volcanic Plains
See how expert teams from Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria are working to salvage and protect threatened plants after the 2019-20 bushfires
Learn more about frogs and how they play an important part in our eco-system and find out about how to participate in an important citizen science program.

School Council Update

Bimbadeen Heights PS School Council is committed to sharing our work with the Bimbadeen community. To strengthen communication between council and our parents/carers, each newsletter we will be sharing information about School Council, including general information about the functions and operations of council and the specific work of our own council at Bimbadeen.

This newsletter, we would like to share with you, the work of the Council’s Buildings and Grounds Committee:

Buildings and Grounds Committee

Purpose:

The Buildings and Grounds Sub-Committee is responsible for overseeing the maintenance and usage of school buildings and grounds which includes, but is not limited to, development and maintenance.

When we meet:

The Buildings and Grounds Sub-committee will meet four times per year (or more frequently where required) and report back at the next School Council meeting on each occasion.

What we do:

Support the buildings, grounds and facilities maintenance of the school.
Recommend to School Council prioritized projects (e.g. following review of the Master Plan or conduct of a safety audit) or changes required to the facilities and grounds, and any funding that will be needed for these improvements.
Make recommendations on policy of use of school Buildings and Grounds and communicate these to the School Council and where relevant, the Finance Sub-Committee.
Encourage the participation of the school community in maintenance and improvement of school buildings and grounds through appropriate working bees.
Where relevant, ensure parents/guardians are aware of developments and initiatives related to the sub-committee’s role, via the newsletter and school website.

How you can help:

Join our team. We would love to hear your opinion or suggestions on how we can maintain or update our school.
Do you have a particular skill? Perhaps joining a committee is not your thing, however you would like to contribute another way, for eg: offering your time to fix, update or contribute to planned project. Please contact any of our team members below or the school office.

Some of the fantastic projects that were completed in 2020 include:

Shade sail grant: Year 3/4 playground
Shade sail grant: Foundation playground
Shade sail: Outside the Canteen Area

2021 completed projects include:

Fence around the whole school – What an improvement to the look of our school this has made! The safety of our students and community is always at the forefront of everything we do.

Boom gate installed to increase the safety of our students and staff

2021 ongoing projects include:

Flagpoles to be put up at the front of the school
Privacy curtain in First Aid Room
Levelling the oval surface
Widening the concrete path at the main entrance of the school

Capital Works Application: We have applied for a funding grant to repair and develop our oval so it can be used all year round. The result of this application will be announced in December 2021.

Contact:

If you would like to join the Building and Grounds Team or contribute in anyway, please contact:

Troy Hovey - troy.hovey@programmed.com.au
Paul Canning - pscanning@internode.on.net
Sabrina George – sabrina.george@education.vic.gov.au
Malcolm Rosendale - Malcolm.Rosendale@education.vic.gov.au
School Office: Bimbadeen.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au
School Phone: 9726 9989

2022 Parent Payments Information

It may seem a bit like seeing Christmas things in shops too early however we prefer to think of it as just being well organised and giving parents and carers as much notice as possible to help with managing the family finances.

We are referring to the Parent Payments for next year that you will receive details about in a letter sent to families in the first week of Term 4. This is very important information so please look out for it. Once you have received the letter and forms you will be able to pay for next year’s Voluntary payments so that you are ready and organised for school next year.

We hope you and your family enjoy a lovely school holiday break together and we look forward to seeing you all back onsite (hopefully) next term.

Adele Gregson and Sabrina George

Remote Learning Year 6