Principal's Report 

School Council Elections

Today we are sending home with the eldest child in each family, voting materials for our 2021 School council election. There are four positions available for parent members to join our School Council for the next two-year term of office. There are ten nominations for the four vacancies. Voting packs contain candidate statements, two ballot papers (one for each parent/carer), two small ballot paper envelopes and two larger envelopes. Only parents or guardians of students attending Bimbadeen Heights Primary School are entitled to vote in this election, and parents may only vote once. If you do not receive this pack, you are most welcome to call at the office and collect one or ask for another to be sent home. Ballot papers can be returned to the office during the hours of 8am-4pm each school day until the close of the ballot. Please ensure you return your ballot paper to school by 4:00PM on Monday March 8.

Last week we held the final meeting of the 2020 School Council. I would like to express a heartfelt thankyou to the School Councillors who have served our school well for many years and have finished their current tenure on council. Thank you to Troy Hovey, Matthew Richardson, Andrew Lanigan and Aaron Lee for your contributions to our school community though our School Council and subcommittees over the past two years. The contributions of parents/carers across our school helps ensure our community continues to grow and thrive.

The first meeting of the new 2021 School Council will be held on Wednesday night March 17th at 7:00PM where office-bearers will be elected and sub-committees established.

We look forward to announcing the results of our election in the next newsletter and via Sentral, after the close of poll and vote count.

Pupil Free Day on Monday

We would like to remind all families that Monday 1st March is a Pupil Free Day for all Bimbadeen students. On this day, our staff will be involved in professional learning with our colleagues in the Lilydale Network. This learning will focus on improving Writing outcomes for all students across our network of schools. On this day, students are not required at school. Please ensure you have made appropriate arrangements for the care and supervision of students. OSHClub will be running a pupil free day program on Monday. If you need to book your child into the service, please contact the service through the Kidsoft parent portal or via email at bimbadeen@oshclub.com.au

Arrival Times at School

In our last newsletter, we reminded our community that the official on duty time at school is 8:45am for our staff. We understand that traffic flow and other challenges sometimes means an earlier arrival, however, we ask that parents avoid dropping off their children any earlier than 8:45am. Whilst staff are on site, there is no formal supervision of students until this time and we are obviously conscious of student safety. 

The School Day Begins at 9am

This year we have continued with the approach we started on our return to school from the first round of remote and flexible learning, of opening our classroom doors at 8:50am so students can settle themselves and get organised for the start of the school day. 

Please plan ahead to ensure you arrive at school on time for a 9am start. 

Our teachers have developed strong, positive routines at the beginning of the school day to support our students settle-in and engage in learning as soon as the bell rings. This includes marking the roll at 9am and beginning our teaching and learning activities straight away. We have implemented this approach of opening our classrooms 10 minutes before the bell to support the wellbeing and engagement of our students. When students arrive to school late, they take longer to settle into learning and this can be unsettling for both them and their peers. Please support your child to enjoy a positive start to the school day and their learning by planning ahead to ensure they arrive on time.

Late Arrivals

When students arrive at school after the bell, they will be marked as a late arrival. During the first few weeks of the year, in response to traffic works in the area, we provided leniency in relation to late arrivals. However, we are now entering the sixth week of school and we hope that our families have created a new morning drop off routine to support your children to arrive at school on time.

 When a student arrives after 9am, a parent/carer must sign them in at the office. 

This is to provide a reason for the student’s late arrival and ensure our attendance records are up to date. We have duty of care for all students and it is imperative that we know when our students are at school, and maintain accurate records of attendance. Classroom teachers have sent home this week, a print out of any unexplained late arrivals or absences. If you have received one of these notices, please provide a reason for the late arrival or absence, sign and date the notice and return to school with your child. The Department of Education requires us to have documented reasons for all late arrivals and absences.

Free Sanitary Products

The Victorian Government is committed to continuing to provide free pads and tampons in all government primary, secondary and specialist schools. Sanitary items are a necessity, not a luxury, and this initiative will support tens of thousands of girls and young women in schools across the state. Our dispenser is located in the bathroom in the BER Building (Year 5 & 6 building) and is available for any students who may need sanitary products. The aim of this initiative is to:

• Provide students with the confidence that there will always be sanitary items available at school
• Relieve female students of the stigma, anxiety and discomfort that can be associated with menstruation and its management so they can focus on their studies
• Ease the cost of living for families.

Students’ Mobile Phones 

The Department of Education and Training has a clear policy on student use of mobile phones during school hours. All Bimbadeen students who bring their mobile phone with them to school must sign in their device at the office upon arrival at school. All devices will be locked in a secure location during school times. Students then need to sign out and collect their mobile telephone at the end of the day. Please ensure your child/ren sign in their mobile device/s at the office by 8:55am and collect them after school by 3:40pm.

Parking, Traffic Management & Active Travel

This is a very common and regular section of our newsletter as traffic around our school is such a challenge at the moment due to roadworks in the Mooroolbark area. Because of these traffic challenges, Drop-off and Pick-up times are the times when members of our community, particularly the children, are at most risk of accident. It is critical that all parents and drivers take all precautions and care to reduce the risks to children. Please be patient and be extra vigilant to ensure that our children are safe. Please consider using active travel such as parking away from our school and letting your children walk the last couple of blocks to school or arriving around 8:45am in the morning or after 3:35pm to avoid the rush times. Protecting our children must be everyone’s priority.

Get to Know You Interviews

Thank you to the many parents/carers who have met with their child’s teacher as part of our Get to Know You Interviews. We believe that the relationship and partnership between parents/carers and teachers is critical to children’s learning success. If you were unable to make it to a Get to Know You Interview and have not yet met your child’s teacher, we strongly encourage you to drop in before or after school or contact them directly to arrange a time to meet with them to commence building a relationship. Knowing your child’s teacher and having a positive relationship with them is one of the best things you can do to help your child enjoy success at school this year. I cannot underestimate the importance of the partnership between home and school.

Back to School Kit

Thank you to the many families who have already returned the forms from the Back to School kit that was sent home last week. If you have not yet read through the kit and/or returned the relevant forms to school could you please do this ASAP.

2022 Enrolments

Enrolments are now open for 2022. Mrs Gregson has started providing personalised school turs for interested families, and we are accepting enrolment requests for next year for Foundation and (any other year level). Enrolment request forms are available at the office and prospective families can book a school tour through the office on 9726 9989 or via email to Bimbadeen.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Designated neighbourhood schools and school zones 

Children of compulsory school age are guaranteed the right to enrol in their local school by the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic), specifically S 2.2.13 (1), which states, “A child of compulsory school age is entitled to be enrolled at his or her designated neighbourhood Government school.” The designated neighbourhood school is generally the school within closest proximity to the student’s permanent residential address. Parents/carers with children living outside a school’s zone still have the choice to request enrolment at their preferred government school. If the school has sufficient capacity, the enrolment may be accepted. The Placement Policy continues to prioritise children and young people living within the school zone and the siblings of students already attending the school. The Department’s Placement Policy sets out:

• the type of information a school can request as proof of permanent residence when you are completing their enrolment process, and the way a school can verify this information.
• The Find My School website  provides guidance on which school zone a student’s permanent residence is located within.
• the conditions under which students can claim sibling status.

1. More information is available online: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/enrolment/guidance/placement-policy

Sentral App

Sentral is our main form of communication between school and home. We expect that parents/carers are checking Sentral regularly for upcoming dates on the calendar, newsletters, excursion notices and year and school level communications. If you have any problems with this please don’t hesitate to speak to our Sentral co-ordinator Melinda Ruscitti. The best way to get in contact with Ms Ruscitti is to email her at Melinda.Ruscitti@education.vic.gov.au. Shelley and Emma are also able to provide support at the office if you are experiencing difficulties with the app. We would like every parent/carer to have this app on their phones as it will make staying in touch with the school so much easier.

A Day at the Tennis

It was the highlight of the year for one of our Year 6 students when they had the chance to toss the coin at the start of tennis match at this year’s Australian Open. Riley was thrilled to have the opportunity to toss the coin at the start of a match featuring Raphael Nadal. As an avid tennis fan, Riley described the opportunity as pretty cool! Being able to see the facilities and what happens behind the scenes at a major sporting event was an experience of a lifetime. Riley had the chance to speak with the referee and both players before the coin toss. Surprisingly, the coin was quite heavy and challenging to toss. Unfortunately, Riley’s favourite player, Nadal, lost the toss but ultimately won the match. Thank you for sharing this experience with us, Riley, and we are sure your memories from the day will remain with you for a lifetime.

We hope you have a wonderful weekend. Please feel free to pop in for a chat with either of us or any other member of our Leadership team should you wish to discuss anything.

 Our doors are always open! 

Kind regards, 

Adele Gregson and Sabrina George