Principal's Report 

End of Term

Today marks the longest continuous time that we have spent learning onsite since the beginning of 2020. We know our students and staff are feeling very ready for a well-earned break over the school holiday period. Thank you to our families for continuing to be vigilant regarding COVID screening via Rapid Antigen Tests twice weekly and keeping your child at home if they are unwell. As we move into Term 2, the Department of Education will continue to supply Rapid Antigen Test kits for the first four weeks. 

A pack of RATs have been sent home with each student either yesterday or today, for use over the first two weeks of Term 2. If your child was not at school for the final two days of term, they can collect a pack of Rapid Antigen Tests from their classroom teacher at the beginning of term. 

Information about the distribution of RATs for weeks 3 and 4 will be sent to families early in Term 2.

Farewell

Today was the final day at Bimbadeen for one of our valued staff members. 

Mrs Jacqui Duncan has been successful in gaining a position in another industry and will be leaving Bimbadeen Heights PS at the end of this term to pursue a new career path. Jacqui has been a part of our school community for over 20 years, firstly as a member of our parent/carer community, and then as a member of staff for the past 13 years and is well-known to many of our Bimbadeen families. She is a dedicated, caring and enthusiastic teacher and we would like to thank her for the legacy she is leaving behind at Bimbadeen. Mrs Duncan will be greatly missed and on behalf of the school community, we would like to wish her all the best in this new adventure. 

Today was also the last day for Ms Emily Russell before she takes family leave from the beginning of next term. We wish Ms Russell all the best for the arrival of her first child and look forward to meeting them in coming months.

Winners are Grinners

Congratulations to our Bimbadeen students who have been successful in their summer season of team and individual sporting competitions and activities. 

We would like to say a very big congratulations to Harrison F who has received a silver medal for Kata at the Shotokan Cup, Karate, and to Kobe H for being accepted into the Outer Eastern Football League Under 12s Development Program. 

Earlier in the year, Kiara C won the Victorian Zone Physical Culture dancing competition for 6 year olds and went on to represent Victoria and compete at Nationals held in Sydney at Homebush Bay. The Bimbadeen community is so very proud of your achievements! We would also like to wish good luck to our students who are competing in basketball finals this coming weekend, and a special mention for Jacob Rundle who won in the Eltham/Dandenong Under 14's Grand Final back in January this year!

If your child has achieved success in their extra-curricular endeavours, please let us know as we would love to be able to share and celebrate their successes in our Newsletters and at our Assemblies. Please send an email to bimbadeen.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au detailing their achievements so we can include them in our next addition.

Easter Raffle

Congratulations to our Easter Raffle winners. Thank you to the members of our community who donated items to our raffle and purchased raffle tickets and thank you to the Year 1 Teaching Team for coordinating the Easter Raffle this year. We had a whopping 66 prizes up for grabs, with many happy students and community members who won a prize. We are so please to let you know we raised a huge amount of $1513.85 for our fundraising goals this year. Thank you.

A special thankyou to the Thomas family who donated the first prize, a giant bunny from The Ministry of Chocolate! and Coles Lilydale who donated a $100 voucher. It's an incredible first prize

Melbourne Legacy’s 90th Annual ANZAC Commemoration for Students

Written by Kobe, Pat and Tia

On Wednesday the 6th April, the student leadership team went to the Shrine of Remembrance for the Melbourne Legacy’s 90th ANZAC Commemoration Ceremony for Students. 

Our day started with an hour train ride to the city, a tram and a walk to the Shrine. The ceremony involved a number of speakers and special guests. A band played and a choir led the crowd in singing I am Australian and Waltzing Matilda. We listened to stories of returned soldiers and poems including ‘In Flanders’ Fields’ and ‘We Shall Keep The Faith’. 

Rose and Jacob laid a wreath at the eternal flame on behalf of the Bimbadeen Heights PS community and we then observed a minute’s silence to pay our respects to soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom. 

We were fortunate to tour the Shrine, and the visitor’s centre to learn more about our country’s history and War. We explored the Crypt and the Sanctuary to pay our respects, then enjoyed the view of the city from the balcony.

Overall we had a great day. Below are our highlights and what we enjoyed most about the day:

Pat - I enjoyed listening to the guest speakers. It was a special ceremony.

Kobe - I learnt about paying respect to our fallen soldiers.

Archie - I enjoyed looking at the different clothes from soldiers in the different wars and all of the medals in the museum.

Tia - I enjoyed listening to the special speakers talk and all about the medals they earned.

Jacob - I enjoyed laying the wreath and learning about War.

Chloe - I enjoyed looking at the exhibits inside the Shrine of Remembrance.

Rose - I enjoyed laying the wreath in front of the eternal flame.

Evie - I enjoyed learning about how War affected returning soldiers and their families.

Ella - I enjoyed learning about soldiers in war.

ANZAC Appeal

Thank you to our Student Leadership Team for selling ANZAC items throughout the final two weeks of Term to help raise funds for the Lilydale RSL through the annual ANZAC Appeal. It has been fantastic to see our students proudly wearing their badges and wrist bands and using their bag tags and key rings. We are looking forward to our own Bimbadeen ANZAC Ceremony to be held at school on Friday 29 April at 2:30pm. Parents and carers are welcome to attend this outdoor event, and we ask all visitors to follow our COVIDSafe measures including physical distancing, mask wearing, good hand hygiene and cough etiquette. Further information about this event will be sent to families via Sentral at the beginning of Term 2.

Whole School Cross Country

On Tuesday, we held our second annual Whole School Cross Country event within and around the school grounds. There was a buzz of excitement throughout the school about our first house competition for the year and both teachers and students alike enjoyed this exciting event on our sporting calendar. Parents and carers were welcome to attend as spectators and we all enjoyed the opportunity for our school community to come together for this special event. 

Congratulations to Blair house who were the winning house on the day with a total score of 365 points, closely followed by Lithgow on 330 points, Brice on 317 and Fletcher on 304. Well done to all our students who put in their best effort and demonstrated our school values of resilience during the run, as well as compassion as they encouraged and supported their peers and fellow house members throughout the competition.

A special thank you to Mr Nathan Percy and Mr Joshua Gray who did a wonderful job in organising the event and our staff who assisted on the day. We will continue to find as many opportunities as possible to keep rebuilding parent and carer involvement in our school throughout the year.

Extension of Rapid Antigen Testing for the First 4 Weeks of Term 2

Thank you for your work in ensuring schools remained safe during Term 1. Your work has seen COVID-19 cases being picked up at the earliest opportunity, meaning less cases in our school and more time in the classroom for our students. 

The Victorian Government has announced it is extending the RAT screening program for the first 4 weeks of Term 2. Thank you to all students and families who have played their role in regularly testing – we know that hasn’t been easy.  

The testing recommendations will remain the same next Term for students and staff with mainstream schools recommended to test at home twice a week.

To ensure all Bimbadeen families have a supply of RATs for the first two weeks of next term, we have sent home a pack of Rapid Antigen Tests either yesterday or today, with each student. For families whose child was absent on the final two days of this term, a pack of RATs will be distributed at the start of Term.

As we approach winter and flu season, the vaccination of children aged 5 to 11 and booster shots for students 16+ remains the best way to ensure protection for students and staff. The Easter break is a good opportunity to get your child vaccinated ahead of this, with many options across GPs, pharmacies, and the state run vaccination clinics.  

If you have any concerns or worries about getting your child vaccinated, please get in contact with your GP or another health professional who can answer your concerns.  

Choosing a School for Next Year / 2023 Foundation Enrolments

At this time of the year many people are thinking about choosing a school for next year. This may be parents of children in Year 6 who are deciding on secondary schools or parents of pre-schoolers who are looking for a primary school. 

Choosing the school that is best suited to your family and child’s needs can still be a challenge. The best way to determine the right school for you is to visit them, participate in the school tours and take advantage of the open days/nights and various transition events that the schools offer. This approach works equally well for primary and secondary schools.

Enrolments are now open for Foundation in 2023. We encourage prospective parents to complete an online tour via the school website where you can learn about our wonderful school and meet our staff and students. Prospective families can also attend an in-person tour where we can show you our wonderful school and answer any questions you might have or discuss your child’s individual needs. 

Parents/carers of 2023 Foundation students are encouraged to submit their enrolment form as soon as possible, but no later than the state-wide Foundation enrolment due date of 12 August 2022. We will be notifying parents/carers of their child’s Foundation placement at Bimbadeen Heights PS by 26 August 2022.

Completed enrolment forms can be returned to the school:

• directly, by dropping enrolment forms and additional documentation into the school office
• via post to Bimbadeen Heights Primary School, 118 Hayrick Lane, Mooroolbark 3138
• via email to bimbadeen.heights.ps@education.vic.gov.au (please scan and send all sides of the enrolment form, including additional documentation).

If you know of anyone who is looking at a Primary School for next year, please encourage them to visit our website and register for the online tours where they will hear teachers, parents and students talk about our school. They are also encouraged to come and visit Bimbadeen and see our school ‘in action’ where they will get a sense of the great relationships that exist here. We love showing people around and talking about this outstanding school.

Statement of Commitment to Child Safety and Child Safety Principles

Bimbadeen Heights Primary School is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people. This will be the primary focus of our care and decision-making. 

The school’s approach to creating and maintaining a child safe school environment is guided by our school philosophy and values. At Bimbadeen Heights Primary School our vision is to provide each child with the opportunity to develop their full potential, whilst promoting the school values of respect, resilience, integrity, and compassion. We know children can struggle to achieve their personal best if they are not safe from abuse.

At Bimbadeen Heights Primary School our values guide the decisions and behaviours of all members of our school community, including in relation to child safety. Our school values are:

• Respect for self, others, property and the environment is shown when people speak and act towards each other with courtesy, consideration, care and appreciation.
• Resilience is demonstrated when there is the capacity to recover confidently from difficulties with persistence and optimistic thinking, actions and attitude.
• Integrity is shown through an attitude of fairness and honesty that requires a sincere, truthful relationship between members of the school community.
• Compassion is shown when all members of the school community embrace diversity through demonstrating a kind, caring and understanding attitude and a willingness to help others.

These core values are supported by the School Wide Positive Behaviour Support Framework.

Bimbadeen Heights Primary School has zero tolerance for child abuse. 

We are committed to providing a child safe environment where children and young people are safe and feel safe, and their voices are heard about decisions that affect their lives. Our child safe policies, procedures, strategies and practices will be inclusive of the needs of all children, particularly Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, children from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, children with disabilities, LGBTIQA students and children who are vulnerable including students who are in out of home care.

Every person involved in Bimbadeen Heights Primary School has a responsibility to understand the important and specific role they play individually and collectively to ensure that the wellbeing and safety of all children and young people is at the forefront of all they do and every decision they make.

If you have any concerns about Child Safety, please speak with a member of our school leadership team. 

Triple-P Parenting Program

All families with children between birth and 16 years can now get free, expert parenting tips and strategies via the online Triple P – Positive Parenting Program. This FREE program is funded by the Victorian Government, and you can get ideas on how to positively support your child’s emotional wellbeing, social skills and more. There’s a program for parents of younger children (0-12 years) and another for parents of tweens and teens (10-16 years). To support children (aged 6-14 years) to recognise and cope with anxiety and worries, parents can do Fear-Less Triple P.

These online programs are interactive with videos, worksheets and activities and can be done anywhere, anytime. They offer practical suggestions to help you:

• raise happy, confident, emotionally resilient kids
• encourage positive behaviour
• set rules and routines that everyone respects and follows
• take care of yourself as a parent
• feel confident about your own parenting choices

Support your children to thrive – these tips and tools are FREE for all Victorian families! Get started today at  www.triplep-parenting.net.au

We hope you enjoy a lovely break over the school holidays, and we look forward to welcoming you all back for the beginning of another fantastic term of learning at Bimbadeen.

Kind regards, 

Adele Gregson and Sabrina George