Welcome Back!
Welcome to the start of the 2025 school year. I hope you’ve had a wonderful summer break. It was great to see lots of smiling faces on Wednesday morning last week and on Tuesday when the Preps had their first day.
This year, we again welcome new families to Boronia Heights PS across all year levels, including our new Prep families. I know that the whole community joins us in welcoming you all to our school and trust that your time with us is positive and enjoyable.
I’d also like to formally welcome our new staff members to the school: Felicia Choo (Year 1), Michelle Ohia (Year 4), Ruihong Lu (STEAM) and ES members Caleb Bergamo, Ashleigh Alexander and Shae Robertson. I also want to welcome back Sarah Weichert, Taylah Smith, Kate Wardlaw and Elise Rule who have all returned from family leave.
A big thank you to the staff for all the preparations they have made for the 2025 school year. Teachers have already spent countless hours over the past weeks setting up the learning environments and planning to ensure a smooth start and exciting curriculum for the students this year. As you can imagine, a lot goes on behind the scenes to get ready for the first day and our consistent programs and high expectations helps students with readjusting to a new school year.
The Office and Education Support staff also worked on various administrative tasks to ensure that everything was ready for students. It’s been busy, as always, but things have gone very smoothly which is all down to successful planning.
VIP Visitors
Last Thursday was certainly a very memorable day in the history of the school when we welcomed the Prime Minister, Victorian Premier, Ministers of Education (State and Federal), local MPs and senior members of the Department to our beautiful school. This came as quite a surprise – having one of these people visit our school is big enough, let alone all of them at the same time!
Here’s a quick snapshot of how things transpired last week…
On Wednesday I received a phone call from my manager, Justin Butler, asking if the school had anything planned for the next day around midday. I told him it was just a normal day, and I assumed he wanted to swing past for a visit (which he often does). He then asked if I was aware of the school funding agreement between the Commonwealth and Victoria which was announced a week ago. I said that I was up to speed with the details. He then said, “They want to officially announce and sign the agreement and want to do it at your school.”
I said, “That sounds great! Who am I hosting?”
“There’s a strong possibility that the PM, Premier, and both Ministers for Education will be coming.”
Yep, I freaked out a little bit! Then I came to the realisation that the reason we were given the opportunity to host this event is because we’ve earned it. We’re a great school that’s doing great things. We have amazing teachers and support staff, students who are highly capable learners, and families who want their kids to do well at school. The work we did last year to improve our instructional practices, along with the changes we’re making to improve the way we teach reading, have all contributed to us being chosen. Our facilities are also of high quality which is thanks to the work our current team, that of previous Principal Leanne Jennings, the support from School Council and local politicians and Department staff.
I want to acknowledge the efforts of our staff to prepare for this event with 24 hours’ notice. A special mention must go to Miss Kim Hindmarsh for stepping up and putting her outstanding teaching skills on display in front of a high-profile audience. She did a remarkable job under the circumstances. I’m not surprised though – we have some very talented teachers at BHPS!
Lastly, to our new school captains Zoe, Samuel, Ryan and Mackenzie – you are amazing. The pride on their faces was something to behold. They welcomed our guests courteously and respectfully, representing our community to the best of their ability. Well done to all on a remarkable achievement.
SunSmart Policy
Don’t forget that Boronia Heights is a SunSmart School and wide brimmed hats are compulsory in Terms 1 & 4, (including Phys Ed sessions). Hats are available at the school office and must be worn by all children and staff when outside at playtime and lunchtime. Children who do not have a hat will have a restricted play area under the shaded areas of the school. Please ensure that your child’s hat is clearly named and that they have it at school every day. Our school uniform policy requires that the hat be a school hat, as it is the approved style with a wide brim that provides full sun protection to face, ears and neck.
The Classroom Helpers Course
If you wish to help in the classroom, you must complete ‘The Classroom Helpers Course’ that we run at school. Leah Hodgson (Assistant Principal) will be running the course for two afternoons, Wednesday 19th February and Wednesday 26th February from 2:15pm to 3:15pm. It is a great privilege and a wonderful experience to be able to work in your child’s classroom. If you are interested in attending, keep an eye out for the COMPASS notification with an expression of interest to be completed.
School is Better When Your Child is There
We all want our kids to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day.
If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school.
There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes.
Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement in numeracy, writing and reading.
Attendance patterns are established early – a child regularly missing days in the early years of school will often continue to miss classes in the later years, and receive lower outcomes than their classmates.
It’s vital that students go to school every day – even in the early years of primary school.
IN VICTORIA SCHOOL IS COMPULSORY FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 6 -17 YEARS
The main reasons for absence are:
Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick, and developing good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can make a big difference.
Family holidays – It’s vital that holidays are planned during school holidays where possible, and not during the term. If you are planning to go on holiday during term time, make sure that you talk to the school in advance, and work with us to develop an absence learning plan.
“Day off” – Think twice before letting your child have a “day off” as they could fall behind their classmates – every day counts.
Truancy – This is when students choose not to go to school without their parent’s permission. There can be many reasons for truancy. The best way to address this is for the school and parents to work together.
BEING AWAY FROM SCHOOL FOR ONE DAY A FORTNIGHT EQUALS MISSING 1.5 YEARS OVER 13 YEARS OF SCHOOL
If for any reason your child must miss school, there are things you can do to ensure they don’t fall behind:
- Inform the school
- Speak with your child’s classroom teacher and find out what work they need to do to keep up.
- Develop an absence learning plan with your teacher and ensure your child completes the plan.
Remember, every day counts. If your child must miss school, speak with your classroom teacher as early as possible.
Openly communicating with the school about all absences is a good way to prevent attendance issues being escalated to a School Attendance Officer. A School Attendance Officer is a Department of Education Regional Director who has authority to follow up attendance issues. Chronic or ongoing attendance issues that are escalated can lead to an Infringement Notice being issued to parent/s.
If you’re having attendance issues with your child, please let your classroom teacher know so we can work together to get your child to school every day.
Top attendance tips for parents:
- The school wants to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting us and asking for advice and support
- Remember that every day counts
- There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness
- Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day
- Open and prompt communication with the school about all absences is a good idea
- Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term
- Seek help from me or Kristy Foster if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing. We want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and wellbeing.
Have a great week.
Mat Anderton
Principal