Heights Happenings – 2025 – Term 4, Week 8

New timetable structure in 2026

Following a successful trial week and a great deal of consultation with staff, students and the community, we have decided to introduce a new timetable structure next year. The feedback overall was very positive, and with some minor changes based on suggestions, I believe the change is going to improve teaching and learning. The main reason for the change is to maximise the focus and attention of students in the morning when they are more likely to be ready to learn. It also allows teachers to prioritise Morning Circles which is a key strategy for wellbeing as part of the Berry Street Education Model.

One of the main “hot topics” from the feedback we received had to do with food breaks. We’ve solved this by ensuring that teachers plan for a short 5-10 minute “brain food” break in the morning session. Brain food includes fresh fruit and vegetables, along with cheeses and yogurts.

Each session is broken into 6×50 minutes, with three sessions in the morning, two after a recess break, a one final session to end the day. The first recess break (40 minutes) will happen at 11:40am following a 10-minute eating time which we will call “lunch”. Canteen orders will be sent to students at this first break. The second break will be at 2:10pm (30 minutes) after another “afternoon tea” eating time.

The start and end times of the day remain unchanged – still 9am to 3:30pm. Whilst the three morning sessions will be longer than the current schedule, we feel that the students and teachers will adapt to the new routine fairly quickly. Like any change, there’s going to be some teething problems at first, so we will respond to any issues and come up with solutions if needed.

Here’s a breakdown of the new times:

• 9am-11:30am – Morning block broken into 3×50 min sessions
• 11:30am-11:40am – Eating time (Lunch)
• 11:40am-12:20pm – RECESS 1
• 12:20pm-2:00pm – Early afternoon block broken into 2×50 minute sessions
• 2:00pm-2:10pm – Eating time (afternoon tea)
• 2:10pm-2:40pm – RECESS 2
• 2:40pm-3:30pm – Late afternoon block broken into 1×50 minute session

Student Leaders in 2026

Last week I was lucky to hear from thirty year 5 students who presented for school captain in 2026. The fact there were so many students willing to become School Captain shows the depth of our student leadership potential. They all did such an amazing job and I, along with the year 5 teachers, specialist teachers and APs, were extremely proud of their bravery in putting themselves forward for a leadership role. We have now finalised our process for selecting our 2026 Student Leaders and I would like to congratulate all the students who were involved. It was wonderful to see the students standing up in front of their peers, teachers and leadership delivering well-prepared and rehearsed speeches. The hard part was selecting the students for the positions as the calibre of students who applied was so high – we could easily have given school captain roles to all thirty students. These children are a credit to themselves, their families and the staff at our school.

For the first time in the school’s history (as far as I know), we will have four School Captains next year. The School and Vice Captains have done similar roles in the past, and we honestly couldn’t separate them, so I decided to have four captains instead.

It gives me great pleasure to announce that our 2026 Student Leaders are:

New Sports Top in 2026

Over the past six months, School Council has been working through the process of designing and approving a new sports top. The reason for the introduction of a new sports top was to bring a more modern design to our uniform, as well as ensuring that when our students represent the school, they all look like one team. The current sports top with the house colours on the sleeve looks a little bit outdated and generic. Spartan School World also found it difficult to stock the item because they relied on four different styles/colours in all the sizes. With one design, they can reduce the variability of the stock which means they don’t have supply issues.

The design went through many variations, with one of key ideas being to capture the “School with a View” slogan and represent the school being at the foothills of the Dandenong Ranges. This can be seen on the back of the shirt with the mountain design silhouette and slogan text. We also wanted it to uniquely represent the Boronia Heights brand with the incorporation of the school logo on the front of the shirt.

I’d like to thank the staff, students and School Council members for their input into the design. Spartan have told me the shirts will hopefully be ready in the middle of Term 1.

All current sports tops will still be considered as approved school uniform, although they will no longer be sold at Spartan once the new design is in stock.

Here is an image of the new tops:

Christmas Concert night and Raffle

Just another reminder to say that we are looking forward to welcoming our school community to our Christmas concert on the Wednesday 17th of December. The afternoon will begin at 4pm and should go through to around 5:30pm.  Our very talented students will be performing on the night in grade items. You are most welcome to bring a picnic dinner on the night, however, please note that NO ALCOHOL is allowed to be brought into and consumed at the school. In the interest of keeping our school clean, we ask that all rubbish be taken home with you at the end of the night.

The Community Hub will have once again organised a Christmas Raffle, with all tickets selling for $1 each. This raffle will be drawn at our Christmas Concert night. This is our final fundraiser for the year, and we thank you in advance for your continued support of our school.

New seating near bottom oval

The Rotary Club of Boronia and the Knox & District Woodworkers Inc. have recently built and installed three wooden bench seats under the shade sail near the Gaga Ball Pit. We are so thankful for their generous donation to the school. Our partnership with the Rotary Club and other local community organisations remains stronger than ever.

Thank you to Catherine Devlin

On behalf of the school, I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to Catherine Devlin for the incredible work she has done to maintain and improve our gardens over the last couple of years. Every time I speak to Catherine she teaches me something new about native plants and horticulture. Her knowledge of the right type of plant, what soil it grows best in, and how it fits into the local environment is outstanding.

Sadly, with her son Hunter leaving us at the end of the year to go to secondary school, Catherine will also be finishing up her work at the school. Please join me in thanking Catherine for her dedication and commitment to the BHPS!

Enjoy your weekend.

Mat Anderton
Principal

Champion Christmas Food Drive 2025

We are collecting for the Champion Christmas Food Drive. What an amazing collection we have so far! All donations to your child’s classroom please.

Hello wonderful families of Boronia Heights Primary School!

As the year is starting to wind up, we know parenting can feel like a juggling act between school lunch boxes, sporting commitments, bedtime routines and trying to find a moment catch your breath. So I thought I’d share a light and helpful round-up of some podcasts, books/reads, and watch-list content you might enjoy to support your parenting journey. Pick and choose what fits, trial bits that resonate, and know you’re not alone in the “figuring it out” club.

Podcasts worth checking out:

• Pop Culture Parenting – A fun and friendly podcast exploring how the pop-culture we consume (TV, movies, social media) influences our kids and our parenting. Great for a laugh and some “hmm, didn’t think of that” moments. One of the hosts, Dr Billy Garvey is a developmental paediatrician with over 20 years’ experience working with children in a number of settings.
• Hamish Blake – “How Other Dads Dad” – In this one Hamish chats with other dads about their parenting, wins and mess-ups, and how they show up for their kids. A good listen if you’d like a relaxed perspective on parenting.
• Dr Becky Kennedy – Good Inside with Dr Becky – Dr Becky takes a compassionate, research-informed view of parenting. If you enjoy hearing “science + heart” in one package, this is gold.
• Maggie Dent – Parental As Anything – Maggie brings her “no-nonsense but kind” voice to real parenting issues. Great for when you want practical ideas rather than theory. For example, in one episode she talks about helping children make friends and navigate the ups-and-downs of peer relationships.

Reads & Watch-lists:

• On the “watch” front, there’s a great piece by Maggie Dent: “Navigating Child Friendships: What to Do When Your Kid Has Been Rejected”. She explores what happens when children feel excluded, and how parents can help them build resilience and social skills. (Maggie Dent)
• If you prefer a reading format, check out articles like “What to Do When Kids Face Friendship Problems” (by Dr Becky) which remind us that our role is to support, not always to solve, when children struggle with peers. (Good Inside)
• For book-style or short-read sources: Maggie’s “Social Skills & Friendship Issues” page gives helpful background on why friendships matter and how we can guide our children. (Maggie Dent)
• Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul — Dr Stuart Brown: A joyful reminder that play isn’t just for kids. Dr Brown explores why play is essential to creativity, learning, and emotional health — for adults and children.

Please remember:

• You don’t have to digest all of these at once. Pick one podcast episode, one article, one book excerpt to start with. Slowly weaving in ideas often has more impact than trying to absorb absolutely everything in one sitting.
• If something doesn’t resonate, let it go. What works for one family may feel off for another. You get to choose what fits your family dynamic.
• Be kind to yourself. You’re doing a huge job. These resources are here to support you, not to make you feel like you’re falling behind.

I hope this little selection adds some inspiration (and maybe a chuckle or two) to your parenting toolbox. If you have any other suggestions for podcasts, books, TV shows etc. that you love, please send them my way!

Have a great week!

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader
Sarah Weichert

Sarah.weichert@education.vic.gov.au

Introducing Our New School Mascot – Koko the CARE Koala!

We are excited to introduce Koko the CARE Koala, our brand-new school mascot designed by one of our very own students!

Last term, we ran a mascot design competition across the school, and Matilda D from Year 3 created the winning design. Her wonderful idea has now been brought to life as our official BHPS mascot. Koko represents our CARE values – Community, Achievement, Respect and Engagement – and will be popping up around the school in many different ways.

A huge congratulations to Matilda for her creativity, imagination and amazing artwork. We can’t wait to share more Koko designs and fun mascot appearances in the future… stay tuned!

Tara Henstock
Visual Arts Co-ordinator

Girls Softball

Earlier this term, our Girls Softball team which was made up entirely of Year 5 girls competed at the Eastern Metropolitan Regional Softball finals. They competed exceptionally well against tough competition and although they didn’t progress through to the next stage, they did show significant improvement with the extra matches and practice at school (and an impressive win on the day). Well done girls, you should be very proud of your effort and growth! Thank you to Mr Blenner for coaching them on the day.

Active club

Active Club has just 4 sessions left, I look forward to seeing plenty of students and families there (8:20-8:45am, enter via the Phipps Ave entrance):

Monday 1^st December

Wednesday 3^rd December

Monday 8^th December

Wednesday 10^th December

Year 5 & 6 water safety and surfing

Our Year 5 & 6 water safety and surfing excursions have been successfully delivered for this year. I heard many students remark that this was their favourite day of the year, and I know the Year 5 students are already looking forward to going back to Smiths Beach again next year. We added a little bit of extra beach time to our excursions this year which allowed the students to eat and play down by the beach as well for a bit of a treat. Thank you to our wonderful staff who got to school bright an early on these days to help the day run smoothly.

AFL Auskick

AFL Auskick will be back on again at BHPS in 2026 (term 1 on Mondays after school). Registrations are now open, please see the attached flyer to this newsletter. Representatives from AFL School Victoria were out during the week to provide extra footballs for students to use during lunchtime. It was fantastic to see almost 100 students come out and try kicking and marking the ball.

Shae Warren
Physical Education Teacher and Sport Co-ordinator

CARE Ticket Winners

2026 Parent Payment Information

The 2026 Parent Payment information was sent out last week. Click here to access a digital copy. The Melbourne Office Supplies portal for student stationary orders is now open. Login information is found in the Parent Payment information packs.

The Parent Payments are a voluntary contribution that enables the school to offer:

• High quality programs & specialist classes to all students
• Maintain high quality ovals and grounds
• Upkeep our new playgrounds
• Delivery a range of current sporting equipment
• Offer effective first aid and first aid supplies for all students

The above cannot happen without the support of our families and their contributions.

2026 CSEF

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) helps eligible families to cover the costs of camps, sporting activities and excursions/incursions.

If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.

Payment amounts this year are $154 for eligible primary school. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

You can download the form here.

Check with the school office if you are unsure, and please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible.

2026 Extra-Curricular Activities

The 2026 Extra-Curricular Activities payment is for activities that enhance or broaden the schooling experience of students and are above and beyond what the school provides for free to deliver the Curriculum. These activities are provided on a user-pays basis.

The amount per student is $100.00 which covers all your child/rens excursions and incursions for the whole year.
It does NOT cover sporting activities, swimming, camps or Year 6 Big Day Out and Graduation.

Parents can choose to pay per event or via this event as a lump sum. If you have a valid Health Care Card, you may be eligible for the Government support through the Camps, Sports & Excursion Funding (CSEF). This can be used to pay for the Extra-Curricular Activities payment.

Hats in term 4

Just a reminder hats are to worn in term 4. They are available to purchase at the office if required.

Attendance

Please remember if your child will be absent ALL day, you need to enter an absence note on COMPASS. The office will be following up all unexplained absences.

Compass will automatically generate an SMS at 10.00am if your child is not at school. Please note that if you are bringing your child in late, ignore this SMS as late arrivals get signed in on the COMPASS Kiosk at the office on your arrival.  However, if your child is going to be absent for a complete day, you must approve this absence with a ‘note’ on Compass. This will avoid you receiving additional correspondence from the office to follow up this unexplained absence.

Name Your Belongings

We know you treasure your uniform and books. Please remember to label all uniform, books and belongings coming to school. Like most years, we have had an incredible amount of lost property through the year. The majority was unnamed, along with illegible tags. We would love lost items to boomerang back to your kids.