Heights Happenings – 2026 – Term 1, Week 7

Good luck to Miss Henstock

Our school community will soon be farewelling our amazing Art teacher, Miss Tara Henstock, as she begins an exciting new chapter – welcoming her first baby into the world. We are all so thrilled for her and wish her all the joy that comes with this special time. Her creativity, passion and enthusiasm have made our Art program a key feature of our school, and while we’ll really miss having her around, we will be excited to welcome her back once she returns from maternity leave.

While Miss Henstock is on leave, Mrs Prue Baum will be stepping into the Art teacher role. We are delighted to have her join our teaching team again for the remainder of the year.

NAPLAN

Our Grade 3 and 5 students are sitting their NAPLAN tests this week and into early next week. Their teachers have been helping them feel ready and confident, and the kids have been putting in a great effort. All we ever hope for is that they try their best, and we’re proud of them no matter what the results say.

As you may have heard, there were Australia-wide issues with the NAPLAN servers on Wednesday, which affected the Year 5 writing test. While this was frustrating, our students handled the situation with patience and resilience. We’ll continue to support them as the rescheduled testing takes place.

Standardised tests like NAPLAN give us a quick snapshot of how students are progressing and where extra support or extension might help. They’re only one part of how we understand learning, and we always look at the whole picture when considering each child’s growth. Our continuous reporting cycles and end‑of‑semester reports give parents regular updates about how your child is tracking against the curriculum standards.

Good luck to all students involved in testing this year.

Grade 4 Camp to Phillip Island

I had the great pleasure of attending the Grade 4 Camp to Phillip Island along with the kids, teachers and a parent volunteer last week. I want to give a huge shoutout to all the students for pushing themselves outside their comfort zones during the three days at camp. For many, this was their first time away from home, which makes their efforts even more impressive. Camp is such a great opportunity to build independence, strengthen friendships, and take on new challenges that we don’t typically experience in the classroom.

A huge thank you to Ms Blonik, Mrs Ascenzo, Mrs O’Neill, Mr Fox, Mrs Hodgson, Miss Brotto, Mrs Van Netten and our wonderful parent helper Leigh Worrell. Your support and enthusiasm made this camp such a memorable experience for everyone.

Easter Raffle and Happy Hour Concert

On the last day of term, Thursday 2^nd April, we hold our annual Happy Hour Concert on the front netball court beginning at 12:00pm and finishing around 1:20pm. Each year level will perform a song, the Easter Raffle will be drawn, and we will present students with the Principal’s Award for Term 1. We will shuffle the timetable a little bit on this day to give the students two break times – morning recess will be at 11:10am to 11:50am, and the afternoon recess will be from 1:40pm to 2:10pm. Students will be dismissed at 2:30pm.

This is going to be a wonderful way to end the term and I look forward to seeing lots of BHPS families and friends.

Curriculum Day – Top Ten Mathematics

Last Friday, our teachers and ES staff spent the day learning with Anna from Top Ten Mathematics, and it was genuinely inspiring. The whole focus was on making maths hands‑on, meaningful and enjoyable. We want our students to feel confident and curious about mathematics rather than overwhelmed.

Top Ten is built on a simple belief that children learn maths best when they can touch it, talk about it, and make sense of it for themselves.

Instead of relying on worksheets or screen‑based tasks, students use real materials to explore number concepts. They talk through their thinking, work with classmates, and record their discoveries in meaningful ways. This helps them build deep understanding.

What it looks like at Boronia Heights is:

• More hands‑on learning using concrete materials that make tricky ideas easier to grasp
• More confidence as they understand why maths works, not just how to get an answer
• More engagement through games, warm‑ups, and real‑life problem‑solving
• More support because lessons are designed with built‑in ways to extend or assist students as needed
• More joy – we want students to actually look forward to maths time

Here are some photos of our staff acting as students on the day:

Three-way conference day and OSHClub

On Wednesday I sent a message via Compass explaining our Three‑Way Conference Day, which will take place on Wednesday 1st April. Please refer to Compass for all details.

Some families have mentioned there was mixed messaging about whether OSHClub would be running a day program. I’ve now confirmed with OSHClub that the school will provide supervision during school hours for any student who cannot be cared for at home or by a family member on that day. To ensure this day runs as smoothly as possible, we rely on families to support us by having children only come to school for the duration of your meeting time.

Just to clarify, OSHClub will operate before‑school and after‑school care only, not a full‑day service. OSHClub has communicated this with families, and we apologise for any confusion caused.

Enjoy your weekend

Mat Anderton
Principal

Cyber Safety

Cyber Safe Parents – Online Safety Webinars for Families

 We’re thrilled to announce our school has partnered with Cyber Safety Project to offer parents access to the Cyber Safe Parents 2026 Webinar Series. These practical, easy-to-understand sessions, available live or on-demand, will provide simple strategies to help families manage online safety, screen time, AI, and digital wellbeing. Pop these important dates into your calendars now:

2026 Topics & Dates:

1. Cyber Safety at Home (Family session) – 10 March
2. AI & Critical Thinking (Parent/Guardian session)  – 20 May
3. Balancing Life & Tech (Parent/Guardian session)   – 3 August
4. Cyberbullying & Resilience (Parent/Guardian session)  – 27 October

All sessions start at 7.30pm AEDT/AEST.

Can’t attend live? Register to receive the recording and resources to watch at a time that suits you.

 👉 Register here: https://cybersafetyproject.com/parents-2026 (do not share this link on social media)

Please click above to watch the first webinar from 10^th March. We will send out communication to you before the next webinar dates if you want to attend online at the same time, otherwise they will always be available to watch when it suits you.

Year 1 and 2

Year 2- Wildlife Incursion

This term the Grade 2’s investigated a variety of different animals! They took part in an incursion presented by the “Australian Wildlife Lectures” for an interactive experience to explore animals’ diet, habitat, appearance and interesting facts.

Here’s what some of our students said about the day:

“I loved the incursion! I enjoyed holding the Bearded Dragon!”

Year 1 and 2 ‘Happy to be me’ incursion

As part of our Personal Learning and Wellbeing program, the Year 1 and 2 students participated in an engaging incursion titled “Happy to Be Me.” During the session, students explored the idea that everyone is unique and learned about the importance of enjoying the things they love, such as their hobbies, and how these activities can help us feel happy and confident.

Through interactive dancing and storytelling, students met some characters, for example, a bird with arms, who were a little different from the others. This helped spark meaningful discussions about kindness, not making fun of others, and accepting and celebrating everyone for who they are.

The incursion was highly interactive and lots of fun, while also reinforcing important messages about respect, inclusion, and being proud to be ourselves.

District & Division Swimming events

A huge congratulations to the following students who qualified to participate at the District Swimming event last month – they represented our school with tremendous pride: Mitchell C. 3B (Freestyle & Backstroke), Ella O. 4B (Freestyle & Breaststroke), Fletcher E. 5C (Freestyle & Backstroke), Sophie W. 5A (Freestyle & Backstroke), Matilda B. 5A (Breaststroke), Alex A. 6A (Breaststroke), & Zara O. 6C (Freestyle & Backstroke).

An extra congratulations goes out to Fletcher who swam the 2^nd fastest Freestyle swim in his age group to qualify for the Knox Division Swimming Championships. Fast forward to this week, and I am proud to say that Fletcher finished 3^rd in his freestyle race at the Knox Division Championships which is a great result – well done Fletcher!!

Active Club

The number of families who are participating in our before school Active Club program continues to grow which is amazing to see. A special congratulations goes out to Ollie in 5A who has already completed the equivalent distance of a marathon this term! Active Club will conclude on the 2^nd last week of this term – Wednesday 25^th March being the last day. The program will then recommence in Term 4 once the weather begins to be a bit warmer in the morning. Thank you and well done to everyone who has participated so far.

AFL Girls team

Over the last two weeks, four trial sessions were held at lunchtime to select our Yr 5-6 AFL Girls teams that will compete at the Knox Division AFL Girls event in Term 2. We had 33 x Yr 5-6 girls attempt to make our final squad of 24 players that will form our two teams in the 9-per-side format. Unfortunately we are unable to enter more teams or else I would have loved to have taken all of the girls. Congratulations to the follows girls who have made the final squad (Compass event details) will be released to parents before the end of term:

5A- Matilda B, Indi, Paige & Sophie.

5B – Lily, Kaidence, Alyssa & Tahlia.

5C – Evie C, Mikayla, Evelyn & Ava.

6A – Ella & Abbey.

6B – Samara, Peyton, Piper, Parya & Cherish.

6C – Milla, Evie A, Claire, Sienna & Zara.

Hoop Time dates and programs confirmed

I can now confirm the dates that we are booked in to participate in the very popular Hoop Time basketball program. Firstly, I’m excited to share that we currently have a very large order of brand-new basketball uniforms being made which will not only modernise our team appearance, but also allow us to combine two years levels at once on the same day to hopefully help make our teams more even. I’m also very excited to share that our Hoop Time offering will be expanding this year to include a Grade 2 Mini Hoops program for the very first time. Hoop Time participation at our school has grown by almost 80% over the last 3 years, and this is the next step towards further growth.

Year 5-6 Hoop Time event at the State Basketball Centre on Thursday 25^th June.

Year 2 Mini Hoops event at Nunawading Basketball Stadium on Friday 31^st July.

Year 3-4 Hoop Time event at the State Basketball Centre on Tuesday 15^th September.

2026 Sports events:

Mar 18^th: Free Rugby clinic at school for all Yr 1-2 students.

Mar 20^th: Whole school Cross Country event.

Mar 27^th: Yr 3-6 Athletics Day @ Ringwood Athletics track *parent volunteers requested.

Mar 31^st: Prep-2 Mini Athletics event at school.

Apr 22^nd: Free Rugby clinic at school for all Yr 3-4 students.

Apr 29^th: Free Rugby clinic at school for all Yr 5-6 students.

May 4^th-8^th: Prep-2 Swimming week, lessons @Knox Leisureworks.

May 8^th: District Cross Country (selected Yr 3-6 students).

May 18^th-22^nd: Yr 3-4 Swimming week, lessons @Knox Leisureworks.

May 21^st: AFL Girls Division event (selected Yr 5-6 girls).

May 22^nd: District Winter interschool sports – day 1 (all Yr 5-6 students). *parent volunteers requested.

May 29^th: District Winter interschool sports – day 2 (all Yr 5-6 students). *parent volunteers requested.

Jun 25^th: Yr 5-6 Hoop Time event at State Basketball Centre. *parent volunteers requested.

Jul 17^th: District Basketball competition (selected Yr 5-6 students).

Jul 31^st: Yr 2 Mini Hoops event at Nunawading Basketball Stadium. *parent volunteers requested.

Aug 14^th: District Athletics (selected Yr 3-6 students).

Aug 19^th: District Summer interschool sports – day 1 (all Yr 5-6 students). *parent volunteers requested.

Aug 27^th: District Summer interschool sports – day 1 (all Yr 5-6 students). *parent volunteers requested.

Sep 15^th: Yr 3-4 Hoop Time event at State Basketball Centre. *parent volunteers requested.

Nov 19^th: Surfing excursion – group 1 (some Yr 5-6 students).

Nov 25^th: Surfing excursion – group 2 (some Yr 5-6 students).

Dec 1^st: Surfing excursion – group 3 (some Yr 5-6 students).

Shae Warren
Physical Education Teacher and Sport Co-ordinator

Prep- Abstract painting

Year 1- Shape Castles

Year 2- Water Lilies

Year 3-Harvest to table Aprons

Year 4- Desert Landscapes

Year 5- Abstract Self-Portraits

Tara Henstock
Visual Arts Co-ordinator

Now that we are over halfway through Term 1, I’d like to send a huge thank you to everyone in the BHPS community for welcoming me to this wonderful school and for helping me to settle into my new role in the STEAM room.  This term, students have been busy exploring, creating and investigating Biological Sciences across all levels.

PREP

In Prep, the focus has been on the needs of living things, with some lessons comparing and contrasting the needs of plants, animals and people for survival. Prep students have been creating ‘crazy grass heads’ which have been growing quickly in the STEAM room hot house.

GRADE 1 and 2

Our Grade 1 and 2 students have been ‘Garden Explorers’ and we have gone on several walks around the school grounds looking at the features of plants and also the minibeasts that co-exist within them.  They are experts at using magnifying glasses, conducting dissections of agapanthus flowers, creating models of bees to pollinate chalk flowers and planning designs for bee friendly gardens.

GRADE 3 and 4

It has been wonderful to see our Grade 3 and 4 students explore the difference between living, non-living and once living things.  They have shared their research on animal groups and they are currently learning about fossils and how to create their own ‘fossil’ imprints using air dry clay.  They are looking forward to exhibiting their creations in our Art Show later in the year.

GRADE 5 and 6

It has been a big term in STEAM for our senior students with lessons looking at the animals, plants and climates of biomes around the world, and how living things evolve adaptations to survive in different environments.  Students have been working in groups to create a new creature with adaptations to survive in their chosen habitat, and these unique (and often weird but wonderful!) animals will also be showcased in the Art Show in Term 4.

Students in Grade 5 and 6 will be attending a talk from a visiting expert scientist, Prof Andrew Pask (from the TIGRR lab at The University of Melbourne) as he shares the current research on the de-extinction of the Tassie Tiger.  I know our students already have lots of questions to ask when he visits towards the end of term.

Helen Clark – STEAM Specialist

Parent information sessions available through Knox Council

These events are hosted by Knox City Council (in partnership with Maroondah City Council, City of Boroondara and Yarra Ranges Council) run online and are FREE. They will cover a variety of topics related to ADHD and how to support your child.

See below for the different topics and click Image to register.

Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader
Sarah Weichert

Sarah.weichert@education.vic.gov.au

 Ticket Winners

Specialist awards

Smile Squad

Smile Squad is coming to Boronia Heights P.S.!

They will be coming to our school from Monday 20th March. Please refer to below form for further information on how to access this service.

Department of Education- Reminder

Students and parents/carers are responsible for a student’s personal item/property, including if it is lost, stolen or damaged at school or during school excursions.

Parents/carers are responsible for all medical expenses, including ambulance costs if they are incurred by a student at school or while the student is participating in a school activity (including offsite).

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.

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.

Leah Hodgson
Boronia Heights Hubsters