Enrolment

No, we only offer Japanese.

We teach a 50/50 model with 50% of learning taught in Japanese (12.5 hours) and 50% taught in English (12.5 hours).

Japanese: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Mathematics, Music and Drama.
English: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Inquiry (Science and Humanities), Digital Technologies (ICT), Physical Education (PE) and Art.
Student Wellbeing is taught in both languages.

At Huntingdale Primary School, only around 25% of our students come from a Japanese-speaking background. The other 75% of students come from a large variety of cultural and linguistically diverse backgrounds, most of which have limited exposure to Japanese or even the English language. The teaching and learning program at HPS is constructed by expert teachers in both English and Japanese, with the support of experts in language development and bilingual immersion. The 50/50 immersion model, in particular, has been developed to support the learning of all students, regardless of previous exposure to Japanese or even English. Teachers support student learning through the use of visual, musical and physical prompts, like posters, songs and action games. Being immersed in the language, with the right support from the teacher, allows students to quickly learn words, sentences, phrases and songs in Japanese and English.
Although it is not always easy for students, especially at the start of their schooling where the languages are unfamiliar, we find that students quickly flourish in bilingual immersion- it really is the best way to learn a language! Within a month students begin to understand words and phrases and the younger students are, the more open their brain is for language learning. By the middle of their first year, students are usually able to confidently understand the learning in the Japanese classroom and able to speak in simple phrases. By the end of their first year at Huntingdale, we usually observe that students are confident listeners, and can speak, read and write simple phrases and sentences in Japanese.
The teachers will also provide support for parents at home, through video examples or resources for learning Japanese. The best thing you can do at home is to encourage your child to try their best in Japanese and to show interest in what they are learning. Children learn best when they can be teachers too! Another key element is to keep your child’s first language, as those students who know another language well, usually flourish in the language rich classroom. We have many students who are trilingual- they know English, another home language and add Japanese!

At Huntingdale Primary School, 83% of our students come from a language background other than English, with a huge variety of languages spoken at home. With bilingual immersion at HPS, students will be totally immersed in both Japanese and English classes, allowing them to develop high levels of proficiency in both languages. The learning program has been developed to support learners in both English and Japanese classrooms through gradually increasing the complexity of each language as they progress through school. The teachers of both languages are experts who support learning for students of all needs through targeted teaching and learning strategies. During class, students who have limited exposure to Japanese, English or both languages are provided additional support at their point of need by the classroom teacher to ensure their language skills are continuing to develop. Both English and Japanese classrooms also use a variety of visual prompts, games and resources to develop foundation skills in language and literacy. In short, your child will have a lot of support in the classroom to develop both their Japanese and English language skills!
As a bilingual school, we are also strong advocates for language learning, not only in Japanese and English, but also in home languages. We often discuss the similarities and differences between home languages and those we learn at school, and use examples from home languages to learn more about how English and Japanese work. We encourage all parents to speak and teach in their home language, as this is an important part of your child’s culture and heritage. Please watch this video about the importance of speaking in your native language to your child.

Around 25% of students at Huntingdale Primary School come from a Japanese-speaking background. This presents a unique challenge at our school, as most other bilingual schools have very few native speakers amongst their students. At HPS, our learning program is designed to not only immerse students in English and Japanese, but to extend the knowledge of students who already have significant exposure or proficiency with one or both of these languages. Our teachers provide targeted learning at the point of need for each child, extending students who need more challenging work, and supporting those still developing their language skills. This means that students with some proficiency in Japanese will be given more challenging activities to extend their knowledge and learning in the Japanese classroom. In the English classroom, these same students will be given extra targeted support by their teacher to develop their knowledge of English language and literacy skills. One of the strengths of HPS, however, is that lessons are regularly conducted bilingually – that is, in both English and Japanese. During these lessons, students have a chance to develop their knowledge and language skills using both Japanese and English. Students are able to use the two languages to build off each other, using the words from one language to help make meaning of words from the other language. By using this teaching and learning style in the classroom, students are supported to become truly bilingual at school.

The concepts of Maths are universal – counting, adding, subtracting etc. occur all around the world in every place and every country. As anyone who has studied Maths overseas can attest, it is not the concepts of Maths that change, but the language that we use to express the Maths concepts and skills. With this in mind, teaching Maths in Japanese has no disadvantages over using another language, and in many ways provides students with much clearer learning than a language like English (due to the complexity of the English language). The teaching program at Huntingdale Primary School follows the Victorian Curriculum like all other schools, however has been tailored to fit a Japanese language framework. This framework, developed by experts in language teaching, bilingualism and education, allows the teachers at HPS to teach Maths concepts using simple Japanese language. As students’ progress through school, their conceptual knowledge of Maths improves, just like their language knowledge, allowing them to learn more challenging mathematical skills. As with any classroom, students are supported through a variety of strategies and resources to ensure they are developing their maths skills and understanding at an appropriate rate. Data from other bilingual schools in Victoria demonstrates marked improvements in NAPLAN scores for numeracy when using a similar bilingual approach, supporting the use of Japanese for maths instruction at HPS. We are, of course, aware that the community language in Australia is English and that student’s will need to know maths language in English also. The English teachers at HPS work with their Japanese teaching partners to develop lessons that use relevant and appropriate maths language in the English classroom to support each child’s development. While English teachers DO NOT explicitly teach the maths concepts and skills in English, they will use the concepts learned in Japanese and apply these to classroom learning using English language. In this way, students are supported to develop a bilingual approach to mathematical language, which has been shown in research studies to improve long-term outcomes for students in mathematics. When you consider the range of home languages present at HPS and the prior experience each child has with maths at home, the students leave Huntingdale Primary School well prepared to deal with the concepts and language of mathematics in everyday life.

CLIL is the teaching approach used in our bilingual teaching. CLIL is an approach to language teaching and learning which combines teaching content from a curriculum area while simultaneously learning and using a target language. You can see a video on our website showing this approach.

There are a number of secondary colleges that offer Japanese as a language or use CLIL. For example currently  Glen Eira College has a bilingual Japanese stream and Mount Waverly Secondary College and South Oakleigh College also teach Japanese. However current policy states that you need to live in the local area to guarantee your attendance at these schools. Remember that over time these options may change. We recommend that parents start thinking about secondary college options when their child is in Grade 4.

Respectful Relationships is a student wellbeing program that supports schools and early childhood settings to promote and model respect, positive attitudes and behaviours. It teaches our children how to build healthy relationships, resilience and confidence.

Safe Schools is not a subject taught in the classroom. It is a program for principals, teachers and school communities.

Many students enrol at Huntingdale Primary School during the later years of Primary School, and participate well in the Japanese program. The teachers at HPS provide targeted learning for all students at their point of need, so would develop activities for your child that uses simple language and concepts. They would also ensure additional time is spent with your child to demonstrate the language and literacy skills, along with small group activities where other students can model the Japanese language to your child.
As you child becomes more familiar with the language, they will be given more complex tasks that build on their prior learning. A range of support and resources are provided for students in this situation to ensure they feel comfortable and confident learning Japanese at school.

Before you enrol, we will need to have a copy of one of the following documents:

• An Australian birth certificate,
• An Australian passport,
• An Australian citizenship certificate
• A permanent residency visa
• A temporary residency visa, which entitles your child to free education in Australia. The list changes frequently, therefore we will need to check your visa number at the time of enrolment

You will also need to provide an immunisation certificate. Please click here to check the Victorian Government policy about immunisation. If your child has been immunised in another country, please take your certificate translated into English to a General Practitioner, who will forward it to the Australian Immunisation Register.

A school entry immunisation status certificate is a current record of your child’s immunisation. It is a legal requirement to provide a school entry immunisation status certificate on enrolment to primary schools in Victoria.

You can obtain a school entry immunisation status certificate from

• The Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR)
• Medicare Australia Office Online at www.medicareaustralia.gov.au
• Your GP
• Your local council immunisation service

Yes. You still have to provide a school entry immunisation certificate, which will say that your child is not immunised.

Yes, you can enrol your child even if he/she is not immunised you. However, In the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease, if directed so by the Chief Health Officer, we will have to exclude your child from attending school until the Chief Health Officer says that your child can return to school.

For further advice, contact the Department of Health and Human Services – Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Section – Phone: 1300 651 160

No, you will need to have the certificate translated into English and give it to your local General Practitioner who will forward it to the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register (ACIR)

There are temporary visas, which entitle your child to free education in Australia. The list changes frequently, therefore we will need to check your visa number at the time of enrolment.

If your visa does not entitle you to free education in Australia, you can enrol your child as an International Student. To do this you need to enrol him/her with the Department of Education, International Students Division. When you are filling in your application at one point, you will be asked to list three schools of your choice. If you would like to enrol at our school just put Huntingdale Primary School as your first choice. Please check also our International Students webpage here.

While there is no official ‘cut-off date’ to enrol your child, we prefer your child to enrol by the end of July so they can participate in our Kinder-Foundation transition program, so that your child becomes familiar with the school.

Every year school starts at the end of January/beginning of February. We prefer students to be enrolled and at school before the 28th February, which is the cut-off date for the school to receive funds by the Department of Education, which is based on the number of enrolled students on that date. However we accept enrolments all year round.

Your child needs to turn 5 years of age by the 30th April of the year of enrolment.

Schools provide students with free education to fulfill the standard Victorian Curriclum and we want to assure you that all contributions are voluntary. Nevertheless, the ongoing support of our families ensures that our school can offer the best possible education and support for our students. Your support makes a huge difference to our school and the programs it can offer.  Please follow this link to access our school fees policy: https://huntingdaleps.vic.edu.au/parent-information/#payments

Students go on excursions and in school experiences during, which is a pay as you go system. Families on low income are granted an allowance by the Victorian Government of $125 per year per student to help with this cost. Students in the senior years (3 to 6) have also the option of going to a 3-day camp. Every 2 years grades 5 and 6 students are offered a 10-day trip to Japan.

The Victorian government provides families on low income in receipt of a government pension with $125 per year per student so that students can participate in camps, sports, excursions, swimming and incursions. The allowance is called CSEF (Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund). Application forms are sent out at the beginning of the school year.

If your child suffers from asthma, allergies or is anaphylactic we will need a coloured Action Plan, complete with a colour photo. The school also needs to be provided with an EpiPen in case of anaphylaxis, Ventolin for asthma and antihistamines for allergies (if prescribed by a GP). Please come and talk to the office staff for further details.

Huntingdale Primary School has a Before and After School Care program run by Team Kids. Before School Care starts at 6.30am and After School Care ends at 6.30pm. Please click here for more details.

Yes, Team Kids offers Holidays programs run from our venue. Please click here for more details.

School starts at 9.00am. We ask that students arrive around 8.45am. Supervision of students by staff members will start at 8.45am so students arriving earlier need to be supervised by a parent. If you need to drop your child off before 8.45am, you need to enrol him/her at Before School Care, run by Team Kids.

A first bell will ring at 8.50am to indicate that students can enter their classroom and put their backpack in their pigeonhole. A second bell will ring at 9.00 and by that time students will be ready for the roll.

School ends at 3.30pm. Students need to be picked up between 3.30pm and 3.45pm. If you cannot pick up your child by 3.45pm, you will need to enrol him/her in the After School Care run by Team Kids.

If you are late in the morning you need to come to the Office first to collect a late pass. The reason you need to go to the Office is that at 9am your child has been marked absent by the classroom teacher. We at the Office need to mark the student as having arrived late because in case of fire or another emergency we know that if he/she is not at the congregation point we need to go and look for him/her. That would not happen if the student were marked absent.

If you are routinely late, please consider getting up a little bit earlier in the morning. The first 10 minutes the teacher sets the tasks for the classroom and explained how to proceed in order to complete them. So it is very important to be present from 9am to listen to the instructions.

These are the music lessons offered at Huntingdale Primary School as an extension of the curriculum:

• Junior Rockers offers a varieties of instruments – classes held during class time – you need to book online with them – all age
• Keyboard – held during class time – book directly with teacher – Grades 2 -6

Activities offered by external service providers for a fee

• Junior Rockers – classes held during class time – need to book online with them – all ages
• Keyboard – held during class time – book directly with teacher – Grades 2 -6
• Digimaker Coding Club – before school (normally starting 7.50pm for 1 hour) book directly with provider – 1 morning per week
• ABACUS Japanese Math Class – book directly with teacher – all ages – held during lunchtime once a week
• After School Sports – once a week – book directly with Soccer X (Wednesday) and Basketball X (Tuesday) – all ages (normally 3.45pm to 4.45pm)
• Fizz Kids – Science based after care – every Thursday from 3.45pm to 4.45pm

Lunch time is between 1.30pm and 1.40pm. After that, students go outside and play until 2.30pm. There is also a morning recess from 11am to 11.30am

Once a week we do lunch orders organised through a local shop. Orders are placed on Thursday and the food will be delivered on a Friday. Here is the Canteen Price List 2024.

You can pick up your child from in front of his/her classroom.

F-2 classes are usually between 18-21 students. 3-6 classes are usually between 25-28 students. At the moment we have around 410 students in total.

A box of tissues, some sunscreen, play lunch, lunch and a change of clothes (socks, underwear, t-shirt and pants (or skirt)

Yes, your child has to wear our school uniform, including school bag and hat. Our uniforms can be bought at PSW, in Ormond. You can see a list of all our uniform items here.

No, we do not have a separate sports uniform. During sports student will wear their regular uniform. We recommend that girls wear some navy blue bike shorts underneath if wearing a skirt.