Viewbank Voice 02.04.2026

2026 IMPORTANT DIARY DATES

• 8th and 10th September - School Production

PUPIL FREE DAYS (TheirCare School Holiday Program will be available on pupil-free days)

• Wednesday 6th May
• Friday 5th June
• Wednesday 15th July
• Monday 2nd November

2026 CAMP DATES

• Year 5 Lady Northcote Discovery Camp: 07 October to 09 October
• Year 4 Anglesea Discovery Camp: 13 May to 15 May
• Year 3 Phillip Island Adventure Camp: 26 October to 28 October

2026 TERM DATES

• TERM 1: 28 January - 2 April
• TERM 2: 20 April - 26 June
• TERM 3: 13 July - 18 September
• TERM 4: 5 October- 18 December

END OF TERM ARRANGEMENTS The final day of Term 1 is today, April 2. As is customary, students will be dismissed from the gymnasium at the earlier than normal time of 2.30pm after a short assembly commencing at 2.10pm. NATIONAL YOUNG LEADERS DAY Our eighteen Grade 6 student leaders, accompanied by three of their teachers had the opportunity to attend the National Young Leaders Day on Friday, March 27.  They were privy to hearing the leadership stories of Catherine Laga’aia, actress, Adrian Beck, author, Nick Hudson, founder of the national Push Up Challenge and Jacqui Bell, ultra marathoner. Here are some of their ‘take-aways’ from a day of inspiration. On Friday, all of the captains went to the National Young Leaders Day. Where we learnt how to be better and stronger leaders. We listened to young leaders talk to us about their lives and how they evolved to be a leader. These people were: Catherine Laga'aia, Jaqui Bell, Adrian Beck and Nick Hudson. We also did some dancing for our brain breaks with the Melbourne dance crew. We all had an amazing time! Georgia and Clara National Young Leaders Day was on the 27th of March. All the captains went and got to meet inspiring speakers at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre, who all had amazing journeys. They were Jacqui Bell, a runner who has run an ultra-marathon on all 7 continents, Adrian Beck who has written over 40 books. There was Catherine Laga’aia who is playing Moana in the upcoming live-action movie Moana. The last speaker was Nick Hudson, who is the founder of the Push-Up Challenge, which has raised over 70 million dollars for mental health. In our breaks we got to learn a new dance, with Andy from Dance Academy. All the captains had a wonderful time. Annie and Saanvi On the 27/3/2026 all the captains went to the Melbourne Exhibition Centre for National Young Leaders Day. We had lots of inspirational speakers including Jacqui Bell, Adrian Beck, Catherine Laga’aia and Nick Hudson. The spoke to us on how to show resilence and other important life skills and how to overcome things that stop you. Our personal favourite was Nick Hudson. The founder of the push up challenge app. He was really inspiring and taught us how to overcome challenges like he has faced while making the push up challenge and the app. One of our other favourites was Jacqui Bell. She is an ultra-marathon runner who told us all about pushing through even when life gets hard. She said that you can give up or keep on going and trying until the end. Catherine Laga’aia, who is the starring actress in the live action Moana movie, told us all about her experience on the stage. She said if you have a go you never know what’s going to happen. Adrian Beck ’s a famous author who wrote some books called Fox Kid and Little Legends. He told us all about how being quiet and being a leader is a quality strength. We really enjoyed this experience and I’m sure all the captains had a great time.  Personally, I thought it was an amazing and a once in a life time experience. Riley and Cameron On Friday 27th of March all captains went to Melbourne Exhibition Centre to participate in the National Young Leaders Day. As part of the experience, we listened to some famous speakers, these speakers were: Catherine Laga’aia, Jacqui Bell, Adrian Beck and Nick Hudson. After each speaker we took a break, after the break session everyone took part in a dance. These dances were run by Dance Curriculums co-founder. At National Young Leaders Day we learned the important values of a captain/leader and what these famous people did to get where they are. I rate it 10/10 overall an amazing experience. Ethan

TERM 2 EVENTS  As always, there’s lots to look forward to when school resumes in Term 2. We celebrate Anzac Day with a school ceremony in the gymnasium on Friday, April 24.  Other events in the first four weeks alone are the Grade 3-6 cross country on April 28, Foundation 2027 Information Night on April 30, our rescheduled walkathon on May 5, a pupil free day on May 6, Mothers Day stall on May 7 and the Grade 4 camp commencing May 13. HOLIDAY HAPPENINGS It will be a relatively quiet holiday break around the school over the Easter break.  Having said that, we do have  a grounds maintenance group coming in on Friday, April 17 for the holiday ‘tidy-up’, cleaners on site doing their end of term cleaning and Their Care running a holiday program.  As always, if you happen to be driving by and something suspicious appears to be happening on our schoolgrounds or near classrooms, please don’t hesitate to contact the local police as your vigilance helps keep our school free from vandalism or unwanted trespassers. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy vacation and Easter break. Term 2 commences on Monday, April 20. Enjoy the extra hour of sleep this Sunday when clocks ’fall’ back for the end of daylight savings.   Kind regards,   Bill Kersing

Building Numeracy Skills at Home The Department has recently released a suite of mathematics videos and resources for parents and carers to help build strong early number skills at home. A range of mathematics advice, videos and activities for families of Foundation to Year 2 students have been provided in a number of different languages and can be accessed at Strengthen number sense at home   The practical maths videos build early number skills and support a consistent approach between school and home. These videos show what number sense looks like in the classroom. They also give parents simple tips to help children build number sense at home. The videos:

• align with evidence-informed teaching practices
• reinforce what students learn in class
• explain key ideas in clear, simple language
• show practical activities families can use straight away.

The videos help students build confidence, fluency and understanding.   A selection of practical advice for parents, families and carers is also available, including:

• How to build your child's numeracy skills from birth to Year 2 – how to build your child's skills in maths, measurement and patterns.
• How to build your child's numeracy skills from Years 3 to 6 – how to build your child's skills in maths and numeracy in everyday situations.
• Literacy and numeracy tips in your language – access the numeracy advice linked above in multiple languages. Available in Arabic, Chin Hakha, Dari, Hindi, Persian, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Urdu, Vietnamese. This resource also includes tips for supporting your child’s literacy skills.
• Supporting your child's education – provides resources and programs for parents and carers to help support their child’s learning.

  End of term It’s hard to believe we have finished term one, it’s certainly been a busy start to the year. Thank you for all that you have done to support our school. We are so lucky to have so many volunteers assisting across the school, in a range of activities.   Have a safe holiday and enjoy the opportunity to relax, recharge and eat lots of chocolate.  Happy holidays and enjoy Easter.   Gill

NATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM – LITERACY AND NUMERACY (NAPLAN) At the conclusion of the 2026 NAPLAN, we had a 99.51% completion rate. Thank you to the staff and students for doing an amazing job, being flexible as various timetable changes needed to be made, and for me to undertake some ‘catch-up’ sessions.   Results will be shared with the community once released, and after the school has had some time to analyse them.   The below is an image from a communication from The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) after the testing period closed.

SPECIALIST TIMETABLE CHANGES IN TERM 2 AND TERM 3 As we get ready for the Term 3 Production, many timetable changes have been required. The most obvious one is that Music will be taught two classes at a time with Mrs Davey and Mrs Rielly both in attendance. We have done this for many years during a production year, with much success. The two classes will learn the same song and dance moves, but with approximately half of each group performing on the first day, and the other half on the second. Much more information will be provided as the next two terms progress, including which day your children will be required to perform (either Tuesday 08 September OR Thursday 10 September).   Due to the change to the Music timetable, in some cases, the specialist teacher (e.g. STEM) your child had in Term 1 may not be the same teacher they will have in Term 2. Rest assured that the teachers will communicate and pass on any notes.  The specialist teachers for Term 2 and Term 3 will be as follows. *current as of 01 April 2026

HAPPY HOLIDAYS Have a great holiday, please be safe if travelling! See you on Monday 20 April.   Patrick

To support the RSL ANZAC Day Appeal, Viewbank Primary School will be holding a Gold Coin Donation Day on the same day. Funds raised go toward supporting veterans and their families. If you prefer to donate online, you can do so via this link: https://shoutforgood.com/b/oAWyyN 🔗 Donate Online Please note:

• This is not a free dress day – students are expected to wear their regular school uniform.
• ANZAC badges are also available for purchase at the General Office, priced between $2 and $5.

Thank you for your continued support.

Year 5 Inquiry During the “Finding out’ stage of Year 5 Inquiry, we were mining for chocolate chips! The teachers handed the students a chocolate chip cookie. Not giving anything away, the children had to draw the cookie before ‘mining’. They were given a toothpick and had to try to remove the chocolate without destroying the cookie. Once they had finished, they had to draw an ‘after’ picture. We then discussed the impacts of mining on the environment and even how other areas can be contaminated by the extractions from the ground. Described as ‘the most fun thing ever!’

Congratulations! 'Sarah-Lee is heading to Brisbane from April 11–14 to compete at the Australian Little Athletics Championships as part of Team Victoria. She’ll be taking on the best Under 12 Discus athletes from across Australia.   Making the Victorian team is a huge achievement and a real reflection of the hard work and dedication Sarah-Lee puts into her training. It’s an exciting opportunity and a moment we’re all really proud of! We wish Sarah-Lee all the best and look forward to hearing about her experiences and achievement next term.

EASTER RAFFLE WINNERS Congratulations to the following winners of the VPS 2026 Easter Raffle:

• 1st Fletcher Garner 1T
• 2nd Audrey Johnston FE
• 3rd Esther Headlan 2G
• 4th Molly Antonas 3W
• 5th Gordon Braham 6Y

Thank you for your support. Parents and Friends

Walk-a-thon Reminder A quick reminder that our Walk-a-thon, which was postponed earlier this term due to wet weather, will now take place on Tuesday 5 May (Term 2). Final details and any timetable changes will be shared soon. The fundraising link https://compasstix.com/e/p2owg7i0tn is open until Monday 11 May, so there’s still time to support the event. Thank you to everyone for your understanding and support—we’re looking forward to a great day!

Lower Plenty Bakehouse proudly partners with our school to provide fundraising lunch orders every Thursday. This initiative, organised by our Parents and Friends Committee, serves as one of our school’s major fundraising efforts. All proceeds will go towards our significant school upgrade project. Term 2 Fundraising Lunch Order Dates: Thursday 23rd April (Orders close: Monday 20th April, 3:00 PM) Thursday 30th April (Orders close: Monday 27th April, 3:00 PM) Thursday 7th May (Orders close: Monday 4th May, 3:00 PM) Thursday 14th May (Orders close: Monday 11th May, 3:00 PM) Thursday 21st May (Orders close: Monday 18th May, 3:00 PM) Thursday 28th May (Orders close: Monday 25th May, 3:00 PM) Thursday 4th June (Orders close: Monday 1st June, 3:00 PM) Thursday 11th June (Orders close: Monday 8th June, 3:00 PM) Thursday 18th June (Orders close: Monday 15th June, 3:00 PM) Thursday 25th June (Orders close: Monday 22nd June, 3:00 PM) Ordering Instructions: Orders must be placed in advance via Compass Canteen. Ordering will close at 3:00 PM on the Monday before each lunch date. You can now place orders for all Term 2 lunch dates in advance if preferred. All food is Halal. A Parent User Guide on how to order through Compass Canteen is below for your convenience. Please note, a $0.35 transaction fee will apply at checkout. Thank you for supporting our school community!

​​ICY POLE FRIDAY Students can purchase icy poles over the counter every Friday at lunchtime for $1.00 each. We offer an assortment of different icy poles each week, but always have Zooper Doopers available.This serves as a school fundraiser.

If you're interested in volunteering as a parent helper to sell icy poles, please contact the school's general office.

Entertainment Book 20% of the membership goes directly to support our fundraising at Viewbank Primary School. https://www.entertainment.com.au/current-promotion

Lunches must be ordered online using the CLASSROOM CUISINE website.

WEEKLY SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALE - Every Friday 3:00pm to 3:30pm, next to the music room. Jumpers with the school logo, long and short sleeve school polo tops and school dresses will be $2.00. We are currently asking for donations of any unwanted reusable school uniform items to sell at our stall.

SINGING WITH GABRIELLA - Gabriella

• Email: favrettogab@gmail.com
• Phone: 0413 676 733

STRINGS – Jack Cai

• Email: jack3bld@gmail.com
• Phone: 0426 665 044

STRINGS - MR CAI

• Email: cai66@optusnet.com.au
• Phone: 0403 490 078

PIANO/KEYBOARD/DRUMS - Daniel Tucceri

• Email: info@banyulemusicandtutoring.com
• Phone: 0405 667 908

GUITAR - Dimi Holborow

• Email: mastermusic606@outlook.com
• Phone: 0409 629 612

Our school has partnered with an independent provider called TheirCare to provide exceptional Outside School Hours Care services for our school community.

The program is available for all children at Viewbank Primary School from 6:30am until 9:00am in the morning and from 3:30pm until 6:15pm each school day.

During School Holidays & Pupil Free Days the service will operate from 6:30am until 6:15pm.

Families wishing to use this service can visit the TheirCare website: www.theircare.com.au

Families are eligible for a Government Rebate called the Child Care Subsidy which can reduce the cost per session by up to 85%.

More information can be obtained by contacting the school or ringing TheirCare Support Team on 1300 072 410.

TheirCare provides a stimulating and safe environment for all children. During sessions, children develop life-skills, friendships, confidence and creativity through play-based programs.

Lowes Northland Uniform Store – Relocation We’d like to let families know that the Lowes Northland store has relocated to a new space within the Northland Shopping Centre.

• New location (from 14 March): Tenancy K004, near Rebel and JB Hi-Fi, Northland Shopping Centre

Families can also shop online via the Lowes website. https://www.lowes.com.au/schools-online/viewbank-primary-school Thank you for your understanding while the store completes its move.