PUPIL FREE DAYS 2024
- Friday, April 26
- Monday, July 15
- Monday, November 4
2024 TERM DATES
- TERM 1: 29th January - 28th March
- TERM 2: 15th April - 28th June
- TERM 3: 15th July - 20th September
- TERM 4: 7th October - 20th December
2024 CAMP DATES
- Grade 3 Camp to Phillip Island - October 28 to 30
- Grade 4 Camp to Anglesea - May 15 to 17
- Grade 5 Camp to Bacchus Marsh October 9 to 11
- Grade 6 Camp - April 29 to 1 May
SCHOOL COUNCIL After our new School Council met for the first time on Tuesday evening, I am happy to report the following office bearers for 2024:-
- President - Jason Hemingway
- Vice-President - Michael Parrent
- Treasurer - Michell Pan
- Secretary - David Filcoff
Congratulations to the duly elected representatives and we look forward to another year of solid and supportive leadership. Earlier at the meeting, the Annual Report of 2023 was presented and ratified and I have included some extracts of this report below.
Parent Satisfaction Summary
The percentage endorsement by parents on their General School Satisfaction, as reported in the annual Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey.
Percent endorsement indicates the percent of positive responses (agree or strongly agree) from parents who responded to the survey.
School Staff Survey
The percent endorsement by staff on School Climate, as reported in the annual School Staff Survey.
Percent endorsement indicates the percent of positive responses (agree or strongly agree) from staff who responded to the survey.
Data is suppressed for schools with three or less respondents to the survey for confidentiality reasons.
Teacher Judgement of student achievement against the Victorian Curriculum
Percentage of students working at or above age expected standards in English and Mathematics.
NAPLAN
Percentage of students in the Strong or Exceeding proficiency levels in NAPLAN.
Note: The NAPLAN test was revised in 2023 and the results are no longer comparable to previous years. Hence, the 4-year average has been removed until 4-years of data is available.
BUILDING WORKS UPDATES I have had a few questions and comments about the state of the grounds after the departure of the builders at the end of 2024, not least of which is when will the temporary fences be removed and synthetic turf laid. At present there is dispute between the architects and builders about the costs associated with completion of two of the final unresolved areas – the reinforcement of the covered way wall down near the library and the reinstatement of the Tiger Turf damaged by the builders during the construction of the new administration building. It is quite disappointing how long these ‘negotiations’ have taken. We hope to hear of some progress asap, which will enable us to proceed with a school funded project which is the installation of synthetic turf on the footprint of the old administration building. The Foundation and Grade 1 playground will be restored to its former glory after a working bee on Sunday, March 24 which we hope will be attended by many. Watch this space for updates on all of these matters.
DIVISIONAL SWIMMING Congratulations to our 13 member swim team, who competed at the Oak Park pool in the Divisional event on Tuesday. This is high level, competitive swimming and we are proud of all members of the team for their efforts and talents. As a result of their performances the following students will compete at the Regional event on Thursday, March 21 – Lucas LIU, Joachim LAI, Johan IN, Harrison KENT and Inaya BHARDWAJ in individual events and the boys Under 11 Freestyle team – (Blake CAMERON, Shun GILL, Joachim LAI and Daniel McDERMOTT). We wish them well.
I wish everyone a lovely weekend – somewhat cooler than the last!
Kind regards,
Bill Kersing
Principal
Parents and Friends I would like to thank all of the attendees at our recent Annual General Meeting last Thursday, 7th March. After two very successful years of getting the Viewbank PS P&F up and running again, our 20222/23 P&F President - Kate, Secretary – Jacqui, and Treasurer – Narelle, have decided to step back from their recent roles. The school community is incredibly grateful for the contribution they made in these roles (and will hopefully continue to do so!). Thank you!
As per Department of Education protocols, we called for nominations for President of the P&F as well as for the positions of Treasurer and Secretary. Unfortunately, we did not have anyone nominate for these positions. To have a Parent and Friends Committee, these roles must be filled.
Due to the recent work of the 2022/23 P&F, many events for this year are already organised with working parties already busy behind the scenes. The majority of fundraising events for this year have been approved by School Council already. If you are a recent arrival to our school community – particularly from a sessional kinder, I am reliably informed by parents of younger children that our committees are a lot less work than kinder committees!
Recent items purchased by P&F fundraising (must be approved by School Council) have included things such as:
- Picnic tables in Jilinga
- A mural in Jilinga
- Container Dome
- Take Home Readers
- Portable Soccer Goals
- Murals
The Trivia Night in 2023 raised funds specifically for the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen at Jilinga.
The total for the funds spent in 2023 was over $30,000. This is money that directly benefits the students and does not come out of budgets that may negatively impact classroom programs.
On Tuesday 26th March, we will meet again in the staffroom at 7:30pm (enter new admin building from Nevin Parade) to try and select people into these positions. While we do have a back-up plan, it is always better and more transparent to have parent and community involvement.
Planning Week Next week (18th to 22nd March) is our Planning Week. Traditionally, this normally occurs in the last or second last week of term. It is hard to believe that we are at the second last week of term already!
For new families to our community, Planning Week is where your child/ren’s specialist classes are compressed into one day (they do not have specialist classes at any other time throughout the week). All classroom teachers in a year level (e.g. Foundation) have the same day together.
This day is to reflect on the past term, and to plan for Term 2. A question we sometime have from parents is ‘Will my child have the same Specialist Teacher? e.g. Mrs Hall for Art’. The answer is (like all good questions) ‘it depends’. The reason for this is that we have a number of part time staff in specialist positions, and they may not be available on the allocated days. Our Specialist Teachers also receive time to reflect on Term 1 and to plan for next term.
The timetable for next week is as follows:
NAPLAN At the time of writing this Newsletter, we had approximately 200 students complete the NAPLAN assessment – Writing. Thank you, Year 3 and Year 5 families, for reading my Compass messages over the past few weeks, and actioning where required.
The staff continue (like always!) to ensure that these tests are administered with a minimum of fuss and in a manner that is as smooth as possible. All Year 3 and Year 5 students completed the Reading assessment today (Thursday), Conventions of Language (Spelling and Grammar) tomorrow (Friday) and finish up next week with Numeracy – Year 5 on Monday and Year 3 on Tuesday.
Have a great weekend.
Patrick
Cultural Diversity Week and Harmony Week Victoria’s annual Cultural Diversity Week (CDW) recognises our rich multicultural heritage and is being celebrated from March 18 to 24. It is centred on the United Nation’s (UN) Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21) and is a great opportunity to highlight and celebrate the cultures within and around our school.
The 2024 CDW theme is Our Shared Stories - Celebrating Together: Reflecting and celebrating the stories of Victoria's multicultural communities.
At Viewbank, we will be celebrate Harmony Week from 20 to 26 March 2024, which has a particular focus on schools. Our student leadership team are currently developing a range of activities to promote and celebrate the Harmony Week theme Everyone Belongs. More information regarding the planned activities will be communicated by our student communication captains. Mrs Buissink has created an informative display at the library and has sourced a range of relevant texts for students and staff to access.
Across our school, the students and staff will be using these events to share and reflect on our multicultural heritages and stories while strengthening cultural inclusion within our school and community .
Have a great week,
Gill
VOLUNTEERS/PARENT READING HELPERS SIGN IN/OUT OFFICE PROCEDURES When arriving at the school office please use the electronic sign in system. All volunteers are required to enter their ‘Working with Children Check’ number when registering for first time. Once you have registered on the system your WWCC number it will be recorded, and you will not need to enter it again after creating a QuickPin. At the end of your registration, it will ask if you would like to create a QuickPin (preferably your mobile number) which you will use to sign in/out each time so that you do not have to register next time you attend. All adults volunteering at a school must have a current Working With Children Check and have completed the Child Safety Standards Induction Checklist. Both these documents must be sighted at the school office prior to volunteering. It is imperative that we are aware of who is on school premises at all times. Please also wear the visitor lanyard while volunteering at the school as this helps identifying persons on school grounds and creates a safe environment for all.
WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK (WWCC) A ‘Working with Children Check’ is just one part of creating and maintaining a child-safe environment. It is a requirement that all parents/careers who wish to volunteer or participate in school activities have a current WWCC.
CAMPS, SPORTS AND EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF) The Government assisted Fund provides payments for eligible students to attend camps, sports, incursions and excursions ($150 per child). Applications for the Governments ‘CSEF Fund’ can be accessed by filling in the application form and returning it to the office with a copy of your current Health Care Card. Families holding a valid means-tested concession card or temporary foster parents are eligible to apply) i.e. a Centrelink Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card or Veteran Affairs Gold Card.
If you applied for the CSEF at your child's school in 2023, you do not need to complete an application form in 2024 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.
You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:
- new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools in 2024 or you did not apply in 2023.
- changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2024.
- Funds are paid to the school and will be automatically allocated to the Extra-Curricular Items and Activities unless otherwise stated by the parent at the start of the year.
Kind regards,
Lucy Addati
Harmony Week Harmony Week is on next week. The theme for 2024 is everyone belongs. At Viewbank Primary, we will celebrate on Thursday 21st March. The Year 6 Leadership Team have organised some activities for students that day. On Thursday, students are invited to wear/bring their cultural dress to school and share it with their classmates. Please note this is not an out of uniform day.
AUSLAN After 7 weeks of Auslan, students are really starting to show just how much they’ve learned! Upper grades are developing the ability to combine signs to make short sentences and it has been so exciting to see how much students have retained.
Below you will find the reference sheets for last week’s topic, school signs. We would also like to draw your attention to a new YouTube channel made by our partner program, Auslan Education Services. ‘Auslan Time with Geo’ can be accessed at the QR code below and is a great resource to watch extra Auslan content at home if your children are interested. There aren’t many videos yet, but it will be added to often.
Due to a pupil free day, our Grade 4 students missed out on the enriching experiences of the Stephanie Alexander Gardening Program. While in the kitchen we were busy preparing Tabbouleh, Herb Pilaf, Falafel, and Dukkah.
EASTER RAFFLE FUNDRAISER The Parents and Friends Committee are running an Easter raffle with all funds raised going towards ongoing school upgrades.
Tickets are available for purchase through Compass: https://compasstix.com/e/gtpsanbmni
- Tickets are $2 each
- Six tickets for $10
- Fifteen tickets for $20
There are three Easter hampers up for grabs and some other minor spot prizes. The VPS class that sells the most tickets will be treated to a hot chip lunch!
Raffle winners will be selected during the school assembly on Monday, March 25th.
Ticket sales will close 23/3/24.
Thanks for your ongoing support.
Lower Plenty Bakehouse provide the school with fundraising Lunch Orders every Thursday. These lunches have been implemented via our Parents and Friends Committee. All money raised will be used towards our major school upgrade.
Our Term 1 Fundraising Lunch Order Dates are:
- Thursday 21st March (Orders closing on Monday 18th March, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 28th March (Orders closing on Monday 25th March, 3:00pm)
Orders need to be placed in advance via Compass Canteen. Ordering will close the Monday before the lunch date at 3pm. All of Term 1 lunch dates are now open for orders and can be placed in advance for the whole term if you choose to do so.
Please see attached a Parent User Guide on how to order via Compass Canteen. Please note a 35 cents order fee will be charged at check out.
Thank you for your support.
ICY POLE FRIDAY Students are able to purchase icy poles over the counter at lunchtime every Friday. All icy poles cost $1.00 each.
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.
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WEEKLY SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALE - Every Friday 8:45am to 9:15am, 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.
Instrumental Music Enrolments Can all students who would like to join our school instrumental music programs please inform the relevant teacher below of your expression of interest.
SINGING WITH GABRIELLA - Gabriella
- Email: favrettogab@gmail.com
- Phone: 0413 676 733
STRINGS - MR CAI
- Email: cai66@optusnet.com.au
- Phone: 0403 490 078
GUITAR/BASS GUITAR - Alec
- Email: alec.stalder@gmail.com
PIANO/KEYBOARD/DRUMS - Daniel Tucceri
- Email: info@banyulemusicandtutoring.com
- Phone: 0405 667 908
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.
A PLUS SCHOOLWEAR
Shop Details:
- Unit 3/30 Heaths Court, Mill Park
- T: 9436 4005
- E: info@northernregionaluniforms.com.au
Opening Hours:
- Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm
- Friday 9am to 3pm
- Saturday 9am to 12pm
Online Ordering Please Visit: www.aplusschoolwear.com.au
FIRST AID OFFICER – Banyule Primary School
We require someone to fulfill a position we have available for a First Aid Officer during the hours of 10.30 am and 3.00 pm, Monday to Friday commencing 15th April, 2024 until 20th January, 2025.
The successful applicant will be responsible for all first aid duties during those times. If you have any questions please contact Betty Horan on 9459 0732.