2026 IMPORTANT DIARY DATES
- Tuesday 17th February: Get To Know You Interviews
- Thursday 19th February: Get To Know You Interviews
- Tuesday 24th February - School Photo Day
- Friday 27th February Year 3-6 Athletics Day at Willinda Park
- Monday 9th March: Labour Day
- Wednesday 11th March: NAPLAN for Year 3 and 5 students begins
- Monday 23rd March: NAPLAN last day
- Wednesday 25th March: Whole school Walk-a-thon
- 8th and 10th September - School Production
PUPIL FREE DAYS (TheirCare School Holiday Program will be available on pupil-free days)
- Dates for 2026 pupil-free days remain unconfirmed.
2026 CAMP DATES
- Year 6 Phillip Island Adventure Camp: 18 March to 20 March
- 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
SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS A reminder that last week I called for nominations for the vacant positions on School Council for 2026. There are four two-year vacancies in the Parent Member category, and one two-year vacancy in the School Employee Member category. Nomination forms may be obtained from the General Office (by email, in person or sent home with your child) and must be lodged by 4.00pm next Monday, February 16, 2026. GETTING TO KNOW YOU INTERVIEWS I’m sure you are all aware that these take place next week on Tuesday, February 17 and Thursday, February 19. As mentioned last week, these 10-minute meetings are an excellent opportunity for you to share important information regarding your child, information that will help the classroom teacher best support them to ensure that they can succeed in 2026. VISITS BY ANTHONY CARBINES AND ASH RIDDELL Once again we were graced with the presence of Anthony Carbines, Minister for Police and State Member for Ivanhoe, to present the school captains badges on Friday. Always grateful to him taking time out of his busy schedule to support our student leaders. And Ash Riddell, AFLW best and fairest player for North Melbourne was a hit presenting the house captains badges on Monday.
SCHOOL COUNCIL The final School Council meeting of the current group took place on Tuesday night where we farewelled Jason Hemingway, David Filcoff and Michelle Pan after their long associations with Council and as office bearers. The March meetings will include our annual reporting meeting where we present our Annual report and Annual Implementation Plan, our election of office bearers meeting (after all councillors have been nominated and elected to council) and then our ‘normal’ March meeting with the new membership. FOUNDATION PICNIC I trust our new families enjoyed time on Tuesday night in a social gathering at school. I am happy to report that the Foundation students have settled in marvellously well and the teaching team of Jess Ellis, Annabell Dransfield, Sarah McDonald and Emma Sargeant have done the same. Wednesdays continue to be a ‘rest’ day for most Foundation students to allow testing to continue over a six-week period before Foundation students attend full time from March 16. SWIMMING TRIALS Many thanks to Darren Peters and his team for the successful management of the swimming trials on Tuesday. These form the basis for team selection for the district event on March 2 at the Aquatic Centre in Northcote and are a significant organisational undertaking always capably handled! Many thanks to the teacher and parent supports on the day and, of course, congratulations to all students on your superb efforts. We wish the team well in their upcoming challenge on March 2!! Have a lovely weekend. Kind regards, Bill Kersing Principal
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL SUPERVISION - PARENT NOTIFICATION Student safety at Viewbank Primary School is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students are aware of our student supervision arrangements before and after school. Before school: School grounds are supervised from 8.50am - 9.00am. Supervision will be provided on the Tiger Turf play areas, the middle courtyard and Foundation/Year1 playground area. The school oval is not open before school and will not be supervised. After school: School grounds are supervised from 3.30pm- 3.40pm. Supervision will be provided on the TigerTurf areas as well as the Nevin Pde front gate. An announcement will be made at 3.45pm for any students who have not been collected to check in at the school office. Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless they are attending a before or after school care program or supervised extracurricular activity). Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they are attending before or after school care, or a pre-arranged supervised activity (i.e. sports practice). Families are encouraged to contact the direct mobile number for our Outside School Hours Care provider: TheirCare on 1300 072 410 or visit their website at www.theircare.com.au for more information about the before and after school care facilities available to our school community or if you would like any further information about our student supervision arrangements. A copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy can be found on the school website or at the school office. This policy includes Viewbank Primary School’s student supervision arrangements across the school day, including before and after school. HEALTHY EATING At Viewbank we encourage all students to bring a variety of healthy, nutritious foods to school each day. Healthy eating is important for their growth and development and having regular food intake at recess and lunch feeds the brain for optimal learning. We encourage all students to bring a water bottle to school, that only contains water, with students being reminded to keep hydrated throughout the day. Have a great week. Gill
Staff And Student Absences We strongly encourage any staff members or students who are unwell, to remain at home and not come to school. Our recent experience, since 2021, is that when school returns after a term or year break, we have an increase in illness. Sometimes the illness passes quickly, sometimes it lingers. I am sure you know of someone who has been ill and thought they would only be sick for a day or two. Over a week later, they are still sick! When staff are absent, we try to employ the same Casual Relief Teacher (CRT) to take the class to ensure a level of continuity. This can be difficult to achieve if illness extends beyond what was initially thought. Also, many CRTs only work on certain days that fit into their lifestyle and home requirements. If a staff member ends up being absent due to illness for a number of days, it is never our intention to have a different CRT each day in that class, but it cannot always be helped. Like every other job, staff at Viewbank Primary School who have met eligibility requirements are able to access Long Service Leave. We try and book the same CRT for the duration of the staff member’s leave (once again, not always possible). As Long Service Leave is booked for a defined period, the period of leave and who the replacement is, is normally communicated to you by the class teacher. Get To Know You interviews Just a reminder to please book these by today (Thursday 12 February) at 4:30pm (slight extension to the time from last week’s Viewbank Voice). Please note that Mr Peters and Mr Betson will be conducting Interviews in the Year 5 Building. All other GTKY Interviews will occur face-to-face in your child’s classroom or in the Specialist classroom. A map of the school is available in the first edition of the 2026 Viewbank Voice. Please make sure you check your day and times that you have selected before coming.
Please note the following classes with job share teachers and their availability. Tuesday 17 February: 2SM: Mrs Mentiplay 3NK: Ms Kearney 5GH: Mrs Hamwi Thursday 19 February: 2SM: Mrs Stepowski 3NK: Mrs Noakes 5GH: Mrs Gourzelas Have a great weekend! Patrick
Dear Parents and Carers, Viewbank Primary School is looking forward to another wonderful year of teaching and learning and would like to provide you with information about the Parent Payment Arrangements for 2026. Information regarding Curriculum and Other Contributions is available on Compass. Financial contributions from our families play a vital role in maintaining the high standard of education and resources that make Viewbank Primary School such a vibrant learning community. These contributions directly support classroom programs, specialist subjects, technology upgrades, and the upkeep of our learning spaces ensuring every student has access to engaging, high-quality learning experiences. The excellent facilities, resources, and opportunities we enjoy today are the result of the ongoing generosity and commitment of our families over many years. Your support whether through financial contributions, participation in fundraising, or volunteering makes a genuine difference in maintaining and improving the programs and facilities our students enjoy. We greatly value your continued support and dedication to enriching our students’ education and school experience. For convenience, all classroom supplies will be purchased in bulk and distributed directly to classrooms. Teachers will provide students with the necessary stationery and materials throughout the year. Please refer to the attached 2026 Parent Payment Arrangements document for more detailed information. Kind regards, Lucy Addati - Business Manager
This week the Grade 4 students spent time in both the kitchen and the garden, learning new skills and working together. In the kitchen they prepared chickpea and lentil burgers, a tomato and herb quinoa salad, and homemade tomato sauce, filling the space with delicious smells. In the garden they practiced watering, weeding and harvesting, and learned how to safely use a wheelbarrow, before finishing with some general housekeeping in the garden area.
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 1 Fundraising Lunch Order Dates: Thursday 19th February (Orders close: Monday 16th February, 3:00 PM) Thursday 26th February (Orders close: Monday 23rd February, 3:00 PM) Thursday 5th March (Orders close: Monday 2nd March, 3:00 PM) Thursday 12th March (Orders close: Monday 9th March, 3:00 PM) Thursday 19th March (Orders close: Monday 16th March, 3:00 PM) - Year 6 Camp Thursday 26th March (Orders close: Monday 23rd March, 3:00 PM) Thursday 2nd April (Orders close: Monday 30th March, 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 1 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.