- Tuesday 27th February - School Photos
PUPIL FREE DAYS 2024
- Tuesday, March 12
- Friday, April 26
- Monday, July 15
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 ELECTIONS Each year we conduct School Council Elections at our school. Our School Council is made up of NINE members in the ‘Parent Category’ and FOUR members in the ‘School Employee Category’. The intent is that each year half of the positions in both categories become vacant, as the elected members have served their two years term of office.
I would very much like to thank Patrick Walsh (School Employee Category) and William Tong, Anthony Spence, Kate Doran and Michelle Pan (Parent Category) for their contributions to our school these last two years as their current term on School Council is now complete. On behalf of the school community, I thank you all. Whilst these terms have finished, the aforementioned are eligible for re-election, providing they still have children at our school, or remain as a School Employee (depending on the category).
Therefore, I am now in the position to give notice of an election for members of Viewbank Primary School’s Council. 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 on Monday, 19 February. If a ballot is required, it will close at 4pm on Monday, 4 March. For further information please read the included advice on School Councils later in this newsletter.
PUPIL FREE DAYS 2024 The following days are proposed as our remaining three pupil free days for 2024 so please add them to whichever diary you maintain – Tuesday, March 12 (the day after the Labor Day holiday) Friday, April 26 (the day after Anzac Day) and Monday, July 15 (the first scheduled day of Term 3).
SCHOOL CAMPS 2024 Subject to School Council approval, we have bookings for the following camping experiences for our Grade 3 to 6 students in 2024. In chronological order our Grade 6 students will head to Camp Coonawarra (Bairnsdale) from April 29 to May 1; Grade 4 to Anglesea from May 15 to May 17, Grade 5 to Lady Northcote (Bacchus Marsh) from October 9 to October 11 and Grade 3 to Phillip Island from October 28 to October 30. All very exciting!
GRADE 6 CAPTAINS BADGE PRESENTATIONS In upcoming weeks we will have two special assemblies to present house captain badges to different groups of Grade 6 students. We have made arrangements for the Communication Captains badges to be presented by Loren Barry on February 14 and the House Captains badges to be presented by Kyle Langford on February 21. Loren is a producer on the Marty Sheargold Show at Triple M and previously worked at NOVA on the Kate, Tim and Marty show as well as presenting on TV on occasions. Kyle was School Captain here in 2008 and a strong chance to be on the leadership team at Essendon in 2024 according to those in the know. Kyle kicked 51 goals for Essendon in 2023.
The final presentations to be organised then will be the Wellbeing Captains and the Sustainability Captains.
GRADE 6 NATIONAL YOUNG LEADERS DAY All 18 Grade Six captains will head to the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention centre on Friday, February 16, for National Young Leaders Day, accompanied by Sharon Groves and Bonnie Boness. Please follow the link for details of the day, including guest speakers. https://www.halogen.org.au/shop-event.php?intid=783
This is always a highlight of the student leadership training and year and we will ask for their reflections of the day in next week’s newsletter.
That’s enough from me this week. I hope you have a lovely weekend.
Kind regards,
Bill Kersing
Principal
National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy Our Year 3 and Year 5 students will be completing the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) in the second half of March. The schedule has not been finalised as yet, however; the tests will be conducted in the following order from left to right:
Families of students in Year 5 have been sent information regarding NAPLAN as well as a link to download the Locked Down Browser (to be completed by Friday 16th February). School owned devices will have had this completed already.
Further dates and times for the last three assessments will be communicated as soon as possible.
Staff And Student Absences We strongly encourage any staff member or student who is unwell, to remain at home and not come to school. Our recent experience, since 2021, is that when school returns 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 2. Over a week later, they are still sick! When staff are absent, we try and get 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 These are now available for you to book via Compass.
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 2024. As it is very early in the year, the teacher will be able to provide information on how your child has settled into their 2024 class. A comprehensive written report and interview regarding academic and social progress will be offered mid-year.
Times will also be available with our Specialist teachers (see last week’s Viewbank Voice); however, these are only available on the days that they work, and the number of slots that they have are limited. We strongly recommend that you only book a time during these sessions if there is an important reason to do so (e.g. explaining to Mr Prell, that your child has a condition that may prevent full participation in PE classes).
For those of you with children in 4K (Mrs Stepowski), we are hoping that the new class teacher will be in attendance on both days. In 1M, Mrs Mentiplay will hold interviews on the Tuesday, and Ms Rielly will be available on the Thursday. Ms Rielly and Mrs Mentiplay have an excellent communication system in place, and anything communicated to one teacher will be shared with the other.
The booking system will close to further bookings on Thursday 15th February at 12pm. If you have any difficulties booking a time, feel free to contact the office (9459 1512 or viewbank.ps@education.vic.gov.au).
Parents and Friends Annual General Meeting Thursday 07 March at 7:30pm A Department of Education requirement for schools who have Parents and Friends Committees for the purpose of fundraising, must hold an Annual General Meeting each year. All ‘official’ positions are to be declared vacant, and nominees will be sought for the 2024 President, Secretary and Treasurer. Previous holders of these position are more than welcome to nominate. The Annual General Meeting will be held in the new staffroom on Thursday 7th March at 7:30pm. After the AGM, the P&F Committee will meet as normal. A huge amount of work has gone into 2024 events already so I sure there will be a few updates provided.
We are so grateful to our school community for the support they regularly show. The 2023 committee have already started planning events for 2024 such as: Mother’s Day Stall, Father’s Day Stall and Disco, as well as a few others. We need to keep these a secret at the moment until details and dates are locked in. That said, if you would like to know what they are, coming along to our P&F Meetings is a great way to stay informed. All fundraising events must be approved by School Council, with the School Council having the final say on where these funds are spent.
2 years ago, we only had 4 people turn up to the first meeting of the year. Since then, the P&F has grown substantially and event organisation is shared, not being left to only a handful of parents. We hope you can come along!
Have a great weekend!
Patrick
Volunteering at School - Child Safety Standards Induction Please read the Volunteer Induction Notice 2024 posted on Compass on Wednesday 7th February if you plan to be a volunteer at a school this year. Volunteer Induction sessions will be held at school on Monday 19 February from 9.30-10.15am and Friday 1 March from 2.45-3.30pm. During these sessions we will present a Volunteer Induction PowerPoint and take you through the Viewbank Child Safety Policies. At the conclusion of the session you will be invited to sign and return the VPS Child Safety Standards Induction Checklist 2024.
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.
Annual Privacy Reminder Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy. Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s collection notice, found on our website Privacy Collection Notice.
Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.
We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.
For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:
- Amharic
- Arabic
- Dari
- Gujarati
- Mandarin
- Somali
- Sudanese
- Turkish
- Urdu
- Vietnamese
Smile Squad six month fluoride varnish visit The Banyule Community Health Smile Squad team are heading back to our school from Monday 19th February to complete six-monthly fluoride varnish applications for those students who have provided consent. Fluoride varnish applications help make sure students have the best chance of preventing tooth decay, so we’re excited Smile Squad are coming back.
Consent for this fluoride varnish application was provided when students’ initial consent forms were returned. However, if anyone has changed their mind and do not wish to receive a fluoride varnish application, they can contact Banyule Community Health directly to let them know. Please contact the Smile Squad team via: 9450 2000
The Smile Squad team look forward to visiting soon.
Enjoy your week.
Gill
GATES AROUND THE SCHOOL The gates around the school are locked at 9.15am and then unlocked at 3.15pm. Access during the day is via the administration building.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ITEMS AND ACTIVITIES The Term 1 Extra-Curricular Items and Activities will be posted on Compass. Please be aware a flexible payment plan for extra-curricular items and activities are available, please do not hesitate to contact me.
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
Program started this week with the grade 3's in the garden and kitchen. Garden - kids received a run down of how the garden classes will run, they painted rocks for our fourth zone and they watered the garden.
Kitchen - experienced a small taste of the kitchen program by making Vietnamese rice paper rolls. We went over knife rules and how the kitchen will run from the next class onwards.
BOOK CLUB Issue 1 catalogues have sent home this week. All orders are due by Wednesday 14th of February. Every dollar you spend earns points to buy more books for the Library. Thank you for your support.
Our first event of the year – the Welcome Back Picnic on Tuesday 13th February 5:30 – 7pm on the Tiger Turf and Year 2 Courtyard.
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 15th February (Orders closing on Monday 12th February, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 22nd February (Orders closing on Monday 19th February, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 29th February (Orders closing on Monday 26th February, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 7th March (Orders closing on Monday 4th March, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 14th March (Orders closing on Monday 11th March, 3:00pm)
- 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