- Saturday 9 November - P&F Vision Portraits Photo Fundraiser
- Tuesday 12 November - Whole School Production (A-K Families)
- Thursday 14 November - Whole School Production (L-Z Families)
PUPIL FREE DAYS 2024
- Monday, November 4
2024 TERM DATES
- TERM 4: 7 October - 20 December
2025 TERM DATES
- TERM 1: 28 January - 4 April (Students start: Year 1 to 6 - 29 January, Foundation - 30 January)
- TERM 2: 22 April - 4 July
- TERM 3: 21 July - 19 September
- TERM 4: 6 October - 19 December
2024 CAMP DATES
- Grade 3 Camp to Phillip Island - October 28 to 30
OFFICIAL OPENING We were graced with the presence of Deputy Premier and Education Minister, the Hon. Ben Carroll, along with our local member the Hon. Anthony Carbines at our official opening of the Administration Building and Capital Upgrade on Tuesday of this week. After a tour of the facilities conducted by our school captains, we held a whole school assembly in the gymnasium where speeches were made and the plaque commemorating this event was unfurled. A time line video prepared by our STEM teacher, Pete Walker using drone footage captured the construction during 2023 beautifully and was a highlight for all to see on the ‘big screen’. We are grateful for the support of the government in providing these upgraded facilities and anticipate further improvements in the next month or two with the completion of our Tiger Turf in the south of the school which will provide further play space for our students. We are also grateful for both the Deputy Premier and Anthony Carbines, a long time supporter of our school, for taking the time out of their busy schedules to be in attendance at this special event.
SCHOOL REVIEW There were two days of field work earlier this week as part of our School Review. The review team observed classes in action and met with a range of focus groups including parents, different teaching staff groups (early career, team leader, specific grade levels), our education support staff, student leaders and other student groups in order to assess our teaching and learning approaches, gauge consistency of practice and propose our school ‘path’ moving forward. The final day is on Monday, October 28, and once again I wish to express our sincere thanks to neighbouring Principals Tom Boyle (Ivanhoe East PS), and Sarah Pollnitz (Watsonia North PS) for giving so readily of their time in a particularly busy part of the school year. In addition our School Council president, Jason Hemingway, has extracted himself from his work commitments to be involved along with the parents who were interviewed as part of the parent focus group on Monday.
PHILLIP ISLAND CAMP The Grade 3 cohort get the opportunity to experience their first school camp next Monday when they head down to Phillip Island for a three day adventure. Many thanks to the Grade 3 team for their planning efforts to date and we very much look forward to our time at a camp we have not visited as a school before. Both Patrick Walsh and myself will be joining the students next week and we will most certainly be able to share the adventures via the newsletter this time next week.
PUPIL FREE DAY A reminder that Monday, November 4 is a pupil free day with no classes on offer that day, although the services of Their Care will be. With the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, Week 5 will be a short affair with Wednesday, November 6 the first school day of that week. And then all hands will be on deck as we rehearse our dances and performances as we gear up to the following week’s school production.
INTENTIONS TO LEAVE If any families are intending to leave our school community and won’t be returning in 2025 because of relocation or other reason, could you please advise us as soon as possible. A phone call to the office, or an email to the school or my email account asap would be most appreciated.
ENROLMENTS And on the same ‘numbers’ theme, whilst we think we have nearly all of our current family enrolments for 2025, if there is anyone out there who hasn’t completed the enrolment process yet, please do so asap.
SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR GRADE PLACEMENTS 2025 Each year at this time, we seek input from families with regards to the placement of students into classes for the following year (if that is necessary). We do recognise that that there might be some limited circumstances initiating a parental grade request, but please think carefully about this and if you really do feel a need to inform us of these circumstances then do let us know.
At this stage, we have not assigned teachers to grade levels for next year, and this will not be completed until mid November. There are no guarantees that teachers currently teaching at certain grade levels will be teaching there next year, as leadership needs to take into consideration a range of factors including the development of our teaching staff and teacher preferences before this allocation is completed. We have also not settled on a grade structure for 2025, but we are most likely to have two composite classes in both the junior area and middle areas of the school to ensure grade sizes are not too large in each area. Having said that, if there are special circumstances that we need to know about, you are welcome to let us know of these. Such special circumstances might include but are not limited to health, emotional or learning matters, peer or sibling relationships or changes in the home situation. Selecting a particular teacher does not fit within the realm of special circumstances, and if your request includes that information it will be denied. Information requiring our consideration needs to be addressed to ‘The Principal’ and emailed to the office or myself by Monday, November 4. Please title the email “CONFIDENTIAL – GRADE REQUEST’. Please note that emails received after this date will NOT be accepted.
Have a very pleasant weekend.
Kind regards,
Bill Kersing
WORLD TEACHERS DAY On Friday 25 October, we celebrate our teachers and thank them for all the work they do to educate, inspire and empower learners across Australia.
Every day, Victorian teachers go above and beyond for learners and their communities. This World Teachers' Day is the perfect time to stop, reflect and say thank you to our teachers for the outstanding contributions they make in Victorian classrooms and communities.
All our teachers at Viewbank are highly valued and deserve a HUGE thank you. We certainly appreciate their professionalism, dedication and the energy and commitment they bring to their role.
We are proud to celebrate and thank our wonderful teachers and encourage you to take the time to say ‘thank you’ to your child’s teacher.
Smile Squad
As you might be aware, we have had the School Dental Program - ‘Smile Squad’ – attend our school to give the students information on good dental health, undertake dental examinations and, where required, organise follow-up treatment. While the program is voluntary, many of you consented for your child/children to participate in the Smile Squad program.
To better understand the delivery of the Smile Squad program including benefits and challenges, an independent firm (Abt Global) has been engaged to evaluate the program. This is your opportunity to provide feedback on your experience of the program. If you didn’t consent for your child/children to participate in Smile Squad they are also keen to hear from you. The evaluation team want to understand why you chose not to participate. So, whether you participated or not, this is an opportunity to provide feedback so that improvements can be made to the Smile Squad program.
To participate in the evaluation, you can complete a confidential 5–10-minute survey. The survey does not require you to provide any information to the evaluation team that identifies you, however the survey does ask what school your child/children attend.
Here is the link to the survey. https://abtassoc.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bf6YJUMs3NkfHWm
We encourage you to participate in this short survey and provide valuable feedback on Smile Squad. If you would like to provide more detailed feedback to the evaluation team, please contact Eleanor at smilesquad_eval@abtglobal.com .
Have a wonderful week,
Gill
ARTIFICIAL TURF PROJECT As mentioned in previous Viewbank Voices, the Artificial Turf Project is now in full swing. Truckloads of soil was removed to ensure the correct depth and fall, underground drainage was laid and concrete ‘spoon’ drains poured around the edges. On Thursday, over 130 cubic metres of crushed rock was delivered by more than 20 trucks. In the coming weeks, the actual surface will be laid, and we are hoping that the area will be open for students late November!
We are incredibly grateful to TigerTurf Australia for their work for us, and with us. The tradies on the ground have been great keeping us in the loop with truck movement and potential gate closures.
We would also like to thank North-East Link Community Fund for their contribution to the cost of this project. You can find information about North-East Link Community projects here: https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/north-east-link/community/necf and successful Round 1 applicants (i.e. Viewbank PS) here: https://bigbuild.vic.gov.au/projects/north-east-link/community/necf/recipients/round-1-successful-applicants
STEPHANIE ALEXANDER KITCHEN GARDEN On Tuesday, we had electricians at school running the wiring for our new ovens! We are hoping to have the cabinetry, ovens and rangehoods installed in the coming weeks.
We would like to thank Viewbank Primary School’s Parents and Friends (P&F) for their fundraising efforts that have made this work possible. The Trivia Night held last year in 2023 was earmarked as fundraising to help finish off the new Stephanie Alexander Kitchen. The funds raised have been used to upgrade the electrical system earlier this year, and now for the installation.
PARENTS AND FRIENDS While there is still a long way to go before the end of the year, I would like to thank the P&F for the work they have done this year. A strong structure has been put in place over the past 3 years, with various sub-committees formed to organise particular events, such as the disco. Planning has already started for Term 1 events!
We are very grateful that Narelle Matton stepped into the P&F Presidency role mid-year after Kate Doran stood aside at the end of last year due to other commitments. Narelle made it clear that she could only commit to this for the remainder of this year and that we will require a new P&F President in 2025. Narelle and Kate are more than happy to discuss the position with anyone who may be interested in undertaking this role in 2025.
Have a great weekend!
Patrick
Tickets Now On Sale - 2025 Viewbank Primary School Production - "Where in the World is Eddie the Teddy?"
Venue: Empower 365 (Planetshakers), 360 Main Road, Lower Plenty
Cost: Evening Performances: $25.00 / Matinee Performances: $20.00 *Please be advised that there is a 50 cent Trybooking fee per seat
Dates:
- Tuesday 12th November, 2024 - 11.00am (A - K)
- Tuesday 12th November, 2024 - 7.00pm (A - K)
- Thursday 14th November, 2024 - 11.00am (L - Z)
- Thursday 14th November, 2024 - 7:00pm (L - Z)
For all ticketing enquiries, please contact the school office on 9459 1512
Tickets are limited to 2 per family for the evening performances. Matinee tickets are unlimited.
All remaining unsold tickets will go on sale on Friday 1st November (unlimited)
All performances will go for approximately 3 hours
https://www.trybooking.com/1308123
Second-Hand Uniform Shop Closed This Friday We would like to inform you that the school's second-hand uniform shop will be closed this Friday. We apologise for any inconvenience and appreciate your understanding.
Thank you to all the families who have generously donated uniforms. Your contributions help make our shop a valuable resource for others in the school community. If you have any unwanted, good-quality uniforms, we are always happy to accept further donations. Your support is greatly appreciated!
DAY FOR DANIEL On the 25th of October Viewbank Primary School will be participating in Day for Daniel. Day for Daniel is Australia’s largest child safety education and awareness day. Students will participate in educational lessons/activities about child safety. We kindly ask that all students wear something red e.g. hat, t-shirt etc. Families are welcome to donate to the cause through the following website: https://danielmorcombe.com.au/get-involved/donate/. Fundraising helps the Daniel Morcombe Foundation to continue their free educational programs, develop educational resources and support young victims of crime.
For more information please visit: https://danielmorcombe.com.au/day-for-daniel/
Banyule Division Softball Championships On the 21st of October, the Boys Softball Team travelled to Chelsworth Park in Ivanhoe to compete in the Banyule Division Softball Championships. In an exceptional display, our boys managed to complete 10 outs in the first innings, including two double plays, to restrict St Bernadatte’s PS to just 2 runs. We then scored 8 runs of our own to take a commanding lead and were never headed, running out strong winners 17-12. Congratulations to the team who will now progress to the Northern Metropolitan Region Finals in Mill Park on the 13th of November. A special thanks to Kate C, Stephanie W, Dom S and Laura O who drove our team today, as well as a special thanks to Lily WB who volunteered her time once again as Assistant Coach.
BOOKINGS OPEN - Vision Portraits Photo Fundraiser - Saturday 9th November, 2024 - ALL WELCOME!!
We are excited to be offering Vision Portraits $30 family photo fundraising photos again this year.
- When: Saturday 9th November 2024
- Where: Price Park, Viewbank
- Booking link: www.visionportraits.com.au/fundraise
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 4 Fundraising Lunch Order Dates are:
- Thursday 31st October (Orders closing on Monday 28th October, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 7th November (Orders closing on Monday 4th November, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 14th November (Orders closing on Monday 11th November, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 21st November (Orders closing on Monday 18th November, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 28th November (Orders closing on Monday 25th November, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 5th December (Orders closing on Monday 2nd December, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 12th December (Orders closing on Monday 9th December, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 19th December (Orders closing on Monday 16th December, 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 4 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. All food is Halal.
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
Help Reduce Waste and Support Our School! - Purchase Your Name Labels Now Are you tired of losing lunch boxes and clothing? Please remember to always label your items so they can be returned to you, helping to reduce landfill. You can easily order labels via this link: https://www.mynamelabel.com.au/discount/VPS0515
This is a fundraising activity, and all funds raised will contribute to making our school more sustainable. You can order labels at any time throughout the year!
Our fundraising code is VPS0515.
Thank you for supporting sustainability at Viewbank Primary School!
Lunches must be ordered online using the CLASSROOM CUISINE website.
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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
GUITAR – Luca Brading
- Email: lucabrading@gmail.com
- Phone: 0422 690 842
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
Online Ordering Please Visit: www.aplusschoolwear.com.au