- Wednesday 3rd December - STOMP Dance Showcase
2026 IMPORTANT DIARY DATES
- Tuesday 24th February - School Photo Day
- 8th and 10th September - School Production
PUPIL FREE DAYS (TheirCare School Holiday Program will be available on pupil-free days)
- There are no pupil free days remaining in 2025.
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
2025 TERM DATES
- TERM 4: 6 October - 19 December
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 CAPTAINS It gives me great pleasure to announce the school captains for 2026:- Girls Georgia KENT (Captain) Saanvi CATARAM (Vice Captain) Boys Ryan SHU (Captain) Riley CADUSCH (Vice Captain) As always, we were spoiled for choice with a number of excellent candidates for the positions. It is hoped that our local member of parliament, Anthony Carbines, will be able to attend a presentation ceremony early in the New Year to present the captains with their well-earned badges. HOUSE CAPTAINS In the same fashion, I am equally proud to announce next year’s house captains as follows:- Darebin – Cameron CULLEN and Kyree JETTA Diamond – Matthew GRIMSHAW and Dottis AJAMI Plenty – Elika PRICE and Jake McKELLAR Yarra – Lucas LUI and Maddie ISAAC A badge presentation ceremony will also be held early in the New Year with a yet to be revealed guest presenter!! CAROLS NIGHT Unfortunately, the Carols Night was cancelled due to the expected poor weather and the decision caused much angst, especially as it needed to be made early. As fate would have it, light rain began to fall about 20 minutes into the scheduled time so ultimately the right call was made. We would still like to give the opportunity for our students and families to spread Christmas cheer so a performance has been scheduled for Thursday, December 11 from 2pm where a Carols afternoon has been rescheduled. We hope many of you can make it – the same plans as for the evening spectacular, but during the school day. And if you wanted to feel that community vibe even more, we have also scheduled a working bee for that afternoon from 3.30pm primarily to spread about 10 cubic metres of mulch and to attend to a few tidy up activities (weeding and sweeping). We’d love to think you might be able to find some time to stay after school and assist in having our school looking beautiful for the summer break. But wait … there’s more. For the really inspired, stay on for the Strings Concert to be held in the Music Room from 6.30pm. Some amazing talent on show and performing for your listening pleasure. COUNTDOWN TO THE END OF THE YEAR By the time this newsletter is published and hopefully read by one and all, we have only 11 school days left for 2025. As was mentioned at assembly on Monday, this doesn’t mean that we don’t continue to uphold our school values and expectations of behaviour, work hard and follow the rules (hats outside, full unform at all times). It does mean, however, that there are a range of activities planned to celebrate the school year or necessary to ensure that we hit the ground running in 2026. These include our own transition day on Tuesday, December 9 where students will move ‘up a grade’ and meet their new teacher and classmates for 2026. Patrick Walsh has written an excellent piece on conversations to be had with your children to prepare for this day which is worth reading and enacting. There are a range of Student Support Group meetings, transition conversations between teachers, and final touches put to reports as well over the next few weeks with reports being made available on Compass by Wednesday, December 17. And also in the final week of term there is Graduation for the Grade 6s on Monday, December 15 along with excursions or at school events for all classes. The final day of term, Friday December 19 sees dismissal for the school year from the gymnasium at 1.30pm following a whole school assembly at 1pm. Busy times! SCHOOL COUNCIL A reminder that the last School Council meeting for the year is set down for Tuesday, December 9 commencing at 6pm. All agendas, reports, minutes and meeting location details will be sent out by close of business this Friday. Enjoy the weekend. I know I will!! Kind regards, Bill Kersing Principal
2026 Transition It was great to welcome back our 2026 Foundation students to their second and final transition classroom visit on Wednesday. The children once again managed the transition very well and proudly returned at the end of the session wearing their ‘I’m ready for school’ crown. We can’t wait to see them again on Thursday 29 January. Dance Showcase A wonderful display of dancing talent, enthusiasm and joy was on show for all our wonderful visitors on Wednesday during the Dance Showcase. The students loved being able to perform for an audience and it was great to see so many families in attendance. I’m sure you will agree with me that Maddie from STOMP is an amazing dance instructor. She has certainly encouraged and supported the students to develop their dance and performance skills.
Working Bee As Bill mentioned, we are holding an afternoon working bee on Thursday 11th December from 3.30pm. Please bring along your wheelbarrow or a large plastic tub to help spread some Christmas cheer (Mulch) over our garden beds before summer. We are hoping that ‘many hands will make light work’ as we take this opportunity to have a final community get together before the end of the school year.
International Day of People with Disability - 3 December Did you know there are more than 5.5 million people with disability in Australia? International Day of People with Disability is a United Nations Day observed on 3 December each year. The aim is to increase awareness, understanding and acceptance of people with disability. By acknowledging this important day, we can all do our bit to ensure people with disability can take part in and contribute to society. We can help to remove barriers for people with disability and contribute to positive change in our classrooms and our community. Please take the time to chat to your child/ren about the diverse range of people who are a part of our community. We encourage students and families to get involved in this day. Together, we can all take action to challenge perceptions about disability, remove barriers and promote inclusive and respectful attitudes and behaviours in our school and community. For more information about the day, refer to the International Day of People with Disability website.
Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing you at the Volunteers Thank You Afternoon Tea, next Tuesday at 3.00pm in the staffroom. Gill
2026 CLASSES As Mr Kersing mentioned above, Tuesday 09 December is the day that the students find out who their 2026 teacher is and who their classmates will be. Creating grades is a long and complicated process with teachers spending many hours (occurring at the same time as writing student reports after hours and on weekends) placing students carefully into the ‘right’ class. As asked for by Mr Kersing early in Term 4 (see Viewbank Voice 09 October 2025 https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/r0dkWQZIb49KS, and repeated in Viewbank Voices on the 16 October, 23 October and 30 October) and required to be emailed to Mr Kersing by Monday 03 November, the many written requests have been carefully considered and acted upon as much as possible. Careful thought has gone into gender balance, and academic, social and wellbeing concerns. Earlier this term, every student was given the opportunity to list 5 students that they would like to be in a class with. We ask for 5 friends, but it is highly unlikely that all friends can be in the same class. As much as possible, students will receive at least 1 friend from their list, and this has been explained in detail to all students. However, some of our students will still be disappointed that they only have ‘1’ friend from their list, declaring that they did not want ‘that’ particular friend, and could they be in a class with another student. This is an excellent time to help your child with their personal growth and resilience – please see the info graphic below. As you are more than aware, as we move through life, we all must meet new people, work with new people, sometimes do things (work and home) that we do not want to – but we do these things anyway. Where did we learn how to be resilient in this manner? Generally, we learnt these skills at school. Those students who learn how to do this well will cope better moving into secondary school, post-secondary study and into work. The broader the friendship group, the less chance there is for mental health issues – having trouble with 1 group of friends? Change friendship groups for a while! Most of you will have very happy children on Tuesday afternoon when you see them. Unfortunately, some of you may have an upset child. Please use this as a learning opportunity and to talk about resilience. When your child gets through the next 12 months, they will be mentally stronger for the experience – they have faced a challenge and succeeded. Just remember, it is only for 1 year and then you will likely have the opportunity to make a request (as long as it is submitted on time!) for the 2027 school year.
Parent Tips The following link is to a Facebook page that is an article from 2020 along the same lines as the above. From Positive Minds Australia: Worried about your child’s class placement in 2021? It’s perfectly natural to have a preference for a particular teacher and normal to feel worried or disappointed if they don’t get them. A child’s emotional adjustment to leaving this year’s teacher and preparing for next year’s teacher is interconnected with your feelings about it. Here are loads of ways you can help make the transition smoother for your child if you or they didn’t get the news you were hoping for…. (select link for more of the article, 2-minute read) https://www.facebook.com/positivemindsaustralia/posts/2816590495238773 PARENTS AND FRIENDS We have our final meeting for the year tonight at 7:30pm in the staff room (Thursday 04 December). We will be locking in several Term 1 events. 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 will be available on Compass from January. You will receive an email notification once these have been published. 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
Volunteer Thank You Afternoon Tea Thank you to all the amazing parents, caregivers, and friends who have generously offered their time and support in numerous ways throughout the school year. Whether it’s helping with grounds maintenance, excursions, the library, icy pole sales, fundraising, the second-hand uniform shop, classroom assistance, or other activities, your contributions are truly invaluable. Our school simply wouldn’t be the same without your help! To express our heartfelt gratitude for everything you’ve done, we warmly invite you to a special afternoon tea in your honour: When: Tuesday, 9th December Time: 3pm – 4pm Where: Staffroom, Administration Office Please note, while we adore children, this event is best suited for adults and is not appropriate for school-aged children. We look forward to celebrating with you and hope you can join us. With thanks, Viewbank Primary School Staff
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS. Viewbank Primary School Parents and Friends Christmas Raffle 2025. The prizes include three assorted hampers. Raffle to be drawn Monday 15th December at the whole school assembly. Last tickets sale date Wednesday 10th December. 1 ticket x $2 6 tickets x $10 15 tickets x $20 Purchase your tickets via Compasstix: https://compasstix.com/e/mxuqk8co9s
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 4 Fundraising Lunch Order Dates:
- Thursday 11th December (Orders close: Monday 8th December, 3:00 PM)
- Thursday 18th December (Orders close: Monday 15th December, 3:00 PM) - Year 6 Funfields
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 4 lunch dates in advance if preferred.
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.
All food is Halal.
Thank you for supporting our school community!
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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.
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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
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.