Viewbank Voice 24.04.2025 Term 2 2025, Week 1

• Mothers Day Stall - Thursday 8 May

2025 TERM DATES

• TERM 2: 22 April - 4 July
• TERM 3: 21 July - 19 September
• TERM 4: 6 October - 19 December

2025 CAMP DATES

• Year 3 Phillip Island Camp - 27 October - 29 October 
• Year 4 Anglesea Camp - 14 May to 16 May
• Year 5 Lady Northcote Camp - 08 October to 10 October
• Year 6 Urban Camp - 15 September to 17 September

A warm welcome back to the Viewbank school community as we embark upon a ‘longer-than-normal’ Term 2. I hope Easter was celebrated well in your families and I trust that staff and students are suitably refreshed for the term ahead.

We will be without Gill Nicholls for just this week as she heads home from the US after a well-earned break in Dallas, Texas. Her return next week coincides with Patrick Walsh’s overseas sojourn – again, well-earned and we look forward to his return in week 5 of term. In their absences, three of our staff (Jamie Ruddock, Jane McLeod and Amanda Elliott) will be sharing assistant principal duties with each ‘stepping up to the plate’ for a week at a time. We also welcome Melissa Layton and Lisa Briglia back to Viewbank PS as they share the Auslan role for the remainder of 2025.

There’s plenty happening throughout the term with the school cross country, Mothers Day stall, interschool sport, the Grade 4 Anglesea camp and various other incursions and excursions featuring in these first five weeks.

FOUNDATION 2026 INFORMATION EVENING Our planning for 2026 commences on Thursday, May 1 with our Foundation Information evening. Please share this information with anyone you know who is contemplating enrolling their child at our school next year.

EDUCATION WEEK AND OPEN DAY This is a perfect segue to advise everyone that we are holding an open day on Tuesday, May 13 during Education Week with the school open to visitors and current families from 9.30am to see us in action.

ANZAC DAY SERVICE We held our ANZAC day service in the gymnasium this morning with a whole school assembly. As you will be aware, tomorrow is a public holiday and we trust that the story of the Anzacs is shared and discussed at home with your children. Lest we forget.

Kind regards,

Bill Kersing

Welcome Back Welcome back everyone to what will be a busy Term 2.

2025 Federal Election Unfortunately, Viewbank Primary School was not approached by the Australian Election Commission to hold voting for the 2025 Federal Election. To find your closest voting booth (for early voting or on the day) please go to https://www.aec.gov.au/election/voting.htm#start and select ‘Before election day’ or ‘On election day’ then follow the instructions.

Indigenous Art Mural Project Update As mentioned in the last Viewbank Voice of Term 1 by Mrs Nicholls, our long-awaited wall mural is being completed this term. Originally, this was to be completed during Week 2, next week. Unfortunately, this has needed to be pushed back a few weeks. We will keep you updated regarding the start date once known.

Lost Property With cooler mornings and warmer days, we have a mountain of lost property at the moment – primarily jumpers and jackets. If your child has lost their clothing, please check the lost property bin outside the Music room. As a reminder, clothing items that are named are much more likely to be found and returned to the correct owner. Unnamed items that are of reasonable quality are likely to be re-sold through our second-hand uniform shop (open on Fridays 3-3:30pm, at the Music room).

Long Service Leave I am heading off on some much-needed LSL for the next few weeks. I look forward to seeing you all again on Monday 19 May.

Have a great weekend!

Patrick

School Photos School photos for families who purchased them were sent home with students this week. If you placed an order, please check your child’s bag.

Victoria to Ban School Logos on Uniform Bottoms from Next Year The Victorian Government has announced that, from next year, logos will no longer be permitted on school uniform shorts, pants, skirts, and socks in state schools.

Please note that Viewbank Primary School does not currently have logos on any of these uniform items. As such, this change will not affect our families.

Enrolments For Foundation/Prep 2026 is Now Open Enrolments for the 2026 intake of Foundation/Prep students is now open. In line with the Department of Education’s Placement Policy and timeline, we will contact you in early August to advise the outcome of your child’s Foundation/Prep enrolment application.

Financial Contributions Viewbank Primary School sincerely thanks all parents and carers who have supported our school this year.

Your generous contributions play a vital role in helping us enhance and enrich the educational experiences we offer our students. They have enabled us to provide additional resources and opportunities beyond the standard curriculum.

It has allowed us to:

• provide high quality programs and specific subject materials and equipment for English, Mathematics, STEM, Art, Music, Inquiry, Language and PE
• maintain and develop the school grounds
• ensure the upkeep of our computer devices to enhance learning opportunities
• maintain sufficient class sets of books for students to develop their reading skills
• provide hands on maths equipment i.e. measuring materials for teaching purposes
• facilitate Literacy and Mathematics online digital subscriptions
• deliver a range of sporting equipment
• arrange for individual student supplies and class bulk supplies
• offer effective first aid for all students.

Please be assured that no student will be disadvantaged or denied access to the essential resources required to deliver the curriculum, regardless of whether a financial contribution is made.

Thank you for being a valued part of our school community.

Lucy Addati

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 2024, you do not need to complete an application form in 2025 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 2025 or you did not apply in 2024.
• changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2025.
• 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.

Dear parents and carers,

We are writing to let you know about the changes to student reporting for Mathematics in Victorian government schools.

The Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) revised the Mathematics Curriculum (Mathematics curriculum 2.0) and consequently, all Victorian government schools have now started using the Mathematics Curriculum 2.0. Viewbank Primary School commenced teaching Mathematics using the revised curriculum this year and will begin reporting students’ achievement against the new curriculum standards this semester.

On previous semester reports, the teacher reported against 3 strands of the achievement standard for Mathematics (Number and Algebra, Measurement and Geometry, and Statistics and Probability). Under the revised Mathematics curriculum 2.0, teachers are now required to report against the achievement standard as a whole, providing a single, aggregated score.

As the achievement standards reported on have changed with the introduction of the new Mathematics curriculum, and with the two curriculums not directly comparable, this semester the Mathematics report you will receive for your child(ren) will only show achievement, and not progress. For all reports after this, progress in Mathematics will be presented against the single achievement score.

For further information, refer to the department’s policy on Reporting Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10.

In the coming weeks before students’ reports are published at the end of the semester, further information will be shared regarding Mathematics reporting, and some other changes to elements of the report that you can expect to see.

Jane McLeod, Assessment and Reporting Coordinator

2025 Mother’s Day Stall – Parent Helpers Needed! - Thursday 8 May

We’d love your help to make this year’s Mother’s Day Stall a huge success. Friendly volunteers are needed to:

• set up the stall
• sell gifts to students
• pack up afterwards

Even a short shift makes a big difference—come and join the fun!

If you’re available to help—and you’ve registered your Working With Children Check with the school and completed the 2025 Child Safety Induction Checklist—please sign up below.

Thank you for supporting this much‑loved event!

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 2 Fundraising Lunch Order Dates:

• Thursday 1st May (Orders close: Monday 28th April, 3:00 PM)
• Thursday 8th May (Orders close: Monday 5th May, 3:00 PM)
• Thursday 15th May (Orders close: Monday 12th May, 3:00 PM) - Year 4 Camp
• Thursday 22nd May (Orders close: Monday 19th May, 3:00 PM)
• Thursday 29th May (Orders close: Monday 26th May, 3:00 PM)
• Thursday 5th June (Orders close: Monday 2nd June, 3:00 PM)
• Thursday 12th June (Orders close: Monday 9th June, 3:00 PM)
• Thursday 19th June (Orders close: Monday 16th June, 3:00 PM)
• Thursday 26th June (Orders close: Monday 23rd June, 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.

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: dimiholborow@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.

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