2026 IMPORTANT DIARY DATES
- 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)
- Wednesday 15th July
- Monday 2nd November
- Two further pupil-free days remain unconfirmed for 2026.
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 NEWS By now, I hope you have seen the update on the composition of our new School Council for 2026. The composition of the School Council for 2026 is as follows:- PARENT CATEGORY (Nine Members) Michael PARRENT Aisha STEWART Ben BAILEY Kate CULLEN Kate DORAN Kate MORCOM Andrew HUME Megan KENNAUGH SCHOOL EMPLOYEE CATEGORY (Four Members) Bill KERSING Gill NICHOLLS Patrick WALSH Jamie RUDDOCK There is a one-year casual vacancy to be filled by secondment by the other Council members at our very first meeting. School Council meets for the very first time next Tuesday, March 10 commencing at the earlier than usual start time of 6.30pm. This will allow for the presentation of our Annual Report of 2025 and the election of office bearers before we move into our ‘standard’ meeting. More on the outcomes of these meetings in our next fortnightly newsletter on March 19. GRADE 6 SCHOOL CAMP The first of four grade level camps takes place from March 18 to 20 when our Grade 6 students head down to Phillip Island. Whilst our camping program is reasonably ‘set’ with Grade 3 heading to Phillip Island, Grade 4 to Anglesea and Grade 5 to Lady Northcote in Bacchus Marsh, we missed out on our Urban Camp booking for Grade 6 this year. Rest assured that we have locked that booking in place for the next two or three years and the opportunity to attend Phillip Island was one the Grade 6 cohort missed out on post-covid recovery anyway. New adventures are on offer and planning fully completed. We wish them well and trust they will have a great time. ANNUAL REPORT It is a legislative requirement that all Victorian government schools prepare an Annual Report by 30 April each year, and that this includes specific information on student outcomes, attendance and financial activities. The Annual Report must be endorsed at a meeting of school council (ours will be presented at our upcoming meeting on March 10) and will be made available on our website once it has been quality assured. ATHLETICS DAY Congratulations to everyone involved in last Friday’s athletics carnival held at Willinda Park, Greensborough. The weather was fine, the organisation was outstanding and volunteer and staff support first rate. Students competed in a range of events with results not only determining the successful house, but also the team to represent Viewbank at the District event later in the year. As always, thanks to the P.E. Department for another outstanding event, very capably led by Darren Peters and well done to all students for your wonderful efforts.
DISTRICT SWIMMING Congratulations to all who took place in the District swimming sports at Northcote Aquatic Centre on Monday. The weather was threatening with more than the odd shower or two, but the team was going to get wet anyway!! Congratulations to all for progressing this far and special congratulations to the following students who have progressed to the Division championships at Oak Park later this month –
- Imara Bhardwaj
- Darcy Carpenter
- Cameron Cullen
- Madeline Dias
- Aoife Finn
- Nadya In
- Maddie Isaac
- Georgia Kent
- Thalisa Kosumo
- Charles Li
- Lucas Liu
- Rubi Narula
Whilst on the subject of swimming, our Foundation to 2 students commence a five week program this Thursday at the Yarra Swim School. FINAL BADGE PRESENTATIONS The Sustainability and Communication Captains receive their badges from Kate Thwaites, Member for Jagajaga at assembly on Monday, March 16. We are very grateful to Kate for giving of her time to make this event special for our student leaders.
Have a lovely long weekend, and enjoy the opening round of the AFL, the Grand Prix, picnics in the park or whatever else takes your fancy this long weekend. Kind regards, Bill Kersing
Respectful, safe, engaged: shared expectations to support student behaviour At Viewbank we endeavor to create a safe school environment where everyone belongs, learns and thrives. We do this through the rigorous implementation of:
- our school values - respect, responsibility, resilience and kindness
- positive classroom management strategies
- schoolwide positive behaviour support (SWPBS) - explicitly teaching and demonstrating school rules and positive behaviour expectations to students.
- a comprehensive wellbeing program
- an engaging, evidence-based inclusive curriculum that meets the needs of all students
- clear policies and procedures to prevent and respond to bullying and keep students safe
- strong, trusting relationships to ensure all students feel seen, heard and valued
- positive home/school relationships
When schools, families and students work together, we can achieve the best outcomes. Late last year, the Department released a statement titled- Respectful, safe, engaged: shared expectations to support student behaviour This statement is intended to clearly communicate the messaging about behavioural expectations in Victorian government schools, the roles that everyone has in partnering to optimise wellbeing and learning and the important role that parents and carers play in supporting their child’s behaviour. How parents and carers can help By modelling and encouraging positive behaviour, you help your child build the skills and habits they need to be successful at school. When families and schools work together, students can achieve their best. Parents and carers can help support their child’s behaviour to be respectful, safe and engaged. Respectful
- Knowing the school’s rules and supporting them at home.
- Modelling respectful behaviour in how you speak to and about school staff, families, and others both in person and online.
- Making use of the school’s processes to raise and resolve concerns early.
Safe
- Working together with staff if your child is having problems at school to understand and resolve the issue.
- Ensuring your child knows it is okay to ask for help from a trusted adult at school.
- Ensuring your child stays safe online by talking with them and addressing concerns early.
Engaged
- Helping your child to attend school every day – every day counts.
- Communicating with school staff and working together to support your child’s learning and wellbeing.
- Talking with your child about their day and how they are feeling, and encouraging their learning by noticing their effort and progress.
During our Fresh Start program at the start of the year, teachers communicated with students how they can demonstrate the expected behaviours to be respectful, safe and engaged. This message will be reinforced across the year and linked to our school values and SWPBS teaching. For the full statement in over 30 languages please use the link. Respectful, safe, engaged: shared expectations to support student behaviour Enjoy the long weekend, Gill
NATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM – LITERACY AND NUMERACY (NAPLAN) Our Year 3 and Year 5 students will be completing the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) next week, starting on Wednesday 11 March! The following table shows our schedule:
Make up assessments will be provided within the assessment window (between Thursday 12 March and Monday 23 March). Make up tests will only be provided for students in line with NAPLAN administration guidelines, after they have returned to school, where possible. Students who arrive late to school and miss the instructions, will not be able to sit the assessment with their peers and will join a make-up session group. 2025 NAPLAN Results The official NAPLAN results for 2025 are now available on the MySchool website www.myschool.edu.au. Our Viewbank staff are always proud of the results achieved by our Year 3 and Year 5 students. Over the past few years, we have had a sustained focus on staff professional development with the explicit goal to increase literacy and numeracy outcomes for our students. It is important to note that while NAPLAN is one measure of our success, there are many other wonderful things we do here at our school that deepens and broadens the learning for all our students. At every year level, we strive to offer something unique that enriches our students beyond their academic achievements. We are equally proud of these accomplishments, and we appreciate the ongoing support from our Viewbank community.
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
BOOK CLUB Issue 2 catalogues have been sent home this week. All orders are due by Monday 16th of April. Every dollar you spend earns points to buy more books for the Library. Thank you for your support.
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 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.
Lowes Northland Uniform Store – Temporary Closure & Relocation We’d like to let families know that the Lowes Northland store will soon be relocating to a new space within the Northland Shopping Centre. Please note that the store will be closed from Monday 10 March to Thursday 13 March while the move takes place. The new store will reopen on Friday 14 March.
- Current location: Tenancy F006, Northland Shopping Centre, 2–50 Murray Road, Preston
- New location (from 14 March): Tenancy K004, near Rebel and JB Hi-Fi, Northland Shopping Centre
During the closure period, families can continue to shop online via the Lowes website. https://www.lowes.com.au/schools-online/viewbank-primary-school Thank you for your understanding while the store completes its move.