- Monday 27th October - Viewbank PS Mango Fundraiser orders due
- Friday 31st October - Day for Daniel - wear something red
- Tuesday 11th November - Remembrance Day Gold Coin Donation Day
- Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th November - Viewbank PS Family Photo Fundraiser - Booking now open
- Friday 28th November - Viewbank Primary School Carols Night
PUPIL FREE DAYS (TheirCare School Holiday Program will be available on pupil-free days)
- Monday 3rd November – Report Writing Day
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
2025 CAMP DATES
- Year 3 Phillip Island Camp - 27 October - 29 October
CAROLS NIGHT We are planning on a whole school Carols Night on Friday, November 28 so we ask that you might keep that date free. Whilst it will be a low-key event, I’m sure it will be a nice, family night to kick off the countdown to Christmas. Further details will follow in upcoming weeks, and fingers crossed for nice weather as we also welcome in Summer the following week!
ASSEMBLY NATIONAL ANTHEM It is lovely to see so many students signing the National Anthem at Assembly. It has gathered momentum in recent weeks, so if you haven’t attended an Assembly in a while try and visit and see the skills, and hear the voices, of all of our students singing and signing with pride.
GRADE 3 CAMP TO PHILLIP ISLAND Our Grade 3 cohort journey to Phillip Island next Monday for their 3-day camp. This is the final group to enjoy a camping experience this year, and we hope it is just as enjoyable and educational as the others that have preceded them.
PUPIL FREE DAY A reminder that the day before Cup Day, Monday November 3, is a pupil free day for report writing purposes and no classes will be offered on that day. Whole day care is available through Their Care.
CONSIDERATIONS FOR GRADE PLACEMENTS 2026 – LESS THAN 2 WEEKS TO GO!! These are filtering in and I will acknowledge receipt of each request, so if I haven’t please let me know!
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 2026, but we have in the past formed some composite classes at different levels 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 bill.kersing@education.vic.gov.au by Monday, November 3. Please title the email “CONFIDENTIAL – GRADE REQUEST’. Please note that emails received after this date will NOT be accepted.
INTENTIONS TO LEAVE – REPEAT REQUEST These are also being advised, which is very helpful for planning for 2026.
If any families are intending to leave our school community and won’t be returning in 2026 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 bill.kersing@education.vic.gov.au .If you have already done this … many thanks!!
STUDENT DISCO A universally acclaimed ‘great night’ – well, at least from every student I checked in on. Many thanks to all who ensured the night was a great success. There were hundreds of sausages cooked and devoured, military precision with the signing in and collection of students, great ‘tunes’ from our DJs and in general a great team effort. Thank you to all for your continued support.
Have a great weekend everyone.
Kind regards,
Bill Kersing
The Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative The Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS) initiative provides funding to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL) in every government school campus and low-fee non-government primary school in Victoria.
In 2026, the North East Melbourne region will implement the MHiPS initiative, enabling Viewbank Primary School to employ a Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL).
MHWLs are qualified teachers registered with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, who work across the school to implement a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing for students, staff, and families based on a broad knowledge of the needs of the school community. This includes:
- building the capacity of school staff, in particular classroom teachers, to identify and support students with mental health concerns in the classroom
- supporting the school to create clear referral pathways internally (within school) and externally (to community services) for students identified as requiring further assessment and intervention
- coordinating targeted mental health support for students by working with regional staff, school wellbeing and leadership teams, teachers, parents/carers, and external agencies.
- implementing effective mental health strategies aligned with social and emotional learning and adopting a whole-school approach to wellbeing and learning initiatives.
The MHWL role focuses on mental health and wellbeing promotion, prevention and early intervention, rather than the implementation of clinical or allied health approaches. It promotes a whole-school approach to mental health and wellbeing to students, staff and families, and does not provide one-to-one intervention or counselling support to students.
Further information regarding the Mental Health and Wellbeing Leader (MHWL) role at Viewbank PS will be provided once this position has been filled.
Have a great week.
Gill
CHANGES TO DIGITAL DEVICE USE AT VIEWBANK PRIMARY SCHOOL You may have heard the Victorian government announcement on Thursday 16 October that starting in 2027, schools must provide all students with access to a digital device and cannot ask families to provide devices. This announcement will put an end to our Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) iPad program for our Year 5 and 6 students from 2027. Please see the attached circular from the Department of Education regarding this.
There will also be new guidelines on usage times during school hours:
- Years F-2: Minimal use other than learning about and with digital technologies as set out in the Victorian Curriculum 2.0
- Years 3-6: Maximum of 90 minutes per day.
Exemptions will apply for students with disability using a digital device as a reasonable adjustment.
You can find more information at: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/digital-learning/policy and https://www.premier.vic.gov.au/parents-save-money-students-digital-devices
PARENTS AND FRIENDS We would like to thank the 2025 Parents and Friends Committee for their tireless work this year (even though they are still not yet done)!
Narelle Matton agreed to be President until the end of Term 2 2025 but stayed on until the end of the year to ensure events such as the Fathers’ Day Stall and the Disco would continue. She will not be continuing in the role in 2026, so we will be seeking a P&F President for 2026. Narelle is very happy to answer any questions you have, and guide or mentor someone between now and the end of the year – please let the office or Narelle know if this is something you may like to consider.
A Department of Education requirement for schools who have Parents and Friends Committees (P&F) for the purpose of fundraising, must hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) each year. All ‘official’ positions are to be declared vacant, and nominees sought for President and Secretary for the coming year. Previous holders of these positions are more than welcome to nominate. The AGM will be held in the staffroom at the end of February / early March 2026. After the AGM, the P&F Committee will meet as normal. A huge amount of work has gone into 2026 events already.
We are so grateful to our school community for the support they regularly show. The 2025 committee has started planning events for 2026 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.
The P&F committee has grown substantially in the past few years, and event organisation is shared, not being left to only a handful of parents.
We are extremely grateful for Narelle and the 2025 P&F committee’s efforts this year – not just for fundraising but also in fostering a sense of community at Viewbank Primary School.
P&F Office Bearer Roles
P&F President
- Be the main representative/spokesperson for the P&F
- Liaise with P&F members and set the agenda for meetings, in conjunction with the Secretary
- Be the point of contact for event working parties
- Be the main contact for agenda items
- Open the meetings punctually and ensure the agenda is followed
- Work towards a collaborative approach with other members of school community
- Be mindful of timelines, keep discussions on track and keep meetings moving
P&F Secretary
- Planning the P&F meeting schedule throughout the year
- Maintaining P&F membership WhatsApp group
- Distributing minutes to P&F members along with agenda prior to the next meeting
- Taking minutes at P&F meetings
- Keeping an up-to-date calendar of events
It is important to note that the President and Secretary work closely together as roles are often intertwined.
STUDENT ROAD SAFETY To continue with information shared in the Viewbank Voice on Thursday 09 October, the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), in conjunction with Road Safety Education Victoria, have released some resources to be shared with our community.
While primarily aimed at Foundation families, these are useful for families with older children as well. You can find the information in the pdf, and other languages (as per below) at this link https://www.roadsafetyeducation.vic.gov.au/educational-resources/additional-resources/the-safe-migration-project-starting-primary-school
Have a great weekend,
Patrick
Viewbank Primary School will be holding a Remembrance Day Gold Coin Donation event on Tuesday, November 11th. We kindly ask that students bring a gold coin to support the RSL Poppy Appeal.
Please note that this is not a free dress day.
Your support is greatly appreciated.
Poppy Appeal brooches are also now available for purchase from the General Office from $2.00 each.
Thank you,
Viewbank Primary School - Defence Program
BOOK CLUB Issue 7 catalogues have sent home this week. All orders are due by Thursday 23rd of October. Every dollar you spend earns points to buy more books for the Library. Thank you for your support.
Day for Daniel On the 31st 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/
Junior School Council is running a Food Drive for Rosanna Fire Station and Community House!
Please bring any non-perishable pantry items you wish to donate to school and put them in your class’s box. Your donations will go to those in need in our local community.
2 collections have been organised, with the first one coming up on the 6th of November.
Examples of items include canned fruit and vegetables, long life drinks (juice boxes), dried pasta, biscuits, jars of jam or sauce.
Thank you for your help, together we can make a difference!
VPS Mango Fundraiser - Order now open! - Purchase through Compass Course Confirmation and Payments
Support Our Mango Fundraiser
Fresh North Queensland Mangoes Direct from the Farm to Your School.
The Mango Fundraiser only use Bowen Special Mangoes which are more formally known as Kensington Pride Mangoes. They are packed in a single layer tray and each tray will usually have between 12 and 20 mangoes, with a total tray weight of approximately 7kg.
As well as having a great taste, Mangoes are packed with nutritional goodness – Vitamin C (one Mango contains your recommended daily allowance), Vitamin E, Beta-Carotene, antioxidants, Potassium & B Vitamins. They are low in fat & Cholesterol free.
When you buy Mangoes from the Mango Fundraiser you know the fruit is coming directly from the farm to you. Your mangoes aren’t being held for long periods in storage or ripening rooms.
- Price: $32 per 7kg tray (approx. 12-20 mangos).
- Order Due Date: 27th Oct.
- DELIVERY: Within the first 3 weeks of December.
Purchase through Compass Course Confirmation and Payments.
Viewbank PS Family Photo Fundraiser – Now Offering Saturday 15th November and Sunday 16th November Sessions!
We are excited to invite families to participate in the Viewbank Primary School Family Photo Fundraiser.
Please note, Sunday 16th November is now sold out. To accommodate demand, we have created an additional half-day event on Saturday 15th November.
This is a wonderful opportunity to capture beautiful family portraits while supporting our school community.
- Date: Saturday, 15th November and Sunday, 16th November
- Location: Price Park, Viewbank
Bookings are essential. Please secure your preferred time slot by registering through the Eventbrite link below:
Viewbank PS Family Photo Fundraiser Booking
Don’t miss out on this special event to create lasting memories while contributing to Viewbank PS.
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 30th October (Orders close: Monday 27th October, 3:00 PM)
- Thursday 6th November (Orders close: Monday 3rd November, 3:00 PM)
- Thursday 13th November (Orders close: Monday 10th November, 3:00 PM)
- Thursday 6th November (Orders close: Monday 3rd November, 3:00 PM) - Year 4 Weribee Zoo
- Thursday 20th November (Orders close: Monday 17th November, 3:00 PM)
- Thursday 27th November (Orders close: Monday 24th November, 3:00 PM)
- 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 3 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.