PUPIL FREE DAY (OSHClub available)
- Thursday 2nd June 2022
- Wednesday 13th July 2022
- Monday 31st October 2022
FUNDRAISING BAKERY LUNCH ORDER DATES - Lower Plenty Bakehouse
- Thursday 26th May (Orders closing on 23rd May, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 9th June (Orders closing on 6th June, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 16th June (Orders closing on 13th June, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 23rd June (Orders closing on 20th June, 3:00pm)
2022 TERM DATES
- Term 2: 26th April - 24th June (2:30pm finish)
- Term 3: 11th July - 16th September (2:30pm finish)
- Term 4: 3rd October - 20th December (1:30pm finish)
2022 SCHOOL CAMP DATES
- Year 3: Arrabri Lodge Camp - Monday 8th August to Wednesday 10th August
- Year 5: Lady Northcote Recreation Camp - Tuesday 4th October to Friday 7th October
- Year 6: Camp Coonawarra - Monday 18th July to Friday 22nd July
CROSS COUNTRY Congratulations to all of our sixty competitors who took part in yesterday’s District Cross Country at Banyule Flats. It has been heartening to see so many of our usual activities resuming, and cross country running has always been one of these. These students earned the right to compete at the District level after placing in the top ten at our school event at Price Park recently, and a number of these students will now run at a Regional level after placing yesterday in their respective events. Congratulations to everyone for their efforts – we are very proud of you.
It was also sensational to see our Foundation to Grade 2 students running around the school oval last Friday. Many thanks to the chief organiser, Kori Stuckey, for all of her organisation and a big thanks to her loyal band of helpers including classroom teachers, pre-service teachers and parents for ensuring the morning went so well. There was also a big crowd in attendance to cheer them on – thank you everyone for your support!
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE DAY As stated in previous newsletters, Thursday, June 2nd is a professional practice day for all staff meaning there will be NO classes for students. Full day care is available through OSHClub and this can be booked through the normal channels.
ELECTION DAY – CAKE STALL AND BBQ Thank you to all of our volunteers for their attendance at the election day polling booth at Viewbank Primary School to cook sausages and sell cakes throughout the day. We made a healthy profit which in turn will be used to help fund some of the enhancements to come once our building works get underway. Always very much appreciated.
SCHOOL CAMP – GRADE 4 ANGLESEA And a further thanks to all staff, students and volunteers who helped ensure the success of our Anglesea camp last week. Our Grade 6 students are next, travelling once again to Bairnsdale in July for a full week of activities.
OPEN DAY Tuesday was Open Day at our school in celebration of 150 years of education in Victoria, and our student leaders conducted tours throughout the day. There will be further opportunity to visit on Saturday, May 28 from 9am to midday for the purpose of a school tour and to speak with our Foundation team and this opportunity coincides with our Term 2 working bee. Hope we will see you in one way or the other on Saturday.
Have a great weekend as we approach winter. And a very warm welcome back to Gill Nicholls after her sojourn to the United States for some very well earned leave.
Kind regards,
Bill Kersing
Principal
Excursions and Bus Parking After the past 2 years, it is a little surreal to think that we have almost had an entire semester (2 terms) of no lockdowns (touch wood!). This means we have slowly gained confidence to start doing many of the things we used to do e.g., camps and excursions. Lots of other events are occurring too such as Interschool Sport and District events. It goes without saying (but I will) that getting 60-100 students to an event requires buses. Our bus pick up and drop off point is on the school side of Winston Road heading towards the Martins Lane shops. If we have a pick up time around 9am, it is highly likely that this area will be coned off as the buses will arrive anywhere from 8:40 to 9am – they need somewhere to park. Please note, if an event is not leaving until 9:30am or later, we will likely not block this area off. We will also cone off the area if a bus is arriving close to the end of school time. We know that it may be tempting to drop your child off at the coned off area, but we ask that you do not do this and drive a little further down the road, respecting the road rules. Thank you for your understanding and patience with this.
Junior School Council A massive thank you to our JSC for organising the Popcorn Fundraiser on Wednesday. There will be a full write up from the JSC in next week’s Viewbank Voice.
2023 Foundation Enrolments Mr Kersing, Mrs Nicholls and I have been busy all term conducting school tours for parents. Combined with the successful 2023 Foundation Information Evening and the success of Open Day on Tuesday (with tours being led by our student leaders), our confirmed enrolment numbers are steadily rising. If you have a child that will be starting in Foundation in 2023, it would be great if you could let the office know as soon as you can.
Have a great weekend!
Patrick
It has been lovely to return to work this week and I greatly appreciate all the inquiries, questions and positive messages around my trip to America and family wedding. After a month in the sun, catching up with family and spending time at the beach, I am certainly feeling refreshed. Hopefully, that feeling will last for the rest of the term.
Proposal for new Summer School Dress For some time now we have been considering updating the fabric and style of our summer dress to better reflect our school colours of purple and green.
We have settled on two possible fabric options and a design and would like to invite you to vote for your preferred option over the next week. The new design has front opening buttons, an adjustable tab at the back and front and back inverted pleats. It is a very standard school dress design, suitable for all ages. Please respond through the Google Form, where you can also see photos of the options. Students and staff will also be consulted. We need to notify our uniform supplier of our decision by June 3, so that fabric can be purchased. The dresses should be available in October/November for purchase, ready for the 2023 school year. The new dress will be phased in over a two year period – 2023-2024.
SunSmart Policy - Review and Feedback The SunSmart Policy is currently being reviewed and we are inviting community consultation. Please take the time to read this policy and if you have any feedback or comments please email Gill Nicholls (gillian.nicholls@education.vic.gov.au) by Friday June 3. This policy is very similar to our existing policy with any updates or additions displayed in red text.
Once finalised and ratified by School Council, this policy will be updated on our school website.
PROJECT+ has been developed to ensure The Resilience Project continues to support the wellbeing of students and the wider school community. Twice a term, they will be sending out PROJECT+ (a bit like a traditional Newsletter) with a whole range of additional ideas, activities and resources that can be used by the whole school community.
Practise feeling happier anytime, anywhere with TRP@HOME!
This online hub is filled with inspiration and fun activities for kids, teens, adults and parents to build resilience and improve wellbeing. TRP@HOME activities change throughout the year, so don’t forget to keep checking in!
Have a great week.
Gill
Education Support Staff (ES) On behalf of the ES staff we would like to thank leadership, teachers and the school community for the appreciation shown towards us for Education Support Day.
We are lucky to work in such a supportive and caring community.
School Tours We run school tours on a Tue, Wed, Thu at 9.30am for prospective families. Please call the office to make a booking.
Enrolments We are currently accepting enrolments for 2023 and are happy to assist with any queries.
Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.
If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.
Payment amounts this year are $125 for eligible primary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
It is important that funding made available in 2022 supports students to participate in school trips, camps and sporting activities this year rather than being held for future years. This funding can also be used in conjunction with any funding accrued from previous years. Please note these activities will only take place if they meet COVIDSafe requirements.
If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.
If you would like to apply for the first time, please complete the attached application form and return to the office with a copy of your card.
You can also find out more about the program and eligibility, on the Department of Education and Training’s Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund web page.
Check with the school office if you are unsure, and please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible.
Kind regards,
Lucy Addati
Business Manager
YEAR 2 EDUCATION WEEK - During Education week the Year 2s compared schools from the past and imagined what school of the future would look like. This tied in nicely with their Inquiry unit and they are all looking forward to the excursion to the Bundoora Heritage Farm where they can see for themselves what some of the buildings, including schools looked like.
EDUCATION WEEK 2022 – You’re Invited!
From Sunday 22nd May to Saturday 28th May (next week) Viewbank Primary School, along with the state of Victoria will be celebrating Education Week 2022.
This year’s Education Week theme, ‘150 Years of Public Education’, commemorates the past, celebrates the present and imagines the future of education in Victoria.
Every school, educator and student today continue the story started in 1872 when Victoria become one of the first jurisdictions in the world to offer free, secular, compulsory education.
The students and staff of Viewbank Primary School proudly invite you, our school community, to be a part of the celebrations which will mark this year’s Education Week and thank you for the important part you play in Victoria’s education story.
We will be offering a range of opportunities for you to be involved in throughout the week including:
- Our Open Morning will be held on Saturday 28th May with School Tours being led by our Student Leaders as well as the Foundation and School Leadership Teams from 9.00am until 12.00pm. School tours will depart from the front office (please make sure you sign in upon arrival).
- Working Bee – We will be holding a Working Bee on Saturday 28th May to prepare the ‘staff carpark’ for future development as our school’s new vegie garden. In addition, we will be spreading softfall and undertaking a range of routine ‘working bee’ tasks. Please see flyer later in the Newsletter for further information.
A range of Foundation to Year 6 classroom, Specialist as well as Instrumental Music programs will be able to be seen and enjoyed during Open Day.
The history of Viewbank Primary School If you would like to find out more about our wonderful school’s past over the last 56 Years and would be interested in purchasing a copy of the VPS 50th Anniversary book another print run of these books would be available if enough interest is shown.
Please contact the school office to register your interest – It’s quite the read!
Looking forward to seeing you join in the celebrations!
Kind regards,
Jamie Ruddock
Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and Viewbank Primary School is excited to be participating. The PRC application offers a range of exciting features including:
- access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)
- a modern user-friendly interface
- rewarding students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved
- the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or complete a book review
The Challenge is open to all Victorian children from birth to Year 10 in recognition of the importance of reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge for children to read a set number of books by 2 September 2022.
Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read 15 books.
All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.
To read the Premier’s letter to parents, view the booklist and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge
2022 Student Attitudes to School Survey
Dear Parent / Caregiver / Guardian,
This letter is to inform you about the 2022 Student Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS), that your child is invited to participate in.
About the survey
We value student voice as a means to improving student engagement, wellbeing and quality instruction and are conducting a survey to find out what your child thinks of your school.
The AtoSS is an annual student survey offered by the Department of Education and Training to assist your child’s school to gain an understanding of students' perceptions and experience of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer and family relationships, resilience, bullying, mental health and wellbeing, physical activity, and life in general.
This year, the AtoSS will be conducted at your school over the period Monday 23rd May – Friday 3rd June.
What are the benefits?
In our experience, young people enjoy having their say. We have been running this survey for nearly 20 years and it has been invaluable in helping schools understand student views. Your school will use the survey results to plan programs and activities to improve your child's schooling experience.
What are the risks?
While we do not anticipate many risks of participation, some students may find some of the survey questions too personal and sensitive in nature. Should you agree for your child to participate, they are still free to skip questions or to withdraw at any stage if the survey makes them upset or uncomfortable.
The survey has been approved by a Human Research Ethics Committee. The questions are selected from validated survey instruments used in Australia and around the world, are strength-based, and tailored for each year level group.
What will my child be asked to do?
Your child will be invited to complete the survey online during class time using a purpose built secure online survey tool. It is important to note that we are not in any way “testing” your child. Please note:
- Student participation in the survey is voluntary and students may withdraw at any time.
- The survey will take around 20-45 minutes to complete.
How is my child’s confidentiality protected?
Your child will be provided with a unique login to complete the survey from their teacher. The student login is an assigned identifier that may be used to link data for statistical and research purposes only. Personally identifiable data will not be recorded in the survey response file. This ensures that the confidentiality of your child’s responses is protected at all times.
How will results be reported?
The survey results will be reported back to the school in an aggregate form throughout the survey period. All survey data that is made available in reports are for groups of students only so that no individual student can be identified. Data suppression rules are used for schools with low student numbers per year level.
Your school may share the results of the survey with parents, in documents such as the School Annual Report.
Options for participation
Participation in this survey is voluntary. If you do not wish for your child to do the survey, please opt out via email to your school: viewbank.ps@education.vic.gov.au. Please do so before Monday 23rd May, stating that you wish to opt out of your child’s participation, along with their name and year level.
If your school does not receive a Refusal of Consent email from yourself before the survey commencement date mentioned within this letter, it means that you give your consent for your child to participate in the 2022 Attitudes to School Survey.
A copy of the survey that we are asking your child to complete is available from your child’s school. Please contact the administration office if you would like to see the survey before making your decision about whether you would like your child to participate.
If you would like more information, please speak to your child’s teacher, or contact the Department at school.surveys@education.vic.gov.au.
Yours sincerely,
The Victorian Department of Education and Training
Due to parent request the Lower Plenty Bakehouse will be providing the school with fundraising Lunch Orders every Thursday during Term 2. These lunches have been implemented via our Parents and Friends Committee. All money raised will be used towards our major school upgrade.
Our Term 2 Fundraising Lunch Order Dates are:
- Thursday 26th May (Orders closing on 23rd May, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 9th June (Orders closing on 6th June, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 16th June (Orders closing on 13th June, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 23rd June (Orders closing on 20th June, 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 2 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.
Parent assistance is required on Lunch Days from 10:30am to 12:30pm to assist with the packing of our orders. If you are available to assist in anyway can you please email the school at viewbank.ps@education.vic.gov.au so your name can be added to our roster.
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.
Lunches must be ordered online using the CLASSROOM CUISINE website.
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WEEKLY SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALE - Every Friday 8:45am to 9:15am, next to the music room. Jumpers with the school logo, long and short sleeve school polo tops and school dresses will be $5.00 and all other items $2.00. We are currently asking for donations of any unwanted reusable school uniform items to sell at our stall.
Instrumental Music Enrolments Can all students who would like to join our school instrumental music programs please inform the relevant teacher below of your expression of interest.
SINGING WITH GABRIELLA - Gabriella
- Email: favrettogab@gmail.com
- Phone: 0413 676 733
SINGING WITH JADE - Jade
- Email: jadefaving@gmail.com
- Phone: 0413 834 933
STRINGS - MR CAI
- Email: cai66@optusnet.com.au
- Phone: 0403 490 078
GUITAR/BASS GUITAR - Alec
- Email: alec.stalder@gmail.com
PIANO/KEYBOARD - Ella
- Email: ellac.blackburn@gmail.com
- Phone: 0410 938 840
DRUMS - Michael
- Email: michaelfindlaymcnab@gmail.com
- Phone: 0451 394 540
PHONE NUMBER: 0448 075 422
EMAIL: viewbank@oshclub.com.au
A PLUS SCHOOLWEAR Our uniform supplier is A Plus Schoolwear which is located at 41-43 Northern Road Heidelberg West. Open hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday’s from 9am to 4.30pm (closed on weekend and public holidays).
You can also purchase your uniform online at www.aplusschoolwear.com.au