PUPIL FREE DAY (OSHClub available)
- Monday 31st October 2022
FUNDRAISING BAKERY LUNCH ORDER DATES - Lower Plenty Bakehouse
- Thursday 21st July (Orders closing on 18th July, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 28th July (Orders closing on 25th July, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 4th August (Orders closing on 1st August, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 11th August (Orders closing on 8th August, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 18th August (Orders closing on 15th August, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 25th August (Orders closing on 22nd August, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 1st September (Orders closing on 29th August, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 8th September (Orders closing on 5th September, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 15th September (Orders closing on 12th September, 3:00pm)
2022 TERM DATES
- 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
WELCOME BACK I hope that everyone had a well earned break over the school holidays and I know that staff and students have returned with renewed energy and zest to tackle the opportunities and challenges of Term 3. From a personal viewpoint, it was a good time to reconnect with golf courses, sleep, cryptic crosswords, extended families, friends, Netflix binging, guitars, walking, Wimbledon, Le Tour and Baldacci novels, and a bad time for the accumulation of calories due to over eating. I trust families found the three-way conferences valuable yesterday, and like all of us are looking forward to other Term 3 highlights. These include school camps for our Grade 3s and 6s, the commencement of building works, Family Life for the Grade 5s, various excursions at other grade levels and lengthening days and improved weather. As always, all important dates can be found on the school website, in Grade level newsletters and referenced each week in this newsletter.
STAFFING UPDATES For personal and family reasons Blair Morton, Grade 34M classroom teacher, has sought leave for the remainder of the year and this has been granted. His final work day will be on Friday, July 15. His replacements for the rest of the year will be Rebecca Dimer (Mondays and Thursdays) and Jess Ellis (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays). Both staff are well known to the children as Rebecca is a regular CRT and Jess is a classroom teacher enjoying family leave but returning at short notice in the interests of our school. You will be aware of the staffing shortages impacting all schools in Victoria, so to appoint two excellent teachers so quickly to fill the absence created by Blair’s unexpected departure is somewhat of a coup. Both Rebecca and Jess spent this week in Grade 34M with Blair to ensure a seamless transition.
We continue to be impacted by COVID cases, and staff absences, and you know we have been managing this as best we can. We will always endeavour to get a CRT replacement but you will understand that in some cases when there are simply none available we may need to cancel support programs such as Literacy Support or the Tutoring program, and occasionally a specialist program. In very occasional circumstances, we may also need to split grades. We thank you for your support as we navigate through this latest wave.
GRADE SIX BAIRNSDALE CAMP We are very excited that our cohort of Grade 6 students get to enjoy a camping experience next week when they head to Camp Coonawarra in Bairnsdale. Through unfortunate timing, the 2021 Grade 5 camp and the 2020 Grade 4 camp did not eventuate due to lockdowns and so, whilst other classes over the years have experienced four school camps (Grade 3, 4, 5 and then 6), this cohort haven’t been as lucky! It is an adventure camp, and it may very well be chilly but I know the students are eagerly looking forward to their camp getaway next week. Grateful thanks to the staff and volunteer parents giving up their time away from their own families to ensure the success of the camp.
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS COMMITTEE There is a scheduled meeting of the Buildings and Grounds Subcommittee of School Council set down for next Tuesday, July 19 at 6.30pm in the staffroom. All welcome.
STATE CROSS COUNTRY It is a mighty achievement to make it all the way to the State Cross Country final, and so our heartiest congratulations to Joshua Cadusch who participated today in this event at Bundoora Park. Joshua ran in the 10 years, 2 kilometre event and hopefully the STOP PRESS will enable us to include the outcome by day’s end. Nonetheless, wherever you placed please know, Josh, that we are all so very proud of you.
I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.
Kind regards,
Bill Kersing
Principal
Congratulations to Joshua Cadusch, Grade 5T, for a sensational effort today. He finished 15th in the State Cross Country (Boys 9/10 years event) held at the Yarra Valley Racetrack running 7minutes and 47 secs for the 2 kilometres. We are so very proud of you, Josh!
Welcome back to term 3. I hope you were able to have an enjoyable holiday break.
I certainly enjoyed the opportunity to sleep in, go for walks, catch up with friends, do some gardening, complete a sewing project and spend time reading. Sadly, the time went far too quickly.
Parenting Seminars with Berry Street
We have recently established a partnership with the family support agency Berry Street, who will this term begin supporting our school community through an online parenting program.
They currently have two online programs on offer for our school community:
1. Supporting Children with Anxiety - 11 August
We know that many children are experiencing anxiety at the moment. Individual and group evidence based parenting support is available to help parents/carers support their children (aged 6-14) around anxiety through the Fear-Less Triple P Group. This can be particularly helpful whilst on the waitlist for psychological services.
2. Moving Confidently into the Teen Years - 25 August
A session to discuss the opportunities and challenges of parenting teenagers, helping them to stay connected and giving them the tools they need to thrive.
Please see the poster below for content and registration details.
We are hoping to have further programs available to parents/carers during the year.
Have a great week,
Gill
Welcome Back to Term 3! I hope you had a great break.
3 Way Conferences We were very impressed with the quality of work presented by your children at their 3 Way Conference on Wednesday. Thank you to the staff for supporting the students in the lead up the day. This enabled your children to showcase their learning and to identify areas to work on in the future. Sometimes, there are further areas that may need to be discussed. Please contact your child’s teacher (classroom or specialist) to arrange another time.
There were 2 classes that we needed to postpone interviews for. Information about the rescheduling of these will be communicated as soon as possible.
First Aid and Asthma Student and staff illness is continuing to have an impact on school operations. It is extremely important that we have the most up-to-date information from you. if there have been any changes to your child’s Asthma Action Plan (or any other illness management required), please ensure that this is communicated to the school as soon as possible - including any contact phone number changes.
Have a great weekend!
Patrick
LATE ARRIVALS Please ensure children who arrive late go straight to the office to be marked as present. If the child does not come to the office for a late pass a text message will be sent to the parent/carer notifying that the child is absent. Late arrivals can only be time stamped at the office. When Parents/carers record the late arrival in Compass it provides us with the explanation but does not mark your child as present. When your child presents at the office, staff will record your child’s actual arrival time which updates the class roll.
EMAILING TEACHERS DIRECTLY A reminder that you can now email your child/ren’s teachers directly, if you do not have their email address, please email the school account viewbank.ps@education.vic.gov.au to request the teachers’ email.
TERM 3 EXTRA-CURRICULAR ITEMS (EXCURSIONS/INCURSIONS/ACTIVITIES) Term 3 Extra-curricular items (excursions/incursion/activities) will be published on Compass on Friday. Please contact Lucy Addati, the Business Manager for a confidential discussion regarding financial hardship arrangements or a payment plan.
Thank you again to all the families who have made voluntary financial contributions towards our curriculum and other contributions. Without your contributions our school would not be as wonderful as it is.
CUTLERY AND FOOD FOR STUDENTS The office will no longer be able to provide plastic cutlery for students. Please ensure that if your child requires cutlery for their food it is packed in their lunch box.
We have a had an increased number of students coming to the office requesting food as they believe they have insufficient food in their lunch box. Can you please ensure your child is provided with enough food to satisfy them for the day as we are unable to supply extra food.
FOUNDATION ENROLMENTS 2023 Applications are now taking place for new Foundation students for 2023. If any of our existing families have children that need to be enrolled for next year, we encourage you to download the enrolment form from our webpage and email to viewbank.ps@education.vic.gov.au or return signed form to the office with a copy of the birth certificate, immunisation certificate and proof of address document such as a drivers licence. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office.
OSHClub (Outside School Hours Care) Please be aware that if your child is not registered with OSHClub they will be unable to access the program in an emergency. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you register your child/ren for OSHClub in case you may need it one day.
SICK BAY Sometimes it can be tricky to discern whether your child is fit to attend school. If your child is feeling unwell with cold/flu like symptoms, have been vomiting or had diarrhoea in the last 24 hours please keep them at home until they are well again. Sick bay tends to be a busy hub so if we call for your child to be picked up and you are unavailable, please make other arrangements as it not acceptable or practical to accommodate a sick child at school for the whole day.
Public Health and Wellbeing Regulations 2009 It is the parent’s responsibility to advise the school if their child is away from school via and alert us of notifiable diseases as per School Exclusion Table. https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/public-health/infectious-diseases/school-exclusion
DISPENSING MEDICATION If your child requires prescribed medications a signed parent Medication Authority Form is required. Medications such as antihistamines and paracetamol are not stored or dispensed to students unless they are supplied from home with a signed parent Medication Authority Form.
WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK (WWCC) A ‘Working with Children Check’ is just one part of creating and maintaining a child-safe environment. It is a requirement that all parents/careers who wish to volunteer or participate in school activities have a current WWCC. https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
VOLUNTEERS/PARENT READING HELPERS SIGN IN/OUT OFFICE PROCEDURES When arriving at the school office please use the electronic sign in system. All volunteers are required to enter their ‘Working with Children Check’ number when registering for first time. Once you have registered on the system your WWCC number it will be recorded, and you will not need to enter it again after creating a QuickPin. At the end of your registration, it will ask if you would like to create a QuickPin which is a number (a number you will remember like your mobile) which you will use to sign in/out each time so that you do not have to register each time you attend. Without a valid WWCC card you will be unable to sign in and volunteer. It is imperative that we are aware of who is on school premises at all times. Please also wear the visitor lanyard while volunteering at the school as this helps identifying persons on school grounds and creates a safe environment for all.
COMPASS If you have any questions or require assistance with Compass, please contact the office or refer to the Compass Parent Guide on your Compass Newsfeed.
Kind regards,
Lucy Addati
Business Manager
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Are you looking to make a difference in the Viewbank Primary School community?
After the prolonged Covid lockdowns, the Parents & Friends Committee is seeking new members to reinvigorate our Viewbank Primary School social and fund-raising program.
We are seeking parents to fill three official P&F roles, plus others who can help on a more ad hoc basis:
1. P&F President – who can liaise with the school office and with various groups that are organising individual events, as well as set an Agenda and chair the meetings
2. Treasurer – who can liaise with the office and the P&F. There is very little money counting nowadays, and most reports will be generated by the office.
3. Secretary – who can take meeting minutes and send to the office to then be distributed to those who are involved.
While these roles may appear formal, please note that the school is very supportive of the committee. Fundraising is the official focus of the P&F, but it will also be a fun experience with different parts of the parent community coming together. For those of you who have had involvement at a pre-school level in various committees, our P&F is much less time consuming. In previous years, there has been a core group of 6-8 parents, with other parents coming along as their commitments allowed. We hope to re-establish the committee with a similar number of volunteers.
P&F funds contribute to projects that improve the school environment, such as upgrading the school playgrounds and fitting out the new Stephanie Alexander kitchen.
Can you spare a few hours per term to help out? The next meeting is in the Viewbank Primary School staffroom on Tuesday 2 August from 7.30pm. Please join us and meet some other friendly Viewbank faces.
Lower Plenty Bakehouse will be providing the school with fundraising Lunch Orders every Thursday during Term 3. These lunches have been implemented via our Parents and Friends Committee. All money raised will be used towards our major school upgrade.
Our Term 3 Fundraising Lunch Order Dates are:
- Thursday 21st July (Orders closing on 18th July, 3:00pm) -Year 6 Camp
- Thursday 28th July (Orders closing on 25th July, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 4th August (Orders closing on 1st August, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 11th August (Orders closing on 8th August, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 18th August (Orders closing on 15th August, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 25th August (Orders closing on 22nd August, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 1st September (Orders closing on 29th August, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 8th September (Orders closing on 5th September, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 15th September (Orders closing on 12th September, 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 3 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