PUPIL FREE DAYS 2023 (TheirCare will be running their day care programs at school on all student free days)
- Monday 8th May - Staff professional development
- Monday 10th July - Three way conferences
- Monday 6th November - Report writing day
- One further pupil free day to be advised in due course.
2023 TERM DATES
- Term 1: 27th January - 6th April (2:30pm finish)
- Term 2: 24th April - 23rd June (2:30pm finish)
- Term 3: 10th July - 15th September (2:30pm finish)
- Term 4: 2nd October - 20th December (1:30pm finish)
COLOUR EXPLOSION FUNDRAISER What an amazing afternoon was had by all last Friday! As the photos evidence, it was lots and lots of fun, and supported by so many people. We raised more than $20,000 for the school which will be directed towards the provision of further seating around the school once our building works and landscaping have been completed. Grateful thanks to the Parents and Friends group under the direction of Kate Doran for all their hard work. Whilst I am loathe to try and name everyone who donated so freely of their time (for fear of missing someone), I am reliably informed that the key players from the P & F were Jacqui Thurlow, Sonali Mekde, Eunice Chew, Kate Cullen, Summer Merri, Sandra Montalti, Emily Jenkins, Caroline Mezzavia and Narelle Maton, supported by Patrick Walsh, all staff members and many other community members too numerous to mention. Thank you everyone, named or unnamed, for a fun and profitable ‘joint-venture’! Congratulations to Grade 3M and 2S for raising the most and winning the Class Hot Chip lunches.
GRADE 6 CAMP Whilst our camping program looks a bit different this year, nonetheless we are affording all Grade 4, 5 and 6 students the opportunity to take part in respective three day camps in 2023. The first of these is the Bairnsdale (Camp Coonawarra) adventure for Grade 6 students kicking off next Monday. We are pretty sure they will have an excellent time!
BUILDING WORKS This week has seen the demolition of the Art and Japanese room in preparation for the delivery of four new Grade 2 classrooms over the school holidays. The short-term inconvenience of gates being shut, and playgrounds restricted will reap benefits long term with the provision of these new facilities. Gate 2 will be accessible again as of next Monday, but you would understand that measures to restrict access have been in place for the safety of all as the demolition took place. Gate 1 access will be returned at the start of Term 2, with Gate 5 (at the turning circle on Nevin parade) closed off for a considerable length of time as the remaining building works are undertaken. The map identifying our school gates is included today for your information and convenience.
REGIONAL SWIMMING AND DISTRICT ATHLETICS The very best of luck to those students who have qualified for these events in the next week. We know you will give it 100% and it will be a memory that will stay with you for a long time!
FAREWELL FOR NOW Next week is Kelsey Mentiplay’s final school week for some time as she commences maternity leave at the conclusion of next week in preparation for the birth of her first child. We wish her and her husband Ben all the very best and welcome Sarah McDonald to our school as the new teacher of Grade 3M.
WORKING BEE The rescheduled working bee for Term 1 takes place this Sunday, March 26 from 9am. Lots to do as always, and we’d love to see you even if for just a short time.
That’s it from me for this week. Enjoy your weekend.
Kind regards,
Bill Kersing
Principal
National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy As of Thursday 23rd March, the NAPLAN assessments for whole grades are now complete. There are still a handful of ’Catch-up’ tests that will be completed. The NAPLAN assessment period concludes on Monday 27th March.
*REMINDER* Mobile Phone Policy and Other ‘Wearable’ Devices We have seen an increase in students wearing ‘smart’ watches at school. Any device that can make a call and/or send a message and/or take pictures and/or take video is NOT allowed at school without the express permission of Mr Kersing. Except with Mr Kersing’s permission, any device of this nature must be sent to the school office at the beginning of the day and will be able to be collected at the end of the day. Our student’s privacy is of the utmost importance and students are not always aware of the consequences of their actions. This policy has been put in place by the Department of Education and is there to protect all students at school. The Mobile Phone Policy can be found here: http://www.viewbankps.vic.edu.au/s/Mobile-Phones-Policy-Viewbank-PS-Updated-20-December-2019.pdf Smart watches and the like fall under the category of ‘Personal Mobile Device’.
Have a great weekend.
Patrick
School Tours It is always such a pleasure to show potential families around our school. Each week Bill, Patrick and myself conduct tours for families looking to enrol in Foundation and other year levels. There is always a calm, warm and engaged tone across the school as we wander into classrooms and highlight the wide range of curriculum opportunities and facilities our school has to offer. Our students are very keen to welcome the visitors and share their learning.
As well as sharing all the exciting building works that are in progress, it’s wonderful to be able to showcase our SAKG program, witness the engagement, curiosity and cooperative learning developed by an Inquiry incursion and share in the joy of learning taking place in classrooms.
We have so much to be proud of!
Have a great week.
Gill
EARLY LEAVERS If you wish to collect your child early from school you are required to come to the office instead of going to your child's classroom. Your child will be called from class to meet you at the office.
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 (your mobile) which you will use to sign in/out each time so that you do not have to register next 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.
TheirCare (Outside of School Hours Care) Please be aware that if your child is not registered with TheirCare they will be unable to access the program in an emergency. Therefore it is highly recommend that you register your child/ren with TheirCare in case you may need it one day.
SCHOOL TOURS We will be running school tours on a Tue, Wed, Thu at 9.30am for prospective families from 09Mar. Please call the office to make a booking.
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.
CAMPS, SPORTS AND EXCURSIONS FUND (CSEF) The Government assisted Fund provides payments for eligible students to attend camps, sports, incursions and excursions ($125 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 2022, you do not need to complete an application form in 2023 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 2023 or you did not apply in 2022.
- changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2023.
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.
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/
Kind regards,
Lucy Addati
Business Manager
CUBING CLUB Parents and students of Viewbank Primary school,
We have an exciting announcement to make about a new club that has recently formed at our school: The Cubing Club! The Cubing Club is a place to meet relatable people and practise solving Rubik’s cubes. Our club’s recent meetings have all been a success except for one thing: the quantity of cubes.
The club is currently seeking donations of Rubik's cubes to ensure that all members have access to a cube during our meetings. We understand that these cubes can be expensive and we are asking for your support in making this opportunity available to all members. Donations of any spare Rubik's cubes are greatly appreciated.
If you would like to donate a Rubik's cube, please don't hesitate. Donations can be given to Miss Boness.
Anyone can join the Cubing club’s meetings grades 3-6, during Wednesday lunchtimes in the 5B classroom.
This is a unique opportunity for students to learn important skills such as leadership, communication, and teamwork.
Thank you for your support and for considering this opportunity. Stay tuned for more updates about the cubing club at our school.
Yours sincerely, the members of the cubing.
SAKGP The Year 4 students enjoyed being the Kitchen this week.
They cooked:
- Chickpea, Cucumber and Tomato Salad
- Vegetable Samosas
- Yoghurt and Sesame Sauce
A very big thank you to all of the volunteers who make this program such a success!
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 8 September 2023.
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 6 are challenged to read 15 books.
Books included in the Challenge book list can be found online. Books borrowed from the Library, read at home, read with parents and read in the classroom can all be counted in your Challenge total. Students must read the required number of books from the Challenge list to complete the Challenge.
All students who meet the Challenge will receive a completion card at Assembly and a certificate of achievement in late November.
There will be a reward for the first ‘whole class’ that meets the Challenge.
All VPS students have been registered to participate in the Challenge. Classroom teachers will issue username and password details to enable students to log into their account online.
To login into your student account, view the booklist and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge
Lower Plenty Bakehouse will be providing the school with fundraising Lunch Orders every Thursday. These lunches have been implemented via our Parents and Friends Committee. All money raised will be used towards our major school upgrade.
Our Term 1 Fundraising Lunch Order Dates are:
- Thursday 30th March (Orders closing on 27th March, 3:00pm)
- Thursday 6th April (Orders closing on 3rd April, 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 1 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.
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 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
STRINGS - MR CAI
- Email: cai66@optusnet.com.au
- Phone: 0403 490 078
GUITAR/BASS GUITAR - Alec
- Email: alec.stalder@gmail.com
DRUMS/BEGINNER KEYBOARD - Michael
- Email: michaelfindlaymcnab@gmail.com
- Phone: 0451 394 540
PIANO/KEYBOARD – Tiaryn Griggs
- Email: tiaryngriggs@gmail.com
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 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