Friday 23rd November - Drought Relief for Farmers - Free Dress Day (gold coin donation)

Saturday 24th November - State Election Day Fundraising BBQ & Bake Sale VOLUNTEER NOW

Tuesday 4th December - Viewbank Primary Parents & Friends end of year social parents dinner - Everyone welcome!! 7:30pm BOOK NOW

Thursday 6th December - Special Lunch Day

Friday 14th December - 2018 Parent Helpers' Morning Tea 10:45am

Monday 17th December - Pupil Free Day

Tuesday 18th December - Year 6 Graduation at Viewbank College

Tuesday 12th February - 2019 School Photos

Saturday 4th May - Parent Fundraising Event - Disco Bingo (Save the date).

TERM DATES

• 2018 TERM 4: Monday 8th October - Friday 21st December (1:30pm finish)
• 2019 TERM 1: Tuesday 29th January (All students start on Thursday 31st January) - Friday 5th April (2:30pm finish)
• 2019 TERM 2: Tuesday 23rd April - Friday 28th June (2:30pm finish)
• 2019 Term 3: Monday 15th July - Friday 20th September (2:30pm finish)
• 2019 Term 4: Monday 7th October - Thursday 20th December (1:30pm finish)

CAMP DATES

• Year 3: Arrabri Lodge Camp (Mon 05Aug to Wed 07Aug)
• Year 4: Anglesea Recreation Camp (Mon 03Jun to Wed 05Jun)
• Year 5: Lady Northcote Recreation Camp (Tue 08Oct to Fri 11Oct)
• Year 6: Canberra Camp (Mon 27May to Fri 31May)

MUSICAL PERFORMANCES I was lucky enough to be in attendance on Tuesday night to witness an amazing display of musical talent across the school – literally and figuratively!! The flute and guitar students performed under the astute tutelage of James McDonald in the library, Sen Cai guided all of his string students to perform as an ensemble and then individually in the music room, and Gabriella Favretto’s singers performed with aplomb in the science room. All of our students, their teachers and parents should be very proud of their efforts and were very much entertained during the night.

SCHOOL CAPTAINS 2019 Over the last few weeks, a number of our Grade 5 students have been campaigning and delivering speeches in support of their applications for the positions of school captains in 2019. After peer voting determined the short list, a selection panel comprising Jane Gough (Grade 6 team leader), Narelle Taylor (Grade 5 team leader), Patrick Walsh and Gill Nicholls (Assistant Principals) and myself interviewed these candidates and informed all of the shortlisted candidates on Tuesday of the outcomes of our deliberations. We did point out that those who were unsuccessful would still have made great school captains and we have strongly encouraged them to apply for the house captain/environmental captain positions that are now being determined within Grade 5.

It is my great pleasure to formally announce our 2019 school captains. They will receive their badges at an assembly in early December.

GIRLS

• Captain Zoe Bastian
• Vice Captain Caitlin Morris

BOYS

• Captain Korey Behayeddin
• Vice Captain Lachlan Deane

2019 FOUNDATION INFORMATION NIGHT The Foundation Information Night is scheduled for tonight in the Science Room commencing at 7pm. This meeting is reasonably procedural, with various speakers discussing the first day of schooling, how parents can become involved in the school, uniform purchases, joining Parents and Friends, school banking and more. At the conclusion of the session, the 2019 Foundation classes will be announced. This then becomes the pre-cursor for the final part of our transition program with students being involved in two classroom sessions with their 2019 teacher on November 28 and December 5.

PUPIL FREE DAY In case you have missed this, the final pupil free day for 2018 is scheduled for Monday, December 17 where staff will use the full day to plan for 2019. This is in lieu of our normal planning week arrangements which have been common to Terms 1 to 3. Please note that day care is available through OSHClub on this day.

VIETNAM Earlier this year, School Council approved in principle a sister school relationship with Doan Thi Diem school in Vietnam. Plans are afoot for our school to host their students in mid-2019, and then for a group of staff and students to visit Vietnam in November 2020. At the invitation of the Principal of Doan Thi Diem, Gill Nicholls and myself are visiting from Sunday, November 25 to Sunday December 2 to sign a memorandum of understanding between our two schools, to plan for the respective tours, and to observe Vietnamese school life in action, and immerse ourselves in the Vietnamese culture generally. We will also be presenting on the Victorian education system and how it translates to Viewbank particularly.

Have a great week. Patrick Walsh is steering the ‘ship’ next week with the help of others.

Kind regards,

Bill Kersing

Principal

2018 PARENT HELPERS’ MORNING TEA We are incredibly lucky at Viewbank to have many wonderful school community members who are willing to help us in so many ways.

Throughout the year, we have helpers assisting with reading, SAKG program, library, Book Club, school banking, sporting events, excursions, camps, Inquiry expos, working bees, School Council and its sub committees and Parents and Friends to name a just few.

We could not run the amazing programs that we do and provide the varied experiences to our students without the contributions made by our helpers.

To show our appreciation and say a big THANK YOU, we would like to invite everyone who has assisted this year to a special morning tea on Friday 14 December at 10.45am.

Please refer to the invite below for further details.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Have a great week.

Gill Nicholls

Transition While for most students, transitioning from one grade to the next is something that evokes feelings of anticipation - excitement mixed with a touch of nervousness. However, for some students who have created strong bonds and a sense of safety, the thought of leaving their current class can become too much. While we can put this down to being tired at the end of the year, fear of the unknown can be overwhelming. We are currently in the process of finalising grades with families finding out in the 2nd week of December.

If your child may struggle with the end of year transition, the following tips may be of help to you:

1. Speak to your child and find out how he/she is feeling
2. Speak to your child's teacher about the conversations occurring in class regarding transition
3. Write down your concerns and strategies you believe may help and pass onto your child's new teacher (once known)
4. Reiterate that while the classes and rooms may be different, they will still see their friends at recess and lunch
5. Normalise the change as much as possible 'We did this last year'
6. While sometimes difficult, be positive about the change of class/teacher
7. Acknowledge your child's feelings.

If you require any other support, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Working With Children Checks As we start moving towards the end of the year, and before life goes into overdrive for the end of the year, it is a great time to have a quick look at your Working With Children Check (WWCC). The WWCC is a requirement if you would like to help out with the myriad of activities that happen at school including going on excursions, helping with reading and general classroom help. If you do not have one, please go to http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/ and follow the prompts.

Music Concert I had the privilege of attending the Keyboard Music Concert on Monday evening, hosted by the keyboard teacher, Ella. It started with a rousing performance by Lachie playing, and singing, Hey Jude by The Beatles. Please give a thought to having music lessons, at school or privately after school. It is a life-long skill that can bring joy to so many! Thank you to the musicians, the music teachers and the parents in the audience!

CSEF (Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund) is a government assisted fund which provides payments for eligible students to attend camps, sports and excursions ($125 per child). Applications for the Governments ‘CSEF Fund’ can be accessed by filling in the attached form and return to the office with a current Health Care card. To be eligible for this funding, you need to hold a current Centrelink Health Care Card or Pension Concession Card or Veteran Affairs Card. Please note: as this funding is means tested, the Parent/Guardian MUST be the card holder, no Medical Health Care Cards in the student’s name will be accepted as it will be rejected by the CSEF system. Funds are paid to the school and will be automatically allocated to the Term Expenses unless otherwise stated by the parent at the start of the year.

COMPASS If you are requiring any assistance with Compass (logging-in, attendance, installing the App etc) please contact the office.

Some of you may be aware that there is a calendar on Compass that you can sync to your online calendar if you choose. It is the calendar icon on your dark blue reference bar on the top of your home page.

2019 Fees will be sent to parents on Friday via email and paper copy. Payments can be made via Compass online from Saturday 22 December 2018 and are due by Monday 28 January 2019. Please be advised there are alternative payment options for families who may be experiencing financial hardship or who would prefer a regular payment plan. Please contact me if you wish to discuss these arrangements.

​

Kind regards,

Lucy Addati

​

Dear Parents/Guardians

Please note the following changes attached in regards to the ordering procedure of school uniforms. My Uniforms has been taken over by A Plus Schoolwear therefore the new website is https://www.aplusschoolwear.com.au/Default.aspx

Thank you

Lucy

VIEWBANK PRIMARY PARENTS & FRIENDS END OF YEAR SOCIAL PARENTS DINNER - EVERYONE WELCOME!! All parents & friends of Viewbank Primary School are invited to an end of year celebration dinner at Kai Mook Thai Restaurant in Lower Plenty. Tuesday 4th December, 7:30pm. Please click here to see the menu for food and pricing options.

This is a great opportunity to get together with current and future friends to finish off the school year. Everyone welcome!

For restaurant booking purposes can you please indicate via Trybooking your intention to attend the dinner before November 25. CLICK HERE TO BOOK

Your help is needed...

ELECTION DAY SAUSAGE SIZZLE & BAKE SALE Viewbank Primary School are doing a fundraiser sausage sizzle and bake sale on Saturday November 24 in conjunction with the Election polling day. All money raised at this event will go towards future school improvements such as the oval area renovation.

We are looking for some bakers that can help fill the bake stall with some delicious homebaked goods.

Homebaked goods can be any type of home baked goods, such as cakes, muffins, slices, biscuits etc. that are ready (paper plates, boxes, plastic bags) for sale either whole plates or smaller/individually packaged goods. Goods cannot contain ingredients that require refrigeration (ie. fresh cream), as these facilities are not available. All items will need to be labeled with ingredients.

We are also seeking volunteers to help with the organising of the goods on Friday 23 and people to man the cake stall and sausage sizzle on Saturday 24.

If you are able to help in any way even an hour or two of your time or the donation of baked goods we would be very grateful for your support.

For any queries please contact (bake sale) Brooke - brooke@smoiled.com or (BBQ) Kim - kgraps@gmail.com or see the school office.

Thank you

P&F Committee

ICY POLE FRIDAY Students are able to buy icy poles over the counter at lunchtime. All icy poles cost $1.00 each. We are asking for parent helpers to assist with the sale of these icy poles on Fridays from 1pm to 1:30pm.

CONGRATULATIONS and thank you to all who were involved in this week’s music concerts! The response has been wonderful. Piano students kicked off with the first two performances on Monday and they delighted audiences. No thunderstorm or power failure could stop the following three concerts on Tuesday evening… thank goodness! The school was filled with music coming from the library (flute, guitar & ukulele), music room (strings) and singing from the science room. All performances were impressive, bringing smiles to audience members and a well-deserved sense of pride to the musicians. Thank you to all parents who support the music program at Viewbank Primary School.

Please email or text me your expression of interest to learn an instrument in 2019. Students wishing to continue with lessons next year can fill out the form below and return to the office, thank you. Please include in your email the students name, year level and chosen instrument (including voice). favrettogab@gmail.com or 0413 676 733

VPS CHESS CLUB 2019

Year 6 Graduation Tickets - Now on Sale (Year 6 Families Only) Preparations for the Year 6 Graduation for 2018 are continuing with the big night drawing closer! The Graduation is being held at the Viewbank College Performing Arts Centre, there will be a limit of 3 tickets per Year 6 family until December 3, after that date any remaining tickets will be open and available for purchase. Tickets are on sale at $10 each and can be purchased through TryBooking, https://www.trybooking.com/ZOAZ Please note that a ticket does not have to be bought for your Year 6 child. However, children over 3 will require a purchased ticket.

SCHOOL BANKING The last day of school banking REWARDS order is 30 Nov 2018. Students that have 10 tokens can order their rewards by 30 Nov 2018. Ps: Secret Scratch Notepad is out of stock

Big Group Hug would love it if we could collect some summer pyjamas, and some small items that could go into a bag for children in need. They have asked for pyjamas from size 2 – 14, small children’s toiletries such as shampoo, deodorant, lip balm or body wash. We are collecting new items rather than ‘used’ items this time.

We would love to fill our donations bin and we have emptied it so that it’s ready for all of your donations. The donations bin is kept in our room 3/4F room 18. The office will also accept your donations if you’re not sure where we are.

Drought Relief for Farmers Free Dress Day

On Friday the 23rd of November there will be a free dress day with a gold coin donation. We’re raising money to help farmers who are experiencing a long drought. Children can dress up as a farmer or a farm animal. The drought has affected parts of Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. Farmers are not able to produce the products Australia needs.

All money raised will go to “Drought Angels” who help farmers all around Australia.

Thanks for reading.

Sophie Nihill and Charlotte Nelson

Junior School Council

BOOK FAIR

Monday 19th November – Friday 23rd November 2018

8.30 – 9.00am and 3.30 – 4.00pm

Pay by Cash, EFTPOS, Credit Card

HATS ON From 1st September until 30th April school hats must be worn outside during all outside activities.

TRANSITION DATES Please download the below timeline for your future reference.

RUNNING GROUP Every Thursday from 8:15am on the oval, for any students in years 4-6. All abilities welcome. Pack a spare pair of socks/shoes in case the oval is damp. Hope to see you there!

Our Year 4 students having been growing plants to sell at a stall on election day. Don't forget to check it out when you vote!

Facility Hire Viewbank Primary School provides a venue for hire with kitchen facilities. Please submit a written application to the office, outlining the details of intended use via email at viewbank.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au Please note that conditions do apply. At the discretion of the school, venue costs may also be waived in some instances. All applications will be considered on a case by case basis

All Big Group Hug donations can be left in the Grade 3/4F classroom.