Thursday 26th July - Communications sub-committee meeting 7pm
Tuesday 31st July - Building & Grounds Committee meeting 7pm
Wednesday 8th August - Year 6 Graduation Photo to be taken
Thursday 16th August - Special Lunch Day (Hot Dogs)
Friday 24th August - Fathers Day Stall
Thursday 30th August - Cybersafety parent session 6:30pm
Thursday 13th September - Footy Day Special Lunch Day (Pie/Sausage roll)
Annual Working Bees — Saturday August 18 (Term 3), Saturday November 3 (Term 4)
PUPIL FREE DAYS — Monday December 17
TERM DATES — TERM 3: Monday 16 July - Friday 21 September, TERM 4: Monday 8 October - Friday 21 December
CAMP DATES — Year 5 Lady Northcote Camp 9 - 12 October, Year 3 Arrabri Lodge Camp 29 - 31 October.
CYBERSAFETY NIGHT I would like to provide advance notice that we are holding a parent Cybersafety session at school on Thursday, August 30 at 6.30pm. The session will be conducted by Detective Tracey Porter, a detective specialising in cybercrime with 28 years experience in law enforcement. Tracey, a mother of three, is well versed in providing a broad overview of online dangers and safety best practice for children and parents, both from an ‘expert’ stance and as a parent. The parent session will included topics on age restrictions for Apps, cyber bullying, online social networking, online grooming and gaming. In upcoming weeks we will be seeking indications of numbers attending, but would love you to strongly consider coming along, and certainly ask you to put the date in your diary.
PARENT OPINION SURVEY Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents think of our school. The Parent Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is conducted amongst a sample of randomly selected parents. It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of parents’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour and student engagement. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies. Last year, we sent the survey out to over 210 families and received 28 responses! We would REALLY appreciate a response if you are polled! Approximately 40 per cent of parents will be invited to participate in this year’s survey. All responses to the survey are anonymous. This year the Parent Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 30th July to Sunday 26th August. The survey will be conducted online, only takes 10-15 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek. The survey results will be reported back to the school at the end of September. Please speak to your child’s teacher, myself or Gill Nicholls if you would like more information.
BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS MEETING The next meeting of the Buildings and Grounds Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, July 31 at 7pm in the staffroom.
STEPHANIE ALEXANDER KITCHEN GARDEN PROGRAM (SAKGP) Many thanks to the team for the time and effort spent at the Bunnings Eltham Sausage Sizzle last Saturday. Monies raised will go towards a new oven in the SAKGP kitchen!
Have a great weekend.
Kind regards,
Bill Kersing
Principal
UNSW ENGLISH ASSESSMENT Just a reminder that the UNSW ICAS assessment for English will take place next Tuesday 31st July between 9.00-11.00am, for those students who have previously enrolled.
ASSISTING YOUR CHILD AT HOME Parents often ask what they can do with their child at home to support and promote the development of literacy and numeracy. The Department of Education and Training has released a wonderful booklet titled: Literacy and Numeracy Tips to help your child every day: A guide for parents of children aged 0-12. Click here to access the booklet. This booklet provides handy tips and ways parents can help their child develop literacy and numeracy skills. It provides fun, inexpensive, accessible and practical activities that parents can do with their child at home. The booklet also provides questions parents can ask their child to help them learn. Doing these practical activities will help children develop excellent reading and writing skills, and help them speak well and be a good listener. Through everyday activities at home parents can also help their child to develop numeracy skills, such as calculating and using numbers, recognising patterns, and using language to develop mathematical understanding. These literacy and numeracy activities are excellent opportunities for parents to model key learning values such as enthusiasm, persistence and curiosity.
NATIONALLY CONSISTENT COLLECTION of DATA What is the NCCD? The Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (the national data collection) is an annual collection that counts the number of school students receiving an adjustment due to disability and the level of adjustment they are receiving to access education on the same basis as other students. The national data collection ensures that, for the first time, information about students with disability is transparent, consistent and reliable at a national level. From 2018, the student with disability loading provided by the Australian Government is based on the national data collection.
CLASSROOM CUISINE LUNCH ORDERS Classroom Cuisine lunch orders are delivered to our school each Monday, Wednesday and Friday. All the lunches are packed into plastic tubs that contain a layer of frozen ice pack cooling. The tubs are delivered to our school around midday to the foyer of the gym. The lunches remain in the cooled tubs until they are organised for collection by senior students at 12.45pm. This is the approved lunch distribution process followed by Classroom Cuisine for all their schools and meets the food distribution guidelines.
Have a great week
Gill Nicholls
SCHOOL ABSENCES We have commenced sending text messages for unexplained absences. Could parents please record your child/ren’s absence on Compass to avoid being contacted by the school. This process is very time consuming for the office staff and we would appreciate your cooperation with this new requirement by the Department of Education.
TERM EXPENSES Term 3 expenses have been posted on Compass and are overdue. Please note that some year levels will have an extra inquiry activity which will involve an additional cost from the term expenses.
Kind regards
Lucy Addati
Business Manager
ENTERTAINMENT BOOK AND DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP Purchase your Entertainment Membership NOW to help Viewbank Primary School raise much needed funds! Viewbank Primary School are again fundraising with the very popular Entertainment Book or Digital Membership. You'll receive hundreds of valuable offers for everything you love to do, and help our fundraising at the same time. Hurry, Entertainment Memberships sell out quickly.
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.
BOOK CLUB Issue 5 catalogues have sent home this week. All orders are due by Wednesday 8th of August. Every dollar you spend earns points to buy more books for the Library. Thank you for your support.
Planet Ark’s School Tree Day at VPS On Wednesday 25th of July all of the Year 1 students at Viewbank Primary School participated in Planet Ark’s National Schools Tree Day.
What is National Tree Day and Schools Tree Day? National Schools Tree Day, proudly sponsored by Toyota, make up Australia’s biggest community nature protection event. Each year hundreds of thousands of people plant around a million seedlings, and restore many thousands of hectares of unique Australian landscape to enable local native plants & animals to flourish. National Tree Day is a “call to action” to all Australians to get involved in volunteering to help protect and preserve their local environment. Many volunteers are encouraged by the fact that Tree Day is a national event. By joining together with the rest of the country, the volunteers are able to measure the significant environmental impact of all their combined efforts across Australia.
The Year 1s, lead by the Tree Group Action Team worked well to plant new native shrubs and ground covers in our school grounds. We ask that we give these plants the best possible chance to grow by not standing on them or walking over them.
We would also like to acknowledge Bulleen Art & Garden and Eltham Bunnings as community minded businesses who have joined us to make this project possible. It was great working alongside Bec and Mick from Bunnings on the day as well as our school gardener, Dani.
BAT TENNIS BATS There is an opportunity for students to purchase a bat tennis bat. In the past students have used them at recess/lunch time and inter school sports. All bats are the same size, shape, design (they are all natural pine). The cost is $11 per bat. Please email expressions of interest and number of bats required to the school by next Wednesday 25th July. Payment options and delivery dates will be advised once numbers are finalised. viewbank.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au
TRANSITION DATES Please download the below timeline for your future reference.
HATS ON From 1st September until 30th April school hats must be worn outside during all outside activities.
SEMESTER 2 INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC Students are invited to join the Instrumental Music Program in Term 3. Lessons (limited places) are available for the following instruments:
- Violin and Cello – Prep to 6
- Drum Kit – Years 2 to 6
- Flute – Years 2 to 6
- Singing – Some places available Years 2 to 6
SCHOOL CHOIR Every Wednesdays, 8.30, in the Music room. Everyone Welcome!
Interested in communication and marketing? Then come and join the **BRAND NEW** Communications sub-committee once a term to assist in planning communications strategies for better flow of information between school administration and the school community.
First meeting: Thursday 26th July at 7pm.
Venue: School staff room (opposite the school office).
Chair: Kate Ryan (Parent) for first meeting
If you are unable to attend but would like to register your interest to attend the next meeting, please email ryan.kate.k@edumail.vic.gov.au
Kind Regards
Kate
THE PIONEER CAFE - 2 Station Rd, Rosanna VIC 3084
The AGC will be visiting Viewbank Primary School on Monday August 13, 1pm
All Big Group Hug donations can be left in the Grade 3/4F classroom.