Friday 23rd August - Pupil Free Day / SKATERZ Fundraising Day Activity

Monday 26th August - Remaining VMTV Production Tickets Go On sale

Wednesday 28th August - JSC Daffodil Day (free dress - gold coin donation)

Monday 2nd September - The Resilience Project (parents)

Thursday 5th September - School Production VMTV (matinee and evening)

Friday 6th September - School Production VMTV (matinee and evening)

Tuesday 17th September - Walkathon Fundraiser

Friday 20th September - JSC Footy Colours Day / Special Lunch Order Day

Friday 18th October – Student Disco

Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th October - Vision Portraits

PUPIL FREE DAYS

• Friday August 23, 2019
• Monday December 16, 2019
• Tuesday January 28th, 2020
• Wednesday January 29th, 2020
• Two extra days yet to be confirmed in 2020

TERM DATES

• 2019 TERM 3: Monday 15th July - Friday 20th September (2:30pm finish)
• 2019 TERM 4: Monday 7th October - Thursday 20th December (1:30pm finish)
• 2020 TERM 1: Tuesday 28th January - Teachers start (All students start Thursday 30th January) - Friday 27th March (2:30pm finish)
• 2020 TERM 2: Tuesday 14th April - Friday 26th June (2:30pm finish)
• 2020 TERM 3: Monday 13th July - Friday 18th September (2:30pm finish)
• 2020 TERM 4: Monday 5th October - Friday 18th December (1:30pm finish)

CAMP DATES

• Year 3: Arrabri Lodge Camp (Mon 05Aug to Wed 07Aug 2019)
• Year 5: Lady Northcote Recreation Camp (Tue 08Oct to Fri 11Oct 2019)
• Year 6: Canberra Camp (Mon 14May to Fri 18May 2020)
• Year 4: Anglesea Recreation Camp (Wed 27May to Wed 29May 2020)
• Year 3: Arrabri Lodge Camp (Mon 27July to Wed 29July 2020)
• Year 5: Lady Northcote Recreation Camp (Tue 06Oct to Fri 09Oct 2020)

WORKING BEE THANK YOU Many thanks to all who attended the working bee last Saturday. I was unavailable, but have been led to believe that attendance was good and much work was completed. The Buildings and Grounds Committee is a very hard-working and connected one, and I, for one, enjoy the meetings and conversations had in planning for the long term development of the school grounds. Being a member of that committee, I recognise and know better than most the extraordinary amount of time and effort that is contributed ‘behind the scenes’. To each member of the committee, and on behalf of the school community, thank you so much for everything you do.

PUPIL FREE DAY Tomorrow is a pupil free day, so enjoy the ‘long weekend’! Full day care is available from OSHClub.

STORAGE SOLUTIONS In Semester 2 next year, we pack up everything in the Northern Classrooms (including furniture, air conditioners, cabinetry, ovens, hot water units, whiteboards and more), and most things will need to go into storage for 6 months. Whilst the storage solutions will probably have to be Storage King, or shipping containers left up on the staff car park site, this is a shout out to anyone who has an alternative and creative solution (I’m thinking a contact who has spare warehouse or factory space looking for additional income or ….) If you are the person with the creative storage solution, myself, Gill or Patrick would love to hear from you!

STEM NIGHT Congratulations to Angela Roccasalva, Nat Carr and their loyal band of supporters for putting on a wonderful STEM Family night last Thursday. Judging by the large attendance, and the fun and engagement readily observed, the evening was a great success.

SCHOOL PRODUCTION Not long now until VMTV hits the airwaves. Don’t forget to get your tickets via Trybooking, and to keep updated with any last minute news about the event via Compass.

FOUNDATION TRANSITION The next 2020 Foundation Transition event is Maths Land, scheduled for Thursday August 29 from 9.30am.

GRANTS WRITING We have had much success this year, (largely due to the expert writing and quote attaining skills of Neralie Cadusch and Bec Deighton), in receiving grants for various projects and more than $40,000 has been awarded to fund the Gallipoli Oak project, and oval redevelopment, among others. There is a plethora of possible grants out there, and the opportunity for other community members with the same skill set as Neralie and Bec to assist our school. So …. If you do have a few hours spare, a talent to put together a submission on behalf of the school and a willingness to make our school even better, please let myself, Patrick or Gill know at your earliest convenience. Thank you.

That’s it for me this week.

Kind regards,

Bill Kersing

Principal

Book Week Celebrations It was wonderful to see the amazing costumes on show at our Book Week parade on Wednesday morning. There was definitely much excitement and lots of fun to be had as the students and staff joined to celebrate literature. Thank you to our fabulous school community for getting on board. Thanks to Meredith Collins and Louise Buissink for organising the activities across the day and to our high-energy parade compares Kelsey and Jess.

ASSISTING YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING

Helping your child to read: Year 3 – Year 6

Here are some tips to encourage reading:

• It is recommended that you continue to read together in the later primary years, even if your child is reading independently.
• Take your child to the local library often so they can choose, borrow and renew books. Taking your child to the library at the beginning of school holidays encourages weeks of independent reading.
• Encourage your child to borrow from their school library as well.
• If your child likes an author, find another book or a series of books by the same author.
• Encourage your child to read about their favourite author or illustrator at their website.
• Introduce your child to read different genres such as fantasy, science-fiction, action and adventure.
• Introduce your child to reading different types of texts, such as poems, music lyrics, and short plays.
• Encourage your child to read non-fiction. The newspaper or an online encyclopedia might be a good start, but your child might also be interested in history books or autobiographies of their favourite sportsperson or celebrity.
• Encourage your child to use a dictionary to look up words they might not understand.
• Allow your child to play age-appropriate video games that require reading.
• Encourage your child to join the Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge, which runs each year from March to September.

Book Chat Book chat is an important strategy to help your child to reflect more deeply on the content and meaning of their favourite books. In the previous section, Birth to Year 2, Literacy, book chat questions related mainly to recalling information on plot and character.

These questions are still very important to ask when your child is in primary school. As your child moves through primary school, add more questions when discussing the book you are reading together, or when discussing the book your child is reading independently.

Some further questions might include:

• Does the main character change in the story? How does the character change?
• If you could change the ending of this book, what would it be?
• What do you think is the story’s main message?
• What is your opinion about the story’s main message?
• Can you relate the story or message to another event or issue?
• How could other people see it differently?

Next week: Helping your child to write – Birth - Year 2

Have a great week,

Gill Nicholls

School Values Update The students have now finished having their input into the future of School Values of Viewbank Primary School. It is now the parents’ turn! Please go to this link https://forms.gle/n52toJxQuNzH79NP8 , select the grade of your eldest child, then select up to 6 values (click the check box). If you select more than 6, the 7th onwards will not be considered. Please note, this should take less than 1 minute to complete – image below of the entire survey.

Some parents have been approached by students earlier this week, if this was you, can we ask that you do not submit another response. The results of the parents survey will be collated and presented to the School Council in the last week of term and then to the parent community early in Term 4.

The Resilience Project Just a reminder to book your spot for The Resilience Project parent session on Monday 2nd September. We realise that this is also in concert week and is an extra night out. However, we think that sessions such as this, and the work done at school, is vital to the mental health and well-being of our students. While much of the session is the same as the students, there will be some ‘adult-only’ content (not said to the students). To help ensure we have catered for all who would like to attend, we are asking you to ‘book’ your spot. As of the 21st August, we have over 125 parents booked in!

Please book your spot at https://www.trybooking.com/BESGC

Parent Tips This week is from the Department of Education

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/child-development/Pages/making-keeping-friends.aspx

Making and keeping friends Making friends is an important part of your child’s development. Friends are people that your child can:

• talk to
• share things with
• confide in.

Strong friendships allow children to grow into well-adjusted adults with strong social skills.

The role of friends Parents and friends play a different role in the life of a child.

You can help your child to make long-term decisions about things like their values and morals.

Your child’s friends are more likely to influence their short-term choices. This could include:

• the way they dress
• their hobbies
• the things they like to do in their spare time.

Talk to your child about their friends Your child’s friendship's can often change.

It is the quality of friends that your child has that is important, not the number. Whether your child has one special friend or many friends isn’t the issue. As long as they are happy and content they’ll do fine. Sometimes your child will argue with their friends. Not all arguments are bad. They are an important part of growing up.

Talk to your child about:

• what things they like to do with their friends
• the things they like about their friends
• the ways your child could show their friends how much they mean to them
• how their friendships are going. If there are problems this gives your child a chance to talk to you about them.

Listen to your child and use open-ended questions. These are questions that can't be answered with a simple yes or no.

Talk to your child about your friends Talking to your child about your own friends and friendship history. This shows them how to be a friend and have friends.

Use examples and explain to your child the time and effort you put into your own friendships

Talk about forgiveness Sometimes friends do things that upset us. This doesn’t mean the friendship has to end. Understanding that everyone makes mistakes is an important lesson to learn.

Help your child make friends Friendships are usually made between people who have the same interests. Making friends can take time.

Some children find it easy to make friends. Others find it difficult. You know your child best.

If you know your child is nervous or shy when making friends difficult, you can encourage them to:

• say hello and smile
• look for another child who seems shy and talk to them
• ask questions to start a conversation, like what school did you go to last year or do you like maths, music, running?
• listen to other children when they are talking and find out if they have things in common.

You can also support your child’s interests and get them involved in clubs or groups. This means they can make friends with children outside of school too.

Social media and friendships The internet lets young people make friends in new ways. Friendships made through social media are different from real-life friendships. These friendships let your child:

• talk about sensitive issues without feeling judged
• experiment with their identity in an anonymous way.

Make sure your child is staying safe. Pay attention to their online friendships and social media activity.

Friendships and moving to secondary school Friends help each other make the move from primary to secondary school easier. Your child will have made strong friendships at primary school. Your child might want to stay with their friends and go to the same secondary school. They might choose to go to a different school.

You can help your child keep their current friends and make new friends at their new school. Friendships need time, attention and trust if they are going to last. You should encourage your child to spend quality time with their new and old friends.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Patrick

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TICKETS NOW ON SALE - 2019 Viewbank Primary School Production - VMTV

Tickets for this years school production "VMTV" are now on sale via TryBooking

Venue: Planetshakers Theatre, 360 Main Road, Lower Plenty

Cost: All tickets $20.00 *Please be advised that there is a 50 cent Trybooking fee per seat

Dates:

• Thursday 5th September, 2019 - 12.00pm (A - K)
• Thursday 5th September, 2019 - 7.00pm (A - K)
• Friday 6th September, 2019 - 12.00pm (L - Z)
• Friday 6th September, 2019 - 7:00pm (L - Z)

For all ticketing enquiries, please contact the school office on 9459 1512

Tickets are limited to 2 per family for the evening performances. Matinee tickets are unlimited.

All remaining unsold tickets will go on sale on Monday 26th August (unlimited)

All performances will go for approximately 2 hours

https://www.trybooking.com/BEIWY

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Save the Dates!

• Friday 23rd August - Skaterz Curriculum Day (more information later in the newsletter)
• Friday 20th September – Footy Colours / Pie Day
• Friday 18th October – Student Disco
• Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th October - Vision Portraits

Next meeting Our next meeting is ‘pencilled’ in as a dinner meeting on Tuesday 10th September at Kai Mook Thai Restaurant in Lower Plenty. All are welcome to join us.

FATHERS' DAY STALL Big thanks to the wonderful Parents and Grandparents who helped on Tuesday with the Stall and also those who helped with all the preparation.

These events can't happen without your help! Thanks also to all the teachers and office staff who help make it run smoothly.

If you need to collect any IOUs you can do so at the office.

Thanks Carol and Sarina

Ordering information on our Footy Special Lunch Day will be sent home via Compass next week.

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.

STRINGS, DRUM KIT, GUITAR, UKULELE, FLUTE, SINGING, KEYBOARD AND PIANO

Information and “Expression of Interest” forms are available at the general office. Alternatively, you may contact Gabriella on 0413 676 733 or gabriella@the.inter.net.au

Daffodil Day at Viewbank Primary School Daffodil Day at Viewbank Primary School Sadly, cancer affects us all. This year the Junior School Council have decided to continue to support the Cancer Council and Daffodil Day. We will be holding an out of uniform day on Wednesday 28th August when we would encourage students to wear something yellow to school! We will be asking for a gold coin donation and all proceeds will go directly to the Cancer Council. We will also be selling merchandise in front of the gymnasium on the day for a gold coin donation. The money that we earn will go towards making breakthroughs in lifesaving cancer treatment.

Thank you

Junior School Council

Dear Parents,

In order to keep our students safe whilst on line, we will be attaching some resources for your information. We encourage you to discuss these with your children - particularly the grade 5 and 6 students who have their own iPads. We have obtained the Information sheets from The Carly Ryan Foundation. The Carly Ryan Foundation is a certified online safety program provider under the Office of the eSafety Commissioner and delivers online safety and healthy relationship seminars to students and parents. The organisation also provides a range of services and support in the areas of internet safety and crime, cyberbullying, connection to resources and counselling and contributing to law and policy reform.

The Carly Ryan Foundation have very generously allowed us to use their Information sheets on a variety of apps that our students may or may not be aware of. The information sheets point out the concerns/challenges surrounding each app and give information on how to set up each app so that our student’s information is completely private. Of course if you are concerned about any app your child is using - DELETE! We will attach a couple of information sheets each week for your information. We are organising for The Carly Ryan Foundation to present to our grade 5 and 6 students and parents in 2020 so keep watching for more information on this.

For more information please use the attached link: https://www.carlyryanfoundation.com

Foundation — Royce, Emmanuella, Elliot, Survir & Arya

Year 1 & 2 — May, Lachlan, Zachary, Louis, Jaeden, Alex, Harry, Wensy, Grace & Whole 1G Class

Year 3 & 4 — Penelope, Sidharth, Shaun, Grace, Bruce & Gary

Year 5 & 6 — Rohan, Holly, Adam, Faith, Annie, Lachlan & Whole 6T Class

Psychology service for students at Viewbank Primary School This is just a reminder about our new psychology service that may be of use to you - DBT in Schools.

Areas that DBT in Schools can help with (from http://dbtinschools.com.au/individual-therapy/):

• emotional stress such as depression and anxiety
• grief and sadness
• bullying
• sexuality issues
• substance abuse issues
• trauma
• family breakdown or parent problems, or
• friendship and relationship issues

If you would like any more information and may like to access this service, please contact the school (9459 1512) or send an email to viewbank.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

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

SCHOOL BANKING Don’t forget to hand your bankbooks into your class teacher every Tuesday for banking.

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!

SCHOOL CHOIR Every Wednesdays, 8.30, in the Music room. Everyone from Year 2 to 6 are welcome!

The program is scheduled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Of course, volunteers are essential to the success of the program, so we are always looking for anybody willing to work with a small group, in the kitchen or garden. You do not need to be a ‘masterchef’ or have a green thumb! Enthusiasm is the only requirement. If you are interested in volunteering, please complete the Volunteer Information form and return it to the school office. Once you have completed the form please book in to volunteer via one of the program staff.