• Tuesday 23rd February, 2021 - School Photo Day (MSP Photography)

PUPIL FREE DAYS

• Friday 5th March, 2021

TERM DATES

• 2021 TERM 1: Wednesday 27th January Teachers start (All students start Thursday 28th January) - Thursday 1st April (2:30pm finish)
• 2021 TERM 2: Monday 19th April - Friday 25th June (2:30pm finish)
• 2021 TERM 3: Monday 12th July - Friday 17th September (2:30pm finish)
• 2021 TERM 4: Monday 4th October - Friday 17th December (1:30pm finish)

2021 CAMP DATES

• Year 3: Arrabri Lodge Camp - Wednesday 4th August to Friday 6th August
• Year 4: Anglesea Recreation Camp - Wednesday 19th May to Friday 21st May
• Year 5: Lady Northcote Recreation Camp - Tuesday 5th October to Friday 8th October
• Year 6: Canberra Camp - Monday 24th May to Friday 28th May

WELCOME A very warm welcome back, and first time welcome, to current and new Viewbank PS community members! I hope that everyone had a great festive season and New Year and had the opportunity to holiday, relax and recharge! You don’t need me to tell you 2020 was a huge challenge for everyone, and whilst the spectre of Covid still looms large, we all hope and pray for a year free of lockdowns and one vaguely approaching the pre-2020 normal.

We welcomed 89 new Prep/Foundation students at Viewbank PS today, along with more than 15 students and their families commencing at different grade levels across the school. We trust your stay with us will be a long and productive one.

We welcome back Marina Gourzelas and Kori Stuckey to Viewbank Primary School as they resume teaching after shortish periods of Family Leave. You will recall we bid farewell to Showji Ito and Lauren Beriman at the end of 2020, and again wish them well in their new postings. We also bid farewell to Meredith Kearney tomorrow. Meredith and husband Chris are excitedly awaiting the birth of their first child in just over a month. We wish them well as they take this next exciting step in their lives together.

In other staffing news, I am now in a position to confirm that our Assistant Principal, Patrick Walsh, has been appointed to an Acting Principal position at Research Primary School. We are, of course, delighted for Patrick as this role is well deserved, and the experience it affords him will be invaluable as he forges ahead in his career path. Patrick takes up this new role on February 18 and, all things being equal, he will return to us at the start of Term 4 as the vacancy is for just over two terms. Selfishly, his shoes will be hard to fill, and we will miss his talents, work ethic and wisdom over that time, but know that he is absolutely ready for the challenge!!. We have advertised his position at our school and will advise in due course of his replacement.

As always, Term 1 offers a number of highlights with ‘Getting To Know You’ interviews, Information Nights (virtual), School Swimming Trials, Foundation Family Welcome Picnic, Junior School Council Elections, School Council Elections, House Athletics and more. Understandably, much of this continues to be a bit of a ‘watch this space’ exercise. We continue to take our guidance from the Department Of Education and Training (DET) and the operational guidelines that are produced in determining what we are allowed and not allowed to do with regards Covid restrictions so more than ever before, we encourage you to keep informed by reading the newsletter religiously each week, bookmarking and visiting Compass and the school’s website frequently and asking any questions if still in doubt by contacting the General Office. A brief summary of the latest Operational Guidelines appears later in this newsletter.

Understanding the potential for ‘restrictions’, let’s assume all manner of potential positives. We encourage you to ‘get involved’ in any way you can this year (when possible) and, hopefully, this may include membership of any of the many sub-committees we have (Parents and Friends, Buildings and Grounds, Education, Engagement), membership of School Council (I will be calling for nominations in next week’s newsletter!), submitting an expression of interest to attend camps as a parent helper, attending working bees, being a ‘reading’ parent, and more.

NOTICES FOR APPROVAL Each year we distribute a form seeking blanket permission for students to undertake a range of activities – for example, permission to undertake local excursions within walking distance of the school, permission to publish photographs in the newsletter and so on. These permissions were added to Compass as part of the process when paying your school charges. If you did not complete your permissions online can you please contact the office within the next week.

SCHOOL COUNCIL The first School Council meeting for the year, and the last for this current School Council, will be held at school on Tuesday, February 9 from 7.00pm in the staffroom.

YARD SUPERVISION You will be aware that all of our staff are timetabled on for yard duty supervision at various times throughout the day. Supervision hours extend from 8.50am through to 3.40pm. Outside of those hours, if you cannot care for your child, we have an exemplary Out Of School Hours Care program (OSH Club) that can cater extremely well for your child’s supervision. At morning recess (11.00am-11.30am), there are 4 teachers on yard duty at any time proudly wearing that much sought after fashion accessory (the fluoro vest!!) for easy recognition by our students. Similarly at lunch time (1.10pm – 2.00pm) there are 4 teachers on duty. Before and after school we have two teachers on duty. In addition throughout the year, Grade 6 students are nominated, selected and trained to be peer mediators, which we think definitely contributes to the resolution of minor disputes and assists in a harmonious, bully-free playground environment.

STAFF CAR PARK A reminder that the school property on the Northern side of the turning circle is the designated staff car park, and it is not to be used for parent car parking. Access in and out is one- way, and parents flaunting this rule, particularly at the busy pick up and drop off times, compromise the safety of our students and others. Please adhere to this request!

MOBILE PHONE POLICY Just a reminder of our school’s mobile phone policy. Mobile phones and any device that may connect to or have a similar functionality to a mobile phone such as a smart watch, must not be used at Viewbank Primary School during school hours, including lunchtime and recess, unless an exception has been granted. Mobile phones owned by students at Viewbank Primary School are considered valuable items and are brought to school at the owner’s (student’s or parent/carer’s) risk. Students are encouraged not to bring a mobile phone to school unless there is a compelling reason to do so. Where students bring a mobile phone to school, Viewbank Primary School will provide secure storage. Secure storage is storage that cannot be readily accessed by those without permission to do so. At Viewbank Primary School students are required to store their phones. These should be handed in to the school administration office to be placed in a lockable cupboard. Classroom teachers will assist in ensuring this policy is enforced. Students who use their personal mobile phones inappropriately at Viewbank Primary School may be issued with consequences consistent with our school’s existing Student Wellbeing and Engagement Policy.

COVID RESTRICTIONS AND DET/LOCAL OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES As we return to school, it is extremely important to note that, largely, the local arrangements that were in place at the end of 2020 continue to be in operation. Summarily, these are as follows:-

We continue to need to adapt, modify or defer higher-risk activities. Physical distancing should be encouraged where possible and density limits implemented in office spaces and areas generally accessed by the public, such as reception. This density limit of 1 person per 2 square metres is to be applied to any spaces and activities being attended by parent/carers and other visitors. The density limit applies to all persons in the space, including students.

Based on this advice, at this stage, school assemblies will NOT be open for parents to attend as we cannot adhere to the density requirements in our school gymnasium. This information and arrangement will be reviewed based on any changes to the DETs Operational Guidelines. The same guidance will apply to our 2021 Information Nights which means that these will be held remotely, or via information disseminated through Compass or email. Parents wishing to visit the school office, or seek an interview or conversation will need to call ahead or email and book an appointment time. At this stage, as much as we love parent helpers, there is no provision for this involvement until the guidelines are relaxed further. We ask that parents do not enter the school buildings, unless approval has been given.

We DO anticipate that ‘Getting To Know You’ Interviews will proceed in Week 3. More advice on these can be found later in the school newsletter.

Kind regards,

Bill Kersing

Principal

Welcome to the 2021 school year to all our new and returning students and families. I hope everyone managed to have a safe and relaxing holiday break.

There was a real buzz around the school today as the students arrived and settled into their classes. I’m sure there were a few nerves but most students bravely headed into class, ready to meet up with their new teacher and classmates and check out their classroom.

Congratulations to all our new Foundation students who finally got to put on their uniform and come to school for their very first day. I'm sure they will have lots to tell you each day as they settle in at Viewbank.

I look forward to meeting our Foundation families at our Foundation Welcome Picnic next Tuesday afternoon from 4.30-6.30pm in the school courtyard.

Annual privacy reminder Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

Please take time to remind yourself of the school’s collection statement, found on our website.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in nine community languages:

I very much look forward to catching up with you all in the coming weeks.

Be kind and caring

Mrs Nicholls

Welcome back! Welcome back everyone. Welcome to our new families and 2021 Foundation families!

I hope you had a great Christmas and New Year, and that you have managed to keep safe and cool during the past few weeks.

It was great to see and hear the buzz around the school this morning, the students were obviously excited to see each other, but it was also fabulous to see the parents reconnecting with each other again.

Getting To Know You Interviews The 2021 ‘Getting to Know You Interviews’ are being held on Tuesday 9th and Thursday 11th February. These 10-minute meetings are an excellent opportunity for you to share important information regarding your child, information that will help the classroom teacher best support them to ensure that they can succeed after a challenging 2020. As it is very early in the year, the teacher will be able to provide information on how your child has settled into their 2021 class, as well as some preliminary information regarding initial academic performance. A comprehensive report and interview regarding academic and social progress will be offered mid-year.

The teachers do their best to ensure that the interviews are completed in the allocated time. However, at times, interviews may run longer than expected. Please try to be understanding. If you have more than one child at Viewbank PS, it would be helpful to have at least a 10 minute ‘break’ between each interview.

The booking system will be open via Compass on Tuesday the 2nd February at approximately 11am and will close to further bookings on Monday 8th at 12pm. If you have any difficulties booking a time, feel free to contact the Office.

I would like to thank the teachers for giving up their evenings with their families and other commitments on these nights. Our staff do this because they recognise the importance of a strong school-home relationship, and that they value your input. We are fortunate to have such committed teachers and support staff at Viewbank PS!

Student accident insurance, ambulance cover arrangements and private property brought to school Please be aware that the Department of Education and Training (DET) does NOT provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents and guardians of students who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance or transport, as well as any other transport costs. Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and DET does not accept responsibility for loss or damage. This can include mobile phones, ‘wearables’, toys, sporting equipment, bikes and scooters, and cars parked on school premises.

Swimming Trials For our students in Grades 3 to 6, the Viewbank Primary School Swimming Trials are scheduled to be held on Monday 8th February at WaterMarc in Greensborough. All families with children in Grades 3-6 will be receiving some information about this shortly. If you do not want your child to participate in these trials, you do not need to do anything. For those of you with children who do want to participate, please ensure you read all the information carefully and meet the timelines provided.

Student Wellbeing and Mental Health The transition back to school, and into a new school, can be a challenging time for children and parents! The following are some tips to help you get back into the swing of things in 2021!

• Set a regular bed time / sleep routine
• Turn technology off at least 1 hour before bed
• Establish a homework routine (for reading, tasks etc)
• Eat a healthy breakfast
• Give yourself a few extra minutes in the morning to get ready and out the door
• Make lunches the evening before
• Be positive about the return to school.

Does your child have some reservations about returning to school?

• Talk to your child, empathise
• Be a detective - attempt to find out the reason for reservations
• Remind your child of the friends they have at school
• Make sure your child knows where they will be picked up from, or what time you will be home
• Talk to your child’s teacher.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Patrick

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.

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.

Thank you

Lucy Addati

Business Manager

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SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALE - Every Friday 8:30am to 9am, 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 2021 Can all students who would like to join or continue to participate in our school instrumental music programs in 2021 please inform the relevant teacher below of your expression of interest.

SINGING WITH GABRIELLA - Gabriella

• Email: favrettogab@gmail.com
• Phone: 0413 676 733

STRINGS WITH MR CAI - Gabriella

• Email: favrettogab@gmail.com
• Phone: 0413 676 733

GUITAR/BASS GUITAR - Alec

• Email: alec.stalder@gmail.com
• Phone: 0422 690 842

PIANO/KEYBOARD - Ella

• Email: ellac.blackburn@gmail.com
• Phone: 0410 938 840

DRUMS - James

• Email: orangejimmy@gmail.com
• Phone: 0405 845 628

There are some similarities between the symptoms of hay fever or allergies and coronavirus that may make it difficult to distinguish without a test. If you are experiencing ANY of the below – no matter how mild – get tested ⤵️

🤒Fever

😰Chills or sweats

🤧Cough

🥵Sore throat

💨Shortness of breath

💧Runny nose

👃Loss of sense of smell or taste

Don’t assume your symptoms are ‘just allergies’ – get tested and know for sure. Find your nearest testing location: https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/getting-tested #EveryTestCounts

More info about hay fever and coronavirus (COVID19): https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/seasonal-hayfever-and-asthma-covid-19

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