- Monday 5th October - Term 4 commences for all students via remote learning
- Monday 12th October - Foundation to Grade 6 students to return to onsite schooling
- Friday 23rd October - Victorian Public Holiday
- Tuesday 3rd November - Victorian Public Holiday
- Friday 18th December - Last day of Term 4 (1:30pm finish)
PUPIL FREE DAYS
- Monday 2nd November, 2020
TERM DATES
- 2020 TERM 4: Monday 5th October - Friday 18th December (1:30pm finish)
- 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 - Monday 17th May to Wednesday 19th 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
Dear parents and carers
On behalf of our school, I want to say a big thank you to all our students, parents and carers for your continued resilience and support throughout this year. I know remote and flexible learning has not always been easy, but through our collective efforts, our students have continued to make valuable progress in their learning. You can be confident that our school will support any student who has fallen behind to catch up.
Term 4 is important for every Victorian student, and our teachers will strive to deliver high-quality learning for everyone. Whether we’re teaching remotely or face-to-face, our focus for Term 4 is on making sure that every student is supported in their wellbeing, learning and transition needs.
The Victorian Government has outlined the staged return to on-site schooling for all students as part of its gradual roadmap towards reopening.
Term 4 on-site schooling arrangements for students
Following advice of the Victorian Chief Health Officer, the Victorian Government has released a staged approach for students to return to on-site schooling.
The purpose of the plan is to get students back in the classroom as soon and as safely as possible without putting at risk all that has been achieved through the period of restrictions to reduce the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
For our school, the following arrangements apply:
5–9 October (first week of Term 4)
- remote and flexible learning will continue for all students
- on-site supervision for children of permitted workers and vulnerable students will continue to be provided, consistent with existing guidelines.
From 12 October (second week of Term 4)
- students in Prep to Grade 6 will return to on-site schooling. The existing remote learning program will not continue for these year levels. ALL GRADE LEVELS RETURN TO SCHOOL ON MONDAY
Outside school hours care and vacation care During the staged return, outside school hours care will be available to students attending for on-site supervision and then available for all students as per normal.
Health and safety measures The Term 3 remote and flexible learning arrangements were put in place to significantly reduce the movement of more than one million students and their families across Victoria, to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Thanks to you and your family for contributing to this on behalf of our school community.
As on-site schooling resumes, we will continue to have in place strong measures to protect the health and safety of students, staff, families and the community. This includes staggering start and finish times and recess and lunch breaks, restricting parent access to school grounds and continued emphasis on hand hygiene and physical distancing where possible.
Please give particular attention to reducing the risks associated with congregation at school gates and taking steps to contribute to physical distancing within the school.
Please be assured we will be focused on three key priorities in Term 4:
Mental health and wellbeing Our highest priority will be the wellbeing, particularly the mental health, of every student and member of staff. This means effectively mobilising all available resources to support our most vulnerable students and enabling staff to access the relevant support services.
Learning and excellence Some of our students have thrived in the remote and flexible learning environment, others have maintained their learning progress, and some have fallen behind, despite their best efforts and those of their families and teachers. Our priority will be supporting both those who need it to catch up and those who have progressed to continue to extend their learning.
Transitions We will make every effort to ensure successful transitions for children moving from kindergarten into Prep and the Grade 6s moving into Year 7.
We know some families are worried that their child may have to repeat a year due to the disruptions of coronavirus (COVID-19). There is little evidence to support the benefits of repeating a year to catch up. Instead, we will use teaching strategies that draw on the best evidence available to help students meet their learning needs.
Parents, families and carers can be confident that the best option for almost every child is to stay with their peer group, whether that is moving from kindergarten into Prep, moving from Grade 6 into Year 7 at secondary school, or students moving up any year level in between.
Our school, working with you, has shown it can be flexible and adaptable in responding to the challenges of coronavirus (COVID-19) and will continue to meet student needs as we look towards the end of the 2020 school year and ahead to 2021.
Kind regards
Bill Kersing, Gill Nicholls and Patrick Walsh
Principal Class
New Term 4 School Crossing Supervision Times
- 8:30am to 9:15am
- 3:00pm to 3:45pm
Late Arrivals The gates will be locked at 9.20am, if you arrive after this time please go to the Main Gate, Gate 1 on Nevin Parade and call the office and a staff member will meet your child at the gate.
Early Leavers If you need to collect your child early please call the office and a staff member will arrange for your child to meet you at the Main Gate, Gate 1 on Nevin Parade.
Classroom Cuisine Classroom Cuisine lunch orders will not be offered at school for the remainder of this year.
Thank you
Lucy Addati
Business Manager
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It's time to start looking for all those books you borrowed way back at the start of the year or when you were last at school. The Library will reopen next week. There will be weekly class borrowing sessions and rostered days for lunchtime borrowing. We will follow our COVID safe procedures by hand sanitising on entry, restricting numbers and not shelving or reborrowing returned items until the next day.
Book Club is on again in Term 4. The Issue 7 catalogue is at school waiting for you. Your order will be delivered to school, but you must place you order online. We do not accept money for Book Club orders at school. All orders must be made by Wednesday 28th October but avoid disappointment.
Book Week in on 19th - 24th October. The winners of this year's Shortlisted books will be announced online. Due to COVID restrictions, there will not be a whole school Book Parade this year. That doesn't mean we will not celebrate our love of books in other ways. Keep your eyes open for more information next week.
Notices will be sent home next week to remind students of which books they have on loan. Please make a genuine effort to bring your books back to school so other people can enjoy them.
I look forward to seeing you in the Library very soon.
Mrs Buissink
2021 TRANSITION PROGRAM We are still accepting enrolment forms. Please email your enrolment form or drop it to us at the school.
PHONE NUMBER: 0448 075 422
EMAIL: viewbank@oshclub.com.au
Uniforms can be purchased online at www.aplusschoolwear.com.au with one of three delivery options:
- Free collection in store during trading hours
- Postage to address of customer’s choosing, at $12.50 for two items or less, or $17.50 for three items or more
- Free delivery to school, to an existing student at Viewbank Primary. Please note, this option is not available if the customer does not already have a student at the school