Friday 1st March - Second Hand Uniform Sale, 8:30am -9am (Next to the music room)
Monday 4th March - Hot Lunch Day Orders Due - ORDER NOW
Thursday 7th March - Hot Lunch Day - Sausage/Cookie/Drink
Friday 8th March - Second Hand Uniform Sale, 8:30am -9am (Next to the music room)
Monday 11th March - Labor Day Public Holiday (No School)
Wednesday 13th March - Athletics Day, Year 3 to 6
Saturday 4th May - Parent Fundraising Event - Disco Bingo (Save the date).
TERM DATES
- 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)
SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS You will have seen a COMPASS message on Monday outlining the School Council election process, and received two ballot papers and candidates statements on that same day. As mentioned, we had eight nominations for five parent vacancies, thus forcing an election. EACH parent of a child at school is entitled to vote in this election, with all votes to be received by 4pm on Monday, March 4. These will be counted on Tuesday, March 5 and the successful candidates will be advised as soon as possible on that day. Nice to have such strong interest in being on our School Council.
SUCCESSFUL GRANT APPLICATIONS I am very happy to report that we were informed late last week that we were successful in being awarded a Banyule Greensborough RSL Trust Grant to the value of $10,915. The grant has been allocated for a Gallipoli Tree memorial landscaping project, with the landscaping to enhance the area where our Gallipoli Oak was planted in April 2018 (just near the Winston Road gate). Many thanks to the Buildings and Grounds Committee, but especially to Rebecca Deighton and Neralie Cadusch, for their enthusiasm, grant application writing skills and determination to continually improve our schoolgrounds.
BUT WAIT – THERE’S MORE We are delighted to announce our success in applying for a $1,200 grant from Telstra. Our Telstra Kids grant will be used to enhance our education and daily practices in sustainability through implementing a 4 tiered waste management system across the senior school (grades 4-6). The grant will enable the school to purchase a waste management set for each classroom consisting of a compost container, paper recycling container, plastic recycling container and a waste container. Children will be educated and empowered to better manage their "waste" at school; resulting in greater recycling, reduced landfill and environmental benefits for everyone!
Huge thanks to one of our parents from Telstra, who is the referrer, for applying for the funding for us, and for the team from Buildings and Grounds who helped write the application. We are very excited to share in the million dollars the Telstra Foundation provides each year to help kids connect to a digital future.
STATE SCHOOLS SPECTACULAR Congratulations to school vice captain, Lachlan Deane, who has been accepted into the choir of Victorian State Schools Spectacular #19 after a series of auditions before and over the school holidays. It’s a fantastic opportunity for Lachlan and a significant commitment over the rest of the year until the big performance in September with mandatory rehearsals every Saturday afternoon. We wish him well.
DISTRICT SWIMMING This event was set to take place at Northcote Pool today, February 28, so results will be published in next week’s newsletter. Congratulations to all of our competitors for making the team.
I hope everyone has a great weekend.
Kind regards,
Bill Kersing
Principal
GETTING INVOLVED WITH YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING Literacy and Numeracy tips to help your child
Research shows that families are the most significant influence on their children’s learning, development, health, safety and wellbeing. Your family can play a key role in helping your child prepare for school, and then succeed when they reach school. The booklet LITERACY AND NUMERACY TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD EVERY DAY- A GUIDE FOR PARENTS OF CHILDREN AGED 0-12 (accessed through the link below) provides handy tips and ways you can help your child develop literacy and numeracy skills. It provides fun, inexpensive, accessible and practical activities you can do with your child at home. The booklet also provides questions you can ask your child to help them learn. Doing these practical activities will help your child develop excellent reading and writing skills, and help them speak well and be a good listener. Through everyday activities at home you can also help them develop their 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 you to model key learning values such as enthusiasm, persistence and curiosity.
These tips and activities can also be used by a child’s older siblings and grandparents, or other relevant people in a child’s life, to help develop their literacy and numeracy skills.
The booklet is divided into activities for two age groups: Birth – Year 2, and Year 3 – Year 6. Go to the sections appropriate to your child’s level and look at the tips and handy hints. You don’t have to do all the activities, but doing some everyday will improve your child’s learning.
This booklet aligns with the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (Birth – 8 years of age) and the Victorian Curriculum (Levels Foundation – 10), both of which outline what is important for all children to learn. The activities in this booklet reflect these standards, and support content taught every day in your child’s early childhood service and school.
LOST PROPERTY Lost property has a new home!
Lost property will now be located in the breezeway of the North building, outside the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden room. Lost uniform items will be stored in the large PURPLE storage locker. Hopefully this new storage bin will allow for easier access. I encourage parents and students to regularly check lost property. Thank you to Maralyn Lamb and our student leaders for coordinating the return of lost items.
.
Have a great week
Gill Nicholls
Child Safety Standards This week we are going to look at Child Safety Standard 3: Developing a Child Safety Code of Conduct
Standard 3 Organisations must have a code of conduct that establishes clear expectations for appropriate behaviour with children.
What is the intent of this standard? All staff in the organisation’s environment must be covered by a code of conduct which addresses child safety. Organisations should recognise and consider existing professional codes of conduct when developing child safety codes of conduct.
For schools: Ministerial Order No. 870 requirements Minimum child safety standard: A child safety code of conduct in accordance with clause 9 (below)
Clause 9
- The school governing authority must develop, endorse, and make publicly available a code of conduct that:
- has the objective of promoting child safety in the school environment;
- sets standards about the ways in which school staff are expected to behave with children;
- takes into account the interests of school staff(including other professional or occupational codes of conduct that regulate particular school staff), and the needs of all children; and
- is consistent with the school's child safety strategies, policies and procedures as revised from time to time.
The Viewbank Primary School Child Safety Policy can be viewed here https://vps.page.link/ChildSafetyPolicy
Support Services For Parents From time to time, I am approached by a worried parent who is at his or her ‘wits-end’ due to difficult behaviours at home (eg tantrums, anxiety etc) or at school in regards to their child’s inability to connect with others at school. When we are aware that there is an issue, the staff at Viewbank Primary School can suggest a number of strategies that have generally (but not always) worked in the past in similar situations.
Sometimes, more specialised help is required as not all children, families and situations are the same. Two organisations that have been used by families in our local area (please note that this is not a recommendation from the school) are:
Kalparrin http://www.kalparrin.com.au/ in Greensborough 9435 8311
Crisalida https://www.crisalida.com.au in Thornbury 9484 6299
*Please note - each service is ‘user-pay’ and is not ‘Bulk Billed’.
Sewing help Do you have an overlocker or know how to use one? Do you know how to sew? If so (sew!), we would love to have you help us out! If you can help, please drop in and see me in my office, or send an email to viewbankps@edumail.vic.gov.au
Have a great weekend everyone!
PARKING A reminder to parents/guardians to please keep out of the staff car park and do not use for school drop offs and pick ups to avoid congestion and to keep this very busy area safe. You may also consider using nearby streets to keep this congestion to a minimum. Please do not park in the turning circle at the top of Nevin Parade. Recently we have had some close calls and do stress the importance of abiding by the road rules for the children’s safety.
Don't forget we have a Kiss and Drop Zone on Winston Road which is ideal for quickly dropping off and picking up your children. This area has "No Parking" signs. You are only allowed to park your car in this zone for up to 2 minutes making it a suitable area for a quick pick up or drop off of your children. The driver must remain at the vehicle at all times.
Please refer to the attached ‘Road safety and rules around schools from the Banyule City Council’ as a reminder of road safety and rules around schools.
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.
TERM 1 EXPENSES AND 2019 SCHOOL CHARGES Payments can be made via Compass. 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
SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALE Friday 1st & 8th March - Second Hand Uniform Sale, 8:30am -9am (Next to the music room). Jumpers with the school logo and school dresses will be $5.00 and all other items $2.00.
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.
BRIGHT STAR KIDS PERSONALISED NAME PRODUCTS We've teamed up with Bright Star Kids to help us raise funds and to decrease the amount of lost property. When you buy anything from their range of personalised name labels and school supplies (or anything else in their store) 20% of it will come back to our group.
Please remember to link up our group "VIEWBANK PRIMARY SCHOOL" in the Nominate a Fundraiser checkout section. Thanks for your support!
Visit their website: https://www.brightstarkids.com.au where you can buy directly from them and get it sent directly to your home.
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
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED Dear Parents/Guardians, The Grade 3 students are investigating their connections to communities and cultures for their first Inquiry unit this year. We are seeking volunteers to speak about their experiences being part of a community or cultural group. Volunteers do not have to be experts, just people with interesting stories to share, who are comfortable answering students’ questions.
In previous years we have had volunteers from the following groups:
- Religious groups
- Sports teams
- Hobby groups
- People who have lived or worked in other countries
- Community groups
- Charities
If you are or have been part of any cultural or community group, would like to volunteer to speak with our Grade 3 students, and are available from 2:15pm-3.15 on Tuesday 5th March, please contact Bonnie Boness via viewbank.ps@edmail.vic.gov.au or in person. Thank you for your help, The Year 3 Team
SCHOOLS CLEAN UP DAY On Friday 1 March, Viewbank Primary School will be involved in Schools Clean Up Day, as part of the Clean Up Australia Day campaign. Students will work together to clean up various areas of the school, acknowledging responsible disposal of rubbish and the repercussions of rubbish dumped irresponsibly in our environment. All students will be carefully supervised and gloves/tongs will be provided. Teachers will complement this experience with a range of learning resources to empower our students to clean up, fix up and conserve our environment. For more information please visit https://www.cleanupaustraliaday.org.au
Nepal School Build During the April school holidays 2019, I (Miss Boness) will be travelling to Nepal with 15 others and volunteering with the charity This World Exists. Whilst there, we will be hiking and rebuilding an earthquake damaged school. In order to fundraise to pay for building materials a Go Fund Me Page has been set up. Please note the trip is self-funded and all money raised will go towards the community in Nepal. If you would like to donate please see the link below. Your support is very much appreciated.
HATS ON From 1st September until 30th April school hats must be worn outside during all outside activities.
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