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 The poll for the five vacant School Council positions closed at 4pm on Monday, March 4th with votes counted on Tuesday, March 5. I can now announce the following candidates were elected to these positions:-

• Dale ARMSTRONG
• Owen DRANSFIELD
• Cosimo GRAPS
• Kate RYAN
• Ian SHERLOCK

The unsuccessful candidates were, Simone MORGAN, Grace PETERSON and William TONG but we thank them for expressing their keenness in being a part of School Council for 2019. The first meeting of the new School Council is scheduled for Thursday, March 21 where the new office bearers will also be elected.

STUDENT LEADERSHIP POSITIONS The third of our student leadership presentations took place at last Monday’s assembly when Neville Jetta presented house captain’s badges to our Grade 6 students. This follows the presentation last December by Anthony Carbines to our School Captains, and the presentation on February 25 of the Junior School Council badges by our School Council President, Kate Ryan. The final presentations will be held in upcoming weeks with the presentation of the Sustainability Captains Badges and the Music Captains badges. Watch this space for further details, including the names of our presenters.

SCHOOL ATHLETICS The 2019 School Athletics Championships are set down for Wednesday, March 13 at Willinda Park in Greensborough. Compass notifications have already been sent out and it promises to be an exciting day for our students with the hope of good weather to make the day run perfectly.

DIVISIONAL SWIMMING Congratualtions to the following students who swam at the Divisional Swimming event yesterday at Northcote Pool:- Connor Burdell, Matilda Carr, Jacob Clare, Lachlan Deane, Luke Forbes, Cooper Ford, Phoenix Green, Asher Gualano, Oliver Jones, Kevin Lu, Jesse McLeod, Joshua Patten and Luke Whitby. Hope fully we will have some results by newsletter deadline, but regardless of placings, we are all very proud of your efforts so far!

I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend. A reminder that there will NOT be an assembly next week.

Kind regards,

Bill Kersing

Principal

EDUCATION SUB COMMITTEE Thank you to the small group of parents who attended the Education Sub Committee meeting on Monday night. An overview of the goals of the committee were discussed as well as the guidelines followed for review of school policies.

The committee reviewed the updated the Anaphylaxis Policy and the Inclusion and Diversity policy. The Individual Learning Plan policy was reviewed, with the implementation timeline being adjusted to reflect our assessment and reporting schedule. All policy documents will be made available shortly.

SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALES Due to popular demand, we will once again be selling second hand uniform items this Friday morning between 8.30am and 9.00am. The sale will be held near the Japanese garden, with items priced at either $5.00 or $2.00.

A huge thank you to Maralyn Lamb and several parent helpers for organising this.

And just a reminder – PLEASE LABEL ALL UNIFORM ITEMS CLEARLY.

Have a great week

Gill Nicholls

Child Safety Standards This week we are going to look at Child Safety Standard 4: Organisations must have screening, supervision, training and other human resources practices that reduce the risk of child abuse by new and existing personnel

Standard 4

What is the intent of this standard? Organisations must ensure that recruitment processes are in place to manage and reduce the risk of child abuse. In addition, processes must be in place to ensure that there are appropriate staff induction programs, staff professional development and staff supervision arrangements to ensure a child safe environment.

For schools: Ministerial Order No. 870 requirements

Minimum child safety standard: Screening, supervision, training and other human resources practices that reduce the risk of child abuse in accordance with clause 10 (below).

Clause 10

1. Subject to the requirements of the ETR Act, the school governing authority must ensure that the school implements practices for a child-safe environment in accordance with this clause.

2. Each job or category of jobs for school staff that involves child connected work must have a clear statement that sets out:

a. the job’s requirements, duties and responsibilities regarding child safety; and

b. the job occupant’s essential or relevant qualifications, experience and attributes in relation to child safety.

3. All applicants for jobs that involve child connected work for the school must be informed about the school’s child safety practices (including the code of conduct).

4. In accordance with any applicable legal requirement or school policy, the school must make reasonable efforts to gather, verify and record the following information about a person whom it proposes to engage to perform child connected work:

a. Working with Children Check status, or similar check;

b. proof of personal identity and any professional or other qualifications;

c. the person’s history of work involving children; and

d. references that address the person’s suitability for the job and working with children.

5. (5) The school need not comply with the requirements in clause (4), above if it has already made reasonable efforts to gather, verify and record the information set out in clauses (4)(a) to (4)(d), above about a particular individual within the previous 12 months.

6. The school must ensure that appropriate supervision or support arrangements are in place in relation to:

a. the induction of new school staff into the school’s policies, codes, practices, and procedures governing child safety and child connected work; and

b. monitoring and assessing a job occupant’s continuing suitability for child connected work.

7. The school must implement practices that enable the school governing authority to be satisfied that people engaged in child-connected work perform appropriately in relation to child safety.

Explanatory note: To be ‘satisfied’, it is not necessary that the school governing authority make each decision about the selection and supervision of school staff engaged in child-connected work. The school governing authority needs to be satisfied about the appropriateness of the school’s arrangements that would regulate or guide other people who make such decisions for or on behalf of the school about child safety matters and child-connected work.

THERAPY ANIMALS  Do you have a trained therapy pet, or do you know anyone who does? If so, I would love to chat to you. Anxiety amongst children is increasing and this can put a huge amount of stress on the family, as well as hindering learning when at school. There is an increasing amount of research into the therapeutic benefits of having a pet and helping people with anxiety based illnesses. We are hoping that we can find someone (or more than one hopefully!) who would be willing to share their amazing trained therapy pet for an hour or so on a weekly basis. Please give me a call on 9459 1512 or send an email to viewbank.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au if you can help.

PARENT TIPS The following has been adapted from an article written by Michael Grose of Parenting Ideas. The full article can be accessed here https://www.parentingideas.com.au/blog/preventing-childhood-bullying/ Part 2 will be in next week’s Viewbank Voice.

Part 1

Preventing childhood bullying

Childhood bullying is an insidious behaviour that thrives on secrecy and adult acquiescence. The recent efforts by a father in Ohio, USA to hold his child accountable for bullying is commendable, even if the technique he used is questionable. Matt Cox insisted that his ten year daughter walk eight kilometres each way to school for three days after she was banned from the school bus for bullying. He posted a film of her walking to school on social media, which has drawn over 15 million viewers. Cox’s actions have drawn mixed responses from parents and professionals alike.

Keep discipline private

Many kids feel uncomfortable when even their close family are aware of the discipline they are experiencing. The posting of the film on social media borders on the realms of humiliation, which probably wasn’t this father’s intention. Parents should be encouraging their children to think very carefully before they post anything on social media as once the genie is out of the bottle it can’t be put back. This video could well come back to haunt his daughter in the years to come. See search results here https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dad+makes+daughter+walk+to+school

*Rest assured, when the staff of Viewbank PS are made aware of an issue, and some form of discipline is required, this will be carried out. While the relevant parties will be informed of any discipline outcomes, we will not be sharing this with the entire community.

Being accountable

It’s laudable that this father wants to hold his daughter accountable for her actions rather than dismiss the behaviour as minor, or ‘just one of those things that happen.’ Too often parents excuse their children’s poor behaviour, or simply don’t take it seriously enough. This father backed the actions of the bus driver, which were presumably endorsed by the school. Parent inaction over children’s inappropriate behaviour is a common frustration for many teachers and principals so I suspect knowledge of this dad’s actions would have been greeted by high fives by most of the staff at the girl’s school. Reflection is a pre cursor to behaviour change so the fact that she walked to school gave her plenty of time to ponder on her actions. However this type of punishment doesn’t generally lead to a reduction in bullying in the long-term.

*A regular part of Viewbank PS discipline follow up is a ‘Behaviour Reflection Sheet’. The reflection time (at home or at school and after emotions have calmed) ensure the student thinks about his or her actions, identify how they were feeling at the time, and to consider alternate options if this situation occurs again.

**Part 2 next week

Have a great weekend everyone!

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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

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SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALE Friday 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.

HOT CROSS BUN ORDERS Watch out for our Bakers Delight Hot Cross Bun online order form which will be going out next week via Compass/Trybooking.

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

BOOK CLUB Online ordering for Issue 2 Book Club will close on Friday 15th March. Home delivery for $4.99 will be available after this date. Any students who did not receive a catalogue may obtain one from the Front Office or the Library.

District Tennis Trials Last Friday 1st March, the Heidelberg District Tennis Trials were conducted at Banyule Tennis Club. Viewbank Primary School was represented by Josh Seneca and Ryan Forbes. From all reports, the boys relished the challenge of putting their skills to the test whilst enjoying the occasion with mates. Well done on representing our school and displaying a fantastic ‘have a go’ attitude.

District, Division and Regional Swimming Last Thursday the 28th of February, approximately 60 students represented Viewbank Primary School at the Heidelberg District Schools’ Sports Association Swimming Carnival. The students braved outdoor swimming conditions and stiff competition from girls and boys from our local district schools. All found it a rewarding pursuit regardless of outcome.

On Wednesday 6th March, those individuals or relay teams who finished in the top two positions in their chosen events at District level again returned to Northcote Aquatic and Recreation Centre. This time, at Division level, 13 Viewbank students competed against others drawn from a larger pool combining several districts. Well done to all who qualified for this high level of swimming.

A special mention must go to Jesse McLeod. Jesse won both the backstroke and breaststroke at Division level; he therefore progresses to the Northern Metropolitan Regional Swimming Carnival next Tuesday 19th March. We acknowledge Jesse’s outstanding achievements to date and wish him the very best of luck next week.

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.

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

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