Thursday 28th November - Hot Lunch Day (Dumplings & Rice)

Tuesday 3rd December - Viewbank Primary Parents, Guardians and Friends Dinner Out - Sir Henry Barkly Hotel, 7:30pm (All Welcome) - R.S.V.P. HERE

Wednesday 4th December - Think U Know Parent Education Session, 2pm & 6:30pm - BOOK NOW

Thursday 5th December - Think U Know Parent Education Session, 7:30pm - BOOK NOW

Friday 6th December - Carols By Candlelight

Friday 13th December - Parent Helpers' Mprning Tea, 10:45 am

Friday 13th December - Sustainability Day - Free Dress (gold coin donation)

Tuesday 17th December - Year 6 Graduation at Loyola College

PUPIL FREE DAYS

• 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 4: Monday 7th October - Friday 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 6: Canberra Camp (Mon 25May to Fri 29May 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)

GRADE STRUCTURE 2020 Whilst we are not yet in a position to announce our staffing profile for next year, as we have a number of appointments still to make, I can confirm that there will be straight grades across the school in 2020, with four classes at each of the Foundation and Grades 1-6 levels (and therefore 28 grades in total). The demolition of the Northern Classrooms is scheduled to commence at the end of Term 1 and so, with this in mind, we have made arrangements for individual grades to occupy the Japanese and STEM rooms from the start of the year. The Music Room will be occupied by two Grade 1 classes (approx. 19 in each), with teachers working in a team teaching arrangement. Similarly, two Grade 1 classes will have the library to themselves from the start of the year, again with teachers working in a team teaching arrangement. As a consequence, Music, Japanese and STEM classes will all be taken in classrooms until such time as construction is complete (hopefully by September 30). We had contemplated the ‘installation’ of two Mod-5 portables on the oval during construction, but the $120K-$200K cost consideration led us to the outcome we have described with financial savings going into a better final ‘build’. I hope you have had the opportunity to consult the building plans in the notice boards just outside the entrances to the Northern and Southern Buildings.

THINKING OF OTHERS Sometimes a lovely ‘feel good’ story comes across my desk, and this is one. I would like to share the story of Chloe and Racquel Grigoropoulos (4N and 2M). After a ‘Live For Lily Foundation’ fundraiser a few years back, inspired by the Spinks family, Chloe and Racquel immediately became drawn to the cause as they felt great empathy for Lily and her family as they are of similar ages to Lily when she started her own battle to fight cancer. So they decided to start fundraising to give something back to people who need support at vulnerable times of their lives. Just recently they hosted a walkathon called 'Let's Walk for Lily' and it was held at the Botanical Gardens on Sunday, November 17. They pledged to walk 3 laps of the Tan (that's a total of 11.4 kms in less than 2 hours) which was quite a walk for an 8 and 10 year old! They advertised the walk through the 'Live for Lily Website' and through a 'Let's Walk for Lily' Facebook page. Everyone and anyone was invited to take part and their aim was to raise $2,000 which they did! All in all, they raised $3,250 and the donations are still rolling in. They also managed to complete the walk in 1 hour 45 mins and this was possible because they practised the walk about 4 times leading up to the Walkathon, making sure they were well prepared for the day. They also made gifts for everyone that participated and had a few door prizes to give away, followed on by a picnic in the gardens for anyone that wanted to hang around. The day was a huge success! They've held fundraisers for 4 years now. They've raised a total of $6,000 for the Royal Children's Hospital by hosting a Girl's Night Out every year and now with this year’s fundraiser, they've raised over $9000 dollars for charities in total!

The girls should feel very proud of what they have achieved and their selflessness in doing this. I know we are very proud of them!

FOUNDATION TRANSITION PROGRAM Our 2020 Foundation students got to meet their classmates and teachers for 2020 yesterday, when they had their first official transition session. Our current Foundation to Grade 5 classes will all meet their classmates and teachers for the first time on Tuesday, December 10 when their Grade 6 school mates head off to their secondary transition days themselves.

THINK U KNOW SESSIONS Whilst these have already been heavily advertised, I would like to add my support to sessions organised for parents next week. There are daytime sessions, straight after work sessions and straight after dinner sessions all promoting the safe use of the internet and social media, and upskilling our parents as we try to stay ahead of the game and keep up with our children/students. Run by an educator from ThinkUKnow.org.au the sessions provide information on the technologies young people use, the challenges they may face and how they can be overcome. I strongly recommend you access the link on our newsletter to book a session next week.

PLANNING AHEAD And finally, there are so many things happening at, and because of, school over these next three weeks with excursions, graduation, carols nights and so on. Please take a few minutes to check COMPASS, these newsletters and the website for details so that you don’t miss a thing.

Have an enjoyable weekend.

Kind regards,

Bill Kersing

Principal

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2020 DAY STRUCTURE Next year we will be having a slight change to our daily session times with our recess break running for 30 minutes and lunch play for 50 minutes. This change has come about as many of our students find our current one hour lunch playtime just too long.

The 2020 DAY STRUCTURE will be as follows:

• Morning session: 9.00 - 11.00am
• RECESS 11.00 - 11.30am
• Middle Session: 11.30 - 1.00pm
• LUNCH EATING: 1.00 - 1.10pm
• LUNCH 1.10 – 2.00pm
• Afternoon session: 2.00 - 3.30pm

MUSIC CELEBRATIONS How talented are the students at Viewbank Primary School?

After the performances I was privileged to witness on Tuesday evening, the overwhelming response is VERY!

During the evening, the singing, keyboard and strings students staged three very entertaining and well rehearsed end of year concerts to showcase their talents. The level of skill and confidence that many of the students displayed was enviable. Congratulations to each of the students who performed, I hope you are very proud of your achievements and your performances.

Thank you to our singing and instrumental teachers Gabriella, Mr Cai and Ella. We are so lucky to have talented, dedicated and passionate teachers available to teach our students and nurture their talents. And a big thank you must also go to Michael Ingvarson for providing and operating the sound equipment, allowing the students to have a very professional performance experience.

Thank you to parents for supporting the music program at Viewbank and being such an enthusiastic audience, I’m sure you were very proud.

YEAR 1 LATE NIGHT EXPERIENCE Congratulations to the Year 1 students and the staff who assisted, for a fantastic late night experience last Friday evening. The students had lots of fun participating in after school activities before enjoying the balmy evening and sharing a dinner outdoors. I didn't get to stay for the movie but I did hear it was enjoyed by all before all the parents and carers returned to collect the children. It’s been a huge year of camping experiences

2019 PARENT HELPERS’ MORNING TEA Please remember to come along to the PARENT HELPERS’ MORNING TEA on Friday 13 December at 10.45am in the gym foyer so we can say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has assisted our school this year.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Have a great week.

Gill Nicholls

Supervision in the yard before and after school We have noticed another increase in the number of students who are arriving at school well before there are any teachers on yard duty. Before school, we have teachers rostered on for duty between 8:50am and 9am, and after school between 3:30pm and 3:40pm, as per Department of Education guidelines. Please note that parents/guardians are responsible for the children in their care outside of these times.

We have an excellent provider of out of hours care (OSHClub - 0448 075 422) operating out of the gym between 6:30am and 8:50am, if you need to drop your children early at school.

This week’s Parent Tip comes from Michael Grose from Parenting Ideas (link below)

Avoid doing deals with kids Have you ever said something like this to one of your kids? “If you eat all your dinner up, I’ll let you use my iPad for five minutes.”

Most kids under the age of ten would empty their plate in an instant with that sort of carrot dangled in their face. But it’s a tricky game you play when you start to do deals with kids to win their cooperation. For a start, you need to be prepared to raise the stakes as the novelty of five minutes of iPad use will soon wear off.

This would also mean you need to be prepared to keep dealing with your kids, as they soon learn that if they hang out long enough, Mum/Dad or whoever will offer me a juicy enticement to win my favours.

You get what you negotiate

Keep doing deals with kids enough and they learn that they get what you negotiate. That’s fine in the business-world, but hard work in families.

I’ve seen mums who deal with kids because they just want peace and quickly. I’ve also seen dads deal with their kids because they simply enjoy negotiating. They see it as a game. That’s hard work for their partner who doesn’t use those methods.

Click this link https://www.parentingideas.com.au/blog/avoid-doing-deals-with-kids/ to continue reading the article – 5 minute read.

Topics covered:

• Kids who do deals
• The last resort

Have a great weekend everyone!

Patrick

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2020 School Charges/Fees - $320 per Student School Charges are paid through Compass. Payments can only be made online from Saturday 21 December 2019 and are due by Monday 27 January 2020. If you are having issues with Compass, have forgotten your password or have no access please contact the school office as soon as possible.

Alternate Payment Arrangements and Assistance: Please be advised there are alternative payment options for families who may be experiencing financial hardship or who would prefer a regular payment plan. Families holding a valid means-tested concession card are eligible for the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) that provides payments for eligible students to attend activities. The CSEF is an annual payment to the school to be used towards camps and term expenses for the benefit of the eligible student (2020 primary school student rate is $125).

Please contact me if you wish to arrange a payment plan prior to the end of the school year.

OSHClub (Before/After School and Vacation Care provider) is open all day on the pupil free day Monday 16th December.

Kind regards

Lucy Addati

Business Manager

Foundation — Manuel, Isla, Bella & Liam

Year 1 & 2 — Vihaana, Leia, Vic, Lucas, Harrison, Eric & Nalani

Year 3 & 4 — Chloe, Darna, Anastasia, Reece, Kiara & Whole 4N Class

Year 5 & 6 — Alannah, Georgia, Liah & Reyna

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SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALE - Every Friday, 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.

VOLUNTEERS WANTED Volunteer opportunities for "2019 VPS Carols by Candlelight" are now open. To sign up, just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to do. Thank you for volunteering! It will be a merry night!

END OF YEAR DINNER All parents, guardians & friends of Viewbank Primary School are invited to an end of year celebration dinner at Sir Henry Barkly Hotel in Heidelberg. Tuesday 3rd December, 7:30pm.

This is a great opportunity to get together with other school parents and guardians to finish off the school year. Everyone welcome!

For restaurant booking purposes can you please indicate via Trybooking your intention to attend the dinner.

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.

APSMO Maths Olympiad Award Presentations The APSMO Maths Olympiad has been operating in primary schools since 1987 and each year thousands of schools participate in the competition from around Australia and New Zealand.

Three teams comprising Grades 3- 6 students at VBPS have worked hard during Terms 2 and 3 completing five Competition Tests, improving and developing their problem solving skills. We will be celebrating their accomplishments at our school assembly on Monday 2nd December, where certificates and trophies will be awarded. We are proud of our student’s achievements and hope you can join us at the presentations.

COLGATE COMMUNITY GARDEN CHALLENGE A huge congratulations to all of the students and families of VPS. Of the 1100+ pre, primary and secondary schools, VPS placed 18th in the Colgate Community Garden Challenge. Together, we have diverted close to 200,000 pieces of oral care waste from Australian landfi lls. Although the competition is over for this year, we will continue to do our part in recycling toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, toothpaste caps and floss containers! Please drop any empty oral care waste (any brand is accepted) into our recycling monster located at the office. We will ship to Terracycle to be recycled.

ENVISION HANDS This term, VPS will begin to collect bottle caps for Envision Hands. The Envision Hands project recycles plastic bottle lids bound for landfill, and turns them into colourful, superhero hands for children in need, in Australia and around the world.

What sort of bottle caps are accepted?

Currently, Envision Hands use all flat soft drink, water and milk bottle tops, including those from long life containers. The tops should be numbered either No 2 or No 4 in the recycled triangle but not all are marker. Please ensure all caps are cleaned before they are donated and no extra plastic, metal or other material is attached.

You can find more information about the project here: https://envision.org.au

2019 VIEWBANK PRIMARY THINK U KNOW PARENT EDUCATION SESSION

Three sessions to choose from:

• Wednesday, 4th December - 2:00pm
• Wednesday, 4th December - 6:30pm
• Thursday, 5th December - 7:30pm

Venue: Viewbank Primary School

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.

RUNNING GROUP Every Tuesday and 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!

We are currently looking for a family to take home and care for our chicken over the end of year break. If you are able to help us can you please email the school at viewbank.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

Spring has definitely hit and our vegetable garden is overloaded with produce. Every Wednesday, we will be selling produce at 3pm in the vegetable garden. All money raised will go back into our Stephanie Alexander program.

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.

PHONE NUMBER: 0448 075 422

EMAIL: viewbank@oshclub.com.au

ROSANNA LIBRARY Summer Reading Club Launch

House of Stories – The Kitchen. Tuesday 3 December, 4.00pm-5.00pm