Community News

All Graduates – Language Support Service

Melton Specialist School partners with All Graduates to help families and carers communicate with our staff in their preferred language.

This service ensures that language is never a barrier to accessing important information and support.

What This Service Offers

Interpreting: For meetings & phone calls
Translation: Written translations of school documents and notices.
On-demand support: Access to interpreters in multiple languages.

Families and carers can request this service at any time. Click on the link below to see how All Graduates are able to support you.

Disability Inclusion

Melton Specialist School is now in its third year of the Disability Inclusion program. This is a normal and expected process for all students at Melton Specialist School as part of ongoing planning and review.

If your child is due for a funding review, you will receive a pack sent home next week. This pack will include important forms that need to be completed, signed, and returned to the school.

Please take the time to read the attached so you can familiarise yourself with how these meeting will run.

D.I. Newsletter Info (1).docx

Uniforms

We currently have a small amount of stock available on site.

If you’d like to place an order, simply pop by reception to pick up an order form. We’ll process orders as quickly as we can — the start of term is always a busy time — and we appreciate your patience!

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) 2026 Applications Now Open

We would like to inform families that the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) is available again in 2026 to help eligible families with the cost of school activities such as camps, sports programs, outdoor education, excursions/incursions, and graduation events.

What’s new in 2026?

From 1 January 2026, CSEF support has increased to:

$400 per eligible student

Who can apply?

Families holding an eligible Health Care Card, Pensioner Concession Card or temporary foster parents may qualify for CSEF. You can list more than one child on the same application if they attend our school.

In the past, rolling over previous applications was possible; however, due to recent changes, we now require new applications from all families.

Eligibility

A PARENT OR CARER who holds a financially means‑tested concession card (for example, a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card - MUST BE IN THE PARENT/CARER’S NAME NOT THE STUDENT).
A student aged 16 or over who is a mature minor and HOLDS THEIR OWN VALID CONSESSION CARD (such as a Youth Allowance Health Care Card). These students must complete the 16‑and‑over application form.

Application dates

Applications open: 27 January 2026
Applications close: 26 June 2026

What the funds can be used for

CSEF helps cover the cost of:

School camps and trips
Swimming and school sports programs
Outdoor education activities
Excursions and incursions

How to apply

Application forms are available from the school office or can be requested via email (Schools must have a copy of the health care card and application form completed for their records).

If you have any questions or need assistance completing your application, please contact the school office. We are here to help.

Mobile Phone Policy

Just a reminder of the Department of Education Victoria’s Mobile Phones at school policy. This policy states all phones will always be locked away and not able to be accessed during lunch or break times. We have made exemptions for students involved in Community access or travel training programs. 

Bluetooth speakers are not permitted at school, if brought to school they will also need to be locked away. If students have personal devices like watches and tablets, these need to have the data switched off and the school does not take any responsibility for them. 

Parent Drop Off/Pick Up

Please remember not to line up and double park outside Gate 1. We understand that at times this is frustrating, and you may have to do a loop – this is why we ask that parents and carers do not arrive before 8.55 am or 2:55pm

If you miss the school bus, please drop your child off through the loop in Gate 1 after 9am.

To ensure safety of your children if you are unable to collect your child or a carer is collecting them, please make sure you let your child's teacher via SEESAW, home schoolbook or let the office know on 9743 4966.

If your child has a new carer, please make sure they arrive early enough to park and register their details at the office. New carers need their Working with Children Check, their agency ID and their driver's licence. if we do not have any notification that your child is to leave with a person other than the usual pick-up, we will call families for permission which will delay their departure.

Updating Family Details

To ensure we have accurate and up‑to‑date information, please let the school know as soon as your family details change. This includes updates to:

Phone numbers
Home address
Emergency contacts
Email addresses
Medical information
Court orders or family arrangements

Keeping this information up to date ensures we can contact you quickly and support your child in the best way possible.

Thank you for helping us stay connected!

School Council - Elections held in March

We are actively seeking new members for our School Council.  The School Council is a great opportunity to be involved in the governance, policy making and decision making of the school. 

Our School Council is comprised of 10 members – 3 staff, 6 parents and 2 Community members. We generally meet once a month for about an hour and a half.   Forms will be available at the office for nominations soon. We will let you know when nominations open.

School councils play a key role in Victorian government schools. The school council supports the principal to provide the best possible educational outcomes for students, and have three main responsibilities:

Finance overseeing the development of the school’s annual budget and ensuring proper records are kept of the school’s financial operation, Strategic Planning participating in the development and monitoring of the school strategic plan, Policy Development and Review and developing, reviewing and updating policies that reflect a school value and support the school’s broad direction outlined in its strategic plan.

Other key functions of school councils include:

raising funds for school-related purposes
maintaining school grounds and facilities
entering into contracts
reporting annually to the school community and the Department
representing and taking the views of the community into account

Student Belongings

As we enter into Term 1, we’d like to gently remind families to label all student belongings brought from home — including hats, jumpers, lunchboxes, drink bottles, and other personal items.

Having names clearly marked helps us return items quickly if they’re ever misplaced.

It’s a simple way to keep things organised and ensure your child’s belongings make their way back home.

Healthy School Reminder

We are committed to promoting healthy habits for all our students. As part of our Healthy School approach, we kindly remind families that fast food is not permitted at school.

Please ensure that lunches and snacks brought from home are nutritious and support the wellbeing and learning of our students. Healthy food helps our young people stay focused, energised, and ready to learn throughout the day.

Thank you for helping us maintain a positive, healthy environment for all.

If Your Child Is Sick, Please Keep Them Home

As we move through the year, we kindly remind families to keep children home from school if they are feeling unwell.

This helps us keep our students, staff, and wider school community healthy and reduces the spread of illness across the school.

If your child shows symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhoea, a persistent cough, or generally seems unwell, please allow them time to rest and recover at home. This ensures they return to school feeling better and ready to learn.

We appreciate your support in helping keep out community safe and healthy.