Principal's Report
Dear Parents and Carers,
We are now over halfway through Term 4, which is very hard to believe! I mentioned to everyone in our school assembly last week around the importance of remaining focused and maintaining the highest possible expectations within and beyond the classroom. Consistent routines will be even more important in the second half of the term and our staff do an amazing job everyday to provide very clear and expected routines. These routines are what makes a calm and orderly learning environment for all students.
Parent and carer School Saving Bonus code distribution
Below is further information from DET, regarding the School Saving Bonus:
The Victorian Government is delivering the School Saving Bonus – a one-off $400 support for government school students from Prep to Year 12 in 2025.
From Tuesday 26 November 2024, you will receive an email from the Department of Education with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code.
The School Saving Bonus will help families cover the cost of uniforms, textbooks, excursions, activities and more.
f you have multiple children enrolled in Victorian government schools for 2025, you will receive one School Saving Bonus code email per child. These emails might arrive on different days. Please make sure to check your spam/junk email folder.
Parents and carers can use the School Saving Bonus code in store at school-nominated suppliers. Parents and carers can also choose to access the School Saving Bonus online system, where they can allocate part or all the $400 bonus to use at school nominated-online suppliers or for school activities. To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, visit School Saving Bonus | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au). A step-by-step user guide will be available on the webpage on 26 November.
If you have not received your School Saving Bonus code via email by Friday 29 November, please contact the Department of Education by emailing school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au
2025 Parent Payment Policy
Very shortly we will be distributing our 2025 parent payments and booklists. We take a very conscientious approach with deciding what is on each year level's booklist requirements. Based on DET's Parent Payment Policy, schools provide students with free instruction to fulfil the standard Victorian curriculum and we want to assure you that all contributions are voluntary. Nevertheless, the ongoing support of our families ensures that our school can offer the best possible education and support for our students. We want to thank you in advance, for all your support, whether that is through fundraising or volunteering your time. The financial contributions of our families, makes a huge difference to our school and the programs we can offer.
Our parent payments and booklists for 2025 will be presented to school council on Monday night and once approved there, will be then distributed to parents.
Grade 3 Camp Success
I had the great pleasure of visiting our Grade 3 campers last Friday at Merricks. The morning, I spent with them all highlighted to me the strong importance of a school camp. The level of excitement when they all departed was huge. I'm sure that every student returned from this camp, having learnt something new about themselves.
I would like to thank all staff and parents who attended this camp. They cannot happen without them!
Compass: School Events
It's great to see how our parent community have made the adjustment to paying for school events on Compass. From a parent viewpoint, having the ability to pay and provide consent online, is far more efficient. Yes, there might be some initial 'road bumps' as we move across to this method of payment, however it is definitely worth the effort.
I wish everyone a very safe and happy weekend.
Take care,
Richard