2025 - Start of Year Information for Families
We appreciate there is a lot of information for families to take onboard. For this this reason, we will often repeat information, just in case you missed it in previous editions.
2025 Book Packs and Parent Payment Policy
Thank you to families who have already contributed towards book packs, DIBELS and our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. Please use your family BPay reference or visit the office to pay by EFTPOS to pay for back to school items. All contributions are gratefully received. The admin team can advise your BPay reference if you require.
A list for each year level is attached together with the Parent Payment Policy.
Changes to Student Enrolment Information
Families should receive an email tomorrow (Wednesday) with a Student Enrolment Form for each child to review. There is no need to print this form or return it if changes are not required. If any information is incorrect, please notify the school in writing either by emailing teesdale.ps@education.vic.gov.au or if you choose to print the form and hand write any changes, you may do so. Please update personal information such as emergency contacts, address, work contact details, place of employment etc. in a timely manner. We kindly request any updates to your information be advised as soon as possible.
If you did not receive this email, please contact the office.
Emergency Contacts
We kindly ask that families have a local emergency contact so that students can be collected in a timely manner in the event of an accident or illness. The school appreciates not all parents work locally so perhaps a friend or neighbour might be a good option to have on your emergency contacts list.
Illness and Emergency Medical Care
Children who are unwell should not attend school. Should students be unwell at school, our First Aid Policy states staff may contact parents/carers or an emergency contact person to ask them to collect the student. Our First Aid Policy can be found on our website under Parent Resources.
If your child is unwell or injured at school, they must be collected from school in a timely manner. If a parent is unable to collect their child due to work commitments, you must arrange an alternative emergency contact to collect them. The school is unable to provide emergency transport for sick children. Parents are therefore advised to consider the need for ambulance cover for their families, as ambulances will be used in cases of serious illness or injury.
Medication at School
At times children attending school need medication to manage certain illnesses.
Parents are required to complete the appropriate medication permission form (available at the office) noting the dose and time the medicine is to be given. The medication should be clearly marked with the student’s name and parents are requested to discuss the matter with the child’s teacher.
Under no circumstances, are children permitted to have medication at school without the teacher’s knowledge.
Medical Management Plans
For parents who indicated that their child experiences asthma, anaphylaxis, allergy, epilepsy or diabetes, it is a Department requirement that the appropriate plan is signed off by your child’s doctor and returned to school. Please return these forms to the school office at the start of term 1 if applicable. Parents should notify the school immediately if there are any changes to the plan. Students are required to have their own asthma medication and spacer. We are not allowed to disinfect and reuse the spacers. We do have disposable spacers on hand, but parents will be invoiced to reimburse the school for the cost.
What is Anaphylaxis?
Anaphylaxis is a severe and sudden allergic reaction when a person is exposed to an allergen. The most common allergens in school-aged children are eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, cow’s milk, fish and shellfish, wheat, so, certain insect stings and medication. The key to prevention of anaphylaxis is avoidance of any know triggers.
We currently have two students at risk of anaphylaxis. One student in Mrs Fletcher's class is anaphylactic to all nuts and sesame and a student in Miss Musselwhite's class is anaphylactic to egg in all forms. There isn't a blanket ban of these foods in the school, however we ask families to be mindful of the foods they pack for school to help reduce the risk of an anaphylactic reaction occurring.
Early Collection and Appointments During School Hours
Please notify your child's teacher via Sentral or contact the office if your child needs to be collected during the school day to attend an appointment. To minimise disruption to the classroom, whenever possible, please aim to collect your child at the beginning or end of a session time. Please also allow additional time for collection in case your child is participating in a Specialist class where they are not with their Homegroup teacher as it can take extra time for them to pack up and meet you. When collecting your child, please present to the school office. We kindly ask that parents do not enter school buildings during class time.
Please report to the office for either late arrivals to school or early collections.
Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF)
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.
If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible.
Payment amounts this year are $154 for eligible primary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
It is important that funding made available in 2025 supports students to participate in school trips, camps and sporting activities this year rather than being held for future years. This funding can also be used in conjunction with any funding accrued from previous years.
If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.
For all NEW applications, please complete the attached form and return to the school office by the end of February.
Further information about the program and eligibility can be found on the Department of Education and Training’s Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund web page.
Second Hand Uniform
Second hand uniform is available at the school office. A number of items have been donated in the past week including jumpers, shorts, track pants and school bags in very good condition. Items are sold for $5 each and all proceeds go towards the Parents' Club fundraising. Families are welcome to visit the office to look through what is available.
Visitors and Parent Helpers
All visitors, parents and friends are asked to please report to the office before visiting any classroom or school grounds. We ask all parents to avoid entering classrooms unless absolutely necessary and limit time on school grounds. We also try not to disrupt class time programs and activities and for this reason, we politely request that you wait for your child outside the school buildings at home time.
Visitors and voluntary helpers are requested to sign in and out of the register at the front office, as a security and safety requirement. A current Working with Children card is required for all parent helpers and volunteers. To apply go to: https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
Sentral
Sentral is our Learning Management Software and is used to publish reports and support communication between the school and families. The Sentral for Parents app allows you to monitor your child’s school journey simply and efficiently. You will find numerous smart features that help streamline communications with the school. Receive messages and notifications from teachers, report absences, provide permission for excursions and more. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
User guides are available on our school website via the link below:
Families new to the school in 2025 should have received an email last week with their log in details. Please contact the office if require further assistance.
School Saving Bonus Parent Code Distribution
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.
If 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