Welcome

Welcome to our first new look newsletter. Our aim is to keep families up to date about what their children have been learning at school as well as inform you about upcoming events, programs and activities. The newsletter will be published fortnightly and it will be available via Xuno and directly to email for those who wish to subscribe. We hope to also add a newsletter icon to our school webpage so that current and past issues can be located there.

Student Leadership 2025

Our Year Six Leaders for 2025 are Ethan and Ruby as our School Captains with Hunter and Indi supporting them as Vice Captains. All four students will be great representatives of our school and are looking forward to hosting their first assembly this Friday afternoon.

Our Sports Captains are Chloe and Ryder for Gold House and Heidi and Jude for Green House. This crew of four will be cheering their team mates on at next week's swimming sports for students in Years 3-6.

Our Student Action Team representatives are Harriet, Logan P, Olivia, Charlotte M, Perrie,

Archie, Cydie and Fletcher. A big congratulations to the team and thank you to all of the other students who put their hand up for nomination. We have already met for our first meeting and students were very keen to share ideas for fundraising, starting off with "Zoopy Doopy Wednesdays", beginning next week. Please see our advertisement below. Please note that the 3-6 Swimming Sports will be on next Wednesday and therefore only Prep-2 students will be able to purchase next week.

News from the Acting Principal

I am thrilled to be given the privilege of working at Lockington Consolidated School this term. I have been warmly welcomed by the students and staff and am enjoying getting to know everyone. I have spent time in each of the classrooms and have been impressed by the dedication of the teachers and work ethic of the students.

The staff and students are so fortunate to work in such spacious rooms and buildings that are well resourced but more importantly have such quality programs, offering a broad range of learning opportunities for each student.

The school grounds are so spacious and it has been wonderful seeing the students make such good use of every part of the school yard. Everyone is very excited about the installation of the new play equipment which is due to take place in April.

This term sees a lot happening both within our classrooms and beyond. Some highlights for this term are:

Whole School Swimming & Water Safety Program
Whole School Gymnastics Program
Meet and Greet Sessions
NAPLAN Testing for Years 3 and 5 students
Year 3/4 Camp to Queenscliff
Year 5/6 Camp to Roses Gap

2025 Staffing

Acting Principal (Term 1)- Miss Lisa Duffy

Business Manager- Mrs Lisa Lind

Leading Teacher- Ms Emily Gusman

Wellbeing Leader- Mrs Jackie Newth

Prep Teacher- Mrs Jenny Howlett Education Support - Miss Sheree Tobin

Year 1/2A Teacher- Miss Patricia McVeigh Education Support - Miss Tracey Hanner

Year 1/2B Teachers- Ms Emily Gusman & Mrs Jackie Newth

Education Support- Mrs Ali Holt

Tutor Learning Initiative- Mrs Tammy Norman

Year 3/4A Teacher- Miss Alyce Falls Education Support- Mrs Jane Pangrazio

Year 3/4B Teacher- Miss Taylah Smith Education Support- Mrs Fiona Poynting

Year 5/6A Teachers- Mrs Jessey Hon & Mr Jackson Gray

Year 5/6B Teacher- Mr Chris Boal

Specialist Visual Arts- Mrs Kathy Connors

Specialist LOTE (Indonesian)- Mrs Hayley Whelan

Specialist Physical Education- Mr Jackson Gray

Education Support (OHS Officer & Library)- Mrs Deanne McNair

Meet and Greet

A reminder to families that the classroom teachers are hosting Meet and Greet Sessions on Tuesday 18th of February. Families are encourage to book at meeting time via Xuno so that they can come along and have a chat to their child/ren's teacher/s, it is the perfect opportunity to share information that will help us ensure that we can help your child grow academically, emotionally and socially.

School Council

Our February Meeting will be held at the school at 6pm on Tuesday 25th of February.

We will host our AGM on March 18th.

School Council plays an important role in the running of our school. Members help shape the future direction of our school, oversee finances, approve policies and contribute to decision making. Council typically meets twice per term in the early evening. We currently have two vacancies in the Parent Category- councilors typically serve a two year period on council. Please feel free to contact the office if you have any questions about becoming a school council member. If you would like to nominate yourself or nominate someone for one of these positions please contact the office for a nomination form. The timeline for our school Council Election for 2025 is as follows:

Event	DATE
Notice of election and call for nominations	Friday 7th February 2025
Closing date for nominations	Friday 14th February 2025
Date by which the list of candidates and nominators will be posted	Tuesday 18th February 2025
Date by which ballot papers will be prepared and distributed	On or before Friday 21st February 2025
Close of ballot	Friday 28th February 2025
Vote count	Monday 3rd March 2025
Declaration of poll	Tuesday 4th March 2025
First council meeting to elect office bearers (the principal will preside)	Tuesday 18th March 2025

That's all for this week, Lisa Duffy.

News from the Business Manager

School Bus Changes

The school office is a very busy place, so we ask parents to please notify the school by 2:30pm of any bus changes for the day.

ALL BUS CHANGES must be phoned through to the office. Please DO NOT text or send a message via XUNO.

Camps, Sports & Excursion Fund (CSEF)

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps to ensure that no student misses out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. It is part of making Victoria the Education State and the Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their achievements. Schools are required to use the Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund (CSEF) payment for expenses relating to Camps, Sports and/or Excursions for the

benefit of the eligible student/s. Some common examples of school - organised programs for which the CSEF payment may be used include:

School incursions / excursions / camps
Swimming and other school-organised sporting programs

The CSEF payment cannot be used towards voluntary school charges, stationery, school uniforms, music lessons or other optional items. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

The annual CSEF amount per student is:

*$154 for primary school students

*$256 for secondary school students

How to Apply

Applying for the first time:

New applicants can contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or

download the attached form

If you applied for the CSEF at your child’s school in 2024, you do not need to complete an application form in 2025 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances. You only need to complete an application form in 2025 if any of the following changes have occurred:

New student enrolments: your child has started or changed schools in 2025 or you did not apply in 2024.
Changed family circumstances, such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing at the school in 2025. Check with the school office if you are unsure.

School Saving Bonus reminder and support

The Victorian Government is delivering the School Saving Bonus (SSB) – a one-off support of $400 for eligible government school students from Prep to Year 12 in 2025.

The SSB helps families cover the cost of uniforms, textbooks, excursions, activities and more. Most families have now received their SSB code(s). I encourage you to take advantage of this government support.

To learn more about the SSB online system, download the attached step-by-step System guide for parents and carers (DOCX, 945KB) or watch this School Saving Bonus video. System guide translations are also available in 14 languages.

If you would like to use your bonus for school activities, you can allocate some or all of the bonus using the School Saving Bonus online system.

If you have only recently completed your enrolment into the Victorian government school system you can expect to receive your SSB code(s) in the coming weeks.

If you have transferred to our school from another Victorian government school, any remaining funds on your SSB code(s) will soon be available to use at our approved school suppliers. We request your patience as this change is processed.

The Department of Education has established a dedicated contact centre to support the SSB.

The contact centre can be reached by:

· completing the School Saving Bonus enquiry form

· calling 1800 338 663, between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm on weekdays.

Scholastic Book Club

Order forms were sent home with all students yesterday.

If you would like to place an order visit scholastic.com.au/LOOP or download the LOOP App.

Orders Close Thursday 13th February

Book Club Issue - Click to view

Book Covering Volunteers Needed!

Our school library has a fresh collection of books for students to enjoy and we’re seeking parent volunteers to assist with covering them.

If you can spare some time to help, please come and pick up a pack of books and contact, from the office any time over the next couple of weeks. It's a simple task that can be done at home, in your own time.

That's all for this week, Lisa Lind.

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