Whole School Messages
Pyjama Day Fun for a Great Cause!
On 15th August, we swapped uniforms for pyjamas and smiles for a special fundraising event!
Thanks to the generous spirit of our community, we raised valuable funds for RBM in Indonesia and a rehabilitation centre supporting adults and children with disabilities.
It was a joyful day filled with comfort, compassion and community spirit.
Thank you to everyone who participated and donated, you’ve helped make a difference across borders!
Thank you!
Book Week Parade 2025: Book an Adventure! - August 22, 2025
What an absolutely spectacular day we had for our annual Book Week Parade! The creativity, imagination and sheer enthusiasm displayed by our entire school community left us all in awe and reminded us why we celebrate the magic of books and reading. From the moment families began arriving, it was clear this year's parade would be something special. The overwhelming support from parents, grandparents, siblings and friends created an atmosphere of joy and celebration. Seeing our basketball court surrounded with so many smiling faces, all gathered to celebrate literacy and imagination, was inspiring.
The incredible effort put into costumes this year was amazing! From classic fairytale characters to adventurers, every single costume told a story. Our students didn't just dress up as their favourite characters – they brought many of our classic and modern day beloved books to life right before our eyes. This parade wasn't just about costumes and fun (though there were plenty of both!) – it was also a wonderful celebration of our shared love of reading. Seeing characters from picture books walking alongside heroes from chapter books, and watching students excitedly swap stories about their costume choices, reinforced why events like these are so important. They make reading visible, social, and exciting.
None of this magic would have been possible without each and every member of our school community.
Thank you for embracing the spirit of Book Week with such enthusiasm and most importantly, thank you for joining us on this adventure and for promoting our love of reading.
Here's to the power of books, the magic of imagination, and the wonderful community that makes it all possible!
Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than you.
Dr. Seuss
Cultural Celebration Day - September 11th
Join us for "Different Gifts, One Spirit" - our Cultural Celebration Day on Thursday, September 11th! Inspired by 1 Corinthians 12, this special day celebrates the diverse cultures and traditions within our Lakeside College community.
The day begins with a whole school Chapel at 8:45 AM, followed by African drumming throughout the day and cultural games during lunch breaks (continuing Friday). Students are invited to wear traditional cultural dress or national colours to honour their heritage.
This celebration reflects our commitment to fostering an inclusive environment where every student feels valued for who they are. As we gather under our motto "Different Gifts, One Spirit," we're reminded that our diversity strengthens our community and reflects God's beautiful creation.
Parents, Caregivers and extended family members are warmly invited to come along and celebrate with us. We invite you to also wear your cultural dress or national colours.
"For just as the body is one and has many members... so it is with Christ."
- 1 Corinthians 12:12
Footy Day and BBQ! - Thursday 18th September
Dear parents and guardians
As a part of our ongoing service to those less fortunate in our global community. Lakeside College will be raising funds for The Lutheran Church in Indonesia and a rehabilitation centre that supports adults and children with disabilities.
We will be hosting Footy Day and a Sausage Sizzle Lunch! Please wear your Footy colours, or if you don't have those, wear the colours of your favourite sporting team!
We will have AFL clinics for Primary and a bunch of fantastic AFL-themed activities throughout the day for all. There will be a sausage sizzle lunch available for students to purchase on the day. All funds raised will be given to the RBM in Indonesia to support these wonderful people.
- Date: Thursday Week 9 - 18 September
- Venue: Lakeside College
- Gold Coin Donation
- $3.50 sausage and $1.50 drink
Mr Jacob Keirnan
Head of Health and PE
Head of Christian Studies
Student Leadership Coordinator
SAVE THE DATE:
Important Reminders
We kindly ask for your support in ensuring a safe and smooth start and end to each school day. Please take note of the following reminders:
Parents should not be stopping in the no-standing zones to drop off / wait to pick up their child/ren.
Parents should not be leaving children unattended in the their vehicle at any time.
Primary students should not enter school grounds before 8:30am. We’ve noticed some students arriving early, especially with older siblings and heading straight to class. To maintain safety and supervision, all primary students must wait at the school gates until 8:30am.
Playgrounds and the oval are out of bounds before and after school. Even if parents are present, we ask that students do not play in these areas during these times.
Thank you for helping us keep all students safe by following these important guidelines.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
EBikes
Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge - Final Reminder!
This is a gentle reminder that time is running out for our Victorian Premier's Reading Challenge! We're thrilled to announce that 80 of our dedicated students have already completed the challenge – what an incredible achievement! Your commitment to reading is truly inspiring.
For readers still working towards completion, please remember that our school's challenge will close at the end of August. This gives you just a few more weeks to reach your reading goals. The challenge is designed to encourage learners to read more books and discover new authors and genres, building crucial literacy skills that will benefit them throughout their lives.
If your child needs support to complete their challenge, please don't hesitate to reach out to your classroom teacher or English Teacher. Remember, every book counts towards building stronger reading habits and a lifelong love of literature.
Let's aim to have even more students join our 80 successful challengers before the deadline. Keep reading, keep exploring, and keep growing!
Student Spotlight – Share Your Child’s Achievements!
Dear Families,
At Lakeside College, we love celebrating the wonderful achievements of our students – both in and out of school!
If your child has recently accomplished something special – whether it's academic, sporting, creative or community-related – we’d love to hear about it. These moments may be featured in our school newsletter and shared with our wider community on our official Facebook page.
To nominate your child for our Student Spotlight, please email details and any relevant photos to marketing@lakeside.vic.edu.au
Let’s continue to support and uplift the amazing talents and efforts of our students together.
Term 3 Music Lessons
If your child is interested in music lessons, we have incredibly talented and professional teachers and opportunities for students to perform throughout the year.
Singing Lessons with Sandra De Reland, flute lessons with Nelle McLean, guitar or drums with Alejandro Aldana Espino and piano with Jess Van Raay.
Please visit the administration office if you’d like to sign up your student for lessons.
Conveyance Allowance
If you live more than 4.8 km’s from Lakeside College you may be eligible for a Conveyance Allowance payment from the Department of Education and Training (DET). The purpose of this allowance is to ensure that schools support eligible families to receive financial assistance with the cost of transporting students to and from school.
To be eligible to receive conveyance allowance, a student attending a non-government school must:
• be of school age (between 5 and 18 years);
• reside 4.8 km or more by the shortest practicable route from the school attended; and
• be enrolled at the nearest primary, secondary or specialist school of the same denomination as the school they attend.
The rate of payment is determined by the distance you live from the College, and the mode of transport you use. As an example, if you travel by private car you may be eligible for a payment of $470.00 per annum if you live between 4.8 kms and 10 kms from the College. This payment increases if the distance from the College is greater than 10 kms. For an additional student travelling with the same family, the additional payment is currently $235.00 per annum.
To apply for the conveyance allowance you need to complete the application for Private Car travel attached, or, if you travel by public transport, you need to complete the application for Public Transport attached. If your application is successful we are obliged to pass these payments onto you to assist with your travel costs, but there is an option to apply these to your College fees if you wish.
To apply this payment towards your tuition fees you need to sign the last page of the application (PARENT/GUARDIAN CONSENT FOR SCHOOL TO WITHHOLD CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE). Otherwise, we will need your bank account details to transfer funds as we receive them.
If you think you may be eligible, please complete the relevant application form and return to the Business Manager, Brian Trumble, by email at brian.trumble@lakeside.vic.edu.au or, return the completed application form to the front desk at the College Reception.
Thank you
Mr Brian Trumble
Business Manager
2025 Student Residential address and other information collection (Address Collection)
General
Dear families,
At Lakeside College, there is nothing more important than the safety and wellbeing of our students. The College places our commitments under the Child Safe Standards at the top of our priorities as a school.
As part of this commitment, our staff regularly undertake training regarding the standard and the actions to be taken to maintain a Child Safe environment.
Our students are also educated so that they know what to do if ever they feel unsafe. To help with this, these two resources are discussed with our students.
Secondary
Primary
It is important that our families are also aware of the part they play in creating a Child Safe environment. All parents volunteering at the College are required to undertake our online volunteer course (which includes Child Safe training).
You may soon notice that our teachers will be guiding our students to offer high fives/fist bumps/handshakes in preference to a hug. While hugging is not a practice that teachers and staff have actively encouraged, in keeping with our obligations and these new standards, we are required to further minimise physical contact with students. There are times when physical contact is appropriate, such as a brief side hug to comfort an extremely distressed child, or holding a child to keep them from danger.
Should any community member have concerns regarding the safety of a child, please act immediately using the details available here: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/safety/Pages/child-protection.aspx
The College has a number of Child Protection Officers who can support community members to make reports as required.
Please don’t hesitate to contact any of the Child Protection officers should you have any questions or concerns.
Student safety
Please ensure that all students cross the road using the crossings outside the administration building and near the Primary oval. Students should only cross at other points with parent supervision.
Parents should not be stopping in the no-standing zones to drop off / wait to pick up their child/ren.
Dogs on Campus
Dogs are not permitted on school grounds.
This is in place for two key reasons:
Allergies: Some students have serious allergic reactions to dogs. Even brief exposure can lead to significant health concerns.
Fear of Dogs: While many dogs are friendly, some individuals, both students and staff, have a genuine fear of them. Their presence may cause unnecessary stress or anxiety.
To ensure the safety and comfort of all, we ask that dogs not be brought onto school property at any time, including during drop-off, pick-up, or school events.
Student birthday celebrations in Primary School
In previous years many Primary families have provided birthday cakes, lolly bags, other food and toys for each child in the class.
We ask parents not to send cake, food, lollies and/or gift bags to school. This policy has been adopted for the following reasons:
To ensure student safety. Several students in our community have food-based allergies and some could have a severe reaction should they ingest foods containing allergens, particularly our younger students
To reduce the financial pressure on families to provide food and gifts for large numbers of students
To remove the negative impact on student wellbeing when some students feel their birthday celebration is ‘not as good’ as other students
To ensure parents have control over what their children eat and respecting their wishes if they do not want their children eating high sugar/calorie foods
To ensure consistency with our mandated ‘healthy eating’ policy and Victorian Government regulations
Birthdays are an excellent chance to celebrate the uniqueness of every child in our community. In each class, teachers and students acknowledge each student’s birthday in their own fashion. We have made this change to ensure the safety and well-being of all students in our community.
Communication
Families are reminded that their child’s homeroom teacher is the first point of contact for all questions. If you require the contact details of any of your child’s teachers, please consult the College Staff Directory available on Parent Lounge.
Volunteers
The College is blessed by volunteers serving in many roles in order to provide a number of great experiences and support to our students and community.
If you are able to volunteer in any capacity at the College in 2025, please email student.services@lakeside.vic.edu.au and this can be arranged.
Volunteer training
If you are a regular volunteer with the College, please ensure you complete your online training module. Please contact the office and provide a copy of your working with childrens check and training will be assigned.
Parent/Guardian Communication Checklist
There are a number of communication tools the College uses to ensure our families are kept in the loop. Please cross check the list below and contact Administration should you require any assistance.
• Parent Lounge - This is our online portal for families and has a wealth of information including the school calendar and important notices. There is a link to the parent portal on the College website https://tass.lakeside.vic.edu.au/parentlounge.
• Facebook - Please like us on Facebook to ensure you see the daily celebration of the great things going on around the campus. Search ‘Lakeside College’ and hit the ‘like’ button.
• Student Spotlight - The College loves sharing student news and success stories. If you would like to see your child featured in our newsletter or on facebook, email marketing@lakeside.vic.edu.au with a photo and details.
Parking at Lakeside College
Due to the unique location of Lakeside College, we do not have an abundance of parking available on the school grounds. For the safety of College students, staff and families, please observe the following parking guidelines in the attached images and notes.
- Do not allow your children to enter or exit your car if you are not stopped in a designated zone or fully parked.
Do not park in areas marked as ‘no parking’ or 'no standing.’
Do not park or drop off in the bus / delivery zone.
Do not drop children off at the bend of Portobello Rd.
If using drop off/collect zones please do not park. This causes a backup of traffic. If your child is not ready to be collected, please exit the car park and return a short time later.
Parents should not be stopping in the no standing zones to drop off / wait to pick up their child/ren.
Please only use our disabled parking spaces if you are eligible to do so. There are a number of Lakeside families who rely on these spaces and must have access to them
Gate access from the College carpark;
Gates open at 8am and lock again at 8:45am.
Gates re-open at 2:45pm and lock again at 3:30pm.
If possible, utilise the alternate parking areas around the College.
The College has received several complaints from Aldi regarding families using their loading area to drop off and collect students. We request all of our families to not use this area for pickup.
As spoken of elsewhere in this newsletter, please do not allow your children to cross roads unaccompanied unless you are with them.