Toolamba Primary School
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Principal's Report

Dear families,

 

Despite the summer heat, our students have been busy learning, staying active, and enjoying fun in the playground. It’s wonderful to see them engaged in lessons and building strong friendships. We are very fortunate that our airconditioned rooms make our learning environment very comfortable.

 

THANK YOU

A big thank you to Matt Sammut who came to the rescue to assemble the new book stand for the Grade 4 classroom. We were very appreciative.

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PARENTS AND FRIENDS

Our first Parents and Friends meeting was held on Tuesday night. Many thanks to our retiring members who came along to do a hand over. We are certainly very appreciative of your tireless efforts over the years. Congratulations to our new officer bearers:

 

President: Ciara Brisbane/Renee Ewart

Secretary: Ash Monks

Treasurer: Amanda Davies

 

A Bunnings BBQ is the first fundraiser for the year. This is on Saturday 15th of February. We are looking for volunteers to do shifts on this day. If you are available to help, the key contact is Beverley Wilson.

 

JOIN US ON WEDNESDAY, 12 FEBRUARY, FOR AN EVENING OF FOOD, FUN, AND COMMUNITY!

 

📚 CLASSROOM OPEN NIGHT – 5:00 PM

Come along early to explore your child's classroom, meet their teacher for 2025, and see what’s in store for the year ahead.

 

🌭 BBQ DINNER – 5:30 PM

The school will provide meat and bread, and we kindly ask families to bring along a salad or sweet to share. Don’t forget to BYO chairs and drinks for a relaxed and enjoyable evening.

This is a great opportunity to connect with other families, meet staff, and kick off the year together. To assist with catering, please RSVP via XUNO.

🚲 For safety reasons, we ask that scooters and bikes stay at home.

We look forward to seeing you there!

 

BUSH FIRE AT RISK REGISTER

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Toolamba Primary School is listed on the Bush Fire At Risk Register.

 

School preparedness and pre-emptive actions for the bushfire season

Fire danger ratings indicate how dangerous a fire would be if one started in those conditions and provide clear direction on the safest options for preserving life. They can be a trigger for action in community and for school and household level fire plans. 

Schools and children’s services listed on the Department of Education and Training’s Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) and those at some lower risk of bushfire or grassfire on the Category 4 list will be closed when a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast in their Bureau of Meteorology district. 

Schools and early childhood services listed on the Department of Education and Training’s Bushfire At-Risk Register (BARR) and those at lower risk of bushfire or grassfire on the Category 4 list take pre-emptive actions on elevated fire danger days to minimise the risk of being caught in a fire in these conditions. The category of risk (per the BARR or Category 4 list) determines the actions that the school or early childhood service will need to take on days of elevated fire danger.

 

Our school has been identified as being one of these schools at high bushfire or grassfire risk and is a BARR school.

Our school will close on a day forecasted as Catastrophic fire danger rating in Greater Shepparton City fire district. 

The department will advise our school of the potential for a Catastrophic fire danger rating as information becomes available, however the pre-emptive closure will be confirmed by 1pm the day prior to Catastrophic fire danger day. 

Fire danger ratings are forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology up to four days in advance. Should a Catastrophic day be forecast, we will notify you of the potential closure by an email, push notification and SMS.   Closure of the school due to a forecast Catastrophic day will be confirmed on the day prior and we will provide you with advice before the end of the school day.

Once confirmed, the decision to close will not change, regardless of improvements in the weather forecast.  This is to avoid confusion and help your family plan alternative care arrangements for your child.  It is also important to note that:

  • No staff will be on site on days where the school is closed due to a forecast Catastrophic day.

  • Out-of-school-hours care will also be cancelled on these days.

  • School camps will be cancelled if a Catastrophic fire danger rating day is forecast for the Bureau of Meteorology district in which the camp is located, or if the travel involves passing through areas that have Catastrophic fire danger.

  • All bus routes that travel through the Catastrophic area will be cancelled.

Families are encouraged to enact their Bushfire Survival Plan on Catastrophic fire danger rating days.  On such days, children should never be left at home alone or in the care of older children.

For those of us living in a bushfire prone area, the Country Fire Authority (CFA) advises that when Catastrophic days are forecast, the safest option is to leave the night before or early on the morning of the Catastrophic day.

As part of preparing our school for potential hazards such as fire, we have updated and completed our Emergency Management Plan and reprioritised any maintenance works that may assist in preparing for the threat of fire and cleared our facility’s grounds and gutters.

 

What can parents do?

  • Make sure your family’s bushfire survival plan is up-to-date and includes alternative care arrangements in the event that our school is  closed due to elevated fire danger or a Catastrophic fire forecast. Further information can be found on the CFA’s website.

  • Ensure we have your current contact details, including your mobile phone numbers.  Keep in touch with us by  reading our newsletters, checking our website www.toolambaps.vic.edu.au  by talking to your child’s teacher or any other member of the teaching staff about our emergency management plan.

  • Most importantly at this time of year, if you’re planning a holiday or short stay in the bush or in a coastal area, you should check warnings in advance of travel and remain vigilant during your stay. If your child is old enough, talk to them about bushfires and your family’s Bushfire Survival Plan. 

  • You can access current information about school and early childhood services closures, including those due to elevated fire danger, on the Department of Education and Training’s website see 

  • http://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/health/pages/closures.aspx 

Multiple sources that offer information on emergencies are listed below:

 

COMMUNICATION

We have four main forms of communication:

  1. Weekly Newsletter accessed via XUNO or our school website www.toolambaps.vic.edu.au
  2. XUNO
  3. Email
  4. Phone

If you need to contact your child’s teacher, please either.

All emails and phone calls will be directed to the staff member concerned. 

 

PARENT STUDENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS 

In Week 5 and 6  (24th  Feb  – 7th March) we will be holding our interviews. Bookings are to be made via XUNO. These will be live next week and a Xuno message will be sent when bookings open.

 

SCHOOL COUNCIL

Our first meeting for the year will be on Monday 24th February commencing at 6.30pm. 

School Council elections are upon us again. This year we have two parents, Simon Robinson and Jade Golightly,  who has completed their term of office and are up for re-election. We do encourage other members of our parent community to join our school council, we are always looking for new members as families leave our school. 

Please refer to the School Council section of the newsletter for details about School Council Elections. Parents are strongly encouraged to nominate for School Council.

 

Have an enjoyable weekend.

Regards Heather