School News

4th November 2024    Hayley

Last week's Superhero is an absolute delight; we are all so fortunate to have her at KPS.

Hayley is receiving the award as she displays the school value of Excellence on a daily basis. 

Our Superhero bounds into her classroom with a can-do attitude and positive outlook each day. Hayley joins in discussions enthusiastically, listens to the ideas of others thoughtfully and happily gives new challenges her best efforts.

Hayley from Studio 7, is caring towards her peers and ensures others feel welcome and valued.

Despite her frightening her teachers with scary Halloween tricks they are delighted that she is in their room! Hayley 's sense of fun is contagious!

Congratulations Hayley, we hope you've had a great week!

11th November 2024   River

Our superhero for this week is a motivated learner who is driven by an internal desire to progress and achieve. Although he consistently displays all of the KPS School Values and Learning Dispositions, it is the values of Care and Excellence that provides River his superhero strength.

River is a kind friend to all and is well liked by his teachers and peers because of his caring nature. He shows empathy in his interactions with others, providing his friends with an extra boost when he sees they need it. A true team player, River values the thoughts, opinions and beliefs of others, always striving to find solutions to problems that benefit everyone. He enjoys the camaraderie of sports, particularly soccer, where he supports his teammates by including them and cheering them on. 

River from Studio 1 displays excellence in his desire to make the most of every learning opportunity. He works thoughtfully on learning tasks to maximise his learning and produce work that he is proud of. He accepts feedback graciously, incorporating suggestions from his teachers and peers to enhance his learning. Although his work is always of high quality, our superhero accepts praise humbly and never seeks to compare himself to others.  

Studio 2 is so proud to have this motivated, kind and positive student in our class.

Congratulations River, we hope you've had a great week!

Classroom Awards

Congratulations to the following students for receiving classroom awards: Aleksandra, Jude, Charlie, Evie, Tyler, Claire, Louise, Rex, Archer, Meadow, Seamus, Lana, Felix, Molly, Freyr, Anabelle, Arlo, Finnian, Lyla, Matt, Evelyn, Meredith, Harry, Fred, Isaac, Evan, 

Year Prep News

Colour Explosion School Run 4 Fun - Fri 15th Nov

Dress Code

Casual clothes with a white T-shirt and closed in shoes - all students will be provided with rainbow sunglasses and a rainbow headband to make the day extra colourful! Please note students with school shirts on can complete the course but will not be allowed to have the colour powder thrown on them*students are encouraged to bring a change of clothes to travel home in, particularly bus travellers.

Key Event Information

• Students move around the course at their own pace – jog, walk – they don’t have to run
• Students can bypass the colour stations if they wish
• On the signal of the air horn (after 10 mins) students will exit the course near the GP room and gather at the tables under the shade cloth for an icy pole/photos

Parent Viewing

Parents/Guardians are welcome to attend the event. All school gates will be open, including the bottom gate near the Aquatic Centre. No sign in at the office is required. There is a viewing area out the front of the GP room or feel free to find a suitable spot anywhere along the course.

Fundraising

Fundraising on www.australianfundraising.com.au has now closed for this event. 

Visual Arts Display - Kyneton Show

We are proud to be a part of the Kyneton Agricultural Show this weekend, Friday the 15th and Saturday the 16th of November. It is a great chance for students to exhibit their artworks in public and celebrate our school’s creativity. If you are attending, please visit the pavilion and view our artwork display. Students may also enter their own creations, so keep an eye out for some familiar names. 

Good luck to everyone who is entering.

Best wishes,

Mr. Nathan Mountford

French Day

On Thursday, 28 November 2024, our Year 5 and 6 students will be hosting an all-day event where every student in the school will participate in a range of engaging activities, games, and hands-on experiences focused on French inventors, innovators, and influencers. Students are encouraged to come dressed in costumes inspired by French culture. 

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• French Artist – beret, striped shirt, and a paintbrush
• Chef – chef’s hat, apron, and a baguette
• Musketeer – tunic, toy sword, and feathered hat
• Mime – striped shirt, black pants, white gloves, and face paint
• Tour de France Cyclist – yellow shirt, bike helmet, and sunglasses
• Famous Landmark – cardboard cutout or headpiece shaped like the Eiffel Tower or a T-shirt featuring the Arc de Triomphe

These are just suggestions—students are welcome to come dressed as any famous French person, character, or symbol related to French culture.

The Year 5 and 6 students are busy designing a variety of activities for everyone to enjoy throughout the day, including:

• Games and Challenges based on French innovations and inventions
• Art and Craft Projects inspired by famous French artists and designers
• Science and Tech Activities to learn about significant French scientific discoveries
• Cooking and Baking using recipes created by influential French chefs
• And more!

As part of the day’s celebrations, we are supporting Crêpes for Change. Their food truck will be on-site, offering crêpes for $7–$9. This social enterprise supports youth homelessness, so every crêpe purchased will make a positive impact. The crêpe truck will be available to the community from 2.30 – 4.30pm and we invite families and friends to come and mingle and enjoy a crêpe with us.

Of course, it wouldn’t be French Day without the wonderful Phillipe et Jacques entertaining us with their accordion music and hilarious mime skills.

We look forward to seeing the students’ creativity come to life as we celebrate French culture together. The cost of the event is $11, payable on Compass.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Merci beaucoup, and we can’t wait for French Day!

Confirmed Case of Chickenpox

We have received a notification that a student from our school has chickenpox. The symptoms usually begin with:

• Fever
• Fatigue
• Loss of appetite
• Runny Nose
• Sore Throat
• Followed by a generalised rash a day or so later and starts as itchy red spots but rapidly progresses to blisters 

A person is infectious from two days prior to the onset of the rash until the blisters have all crusted into scabs, usually about five days after they appear. 

Children with chickenpox must not attend school until all remaining blisters have become scabs then exclusion is no longer required. 

Pregnant women and newborn babies should not be exposed to people with active chickenpox. Please find below some useful resources -https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/chickenpox

https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Chickenpox_Varicella/

Should you feel that you need to seek medical attention please contact your doctor and let them know of your suspicions prior to your appointment. This will prevent further spreading.

Instrumental Music Concert

This year the Instrumental Music Concert will be on Tuesday, December 3rd at 6pm for guitar, violin, flute, trumpet, trombone, ukulele and voice. We already had our keyboard concert last term. It would be great to see you there.

P & F Art Expo and End of Year Celebration

Everyone is invited to an amazing ART EXPO and End of Year Celebration on Friday 13th December from 5pm onwards here at KPS. All students will have a piece of art on display in a unique and interactive Art Exhibition. There will be art activities, a food truck, ice cream, and live music - what more could you ask for! 

So pop Friday 13th December in your diary, count down the days, grab the family, and see you there! More details to come!

Very proudly supported by the Parents and Friends and KPS

Early Collection of Students from School

We understand that there are many reasons why you might need to collect students from school early, however, we ask that you please keep these to a minimum where possible.

Our school PA system works by buildings so when an announcement is made it will be heard throughout the whole building and the closest relocatable classroom. These announcements are very disruptive especially when some days announcements are being made on numerous occasions within short periods. These disruptions are having an impact on student learning.

We ask for your assistance with some strategies to assist with this matter:

• Email the teacher or the office early in the day with the time you will be collecting your child/ren so we can, hopefully, have them waiting at the office for you.
• When possible, collect your child just before recess (11 – 11:40am) or lunchtime (1:40 – 2:20pm) rather than during the middle of class times.
• Announcements for collecting children will not be made during class time. If you need to collect your child during class time please come to the office to sign your child/ren out as an early departure and then go to the classroom to collect them.

We understand there can be emergency situations, however, we hope you will give your support and enable all children to receive as much learning as possible.

2025 Parent Payment and Book Pack Ordering Information

Information regarding the 2025 Parent Payments and book pack ordering has been sent home this week.

Please be aware there are two separate payments:

• School book pack orders are to be placed with Maxim Office Group by Sunday 15th December 2024 to ensure they are delivered to the school directly and ready for collection on Tuesday 30th January 2024. Please note there will be a late payment fee of $15 imposed by Maxim Office Group for any orders placed after this date.
• Curriculum contributions, other contributions and extra-curricular item amounts totalling $140.00 are paid direct to Kyneton Primary School and can be made in 2025.

These documents contain important information, so we kindly ask that you take the time to read them carefully. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact the school office.

Electronic copies of these documents are below and are also available on our school website and in the School Resources section in the Compass Parent Portal.

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.

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 

'All Kids Can' meeting next Wednesday 20/11

'All Kids Can' will have its final meet up for 2024 on Wednesday 20 November at the Kyneton Hotel at 7pm. All Kids Can is a new discussion and support group for parents and carers of KPS kids with disability / neurodiversity. All are welcome to come along and connect with other parents, and promote inclusion and celebration of our kids. 

Please send an email to kpsakc@gmail.com if you would like to join us, or if you would like to learn more.  

Thanks

Georgia

KPS Parents and Friends

Hats required in Term 4

A reminder that students are required to wear a sun smart hat during break times in Term 1 and Term 4. Caps are not permitted.

KPS hats can be purchased from the office for $12.

Canteen Help Required

Thursdays and Fridays are by far the busiest canteen days and to ensure our students can get their lunch on time we rely heavily on our amazing volunteers. It also helps create a great school community. Many of our long term Volunteers are no longer able to help. 

You can become a regular volunteer or just help out just once. Every bit helps. I have created a sign up sheet which makes it really easy for you to see what days and times we need volunteers. 

If you can help, please sign up here volunteersignup.org/9QBEX. 

Volunteers will need to have a valid Working with Children's Check and complete a quick OHS induction at the office. If you only have an hour free on a Thursday or Friday, contact me directly with what day you can help. 

The children at KPS always love seeing Parents, Grandparents or Older Sibling helping. It also helps create a great school community.

Cheers

Sarah Lockhart

Canteen Manager

sarah.lockhart2@education.vic.gov.au

Volunteers at KPS

It is great to see so many family volunteers helping out in various ways here at school. 

Department of Education policy requires all volunteers at KPS to complete an induction prior to coming onsite. This also includes excursion volunteers. This includes having a current Working With Children's Check (WWCC), completing a confidentiality document and OHS induction. For volunteers that are not parents of current students we also need emergency contact details. Applying for a Working With Children's Check is free for volunteers and can be completed online here: 

This documentation is available at the office and only take 5-10 minutes to complete. Once inducted volunteers can sign in and out at the office kiosk each time they visit.

Thank you for your assistance with this.

School Gates and Opening Times

In the morning all gates will be open for access to the school site at 8:45 as this is when under industrial arrangements staff supervision in the yard commences. No students are allowed onsite until this time. 

In the afternoon all gates will be open at 3:15 for access to the school site. Access to the office during the school day is via the pedestrian gate on Edgecombe St.

The new ramp/path between the school and the kindergarten is now operational. Access to the school grounds using the ramp is between the hours of 8:45 – 4.00. On either side of these hours, the bottom of the ramp will be chained off. Access outside of these hours needs to be arranged through the school office or a staff member by calling 5422 1855.

A reminder to all members of the school community the staff car park is not to be used to walk between the school and the kindergarten for safety reasons. Now that the ramp/path is operational the pedestrian gate next to the car park gates should be used following the path, crossing the road in front of the boom gate using the marked pedestrian crossing and then down the ramp.

* Please do not access the school site at any time via the staff car park for safety

 reasons.

* Please do not park in the kinder carpark unless it is your kinder day and you are a kinder family.

Uniform Ordering          

School uniforms are available for purchase online direct from A Plus Schoolwear  www.aplusschoolwear.com.au

When ordering uniforms please put the studio number of your child for easier delivery.  

Once uniforms arrive at school, they will be sent home with your child.

Students Arriving Late

Students arriving late to school should come to the office, accompanied by an adult, and sign in either on the Compass Kiosk or in the late book.  They will then be issued a late pass to take to class and their arrival at school will be updated on the roll.  This will avoid parents/guardians receiving notification that their child is not at school when they have arrived late.

Accessing Compass

Compass is our main way of communicating with our families. It is important that parents access the Parental Portal in Compass at https://kynetonps.vic.jdlf.com.au  

Using our parent portal will enable you to –

• View up-to-date class and school attendance information
• Approve or enter upcoming or past absences for your son/daughter
• Update your registered email and mobile number (used for SMS alters)
• Access information regarding upcoming events and news
• Access your child’s Semester Reports
• Book your Parent/Student/Teacher conferences

We encourage families to download the Compass App and to enable notification to ensure you receive all communications.

Please click on the “Welcome to Compass” booklets for further assistance or contact the office.