From the Principal 

SCHOOL COUNCIL

Nominations for vacancies for the 2018 School Council close today. We received two nominations for the four vacant parent positions.  I therefore declare Steven Knowles and Tamara Benjamin elected unopposed. There were two nominations for the two vacant DET places. I therefore declare Mrs Chellee Plumb and Miss Tracey Nelson elected unopposed.  The new school council will meet on Monday 5 March for co-option purposes. Dates of other School Council meetings will be decided once the new School Council is formed.

There are now two parent vacancies unfilled on School Council and so I call for further nominations for these two remaining positions.

Nominations will close on Tuesday 20 February.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER OR FAMILY SITUATION

At the information nights, families will receive a print out of the current contact details we have on our school CASES 21 administration program.

As we look towards the parent roll out of Compass, we first need to ensure all details are up to date, particularly the email contacts.

Parents are requested to check all pages and return them to the school office even if correct to ensure we have all the current information on our database. Grade 5 families completed this process in 2017.

SCHOOL CONTRIBUTIONS

Thank you to all families who have already settled their 2018 school contributions. It would be appreciated if all payments could be made by next Friday 16th February. This will also assist with payments of excursions and incursions. If you are unclear about any of these payments or require a new payment form, please call the office for further details.

ACCEPTABLE USE AGREEMENTS

Last week, your child brought home their ‘Acceptable Use Agreement’ which covers use of digital technologies in the school. They will have discussed this in their classrooms and should be able to verbalise the meaning behind the agreement.  Parents are asked to please sign the agreement to indicate that you have also read and discussed this with your child.  Agreements are due back by Friday 23rd February. After the 23rd, only students who have returned their signed agreement will be permitted to use the school’s digital technologies.

Year 5 and 6 students also need to return their Google App email permission forms asap.

PARENT CONSENT FOR ELECTRONIC RECORDING AND PUBLISHING

Each year, we ask parents to sign consent for their child’s image to be displayed within the school or on its website.

We also ask permission for students to view G rated media suitable for educational purposes.  Please see attachment and return to school by Friday 23rd February.

PARKING

Unfortunately, there have already been concerns raised about the safety of students at drop off and pick up times, particularly at the front of the school. It is extremely dangerous for parents to double park and ask children to walk between cars to jump in.

Firstly, we ask that parents do not double park at all. It is illegal, causes huge frustration to other drivers and puts students at risk.

We also ask for parents to set an example by walking that extra 20-30m and cross at the school crossing.

New families may also not realise that the staff carpark is not a drop off and pick up area and we ask families to not take their children through the car park, but instead exit via one of the other 2 gates on Hobart Rd.

The parking officer attends regularly and incorrect practices can end up being a costly lesson.

Please also adhere to speed restrictions and correct use of the school crossings for the safety of our children.

WORKING WITH CHILDREN CHECK

We love to have parent volunteers, and so this is a reminder that, as of 2017, any parent or carer who wishes to attend an excursion and supervise a group of students (eg visiting the zoo, museum, Scienceworks etc) must have provided the school with a current Volunteer Working With Children Check. Obviously, the primary duty of care always falls to our teachers, but on such occasions parents may be the primary carer for a short period of time at an excursion. This may be to take a group to the toilet or walk around an exhibit. The WWCC is free for volunteers and easy

to obtain online at:

 www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au.

When you receive the card, please present it at the office so that we can take a copy and add you to our database.

Lynne Foster