Macedon Primary School Newsletter

From the office 

Student information envelopes

All students should have received a white envelope with the current information we have. Can you please check over this information and make any changes. It is important that the school has the most up to date information regarding your address, living arrangements, emergency contacts. All information will be treated with confidentiality.

 

Late Arrivals / Early Leavers

Parents must always accompany their child if arriving late or leaving early.

  • Should your child arrive late to school, please ensure a parent/carer comes to the office with them, signs the Late Arrival book and gives the child a Late Arrival pass to take to class with them. The teacher will then know the child has been past the office and been signed in, not simply turned up late to class.
  • If you need to collect your child early from school, please email or call the school to advise. The parent/carer must first sign the child out from the Early Leaver’s book at the office and obtain an Early Leaver’s pass. Upon presentation of the pass to the teacher, your child will then be released to you. This is important as specialist and casual relief teachers do not always know who each parent is.
  • If you return your child to school, the Early Leaver’s book can be signed then, stating the time they returned.
  • This book must be completed in a timely manner as we will refer to it should there be an emergency to determine which children are currently at school. Please do not write “returned” until the child actually returns.

 

Camps, Sports, Excursion Fund (CSEF)

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors, excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works and sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are part of a healthy curriculum. CSEF will be provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities. If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. 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 $125 for primary school students. Contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form. If you received CSEF last year, please note that you must complete a new CSEF Form for 2023 and return to the office by the 28th of February. 

 

Conveyance Allowance

Parents have primary responsibility for transporting their children to and from school. The Department of Education (DET) provides financial assistance in the form of a conveyance allowance to help families in rural and regional Victoria with the cost of transporting their children to their closest appropriate school. The conveyance allowance is a contribution towards transport costs and is not intended to cover the full cost of transporting children to and from school. The allowance is an acknowledgement of the often limited government-provided transport infrastructure available outside metropolitan Melbourne. A conveyance allowance is provided to a student on the basis of individual eligibility.

To receive a conveyance allowance individual students must meet all of the following criteria:

1.      Attend a school/campus located outside the Melbourne Urban Growth Boundary.

2.      Attend the closest appropriate school/campus. For students attending government schools, this will be the closest school appropriate to the age and gender of the student (e.g. primary, secondary, single sex).

3.      Reside 4.8km or more from the school (shortest practicable route calculated by school at time of application from the student’s home to the school attended).

4.      Be of school age (between five and 18-years-old at the time of application), and a resident of Victoria.

5.      Be enrolled and travelling to school three or more days per week.

Students’ circumstances can change during their school years (e.g. moving residence or changing schools). Change of circumstances affects eligibility and a new application must be submitted with each change of circumstance. If you are unsure if you are eligible for Conveyance Allowance please contact the office.

If you received Conveyance Allowance last year, please note that you must complete a new Conveyance Allowance Application Form for 2022 and return to the office ASAP.

Conveyance Allowance applications must be lodged in early March, therefore the Conveyance Allowance Application Forms must be received at the office no later than Friday 4th March 2023.

(No late applications can be accepted).

 

Working With Children Checks / VITs

Would all parents please ensure their WWCC is current prior to nominating to help with activities during camps.  It is a legal requirement for those assisting with child activities to hold a current WWCC (either volunteer or employee) OR a current VIT card (for teachers).

WWCC applications are free for volunteers and can be obtained online  https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/.

 

Traffic and parking before and after school:

  • It is a legal requirement not to park across lines or within the crossing flags (vehicles can be fined for infringements);
  • The crossing supervisor is an employee of Macedon Ranges Shire Council, and as such, respect should be shown towards them at all times;
  • For the safety of your child/ren, please wait for the second whistle before using the crossing – this ensures all traffic has definitely stopped;
  • Adhere to the 40km/hr speed limit around the school from 8-9.30am and 2.30-4pm;
  • The staff car park on Smith Street is for staff only, and must not be used for student drop offs or pick ups;
  • Do not park behind the staff car park on Smith Street as staff require access to their vehicles at all times in case of emergencies;
  • The drop off area is for drop offs only. If you need to leave your car to walk your child into school, please park elsewhere.

 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office on 54261518 or email macedon.ps@education.vic.gov.au

 

Julie, Emma (Mon, Tues, Wed) & Salina (Wed, Thur, Fri)