Principal's Message

Friday, 24th March

Colour Explosion

All Welcome!

4pm-6pm

BBQ afterwards

This is a Parent Association Fundraiser.

End of Term – Early Dismissal:

Please note, Term 1 concludes on Thursday 6th April, school will finish on that day at 2:30pm, please make arrangements to ensure your child is collected at that time. KidsCo will begin their afterschool care program from 2:30pm onwards. The school term will conclude with an assembly at 1.30pm to bring the end of a busy term to a close.

ANZUK SERVICE

On Wednesday 5th April, our student leaders will be attending a special ANZAC service at the Shrine in Melbourne. We are sure this group of students will represent our school beautifully, and learn much from the experience to share with their peers.

Colour Run – TOMORROW

Our Parents Association team is very excited about the funds already raised on our Colour Run Fundraising page! Congratulations everyone for all your efforts- we are looking forward to handing our loads of prizes next term.

Tomorrow our Colour Explosion School Fun Run runs from from 4pm to 5pm.

There is BBQ food available afterwards (Halal and Vegetarian options available). Many thanks to Bakers Delight and the Trkic family for their donation of bread for the event.

Families are reminded:• Please make sure students wear a WHITE or BLACK shirt and closed in shoes.• Students will be given free sunglasses and a rainbow headband for the event.• Students will be covered in non-toxic, biodegradable colour powder from head to toe.• Colour Powder is made of high-quality corn starch and permitted food colours. Safety data sheet is available upon request.

Weather: We are likely to go ahead with the Colour Run and Open Afternoon (Foundation 2024), if just a few showers are forecast for the afternoon. Should it be pouring, we will inform families early tomorrow (via Dojo before 3pm) and re-schedule for Term 2.

How and Why Do We Fundraise?In 2022 the money raised went towards new furniture in the new STEM centre that all the children can enjoy. In 2021 the money raised went towards replacing the basketball backboards and repainting the lines. This year we are looking to raise money to update the lines and markings (hopscotch, etc) on the ground in the yard and/or constructing a neon information sign at the front of the school (current estimates for both these projects are approximately $15,000 each).

YOU CAN STILL HELP US RAISE FUNDS AND WIN A PRIZE!Fundraising for our Colour Explosion School Fun Run is entirely online. Follow the instructions in your child’s sponsorship booklet to create a cybersafe, online profile page at https://myprofilepage.com.au/.

House Athletics

The wet weather and cold conditions did not stop our Year 3-6 students, staff and amazingly helpful parents, from undertaking a very successful House Sports competition on Monday at Central Reserve. Students competed in long jump, high jump, discus shotput, sprints, relays and hurdles. The students showed beautiful sportsmanship, leadership and determination for the whole of the day.

Congratulations to Ms Kelsall, all of the teachers, and especially the parents who supported the planning and running of the event. Your work was very much appreciated by all of the students on the day. (See photos on Athletics Day page.)

Easter Parade

We are looking forward to our Year F-2 students showing off their Easter hats at our Parade on Thursday during assembly!!!

Working Bee- WOW!

A great group of very hard working parents, staff and students attending our Working Bee on Friday afterschool. So much wonderful work was achieved including:

Clearing of gutters and balls removed from the roof
A new path to the ARC building from the playground
Repainting of ‘dots’ and painting of bag boxes (and a range of other painting jobs)
Soft fall swept back under playgrounds
Many cobwebs cleared from buildings
Garden hedging, cleaning and weeding,
Display boards updated
Furniture and equipment moved, set up and stored
And so, so much more!

Many thanks to the families who came along, supported the school to look great, enjoyed a BBQ together, shared a few stories and did LOADS of wonderful work for our school environment:

GREEN FAMILY SUMMERSETT FAMILY SCOLARO FAMILY

FRASER FAMILY HORUA FAMILY MULLNER FAMILY

PADFIELD FAMILY LAMPUGNANI FAMILY JAYASEKARA FAMILY

AKURATIYAGE FAMILY IOVANNELLA FAMILY STYCZEN FAMILY

NATASHA POLITES

Attendance

This week I visited classrooms and quietly congratulated students across the school who had 100% attendance in Term 1. I know (from personal experience) the challenges of having children at school, on time every day. Of course, children have appointments that sometimes cannot be arranged outside school hours, and sometimes children can be unwell, so 100% attendance is not always possible.

I also know, through documented research, that the higher a child’s attendance rate at school, the more successful they are, not just in education, but in life in general.

A child with 20 more or absence days in a year is considered ‘at risk’. We keep a close watch on student attendance data. Students who have prolonged family holidays during school terms often account for our higher levels of absences across the school. I strongly encourage families to arrange holidays and travel during the many weeks of school holidays, avoiding any impact on student learning and peer connectedness. A student with 5 or more absences in a term, is already on track for being ‘at risk’ in their learning progression. Parents can track their child’s attendance on Compass.

Below is some information for parents and carers about the Victorian Attendance Legislation which may be useful for some families.

Mobile Phones

All schools in the state of Victoria have school-based policies which aim to prevent Mobile Phones being used during school hours, and not being used in the classroom by students at all. The ARPS Mobile phone policy requires students who travel to and from school with a mobile phone, to have the mobile phone to the office on arrival, and collect the mobile phone at the end of the day. In an emergency, parents can contact their children via the school office.

Students found to have a mobile phone in the classroom/ outside when at school, will be asked to had the mobile phone to the office, and parents will be contacted. Parents are asked to please ensure these rules are made clear to all students. Refer to ARPS Mobile phone policy or Department of Education requirements for more information: https://www.vic.gov.au/mobile-phones-schools

Prime Drinks – Student Health and Safety concern

Parents are urged to be aware of recent concerns regarding ‘Prime Energy’ drinks which may now be able to purchase in Australia. This drink contains 200mg of caffeine per 355ml can - that’s equivalent to six cans of Coca-Cola, 2½ cans of Red Bull, or three shots of coffee. Several recent reports have suggested this drink is very unsafe for children, and should certainly not be bought to school to drink.

Unless otherwise arranged with a teacher/ administration staff (for health or other reasons), all students are expected to have water only in their drink bottles and lunches. There is no need for ‘energy drinks’, cordial, sugar filled drinks or juice bottles at school. As I explained to our Year 5/6 cohort today, humans have survived on water for thousands of years, I’m sure we can continue to do so at school each day. Parents/carers who believe their child has a particular medical or other need to have juice/sugar drinks at school, should make a time to discus this with their child’s teacher. (Apart from the obvious health issues with sugary drinks, they are also very sticky and messy when they spill on student work in the classroom).

Attendance

I also know, through documented research, that the higher a child’s attendance rate at school, the more successful they are, not just in education, but in life in general.

Below is some information for parents and carers about the Victorian Attendance Legislation which may be useful for some families.

Mobile Phones

Prime Drinks – Student Health and Safety concern

Grandparents Day

It was lovely today to see so many parents and special friends visiting our Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 classrooms and sharing the ‘school’ experience. We really enjoy having the broader community taking part in our special events at school.

Parent Payments for Events

Parents/Carers are reminded that payments and consent for extra curricular and special events/excursion are due BEFORE the day of the event, and not on the actual day.

Having large numbers of families who are attempting to make payment for events on the day, and provide consent, causes additional stress and workload for staff who have planned the staff and student ratios and travel arrangements, with changes needing to be made at the last minute. Late payments and consent can also make students very anxious and sometimes lead to tears. Staff cannot take students out of the school grounds on any form of excursion without parent/carer consent.

Parents are urged to please check Compass regularly for upcoming events, and consent requests for events and excursion, to ensure the smooth running and planning of all school extra curricula activities.

Victorian Attendance Legislation

In Victoria, it is compulsory for children and young people aged 6–17 years to attend school.

Parents are legally required to ensure their child attends school every day and to provide an explanation for their child's absence from school unless an exemption from attendance has been granted or an exception to their attendance applies.

Evidence shows that daily school attendance is important for young people to succeed in education and to ensure they don’t fall behind both socially and developmentally. Young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health and employment outcomes and enjoy higher incomes.

The law provides a framework for school’s attendance, exemptions and exceptions from attendance and parents’ obligations relating to ensuring attendance. The rules are not in place to punish students’ time away from school, which can be unavoidable. Instead, the laws are an effort to promote and improve student attendance across Victorian schools.

The compulsory school age

All children aged 6–17 years are required to either be enrolled at a registered school, or registered for home schooling. In some circumstances a parent can apply to the Regional Director to exempt a child from enrolment at school. For more information see: Exemptions

Responsibility for ensuring that a child attends school

School attendance is mandated under the Education Training and Reform Act 2006. It is the responsibility of parents, guardians or anyone who has parental responsibility for a child to ensure the child attends school on a regular basis.

How attendance is recorded by schools

Schools must record student attendance twice per day in primary schools and every period in secondary schools.

Requirements that apply to children attending non-government schools

The rules apply to parents of compulsory school-aged children attending any Victorian Government, Independent and Catholic Schools.

Processes for following up attendance

‘Poor attendance’ for the purpose of the legislation

What is considered as “poor attendance” is determined on a case by case basis. However, under the legislation, if a student of compulsory school age is absent from school for five days within a school year and without a reasonable excuse, then further action can be taken, at the discretion of the principal.

Unexplained or unapproved absences

A principal can approve or not approve any absence, based on the requirements of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, an individual school policy or on a case-by-case basis.

The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 provides some examples of what a reasonable excuse is for the purposes of explaining a school absence and includes, amongst other considerations:

Illnesses and accidents;
Unforeseen and unexplained circumstances;
If the absence was a result of complying with another law;
The child is receiving distance education through a registered school;
The child is undertaking approved education, training and/or employment;
The child has been suspended or expelled; and
The child is attending or observing a religious event or obligation.

Unexplained Absence:

A principal will record an absence as ‘unexplained’ if no explanation about the absence is given to the school by the parent or carer of the student.

If you do not contact the school to provide an explanation on the day of the student absence, the school must attempt to contact the parent or legal guardian either by phone or in writing and seek an clarification within three days of the recorded absence.

If no contact can be made with the parent or other carers of the child within 10 days, the absence will be recorded as an unexplained absence and a note will be made in the child’s file. A parent or legal guardian can contact the principal at any time after the recorded absence to provide an explanation.

Unapproved Absence:

In general, a principal may record an absence as ‘unapproved’ when no reasonable explanation has been given for the student’s absence. If a reason is given for a student absence is not approved by the principal than the school will notify the parent or legal guardian in writing.

Action that will be taken if your child reaches five days of unapproved or unexplained absence

If a child reaches five days of unapproved or unexplained absence in the preceding 12 months then the school and principal will work with the parent or legal guardian to implement the appropriate support or intervention to assist the child and ensure they attend school every day and remain at school during school hours. If the support and intervention do not improve your child’s attendance, the principal may decide to make a referral to the School Attendance Officer. This person is the Regional Director of the Department’s Regional Office where you are located.

When a referral is made to the school attendance officer

The School Attendance Officer will investigate the student absence records and may take one or all of the following steps depending on the circumstances.

Issue a School Attendance Notice
Issue an Official Warning
Issue an Infringement Notice

For more information on the School Attendance Officer, see: School Attendance Officers.

What you can do if you have been issued a school attendance notice

The School Attendance Notice is not a fine but rather an opportunity for the child’s family to explain the absences and work with the child’s school to improve attendance in the future. The School Attendance Officer will assess the family’s response to a School Attendance Notice.

For more information, including how a School Attendance Officer assesses your family’s response, see: School Attendance Notices.

What you can do if you have received a school attendance notice but your child was not with you on the date listed

The School Attendance Notice gives parents and legal guardians the opportunity to state why their child was absence on the dates listed in the notice. The notice should be completed and returned to the School Attendance Officer by the due date.

What you can do if you have been issued with an official warning

A School Attendance Officer may decide to issue an Official Warning prior to, or instead of, issuing an Infringement Notice.

For more information see: When to Issue an Official Warning.

Circumstances under which you can be issued with an infringement notice

After other strategies to improve attendance have been implemented and failed under the new legislation, the school have the right to issue an Infringement Notice, which used as a last resort.

For more information see: Infringement Notices.

Appealing an infringement notice if you think it has been issued unfairly

If there is reason to believe that the Infringement Notice was unfairly issued, than a parent or legal guardian can apply for an internal review with the Department of Education and Training or elect to have the matter heard in the court.

For more information on the grounds for review and the process for lodging a review request, visit: Infringement Notices (‘Appeals’).

How much is the fine

The infringement notice is currently $78. The amount changes each financial year.

Types of absence

Circumstances when you may receive a fine if your child has missed lots of school due to illness

A genuine illness is a reasonable excuse. The cause of each absence will be considered on a case by case basis. While a child is absent, a parent or legal guardian should continue to update the school on the situation and work with the school to develop a Student Absence Learning Plan to ensure that the student’s educational needs are supported and they do not fall behind in their school work.

If a child is absent for a long period of time due to illness than the parent or legal guardian may wish to discuss flexible options for accessing school. The principal will be able to advise if arrangements such as Distance Education are appropriate.

Circumstances when you may receive a fine if your child attends remedial tutoring or classes outside school that are scheduled during school hours

A school principal has the discretion to decide whether an absence caused by attending remedial class or tutoring will be approved or unapproved. The parent should discuss this before the child starts undertaking the classes. In general, it is expected that the family and the school work together to identify the child’s educational needs and address them within the school setting and school hours.

Taking your child for an extended holiday during school term, and what you can do to ensure that their learning needs are supported

Generally, schools advise against planning a family holiday in term time.

If you are planning an extended holiday discuss this with your school principal well in advance of finalising any plans. The principal has the discretion to decide whether or not to approve the absence taking into account the student’s educational interests. If the principal approves the absence, work with your child’s school so you support your child’s education during their holiday. See: Student Absence Learning Plan

If the principal decides not to approve the absence, the parent or legal guardian should work with the school to decide on a reasonable length of absence or a more appropriate time for the child to go on holiday. If the parent or legal guardian decides to go on a holiday during the school term despite it being an ‘unapproved’ absence and the duration of the absence is over five days, the principal may choose to refer the case to the School Attendance Officer for further action and this may result in an Infringement Notice.

When it’s appropriate for your child to attend school part-time due to a disability

Full-time attendance is compulsory for all students aged 6-17 unless an exception from school applies, an exemption has been granted or there is a reasonable excuse provided for non-attendance. For either an exception or an exemption, a student and/or parent needs to submit an application to the relevant principal who will then make a recommendation to the Regional Director who, in turn, makes a determination based on Department policy. For more information see: Admission

In some circumstances, it may be appropriate for students with a disability to attend school for a reduced number of hours. This arrangement should only be entered into on a short-term basis and only if it is agreed by all parties, including school, family, practitioners and Department regional offices, that the reduced amount of school hours is in the best interests of the child. Each arrangement will be assessed on a case by case basis.

If the child is attending school for a reduced amount of hours as part of a plan that both outlines the return to full-time schooling and has been developed in consultation with the child’s school then this will be considered as an approved absence and will not be referred to a School Attendance Officer.

For more information contact the Disability Coordinator at your closest departmental Regional Office for further advice. See: Regions.

What happens if your child skips school without your knowledge

The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 recognises absences that are due to the child’s disobedience and are not any fault of the parent. It is therefore deemed a reasonable excuse and will not count towards the total of unapproved or unexplained absences.

If these absences are a continuing issue for your child, you should work with the school to develop plans or strategies to support their continuing engagement in school and to prevent further truancy.

For more information on strategies and supports available see: Attendance

What happens if your child refuses to go to school, and how you can support them to return

School refusing children experience significant emotional distress not only when going to school but also at the thought of going to school; they may be absent from school for weeks or even months at a time. School refusal differs from truancy as children generally stay home with the knowledge of the parents and despite the parents’ best efforts to encourage their child to go to school.

School refusal may be considered a reasonable excuse for absence and if supports and interventions are being sought, should not count towards unexplained or unapproved absence.

It is important in these circumstances that you clearly communicate your situation and concerns with your child’s school. You should work with your child’s school to find the best way to support them in this situation. Schools have the flexibility to modify the school experience for students so that it better caters to their needs, goals and strengths.

For more information on the supports and interventions to support your child see: Attendance

What happens if your child is employed in the entertainment industry and misses school regularly

Any child employed in the entertainment industry during school hours must have been granted a school exemption. When considering an application, a principal will consider, amongst other factors, how the employment might adversely affect the child’s educational needs and wellbeing. The process for applying for these exemptions is outlined in the Department’s School Policy and Advisory Guide. Non-government schools are also advised to follow these procedures.

For more information, see: Attendance - Exemption Application Process.

Being issued a school enrolment notice

All children of compulsory school age (6–17 years) must be enrolled in school or registered for home schooling. If you have been issued with a School Enrolment Notice this means that the School Attendance Officer has become aware that there is no record that your child or children are enrolled in school or registered for home schooling. The School Enrolment Notice is not a fine instead, it is an opportunity for your family to work with the School Attendance Officer to ensure your child is enrolled at school or properly registered for home schooling.

For more information see: Enrolling Your Child in School or Registering for Home Schooling.