Dear Robbie Mac Families,

We hope that you are all well and excited for the upcoming events and fundraisers in our school community. The PFA is thrilled to share the latest updates and opportunities for you to get involved and make a difference.

Thankyou!

Bunnings BBQ Fundraiser … A Sizzling Success!

We are delighted to announce that the Bunnings BBQ Fundraiser held on 5 August was a tremendous success. Thanks to your generosity and participation, we are thrilled to inform you that we raised over $2,400! These funds will be utilised to purchase new sports equipment, providing our children with more opportunities to lead an active lifestyle.

Special thanks go out to our coordinator, Lindsay Gamble, and all the volunteers – Amy Nethery, Canaan Wang, Carolyn Steart, Colleen Gamble, David Edwards, David Read, Emma Becker, Jaclyn Campbell, Karla Bennett, Kim Jones, Mahima, Miski Jibrael, Neill Goldwater, Sarah Rolton, and Victoria Shaw, who worked tirelessly to organise and execute this event. Your commitment to our school community is truly commendable.

Current Events and Fundraisers

‘Final Reminder …

‘FUN’raising Bites Fundraiser, ends Tuesday 15 August – We would like to remind everyone that the ‘Fun’raising Bites Fundraiser ends this coming Tuesday, 15 August. Don’t miss this opportunity to support our school while enjoying delicious treats. Our goal is to raise $6,000 from the Gourmet Bites Box sales for Robbie Mac. Please remember to return the money in the envelope provided and any leftover biscuit boxes to the class teacher by 15 August.

And to fill out the details on the envelopes.

See the recent Compass post for further details.

Don’t forget there are two prize hampers that will go to the most enthusiastic families – the two that raise the most money by 15 August! We will tally the sales after Tuesday 15 August, when all money (and leftover boxes) has been returned to us. Our current leaders are:

Eldest Child	Class	Carry Boxes Taken
Vinnie Augelli	4D	11
Hunter Stevens	4D	6
Oscar Bennett	1B	4.3

Your continued support and participation are invaluable in making this a successful fundraiser, raising funds to go towards new 2023 play equipment for the children to enjoy, and to also help the Bite Size Kids Appeal.

RMPS PFA 2023 ‘Boogie Fever’ Student Disco, Friday 25 August – Get ready to dance the night away as we gear up for our upcoming PFA Student Disco event in the school hall on Friday 25 August. There will be separate disco events for the Foundation to Year 2 and Years 3 to 6 students, led by DJ Matty V:

F-Y2: 5.30pm to 6.30pm

Y3-Y6: 6.45pm to 7.45pm

Child registration on the night will start 15 minutes before each disco’s start time. We ask that you arrive in time to check your child in, ready for their disco to begin promptly.

Tickets cost $10 per child and are on sale now through Compass ‘Course Confirmation/Payments’. Ticket sales will close at 4pm on Friday 18 August, so please remember to grab a ticket if your child(ren) are keen on attending the disco. Tickets will not be sold at the door on the night and need to be bought via Compass.

The children can wear a disco themed outfit to ‘get down and boogie’ in and please make sure they bring a full, named water bottle.

If your child needs medication to be on hand, they can bring it in a named, zip locked bag, which will be signed in and out on the night and stored securely.

As we organise the roster for setting up, supervising the discos, and packing down the event, we may put out a request for volunteers shortly. If you would like to help at a student event like the disco, you need a Working with Children Check (WWCC). If you do not already have one, a free volunteer’s one can be applied for using the instructions at the end of the PFA news, ‘FREE Working with Children Check (WWCC)’. Also, a copy of your WWCC will need to be kept on file at the school office, so please ensure you organise this. (A WWCC is also needed to help at the School Fun Run.)

If you have any concerns or queries, please contact the PFA at: rmps.pfa@gmail.com.

Coordinators Wanted – Can you help us out?

We have exciting opportunities for enthusiastic parents and community members! We are in search of dedicated individuals who are interested in coordinating our upcoming events below:

Referendum Day Fundraiser (Term 4)

As a coordinator, you will be liaising with us, the school, providers (as applicable), and families to ensure we have enough people to help and that what is needed is organised. Most of the work can be done from the comfort of your home and these events have been run before. You will not be doing it all by yourself. We and the school are here to help! If you can take on a coordinator role to support the school and PFA, please reach out to let us know at rmps.pfa@gmail.com.

Term 4 PFA Events and Fundraisers

The following events and fundraisers are currently planned for Term 4:

World Teachers’ Day Morning Tea (Friday 27 October)

Foundation Transition Morning Tea (Wednesday 22 November)

School Fun Run (Colour Run) (Monday 27 November) – Coordinator required

Referendum Day Fundraiser (anticipating Term 4) – Coordinator required

Other small fundraisers may also be run throughout the remainder of the year.

Note that plans to hold a Parents and Carers Night in 2023 has now been cancelled

PFA

The PFA is a group of volunteer parents and carers who help organise events and fundraising activities for RMPS, welcome families and bring people together from within the community. This helps us all connect more closely with our school and to raise vital funds for school improvements. Without volunteers, there would be no PFA.

All RMPS parents and carers are welcome to register as PFA members, enabling them to receive copies of meeting minutes, vote on items/actions and the office bearer (executive) roles as applicable, and be elected to PFA office bearer roles. If you would like to register as a member, please contact us for a copy of the registration form. Note that you do not have to be a member to help on events or attend meetings.

Next meeting: Wednesday 30 August 2023 at 8:00pm – 9:00pm. This will be an online Zoom meeting. We look forward to having parents and carers join us for this meeting.

Best wishes,

Wen Li (President), Elizabeth (Secretary) and Bård (Treasurer)

The PFA Committee

FREE Working with Children Check (WWCC)

Ever thought about volunteering at a school (e.g., excursion, swimming, classroom) or PFA (e.g., disco, colour run) activity or event, or even at your child’s sports or dance club, but haven’t been able to because you don’t have a Working with Children Check (WWCC)? Well, you can get a volunteer WWCC for FREE! Applying for one takes about 15-20 minutes and you can do it online via Working with Children Check (service.vic.gov.au). Once you have completed the online application you will receive an application receipt, followed by a card after the check is completed. (Note: We recommend you do this using your mobile phone because of the photo process etc.)

What you'll need to do

Prove your identity with documents using your phone. The online application shows you which ones.
Fill out the online application form
Consent to Service Victoria passing your info on to the Working with Children Check (WWCC) Unit Victoria (Department of Justice and Community Safety) to process your WWCC application. (Services Victoria does not keep your information, they just pass it on.)

Your Working with Children check

The Working with Children Check Victoria screening process looks at:
Your criminal record in all Australian states and territories, including any charges, regardless of the outcome
Your professional conduct as determined by these groups, and

Whether you're required to report under sex offender legislation

If you have applied for a WWCC but are unsure whether your card will arrive before you want to volunteer at an event, please speak to the school office about possible options. A check may take between 3-12 weeks to be processed.

Copies of WWCC cards are kept on file by the school for compliance and a Working with Children Check is required for doing child-related work which includes volunteering. Please provide the school office with a copy of your card.

If you would like to get a WWCC card but are not confident doing this yourself, please contact the school office for assistance by calling 9890 2372.

For RMPS related volunteering, please also read the school’s:

Visitors Policy
https://robmacps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Visitors-policy.docx
Volunteers Policy
https://robmacps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Volunteers-policy.docx

Numeracy at RMPS