Whole School Messages 

NAPLAN 2023 - Years 3, 5, 7 and 9

Testing for the National Assessment Program-Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) will take place this term for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests will run between the 15th - 27th March. I will email a test schedule closer to the test dates. These assessments are a Government requirement for schools across Australia. They are curriculum-based tests aimed at providing information that can be used to support teaching and learning programs in Numeracy and Literacy. 

All schools in Victoria will be completing the NAPLAN assessments online, except for the Year 3 Writing assessment which will continue to be on paper. The following website has examples of each test that you can view if you would like to see a sample of the types of questions the students may be asked - https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site 

Students will participate in practice tests in class so they are familiar with the format of all assessments. 

At Lakeside College, we desire all our students to achieve their best. We believe it is important to foster a conscientious approach and to develop the skills required to undertake various styles of assessment. To help facilitate this we familiarise our students with the testing environment, specific style of assessment and provide strategies, including time management and problem-solving. 

It is important to remember that NAPLAN is only one form of assessment, conducted at a particular point in time. While we desire all students to do their best, these assessments should not cause undue stress. At Lakeside College, assessment is an ongoing process whereby teachers employ a range of methods in assessing each child’s progress.

Camps, Sports & Excursion Fund

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) is a State Government Funded scheme to assist eligible families with payments for their child’s camps, sports and excursion activities run by the school. The main purpose of CSEF is to ensure that no student misses out on the opportunity to join their classmates on important educational and fun activities. 

To be eligible you need to hold either a Veterans Affairs Gold Card or be an eligible Centrelink Health Care Card (HCC) or a Pensioner Concession valid card holder. As camps, sports and excursions are included in your tuition fees, the funding received from the Government will be applied to your fees account. In addition, if you are eligible for CSEF you may be eligible for a discount off your 2023 school fees. 

If you have already lodged a CSEF application for this year, or you successfully received CSEF funding in 2022, you do not need to lodge another application. An application form is attached for new CSEF applications. 

Please complete and return to the Business Manager, Noel Pullen, by dropping in at the front office or by email: noel.pullen@lakeside.vic.edu.au 

General

Dear families,

At Lakeside College, there is nothing more important than the safety and wellbeing of our students. The College places our commitments under the Child Safe Standards at the top of our priorities as a school. 

As part of this commitment, our staff regularly undertake training regarding the standard and the actions to be taken to maintain a Child Safe environment. 

Our students are also educated so that they know what to do if ever they feel unsafe. To help with this, these two resources are discussed with our students. 

Secondary

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/programs/health/protect/EasyEnglish_SecondarySchool_FactSheet.pdf

Primary

https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Documents/about/programs/health/protect/EasyEnglish_PrimarySchool_FactSheet.pdf 

It is important that our families are also aware of the part they play in creating a Child Safe environment. All parents volunteering at the College undertake our online Child Safe training.

In 2023, a number of new changes will require us to amend our practice in a small number of areas and we are beginning to implement these. You may soon notice that our teachers will be guiding our students to offer high fives/fist bumps/handshakes in preference to a hug. While hugging is not a practice that teachers and staff have actively encouraged, in keeping with our obligations and these new standards, we are required to further minimise physical contact with students. There are times when physical contact is appropriate, such as a brief side hug to comfort an extremely distressed child, or holding a child to keep them from danger.

Should any community member have concerns regarding the safety of a child, please act immediately using the details available here: https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/safety/Pages/child-protection.aspx 

The College has a number of Child Protection Officers who can support community members to make reports as required. 

Please don’t hesitate to contact any of the Child Protection officers should you have any questions or concerns. 

Student safety

Please ensure that all students cross the road using the crossings outside the administration building and near the Primary oval. Students should only cross at other points with parent supervision.

Student birthday celebrations in Primary School

In previous years many Primary families have provided birthday cakes, lolly bags, other food and toys for each child in the class. 

From the commencement of this year, we ask parents not to send cake, food, lollies and/or gift bags to school. This policy has been adopted for the following reasons:

• To ensure student safety. Several students in our community have food-based allergies and some could have a severe reaction should they ingest foods containing allergens, particularly our younger students
• To reduce the financial pressure on families to provide food and gifts for large numbers of students
• To remove the negative impact on student wellbeing when some students feel their birthday celebration is ‘not as good’ as other students
• To ensure parents have control over what their children eat and respecting their wishes if they do not want their children eating high sugar/calorie foods
• To ensure consistency with our mandated ‘healthy eating’ policy and Victorian Government regulations

Birthdays are an excellent chance to celebrate the uniqueness of every child in our community. In each class, teachers and students acknowledge each student’s birthday in their own fashion.   We have made this change to ensure the safety and well-being of all students in our community. 

Communication

Families are reminded that their child’s homeroom teacher is the first point of contact for all questions. If you require the contact details of any of your child’s teachers, please consult the College Staff Directory available on Parent Lounge.

Volunteers

The College is blessed by volunteers serving in many roles in order to provide a number of great experiences and support to our students and community.

If you are able to volunteer in any capacity at the College in 2023, please email student.services@lakeside.vic.edu.au and this can be arranged.

Volunteer training

If you are a regular volunteer with the College, please ensure you complete your online training module. Please ensure you have completed the volunteer expression of interest form and training will be assigned.  

Enrolments

Families are encouraged to submit sibling enrolments for 2024 and beyond to secure placement.  Please do this as soon as possible by either filling out the enrolment form online or getting in contact with our Registrar via email or phone below.

https://enrol.lakeside.vic.edu.au/enrolment-applicati…/start

enrolments@lakeside.vic.edu.au  or 5941 7544 - ext 1

Parent/Guardian Communication Checklist

There are a number of communication tools the College uses to ensure our families are kept in the loop. Please cross check the list below and contact Administration should you require any assistance.

•  Parent Lounge - This is our online portal for families and has a wealth of information including the school calendar and important notices. There is a link to the parent portal on the College website https://tass.lakeside.vic.edu.au/parentlounge

• Lakeside College App: For those that where using the Lakeside College App, this is now replaced with Parent Lounge for all absent notifications, medical updates, school links and any events and other information regarding your child/ren.

•  Facebook - Please like us on Facebook to ensure you see the daily celebration of the great things going on around the campus. Search ‘Lakeside College’ and hit the ‘like’ button

•  Student Spotlight -   The College loves sharing student news and success stories.  If you would like to see your child featured in our newsletter or on facebook, email marketing@lakeside.vic.edu.au with a photo and details.  

Parking at Lakeside College

Due to the unique location of Lakeside College, we do not have an abundance of parking available on the school grounds. For the safety of College students, staff and families, please observe the following parking guidelines in the attached images and notes.

1. Do not allow your children to enter or exit your car if you are not stopped in a designated zone or fully parked
2. Do not park in areas marked as ‘no parking’ or 'no standing.’ 
3. If using drop off/collect zones please do not park. This causes a backup of traffic. If your child is not ready to be collected, please exit the car park and return a short time later
4. Please only use our disabled parking spaces if you are eligible to do so. There are a number of Lakeside families who rely on these spaces and must have access to them
5. If possible, utilise the alternate parking areas around and enjoy a short walk to school
6. The College has received several complaints from Aldi regarding families using their loading area to drop off and collect students. We request all of our families to not use this area for pickup. 
7. As spoken of elsewhere in this newsletter, please do not allow your children to cross roads unaccompanied unless you are with them