Hello, from Carolyn.

Hello everyone,

Congratulations to Sheridan Leversha and all our students for another fabulous school display entry at the Bendigo Show! We received a second place award this year. I know lots of you will be enjoying the show today or tomorrow, make sure you go and check out our amazing entry and all the other wonderful school entries.

Scholarships to support students.

The Department of Education administers a number of scholarships available to eligible students who are enrolled in Grade 4 to Year 12 in 2024.

Applicants for these scholarships will be evaluated on their:

· participation in school activities

· community involvement

· academic achievement.

Scholarships are either one-off payments or cover the duration of the student’s course or annual study.

Many of these scholarships have specific eligibility criteria, so please refer to individual applications for more information. Applications are now open, and close on Saturday 1 February 2025. For information on how to apply, refer to Student scholarships. 

Supporting Reading Confidence and Skills!

Our school has a partnership with The Smith Family, they offer a range of supports including the 'Student2Student' reading program. If you think your child would benefit from being involved, keep reading to find out more.

Does your child need a little extra help with reading? The student2student program, run by The Smith Family in Bendigo, offers a unique opportunity for students to develop their reading skills through peer support. Over 18 weeks, students are paired with a trained reading buddy and read together 2-3 times a week. This program not only strengthens reading abilities but also builds confidence and encourages a lifelong love of books. To learn more or register your child, please reach out to Carolyn Tavener or contact Caitlin Oxlade, The Smith Family’s Program Coordinator, at caitlin.oxlade@thesmithfamily.com.au or 0402 245 236.

Social Media Safety.

It can be tricky to have conversations with your child about safety online, especially when it comes to making them aware that not everyone is who they say they are. We regularly teach all our students about being safe online and our senior students have to earn a Digital Licence before independently accessing the internet.

The eSafety Commissioner website has a huge range of helpful resources, the  information below is copied from their website.

"It’s never too early to have online safety conversations with children. 

Being aware of what they’re doing online can help you talk with them in ways that are best suited to protecting them from child sexual abuse and other risks.

On this page:

• What to talk about with your child – online experiences, asking for help, body safety, respectful relationships, recognising unsafe situations
• What to expect and how to talk about it from birth
• What to expect and how to talk about it from age 5
• What to expect and how to talk about it from age 8 "

Planning for 2025.

We have some staffing changes for 2025-

• Sara Hill is taking 12 months leave. The job is currently advertised on Recruitment Online, if you know someone who might be interested, please encourage them to read the job description and consider applying.
• Danielle Wadley is taking 12 months leave to be closer to family. 
• Jason Bentley and his wife are moving to Geelong so Jason will be finishing up with us at the end of the year.
• Sonia Sokhal and her family are moving to Melbourne so Sonia is also finishing up at the end of the year.

I wish Sara and Danielle a well deserved, wonderful break over 2025.

Jason and Sonia have been wonderful additions to our school and I wish them all the very best with their teaching careers. 

We are currently recruiting to fill positions. So far, we have appointed two teachers- Jackson Godfrey will be joining us, and Skye Schueller, who is currently teaching Grade 1/2S was the other successful applicant. I'm looking forward to Jackson joining our team and it's fantastic to have Skye staying on with us.

Lock in the date for our Grade 6 graduation, Wednesday11th December.

Have a great weekend everyone.

warm regards,

Carolyn.

School banking details.

Westpac.

Bendigo Violet Street Primary

BSB: 033-688

Account number: 93-1292

Payment reference: use your surname and fees.