6th May 2024 Finn

This week our Super Hero is receiving the award for our school value of Excellence and Responsibility. Excellence is a quality that Finn naturally displays. He takes great pride in his work and always makes sure his tubs and locker are tidy. In the classroom this Finn is always ready and super-willing to learn.

Other students and Finn's teachers would agree that he is a super-fun person to have in the class. He loves a joke but also knows exactly when it is time to be a responsible learner.

Finn often just seems to know that someone could do with a friendly word or a bit of encouragement.

He makes others feel good by congratulating them on their efforts or helping them out if they are stuck.

Finn can’t wait for Octables to start. He is always focused and involved in class lessons and strives to achieve his personal best in all subjects.

Congratulations Finn, we hope you had a fantastic week.

29th April 2024 Abbie

This week’s superhero is receiving the award for displaying the school values of responsibility and respect, however, she displays all our school values at school.

Abbie is a creative, quiet achiever who works hard and always tries to do her best. She takes on feedback about her work and asks questions to clarify expectations as required. Abbie allows those around her to do their best by staying in her learning bubble without distracting others. Her work ethic means she is a great role model to her peers.

A polite and friendly person, Abbie uses her manners and speaks respectfully to her peers and teachers. Each morning, she enters the classroom with a smile and a positive attitude showing she is ready to learn. She makes good choices both in and out of the classroom.

Abbie is also very organised, making sure she has her goals and diary on her table every morning. She has excellent home reading habits and records her home reading practically every day! So far this year she has shown that she is an Octables whiz, often finishing the whole Octable in 5 minutes, a great achievement.

We are super lucky to have this Abbie in Studio 6.

A congratulations Abbie, we hope you've had a fantastic week.

Classroom Awards

Congratulations to the following students for receiving classroom awards: Kayna, Anabelle, Poppy, Frances, Bonnie, Evelyn, Minnie, Sonny, Olive, Aiden, Henry, Evelyn, Sam, Louis, Scout, Isaac, Ciora, Mila, Huon, Cooper, Theresa, Poppy, Sasha, Jax, Logan.

Visual Arts

KPS Music News

Classroom

It’s the Marimba term which means lots of striking marimba bars with a stick…and lots of happy music making noise! Prep to grade 2 learn how to play songs in unison and grades 3-6 learn how to play songs with three interlocking parts. We have small xylophones, glockenspiels, standing marimbas, and the BIG bass marimba made especially for this school by Andy Rigby.

Choir

Our amazing choir has 64 members…. that's 30% of students from grades 3-6! Our wonderful accompanist Mary Potton continues to volunteer her time and expertise and we all feel so lucky to have her. The Choir recently delighted the audience at the Malmsbury Village Fayre with a fabulous selection of songs specifically composed for children's voices. The choir sang beautifully, and many people were very impressed with the singing, stagecraft, confidence, and joy.

Save the Date: the KPS choir will be performing in the Kyneton Town Hall on the evening of September 6th with the Resonance String Orchestra. This is an incredible opportunity for our choir so please save the date in your calendars.

Instrumental Music

Our instrumental program continues to be a strong element of additional learning opportunities at the school with 24% of students from grades 2-6 learning an instrument. Unfortunately, our Ukulele teacher has decided not to continue after having a baby and I am running a lunchtime ukulele group until I find another ukulele teacher.

Keyboard and guitar are full, however, violin, brass, and woodwind do have places.

Instrumental music information and expression of interest forms are available at the office.

I am delighted that 42% of students from grades 2-6 choose to learn an instrument, sing in choir, or do both. The musicality that emanates from the music classroom is phenomenal for a primary school!

Thanks also to the parents who support music-making and singing in the home. I know some of you also know all the KPS choir songs…

Happy harmony,

Ms Polly

Working Bee

Many thanks to everyone who attended our working bee last Saturday. The weather was fantastic and we all had a lot of fun making a few improvements to the school grounds.

The mulched garden beds look amazing (especially now that all the weeds are gone).

The newly built retaining wall near the basketball courts is ready for us to spread more mulch at the next working bee on Saturday, August 3. Please pop it into your calendars.

If you have any feedback or suggestions about making future working bees a better experience or more inclusive then please get in touch via email: duncan@leafrootfruit.com.au

Kind regards Duncan Cocking

Volunteer Working Bee Coordinator

Confirmed Case of Slapped Cheek

We have had a confirmed case of Slapped Cheek (fifth disease) reported at KPS.

Slapped cheek is a viral infection caused by the human parvovirus B19. It is also called fifth disease or erythema infectiosum. Slapped cheek is common and usually affects children between the ages of four and 10 years, but can happen at any age.

Most children who get slapped cheek do not have any symptoms, and if they do the symptoms are usually very mild. A common symptom is cheeks that look like they have been slapped, which is where the virus gets its name. Slapped cheek is not life threatening and complications are rare.

Signs and symptoms

It may take between four and 14 days after your child is exposed to slapped cheek for any symptoms to show. The symptoms can vary, and are usually so mild that many parents won't realise that their child has had the virus.

The first symptoms can include fever, headache, stomach upsets, aches and pains.

After a few days of being unwell, a bright red rash may appear on the cheeks.

Your child may also have a different rash on their chest, back, arms and legs, which looks like a pink lace pattern on the skin.

The rashes can come and go for several weeks, or even months, especially if the skin is exposed to sunlight or after exercise.

How is slapped cheek spread?

Slapped cheek is spread by touching or breathing in the coughed or sneezed fluid drops from an infected person. Children with slapped cheek are contagious until 24 hours after their fever has resolved. They will not be able to spread the infection to other people after this time, even if they have a rash.

Often parents won’t know their child has slapped cheek. However, if your child is unwell with a fever, keeping them home from child care, kindergarten or school will help prevent them spreading the illness to others. More information can be found on the Better Health Channel website: Slapped cheek disease

Canteen help required

Canteen help required on Fridays for the rest of Term 2. Fridays are by far the busiest canteen day and to ensure our students can get their lunch on time we rely heavily on our amazing volunteers.

I have created a sign up sheet which makes it really easy for you to see what days and times we need volunteers.

If you can help in the volunteersignup.org/QQKKP

Volunteers will need to have a valid Working with Childrens Check and complete a quick OHS induction at office.

If you only have an hour free on a Thursday or Friday contact me directly with what day you can help. The children at KPS always love seeing Parents, Grandparents or Older Sibling helping. It also helps create a great school community.

Cheers

Sarah Lockhart

Canteen Manager

Prep Park Play - Wednesday 15th May

Attention all prep families! Please join us for a Prep Park Play next Wednesday 15 May, meeting after school at Jean Hayes Playground (train park) on High St.

KPS Parents & Friends will provide some light snacks. If you can’t make it to this one, we’ll keep scheduling these park plays and rotate the day of the week each time.

If you haven’t already, follow KPS Parents & Friends on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kpsparentsandfriends?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) applications

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.

Payment amounts this year are $125 for eligible primary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

If you have previously applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

If you would like to apply for the first time, please complete the attached form or call the office to request a form.

Please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible. A copy of the form is attached below. We will require a copy of your valid health care card with the application.

School Gates and Opening Times

In the morning all gates will be open for access to the school site at 8:45 as this is when under industrial arrangements staff supervision in the yard commences. No students are allowed onsite until this time.

In the afternoon all gates will be open at 3:15 for access to the school site. Access to the office during the school day is via the pedestrian gate on Edgecombe St.

The new ramp/path between the school and the kindergarten is now operational. Access to the school grounds using the ramp is between the hours of 8:45 – 4.00. On either side of these hours, the bottom of the ramp will be chained off. Access outside of these hours needs to be arranged through the school office or a staff member by calling 5422 1855.

A reminder to all members of the school community the staff car park is not to be used to walk between the school and the kindergarten for safety reasons. Now that the ramp/path is operational the pedestrian gate next to the car park gates should be used following the path, crossing the road in front of the boom gate using the marked pedestrian crossing and then down the ramp.

* Please do not access the school site at any time via the staff car park for safety

reasons.

* Please do not park in the kinder carpark unless it is your kinder day and you are a kinder family.

Uniform Ordering

School uniforms are available for purchase online direct from A Plus Schoolwear www.aplusschoolwear.com.au

When ordering uniforms please put the studio number of your child for easier delivery.

Once uniforms arrive at school, they will be sent home with your child.

Contact Details

There are times when we will need to contact you during a school day. It is important we have your most up to date contact details on file.

Please update these on Compass or email the school at kyneton.ps@education.vic.gov.au so we can update our records. Please include parent/carers’ name, address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contact details.

Student Attendance

If your child is sick or absent, you are required to notify the school as soon as possible on the day of absence, by logging your child’s absence using our school’s Parental Portal in Compass.

Notifying the school of your child’s absence either prior to, or on the day that they will be away, helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and will fulfil your legal responsibility.

Victorian government schools are required to contact parents/carers as soon as practicable on the same day of an unexplained student absence. If your child is absent on a particular day and you have not contacted the school to explain why, the absence will be marked as unexplained. It is a DET requirement that we have a reason for each child's absence.

This system also promotes daily school attendance. Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education, they learn new things every day – missing school puts them behind.

The Kyneton Primary School Attendance Policy which outlines the school’s processes and procedures for monitoring, recording and following-up of student absences is available on our website www.kynetonprimaryschool.com.au

Students Arriving Late

Students arriving late to school should come to the office, accompanied by an adult, and sign in either on the Compass Kiosk or in the late book. They will then be issued a late pass to take to class and their arrival at school will be updated on the roll. This will avoid parents/guardians receiving notification that their child is not at school when they have arrived late.

Accessing Compass

Compass is our main way of communicating with our families. It is important that parents access the Parental Portal in Compass at https://kynetonps.vic.jdlf.com.au

Using our parent portal will enable you to –

View up-to-date class and school attendance information
Approve or enter upcoming or past absences for your son/daughter
Update your registered email and mobile number (used for SMS alters)
Access information regarding upcoming events and news
Access your child’s Semester Reports
Book your Parent/Student/Teacher conferences

We encourage families to download the Compass App and to enable notification to ensure you receive all communications.

Please click on the “Welcome to Compass” booklets for further assistance or contact the office.

Parent Payments

Thank you to the families who have paid the $130 Parent Payment.

These funds are used for –

Curriculum Contributions – items and activities that students use, or participate in, to access the Curriculum.
Other Contributions – for non-curriculum items and activities such as memberships, subscriptions to programs and affiliations.
Extra Curricular Items – the Kyneton Primary School Yearbook

If you would like to pay for these please use one of the following methods -

Compass portal
EFT - at the office or by phone
Cash - at the office
Direct Bank Transfer - BSB 063-000 Account No 14033609 - use your child’s name as the reference
BPay - contact the school office for your personalised identification details
Centrepay - use of this method is available to recipients of Centrelink payments

Please do not hesitate to contact the office for more information or for any other query you may have.

Full Parent Payment information is attached below

Upcoming Events

Term 2 2024

May

June