Buninyong PS Newsletter

Engagement & Wellbeing

Parking Around the School

We respectfully remind all parents and carers to show kindness and patience around school drop off and pick up times. The end of the school day, in particular, is an especially busy time for parking around our school. 

 

It is important that everyone is following the road rules, signage and parking in a manner that is safe.  This also includes keeping the bus bay clear during school hours, as signed. 

 

We are fortunate to have many accessible roads around our school and are very well placed compared to other schools in terms of parking. Entry is possible along multiple gates on all sides of our school. Please consider parking and walking a little further to help ease traffic congestion, particularly on Simpson St (front of the school). The walk through the gardens can be a lovely way to start or finish the school day. 

 

We are aware that several families rely on the disabled car parking bays and remind everyone that two additional disabled parking bays are located in the staff car park. 

 

Members of the public are welcome to utilise the disabled bays only in the staff car park should they be required. 

 

However, please do not use the staff car park for general parking at pick up and drop off times. 

 

Thanks for helping to keep the roads around our school safe for all of our community.  

ANAPHYLAXIS AT BUNINYONG PS 

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life threatening. The most common allergens in schools are food and insect allergies. The only way to prevent allergic reactions is to avoid being exposed to the allergen. 

 

We have students at our school with severe allergies to a variety of things, including:

  • Nuts (all types)
  • Milk & dairy
  • Egg (raw & cooked)
  • Kiwi fruit
  • Grasses
  • Pollens
  • Dust mites

 Our school is supporting students at risk of anaphylaxis in the following ways:

  • training staff,
  •  encouraging students with food allergy to wash their hands before and after eating,
  • encouraging students to wash their hands after eating something their classmate/friend is allergic to,
  • teaching students not to share food with friends who have food allergy,
  • teaching students the importance of getting help immediately if their friend with allergy looks sick,
  • educating students about allergies and anaphylaxis, and
  • teaching students that teasing someone with an allergy is not acceptable behaviour.

Food allergy is now common in school aged children. Children can be allergic to any food, and it is not possible to completely remove all foods from our school. To help manage food allergies, our school is following the National Allergy Strategy Best Practice Guidelines (2021) which do not recommend banning foods as this is difficult to enforce and can bring a false sense of safety.

 

Families in a class with a student with anaphylaxis will have received a notification from your class teacher around which allergens should be avoided in that classroom, in order to minimise the risk of a serious reaction. We request that parents please consider not sending food with these allergens to school if in that class. We also request that you have conversations at home with your child around the importance of not sharing food and washing their hands thoroughly before and after eating.

 

If you are wanting to bring in food (birthday cakes/treats), we ask you to please provide advance notice to the teacher, and include a list of ingredients, so that we may check the ingredients carefully. Any compound items that do not have a list of ingredients will not be consumed.

 

We will continue to work with and educate, at a developmentally appropriate level, our school community to help with the management of food allergy and anaphylaxis.

 

We ask you to support the school’s risk minimisation strategies outlined so that we can increase safety and provide an environment that meets the needs of all our students.

If you have any questions please contact Narelle Sullivan, our Assistant Principal for Student Wellbeing.

Bunjil Student Awards

Congratulations to the following students who received a5/6 Bunjil Award at last week’s assembly.

 

Bunjil awards recognise student achievement and those who display our school values of being respectful, responsible and kind.

 

Well done! All of our weekly winners enjoy a hot chocolate or zooper dooper with a principal.

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.

 

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy, describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. 

This information is also available in ten community languages:

·         Amharic

·         Arabic

·         Chinese

·         Dari

·         Gujarati

·         Mandarin

·         Somali

·         Sudanese

·         Turkish

·         Urdu

·         Vietnamese

 

Reminders - Local Excursion Consent

Please ensure you have checked your Compass (parent) newsfeed and the information around providing consent for local excursions. Please contact the school for further information if required. 

 

Working With Children’s Check (WWCC) Reminder

Parents and carers are reminded that all adults require a current WWCC in order to volunteer in classrooms and attend camps and excursions. 

 

WWCC are valid for 5 years and are free for volunteers to apply for.  You can apply, renew and check your existing status by visiting https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/ .

 

We regularly encourage volunteers in classrooms and on excursions. Even if it is not something you have previously considered, it can be useful to have, and we encourage you to apply. 

 

Once your card arrives, bring it to the school office where the staff will take a copy and add you to our WWCC register.  

Class Contact Lists - Coming Soon!

We know many parents appreciate having a class contact list to easily arrange playdates, share reminders, or stay connected with other families in their child’s class.

 

This year, your child’s teacher will soon be sending out a message inviting you to join the class contact list. If you’d like to be included, simply click the link they provide and add your details. It’s a great way to build connections within your child’s class!

 

A few reminders:

  • Each contact list is for individual class use only.
  • Please do not share information beyond your child’s class.
  • Use student first names only for privacy.

Keep an eye out for the message from your child’s teacher, and we hope this makes staying in touch with other families easier!