School News

22nd July 2024    Lana

This week’s superhero is being nominated for the school value of EXCELLENCE, and she truly is an example of this in every possible way!

Lana will dazzle you with her commitment to learning! She is always engaged in listening and actively participates in class discussions, often responding with a well thought through and articulate answer. 

Lana is a resilient learner who will persist through challenges displaying a can-do attitude. She always strives for her personal best taking responsibility for her learning - And watch out if you’re not, as she will confidently give you feedback that will set you back on track!

This remarkable individual exemplifies respectful behaviours. Lana is quietly keeping an eye on her peers making sure everything is fair and just. She is kind and inclusive of others, collaboratively working with everyone. 

Studio 5 is so lucky to have this polite and delightful superhero who sets the standard for excellence in everything she does.

Congratulations to asensational Superhero! We are so proud of you Lana.

2nd August 2024   Elke 

Elke is receiving this week’s superhero award and might be quite shocked and surprised at this achievement. She is a student who exemplifies lots of school values and dispositions. It is hard to choose just one or two! So, we’ll go with adventurous and excellence. 

Elke is adventurous as she always gives everything a go. She wouldn’t dream of not trying new things with her learning. She has a strong belief in herself and her ability to learn, grow and succeed, and leads by example by trying her best in everything. 

A Grade 2 student, Elke is a quiet achiever although she has a big personality under her head of curls. She is well liked by her peers for her kindness and consideration and Studio 4 is very lucky to have her be part of their class, with her colourful socks.

Congratulations Elke, we hope you had a fantastic week.

Classroom Awards

Congratulations to the following students for receiving classroom awards: Saoirse, Matilda, Evie, Liam, Josie, Isaac, Callum, Xavier, Eve, Brody, Winnie, Rocco, Greta, Maeve, Esther, Moss S, Rumaan, Quinn, Lola, Saoirse, Josie, Sylas, Diesel, Charlie, Reily, Hollie, Cohen, Finn, Campbell, Audrey, Freya, Lena.

Working Bee Thank You

Dear KPS Community, 

Many thanks to everyone who attended our working bee on Sunday. We made big improvements to the grounds and had a lot of fun in the process. 

I was very excited to see so many families work together to plant the trees in our new orchard. The turnout was fantastic so we will continue holding the working bees on the third Sunday of each term. Our next working be is on Sunday October 27. Please add it to your calendar. 

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

Canteen Re-Opens on Tuesday 13th August

Our canteen will re-open on Tuesday 13th August. Thank you to Subway and Super Sushi for providing a limited menu for our students during these last few weeks.

Our full canteen menu will be available next week and Subway orders will return to being available on Mondays only.

We are looking forward to having smiling Sarah back in the canteen. 

Student Free Day in Term 3

We will have a student free day on Friday 30th August. No students are required at school on this day. Staff will be using this day to participate in professional learning.

Foundation News

Wellbeing News

Last week the wellbeing team invited Sharon Mahlberg to present to our staff at our weekly staff meeting. Sharon is the Student Support Services (SSS) Visiting Teacher for the deaf and hard of hearing and she provides support for some of our students and their teachers and families. 

Sharon shared information regarding the types of hearing loss that some of our students have together with the technologies that they use to maximise or support their hearing in the school setting. Students with a diagnosed hearing loss can be referred through the school to receive support via the SSS Visiting Teacher Service. 

Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey

Our school is conducting the annual Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey and is seeking your feedback. The survey, offered by the Department of Education, is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour, and student engagement. Your opinions are important to us and will contribute to identifying areas for improvement and professional development needs in the school, to target school planning and improvement strategies. 

As at 10:46 am, Thursday 8 August 2024

The department will use the results from the survey for research purposes and to improve outcomes for students. The survey will be conducted online and only takes 20 minutes to complete. It can be completed on any internet enabled device (desktop computer, laptop, tablet or smartphone) and is compatible with most browsers. The survey is available in English and 10 other languages: Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese. If you require assistance in another language, resources may be available for you. Please reach out to your child’s teacher, or the school if you require assistance in another language.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open online from Monday 29 July to Friday 30 August 2024.

Please see the latest Compass News Feed for details on how to access the survey. 

2025 Prep Enrolments

As recommended in the Department of Education Prep enrolment timeline, 2025 Prep enrolments should be submitted by this Friday 26th July 2024. If you have a child enrolling at KPS in 2025 and would like an enrolment pack please drop into the office or we can send one home with their older sibling. 

Our Prep transition program will commence in Term 4. 

NAPLAN Results available at office

We still have a number of NAPLAN results at the office for collection.

If you are a parent/carer of a student in Year 3 and/or Year 5 who undertook the NAPLAN tests in March this year you may collect your child’s results from the office or email the school at kyneton.ps@education.vic.gov.au  asking for them to be given to your child. NAPLAN reports are confidential documents that contain personal information about each student and, therefore, the school does not retain copies.  Please keep the report in a safe location, as you may need to produce it in the future for enrolment purposes. If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s NAPLAN results, you should discuss these with your child’s teacher, who will have the best insight into your child’s educational progress.

Volunteers at KPS

It is great to see so many family volunteers helping out in various ways here at school. 

Department of Education policy requires all volunteers at KPS to complete an induction prior to coming onsite. This also includes excursion volunteers. This includes having a current Working With Children's Check (WWCC), completing a confidentiality document and OHS induction. For volunteers that are not parents of current students we also need emergency contact details. Applying for a Working With Children's Check is free for volunteers and can be completed online at https://service.vic.gov.au/services/working-with-children 

This documentation is available at the office and only take 5-10 minutes to complete. Once inducted volunteers can sign in and out at the office kiosk each time they visit.

Thank you for your assistance with this.

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.