From the Office 

Reminders

Medical Plans and Medication 

Up to date medical plans for your child must be prepared by your GP. The colour copy (with your child's photo attached) should be provided to the office, together with up to date student medication.

Permissions

Please remember to complete permissions on compass for your child for 2024. If  you could please complete this as soon as possible, we would greatly appreciate it. 

Absences

The Department of Education requires schools to record attendance/absences of all students, therefore it is vital that we are notified of your child's absence as soon as possible. Protecting the safety and well-being of children through the reporting and monitoring of absenteeism is the responsibility of both parents/carers and schools.  Please remember to update Compass as soon as you know your child will be away, and where possible, please inform us in advance of upcoming absences. If you require any assistance using Compass, please refer to the "Resources" section in Compass (Resources - Compass Updates and Information - Compass Instuctions for Attendance Recording). If you are still unsure, please feel free to come and see us in the office - we will be happy to help you!

2024 Parent Voluntary Financial Contributions

Please find attached the 2024 Parent Voluntary Financial Contribution letter to parents. The covering letter from School Council gives a summary of how the Parent Voluntary Financial Contribution gives our students the best support to enhance their education while at Ringwood North Primary School

Our Parent Voluntary Financial Contributions are sent out to all families of students annually at the end of Term 4. We would like to encourage all our families to consider contributing at the start of the year (Term 1).

Payment is made through the Compass Portal and will be open for payments at the end of this term. Parents can submit payment this way, or there is the option to pay at the office by cash, card or cheque if preferred from Term 1. 

School activities, incursions, excursions, and sports that require permission and payment for students are communicated as events through the Compass Portal leading up to the date of the event. Parents will receive communications each time an event is posted.

The Camps Sports and Excursion fund is available to eligible parents to assist with payments of school activities. Please complete an application form and return it to the office with a copy of your Centrelink Card. If you are an existing family new students need to be added to your application. Further information has been included in the newsletter.

Families requiring assistance with payment of activities are encouraged to speak to Ricarda Lillis (Business Manager) as the school can offer families different support options, including with the purchase of uniforms.

CSEF (Camps, Sport & Excursions Fund)

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) provides payments for eligible students to attend activities like:

• school camps or trips
• swimming and school-organised sports programs
• outdoor education programs
• excursions and incursions.

Eligibility

On the first day of term one (30 January 2024 or the first day of term two 24 April 2024), a parent or legal guardian of a student must:

• be an eligible beneficiary of one of these cards:
• Veterans Affairs Gold Card
• Centrelink Health Care Card
• Pensioner Concession Card
• OR they must be a temporary foster parent
• OR the student is 16 years or older and holds a valid concession card (such as a Youth Allowance Health Care Card)
• AND the parent or legal guardian must submit an application by the due date.

Parents who receive a carer allowance on behalf of a child, or any other benefit or allowance not income tested by Centrelink, are not eligible for the CSEF unless they also comply with the above.

Eligibility will be determined when the parent’s concession card successfully validates with Centrelink on either the first day of term one or term two.

If the eligible card is in the name of the student, the fund is only granted to that student, not their siblings.

Primary school student rate: $150 per year 

Schools are able to accept and process applications up until the end of term two each year. CSEF payments are made to schools from March onwards each year. Application forms are attached.  Please complete and return this form to us along with a copy of your concession card. The CSEF program for 2024 closes on the 28th June 2024.

Thank you so much to everyone who donated Bread Tags for Wheelchairs. The bread tags have been delivered to the charity with much appreciation. 

Unfortunately RNPS will no longer be a collection point, however if you would still like to donate, have a look below for your closest collection point:

For further information on this amazing charity, click on the link below:

Achievements

We love celebrating your child's achievements as much as you do, so if your child has received any special awards or is competing in any special events throughout the year, let us know and we can add it to our newsletter. Our entire community can celebrate with you!

Feel free to send the details and photos to ringwood.north.ps@education.vic.gov.au

Lost Property 

PLEASE encourage your children to come and check the Lost Property tubat the office (just past the glass double doors) for any missing items. Sometimes the items appear days later, so we ask that you advise your children to keep checking lost property and not to check "just once". Parents are also welcome to come and look through the tub. 

*Please note that any items that have not been collected by the end of each month will either be donated to our second hand uniform shop or will be disposed of.  

Changing Schools?

If you are relocating to a different school, could you please notify the office as soon as possible so that we can update our records.

Resources in Compass

All relevant school information can be found in Compass under the "Resources" tab. This can be found by clicking on the pencil icon on the top task bar. If you are using the app, you will need to select "Open in Browser" from the menu and then click on the pencil icon from there. 

Staff Car Park

Just a friendly reminder that for the safety of our students, the staff car park is only to be used by staff during the hours of 8:30am - 4pm, and for OSHC drop off & pick up before and after school. If you are using the car park for OSHC, please ensure that you are driving slowly, so that everyone in the car park is safe.

School  Pick-Up Zone

Please be aware that the pick-up & drop-off zone at the front of the school is only to be used for quick dropping off & picking up of students. Vehicles must not be parked in this lane, as it stops the flow of cars. This means that parents/carers are not permitted to leave their vehicle. The local council has advised us that they have parking officers who regularly drive around the schools in our area to monitor this. Please be mindful of these rules, as we do not want any one in our community to be issued with any fines. 

Hats are back!

Term 1 and Term 4 means hats on heads!! If your child hasn't brought their hat to school, can you please remind them to do so!

School Uniform

In accordance with the Department of Education and Training guidelines the School Council of Ringwood North Primary School introduced compulsory school uniform. All students of the school will wear the correct uniform at all times. Please view the attachment below for the school uniform guidelines (this can also be found under "Resources" in Compass).

Working With Children Check - Parent/Carer Volunteers

Parents, carers and grandparents volunteering their time to assist at school or with school activities such as excursions, sporting events or camps must have a Working With Children Check and be registered at the office. 

Financial Support for Families

Ringwood North Primary School understands that some families may experience financial difficulty and offers a range of support options, including the Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) and alternative payment arrangements. If you have any queries or wish to discuss your circumstances and possible options, please contact the office to make an appointment with the Business Manager or the Principal.

School Office Hours & Contact Details

Our school office operates between the hours of 8.30am to 4pm 

Ph 9876 3411

ringwood.north.ps@education.vic.gov.au