School News

15th April 2024    Dien 

This week’s super hero is receiving the award for the school values of Excellence and Respect.

Dien walks into the classroom with a smile and a positive attitude towards his peers and learning every day. He is a great friend and student. Although very competitive, he is very humble in his achievements and is the first to congratulate others for their efforts. Dien is a very respectful person who sets an excellent example for those around him by demonstrating good listening skills, impeccable manners, patience, kindness and empathy.

Dien leads by example and sets a very high standard of independent learning in the classroom. He is very proactive with his learning, and he often challenges himself to do extra or harder tasks, especially in maths.

We do not doubt that Dien from Studio One, with his hard work, determination, and great character will continue to achieve great things and one day even fulfill his dream of becoming an AFL player wearing black and red.

Congratulations Dien, we hope you had a fantastic week.

22nd April 2024    Henrietta

This week, Henrietta received her award for the school value of Excellence.

The Bermuda Triangle, the Loch Ness monster, Bigfoot, Bunyips, where do odd socks go?

These are all some of life’s great mysteries. Another of life’s great mysteries is how Henrietta has never been awarded the Super Hero Award, and the fact that she is in Grade six makes things even more mysterious.

Although this award is being received for excellence, this extraordinary student could possibly receive it for any of our school values, she is that amazing.

Any teacher that has had the pleasure of crossing paths with her would sing the praises of her. She is a sponge when learning, absorbing every fact and instruction and imparting this knowledge to her learning every day. 

Henrietta loves a challenge and will strive, persevere and think outside the box when solving problems, and is extremely encouraging and helpful to other students in her class.

This legendary learner always needs to know why. Henrietta is never satisfied until she has uncovered the fact or has solved a problem, and she will never give in until the problem is solved. This makes her an amazing student to have in the classroom, as she challenges herself every day.

It is pleasing to see that now she is an official and registered Super Hero, one of life’s great mysteries is solved.

A huge congratulations to Henrietta, we hope you've had a fantastic week.

Classroom Awards

Congratulations to the following students for receiving classroom awards: Matt, Albert, Arabella, Peyton, Chloe, Ella, Clark, Huntyr, Kaiden, Elizabeth, Mason, Brax, Clark, Oscar, Clarence, 

Prep News

Gardening and Sustainability News

Working Bee

This is a quick reminder about our upcoming working bee on Saturday May 4 from 10am to 2pm. Our working bees are a fun opportunity to create and maintain our school gardens and outdoor learning and play spaces. They are a fantastic chance to meet and socialise with other members of the school community. A barbeque lunch is provided by the P&F to feed the hungry workers. Children are welcome on the understanding that you take full responsibility for their supervision and wellbeing. The upcoming working bee will focus on some of the following tasks:

• Filling some garden beds with soil and topping with mulch
• Weeding garden beds
• Tidying up plants
• Lots of mulching of garden beds around the school
• Building a short retaining wall to help keep mulch off the basketball court

 The school has a limited number of tools, so please bring along any of your own that you are happy to use. Wheelbarrows, shovels and garden forks, weeding tubs, trowels, secateurs and the like are all very handy. Don’t forget your gardening gloves and anything else you need to stay safe and comfortable. We are going to need a lot of wood chip mulch for both this working bee and the following one in Term 3. Please get in touch with me ASAP if anyone has contacts with an arborist who could donate some of their wood chips to the school. Going forward we have scheduled a working bee to be held on the third Saturday of every term. Please add these dates to your calendar:

Saturday August 3

Saturday Oct 26 

If you have any questions about the working bee, then please email me directly at duncan@leafrootfruit.com.au 

I’m looking forward to meeting you all. 

Duncan Cocking

Volunteer Working Bee Coordinator

Parents and Friends 

The Parents and Friends will be having our next meeting on Tuesday 30th April at the Kyneton Hotel starting at 7:30pm.

You don't need to be a member to join in - come along and help get some events up and running! The more the merrier!

Please email the Parents and Friends at kpspnf@gmail.com if you have any questions at all.

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 reply 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

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

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.