Information for Parents
Athletics
Thursday 3rd of April
Drop off - as normal at the school, students will be walked down to the oval.
Pick Up - 2:45pm at DON WALLACE RESERVE OVAL this will give us more time for students to compete and saves tired legs at the end of the day! Please ensure you make direct contact with your child’s classroom teacher at pick up so they can be marked as collected.
Feel free to arrive a little earlier for the presentation of the winning house.
Students in OSHC will be walked back to school.
What to wear - students are encouraged to come dressed in their house colours, no school uniform required. Foundation parents if you're unsure of your child’s house colour please refer to the note stuck in their diaries.
What to bring - please pack a bag with lunch, 2 water bottles, school hat and sunscreen.
Asthma - Asthma medication for students who self-administer must be on their person on the day. For all other students whose asthma medication is kept at school, this will be taken to the event with our First Aid Officer. All students with asthma plans must complete the Camps and Excursions Form below.
Bikes - students riding must still ride to school and can walk their bikes with their class to the oval.
Event times - the carnival will commence at approximately 9.45am with 100m and hurdles, senior field events will start at 11:30am and run through the afternoon. Junior events will start at 12:20pm. We are aiming for the staff and student relay to begin at 2:00pm with acknowledgements and winning house presentation wrapping up the day at approximately 2:45pm.
Spectators – Spectators are welcome and encouraged! There is plenty of room around the oval, bring a camp chair, hat and we look forward to seeing you there. We kindly ask that all spectators remain off the oval while the events are running.
Office - the school office will be closed on the day.
Cross Country Day
Thursday 24th April 2025
Term 2- Week 1
Drop off - as normal at the school, students will be walked down to the Don Wallace Reserve. Senior students will be walked down at midday and junior students at 1:15pm.
Pick Up - 3:00pm at DON WALLACE RESERVE OVAL. This will give us more time for students to compete and will save tired legs at the end of the day! Please ensure you make direct contact with your child's classroom teacher at pick up so they can be marked as collected. Feel free to arrive a little earlier for the presentation of the winning house. Students in OSH will be walked back to school.
What to wear - during this event, students will be encouraged to come in their house colours.
What to bring - please pack a small bag (ideally not their school bag) with lunch, a water bottle (this can be refilled at the venue), school hat and sunscreen.
Asthma - asthma medication for students who self-administer must be kept on their person on the day. For all other students whose asthma medication is kept at school, this will be taken to the event with our First Aid Officer. All students with asthma plans must complete the Camps and Excursions Form below.
Bikes - students riding must still ride to school and can walk their bikes with their class to the oval.
Event times
*all times are approximate and subject to change
12/13-Year-Old Race: 12:30pm
11-year-old Race: 12:55pm
9/10-Year-Old Boys Race: 1:20pm
9/10-Year-Old Girls Race: 1:40pm
Grade 1/2 Race: 2:00pm
Foundation Race: 2:15pm
Presentations: Approximately 2:30pm
Dismissal: 2:45pm from Don Wallace Reserve
Please Note:
Age group is determined by the age you turn in 2025. Grade 3s who turn 8 in 2025 will compete in this race but they will not be able to progress to the next level. There is no 9-year-old category at the next level, so 9 year olds will have to compete against 10 year olds.
For the students that are of age 9 or above, this is an opportunity for them to be selected to represent Teesdale Primary School in the Flinders District Cross Country. This will be happening in Week 2. Students will be selected for this event based on times and not position. More information will be released to those students that are successful after the T.P.S Cross Country Event.
Spectators - Spectators are welcome and encouraged! There will be very limited parking around the oval as this will be utilised for the race. We ask that parents park down the bottom of the hill and walk up to the oval. We kindly ask that all spectators remain off the oval while the events are running.
We hope to see you all there!
Junior School Swimming Program
The Junior School Swimming Program is being held Geelong Aquatic Centre in Newtown, Geelong this week. The Victorian Government has contributed funding through the Swimming in Schools Program to ensure students can participate in swimming. As a result, there will be no cost to families for swimming in 2025.
Reminder to families: Swimming bag, bathers, towel, goggles, spare underwear, plastic bag for wet items, a pair of thongs and swimming cap.
Please ensure all clothing and personal items are clearly labelled.
For further information, please download the parent note below or contact your child's teacher.
2025 Book Packs and Parent Payment Policy
It's not too late! Parent contributions can still be paid and would be appreciated before the end of term 1 please. Thank you to families who have already contributed towards book packs, DIBELS and our Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program. Please use your family BPay reference or visit the office to pay by EFTPOS to pay for back-to-school items. All contributions are gratefully received. The admin team can advise your BPay reference if you require.
A list for each year level is attached together with the Parent Payment Policy.
Emergency Contacts
We kindly ask that families have a local emergency contact so that students can be collected in a timely manner in the event of an accident or illness. The school appreciates not all parents work locally so perhaps a friend or neighbour might be a good option to have on your emergency contacts list.
Illness and Emergency Medical Care
Children who are unwell should not attend school. Should students be unwell at school, our First Aid Policy states staff may contact parents/carers or an emergency contact person to ask them to collect the student. Our First Aid Policy can be found on our website under Parent Resources.
If your child is unwell or injured at school, they must be collected from school in a timely manner. If a parent is unable to collect their child due to work commitments, you must arrange an alternative emergency contact to collect them. The school is unable to provide emergency transport for sick children. Parents are therefore advised to consider the need for ambulance cover for their families, as ambulances will be used in cases of serious illness or injury.
Medication at School
At times children attending school need medication to manage certain illnesses.
Parents are required to complete the appropriate medication permission form (available at the office) noting the dose and time the medicine is to be given. The medication should be clearly marked with the student’s name and parents are requested to discuss the matter with the child’s teacher.
Under no circumstances, are children permitted to have medication at school without the teacher’s knowledge.
Medical Management Plans
For parents who indicated that their child experiences asthma, anaphylaxis, allergy, epilepsy or diabetes, it is a Department requirement that the appropriate plan is signed off by your child’s doctor and returned to school. Please return these forms to the school office at the start of term 1 if applicable. Parents should notify the school immediately if there are any changes to the plan. Students are required to have their own asthma medication and spacer. We are not allowed to disinfect and reuse the spacers. We do have disposable spacers on hand, but parents will be invoiced to reimburse the school for the cost.
Early Collection and Appointments During School Hours
Please notify your child's teacher via Sentral or contact the office if your child needs to be collected during the school day to attend an appointment. To minimise disruption to the classroom, whenever possible, please aim to collect your child at the beginning or end of a session time. Please also allow additional time for collection in case your child is participating in a Specialist class where they are not with their Homegroup teacher as it can take extra time for them to pack up and meet you. When collecting your child, please present to the school office. We kindly ask that parents do not enter school buildings during class time.
Please report to the office for either late arrivals to school or early collections.
Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund (CSEF)
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.
Payment amounts this year are $154 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.
It is important that funding made available in 2025 supports students to participate in school trips, camps and sporting activities this year rather than being held for future years. This funding can also be used in conjunction with any funding accrued from previous years.
If you 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.
For all NEW applications, please complete the attached form and return to the school office by the end of February.
Further information about the program and eligibility can be found on the Department of Education and Training’s Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund web page.
Second Hand Uniform
Second hand uniform is available at the school office. A number of items have been donated in the past week including jumpers, shorts, track pants and school bags in very good condition. Items are sold for $5 each and all proceeds go towards the Parents' Club fundraising. Families are welcome to visit the office to look through what is available.
Visitors and Parent Helpers
All visitors, parents and friends are asked to please report to the office before visiting any classroom or school grounds. We ask all parents to avoid entering classrooms unless absolutely necessary and limit time on school grounds. We also try not to disrupt class time programs and activities and for this reason, we politely request that you wait for your child outside the school buildings at home time.
Visitors and voluntary helpers are requested to sign in and out of the register at the front office, as a security and safety requirement. A current Working with Children card is required for all parent helpers and volunteers. To apply go to: https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
Sentral
Sentral is our Learning Management Software and is used to publish reports and support communication between the school and families. The Sentral for Parents app allows you to monitor your child’s school journey simply and efficiently. You will find numerous smart features that help streamline communications with the school. Receive messages and notifications from teachers, report absences, provide permission for excursions and more. The app can be downloaded from the Apple App Store and Google Play.
User guides are available on our school website via the link below: