Principal's Message to the School Community

It has been an extremely positive start to 2024 here at the school. Our children have eagerly commenced in their new classrooms and have been busy reflecting on their learning from last year to set new goals for Term 1. We welcomed new staff to the school in Year 3/4 (Sarah McIlroy) and three new casual education support staff (Chloe, Lisa and Penelope). 

Tomorrow you should receive a Compass News Feed with a Term 1 Curriculum Overview attached so you are aware of the learning that your child will be engaged with at the start of the year.

This year as a school we will be focusing on our two new Strategic Plan goals which are:

1. To maximise student learning outcomes for every student.

2. To maximise student connectedness, engagement, and wellbeing.

The key improvement strategies and actions related to these goals will be published once our new Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plan is fully endorsed.

School Council elections

School Council elections will soon be conducted with five Parent Member positions becoming available. Parents on school councils provide important viewpoints and have valuable skills that can help inform and shape the direction of the school. Those parents who become active on a school council find their involvement satisfying and may also find that their children feel a greater sense of belonging.

Each member brings their own valuable life skills and knowledge to the role. However, councillors may need to develop skills and acquire knowledge in areas that are unfamiliar to them. It is important to have an interest in your child’s school and the desire to work in partnership with others to help shape the school’s future.

Two separate electorates operate – one for the election of parent members and one for the election of DE (Department of Education) employee members. Any parent of a child enrolled at Kyneton Primary School is eligible to stand for election as a parent member of the Council (as long as the parent is not employed by DE at KPS).  Candidates can choose to nominate using either,

• Self-nomination requires the candidate’s signature; or
• Nomination by an eligible person requiring the signature of the nominator and candidate.

Each member of the council serves for a two-year term before being eligible for re-election. This year there are five parent member vacancies and two school employee member vacancies. 

A statement will be sought from each candidate for distribution with election ballot papers, should an election be required. Please find below further information regarding our school council elections including important dates. Nomination forms can also be obtained from the school office. Nominations must be lodged by 4:00 pm Tuesday 20th February 2024.

Covid update

There is at present an increase in community transmission of COVID-19 in Victoria.

You can help us keep our school as safe as possible by taking 2 important steps:

1. Ensure your COVID-19 vaccinations are up to date. Information on how and where to get vaccinated is available on the Get vaccinated webpage.

2. If your child shows symptoms of COVID-19, please ensure they stay home and get tested. The easiest way to test is to use a rapid antigen test (RAT).

We have RATs available at our school for collection. Free RATs are also available from your local council where you can collect 2 packs of 5 RATs and an extra 2 packs for each person in your household. People with disability and their carers can get 4 packs of 5 RATs. You are not required to have a Medicare card and you can collect RATs as many times as you need. You can also buy RATs at supermarkets, pharmacies and other retailers.

If your child has symptoms but tests negative, please ensure they stay home until they no longer have symptoms.

If the RAT test result is positive, please ensure they say home for at least 5 days and until there are no more symptoms.

Thank you for your support – these steps will help us all stay well.

Alistair Rayner

Principal