Some words from the Principal

Every week is a busy week here at Karoo, and this term has been no different! A huge thankyou to the KPA special helpers who have manned the Mothers Day stalls this week! Alison Thomason and her team have spent a lot of time sourcing items, coming in and setting up displays, arranging for a team to be here to sell and ensuring that our students have special items to make their mums feel special on Sunday.   I look forward to celebrating with our special women in the community this afternoon at the afternoon tea.  As a mum myself to 3 little ones, I always smile on Mothers Day morning seeing the special items they have especially chosen for me.  Its a wonderful time to show gratitude and spend special family time with our loved ones. 

Year 3 and 4 Concert – ‘Dancing through the Decades’ 

Our Year 3 and 4 classes are fine tuning their song choice and are beginning to practice their songs and dances in preparation for the concert on Wednesday 5th June.  There will be two performances at Rowville – 4:45pm and 6:30pm and children will participate in both performances.  Tickets are about to go on sale so keep your eye out! 

Foundation Enrolments for 2025 NOW OPEN! Applications close July 26th

 We have been proudly showcasing our school to prospective families since early March. Our School Captains also attend the tours and they are outstanding representatives for our school.  We  tour on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings and have a few more Saturday tours scheduled. If you know any families who have kindergarten aged children, please encourage them to book in for a tour at Karoo.   Out of zone applications will be accepted and the outcome determined by a range of factors, including 'in zone' enrolment numbers. 

The Foundation enrolments officially commenced on Monday 15th April 2024 and are online this year.  Applications are to be submitted by Friday 26th July 2024 with notifications of the outcome of the enrolment application to be announced between 29th July - 9th August. Formal transition sessions for Foundation 2025 commence early Term 4, from 7th October.

 It would be wonderful to see our Foundation building filled with 4 classes in 2025! 

2025 School Saving Bonus

You may have seen the recent announcement of the School Saving Bonus, as part of the Victorian Budget 2024/25.  We are sharing more information about how families will be able to access and use this support. 

This one-off support will include $400 for each eligible student to help families cover the costs of school uniforms and activities in 2025. It will be available to parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025. 

Cash will not be paid directly to individuals or families. Instead, families will receive the bonus as credits on their school accounts that will help meet the costs of your children’s activities and uniforms. 

Existing supports 

The School Saving Bonus support will be in addition to existing and continuing means-tested supports for camps, sports, excursions and uniforms. The application-based Affordable School Uniform program, through State Schools’ Relief, will continue to be available to families experiencing financial hardship or other forms of vulnerability and short-term crisis. This program allows schools to make multiple applications for support on parents' behalf throughout the year if needed. 

There will be more information and guidance about the School Saving Bonus in Term 3, 2024, ahead of its implementation in 2025.

School Uniform

We always focus on encouraging our students to wear the school uniform with pride. In recent weeks it has been noted that some students are wearing a vast range of brightly coloured socks as well as necklaces and bracelets. The Student Dress Code https://karoops.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Student-Dress-Code-2022_25-.pdf  clearly outlines the specific requirements (this policy has been reviewed and ratified by School Council). The wearing of jewellery is limited to stud earrings and watches only. Jewellery for religious beliefs is accepted with approval from the Principal. Let’s work together to ensure our students confidently and proudly wear the Karoo school uniform. 

Policies

All Government schools have policies that guide and support student health and wellbeing including child safety, specific health conditions, students with disabilities, duty of care etc.    All of our policies are available on our school website for parents / carers to access at any time.  These policies are updated through the School Council / Education committee on a cyclical rotation directed by the Department of Education.  It is important for our whole community have a clear understanding of these policies and so as an important part of our transparent communication we often feature a policy in newsletters (see below).

Child safety and wellbeing at Karoo - information for families and the school community

The Victorian Government has Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools. The standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing. 

We are always reviewing and updating our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements. Policies are available to view on our school website after being ratified from School Council.  The link to the Child Safety Code of Conduct is found here.  https://karoops.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Child-Safety-Code-of-Conduct-2022_2024.pdf  It is also important to note that our Child Safety Champion is our Assistant Principal, Courtney Hoffmann. 

We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing, and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices. 

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me, or a member of the leadership team.

Danielle Heatley

Principal