Dear Robbie Mac families,

Welcome to Term 4! We hope that everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable time during the school holidays. This term is filled with exciting events and opportunities to come together as a community.

Only a week away…

Referendum Day Cake Stall and Coffee Van – Saturday, 14 October

The PFA are hosting a Referendum Cake Stall on Saturday, 14 October. The Cake Stall will run from 8.30am – 2.30pm or until sold out. And a Coffee Van is kindly being provided by Noel Jones from 9.30 – 11.30am, with people donating a gold coin to Robbie Mac for a hot beverage. So, remember to come past on Referendum Day to check out the stall and grab a drink.

Calling all creative bakers! We would greatly appreciate it if you could lend a hand by contributing some delicious homemade treats. To ignite your baking enthusiasm, we have sent a cake kit home with your child.

We are happily accepting donations of:

Whole cakes
Cupcakes
Slices
Gluten free cakes & slices
Biscuits
Other baked goods

Each cake kit includes a leaflet – please attach it to your treats with the item’s name and ingredients (e.g., Banana cake, Ingredients: Flour, Milk, Eggs, Banana, Sugar, Vanilla Essence). Please include your name and contact number for our internal records. Don’t worry about limiting yourself to just one plate; we have plenty of plates and leaflets. You can also find cake containers at the school office.

Q: Can my baked goods contain nuts and chocolate?

A: Yes, you can use nuts as long as this is stated.

Q: Can my baked goods contain fresh cream, custard, mascarpone, raw eggs, or meat?

A: No.

If you can’t contribute, please return the packaging. And if you have grandparents or friends who love to bake, we’d welcome their help too!

We are also in need of volunteers to assist with receiving and pricing cakes on Friday, 13 October as well as help at the stall on the day. If you can spare some time, please sign up here: https://signup.com/go/KEahOif

Please drop off your baked goods on Friday, 13 October between 8.30 – 9.30am to the school office OR to the Performing Arts Room between 3.00 – 4.00pm.

Upcoming Events and Fundraisers

World Teachers’ Day Morning Tea – Friday, 27 October

Our dedicated teachers at Robbie Mac deserve all the appreciation in the world, what better way to show our gratitude than with a special morning tea on World Teachers’ Day? On 27 October, we will celebrate the hard work and commitment of our amazing teaching staff with some treats and surprises to make their day even more special. Thank you, Carolyn Steart, for putting your hand up to coordinate this event.

Foundation Transition Program Morning Tea – Wednesday, 22 November

The 2024 Foundation children will continue their transition program in Term 4, in preparation to join Robbie Mac next year. While the children are in the classrooms, the parents/carers will be offered morning tea on Wednesday, 22 November. This is a great opportunity for them to meet each other to have a chat, as well as to start to feel a part of the school community and even meet some existing families.

School Colour Fun Run – Monday, 27 November

The PFA are excited to offer all children at Robbie Mac the opportunity to participate in the much-loved annual School Colour Fun Run that will be held on Monday 27 November, on the school oval. This is an enjoyable day for the children, teachers, and parent/carer helpers, getting everyone outside and active and having fun. At the same time, the children will be raising funds for the school’s planned inclusive sensory garden (previously known as the indigenous garden playground). Based on past Colour Fun Runs, we are hoping to raise $5,000! Check out the following video to find out more: https://youtu.be/bLdbFh7n9xU.

Keep your eyes peeled for the sponsorship forms which will be sent home with your child. Once you have the form, you should sign up for a Student Profile Page at schoolfunrun.com.au and think of five people to share the profile link with who are likely to donate. Students who raise $10 or more will receive a reward, and the more money you raise the better the reward, and the more you help the school! For those who would prefer not to receive prizes such as toys or gadgets, there is the option to donate to some wonderful not-for-profit causes. Also, a big thank you to Emma Becker for responding to our request for a coordinator.

PFA

The PFA is a group of volunteer parents and carers who help organise events and fundraising activities for RMPS, welcome families and bring people together from within the community. This helps us all connect more closely with our school and to raise vital funds for school improvements. Without volunteers, there would be no PFA.

All RMPS parents and carers are welcome to register as PFA members, enabling them to receive copies of meeting minutes, vote on items/actions and the office bearer (executive) roles as applicable, and be elected to PFA office bearer roles. If you would like to register as a member, please contact us for a copy of the registration form. Note that you do not have to be a member to help on events or attend meetings.

Next meeting: Wednesday 11 October 2023 at 8:00pm – 9:00pm. This will be an online Zoom meeting. We look forward to having parents and carers join us for this meeting.

As always, your support and involvement are essential in making these events a success. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming activities and working together to create wonderful memories for our school community. Let’s make Term 4 memorable and full of fun for our students and families.

Best wishes,

Wen Li (President), Elizabeth (Secretary) and Bård (Treasurer)

The PFA Committee

FREE Working with Children Check (WWCC)

Ever thought about volunteering at a school (e.g., excursion, swimming, classroom) or PFA (e.g., disco, colour run) activity or event, or even at your child’s sports or dance club, but haven’t been able to because you don’t have a Working with Children Check (WWCC)? Well, you can get a volunteer WWCC for FREE! Applying for one takes about 15-20 minutes and you can do it online via Working with Children Check (service.vic.gov.au). Once you have completed the online application you will receive an application receipt, followed by a card after the check is completed. (Note: We recommend you do this using your mobile phone because of the photo process etc.)

What you'll need to do

Prove your identity with documents using your phone. The online application shows you which ones.
Fill out the online application form
Consent to Service Victoria passing your info on to the Working with Children Check (WWCC) Unit Victoria (Department of Justice and Community Safety) to process your WWCC application. (Services Victoria does not keep your information, they just pass it on.)

Your Working with Children check

The Working with Children Check Victoria screening process looks at:
Your criminal record in all Australian states and territories, including any charges, regardless of the outcome
Your professional conduct as determined by these groups, and

Whether you're required to report under sex offender legislation

If you have applied for a WWCC but are unsure whether your card will arrive before you want to volunteer at an event, please speak to the school office about possible options. A check may take between 3-12 weeks to be processed.

Copies of WWCC cards are kept on file by the school for compliance and a Working with Children Check is required for doing child-related work which includes volunteering. Please provide the school office with a copy of your card.

If you would like to get a WWCC card but are not confident doing this yourself, please contact the school office for assistance by calling 9890 2372.

For RMPS related volunteering, please also read the school’s:

Visitors Policy
https://robmacps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Visitors-policy.docx
Volunteers Policy
https://robmacps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Volunteers-policy.docx

Numeracy