Dear Families,

Happy Father’s Day

To all the dads, grandfathers, uncles, and special role models in our Macedon Primary School community, we wish you a very Happy Father's Day! We celebrate and appreciate the love, care, and guidance you provide to the children in our community. Whether you’re a father, stepfather, guardian, or someone who plays a fatherly role, we hope your day is filled with happiness and special moments with your loved ones. Thank you for everything you do.

Students Not Returning in 2025

As we begin our planning for 2025, it's important for us to have accurate student numbers to ensure we have adequate staffing and resources. To assist with our class planning, we kindly ask that you inform us if your child will not be returning to Macedon Primary in 2025.

If your child will be leaving Macedon Primary at the end of this year, please let us know by emailing macedon.ps@education.vic.gov.au and provide the name of the school they will be attending next year.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping us plan effectively for the upcoming school year.

School Saving Bonus

In Term 4, 2024, families with a child enrolled in a government school from Prep to Year 12 in 2025 will receive the one-off $400 School Saving Bonus.

The $400 School Saving Bonus provides families with support for education-related costs, such as school activities and/or school uniforms and textbooks.

The School Saving Bonus is not available for full-fee international students, home schooled students, TAFE students and students attending kindergarten in 2025.

Actions for parents and carers

Before 18 October 2024, the Department of Education is asking parents and carers to:

- Complete enrolment: If your child, or children are changing government school for Term 1 2025, or starting Prep or Year 7 in 2025. For more information, read about Enrolling in School.

- Check your contact information: Ensure your email address and phone number is up to date with us. You can check this information by contacting us directly.

We need to ensure your contact information is up to date as the Department of Education will email you twice:

- in October, to verify your email address

- in November, with your $400 School Saving Bonus.

Please check your junk mail regularly to make sure you do not miss an important email.

To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, download the School Saving Bonus Information sheet for government school parents and carers or visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus.

School Student Broadband Initiative

https://www.vic.gov.au/school-student-broadband-initiative-information-parents-carers

We are excited to share that the School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI) is now available to eligible families at Macedon Primary School. This initiative, led by the National Broadband Network (NBN) and supported by the Federal Government, offers free internet access at home for eligible students until 31 December 2025.

The SSBI aims to boost educational opportunities and help narrow the digital divide by providing up to 30,000 eligible households with school-aged students the ability to access free internet services. This initiative will ensure that students have the necessary online resources to support their learning and development.

Eligible families will receive a letter sent home with students today, providing more information about the program and how to apply. Please check your child's bag for this important information.

We are pleased to be part of this initiative, which supports our ongoing commitment to providing equal learning opportunities for all our students.

Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

Thank You for Participating in the Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey

We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the 37 families who have already completed the Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Opinion Survey. Your valuable feedback is crucial in helping us improve our school and better serve our students and community.

For those who haven't yet had the chance to participate, there is still time to make your voice heard. The survey remains open until Friday, 30 August 2024.

The survey is conducted online, takes only 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones. Please use the unique code sent to you in the initial message to access the survey.

Your insights and opinions are incredibly important to us. Thank you for your ongoing support and for taking the time to contribute to our school community.

PFA Update

The Macedon Primary Parents and Friends annual general meeting was held on the Friday 16th of August. I am please to annouce the following office bearers have been appointed;

Briohny Lebbink - President

Melissa Caligiuri - Secretary

Andrea Boudville - Treasurer

Melissa Carson - School Council Representative

Thank you to these parents for taking on the above roles, I know you have some exciting things planned for the rest of the year and beyond. If anyone is interested in joining the PFA, please contact the office and we can put you in touch.

Macedon Village Farmers Market - this Saturday

The Macedon Village Farmers market will be held at the school this Saturday. Please come along and purchase the lovely food and produce available. All the profits from the market goes to the school.

Warm regards,

Andrew Bloomfield

Principal

andrew.bloomfield@education.vic.gov.au

Scholastic Book Club