19th May 2025 Clancy

Today, we have the absolute pleasure of recognising a student who truly brings care and respect, joy, kindness, and a touch of magic to our school every day. It's not every day you meet someone who can make a chessboard feel like an epic quest and a classroom feel like a community.

Clancy is the embodiment of our school values—respect and care. He's the friend who includes everyone, the classmate who lifts others up, and the teammate who celebrates every victory, big or small. Whether it's a well-timed joke that brings smiles or a thoughtful gesture that brightens someone's day, this Grade 4 student knows how to make everyone feel welcome and valued.

And let's not forget Clancy's love for games! From strategic chess matches to imaginative Dungeons & Dragons adventures. He approaches every challenge with enthusiasm, creativity, and a spirit of collaboration.

So, without further ado, please join me in congratulating this student from Studio 6…

Clancy as this week’s Superhero. Clancy, your kindness, positivity, and respect inspire us all. Keep shining your light, and thank you for making our school a better place!

Congratulations Clancy, we hope you've had a fantastic week.

26th May 2025 Esther

Our Super Hero this week is a kind, positive, and motivated student who consistently embodies all six of our School Values.

Esther is a CARING friend, showing genuine empathy and a thoughtful understanding of others’ perspectives. She demonstrates RESPONSIBILITY by following school rules, meeting expectations, showing care for nature and taking care of school property and her belongings.

Her PERSISTENCE shines through in her approach to learning. Esther understands that progress takes practice and that mistakes are valuable opportunities to grow. She takes PRIDE in her work, always striving for high-quality results that reflect her best efforts.

While our Super Hero exemplifies all our values, this week Esther is being especially recognised for her outstanding demonstration of EXCELLENCE and RESPECT.

Esther approaches learning challenges with a smile, demonstrating EXCELLENCE in her eagerness to make the most of every opportunity. She listens attentively to instructions, asks thoughtful questions to deepen her understanding and takes on feedback to enhance her learning. Her positive attitude and willingness to take risks have helped her grow in confidence and skill, leading to meaningful progress across all areas of the curriculum.

Esther shows RESPECT by treating her teachers and peers with kindness and courtesy, always using polite language and thoughtful manners. She listens attentively when others speak, valuing their contributions, and responding with empathy and understanding. Her inclusive attitude helps to make Studio 2 a welcoming environment where others feel heard, valued, and respected.

Congratulations Esther, we hope you've had a fantastic week.

Classroom Awards

Congratulations to the following student for receiving a classroom award: Liam, Lenny, Cooper, Meg, Elwood, Adelia, Finn, Finnian, Etta, Isabelle, Etta, Rumaan, Harry, Crawford, Escher, Isaac, Mihailo, Henry, Diesel, Nathan, Clarence, Vera, Narayan, Saoirse, Sonny, Joy, Leo, Henry, Mabel, Liam, Rex.

Grades 1 and 2 News

Minibeasts, Stories, and Patterns!

Students in Grades 1 and 2 have had an exciting few weeks! They've been diving into the world of minibeasts—exploring fascinating creatures like ants and butterflies. After learning about their life cycles, students used craft materials to create their own insects. Each model included the three main body parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. The classroom is now filled with an amazing variety of ladybugs, butterflies, and beetles—each one unique and impressive!

Here are some fun facts students discovered along the way:

A cockroach can live for weeks without its head!
A ladybug has a hidden second set of wings protected by the first.
Bees carry pollen in special pouches behind their knees.

In Writing, students have been learning about narratives and how stories are structured. They've been reading lots of picture books to identify the beginning, middle, and end of a story. One fun activity involved being given the start and middle of a story and creating their own ending, such as, Goldilocks becoming friends with the Three Bears and helping her find her way home! Grade 2 students are also writing their own full narratives featuring a minibeast character, complete with a problem and solution.

In Maths, students are working on identifying and creating patterns. They've explored repeated symbol patterns, number sequences, and even growing and shrinking patterns. It’s been a great way to combine creativity and problem-solving!

Gardening and Sustainability News

On Monday, May 19th, members of the Gardening and Sustainability Student Group, our School Captains for Care and Respect, and Mrs. Tracey attended a special event at the Kyneton Botanic Gardens. The event, hosted by the Friends of the Botanic Gardens, marked the 162nd anniversary of the planting of a magnificent Algerian oak—the very first tree planted in the gardens.

The celebration began with a guided tour, showcasing a variety of significant plants and the sustainable practices used throughout the gardens. Students then had the opportunity to plant daffodil bulbs before enjoying lunch and engaging in conversations with the gardeners in attendance.

Both the students and the Friends of the Botanic Gardens appreciated the chance to connect and discuss topics related to plants and sustainability. The students are now eagerly awaiting spring, when their daffodils will bloom just in time for the Daffodil Festival in September.

Essendon Football Club Visit - This Monday

We are excited to share that Kyneton Primary School has been selected to participate in Essendon Football Club’s AFL Player Visits on Monday 2nd June. Essendon FC players will participate in a lunchtime kick to kick session with all students from 1:30 to 2:15.

Players may also sign official Essendon Football Club memorabilia, such as: scarves, hats, posters, footballs and other officially licensed merchandise. Please note players have been instructed not to sign uniforms (local club/school), clothing (everyday shirts, jumpers etc.), or skin. An original signed sheet will be completed by the players to be photocopied for distribution to all students. This ensures efficiency and a consistent experience for all students while maintaining the players’ time and availability during appearances.

School Saving Bonus (SSB)

Allocate funds to school activities before 30 June 2025

School Saving Bonus (SSB) funds can only be used for uniforms until Monday 30 June 2025.

Any funds remaining after 30 June 2025, including online voucher amounts that have not been redeemed, will become a credit to use on school activities. This credit, however will not be available on your family account at our school until late July. If you do not anticipate making any further uniform purchases, we advise that you allocate your remaining SSB funds to activities ASAP to ensure these funds are available to use for future events.

The School Saving Bonus portal can be accessed at www.schoolsavingbonus.vic.gov.au using your child’s unique bonus code. If you are unsure of your child’s bonus code please contact the office as we can assist with this.

SSB Activities balance now reflected in Compass events

Compass has implemented changes to allow families to see and automatically use their School Saving Bonus ‘Activities’ balance when paying for an event.

If your child has a SSB ‘Activities’ balance on their account, there will now be a new checkbox in the checkout section allowing you to select this option to pay. It will also show the balance amount. Your remaining balance will be updated and shown the next time you wish to select this option in another event.

Some important notes

If you do not see this as an option to pay this means you have either used all of your SSB funds or you have not transferred funds to the school in the SSB portal to use for ‘Activities’. Please allow 1-2 business days for the transfer from the portal to reflect in Compass
Only funds for the specific student in the event will show in the check out process. If you wish to use a sibling’s SSB balance to pay for an event please contact the school for us to process this manually
If you do not have sufficient funds to pay the full cost of the event please contact the office for us to process this manually
If you have CSEF or another type of credit on your account there will be an additional checkbox to select to use these funds.

2026 Foundation Enrolments

We are now accepting enrolments for our 2026 Foundation students. If your family has a child who will be commencing school next year please stop by the office to collect an enrolment pack.

We request that all 2026 enrolment forms are submitted by the end of June to allow planning of our transition program.

If you know anyone in the community wishing to enrol their child for next year, please encourage them to book in a tour or visit us to collect an enrolment pack.

Student Council News – Food Drive & Pyjama Day

Student Council is running a food drive to support the Kyneton Foodbank (The Kindness Collective). We are seeking donations of non-perishable items such as pasta, rice, sauces, curry pastes, tinned tomatoes, canned vegetables, and other ingredients that can be used to make warm, hearty meals this winter. Donations can be dropped off in the school foyer.

To support this important cause, we are also holding a Pajama Day on Friday, June 27. Students are invited to wear their pyjamas to school and bring a gold coin donation. All proceeds will go directly to the Kyneton Foodbank.

Thank you for your support.

Canteen News

As the weather cools, the school canteen is introducing a new Hot Chocolate drink, available for order through the Qkr! app. Students can collect their drinks at either recess or lunchtime.

In addition to the new beverage offering, the canteen is launching a sustainability initiative. Students who order sushi are encouraged to bring a clean, reusable container labelled with their name. This practice aims to reduce single-use packaging waste, lower packaging expenses, and promote environmental responsibility among students. Such initiatives align with broader efforts to create eco-friendly school canteens by reducing food waste.

These steps not only contribute to environmental sustainability but also provide educational opportunities for students to engage in responsible practices.

Sarah Lockhart

Canteen Manager

Kyneton Community Chess Night - "Take on the Kids"

Together with Tim Davis our Chess Coach at KPS, we are planning a fun and friendly community chess evening to be held at Kyneton Primary School. The theme is “Take on the Kids”, where members of the public will have the chance to play against the impressive students from the Kyneton Primary School Chess Club. This will be a light hearted but structured event aimed at bringing together families, local chess lovers, and the wider Kyneton community. Most importantly, the event will be raising funds for the Kyneton Cancer Council Foundation in line with their current initiative to raise much needed new equipment funds. The initial aim would be to raise $1000+ in funds directly from this event.

More details on how to purchase tickets will be sent out soon.

Community News

A few messages from our community

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