Engagement & Wellbeing
Start of Year Reminders…
High Risk Medical Student Meetings
Over the next 2 weeks families with students with high risk medical needs will be contacted to review and update health plans for their child. If you have a child with a high risk medical need (Anaphylaxis, Diabetes, Heart Condition, Epilepsy, etc) please be prepared to come along with updated medical advice from your health professional (generally a health care plan in order to make the plan as effective as possible). Thank you!
Please contact the school if your child has had any recent diagnosis’ that we need to be aware of.
Asthma At School
If your child has been diagnosed with asthma it is important that you have your child’s asthma plan updated annually and provide a copy to the school office. Please also provide a supply of Ventolin or other asthma reliever and spacer to the school office. These will be stored at the office so they can be easily accessed should your child require it throughout the day, head off on excursions, etc.
Please ensure you have updated your student/s plan for 2024 and bring a copy to the office as soon as possible.
Should you have any questions, please contact the office staff.
Medications at School
If you have a student with a condition that requires medication to be kept at school (such as asthma, allergy or anaphylaxis), please check with the office if the medication is still in date as quite a few are close to or recently expired.
Legal Documents & Paperwork
If you have any parenting or custody orders, intervention orders, etc. please ensure that the most recent and up to date copy has been supplied to the school.
If unsure, please contact Mel in the office or Narelle Sullivan.
Staying Healthy
Our classrooms will be continuing to implement strategies at school that we have become accustomed to, such as regular use of hand sanitiser and using air purifiers and natural ventilation when possible.
We ask for your assistance in keeping students home if they are unwell or displaying any symptoms of any type of illness. Students who become ill at school during the day will have their parents contacted to collect them.
Thank you for your support and cooperation with this.
Mobile Phone Ban in Government Schools
A reminder that the Department of Education has in place a mobile phone ban that requires students who bring mobiles phones to school to have them switched off and securely put away during school hours. This includes smart watches with mobile phone connectivity.
At our school, phones must be given to the class teacher at the start of the day and can be collected at home time.
The department is requiring all schools to ensure this ban is in place and enforced from the start of the 2024 school year. The ban applies equally to all government schools right across the state.
This helps ensure that school is a learning environment free from unnecessary distractions and disruptions.
By ensuring mobile phones are kept away at recess and lunch times, students can interact with each other face-to-face, without the distractions and social pressures that mobile phones can cause.
I ask for the support of all our families, staff and students in continuing to support the implementation of this policy in our school. Please note that iPads with SIM cards inserted are also not allowed at school.
Further information
Exceptions: For a small number of students with particular health needs, an exception to the policy may be granted. Please contact Narelle Sullivan if you would like to discuss this.
Emergencies: In the event of an emergency or if you need to immediately contact your child, I ask that families contact the school office who will pass on a message as required.
School mobile phone policy: A copy of our school’s local mobile phone policy, which implements the government’s mobile policy in line with our local context, is available here: https://buninyongps.vic.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Mobile-Phones-Policy.pdf .
Parent support: The Mobile phones in schools webpage provides links to resources for families to help them balance their children’s time using mobile phones.
If you have further questions, please contact the administration office or narelle.sullivan@education.vic.gov.au.
Mobile phones owned by students at Buninyong Primary School are considered valuable items and are brought to school at the owner’s (student’s or parent/carer’s) risk. Students are encouraged not to bring a mobile phone to school unless there is a compelling reason to do so.
Wearing Correct School Uniform In 2024
Our strong focus on encouraging students to maintain high standards around the wearing of correct uniform will continue this year.
Can we please ask for your assistance in ensuring that all uniform items purchased comply with our school uniform guidelines, which can be found on our website .
We appreciate your support.