Dear parents and carers,

Over the last fortnight we have been able to reflect how Clifton Hill Primary School has been an important part of our local community since April 1st, 1874. Celebrating our 150th anniversary, we have had our birthday picnic, school tours and a cocktail party.

A central part of our celebrations has also been our historical display of photographs in the MPR which was very popular for those who had the opportunity to view the exhibition. A big thank you to Clare Hoy, Tony Owczarek and Carolyn Darke who spent many hours sifting through our old archives, sorting out photos and putting the display together. Their efforts were very much appreciated.

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, for use on 2025 school costs.

Families can choose how they want to spend the School Saving Bonus. It can be used towards 2025 school costs, which may include:

camps, trips, excursions and incursions
swimming and sporting programs
outdoor education programs
graduations
school uniforms
textbooks.

You do not need to apply for the School Saving Bonus. The Department of Education will email you in November 2024 with your $400 School Saving Bonus. You will be able to access it via an online system. In addition, you can decide how to best use the School Saving Bonus for your family's needs. You can choose how to allocate the $400 in the online system.

Families who have more than one child at the same school can combine their School Saving Bonus payments to use on one child, or for a specific activity. So, for example, a family with 3 children who are all government school students would receive support to the value of $1,200 and choose how they spend those funds. However, the School Saving Bonus cannot be combined across different schools.

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 schools for Term 1 2025 or starting Prep or Year 7 in 2025.
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. Please contact Jennifer Ly (Jennifer.Ly2@education.vic.gov.au)

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 visit…vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus.

Parent Opinion Survey

A reminder to those parents who have received an invitation to participate in the 2024 Parent Opinion Survey, that the closing date for the survey has now been extended until the end of term. For those families who are randomly selected, we hope that you take the time to participate so that we can gain an understanding of our community’s views and help us shape decisions for the future. The survey doesn’t take too long to complete, and we would really appreciate if you could take the time to provide us with your views.

Hats are Back!

Just a reminder that as we move into Spring, the time has come for students to begin wearing appropriate hats...broad brim or legionnaires. In line with the CHPS SunSmart Policy, children are now required to wear their hats when playing outside. In supporting this policy, we ask parents and carers to encourage their children to bring their hat every day. We also ask that hats are clearly labelled with their child's name.

Gareth Buck

(Assistant Principal)

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