Hello everyone,

Welcome back to school for term four. Here is the newsletter for week one.

School Hats and SunSmart

To comply with SunSmart requirements students are required to wear a broad brim hat on days when the UV forecast is 3 or above - this approximately aligns with terms 1 and 4 of the school year. We will remind students to wear hats this week and from next week any students without a hat will be required to remain under a shaded area during breaks. If you need to buy a new school hat, we have plenty in stock in all sizes for $13-.If you do not want your child to wear a hat, please send me an email requesting a so we have a record of the exemption.

Student disco

All students are invited to attend The Taradale PS disco on Friday 08 November 5.00-8.00 at The Taradale Hall. As this not a school event, all children will need to be accompanied by an adult. A big thank you to the Parents and Friends Group for organising this fun event.

2025 prep transition

As part of the big move to primary school we hold several transition sessions to support the change.

In addition to the formal transition sessions that all schools hold, we also offer informal optional sand pit play transition sessions supervised by me for students and their parents/carers. These informal sessions give the students opportunities to get to know each other whilst they play, as well as allowing parents/carers to meet each other and ask me questions that you may have about the move to primary school.

Feedback from previous years had been that these informal sessions are a very helpful part of transition.

These sessions are followed by the more formal in class transition sessions in November and December.

The sandpit play sessions will be held on:

Tuesday 15 October 1.15-2.15
Tuesday 22 October 1.15-2.15
Tuesday 29 October 1.15-2.15

We will also hold four formal transition sessions. During these sessions, students will spend time in the classroom without parents familiarising themselves with the school routine. I will talk in more detail about what these sessions look like when I see you at the sandpit play sessions.

The dates for the formal transition sessions are:

Wednesday 20 November 9.00-11.00
Wednesday 27 November 9.00-11.00
Tuesday 03 December 9.00-11.30
Tuesday 10 December 9.00-1.00

I apologise if people aren’t available for all dates. If you would like to visit on other days, let me know and we can sort something else.

For the first three formal sessions students will need to bring a hat, fruit snack and play lunch. For the fourth session they will need to bring lunch in addition to the other items.

For those who can attend, I look forward to seeing you at the sandpit play session next Tuesday – feel free to bring along your favourite sand toy!

Please share this transition information with anyone you know who may still be undecided about prep for 2025.

Smile Squad

If you haven't registered for the free dental visit, there is still time to do so:

The Smile Squad free school dental programme is coming to our school

The Smile Squad team from Bendigo Health are coming to our school soon.

Smile Squad is the Victorian Government free school dental programme.

This means ALL students can get a free dental check-up, preventive services, and treatment at school.

How to access free dental care

We need your consent before we can provide services. Consent is usually provided by a parent or guardian.

Sign up to Smile Squad at: https://bit.ly/smilesquadvic

Paper copies of the consent form are available. Please contact the school office if you would like to request one.

Smile Squad oral health packs

All children deserve a healthy smile, and the Smile Squad free school dental programme is working hard to help make sure this happens.

Your child(ren) will soon receive a free oral health pack to bring home. The pack contains a toothbrush, full sized toothpaste, and an oral health brochure. Please take the time to read the brochure. It’s full of helpful hints and tips to help your whole family eat well, drink well and clean well – for life.

Standard strength toothpaste

Smile Squad provides standard strength fluoride toothpaste that is generally used by ages six and over, unless recommended by a dental or trained health professional.

If your child is under six, please talk to a dental or trained health professional to find out if your child might benefit from using this toothpaste. You can also choose to put the toothpaste away until they turn six or give it to someone else in your family to use.

Do I need to attend my child’s appointment?

No, you do not need to attend your child’s appointment. You can attend if you would like to, and you can take your child to the community dental clinic if you prefer.

Breakfast Club - term four roster

The link to the term four roster is below if you are able to assist:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lpb0Xy9bmjXjt-wPEwoyi4xl7_c1A4lkowDNP-YqIJc/edit

All dates for helping at Breakfast Club are currently available

upcoming dates

year 2 camp 17-18 October
Monday 04 November pupil free day - school closed
Tuesday 05 November Public Holiday - school closed
year 5/6 camp 06-08 November
Friday 20 December end of term four 1.00pm
other dates to be added soon

Chris

Christopher Burgess

Principal

In our classrooms