Welcome Back!

Welcome back to Term 4!

We hope everyone had a restful break and is ready for an exciting term ahead. This final term of the school year is packed with fantastic events and activities. Our Grade 5/6 students will embark on their much-anticipated bike ride, and the Grade 5/6 Camp is just around the corner. There’s also orienteering, the Variety Car Rally, and our Grade 3/4 students will enjoy their camp to Weekaway, while the Grade 1/2s are off to Lady Northcote for their camp.

We’ll also be hosting Tabloid Sports, swimming for our Grade 1/2 students, and of course, preparations are underway for the Grade 6 graduation.

We look forward to sharing these wonderful experiences with our students and families as we close out the school year on a high note!

PFA Apple Fundraiser

Keep an eye out in your child's schoolbag on Friday afternoon as the PFA are organising an apple fundraiser and information will be sent home with the eldest child in the family.

School Saving Bonus

As shared with you previously, parents and carers of every child enrolled in a Victorian government school in 2025 will receive the one-off School Saving Bonus $400 support.

In the coming months, the Department of Education will send you 2 email communications for each of your children enrolled in Victorian government schools.

By Friday 18 October 2024, please ensure that your child’s 2025 enrolment is completed and that your contact information is up to date.

The 2 emails from the Department of Education will:

1. Confirm your email address between mid-October and late-November.

2. Provide you with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code by the end of November.

If you do not receive a confirmation email from the department by late-November, please check your spam or junk folders and contact the office if needed.

Social Media Safety

Parents and carers play a key role in guiding their children as they navigate the online world and begin to learn through exploration, play and social interaction.

Parents and carers can prepare their primary school aged child to be safe on social media even if they don’t use it yet. You can do this by building good online habits and staying informed about online safety.

There are a range of resources available to support you to support your child to have a safe experience online.

The eSafety Commissioner’s website provides:
- eSafety parents page including: information on how to have hard conversations about tricky topics like cyberbullying or seeing pornography.
- webinars to give parents/carers the knowledge, skills and tools to support safe online experiences including supporting primary schools children to understand consent and online boundaries and how to support your child with online gaming.
- family friendly videos and advice sheets in multiple languages to support your family stay safe online, getting started with social media, safer online gaming and getting help when your child is bullied online.
- eSafetykids page with child friendly information you can share with your child including what to do when someone is being mean online, being safe online, sharing photos and personal information online.
Bully Stoppers provides dedicated resources on cybersafety and cyberbullying for primary aged students and a dedicated resource page for parents. You can also access cyberbullying advice sheets for concerned adults through Bully Stoppers.
Alannah and Madeline Foundation provides DigiTalk, an online safety hub for parents. It includes resources on topics such as becoming a screen smart family, navigating online bullying, and choosing, protecting and engaging with games for children.
Raising Children Network provides resources for parents of primary school children on topics like healthy screen time, digital family life, digital play and learning and online safety.

You can find more information about supporting your children to be safe online here: https://www.vic.gov.au/safe-socials-parents-and-carers-primary

Working Bee

We are holding a working bee on Saturday, 19th October to complete a number of maintenance tasks around the school in preparation for the summer period. This working bee is for the parents of students in Hume and Mitchell houses.

Your help will make a big difference in getting the school ready for the warmer months ahead. We appreciate your support and look forward to seeing you there!

2025 Class Requests Now Open

We are now accepting requests for the 2025 school year! Parents and guardians can submit requests regarding friendship groups or specific student needs to help us with class placements.

While we seriously consider all parent requests, please understand that we may not be able to grant every request. Our goal is to create balanced and supportive learning environments for all students. Also, please note that we will not be taking requests for specific teachers.

To submit a request, please email it to Andrew.bloomfield@education.vic.gov.au by the 11th of October. We appreciate your cooperation and look forward to another great year of learning together!

Planning for the 2025 School Year

As we begin preparations for the 2025 school year, we need accurate student numbers to ensure we have adequate staffing and resources in place. If your child is planning to leave Macedon Primary School at the end of 2024, please notify the school office as soon as possible.

Your cooperation will help us create the best possible learning environment for all students. We appreciate your support as we plan for another successful year at Macedon Primary School!

Sunsmart

We would like to remind everyone that our SunSmart period has officially started. As part of our commitment to keeping our students safe from harmful UV exposure, all students are now required to wear a sun-protective hat when they are outdoors.

Warm regards,

Andrew Bloomfield

Principal

andrew.bloomfield@education.vic.gov.au

Middle Gully - Landcare