Important Dates

Scotsburn Assemblies	Friday 11 October Friday 8 November Friday 29 November
Whole School Assemblies	Thursday 19 December
Young Authors’ Celebration	Thursday 10 October
Grade 5/6 Halls Gap Camp	Monday 14 - Wednesday 16 October
Grade 5/6 Sovereign Hill Experience	Thursday 17 - Friday 18 October
P-2 Sports Day	Tuesday 10 October (Buninyong all day)
Pre-Schooler Program	Friday 11 October Wednesday 16 October Friday 25 October Friday 1 November
Melbourne Cup (pupil free)	Tuesday 5 November
Staff Professional Practice day (pupil free)	Tuesday 19 November
Grandparents and Special Friends day	Friday 29 November
Private Schools Orientation Day	Tuesday 3 December
Grade 3/4 Camp	Wednesday 4 - Thursday 5 December
Public Schools Orientation Day	Tuesday 10 December
Scotsburn Sleepover	Thursday 12 December
Grade 6 Graduation	Tuesday 17 December
Scotsburn Pool Day	Wednesday 18 December
Last day of Term 4 for students (1:30pm finish)	Thursday 19 December
Pupil free day	Friday 20 December

Welcome Back Everyone!

A warm welcome back to our Scotsburn families and we hope that you all had a relaxing and enjoyable break. It was nice to finally see a few glimpses of sunshine; hopefully there is much more just around the corner!

Term 4 is always a busy and fun term, with this year being no exception. Please make sure to take note of the important dates above as well as all information that comes out on Compass. There certainly will be a lot happening!

With so much going on, please remember that we are always available to clarify any details of events and activities coming up. If contacting us via email is an easier option for you, we will always get back to you as soon as possible.

We can’t wait to dive into all that is ahead of us this term and we look forward to seeing you all throughout this week at the campus.

Our New Sustainability Shed

Over the holiday break our new Sustainability was erected, which was a nice surprise to return to. This shed space will be used as a working classroom, for students to participate in various sustainability projects as well as some STEM lessons. This shed has been funded by the Buninyong Community Bank and Buninyong and Mt Helen Lions Club. We appreciate their support and will acknowledge their contribution at an official opening of the shed at some stage in the near future.

School Uniform

Coming into the warmer months, it is always a good idea to send out a reminder about the Buninyong Primary School uniform guidelines. Please see below:

All uniform items must comply with our school uniform guidelines.

In particular:

Shorts being plain black (no logos) and of an appropriate length for school (no exercise / bike shorts / running shorts)
Black shoes (runners, school shoes or boots)
Socks plain black or white only
School hats (broad or bucket) only
Please make sure all pieces of uniform are clearly named. Named items will be returned to students when found.

A reminder also that hats are required to be worn outside at all times in Term 4. Hats that are acceptable to be worn during Term 4 in regulation with our Sun Smart policy are broad brimmed hats and bucket hats that protect the face, back of neck, eyes and ears. If your child does not have a hat at school they will be required to sit in the shade or attend lunchtime club to reduce exposure to UV.

Thank you everyone for consistently upholding wonderful school uniform standards.

Kinder Transition Program

Our kinder transition program begins this Friday, between 9:15am and 10:45am. We look forward to welcoming Adele, Harry and Delyth who are all enrolled to attend the Scotsburn campus as Preps in 2025. Our transition program assists students in becoming familiar with school life and experiencing the supportive and wonderful environment we have at Scotsburn.

If you know any families that are still to enrol or that would like some more information on enrolment, please encourage them to contact us for a tour.

Home Reading

We will continue to support children and families with reading at home again this term. We will do this by reminding students to change their books as needed and we will check diaries weekly. This will help remind those students that require a ‘check in’ around organisation and filling out their diaries. Reading with your children at home helps build concentration as well as improves memory. When we read, we follow a story and we need to remember what is happening. Asking your child questions as you read them or when they read to you is a great way to build reading comprehension.

We have not discussed with students yet a reading target for Term four. What we did discuss at the end of Term three, was instead of continuing our target, we are going to reset and set a target that everyone can try and meet, even if they have fallen behind throughout the last term. Our goal is to encourage home reading and we do not want to discourage those students that have not met the target last term, to try and catch up to a higher target and cause stress. We want reading at home to be enjoyable and fun, with the aim of reading for enjoyment. We will communicate the target in next week’s newsletter after discussion with the whole campus.

Holiday Animal Care

A big thank you to Charlie and Gracie’s family for looking after Pip over the holidays. Also, thanks to Archie and his family for looking after our spiny leaf insects, Yuujin and Chiasai. We hope you enjoyed the company over the holidays and our Scotsburn animals were well behaved.

P-2 Sports Day

We have our Prep-2 Sports Day coming up on Friday 18 October. Ms. Morris has done a wonderful job organising a range of activities for the students to participate in. The Sports Day will be held at the Buninyong Campus, with the SC1 Grade one and grade students between 9:30am to 10:50a.m, and the SC1 Preps between 11:40 am - 1:00pm. Parents are more than welcome to come along and watch! Students are invited to dress in their house colours for the day, if you are unsure of your child’s house colour please check Compass.

We will start and finish the day at the Buninyong campus. Please meet Mrs. Anderson in the courtyard at 8:45am. Pick up will be 3:30pm in the courtyard as well.

Grade 5/6 Hall Gap Camp

The countdown is on for our 5/6 students to head off on Camp. Below are a few reminders ready for Monday morning departure. Please keep an eye out this week on Compass as well for any final reminders.

What to bring Checklist:

Snack and lunch (for the first day only)
Fitted sheet (for single beds), sleeping bag or doona, pillow and pillow case.
Toiletries - toothbrush, soap, toothpaste, deodorant (no spray cans please)
Towel
Plastic bag for dirty clothes
PJ’s
T shirts
Shorts
Long pants (tracksuit pants)
Jumpers
Socks and jocks (make sure to bring extra pairs)
Rain jacket/waterproof jacket
Two pairs of sensible sturdy walking shoes (e.g. runners)
Refillable drink bottle (clearly labelled)
Day bag (small backpack)
Hat and beanie
Sunscreen/insect repellent
Torch
Film or digital camera – (brought at own risk, no iPods/iPhones/iPads as cameras)
What not to bring:
Best clothes
Valuable items
Jewellery
Mobile phones, iPods, iPads, etc - You will be kept active all day and will not have time to be able to use these items!
Money
Make up
Lollies

Medication:

Any medication you may require, needs to be clearly labelled, with signed instructions on how to administer it, in a zip lock bag and given to the teacher in charge of medical items before leaving. Parents will need to fill out a medication authority form as they drop the medication off.

Arrangements for Grade 3/4 Scotsburn students next week

With Mr Morgan and our Grade 5 and 6 students off to both Halls Gap and Sovereign Hill next week, we have arranged for the SC2 Grade 3s and 4s to join SC1 for the week. On Friday 18 October, these students will also join SC1 at the Buninyong campus for the whole day for the Prep to grade two students Sports Day. This will include spending some time in some Grade three Buninyong Campus classes during the day. We will include reminders for these arrangements in next week’s newsletter.

For our Grade three and four parents, please also keep an eye out on Compass this week for the initial deposit for the three/four camp, which will be from Wednesday 4 to Thursday 5 December.

Enrolments for 2025

If you have a child or know of someone who has a child to enrol in Prep for 2025, please see Ana for an enrolment form, go to the office at Buninyong or access an enrolment form via our school website. We are excited that in line with the current Department of Education guidelines we are able to provide our Pre-Schooler Program during the fourth term as part of our enrolment process. Once you have returned your enrolment form, you will be sent further information to book your child into the Pre-Schooler Program. Please see Ana if you require further information.

Classroom Term Newsletters

There will be an SC1 and SC2 term newsletter sent out in hard copy and on Compass this Friday. Please ensure you have a good read of the newsletter and reach out if you have any questions. We look forward to another fun and exciting term with lots of learning!

Scotsburn Parent Volunteering

In the next week, we will send out a volunteering roster for Term 4. We always cherish the parent support we receive at the campus, and we look to keep that momentum going through to the end of the year. If you are willing and able to help out the campus in some capacity, please keep an eye out for the roster on Compass in the week.

Scotsburn Intercampus Travel

At times, Scotsburn students will be transported between campuses in order to attend classes, assemblies, special days and events. On most occasions, transport required through the day will be by bus and occasionally private car for smaller groups of students. Parents may be asked to drop off or collect from the Buninyong campus if sessions are at the beginning or ending of a day.

We will always let you know of any upcoming travel arrangements via our newsletter, Compass, or via phone for smaller, more specific travel arrangements.

If you ever have any questions or concerns regarding intercampus travel, please contact your child’s teacher.

Staff Contacts

Mr Morgan: jarrod.morgan@education.vic.gov.au

Mrs Anderson: anastasia.anderson@education.vic.gov.au

Mrs Inglis: hayley.thomas@education.vic.gov.au

Mrs Morgan: elizabeth.morgan2@education.vic.gov.au

Ms Middlin: rachel.middlin@education.vic.gov.au

The Scotsburn Team

Mental Health & Wellbeing