Out and about at Surfside

Half way point of term 1

We have just reached the half way point of term 1 and it has been a busy start to the year. There is plenty on the calendar coming up so please check upcoming dates and compass posts. Here is a little reminder of what is on across the school in the coming weeks:

Upcoming days where students are not at school - check Camp Australia for Curriculum Day bookings:

• Fri 7th -       Curriculum Day - Students not at school
• Mon 10th - Labour Day Holiday

March

Mon 3rd -  Parent/Teacher meetings - bookings open in week 4

Tues 4th -  Year 3-6 School Based Cross Country @ Kingston Park

                      Parent/Teacher meetings

Wed 5th -   Parent/Teacher meetings

                      Proposed Emergency Management Drill - school based evacuation

                      Foundation testing day (Foundation students not at school)

Thu 6th -    Year 6 Summer Lightning Premiership - Shell Road Sporting Complex

                      Breakfast Club in the kitchen - 7.45am-8.30am

Fri 7th -       Curriculum Day - Students not at school

Mon 10th - Labour Day Holiday

Tues 11th - Fri 21st - School Based Swimming Program Year 4 & Year 6 (BASC)

Tues 11th - SSV Division Swimming Sports - Kardinia Pool (Qualified Students)

Wed 12th-21st - NAPLAN Testing Period - Check confirmed timetable

Thu 13th - Breakfast Club in the kitchen - 7.45am-8.30am

Tues 18th - School Council AGM 5.30pm 2025 School Council (Finance @ 5.00pm)

Fresh Food Fair 2025 Change of Date

In 2025 our Fresh Food Fair is scheduled to take place on Friday 31st October. This date  coincides with Halloween this year. As a school we are fully aware that Halloween is important for our young people and members of our community and we feel clashing with this date might impact our attendance and fundraising efforts for 2025. Through consultation with school council, our school community and year 3-6 students (358 responses) an overwhelming majority of 83% have indicated Friday 7th November as the preferred date for the 2025 Fresh Food Fair. Therfore, our 2025 Fresh Food Fair will now take place on Friday 7th November

Cross Country Call for family helpers

We will be holding our annual Cross Country event for students in grades 3–6 at Kingston Park on Tuesday, March 4th. The event will commence at 9.15am and conclude by 1.00pm. Race times are as follows;

• Year 5 & 6 event is between 9:15 - 10:45
• Year 3 & 4 event is between 11:30 - 1:00

Check out event information on compass but to ensure the smooth running and safety of children we will require the assistance of parents or carers. If you are available and willing to help, please answer the questions and complete the details below. 

All volunteers must have a  current Working With Children's Card that has been presented to our office and completed the 5 minute annual Induction, before the day of the event.

CROSS COUNTRY HELPER EXPRESSION OF INTEREST LINK

Last chance to register your help and the best viewpoints are out on the course!

Russell - Crossing Guard Retirement

It was with sadness that we heard that Russell (crossing guard on Shell Road) has recently retired. His last day was on Tuesday and we wish him all the best on his retirement. We want to thank Russell for all of his care and consideration for our students and community. The Shell Road crossing is a challenge due to it's busy nature and Russell did a great job to provide a safe passage for the students and families. Our crossing guards can always be a sense of joy for many of our students of a morning and afternoon so we thank all of them for their care.

Basketball Court Resurfacing - Upgrade

We will begin the major works of resurfacing and upgrading our school basketball court. Over the weekend we will see phase 1 with the installation of new backboards and rings and we are now awaiting a confirmed date from Pro Court regarding upgrading of the surface. In consultation with school council and court surface providers we have engaged with Pro Court to upgrade our basketball court. Through professional advice for longevity and multi use options the court will be upgraded to a special ball use synthetic surface. Below are some examples of the planned surface upgrade. The process should see our courts unfortunately out of action for a short period of time (approximately 2-3 weeks based on weather conditions)

School Photos

Students and staff recently had Arthur Reed Photos visit over 2 days to complete our 2025 school photos. With 544 students and 60 staff this always a giant exercise and a big thank you to the team at Arthur Reed and the students and staff for making it run so smoothly. Information has gone home regarding codes and order options.

Privacy Policy Notifications and Information

The following information appears on our permissions form, school website and in our newsletters from time to time and that all families receive to begin a school year. Below is a reminder to families how schools handle personal information:

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy and the Schools’ Privacy Collection Notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students Policy [insert link to your school policy], describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. The policy also explains when parent consent is required and how it can be provided and withdrawn. 

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education] safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using [Microsoft 365/Google Workspace for Education], please contact the school.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents.

School's Privacy Policy

The Department of Education (the department) values your privacy and is committed to protecting information that schools collect.

All staff including contractors, service providers and volunteers of the department, and all Victorian government schools (schools), must comply with Victorian privacy law and this policy.

In Victorian government schools, the management of personal information and health information is governed by Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic) and Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) (collectively, Victorian privacy law). In addition, the Department and Victorian government schools must comply with the Victorian Data Sharing Act 2017.

This policy explains how Victorian government schools collect and manage personal and health information, consistent with Victorian privacy law and other associated legislation.

Student accident insurance, ambulance cover arrangements and private property brought to school

The Department does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents/carers of students, who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover, are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance or transport as well as any other transport costs. 

In some circumstances, medical or other expenses will be paid by the Department where it is assessed that it is likely that the Department is liable for negligent acts or omissions of its staff or volunteers. 

Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage.

This can include mobile phones, calculators, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. As the Department does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property, students and staff should be discouraged from bringing any unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school.  

Photographing, Filming and Recording Students policy