School News
21st June 2024
This week’s Superhero Award is presented to a student who demonstrates the qualities of Excellence and Responsibility.
Chloe is dedicated to understanding and applying new knowledge and to investing time in comprehending and mastering new content: This allows her to integrate new ideas and information into her work and show growth in her learning.
Chloe takes responsibility for her own development, seeking out feedback and checking-in to ensure she has incorporated it correctly, and takes her time with assessments to ensure she has solid reasons behind her answers and responses.
A Grade 6 student, Chloe is also invested in helping others in the classroom by providing meaningful and constructive feedback to her peers so they too might improve. She is an active listening during reading and writing groups and is specific when offering her ideas and suggestions at these meetings.
Chloe contributes positively and honestly in group tasks and shows thoughtfulness and consideration towards her peers and teachers.
Studio 14 would like to recognise the exemplary qualities of organisation, responsibility, consideration, appreciation, and intellectual curiosity shown by Chloe.
Congratulations Chloe, we hope you had a fantastic week.
Classroom Awards
Congratulations to the following students for receiving classroom awards: Angus, Chloe, Oliver, Bella, Gillie, Maddy, Penny, Lennie, Myla, Riley, Hazel, Beren, Cameron.
Year 1 & 2 News
What’s been happening in the Grade 1 and 2 classrooms?
As part of the Mappen unit this term, the Grade 1 and 2 classes have been learning how to care for their school and the surrounding environment. They have focused on the 5 R’s –Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, and Recycle. The students collected recyclable objects from home and creatively repurposed them into fantastic new objects such as bird feeders, yabby traps, tree houses, and decorative flowers.
On Wednesday, May 29th the students participated in an incursion run by Nicole Howie from River Detectives and Emily Condon from Sustainability Victoria on the topic of ‘Keeping our Waterways clean’. The students investigated the ways that plastics and other pollutants find their way into our rivers and streams, and the impact that this can have on the creatures living in that environment. We learnt about the main pollutants of the Campaspe River and were surprised to discover that dog poo can have a serious impact on water life if it is allowed to wash into waterways. The students agreed that reducing, reusing, recycling, and cleaning up after our dogs would help us to keep the Campaspe clean.
During Maths the students have been investigating what a fraction is, finding fractions within objects and representing them in different ways. Students created a poster in their Year Books about a fraction of their choice. They were given suggestions of what to include on the poster: write the fraction as a word, label the numerator and denominator, shade a fraction of a shape, circle a fraction of a collection, fold a strip of paper into equal parts and label the fractions, pinpoint their fraction on a number line
Volunteers at KPS
It is great to see so many family volunteers helping out in various ways here at school.
Department of Education policy requires all volunteers at KPS to complete an induction prior to coming onsite. This also includes excursion volunteers. This includes having a current Working With Children's Check (WWCC), completing a confidentiality document and OHS induction. For volunteers that are not parents of current students we also need emergency contact details. Applying for a Working With Children's Check is free for volunteers and can be completed online at https://service.vic.gov.au/services/working-with-children
This documentation is available at the office and only take 5-10 minutes to complete. Once inducted volunteers can sign in and out at the office kiosk each time they visit.
Thank you for your assistance with this.
P&F Trivia Night - 2024 Major Fundraiser
There's still time to purchase your tickets to the KPS Winter Fundraising Trivia Night - jump on to Qkr! now.
$20 per ticket, dress in your 80s finest, and enjoy some general trivia and laughs!
Doors open at 7pm; trivia begins 7:30pm this Saturday 22 June at Zetland Masonic Lodge. After you buy your tix, explore our online silent auction which is NOW LIVE: https://aus.givergy.com/kynetonprimaryschool.
A great variety of items on offer thanks to the generosity of local businesses and families! Bid early, bid often! The auction will close at 10:30pm this Saturday 22 June with all items available to take home from the trivia night.
But you don't have to attend the trivia to bid - winning bidders can also collect their items from Kyneton township from Sunday 23 June onwards.
Trivia AND auctions not your thing? You can choose to donate any amount you'd like if you still want to support our fundraising efforts! https://aus.givergy.com/kynetonprimaryschool/?controller=pledges&category=All%20Pledges
Regards,
Kyneton Primary School Parents & Friends
National Water Week poster competition
Calling all young artists - Coliban Water are running a National Water Week poster competition. Please follow the link below for details. https://connect.coliban.com.au/national-water-week-poster-competition
Free Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT) no longer available
Unfortunately the Department of Education are no longer providing schools with free rapid antigen tests (RAT). We have exhausted the supply we have at school therefore we are no longer able to supply tests to families.
It is recommended that students who have symptoms of cold, influenza or COVID-19 continue to test for COVID-19 and should stay at home until they are no longer symptomatic.
Thank you.
Canteen help required
Canteen help required on Fridays for the rest of Term 2. Fridays are by far the busiest canteen day and to ensure our students can get their lunch on time we rely heavily on our amazing volunteers.
I have created a sign up sheet which makes it really easy for you to see what days and times we need volunteers. If you can help please fill in your details here: volunteersignup.org/QQKKP
Volunteers will need to have a valid Working with Children Check and complete a quick OHS induction at office.
If you only have an hour free on a Thursday or Friday contact me directly with what day you can help.
The children at KPS always love seeing Parents, Grandparents or Older Sibling helping. It also helps create a great school community.
Cheers
Sarah Lockhart
Canteen Manager
Lost Property
We have an enormous amount of lost property at school and it would be great to have these items reunited with their owners. Our lost property basket is located next to the canteen and we encourage parents to come and check for uniform that may belong to their child.
Students who are missing uniform are encouraged to also check in and on top of bag lockers near their classroom and also not to leave clothing outside after break times.
Please ensure that uniform items are labelled clearly with your child’s name to enable them to be easily identified and to avoid items being taken home incorrectly.
Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) applications
The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.
If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.
Payment amounts this year are $125 for eligible primary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
If you have previously applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.
If you would like to apply for the first time, please complete the attached form or call the office to request a form.
Please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible. A copy of the form is attached below. We will require a copy of your valid health care card with the application.
School Gates and Opening Times
In the morning all gates will be open for access to the school site at 8:45 as this is when under industrial arrangements staff supervision in the yard commences. No students are allowed onsite until this time.
In the afternoon all gates will be open at 3:15 for access to the school site. Access to the office during the school day is via the pedestrian gate on Edgecombe St.
The new ramp/path between the school and the kindergarten is now operational. Access to the school grounds using the ramp is between the hours of 8:45 – 4.00. On either side of these hours, the bottom of the ramp will be chained off. Access outside of these hours needs to be arranged through the school office or a staff member by calling 5422 1855.
A reminder to all members of the school community the staff car park is not to be used to walk between the school and the kindergarten for safety reasons. Now that the ramp/path is operational the pedestrian gate next to the car park gates should be used following the path, crossing the road in front of the boom gate using the marked pedestrian crossing and then down the ramp.
* Please do not access the school site at any time via the staff car park for safety
reasons.
* Please do not park in the kinder carpark unless it is your kinder day and you are a kinder family.
Uniform Ordering
School uniforms are available for purchase online direct from A Plus Schoolwear www.aplusschoolwear.com.au
When ordering uniforms please put the studio number of your child for easier delivery.
Once uniforms arrive at school, they will be sent home with your child.
Contact Details
There are times when we will need to contact you during a school day. It is important we have your most up to date contact details on file.
Please update these on Compass or email the school at kyneton.ps@education.vic.gov.au so we can update our records. Please include parent/carers’ name, address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contact details.
Student Attendance
If your child is sick or absent, you are required to notify the school as soon as possible on the day of absence, by logging your child’s absence using our school’s Parental Portal in Compass.
Notifying the school of your child’s absence either prior to, or on the day that they will be away, helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and will fulfil your legal responsibility.
Victorian government schools are required to contact parents/carers as soon as practicable on the same day of an unexplained student absence. If your child is absent on a particular day and you have not contacted the school to explain why, the absence will be marked as unexplained. It is a DET requirement that we have a reason for each child's absence.
This system also promotes daily school attendance. Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education, they learn new things every day – missing school puts them behind.
The Kyneton Primary School Attendance Policy which outlines the school’s processes and procedures for monitoring, recording and following-up of student absences is available on our website www.kynetonprimaryschool.com.au
Students Arriving Late
Students arriving late to school should come to the office, accompanied by an adult, and sign in either on the Compass Kiosk or in the late book. They will then be issued a late pass to take to class and their arrival at school will be updated on the roll. This will avoid parents/guardians receiving notification that their child is not at school when they have arrived late.
Accessing Compass
Compass is our main way of communicating with our families. It is important that parents access the Parental Portal in Compass at https://kynetonps.vic.jdlf.com.au
Using our parent portal will enable you to –
- View up-to-date class and school attendance information
- Approve or enter upcoming or past absences for your son/daughter
- Update your registered email and mobile number (used for SMS alters)
- Access information regarding upcoming events and news
- Access your child’s Semester Reports
- Book your Parent/Student/Teacher conferences
We encourage families to download the Compass App and to enable notification to ensure you receive all communications.
Please click on the “Welcome to Compass” booklets for further assistance or contact the office.