Information for Families
School Policies
All policies relating to school operations and adhering to our child-safe standards are updated as per our School Council policy schedule.
An up-to-date list of policies can be found on our school website http://www.ballanps.vic.edu.au/
School Saving Bonus Parent Code Distribution
The Victorian Government is delivering the School Saving Bonus – a one-off $400 support for government school students from Prep to Year 12 in 2025.
From Tuesday 26 November 2024, you will receive an email from the Department of Education with your unique $400 School Saving Bonus code.
The School Saving Bonus will help families cover the cost of uniforms, textbooks, excursions, activities and more.
If you have multiple children enrolled in Victorian government schools for 2025, you will receive one School Saving Bonus code email per child. These emails might arrive on different days. Please make sure to check your spam/junk email folder.
Parents and carers can use the School Saving Bonus code in store at school-nominated suppliers. Parents and carers can also choose to access the School Saving Bonus online system, where they can allocate part or all the $400 bonus to use at school nominated-online suppliers or for school activities. To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, visit School Saving Bonus | vic.gov.au (www.vic.gov.au). A step-by-step user guide will be available on the webpage on 26 November.
If you have not received your School Saving Bonus code via email by Friday 29 November, please contact the Department of Education by emailing school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au
Back To School Payments
A huge thank you to all families who have already contributed to book packs, essential learning items and voluntary payments. We appreciate the timely manner in which payments have been received. If you have not paid, please pay via direct bank transfer or in the school's office as soon as possible.
Foundation 2025 Summer CSEF Uniform Package
Information for the Prep 2025 Summer CSEF Uniform Package is now available.
Eligibility
Students eligible to receive the Prep 2025 Summer Uniform Package must hold a valid/current health care card (in lieu of the CSEF eligibility data not being available until the beginning of the 2025 school year).
Information for families is available in the attached document.
If you family meets the eligibility requirements, please visit the school office for an application form. APPLICATIONS CAN BE SUBMITTED NOW AND WILL CLOSE AT THE END OF TERM 1, 2025.
Medical Management Plans
For parents who indicated that their child suffers from asthma, anaphylaxis, epilepsy or diabetes, it is a Department requirement that the appropriate plan is signed off by your child’s doctor and returned to school. Please return these forms to the school office at the start of term 1 if applicable. Parents should notify the school immediately if there are any changes to the plan. Students are required to have their own asthma medication and spacer. We are not allowed to disinfect and reuse the spacers. We do have disposable spacers on hand, but parents will be invoiced to reimburse the school for the cost.
What is Anaphylaxis?
Anaphylaxis is a severe and sudden allergic reaction when a person is exposed to an allergen. The most common allergens in school-aged children are eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, cow’s milk, fish and shellfish, wheat, so, certain insect stings and medication. The key to prevention of anaphylaxis is avoidance of any know triggers.
We currently have one student and one staff member at risk of anaphylaxis.
Illness and Emergency Medical Care
Children who are unwell should not attend school. If your child is unwell or injured at school, they must be collected from school in a timely manner. If a parent is unable to collect their child due to work commitments, you must arrange an alternative emergency contact to collect them. The school is unable to provide emergency transport for sick children. Parents are therefore advised to consider the need for ambulance cover for their families, as ambulances will be used in cases of serious illness or injury.
Medication
At times children attending school need medication to manage certain illnesses.
Parents are required to complete the appropriate medication permission form (available at the office) noting the dose and time the medicine is to be given. The medication should be clearly marked with the student’s name and parents are requested to discuss the matter with the child’s teacher.
Under no circumstances, are children permitted to have medication at school without the teacher’s knowledge.
Visitors and Parent Helpers
All visitors, parents and friends are asked to please report to the office before visiting any classroom or school grounds. We ask all parents to avoid entering classrooms unless absolutely necessary and limit time on school grounds. We also try not to disrupt class time programs and activities and for this reason, we politely request that you wait for your child outside the school buildings at home time.
Visitors and voluntary helpers are requested to sign in and out of the register at the front office, as a security and safety requirement. A current Working with Children card is required for all parent helpers and volunteers. To apply go to: https://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
Further information will be made available regarding Volunteer Information Sessions at a later date.
Late Arrivals and Early Departures
Should you child arrive late or depart early, please report to the office and staff will facilitate your child getting to or from their classroom. Teachers are responsible for marking attendance and will update their roles accordingly.
If you need to collect your child before 3.15pm, please notify your child's teacher via Sentral or by calling the office. Please note parents are not permitted to go directly to the classroom during school hours. Please report to the office to collect your child. Whenever possible, to avoid disruptions to learning time, please arrange collection of your child at the end of a session time.
Student Absences
Parents are reminded that an absence notification is required for all student absences by 9.30am on the day. The most efficient way to advise an absence is via the Xuno Family where you use the Absence tile on the mobile app to send a message directly to your child's teacher. For all new families, a Xuno log in will be issued in the next couple of weeks giving you access to Xuno. In the mean time, please either email or phone the school to notify of an absence.
Parking
The parking outside the school is very hectic at 8:45 a.m. and especially at 3:15 p.m. We understand that car parking is limited and we ask parents to be diligent and patient.
Please do not back out against the traffic, or complete U-turns in our neighbouring driveways. Children are to remain inside the school gate until their parent has arrived to collect them.
Staff are on duty 15 minutes before and after school to supervise students. Remember that our OSHC program is available, so please book children in if you are going to be later than 3:30 p.m.
PLEASE PARK YOUR VEHICLE AND MEET YOUR CHILD AT THE SCHOOL GATE.
PLEASE USE THE DESIGNATED WALKING PATHS.
SCHOOL ZONE 40km SPEED LIMITS APPLY
8:00 – 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 – 4:00 p.m.
Remember the priority to student’s safety is of paramount importance.
Riding Bikes
Students in junior grades are not encouraged to ride their bikes to school without adult supervision. Please ensure all students and their parents wear the appropriate helmet protection when riding bikes, scooters and skateboards to school.
For safety reasons, students must not ride in the school grounds. Please dismount to walk bikes to the bike shelter.
Annual Privacy Statement
Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy. For more information about privacy, please refer to the attached document.
Enrolment Handbook
Further information for the start of school can be found in our Enrolment Handbook. Please see our website.