From the Principals

Hello everyone! What a busy few weeks we have had. Last newsletter, we were celebrating all things Mother's Day, and had Year 4 students returning from camp. Today, as we write this, our Year 5 students are preparing to return home from Ballarat after an exciting few days at Sovereign Hill Camp. School camps are such a wonderful part of primary school, and I know that I look back on my own experiences at school camps with such fondness (apart from falling off the big slide at Log Cabin Ranch when I was in Year 5, and smashing my brand new Pop Swatch Watch...super trendy at the time, any 80s fashion aficionados will feel my pain). 

School camps take an enormous amount of planning and preparation, and this is down to dedicated teachers and support staff that make this happen. Not only do teachers spend countless hours planning, but they are away from their own family to ensure your children have a great time at camp. For many of our teachers, they are giving up being with their own children to support your children, and this sacrifice is huge. We appreciate the efforts of our teachers every day, but especially acknowledge how hard they work on camp. A huge thank you to all the staff who have attended camps this year. 

Student Reports

As mentioned in an earlier newsletter, this year our student reports will be completed and accessed through Compass. Teachers are busily working on these at the moment, and we hope to have Semester 1 reports ready for parents before the end of term. For many students, old reports from Sentral are now available to be viewed on Compass. This has been a painstaking process, and a huge thank you goes to Mrs Strachan who did the bulk of the work for this. 

You can view your child's reports by going to the 'Reports' tab on the student dashboard. If any appear to be missing, please let us know and we can investigate, but we believe that all available reports are now uploaded. 

Community Safety Meeting

Please see the below information from local councillor, Prue Cutts about a Community Safety Meeting being held for Simpson Ward residents. 

Student pick-up after school

A reminder to everyone that the school grounds are supervised by staff from 8:45 - 3:45pm. After 3:45pm, there are no teachers on duty, and students should be picked up or in OSHC by this time. We understand that from time to time, unforeseen circumstances arise, and we encourage you to call the office and let us know. If students are not collected by 3:45pm, we will make a call to a parent to get an update and expected time of arrival, but it is not okay for young students to simply 'hang around the front of the school' until someone arrives. We put student safety above everything, and if your child cannot be collected, they will (if feasible) be sent to join OSHC. These processes are outlined in our Yard Supervision policy which is available on our website. 

Community Network - Morning Tea

On Monday 27th May immediately after the Foundation to Year 2 Assembly, you are invited to a special morning tea. This will be a good opportunity for parents to meet or stop and chat. The Principals will be there and some of the amazing members of the Community Network.  So come along and have some fun!!

2024 ICAS Assessments

We would like to remind you that Vermont Primary School will be participating in the ICAS competition again this year.  Please note that the ICAS tests shown for selection are at the school’s discretion. This year at Vermont Primary School we are offering: English, Maths, and Spelling for Year 2 through to Year 6 students. Writing is also being offered for Year 3 through to Year 6 students.  They are not compulsory. 

They will be held:

Writing: The week of the 5th to the 9th of August

English:The week of the 12th to the 16th of August

Spelling: The week of the 19th to the 23rd of August

Mathematics: The week of the 26th to the 30th of August

If you would like your child to participate, orders and payments are to be made via the Parent Payment System. Please click on the link below for more information about how to order. 

The parent page link is: https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps  

The school access code is: DGK048

Click on the link below for costs and the Privacy Agreement.

*The opportunity to order via the Parent Payment System will close on Monday 22nd July 2024. 

Please do not hesitate to contact me via email: jacqueline.strachan@education.vic.gov.au if you have any questions