School News
10th February, 2025 Olivia
This week’s Superhero is being recognised for their respect and persistence. Always arriving at school with a smile, this student brings a focused and enthusiastic approach to learning.
Their persistence is incredible; they always give things a go, no matter how challenging the task. Last year, their growth mindset flourished as they embraced new challenges and sought to improve in all areas of learning. Moving into the new year, this Year 6 student has continued to grow, pushing themselves even further.
What truly sets this student apart is their resilience. They approach challenges with determination, never hesitating to try something different. Even when they aren’t successful on the first attempt, they handle setbacks with grace, using them as opportunities to grow. Rather than giving up, they reflect, adjust, and try again, demonstrating a fantastic growth mindset in all they do.
This Studio 12 student has entered 2025 with a can-do attitude. Always well-spoken and polite, with a hint of cheekiness at times, she consistently uses her manners. A quiet achiever, she should be proud of how she has conducted herself while working with both peers and teachers.
17th February, 2025 Eve
This week our Super Hero is a role model student who displays Excellence and Care all throughout the school day. They are a quiet achiever and often ‘fly under the radar’, however their hard work needs to be celebrated.
In the classroom this Superhero is reliable and trustworthy; they always do the right thing which encourages others to do the same. This person is an excellent role model due to their wonderful behaviour and respect they show to their teachers and peers.
This fantastic student is always organized, follows instructions quickly, and seeks feedback to clarify or improve her work. She shows great focus in class lessons, and strives to achieve her personal best no matter what the topic is. Therefore, her work is presented beautifully, which sets a standard for the class.
This Super Year 4 student is compassionate and caring, consistently showing kindness to her friends to help them out or make them feel included. However, she also has a fun and silly side, meaning fits of giggles can be often heard coming from her friend group!
We are very lucky to have this Superhero as a part of Studio 9, for the second year now.
Classroom Awards
Congratulations to the following student for receiving a classroom award: Finnian, Lincoln, Hayley, Nour, Adeline, Erin, Meredith, Scout, Ella, Peyton, Leo, Della, Alesha, Evan, Frankie, Scarlett, Elizabeth, Finnian, Haylie, Elijah, Teddy, Chloe, Lila, Lucas, Edgar, Percy, Ellis, Fred.
Grade 3/4 News
Friday is cooking day in the 3 / 4 unit! The students have already created some delicious savoury and sweet dishes for everyone to try. Cooking encompasses many areas of the curriculum – science, maths (measuring, time, multiplication etc) reading and also personal challenges with trying new tastes and ingredients.
Thank you to our families who have been so generous with sending in non-perishable ingredients for our pantry and also eggs and butter. Each pair of rooms has 6 students cook each week. They cook enough for everyone to try, sometimes leading to tripling recipes!
Please let us know if you cook any of the dishes at home, we would love to hear how it went.
Happy cooking,
The 3/4 team
KPS Parents and Friends AGM
The Parents and Friends Association are a group of parents and friends of Kyneton Primary School who wish to have a positive presence and represent the interests of families and students at KPS. Our role is to make opportunities for families and parents to get together and meet new people, have fun, and also hold events to fundraise for the school.
We are always after new members to be part of the group, and the level of involvement is up to you – attending meetings, having a say in decisions being made, helping out at events etc. It is not a big commitment and we really are a nice bunch of people!
You can find a registration form below or simply fill one out at the office. Please email us at kpspnf@gmail.com if you would like to know more and if you would like information about office bearer positions (President, Secretary, and Treasurer positions are all vacant!).
Our first meeting for the year is the AGM on Wednesday 5th March at 9:15am in the staff room. Come along, get involved, it would be great to have you on board!
Many thanks,
Alwyn (on behalf of the KPS Parents and Friends)
School Saving Bonus (SSB)
SSB funds NOT being used for uniforms can be transferred to the school at any time by allocating amounts to activities in the SSB Parent Portal.
From the end of June any funds that you have not allocated will automatically transfer to the school and will continue to be held as a credit for you. Any balance of unused uniform credit will also transfer to the school for your use in events. A detailed statement of credit and expenditure can be provided at any time.
There are a few processes that have had to be introduced to administer the SSB that need to be explained as failure to meet deadlines on Compass will now mean your child/ren will miss out on events.
If you would like to use the School Saving Bonus (SSB) to pay for an event please ensure you have allocated funds in the School Saving Bonus portal to 'Activities'.
In the Compass event you can answer 'Yes' to the SSB question during checkout. You will then be able to 'Submit Consent' only without making a payment and we will allocate these funds for you. Please be aware this can take a couple of days to process.
To learn more about the School Saving Bonus visit - https://www.vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus . A guide is also availble below to assist in navigating the system.
Please do not hesitate to contact the school office if you have any questions.
2025 Swimming Program
Swimming program information has been sent home this to our students in Years 1-6 regarding our 2025 swimming program which starts on the 24th February 2025.
Foundation students will participate in the swimming program in Term 2 and further information will follow closer to the date for these families.
Please remember that Payment and Consent for this event is also required on Compass.
The timetable for the swimming program is below:
2025 School Photo Day
Our school photo day is booked for Friday 14th March 2025. Information regarding online ordering of photos has been sent home and is below.
Volunteers needed for our Canteen & Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club is a great way to get involved with the School Community. This is only possible when we have enough volunteers to help run it. So, we are asking grandparents, older siblings, dads and mums in the KPS Community. This years aim is to have Breakfast Club running 5 days a week.
This would require you be at the School Canteen at 8.30am. We have two volunteers each shift, who help prepare the toast (vegemite, butter and honey) ready for 8.45am when the gates open. We continue to serve until 8.55am or when the toast runs out. It is then just a quick clean-up for the Canteen. You are finished between 9am and 9.15am depending on how busy it is.
One Volunteer is needed to pick up the donated bread from Baker’s Delight on certain shifts prior to 8.30am. Please let me know if you are able to assist with this.
Let me know if you are available one day a week, one day a fortnight or even just once a month. We have a small group of Volunteers who will help next week but we still need more to run Breakfast Club efficiently.
We are also looking for Canteen Volunteers to help with Lunch orders on a Thursday and Friday. I have created a sign up sheet before for Term 1 below.
Volunteers are required to hold a valid Working With Childrens Check (WWCC) and will need to present this and complete a 5 min OHS induction with office staff. This needs to be done once a year and prior to your 1st Volunteer shift in the Canteen.
If you don’t have a WWCC, they are free and easy to apply for. You just need to register as a Volunteer. Click on the link below.
Regards
Sarah Lockhart
Canteen Manager
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 $154 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.
Instrumental Music Program
Our instrumental music program at KPS offers an excellent opportunity for students in Years 2–6 to learn from highly experienced teachers.
Students can choose from a variety of instruments, including guitar, violin, ukulele, voice, keyboard, trumpet, clarinet, and flute.
Spots are available for all instruments, though guitar and keyboard placements tend to fill up quickly. Please refer to the below information letter sent via Compass for details. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at polly.christie@education.vic.gov.au.
Ms Polly Christie
Music Teacher (M,T,W,Th)
Kyneton Primary School
2025 Parent Payments
Thank you to the families who have paid the $140 Parent Payment.
These funds are used for:
• Curriculum Contributions – items and activities that students use, or participate in, to access the Curriculum.
• Other Contributions – for non-curriculum items and activities such as memberships, subscriptions to programs and affiliations.
• Extra Curricular Items – the Kyneton Primary School Yearbook
If you would like to pay for these please use one of the following methods -
• Compass portal
• EFT - at the office or by phone
• Cash - at the office
• Direct Bank Transfer - BSB 063-000 Account No 14033609 - use your child’s name as the reference
• BPay - contact the school office for your personalised identification details
• Centrepay - use of this method is available to recipients of Centrelink payments
Please do not hesitate to contact the office for more information or for any other query you may have.
Full Parent Payment information is attached below
Early Collection of Students from School
We understand that there are many reasons why you might need to collect students from school early, however, we ask that you please keep these to a minimum where possible.
Our school PA system works by buildings so when an announcement is made it will be heard throughout the whole building and the closest relocatable classroom. These announcements are very disruptive especially when some days announcements are being made on numerous occasions within short periods. These disruptions have an impact on student learning.
We ask for your assistance with some strategies to assist with this matter:
- Email the teacher or the office early in the day with the time you will be collecting your child/ren so we can, hopefully, have them waiting at the office for you.
- When possible, collect your child just before recess (11 – 11:40am) or lunchtime (1:40 – 2:20pm) rather than during the middle of class times.
- Announcements for collecting children will not be made during class time. If you need to collect your child during class time please come to the office to sign your child/ren out as an early departure and then go to the classroom to collect them.
We understand there can be emergency situations, however, we hope you will give your support and enable all children to receive as much learning as possible.
School Gates and Opening Times
In the morning all gates will be open for access to the school site at 8:45am 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 3:15pm for access to the school site. Access to the office during the school day is via the pedestrian gate on Edgecombe St.
The ramp between the school and the kindergarten is currently being repaired so if you are coming from the kindergarten please enter via the Edgecombe St gate until these works are completed.
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.
* 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.
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.