News from the Office

2025 Fundraising

We’re incredibly proud of the generosity shown by our school community this year. Together, we’ve raised an amazing $2,946.76 across a range of student-led and whole-school events:

Year 5/6 Student Boss – Geelong Animal Welfare: $2,055.59
Crazy Hair and Sock Day – Kids’ Cancer Project: $302.45
PJ Day – The Pyjama Foundation: $293.36
Endangered Animal Dress-Up Day – Red Panda Network: $115.36
World Diabetes Day – Breakthrough T1D: $180.00

Thank you to all students, families and staff who contributed. Your support helps us make a real difference—both within our school and in the wider community. Let’s keep the positive momentum going!

School Council Nominations

From 2026, Parents, Carers and Community members who would like to join the school council need a valid Working with Children (WWC) check to nominate. If you are considering nominating for school council and don't already have a WWCC, we encourage you to apply for a volunteer WWC check as soon as possible. This will allow for processing times, which are estimated to be from 3 to 12 weeks.

Please note that if you do not hold a WWC check, you will not be able to nominate for school council, so it is vital that you prepare in advance. Obtaining a WWC check is free for volunteers, and you can apply through Services Victoria.

When applying for your volunteer WWC check, please nominate the Department of Education as the organisation you are working for. If you already hold an employee WWC check , you do not need to obtain a volunteer WWC check to nominate for school council.

Victorian Institute of Teaching (VIT)-registered teachers and school students who are interested in joining school council are not required to obtain a WWC check.

Current parents and community members of school council do not need to apply for a WWC check immediately. Current members only need a WWC check if their term ends and they wish to nominate or be co-opted again.

For more information, refer to Ministerial Order 1280 (Constitution of Government School Councils) 2020.

Student Transfers for 2026

If your child will be transferring to another school next year and you have not yet informed the office, please email us at hamlyn.banks.ps@education.vic.gov.au as soon as possible.

In your email, please include:

Your child’s name
The name of the school they will be transferring to
Their last day at Hamlyn Banks Primary School — whether that’s an earlier finish or the last day of term, Friday 19th December.

This information helps us finalise class planning and student records for 2025. Thank you for your support and cooperation.

Reporting Student Absences

A friendly reminder to all families about the importance of letting the school know if your child will be away. As per Department of Education requirements, all student absences must be explained. This helps us ensure every child’s safety, keep accurate attendance records, and support student wellbeing.

Recently, we’ve seen an increase in families not informing the school of absences or not responding to follow-up calls or messages. Please help us meet our duty of care by notifying the school promptly if your child will be away.

You can let the office know your child will be absent by:

Completing an Attendance Note on Compass – this is the quickest and easiest way
Calling the school’s dedicated absence phone line and leaving a message
Phoning the school office directly and speaking with one of our administration staff
Emailing the school at hamlyn.banks.ps@education.vic.gov.au

If your family is going away on holidays, the school requires written notification. This can be submitted as an Attendance Note on Compass or by email and should include the dates your child will be absent and the expected return date.

Please notify the school as early as possible on the day of absence (or in advance if known). Your cooperation helps us keep every student safe and accounted for each day.

Student Pick-Up Procedure

To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students, we kindly ask that children are no longer collected from at/or outside the school gates or meet parents/carers at the car during school hours. If you need to pick your child up early, please come into the school office, where our staff will assist you in signing them out. This process helps us keep accurate records of students on-site and ensures every child leaves safely in the care of an authorised adult. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in helping us maintain a safe environment for our school community.

Compass Push/SMS Notifications - Sick Bay & Personal Hygiene

To help keep parents and carers informed and aware, we have recently introduced automatic Compass push/SMS notifications. These notifications are designed to keep you updated if your child attends the sick bay or has required a change of clothes during the school day.

Sick Bay: The notification will outline the time of attendance and reason your child has attended the sick bay. If any further follow-up is required, a staff member will also call you directly.
Personal Hygiene: If your child needs a change of clothes due to a personal hygiene incident, you will receive a notification. If more assistance is needed, we will contact you by phone.

This system is in place to ensure families are kept up to date in a timely way and made aware of your child’s wellbeing during the school day.

Centrepay

Hamlyn Banks Primary School is registered for Centrepay through Centrelink. This is a service available to families to arrange deductions from their Centrelink payments to be allocated directly to the school for school contributions and charges.

What is Centrepay?

Centrepay is voluntary. Customers who choose to use Centrepay benefit from its convenience and security knowing that their school contributions and charges are under control. Instead of having to order your own book packs and make contributions your charges are paid in manageable amounts from your payments, making it easier for you to budget.

Why use Centrepay?

Centrepay is voluntary. Customers who choose to use Centrepay benefit from its convenience and security knowing that their school contributions and charges are under control. Instead of having a large bill at the start of the school year, your fees and charges are paid in manageable amounts from your payments, making it easier for you to budget.

Is there a minimum payment amount?

Yes, the minimum payment amount for Centrepay deductions is $20 per fortnight.

What information do I need to provide when applying for Centrepay?

You’ll need all of the following details:

Your Centrelink Customer Reference Number (CRN)
The bill details, such as the account or billing number
The name of the business you’re paying
The business address and phone number if you have them
The business’s CRN.
The date of commencement
The amount to be deducted

How do I apply for Centrepay?

You can apply in one of the following ways:

By filling in the school Authority form available from the school office.
Online using your Centrelink online account through myGov or using the Express Plus Centrelink mobile app on your mobile device.

There are lots of families at Hamlyn Banks who use Centrepay. Here is what some had to say about Centrepay:

“Using Centrepay is great. The money automatically goes to the school. I don’t have to try and find the money at the end of the year to buy book packs. The school orders for me. Makes life 10 x easier”. JP

“I love Centrepay. It’s basically set and forget! It saves an enormous amount of stress. The school orders the book packs on my behalf. When camp came up there was money there to pay for camp as well. It’s just the best”. GL

Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) applications have closedfor 2025.

Applications for 2026 will be accepted from Term 1, 2026.

Upcoming Events on Compass

Digital Technology Acceptable Use Agreements

At Hamlyn Banks Primary School we are committed to building a culture of respect, responsibility and safety. We show this in the way we use technology and interact online. We teach our students about responsible digital behaviours, including how to recognise and respond to online dangers and threats. We support students to develop the digital skills they need to make a positive impact in the world. We are intentional and discerning about our integration of digital tools into the curriculum, ensuring that the use of digital tools is limited to ensure ample offline learning opportunities.

We still have a number of students who have not yet handed in their agreement.

If you have misplaced the agreement that came home with your child, please come by the office where you can get a new copy.