Start of Year Admin News & Reminders

Annual privacy reminder for our school community

Our school collects and uses student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ privacy policy and the Schools’ privacy collection notice.

Our Photographing, Filming and Recording Students policy is available on the school website:

https://www.elthameastps.vic.edu.au/policies-notices

The policy describes how we collect and use photographs, video and recordings of students. It also explains when parent consent is required and how consent can be provided or withdrawn. Consent is sought at enrolment and recorded through the Course Confirmations section of Compass. If you have already provided consent in a previous year, you do not need to provide it again in 2026 unless you wish to update or withdraw your consent.

We ask parents to also review the guidance we provide on how we use Google Workspace for Education safely at the school and what parents can do to further protect their child’s information. If after reviewing the guidance, you have any questions or concerns regarding your child using Google Workspace for Education, please contact the school.

Early in the year, students will review an age-appropriate Acceptable Use Agreement relating to digital technologies at school. Students in Years 3–6 will also sign to acknowledge their understanding. Families will be asked to acknowledge they have read this via Compass Course Confirmations.

For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ privacy policy: information for parents. This information is also available in eleven community languages.

Compass Portal

Compass Portal - Absences including Family Holidays

Absent all day

Parents to enter approval directly into Compass by 9:15am (this can also be done in advance). Automated text messages are sent daily to both parents of all students who have been marked absent without parent approval.

Arriving late

When you arrive to school, the student must be signed IN at the school office by the parent/carer prior to going to class. Your child will then receive a late arrival pass to present to your child's classroom or specialist teacher.

Leaving early

Parents need to come to the school office to sign the student out of the Compass kiosk and receive a Student Collection Pass and must collect the student from the classroom.

Students are not permitted to leave the school unaccompanied, or to meet parents at school boundaries other than at dismissal times.

Absences including Family Holidays

Parents need to approve any absences on Compass. If your child is, or will be, absent for three or more consecutive days, please contact the school office. The Compass administration system provides convenient online notification to streamline this process.

Parent Contact Details

Have your contact details changed? If so, please let the office know in writing so we can update our records. This includes changes to emergency contacts as additional numbers to call if needed.

Compass Calendar

Parents have access to the Compass School Calendar where you can view school events.

Message from First Aid

Important - Children with Allergies

We need to alert all members of our school community that we have several children enrolled in our school with serious food allergies. In each level we have children who have life threatening allergies. We ask that you avoid sending nuts or nut products such as peanut butter or Nutella in your child’s lunch. This would be greatly appreciated. Exposure to any residue of these products may bring on an anaphylactic reaction to a child and have extremely serious consequences. In line with our normal practices, we will also be reminding all children not to share or trade food as an additional measure to help prevent accidental exposure to children with food allergies.

We thank you for your cooperation and understanding in this matter.

If an ambulance needs to be called

The responsibility to call an ambulance lies with the staff member present, exercising duty of care. Parents need to clearly understand that the cost of ambulance transport will not be borne by the school. The school does not have insurance to cover costs associated with injuries to students. Student accident insurance is available from some commercial insurers.

Private health insurance may cover ambulance transport but each family needs to check the details or their own cover if they have any. Families can also take out ambulance cover through the Metropolitan Ambulance Service.

Home time messages

We understand that from time to time you may need to ring the office to change pick up arrangements for your child/ren. If you do need to ring (please do not send an email) the office to change arrangements, please try to do so before 3:15pm. We have a process for children receiving messages while at school.

The message will be taken on duplicate paper.
At 3:20pm, a message goes out over the PA to call all children (by name) with messages to come to the office with their bag.
Children are given the message verbally.
Children wait at office until 3:30pm bell.
As always, the emergency procedure for any child not picked up by 3:45pm is to go to the office. Please remind your child/ren of this.

Personal Goods Brought to School at Owner's Risk

Personal property is often brought to school by students, staff and visitors. This can include mobile phones, electronic games, toys, musical instruments, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises.

The Department of Education and Training does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and it has no capacity to pay for any loss or damage to such property.

Car Parking

The car parks inside the school grounds are for staff cars only. Parents collecting or dropping off children by car should park with careful regard to the safety of children and the free movement of traffic, either:

On the north side of Luck Street
Along both sides of Grove Street where permitted
The small Grove Street car park is only available for parking during the hours of 9:30am and 2:30pm. The gates will open at 4:00pm for after school care pick up.

We ask parents to exercise absolute care in these restricted parking areas. The signage and designation of car parking on the surrounding roads is under the jurisdiction of Nillumbik Council. Parking officers frequently patrol these areas.

Wellbeing