SCHOOL SAVING BONUS

We would like to say thank you to our HGC community for your patience as we continue to implement the use of School Saving Bonus (SSB) funds for school activities at Hazel Glen College.

As a friendly reminder, if you wish to use your SSB to pay for school activities, please follow these steps:

Log in to the SSB Online Portal using your child’s unique code.
Once logged in, select the “School Activities” option.
Enter the amount you would like to allocate. Please note that this can only be done in increments of $50.
Email accounts.receivable@hazelglencollege.com to inform us of the amount you’ve allocated to “School Activities” and to specify which event you would like your SSB funds to be applied to. Please don’t forget to include your child’s name in the email.

Please note that processing SSB funds may take a few days. To assist our admin team, we kindly ask that you complete this process as early as possible.

If you have not received your School Saving Bonus code via email, please contact the Department of Education by emailing school.saving.bonus@education.vic.gov.au

Thank you once again for your cooperation. We are looking forward to an exciting year filled with enriching and enjoyable school activities!

ATTENDANCE

Going to school every day is an important part of your child’s education. Children and young people learn new things at school every day, connect with friends, have fun and develop good habits that help them to succeed after school. Attending and participating in school will help your child:

develop important skills and knowledge to help them learn
develop social and emotional skills such as good communication, resilience and team work
establish friendships with peers which help develop self-esteem and a sense of belonging.

There is no safe number of days for missing school. Being away from school for 1 day a fortnight adds up to missing 4 whole weeks of school a year. Where possible, you should avoid your child missing school, for example, make appointments for your child outside of school hours and keep family holidays outside term time.

If your child is absent, please update Compass with an attendance note as soon as possible or contact your child's classroom teacher. Communicating absences with your child's teacher is essential to ensure they can provide support for a smooth return to school.

CYBER SAFETY

As part of our ongoing eSafety Commission parent video series, this week’s video focuses on digital technologies and mental health. One key area of concern outlined in the video is group chats, which can sometimes become overwhelming, especially when messages are sent 24/7. Encouraging your child to turn off notifications or take breaks can help reduce stress and allow them to disconnect when needed. Regular conversations about their online experiences—both positive and negative—can also help them feel comfortable discussing any concerns they may have. For those who enjoy gaming online, there can be social benefits for students, however, it is important that parents and their children are also aware of potential risks, such as negative talk or unwanted contact. Playing games together and discussing how to handle difficult situations can help your child feel more supported. Above all, ensuring that your child knows they can come to you without fear of getting in trouble is key to building trust.

It’s important to remember that social media applications have age restrictions to help protect young users from inappropriate content and online risks. Parents should always adhere to these guidelines and ensure their child is supervised using platforms that are appropriate for their age. Setting clear family rules around digital technologies and regularly checking privacy settings can help create a safer online environment.

For more insights and tips, visit eSafety.gov.au.

NAPLAN 2025

NAPLAN testing will run from Wednesday 12th of March until Monday 24th of March. During the NAPLAN testing period, students will complete the following four online tests.

Writing (Year 3 writing will be a paper test)
Reading
Conventions of Language
Numeracy

Catch up tests will be provided for students who are absent on testing days. If you know your child will be away during the NAPLAN testing period, please email your child's classroom teacher with the dates they will be absent so that we can timetable catch up tests.

Students must have a set of headphones to sit the Conventions of Language test. Please ensure students are bringing their headphones to school each day so that they can use them during practise tests.

CLASSROOM HELPERS

We are currently reviewing our classroom helpers training in light of introducing the Learners Love Literacy program in our Prep - Year 2 classes this year. We are keen to have parents and carers help in our classroom and will let you know more details about this soon.

Hazel Glen College Primary Years

One College. Everyone Matters.

2025 Term 1, Week 6 · 07 Mar 2025

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