Administration News
Newsletter 2024
Welcome to our 1st newsletter for 2024. Our newsletter format is emailed to families, via Compass and archived on our website - SCHOOL WEBSITE
Please take the time to read the Newsletter each fortnight as it has valuable information on events and latest news within the school. This link can be used to subscribe to our newsletter if required:
Travel Smart 2024
From Friday 16th February, every second week, all students are encouraged to participate in the Travel Smart Walk-to-School program, by walking, riding, skating or scooting al,l or part way to school each fortnight on a Friday.
This program has been running at Surfside for a number of years, and although it costs nothing to walk or ride to school, the benefits of promoting a healthy active lifestyle both for the student’s wellbeing and the environment are endless.
Class representatives record the number of students who participate and each fortnight the junior (JLC), middle (MLC) and senior (SLC) class with the highest participation rate is presented with the “Golden Shoe Award”, an honour the students’ relish!
Happy walking, riding, skating, or scooting!
Penny Morris
Travel Smart Co-ordinator
Camps, Sports & Excursions Funding (CSEF)
Every Victorian child should have access to the world of learning opportunities that exist beyond the classroom. The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps ensure that no student will miss out on the opportunity to join their classmates for important, educational and fun activities. It is part of making Victoria the Education State and the Government’s commitment to breaking the link between a student’s background and their outcomes.
School camps provide children with inspiring experiences in the great outdoors. Excursions encourage a deeper understanding of how the world works while sports teach teamwork, discipline and leadership. All are a part of a healthy curriculum.
CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.
If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
The annual CSEF amount per student is:
- $125 for primary school students
Working With Children Check
It is encouraged that all parents apply for a voluntary Working With Children check. These cards are free of charge and a mandatory requirement for all adults who wish to volunteer at the school in any capacity.
You can now fill WWC Check application online. Please go to http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au/
After you fill out your details, print out your application form and take it to an Australia Post outlet with your proof of identity and a passport size photo for processing.
Please bring your WWCC card to our school office when you receive it and we will do an induction so that you can attend excursions and help in the classroom for 2024.
This induction only takes 5 minutes, is only done once a year and is conducted from our school office.
Excursion Payments
This year we will put all excursions and events through Compass, if you prefer to pay in cash, you can print the permission form off from Compass or come into our office and we will print your child's form for you.
Each family has their own personal log in & password details for Compass. You can use these details to consent and pay for excursions. All events/excursions will show on your Compass home page in My News. Click on the blue hyperlink for more information and you will have access to either print the form or Process Now, which will take you directly to a consent and payment form to provide permission and payment.
Please note that those families who wish to use their CSEF or have prepaid funds from the previous year can select the CSEF/Credit option.
Payments can not be made via Compass from your phone, only computers.
Please note that it is no longer possible for teachers or office staff to accept payment or ring to ask for permission for students to attend an excursion on the day of the event. This causes a lot of disruption within the classroom particularly if the excursion is taking place at the beginning of the day.
If you have any questions or concerns please call into our school office.
Student Absences
An SMS notification will be sent to the primary family member’s mobile number at approximately 9:30am each school morning, if your child/children are not at school and their absence is unexplained.
Please make sure that you enter your child’s/children’s absence through the COMPASS Parent Portal, prior to 9am on the day of their absence, to ensure you do not receive the text unnecessarily.
If you have any questions regarding this message please call our office on 5256 1411.
Parent Payment Arrangements & Stationary Packs 2024
Book payment options have been posted to all families via Compass.
A Course Confirmation/School Contributions link can be found in your Compass Portal.
Please take the time to read through these options and click on the question sections to give approvals for 2024.
School Hours
Classes Start at 8:45am and Classes Finish at 3:15pm
Recess 10:45-11:20am and Lunch 1:15-2:15pm
Please ensure your child/children are at school prior to 8:45am. Students should not arrive before 8.30am and need to be collected by 3.30pm as this is when the school is supervised.
All students who arrive late must sign in at the office and take a late pass to the teacher.
Students leaving early must be signed out by a parent at the office.
If your child is leaving school early could you please email the class teacher, giving a time that you would like your child to be at the office ready for pick up. Unfortunately we are unable to call students over the intercom, unless it is recess, lunchtime or from 3pm.
Labelling Personal Items
Please check that your child’s school uniform & all lunch containers have their names clearly marked on them. We often have a lot of unnamed items in our lost property basket that could easily be returned to their rightful owners if they were named!
Our lost property basket is located at the front of our office if you need to take a look.
DCS Uniform Supplies
DCS clothing and all our school uniform requirements can be ordered online via the following website:
https://www.dcsuniforms.com.au/collections/surfside-primary-school
Al orders are delivered to our office free of charge and will be given to the students at the end of the day or parents can collect them.
For any exchanges parents can call 93982222 or email sales@dcsuniforms.com.au and alternatively parents can call Fred on 0425796053.
Picking Up & Dropping off Students
For the safety of children, parents are reminded to take care and obey parking signs when picking up or dropping off children around schools.
Council’s Parking & information Officers regularly patrol schools areas during start and finish times and motorists detected breaching parking regulations risk being issued with a Penalty Infringement Notice.
Remember, as soon as you stop to let your children in or out of the car, you are deemed to be parked. You do not have to leave your car or turn the engine off to be fined.
At children’s crossings, you must remain stationary at the stop line while any person (including an adult or supervisor) is crossing or the stop sign is displayed. Do not let your child alight at this time, ensure that they wait until you are safely and legally parked.
If you breach a parking regulation the Parking & Information Officer assigned to monitor the crossing will usually record your registration number and details, and the Penalty Infringement Notice will be posted to the registered owner of the vehicle within the next three days.
Parking is available in John Dory Drive and at the Shell Road oval. The Staff car Park is for Staff only.