Principal's Message
Dear Parents/Carers,
SCHOOL SAVING BONUS
The School Saving Bonus will provide $400 in one-off support for Victorian school-aged students in Term 4, 2024, for use on 2025 school costs.
Families can choose how they want to spend the School Saving Bonus. It can be used towards 2025 school costs, which may include:
• camps, trips, excursions and incursions
• swimming and sporting programs
• outdoor education programs
• graduations
• school uniforms
• textbooks.
The School Saving Bonus will be in addition to existing and continuing means-tested supports for Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) and the Affordable School Uniforms Program.
School Saving Bonus student eligibility
The School Saving Bonus is available for parents and carers of each Victorian government school student from Prep to Year 12 in 2025, except for full-fee international students, home schooled students, TAFE students and students attending kindergarten in 2025.
The school that a student is enrolled at for the 2025 school year will receive the School Saving Bonus. This includes Prep enrolments for 2025 and students transferring between government schools (future students).
Students completing Year 12 in 2024 will not receive the bonus.
Actions for Parents
The communications to parents and carers includes information about the School Saving Bonus, as well as 2 key actions for parents and carers required by 18 October 2024:
• Parents and carers must ensure their email address and phone number are up to date with their school.
• Parents and carers must ensure their enrolment is up to date if their child is starting at a new school, or Year 7 or Prep (Foundation), in 2025.
More information about the School Saving Bonus is available via PAL at: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/school-saving-bonus/policy.
YEAR 6 CAMP
The Year 6 students and staff are very excited about going to Melbourne next week on camp.
I know for some students this is their first time in Melbourne so that makes it an even more special event for them.
The Doxa City Camp offers opportunities for children and young people to experience urban life and to explore all the fun things that Melbourne has to offer.
All accommodation, meals and agreed activities are included in your camp fee.
Some of the great activities include:
The Big Issue; Laneways guided tour; Old Melbourne Gaol; Melbourne Museum or Scienceworks; Polly Woodside; Parliament House; MCG & National Sports Museum; The Shrine of Remembrance
State Library; Victorian Arts Centre; Immigration Museum Melbourne; Sports and Aquatic Centre; Melbourne River Cruise; Queen Victoria Market; Eureka Skydeck; Marvel stadium tours; Old Treasury Building; Ice skating
& Melbourne Zoo. The Year 6 teachers and staff in conjunction with DOXA have chosen an array of activities from this list to ensure a spread of experiences.
What a great week it promises to be.
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS - YEAR 3 AND 4
Personal Development sessions will take place for all Year 3 and 4 students in the coming weeks. Sessions will be conducted by Leanne O’Connor, Clinical Nurse Specialist, and Midwife. All content is taken from the Department of Education and Training’s ‘Catching on Early - Sexuality education for Victorian primary schools’. If you have any questions or concerns please contact your child's teacher.
FOUNDATION EXCURSION - WARRNAMBOOL LIBRARY AND ART GALLERY
The Foundation students have been learning about Wonderful Warrnambool. This week they got out and about and visited the city Library and Art Gallery. What fabulous places these are in our community.
The students had a tour of each place and participated in some fun activities. They really enjoyed their excursion and we encourage families to go visit these places especially with the current exhibition on at the Art Gallery "Young Portrait Prize" where our students' work is on display thanks to the fantastic work with Mrs Dixon.
MIRIANA PERKINS VISIT
By Rubi Thornbury and Angel Gumbo
On Thursday morning last week we had an Aerial Skier visit the Year 5 and 6's to tell us about her skiing career.
Her name is Miriana Perkins and before she became a professional skier she was a gymnast who grew up in Hamilton and was in the Australian Gymnastics Team.
She started gymnastics at just 8 years old soon retiring at 18 years of age. Years later she started skiing trying really hard so that she could go to the winter olympics in 2026 or 2030.
We appreciate her visiting and telling us about her and her career.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS NURSING PROGRAM - FOUNDATION STUDENTS
The Primary School Nursing Program is a free service offered by the Department of Education to all Foundation students and their families during their child's first year of school.The program aims to assist in the early identification of children with potential health and development related learning difficulties and offers health and development screening which may include, Hearing, Vision, Speech, Dental, Motor Skills, Beahviour and social skillsThe Primary School Nurse also provides advice, information and referrals to other health and support services.The Online School Entrant Health Questionnaire needs to be completed using the QR code on the attached flyer or by visiting https://students.educationapps.vic.gov.au/s/
If required a paper copy of the questionnaire is available from your students teacher.
Have a great weekend.
Peter Lee
Principal