From the Principal
The Term one calendar is already filling up with lots of events this term. The Grade 5 and 6 students will attend their beach program next week, Grade 3 and 4 students will also attend their swimming program. The Grade 2’s have an excursion in March and Grade 3 and 5 students will also participate in NAPLAN. The staff have a professional development day on March 24th focussing on maths with Peter Sullivan. Interschool sport begins for Grade 6 students, students in Grades 3-6 will participate in House cross country and District swimming. We also have Harmony Day and Grandparents afternoon later in the term. For a full breakdown of all these dates, please see the previous page of this newsletter - in 'Dates to remember'.
IMPORTANT: Attendance at school and explained student absence
All schools are required to contact parents/guardians as soon as practicable when student absence is unexplained. Parents/carers are required to ensure their child attends school every day and have an obligation to contact the school to notify the school of their child’s absence. To assist with this process, we require parents to notify the school in the morning (before 9am) if your child is absent. Parents/carers should inform the school in advance of known upcoming absences. It is essential that parent/carers provide schools with their most up-to-date contact details.
All absences need to be entered on Compass with a reason for the absence. If you are experiencing any difficulties with Compass please contact Jarrod Bainbridge 9580 1451
PPA
PPA met last week, it was great to see new faces as well as our returning PPA parents.
Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to take on a role this year.
Numerous events are planned for the year; term 1 events will be a F-2 welcome morning tea on Friday 24th Feb. There is a buy in lunch planned for the students as well as a hot cross bun fundraiser. A Trivia night at Boatrocker is also planned for Thursday 9th March. Further details will be sent out closer to the date for these events.
School Council Elections
School council elections have closed, we did not receive the required number of nominations to fill all vacant positions. Please contact me if you are interested in school council, we have 2 positions to fill. Thank you to the parents who nominated for school council this year.
We look forward to working with you to ensure the children at Parkdale Primary continue to strive in a great learning environment.
School Council members: Suzanne Kneen, Grant Van Der Kruk, Fiona Stockdale, Helen Mass, Jess Bambridge, David Williams, Stephen Michelson, Tracy Richards, Jarrod Bainbridge, Helen Teasdale, Leanne Bradney
Thank you to our retiring members (Sharon Poole, Glenn Ahern and Lisa Warner) for your time, contribution and support over the years.
2023 School Contributions/Parent Payment Policy
The contributions are important in enabling us to provide the best learning environment for the children at Parkdale Primary School. The Parkdale Primary School Council is extremely appreciative of the generosity of parents who are able to support the school through the payment of the voluntary contributions.
Thank you to the families who have paid. Contributions were due on February 3rd, a notification was sent out via Compass in December 2022, however, there have been several issues with Compass and it is taking some time to resolve.
Some families were omitted and other charges understated! However, if you would like to finalise your contributions, please don’t hesitate to contact the office on 9580 1451 or refer to your BPAY reference details.
The Parent Payment Policy can be found at https://www.parkdaleps.vic.edu.au/page/236/2023-Contributions-and-Parent-Payments-Policy
Please note: If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please contact our Business Manager at helen.teasdale@education.vic.gov.au regarding a payment plan.
Before & After School Arrival Times
Teachers are officially on duty for 15 minutes prior to the commencement of the school day and 15 minutes after the conclusion of the school day. Consequently, the following apply:
- Students should not be dropped off before 8.45 am as there is no supervision.
- School finishes at 3.30 pm. If the student is not collected, they will be taken to the After School Care and families will be charged accordingly.
- Gates are locked at 3:45pm, a bell rings at 3:40pm for parents to make their way from the school grounds. OSHC utilises the school grounds after 3:45pm.
Before and after school activities
A reminder that parents are responsible for their children who attend before and after school activities (tennis, soccer, netball, guitar, art club etc). Please have arrangements in place if the activity is cancelled due to staff absences or weather. If your child has any medical conditions these should be communicated directly with the external providers.
Collecting your child early / arriving Late
If you are collecting your child early, they need to be signed out at the office (on the Compass Kiosk) before they are collected from the classroom. If your child arrives after 9:00am you will need to go via the office and sign your child in on the Compass Kiosk and to collect a Late Pass.
Head lice
For health and safety reasons and to assist with the control of head lice all children (girls & boys) with hair that touches their collar needs to be tied back.
Bike Shed
All bikes and scooters need to be collected from the bike shed by 3:40pm. If your child attends After School Care their bike or scooter needs to be removed from the bike shed after school and placed in the bike area near the After School Care building as the main bike shed is locked on a Friday.
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, calculators, toys, musical instruments, sporting equipment, and cars parked on school premises. The Department 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.
Student Accident Insurance
This is a reminder that the Department does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. Parents/guardians are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including any transport costs. Reasonably low-cost accident insurance policies are available from commercial insurers.
Working with Children Check
Parents require a Working with Children Check if they are attending camp, excursions and volunteering in the school eg: classroom reading, literacy groups, garden club, etc. Applying for a WWC is done online and is free if you click on the 'volunteer' category.
Please note: Parents need to have a WWC card before they can volunteer in the school. http://www.workingwithchildren.vic.gov.au
Medication Authority Form
Staff are unable to administer medication without written consent. Staff can only administer medication if a parent gives written notification. Please note staff do not administer non-prescription medication such as Panadol or vitamins.
A request to Administer Medication form can be accessed from the school website: https://www.parkdaleps.vic.edu.au/page/234/Medication-Authority-Form
Leanne Bradney
Principal: Parkdale Primary