From staff and the Office 

Attendance matters.

In accordance with the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic), schooling is compulsory for children and young people aged from 6 to 17 years unless an exemption has been granted.

Parents/carers must enroll a child of compulsory school age at a registered school and ensure the child attends school at all times when the school is open for instruction.

Students are expected to attend the school in which they are enrolled, during normal school hours every day of each term, unless:

• there is an approved exemption from school attendance or attendance and enrolment for the student, or
• the student is registered for homeschooling and has only a partial enrolment in a school for particular activities.

Schools must advise parents/carers of unexplained absences, on the same day, as soon as practicable, including for post-compulsory aged students.

We use Compass attendance to record this at Kalinda Primary School.

In the coming weeks, we will be sending home letters in an effort to allow families the opportunity to explain or alter their unexplained absences. 

Please take the time to look at and alter online, or sign and return the reports.

DET Scholarships

Scholarships support students and families to assist with the cost of education and engagement in further study at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels.

Scholarships are available for students:

• studying in Victoria and who are citizens or permanent residents of Australia
• enrolled in Years 4-11
• enrolled in Year 12 who plan on undertaking tertiary studies.

Scholarships are awarded to students who can demonstrate:

• excellent academic achievement
• participation in school and local community activities
• financial need as determined by the parent or carer receiving a Centrelink income support payment, or the student themselves receiving the Youth Allowance.

For more information including how to apply please go to this link: https://www.vic.gov.au/student-scholarships

Change of parent or student details

Student Resource Funding is determined by parent codes taken from the self-nominated category on student enrolment forms. This means that funds from the Government are taken from the Parent Occupations. We take this opportunity to remind families to advise the school of any changes to employment. As always, any information is confidential.

In the case of an emergency, we will attempt to contact parents, and if there is no response, then we move to the emergency contacts.

It is important that the office has the most current and correct contact details for any parent, to help ensure this will happen.

Please take this time to check your details on Compass, and if you find them incorrect, email the office at kalinda.ps@education.vic.gov.au and we can amend these for you.

Fire Rating System in Victoria

The AFDRS is a nationally consistent system.

Previously, Victoria used a 6-tier system for fire danger ratings, from ‘Low-moderate’ to ‘Code Red’. 

The AFDRS will use 4 tiers of fire danger, from ‘Moderate’ to ‘Catastrophic’.

The AFDRS will more accurately predict fire danger and produce clearer, simplified messages for communities.

The new Fire Danger Ratings

There are four levels of fire danger in the new system:

• Moderate - Plan and prepare
• High - Be ready to act
• Extreme - Take action now to protect your life and property
• Catastrophic - For your survival, leave bushfire risk areas

Fire Danger Ratings will be issued on days when there is a fire risk.

Each fire danger rating will have a clear set of messages including the actions the community can take to reduce their risk.

Ratings are forecast using Bureau of Meteorology data for up to four days in advance, based on weather and other environmental conditions such as vegetation.

The rating is your trigger to take action to stay safe.

Find out more

For more detailed information, check out the Australasian Fire and Emergency Service Authorities (AFAC) website and FAQs, or Prepare and Get Ready - VicEmergency

CFA fire ready

Do you have a student in Secondary School?

Secondary School Immunisation Program catch-secondary school immunisations are provided to students to reduce their risk of contracting preventable diseases and some cancers. 

Health advice regarding immunisations recommends students receive the following

   :Year 7• Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough) (one dose)• Human papillomavirus (HPV) (2 doses 6 months apart).

  :Year 10• Meningococcal A,C,W,Y (one dose).

Due to COVID-19 related interruptions to school-based learning, there are a number of students in years 7 to 12 who may have missed these important vaccines. 

This puts students at an increased risk of illness.

If your child missed out on their school-based vaccinations, please speak to your GP or local council immunisation service about how they can catch up.

To check if your child is due for any vaccines, refer to their immunisation history statement on the Australian Immunisation Register, using your MyGov account.

If your child is aged over 14, they may need to access their immunisation history statement themselves, through their own MyGov account or the Medicare mobile app.