eNewsletter

No 1 February 4 2022


A Word From the Principal

We have had an excellent beginning to the school year. It has been fantastic to see all of our children return to school and lovely to meet our new prep children and their families. There have been a few tears but only from parents or carers. The children are tired, not being used to the long days and having to more focused.  Be prepared for possibly some tears at home and the younger children maybe not wanting to come to school, especially when the weather warms up next week. 

COVID restrictions are still occuring around the school so some of the activities we usually do at the beginning of the year have been delayed. We hope to catch up with them at a later date.

School Councils Elections will be occuring soon so please keep your eye out in the newsletter for more information.

It looks like the weekend will be great so please get out and enjoy it.

Kerryn Riley

Annual Privacy Reminder for 2022

Our school collects, uses, discloses and stores student and parent personal information for standard school functions or where permitted by law, as stated in the Schools’ Privacy Policy.

Please take time to remind yourself of our school’s collection notice, found on our website Privacy Collection Statement 2021.  For more information about privacy, refer to: Schools’ Privacy Policy — information for parents. This information is also available in ten community languages:

* Amharic

* Arabic

* Dari

* Gujarati

* Mandarin

* Somali

* Sudanese

* Turkish

* Urdu

* Vietnamese.



Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund

It is time to get your CSEF application form in.

The Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund helps eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.

If you have a valid means-tested concession card, such as a Veterans Affairs Gold Card, Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible. There is also a special consideration category for asylum seeker and refugee families.

Payment amounts this year are $125 for eligible primary school students. Payments are made direct to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions and sporting activities for the benefit of your child.

It is important that funding made available in 2022 supports students to participate in school trips, camps and sporting activities this year rather than being held for future years. This funding can also be used in conjunction with any funding accrued from previous years. Please note these activities will only take place if they meet COVIDSafe requirements.

If you applied for CSEF through our school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year, unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.

If you would like to apply for the first time, please contact the school office on 9789 3288 and ask for an application form.

You can also download the form, and find out more about the program and eligibility, on the Department of Education and Training’s Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund web page.

Check with the school office if you are unsure, and please return completed forms to the school office as soon as possible.

 



State Schools Relief

Are you having trouble providing your child with a school uniform? If you are having trouble providing your child with a uniform please contact Pauline in the office. She can order some uniform items for you through State Schools Relief. You will need to know your child clothing size. Please do not hesitate to do this as we want all of our children to feel included.

Congratulations

Many of you have been asking and he is finally here. Our entire school community send our sincere congratulations to Jeremy, Sarah and Emily on the birth of their son and brother Cody. Very exciting news for them all. Mr Bodley will back to school early March.

Rapid Antigen Tests

By now the majority of families have picked up their Rapid Antigen Tests and have tested their child at least once. You do not need to contact the school if the test is negative. If your child has a positive test then please contact the school. We will need to ask you a few questions to put into a student portal. Your child must then  stay home for 7 days of isolation. We will let you know when the second set of tests are available to collect.

Vaccinations for 5 - 11 Year olds.

A letter from the State Government

It’s been really fantastic to see such excitement around the return to school and we want to keep it that way. A crucial part of that is getting as many students vaccinated as possible.

Alongside ventilation and other vital COVIDSafe steps such as regular rapid antigen testing, supporting as many students as possible to be vaccinated will help make our school as safe as possible.

Bookings for children aged 5 to 11 to receive the paediatric Pfizer vaccine are open and we encourage parents and carers to get your child vaccinated, if you haven’t already done so.

The Pfizer vaccine is safe and recommended for children. The vaccine will help protect your child from getting sick from COVID-19, help to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and help ensure kids can have more time at school and playing with their friends.

Vaccinations for children aged 5-11 years old are delivered at 2 appointments, 8 weeks apart. Children with specific medical vulnerabilities can access their second dose 3 weeks after their first dose.

If you’d like more information about this, you can read a recent statement from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI): https://www.health.gov.au/news/atagi-update-following-weekly-covid-19-meeting-19-january-2022 

To book an appointment

You can book at your local GP or pharmacy: https://covid-vaccine.healthdirect.gov.au/booking

You can also book at a family-friendly vaccination centre by calling the Coronavirus Hotline on 1800 675 398.

You can also make vaccination centre bookings for your children online, though you will need to use an email address that has not been used in the system before: https://portal.cvms.vic.gov.au/

Helping children to get their vaccination

Vaccination centres understand that children may feel anxious about vaccination or have other support needs. A range of options are available to help children get vaccinated. Please discuss your child’s needs with the vaccination centre when you book an appointment.

Appointments are also available at Aboriginal Controlled Community Health Organisations.

👉 Find out more about vaccination for kids: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccination-information-children-and-teenagers

 



Parent Payments

Parents have been asking about fee payments and school book payments and for 2022 there is nothing to pay. The main cost for parents will be camp and some excursions. If you have any queries, please contact the office.

Healthier Identities Webinar

 

Due to COVID restrictions the date for the Healthier Identities Webinar has changed to 7pm Wednesday 23rd of March. You can use the link below to register.

Healthier Identities Webinar Registration via Eventbrite