Wombat Whisper

Welcome to Week 3J

We are now hopefully in our last part of this lockdown. I am wishing with fingers crossed that our students will be able to return to onsite learning from Wednesday 28th July.

If this is the case, we will inform you of these updates as soon as we have confirmation of them.

Please see below the guidelines for accessing on site supervision where needed during this lockdown.

Children where both parents and/or carers are considered authorised workers who cannot work from home, work for an essential provider and where no other supervision arrangements can be made:

•                     Where there are two parents/carers, both must be authorised workers, working outside the home in order for their children to be eligible for on-site provision.

•                     For single parents/carers, the authorised worker must be working outside the home in order for their children to be eligible for on-site provision.

·              Children experiencing vulnerability, including:

•                     in out-of-home care

•                     deemed vulnerable by a government agency, funded family or family violence service, and assessed as requiring education and care outside the family home

•                     identified by a school or early childhood service as vulnerable, (including via referral from a government agency, or funded family or family violence service, homeless or youth justice service or mental health or other health service)

•                     Where a parent/carer indicates that a student with a disability is vulnerable because they cannot learn from home, and/or informs the school the student is vulnerable due to family stress, the school must provide on-site supervision for that student. This may apply to students enrolled in specialist schools and students with a disability enrolled in mainstream schools.

If your child requires on-site supervision during this lockdown, please contact the office or via email on the following details:

1.           Ring through to the office – 5786 5262 or 5786 5034

2.           Email – kinglake.west.ps@education.vic.gov.au or anita.osavkovska@education.vic.gov.au

The same arrangements apply to our Outside School Hours Care service.

To support our school community during this time, resources and support are available for parents, carers and families.

These resources will help to support the mental health and wellbeing of our students and the young people in our care during this time.

I encourage everyone in our community to access these resources and take care of themselves during this time.

A Quick Guide to Student Mental Health and Wellbeing resources is available for students, parents and carers looking to access expert guidance and resources to support wellbeing.

Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students remains our priority this year, especially during the continued COVID-19 pandemic and while students are learning from home during the current circuit breaker restrictions.

For students, the guide includes resources to support their own mental health and wellbeing.

·       Advice and resources for students about ways to adapt their learning during COVID-19, to look after themselves and where to get help.

·       Wellbeing activities fearing AFL and AFLW players with tips on managing stress, staying active and gratitude.

·       Kick it with Victory physical activities with Melbourne Victory Football Club.

·       Smiling Mind mindfulness activities for senior secondary school students, including short videos, online tip sheets and meditations

The guide also includes resources and supports for parents and carers to help them build their child’s physical and mental health and wellbeing. This includes:

·       resources to support children’s physical, mental health and wellbeing

·       wellbeing activities and conversation starters

·       Raising Learners podcast series

·       how to talk to your child about COVID-19.

Wellbeing guidance for parents and carers is also available on the Department’s website, or through the confidential parent support hotline, Parentline, available 8am to midnight, seven days a week. Phone: 13 22 89.

Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund applications

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.

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 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.

Get Active Kids Vouchers

Does your child love sport and being active? Does your family have a Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card? You may be eligible for up to $200 to put towards the cost of your child’s participation in physical activities. The Get Active Kids Voucher Program helps eligible families get their kids involved in organised sport and active recreation activities.

Under the program, children may be eligible to receive up to $200 to help with the cost of membership and registration fees, uniforms, and equipment.

Special consideration also applies for children named on their own Australian Government Health Care Card or residing in care services as well as temporary or provisional visa holders, undocumented migrants or international students.

Applications for vouchers in round two of the program close at 5pm Friday 30 July. For eligibility requirements and to apply, visit the Get Active Victoria website.

https://www.getactive.vic.gov.au/vouchers/\

Google Classrooms

This week our students have started to work with the Google Classroom space. As with anything new, we are all working to become more familiar with this.

Many of the features of Google Classrooms, we are all familiar with as we have used online meeting spaces in last year’s Remote Learning period. Google Classrooms will now allow us to have one, consistent space for the students to meet, work and communicate in. Thank you to all the aprents who supported their children to log in to their classrooms.

I look forward to watching the students in this space.

I hope to see everyone back soon.

Mrs Osavkovska

Acting Principal 

GradeXpert is a program the school has used for a number of years for writing reports and taking attendance.  

We have had a number of families inform us that they have issues with the Skoolbag app so we are looking at phasing out Skoolbag over the next 12 months.

Some of the items you will find in the parent portal are:

·         Permission forms

·         Online parent payments (this will include canteen from next year)

·         Student reports

·         Unexplained absence notifications

This list will grow as the staff feel more confident using the new parent portal.

All items on the GradeXpert Parent Portal are always available to parents, even if you have been read or have been filled in, meaning that parents can access prior reports, notices and other items for the entire time your child is at the school. 

If you have not received your welcome email with your login details or have an other issues with the program please email the school on kinglake.west.ps@education.vic.gov.au

The Grade 3 and 4 camp for this year will be to Arrabri Lodge which is in Warburton.  The camp is booked for Monday August 16th to Wednesday August 18th.

Cost: the cost of the camp is $340.00.  

Final payment is due by 6th August.

Swimming

We have been in contact with Kilmore Swimming Pools regarding the rescheduling of our lessons. When we return to school and the guidelines allow for it, our lessons will continue to take place on a Monday until we have completed all lessons. Further information will be provided to families when it comes to hand.  

Hoop Time

Unfortunately, our 5/6 Hoop Time event has had to be postponed due to lockdown. Students can rest assured, it is currently postponed and not cancelled and we can expect a rescheduled date in the near future. Once we know when the event will take place, we will let both parents and students know.  The 3/4 event is also set to be rescheduled and we will communicate with families once we are aware of the new date.

Interschool Sports

Our final matches were to be played last Friday. We are in talks with Upper Plenty Primary School who have agreed to rescheduling the matches when we return to school and guidelines allow it.

3/4 Hoop Time

The 3/4 Hoop Time event has been postponed indefinitely. We will let families know as soon as we do of the new date. We are still in need of coaches and scorers for the teams when the day does proceed. Any help is much appreciated! Please let Erin Schulz or Melissa Sullivan know if you are able to help.

2021 Sports Calendar

Sara Dunlop