SCHOOL COUNCIL MEMBERS 2024

School Principal: Greg Sampson   President: Bree Myers 

 Vice President: Chris Avery  Treasurer: Isaac Eldridge  DET Rep: Kelly Henderson  & Erin Mitchell Secretary: Duanne Corbett 

Parent Reps:  Ashlee Baker, Erin Wallace, Andrew Heatley.

Dimboola Primary School would like to acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the Wimmera Mallee area:

the Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagalk peoples, and pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Thanks to Mick and Vikki Clarke for hosting us at the Little Desert Nature Lodge on Thursday and Friday of last week. The students had a lot of fun and enjoyed the great outdoors. Included in their time was mountain bike riding, archery, beach volleyball, a nature walk and some treasure hunting. The students developed skills in these areas along with improving their independence. The students represented the school well and got to meet Kosta from Gardening Australia (not that many of them knew who he was) – I was very excited! Thanks to Miss Harris and Miss Taylor for attending the camp and to Tim Bond who drove the bus there and back allowing us to keep the costs down. I also want to recognize the work of Mrs Bond in coordinating the camp even though she now longer teaches any children in grades 3 or 4. Our aim was to provide a memorable experience, develop independence and an ability to work with others in a more cost-effective way this year. I think we were able to achieve this. Please understand that we hope to make this occur every second year with a more expensive camp coming up next year for the Grade 3/4 students – likely to be to Roses Gap or Cave Hill Creek.

Parents and carers are advised that this week’s assembly will be held on Friday at 9:00 am. This is to allow for preparations to occur for the fete without the assembly inhibiting this. As you are no doubt aware, the school fete will commence at 3:30 and conclude at 7:00 pm. Please come and support this event, it is a fundraiser for the school as well as a community engagement event. There will be lots of fun with plenty of stall holders present.

Dear parents and carers,

In Term 4, 2024, families with a child enrolled in a government school from Prep to Year 12 in 2025 will receive the one-off $400 School Saving Bonus.

The $400 School Saving Bonus provides families with support for education-related costs, such as school activities and/or school uniforms and textbooks.

The School Saving Bonus is not available for full-fee international students, home schooled students, TAFE students and students attending kindergarten in 2025.

Actions for parents and carers

Before 18 October 2024, the Department of Education is asking parents and carers to:

- Complete enrolment: If your child, or children are changing government school for Term 1 2025, or starting Prep or Year 7 in 2025. For more information, read about Enrolling in School.

- Check your contact information: Ensure your email address and phone number is up to date with us. You can check this information by contacting us directly.

We need to ensure your contact information is up to date as the Department of Education will email you twice:

- in October, to verify your email address

- in November, with your $400 School Saving Bonus.

Please check your junk mail regularly to make sure you do not miss an important email. To learn more about the School Saving Bonus, download the School Saving Bonus Information sheet for government school parents and carers or visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus.

The school fete is fast approaching on Friday 13th September. Attractions include:

· Climbing wall

· Class activities – Dimboola Primary School Cookbook, secret jars, minute to win it activities, show bags, haunted house, beauty salon – hair and nails, bracelets, games, art activities, busking, slime making and body butters.

· Spinning wheel

· Outside vendors

· Raffle – 1st prize 5 x $50 traders’ voucher, 2nd prize a family pass to the Ballarat Wildlife Park, 3rd prize – Horsham Lanes and Games and Inflatable World vouchers.

· Traders section

· Spinning wheel

· The Dimmy Dash

· School Council Barbeque

· Tiny Goats

· Young Expressions

The parent opinion survey link will be distributed to a percentage of families in the coming days. It will provide parents with an opportunity to reflect on the school and provide us with feedback on what we are doing well along with suggestions on areas for improvement. I encourage all families who receive a letter for the survey to spend approximately 20 minutes completing this.

COVID and sickness has hit Dimboola Primary School with lots of student and staff absences. On Monday was perhaps one of the more difficult days to navigate as there were six staff members away and every Casual Relief Teacher I tried (at least eight) were unavailable. I encourage students and staff to remember good hygiene protocols; wash your hands in warm soapy water, cough and sneeze into your elbow, wear a mask if able to try to limit the transmission of the germs. I know that school encourage students to attend school, however if your child is sick, please allow them time to recuperate prior to returning to school.

Student safety at Dimboola Primary School is our highest priority and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care to students. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students are aware of our student supervision arrangements before and after school.

Before school: School grounds are supervised at 8:30 am

After school: School grounds are supervised 3:25 pm.

Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless they are attending a before or after school care program or supervised extracurricular activity).

Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they are attending before or after school care, or a pre-arranged supervised activity (i.e. sports practice).

For a copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy through the Dimboola Primary School Website or contact the school office. This policy includes Dimboola Primary School’s student supervision arrangements across the school day, including before and after school.

A reminder about the importance of safety around students who have severe food allergies. We currently have one student who has anaphylaxis to nuts. This student is in Grade 2/3 so we ask parents to be mindful of lunches and snacks that contain nuts particularly in this classroom. Students are reminded not to share food with classmates.

Please refer to our Anaphylaxis Policy attached to this newsletter for further information.

Please remember on lunch order days, to either use the app or place your lunch orders in the class room tub on a Tuesday morning.

Make sure your childs year level is correct on the bag so DMSC know which tub they go in .

If this helps you can also put lunch orders through the app for a fortnight as we are all busy sometimes we forget, so this can be very useful.

Thank you 

Orders must be completed before 8.40 each Tuesday morning.

Please remember to bring the lunch wallets in on the Tuesday. If YOU have ordered on line using the QKR APP - You only need to write the CHILDS NAME ON THE LUNCH BAG. (Not the order)

If you are still paying CASH please Have the order written on the lunch wallet.

Thank you 

School fees for 2024 for essential education items are to be $125. This pays for your son/daughter to have books, pencils, glue sticks, scissors, photocopying. This is a voluntary payment

A $40 cultural performance fee, per child, for 2024 is required for your child to participate in the performance. Those that do not pay up front will be asked to pay per performance of $10.00. Those who do not pay will not attend.

Payment Policy below - 

The Victorian Government has announced new Child Safe Standards to further strengthen child safety across organisations, including schools. The new standards recognise the critical importance of families and the broader school community in maintaining and promoting child safety and wellbeing.

Dimboola Primary School has reviewed and updated our child safety policies and procedures to ensure they meet the requirements of the new standards. These are available to view on the Dimboola Primary School website or available at the front office

We are committed to continuous improvement in our approach to child safety and wellbeing and welcome feedback from families and members of our school community on ways we can further strengthen our child safety policies, procedures and practices.

If you have any suggestions, comments or questions,

please contact Greg Sampson, principal.

With school returning it would be a timely reminder to all that:

o Drivers need to give way at school crossings until the pedestrians are well clear of the crossing

o Park in designated spots so as not to create ‘black spots’ for other drivers

o The ‘Kiss and Drop Zone’ at the front of the school is for a quick drop off or pick up.

o Obey the 40kmh speed limits around the school.

o There is a large ‘drop off’ zone in Wimmera Street that has a gate to allow children to walk across the big oval if it is too congested at the front or back of school.

o Bike riders will dismount from their bikes at the front gate (Hindmarsh Street) or the back gate (Church St) and wheel their bikes to the racks.

o Please assist with the education of your child by using the school crossing. Near misses have occurred due to people taking short cuts.

o Bike/scooter riders are to dismount prior to using the school crossings.

Please call into the office if you require a form to fill out

Thank you 

Parents club will be holding an end of term 3 lunch for all students. 

It would be appreciated if we could get some volunteers on the last day to help with the lunches.

Thank you

Wednesday 11th September - TSP INTERVIEWS - NO SCHOOL THIS DAY 

Thursday 12th September – Little Desert Athletics in Stawell

Friday 13th September – Dimboola Primary School Fete.

 Friday 20th September – Last day of Term 3 – 2:15 pm finish.