Chewton Primary School
Newsletter 7th February 2025
Newsletter 7th February 2025
Chewton Primary School is situated on Djaara Country!
We acknowledge the Dja Dja Wurrung people, the custodians and caretakers of the land. We thank them for the care they have taken and continue to take of Country: the rivers, mountains, trees and animals. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
We follow Bunjil's teachings: Care for self , Care for others, Care for Country
We commit to Be Brave and Make Change.
We will be a voice for generations.
Now, more than ever.
Biderap Season (Kulin seasons)
Read more here!
9th February Working Bee 9am-1pm (Veggie garden rebuilding & wicking bed workshop)
11th February Volunteer Induction 9am-9:30am
14th February Sushi
17 February Volunteer Induction 9am-9:30am, Swimming Carnival 1-3:30pm
18 February Information session for parents on Bushfire Safety/ School Relocation 4pm
19 February Volunteer Induction 3-3:30pm
19 February Welcome Picnic 5-7pm Welcome to Country with Uncle Rick 5pm prompt start
21 February Meeting Place
26 February Parent Teacher conferences 1-6pm
7 March Meeting Place
10 March Public Holiday
14 March Sushi
28 March AFL/ Netball Grade 5-6, Skills 3-4 (TBC)
4 April Meeting Place
4 April Last day of term - 2:30pm finish
A big welcome to all our new staff, students and families this year.
We have Erin Cook returning. Erin will work Wed-Friday teaching Prep/1. Sue will work Monday-Tuesday teaching P/1.
We have Melanie-Jane Thurston teaching 2-3-4 Thursday and Friday
We have Catherine Barry teaching 5-6 Monday- Friday.
We have Kath Coff teaching First Nations Ways: Country and Place every Thursday. Kath will also work with teachers to grow our understanding of First Nations pedagogies.
Our prep students: Isla, Ned, Fox, Minnie, Ruby, Obi, Oscar and Maeve
Our new students across the school: Ramona, Lenny, Josie, Arlo, Finley, Albi and Miro
Information session for parents on Bushfire Safety/ School Relocation 4pm Tuesday 18 Feb
We have representatives from the Department of Education coming to visit on Tuesday 18th February for a parent information session about the Fire Danger Ratings and school relocations which are required when we have an extreme fire danger rating in the Mt Alexander local government area.
Every year as part of our OHS and Child Safety obligations, we conduct brief Volunteer Inductions. If you would like to help at the school in any way: with the brekkie club, listening to children read, helping on excursions, cooking with the children, we need you to have a current Working With Children Check and do an induction. There will be several times available over the coming weeks. See the Important dates section of the newsletter and Compass calendar. If you can't make either of these dates, please contact Bernadette to arrange a time.
Please check foods you send to school do not contain nuts.
Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction and requires immediate medical attention. Within minutes of exposure to the allergen, or 'trigger', a person can have potentially life-threatening symptoms such as breathing and/or heart symptoms. There is currently no cure for allergy.
We ask children to wash their hands after breakfast/ before coming to school.
Come along to our next working bee on Sunday to start constructing the garden beds. No experience required.
9am-1pm
We need lots of helpers!
A big thanks to everyone who came to help with the removal of the old veggie garden. Serena has been successful in a number of grants that have allowed us to update our beloved but not so functional garden beds so that we have a range of wicking beds and winter beds. Indigenous bush foods will be at the heart of our new garden. There will be a number of working bees to construct the new beds.
Voluntary parent payments are now open for payment on Compass. Payment plans are available through Compass also.
Hard copies will be available at the office if required.
Please note: The parent payments were made live in Compass with the incorrect 2024 information and amounts, this has since been rectified and now shows the correct 2025 amounts that were approved by School Council in late 2024. We apologise for the inconvenience. If you paid through Compass before 10am this morning and would like your payment to reflect the 2025 amount, please see Kitty or Bernadette.
The ongoing support of our families ensures that our school can offer the best possible education and support for our students. We want to thank you for all your support, whether that’s through fundraising or volunteering your time. This, and the money we receive through parent payments, has made a huge difference to our school and the programs we can offer.
Within our school, this support has allowed us to provide students with a wider offering of subjects and special curriculum experiences, such as Auslan, Sustainability, Art, MARC Library, Cultural Learning, Music, and other activities such as school cook ups and excursions. We are also able to provide digital learning opportunities through our netbook program and access to online learning programs and software that enhance student learning across the curriculum.
The School Saving Bonus is a State Government initiative that provides a one-off $400/student to help Victorian families cover the costs of their kids’ 2025 school uniforms, textbooks, excursions, and activities.
The School Saving Bonus is available for parents and carers of each Victorian government school student from Prep to Year 12 in 2025, except for full-fee international students, home-schooled students, and TAFE students.
As Chewton Primary does not have any external uniform or stationery providers, this amount can be allocated towards uniforms purchased at school or upcoming excursions, activities and camps. The amount will stay on your account each year until it has been exhausted.
Please note the June use-by date is only relevant to parents purchasing through external providers, which we do not have.
We are continuing Sushi approximately once a month Fridays again this year.
Dates: 14/2, 14/3, 16/5, 13/6, 8/8, 12/9, 24/10, 14/11, 12/12 (please note that dates are subject to change and notice will be given if this occurs)
Dates will also be in the Compass calendar
Please remember to update your child's class before ordering.
Here is a reminder of the steps you need to do to order Sushi.
Go to www.schoollunchonline.com.au to register your family
Choose ‘My orders’ and select ‘Create order‘
Select the date of the Friday you wish to order for
Add items to order by clicking on the ‘tick’
Select ‘add to bag’
Review order and check it is all correct, then click ‘next’
Choose how you want to pay and then select ‘submit’
*Update your billing details under the tab ‘my account’
*Pay as you go or top up your account regularly
*No minimum order or long term commitment
*Order ahead up to any time within the current term
Orders need to be made by 5pm on Thursday to ensure order is placed for Sushi at lunchtime on Friday.
Brekkie club is starting next week. We are lucky to have parent volunteers coming in every day to serve up breakfast to any student requiring it. Brekkie club opens at 8:30 and shuts at 8:55 so that students have enough time to get back into class. Huge thanks to the parents who give up their time each week to make sure all our students start the day with food and a smile!
Monday: Kellie
Tuesday: Jamie and another helper needed
Wednesday: Inez and Krista
Thursday: Lily and Wendy
Friday: Laura and Justin
CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school trips, camps and sporting activities.
If you hold a valid means-tested concession card or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible for CSEF. A special consideration category also exists for asylum seeker and refugee families. The allowance is paid to the school to use towards expenses relating to camps, excursions or sporting activities for the benefit of your child.
The annual CSEF amount per student is:
$154 for primary school students
$256 for secondary school students
New applicants should contact the school office to obtain a CSEF application form or download from the website below.
If you applied for CSEF at your child's school last year, you do not need to complete an application form this year unless there has been a change in your family circumstances.
You only need to complete an application form if any of the following changes have occurred:
new student enrolments; your child has started or changed schools this year.
changed family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new siblings commencing this year.
Check with the school office if you are unsure.
If any families are having issues with logging onto Compass, or trouble navigating the app, please contact the office.
Copies of the Compass parent user guide are available from the sign in desk in the hall.
Currently, the app gives you access to:
Email (send and receive emails to your child’s teachers)
Calendar
News
Attendance (to add a reason for an absence on the day of absence, or to provide a reason for previous absences)
Events, Camps & Excursions (and the ability to approve events)
Payments (to pay for any camps/excursions)
Parent Teacher Interview Bookings (ability to book)
Reports
We encourage all families to be regularly logging into Compass, either via the website or the app.
We recommend turning on notifications for Compass in your phone settings, as we do use this feature regularly to communicate information.
We are so happy to be enjoying the pool. Patsy and Kahu are our instructors this year. A big thanks to Chewton Pool for making the program so affordable for our families. We will have an extra day on Monday 17th February to make up for the missed session. That date will be our swimming carnival. Come and join us at the pool 1-3:30pm!
Please register your interest in your child learning strings this year at Chewton with the Resonance String Orchestra
A new school year is an exciting time for students and families, but it can be a big step – particularly for those starting Prep or moving to secondary school.
The Department of Education has published a webpage with resources and information to help you prepare for the new school year.
· tips to help transition between kinder and Prep and primary to secondary school
· what to expect at school
· help with school costs and fees
· health and wellbeing guidance to support children’s mental health.
Please refer to the New year of learning webpage.
Disaster risk reduction research invitation
We have been invited to take part in research to understand how households view the risk posed by flooding and bushfire in Mount Alexander Shire.
If you are willing to take part in the 20 minute survey, our school will receive $25. If you choose to take part in the follow up survey, we will get a further $25.
It is a great way to contribute to disaster risk reduction in our community as well as make some money for the school! I hope you are able to assist.
Please see the attached flyer for further information, and click here to undertake the survey!
First Nations Days of Significance:
Term 1
February 13th: Anniversary of Apology to Stolen Generations
Term 2
May 26th: Sorry Day
May 27th - June 3rd: Reconciliation Week
May 31st: Reconciliation Walk
July 7th -14th: NAIDOC Week
Term 3
August 4th: National Aboriginal and Islander Children's Day
August 9th: International Day of the World's Indigenous People
Meeting Place Dates 2025
TERM 1 - 21 February, March 7, April 4
TERM 2 - 9 May, 23 May, 13 June, 27 June
TERM 3 - 25 July, 15 August, 29 August, 12 September
TERM 4 - 24 October, 7 November, 28 November, 12 December.
January-mid-March. The warmest and driest time of year, many plants become dormant but animal activity is still high, as the young of many species disperse. This is peak bushfire season. Occasional La Nina years bring heavy summer rains.
The bark of Biyal (River Red Gum) is used to make canoes, shields and other tools, the leaves have medicinal properties, while the seeds can be eaten.
Berries of Dhurunguk Gurrka (Flax Lily), Kangaroo Apple and Apple Berry are ready to be eaten.
As the water recedes, Old Man Sneezeweed grows with other small herbs on the mudflats of Bells Swamp and other local wetlands. Tiger Snakes hunt for frogs along the Loddon River.
• Cicada calls can be heard throughout the bush
• Old Man Sneezeweed grows with other small herbs on the floors of drying wetlands
• Tiger Snakes hunt for frogs along creeks, rivers and wetlands
• Geckoes and Blind-snakes hunt on warm humid nights
• White-striped Freetail Bats can be heard in the sky on warm nights
• Jewel Spiders spin their webs between shrubs and trees
• Biyal (River Red Gum) and Lightwood flower
• Yabbies dig deep tunnels as waterholes dry
• Nomadic, dry-country birds such as Black Honeyeater and Yellow-plumed Honeyeater can appear in some years
• Male butterflies congregate at high points in the landscape – this is called ‘hill-topping’
• Red-browed Finches feed on fallen grass seeds
• Wasps feed on nectar produced by mealy bugs on Wattles
• Furry caterpillar trains march across the forest floor in search of new feeding sites
• Dodder Laurels fruit.
• Lorikeets arrive to feed on flowering eucalypts.
Register your interest here: https://www.chewtonpool.com.au/chewtonswimeoi2025