Issue 3 – February 18th, 2016
2016 CALENDAR
Friday 19th February
Wednesday 24th February
Thursday 25th February
Friday 26th February
Friday 26th February
Monday 29th February
Wednesday 2nd March
Friday 4th March
Wednesday 9th March
Wednesday 9th March
Thursday 10th March
Friday 11th March
Inter School Sport – Teeball and Soccer
Breakfast Club
Year 3 & 4 Excursion to State Library Victoria
Inter School Sport – Teeball and Soccer
Booklist and Excursion Fees Due
Whittlesea Division Swimming
Breakfast Club
Inter School Sport – Teeball and Soccer
Northern Region Swimming
Breakfast Club
Year 3 & 4 Robotics Excursion
Inter School Sport – Teeball and Soccer
PRINCIPAL AND ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL REPORT
Hello Everyone,
I was telling everyone at our assembly that we had an Occupational & Health Audit last Friday – in fact it took
the whole day. The great news is that the man, who was very thorough in his audit, was most impressed with
our school. This means that we operate under the strict guidelines and policies of the department and have a
safe school. Before he even started the audit he said that he could already get a sense of our commitment to
our value of excellence that he would happily send his children to Whittlesea Primary School. Another terrific
compliment!
Religious Instruction
The new Ministerial Direction states: “From Term 1 2016, Special Religious Instruction (SRI) may only be
delivered during lunchtime, or in the hour before or after school for a maximum of 30 minutes”. We have been
able to provide one staff member, Laura Parkes, to supervise students during first break every Tuesday starting
in Term 2. The cost of the required text is $10.00. A notice accompanies this newsletter and payment is
required no later than Tuesday 15th March, 2016.
This is a nine week term and it is almost the end of week 4! Despite all of our teachers working during their
holiday break; it continues to be a very busy time of the year. There are lots of organisational procedures and
processes to be put into place, which will ensure consistent classroom, and school practices are implemented.
Schools, like most places, operate better when everyone is clear about what is expected of them. This includes
children, teachers, and parents. All teachers are working long hours towards this end and this should be
noticed and appreciated. If you are happy with something your child’s teacher has planned or organised or if
you are excited by the work your child is doing it would be nice to pay them a compliment. I hope that you had
this opportunity during the parent teacher interviews this week.
We warmly welcome parent helpers into our school. Banking and Book Club have already started (thank you)
and we will be seeking classroom support very soon. Your assistance in all aspects of the school is greatly
appreciated, whether this is in the classroom, on school council, or excursions.
Unfortunately, we haven’t had anyone pick up a ‘nomination form’ from the office for School Council 
Everyone who has been on council, in my nearly seven years as principal here at Whittlesea, has made
comment about how informative and valuable this experience has been. Please consider nominating or come
and see Ty or me for more information if you are undecided.
Whittlesea Primary school is committed to providing a safe and positive environment based on our values of
Community, Confidence, Honesty, Excellence and Respect.
Kindest regards,
Bente and Ty
2016 Booklist Reminder
Thankyou to the families who have already paid the booklist fees for 2016. Please note that booklist fees of
$225 per student are due and payable by Friday 26th February 2016.
The excursion levy of $70 per student can be paid in full by 26th February 2016 or by 2 instalments of $35
each. The first instalment of $35 is due by Friday 26th February 2016 and the second instalment of $35 is due
by Friday 10th June 2016. If you have any queries please contact Donna Gray at the school office.
Some families may be eligible for the Camps Sports and Excursion Fund .
CSEF eligibility
Below is the criteria used to determine a student’s eligibility for the Camps, Sports and Excursions
Fund (CSEF).
Criteria 1 – Eligibility
To be eligible* for the fund, a parent or legal guardian of a student attending a registered
Government or non-government Victorian primary or secondary school must:
• on the first day of Term one, or;
• on the first day of Term two;
a) Be an eligible beneficiary within the meaning of the State Concessions Act 2004, that is,
be a holder of Veterans Affairs Gold Card or be an eligible Centrelink Health Care Card
(HCC) or Pensioner Concession Card (PCC) holder, OR
b) Be a temporary foster parent, and;
c) Submit an application to the school by the due date.
* A special consideration eligibility category also exists. For more information, see:
www.education.vic.gov.au/csef
Parents who receive a Carer Allowance on behalf of a child, or any other benefit or allowance not
income tested by Centrelink, are not eligible for the CSEF unless they also comply with one of (a) or
(b) above.
Criteria 2 - Be of school age and attend school in Victoria
School is compulsory for all Victorian children aged between six and 17 years of age inclusive.
For the purposes of CSEF, students may be eligible for assistance if they attend a Victorian
registered primary or secondary school. Typically, these students are aged between five and 18
years inclusive.
CSEF is not payable to students attending pre-school, kindergarten, home schooled, or TAFE.
Eligibility Date
For concession card holders CSEF eligibility will be subject to the parent/legal guardian’s concession
card being successfully validated with Centrelink on the first day of either term one (27 January
2016) or term two (11 April 2016).
Closing Date
Parents are encouraged to lodge the application form by 29 February 2016, so that payments can be
made from March 2016.
Application forms are available at the school office.
SCHOOL CHAPLAIN REPORT
Life Investments (part 3)
Our thought investments need to be well grounded and in our control. A proverb states that “a train of thought
without any freight will go off the rails.” Our own thinking may be mostly our downfall when Life takes a negative
turn. We need to change our thought process if we remain stuck. If our thoughts are toxic, we need to think
outside of the box. There is no reason to imprison ourselves in a negative attitude.
People around us care so we don’t have to make this journey of Life alone. Although social media may play a
positive part, there is nothing as valuable as a close set of friends and family willing to stand by whatever the
cost. These are solid investments to draw us away from wallowing in self-pity. We can forgive ourselves and
accept the person that we are. It’s about respect and sharing quality time with others to invest into our own
lives. Things may be rough at present but we can share a hope in our becoming stronger for it and getting
through it.
So let’s take our daily chances and be thankful for the dividends that come along. A step in time is a sure way
to invest in Life. The chances do come by if we are looking for them provided our thinking is not imprisoned. We
need never let fear control us nor allow somebody else to build our lives. Even if many choices we make lead to
failures, this ought not to deter us. The learning experience, good or bad, is a gift to cherish. With a mind full of
well-grounded freight our thoughts won’t go off the rails.
Peter Ackland - School Chaplain
SCHOOL BANKING
School Banking is every Tuesday. Please contact the Office if you would like a school banking pack to
be sent home for your child.
CANTEEN
The new canteen service provided by Metro Canteens commenced last week and will operate every
Friday. Families are able to place an order from a PC, Tablet or Smartphone up until midnight
Thursday each week. The online system is through www.flexischools.com.au, where you will need to
set up an account.
INTER-SCHOOL SPORT
For those parents who would like to watch the inter-school sport games, below is the timetable and venue
location for Term 1. All students that are not in an inter-school sport team will be going to the Whittlesea Bowls
Club for their alternative sport
Date:
Teams:
Venue:
Feb 19th
Whittlesea v Hazelglen
Soccer - Whittlesea Primary School TeeballTeeball - Walker Reserve
Feb 26th
St Joseph’s v Whittlesea
Soccer – St Joseph’s Catholic School
Teeball – Waterview Reserve
March 4th
Lakes v Whittlesea
Soccer – The Lakes P-9 School
Teeball – The Lakes Reserve
Mar 11th
Marymede v Whittlesea
Marymeade Catholic College for both sports
BRIDGE INN DISTRICT SWIMMING RESULTS
Our wonderful and dedicated swimming team competed at Northcote Pool on Monday. The children
swam against swimmers from seven other schools and there were some excellent results gained.
At the completion of the sports, age group pennants and overall winner and runner-up pennants were
presented. Our 10 year and 12 year age groups won on the day, our 11 year age group came 2nd and
our school came 2nd overall. Children who came first or second in an ‘A’ event or relay will now
compete at the Whittlesea Division final on the 29th of February.
Individual results:
Alex Luscombe –
Lewis Grogan –
Brock Greaves –
Luke Luscombe –
Riley McLay –
Blake Robertson –
Jack Johnson –
Harry Johnson –
Daniel Goudge –
Luke Ferguson –
Charlie Parks –
Hamish Caine –
Charlee Brander –
Keeley Parks –
Hayley Barmby –
Georgia Braddock –
Emilee Sorensen –
Haylee Brackley –
Taysha Coates –
Mae Ellis Jade McLay Mia Webster Rachel Firebrace –
Chloe Mott Olivia Sorensen –
2nd A freestyle, 2nd A backstroke, 1st butterfly
1st B freestyle, 1st A Breaststroke
1st C freestyle, 1st B backstroke
1st D freestyle
3rd B breaststroke
6th A freestyle, 4th A breaststroke
4th B freestyle, 6th B backstroke
4th C freestyle, 5th A backstroke, 3rd B breaststroke
2nd D freestyle
4th A freestyle, 4th A breaststroke
2nd C freestyle, 2nd A backstroke
1st D freestyle, 2nd B backstroke
4th A freestyle, 4th A breaststroke, 3rd butterfly
3rd B freestyle, 2nd A backstroke
4th C freestyle, 5th B breaststroke
1st D freestyle, 4th B backstroke
1st A freestyle, 1st A backstroke, 1st butterfly
3rd B freestyle, 2nd A breaststroke
3rd C freestyle, 5th B backstroke
2nd D freestyle, 6th B breaststroke
3rd A freestyle, 2nd B backstroke
2nd B freestyle, 3rd A backstroke
1st C freestyle, 3rd B breaststroke
2nd D freestyle, 2nd A breaststroke
1st freestyle, backstroke and butterfly in special category
Relays:
1st – Open medley –
1st – 12 yr boys freestyle 2nd – 10 yr boys freestyle –
2nd – 10 yr girls freestyle –
3rd – 11 yr girls freestyle –
4th – 11 yr boys freestyle –
4th – 12 yr girls freestyle –
Alex, Lewis, Emilee and Charlee
Alex, Brock, Lewis and Riley
Luke, Charlie, Hamish and Chloe (filled in)
Mia, Rachel, Olivia and Jade
Haylee, Emilee, Taysha and Mae
Jack, Harry, Blake and Daniel
Charlee, Keeley, Georgia and Hayley
SPORTS DATES- 2016
Term
1
District Swimming
Division Swimming
Region Swimming
Swimming lessons
T-Ball
Northcote Pool
Northcote Pool
Northcote Pool
Whittlesea Pool
Weekly Competition
3-6
Feb 15
Feb 29
Mar 9
Mar 15-24
Feb 12-Mar 11
Yrs 3-6
Boys/girls
Soccer
Weekly Competition
Boys/girls
School swimming
lessons
Whittlesea Pool
Yrs 3-6
Football
Weekly Competition
Netball
Weekly Competition
Boys
1 team
Girls
A&B teams
Football/netball
School X Country
District X Country
Volleyball
Division X Country
Region X Country
Grand Final
Walkers Reserve
Bundoora Park
Marymede
Bundoora Park
Bundoora Park
Hooptime (3/4)
District Athletics
Hooptime (5/6)
Division Athletics
Mill Park Stadium
Meadow Glen
Mill Park Stadium
Meadow Glen
Boys/Girls
10-12 yrs
Boys/Girls
July 22
Aug 26
Sep 9
Sep 13
Region Athletics
Cricket
T-ball (3/4)
Football TBC
Meadow Glen
Marymede
Mill Park Diamonds
TBC
10-12 yrs
Boys/Girls
Boys/Girls
Girls
Oct 12
Oct 21
TBC
Nov 25
Feb 12 – Mar
11
Mar 15-24
Term
2
Yrs 3-6
10-12 yrs
Boys/Girls
April 15-June
10
April 15-June
10
June 10
May 10
May 24
May 31
June 1
June 15
Term
3
Term
4
Star of the Week
Foundation
Mackfall
Foundation Powell
Year 1 Capito
Year 1 Miller
Year 1 Starkey
Year 2 Goetzke
Awarded to: Kaiden Mortensen
For: showing enthusiasm during learning and
sitting in STAR during learning. Well done
superstar.
Awarded to: Mia Caminito
For: displaying confidence in the mornings,
saying ‘bye’ to mum. So brave Mia!
Awarded to: Henry White
For: showing excellence in all classroom and
activities.
Awarded to: Gemma Martin
For: working hard to produce excellence work.
Awarded to: Amber Deas
For: being an amazing classroom helper. Keep
it up!
Awarded to: Emily Urbani
For: always trying her best in learning.
Year 2 P
Awarded to: Darcy Laird
For: being able to turn things around.
Year 2 Vitale
Awarded to: Jordan Smith
For: showing our school value of community
by always helping others and Miss Vitale in the
classroom.
Awarded to: Josh Evans
For: being an excellent learner during
mathematics lessons and picking up on
addition strategies.
Awarded to: Layla Welland
For: displaying persistence when solving
addition equations. Keep up the great learning.
Awarded to: Jack Chadwick
For: an amazing attitude towards his learning
that reflects our school value of excellence.
Year 3 Kaur
Year 3 Walsh
Year 4 Mion
Year 4 Walsh
Awarded to: Isaac Justice
For: a wonderful start at W.P.S and
demonstrating excellence towards his
learning.
Year 5 Cook
Awarded to: Jack Morley
For: his well written speech for the SRC.
Year 5 Dipaola
Year 5 Tolmay
Year 6 Dunstone
Awarded to: Haylee Brackley
For: showing confidence in all aspects of her
learning. Well done superstar.
Awarded to: Ben Novak
For: his excellent SRC speech.
Awarded to: Sebastien Dundas
For: his fantastic concentration he applies to
his learning.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Student accident insurance, ambulance cover arrangements and private property
brought to schools
Schools are reminded that the Department does not provide personal accident insurance or
ambulance cover for students.
Parents and guardians of students, who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover,
are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of
ambulance attendance/transport and any other transport costs.
In some circumstances, medical or other expenses will be paid by the Department where it is
assessed that it is likely, in all the circumstances, that the Department is liable for negligent (careless)
acts or omissions of its staff/volunteers.
Student accident insurance/ambulance cover policies are available from some commercial insurers,
and can be obtained by school councils on a whole-of-school basis, or by parents/guardians for
individual students.
Private property brought to school by students, staff or visitors is not insured and the Department
does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage.
Actions Required




If there is whole-of-school student accident insurance/ambulance cover in place, principals
should remind parents/guardians about existence of such a policy
If there is no whole-of-school policy, principals should remind parents/guardians that:
o parents/guardians of students, who do not have student accident insurance, are
responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the
cost of ambulance attendance/transport and any other transport costs; and
o parents/guardians can purchase insurance policies from commercial insurers
Principals should remind parents/guardians and staff that the Department does not hold
insurance for personal property brought to schools and it has no capacity to pay for any loss or
damage to such property
Parents/guardians and staff should be reminded about the accident/ambulance policy and
personal property situation in your school as soon as possible
Important Notes
It is not compulsory for schools to purchase whole-of-school policies. It is recommended that the views
of school communities be sought on whether to purchase a whole-of-school student accident
policy/ambulance cover, taking into account the lower cost per head of student for whole-of-school
policies compared to individual policies, and whether premium for such a policy should be paid from
general funds or obtained through special levies from parents/guardians.
The Department cannot advise parents/guardians on whether to purchase a student accident
policy/ambulance cover, or which policy to purchase. It is recommended that they seek assistance in
this matter with their insurance broker or find a suitable personal accident insurer in the Yellow Pages
or online.
Personal property is often brought to school by students, staff and visitors. This can include mobile
phones, calculators, toys, sporting equipment and cars parked on school premises. As the
Department does not hold insurance for personal property brought to schools and has no capacity to
pay for any loss or damage to such property students, staff should be discouraged from bringing any
unnecessary or particularly valuable items to school.
COMMUNITY NEWS
BARISTA BASICS
Introduction to the world of espresso coffee making. Learn how to prepare espresso coffee using a commercial
espresso machine
Location: Merrilands Community Centre
Mode of Study: Classroom training, practical experience working with a commercial espresso machine plus offsite tasks/research
Time: 9.15am—3.15pm
Days & Dates: Friday 26 February & Friday 4, 11 & 18 March 2016
Duration: 4 sessions
Cost: Concession & Full: $28, Fee for Service: $241+ Service & Amenities Fee
For more details please ring PRACE on 9462 6077 or visit our website: www.prace.vic.edu.au
MERNDA RAIL - YOUR CHANCE TO HAVE YOUR SAY ON THE DESIGN OPTIONS
The State Government has committed to extending the South Morang train line to Mernda to cater for the
significant growth in Melbourne’s north. The Level Crossing Removal Authority (LXRA) will deliver the Mernda Rail
project and they want you to come along and have your say on the design options and tell them what’s important
to you as a community member.
Come to a drop in session and meet the project team, view maps and provide feedback.
Saturday, 27 February 2016, 9am-12pm
Bridge Inn Hotel – The Lounge
1425 Plenty Road, Mernda
Wednesday 2 March 2016, 5:30pm-8:30pm
Marymede Catholic College
60 Williamsons Road, South Morang
Saturday 5 March 2016, 12pm- 3pm
Mernda Village Community Activity Centre
70 Mernda Village Drive, Mernda
Tuesday 8 March 2016, 5:30pm-8:30pm
Plenty Ranges Arts and Convention Centre – the Blue Gum Room
35 Ferres Blvd, South Morang
The events are family friendly and open to anyone- mum, dad, brother, sister, gran and grandpa and you only
need to attend one. Bring the family along anytime throughout the sessions. No need to RSVP either!
If you are unable to attend one of the sessions, please contact the Mernda Rail project team for more information
via the details below:
Email: Merndarail@levelcrossings.vic.gov.au
Phone: 1800 762 667
Web: levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/merndarail
For languages other than English, please call 9280 0780 to access a translation service.
They have also created a Social Pinpoint Page- a great way to get online with the kids, discuss your ideas and to
let the project team know what you like, what you don’t like, what you do want to see and what you don’t want to
see. You can leave your feedback on Social Pinpoint via the link on the project website –
levelcrossings.vic.gov.au/merndarail
Did you know WHITTLESEA PRIMARY SCHOOL HAS A MARKET?
Why not come!
Our market is held at the College on the third Saturday of the month and is run by the Whittlesea Secondary
College and Primary School Chaplaincy Committee to raise money so both schools can have a chaplain – Peter
Ackland at the primary school and Eva Natsis at the college.
It is the committee’s main fundraiser and needs your support as a customer and even as a stallholder. There is
a good range of stalls including craft, homemade cakes and jams, fresh fruit and veggies, nuts and dried fruit,
clothes, DVD’s, plants, dog supplies, gifts and of course enjoy a BBQ sausage or hamburger with a coffee.
The next market on 20th Feb will include a Car Boot Sale, a great opportunity to clean up after Christmas. The
smaller car boot sites are $10 with the regular stall sites being $20. Just line up at the gate around 7am if you
would like a spot.
If you have any enquiries please ring 0419 357 395. Check out our facebook page at
https://www.facebook.com/saturday.community.market.whittlesea