Penbank Letter Home
Making Connections
Connecting with our community at the beginning of the year is a priority. It is an opportunity to get to know families and children as we prepare for the growth and development of our students at all levels. Parents play a fundamental role in their children’s education, encouraging them to build their confidence and develop independence as they navigate the expectations and routines of school. It has been a pleasure to welcome parents into our school to assist with cooking, be a part of the PFG (Parents and Friends Group) first meeting, and simply being there at the end of the day for pick-up at home time.
Connecting with community involves parents understanding the many ways they can support their child at school. We all have high aspirations for our children to be responsible people, have empathy for others and to learn in the best possible way. Woodleigh’s 3Rs – Respect for Self, Respect for Others and Respect for The Environment are foundational understandings for the whole school community.
Making Connections - PYP Learner Profiles
The PYP Learner Profiles incorporated in the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program are embedded in our curriculum. It is the intent of these Learner Profiles to develop students to be internationally minded and culturally inclusive people who, recognising their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.
Teachers incorporate the Learner Profiles into the children’s learning experiences that support our young people to think about others while connecting positively to our community and beyond. It is through these learner profiles that children learn to understand their responsibility in contributing to a co-operative and respectful learning environment.
We invite you to School Meeting
School Meeting is our weekly gathering place in the Penbank hall. We invite parents to join us each Thursday morning at 8.50am to share in this time when we all learn together as a campus. The Learner Profiles are often referenced. The Learner Profiles prioritised this term include a focus on being Principled, Caring and Open-minded. Each School Meeting, Year 6 students lead the presentations that have a particular focus and complimentary song.
The School Meeting themes ahead include taking responsibility, the differences in us all, and belonging. These all lead up to the very exciting time when the children from Wugularr visit during Week 9 and our Cultural Diversity Week celebrations, including our Harmony Day Twilight Picnic.
Supporting students to connect
Making connections for students occur in multiple ways. Significant experiences such as camps are learning experiences that develop friendships and independence while living and learning in a new environment. Last week’s camp at Wilsons Promontory for Year 5 students was fantastic for developing an abundance of skills as a learning community. The Year 3 & 4 students are off to Golden Valley’s Ranch in the last week of term. You can learn more about the camps through School Meeting and the next Letter Home.
Enabling children to connect confidently depends on parents providing children with a daily routine and plenty of sleep. Children are expected to self-care by packing their school bags, and dressing develops independence and organisational skills. Keeping things in perspective and maintaining a positive/can-do outlook builds confidence and helps children feel capable when problems arise.
To support children in developing these skills, we encourage parents to allow their children to walk into school independently. Andy and I are always there to greet children and assist children in getting to classrooms if there is a need. Predominantly, our children manage the separation from their parents each morning very well. Teachers, too, need that time before the start of the day to set up and prepare for the day’s learning. Children start the day best when they have time to play outside before the day begins. An 8.30 am arrival time is perfect!
How about the staff?
As with the broader community of the school, the staff work together, forming professional and personal relationships. This collaboration contributes to school improvement and success, contributing to the overall understanding we have of our students. Sharing the vision of the school and learning together develops us as educators as we encourage each other with our work. Getting to know you through the recent Information Night and Parent/Teacher interviews are opportunities for sharing what we do. Getting to know one another helps us connect as a team. We, too, enjoyed the opportunity to connect by staying at Penbank’s Wilsons Prom camp with our families for the weekend prior to the arrival of the Year 5s.
As we reach the middle of the term, we can be extremely grateful for the connections, work and experiences that enable our children to thrive. I thank you as parents and staff for supporting us in our endeavours.
Kind regards,
VIVIENNE WEARNE
Deputy Principal
Upcoming Events
WEEK 5
Monday 27th February – Melbourne Zoo excursion (Colour Run donation delivery - selected students TBA)
Tuesday 28th February – Body Safe (ECC 4, Year 1 & 2)
Wednesday 1st March – Year 6 Excursion CERES Caring for Climate & Change
Friday 3rd March - Swimming Squad Training @ YAWA (selected students TBA)
WEEK 6
Monday 6th March District Swimming
Tuesday 7th March - School Photos (Schoolpix) (Prep – Year 6)
Tuesday 7th March – Body Safe (ECC 4, Year 1 & 2)
Wednesday 8th March - ELC Get to know the School Morning Tea 9.30 am
Thursday 9th March - Division Swimming @ YAWA (selected students)
WEEK 7
Monday 13th March - Labour Day Holiday
Tuesday 14th March – Body Safe (Year 1 & 2)
Friday 17th March - Penbank Campus Tour 9.30 am
WEEK 8 – NAPLAN WEEK
Monday 20th March – Body Safe (ECC 3 & Prep)
Wednesday 22nd March – PFG Meeting 1.45 pm
WEEK 9 – Cultural Diversity Week & Wugubank Week
Monday 27th March – Body Safe (ECC 3 & Prep)
Thursday 30th March- Hip Hop Dancers Incursion (Prep – Year 6), Harmony Day Twilight Picnic 5.00 pm
WEEK 10
Monday 3rd April – Wednesday 5th April Golden Valleys Camp (Year 3 & 4)
Thursday 6th April - Penbank & Minimbah Sports Day
Thursday 6th April - Term 1 Ends
Good Friday – Friday 7th April
Easter Saturday – Saturday 8th April
Easter Sunday - Sunday 9th April
Updated Image Permissions at Woodleigh School
Woodleigh’s curricular and co-curricular programs offer a wealth of experiences; from classroom activities to incursions and excursions, Camps, Activities, Music, Sports, and Arts programs. And we love to document and share it with you all.
In line with privacy regulations, we need to update our permissions for image capture and use which showcase the learning and community engagement of the school. We have clarified the levels of permission families are able to give to allow the publication of images of their children.
Woodleigh’s image consent levels are as follows*:
- Images for school management and safety purposes – No consent is required
- Annual School Photograph Images – Opt-out available
- General Usage Images – Opt-out available
- Web-Based Publicly Accessible Images – Opt-in
- Images used in External Media – Opt-in
- Images used in Advertising – Individual consent will be sought
*Further explanation of the levels of consent and their associated use follows below.
As with medical and co-curricular consent, image use permissions will be managed by Operoo. Operoo requests will be sent to families in the coming weeks.
Woodleigh has always celebrated the achievements and experiences of our students, and we hope to keep publishing images and videos that highlight the amazing work done by staff and students at Minimbah, Penbank and the Senior Campus.
We hope these changes will better reflect the way we use images while protecting the wishes of individuals and families. If you have any questions about image use at Woodleigh, please shoot me an email: aliddiard@woodleigh.vic.edu.au
ADAM LIDDIARD
Director of Community Engagement
Levels of Image Consent at Woodleigh
Images for school management and safety purposes
Consent is not required for Woodleigh to use student images for safety reasons, such as identification, medical and school management systems, including but not limited to:
- TASS (main school database)
- SEQTA (Learning Management System)
- OPEROO (Medical management)
We require an image of all students for these purposes, which we request at enrolment. We will periodically update this image as the child progresses through the school, using school photographs when available.
Annual School Photograph Images
Woodleigh may use the individual and group annual school photographs for the following purposes:
- For sale to parents/guardians (parents are under no obligation to purchase)
- For school identification purposes, stored on school databases
- To print on school ID cards.
We notify families that photographs are being taken, and parents can opt-out of having their child participate. To opt-out, parents must contact the relevant Campus Reception before photo day to advise that their child will not participate.
General Usage Images
An annual Standard Collection Notice outlines the images we use, including images of students or student’s work as they engage in their learning, activities, camps, excursions, and other events the school offers.
Examples include the following image use:
- In learning and teaching tools and activities (e.g. for assessment, professional development, classroom displays, noticeboards, learning activities)
- In print newsletters and magazines produced by Woodleigh
- On Internal ICT systems and school sites, learning and teaching sites and websites (including SEQTA and Seesaw)
- In supporting the learning needs, wellbeing, and health of a student (i.e. PE skill development)
- For other purposes where the usage is restricted to the school community
- For class, Homestead, and Team photographs: e.g. annual class photograph, sports team or another team photograph.
Where possible, older students are asked by staff for their permission (this may occur informally) to use the image/s.
Parents can opt out of general usage by responding to the annual Standard Collection Notice. Parents can inform the relevant Head of Campus in writing if they wish to change their consent during the year.
Web-Based Publicly Accessible Images
Annual consent will be sought for the school to use images in online, publicly accessible locations such as the Woodleigh Messenger and Website and the school’s social media accounts, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo.
Parents can opt-in by responding to the annual communication. Parents can inform the relevant Head of Campus in writing if they wish to change their consent during the year.
Images used in External Media
Annual consent will be sought for the school to use images in external media such as newspapers and other third-party publications for the purpose of promotion and communication of school activities and programs.
Parents can opt-in by responding to the annual communication. Parents can inform the relevant Head of Campus in writing if they wish to change their consent during the year.
Images used in Advertising
Individual consent will be sought for the use of images for advertising purposes. The school will provide information regarding the image’s intended use in the consent documentation.
Images Taken by Others at School Performances, Sporting Events, and Other Community Events
When possible, Woodleigh permits parents/carers, students and invited guests to photograph, film or record school performances, sporting events and other community activities. (Note: this is not possible for copyrighted performances).
However, the school asks that families, students and guests who photograph, film or record activities do so for personal use and do not publish the images, including on social media, without the prior consent of the persons whose children also appear in the images.
Please note: The school does not own or control any images of students taken by parents/carers, students, or their guests at school events.
Please note:
On occasions where we record or capture whole school or large group events (Assemblies, Productions, Concerts, Sporting events), we will do our best to exclude children whose parents have chosen to opt-out. However, at large-scale events, this may not always be possible.
Year 5 Postcards from The Prom
Our Year 5s have spent a wonderful week adventuring and connecting down at Wilson's Prom.
School Transport Conveyance Allowance - Term 1, 2023
The Conveyance Allowance only applies to students attending Senior Campus and students attending Penbank Campus. These families are eligible to receive help with the cost of transporting their children to their nearest school or campus. The allowance is a contribution towards transport costs, and is not intended to cover the full cost. It is available to students travelling by public transport, private car or private bus.
The Victorian Minister for Education has amended the definition of the closest appropriate school / campus (Instrument of Specification). This may impact some of our families who have been unable to make a claim in the past, or were deemed ineligible.
Woodleigh School and Bayside Christian College are registered the same and classified as same-type schools. Therefore, previously if you lived closer to Bayside Christian College you would have been deemed ineligible to receive the conveyance allowance. However, parents can now apply for consideration by providing a “signed letter” to the school stating why the closest school of the same denomination is not appropriate for their child. You must include your child’s name and demonstrate the below points:
- The student does not belong to, or associate with, the school’s particular religion, or engage in religious activity associated with the school’s religious doctrines; and
- The relevant school compulsorily requires its students to engage in religious activity associated with that religion or religious doctrines.
The Department of Education and Training will review individual applications on their merits. Please note that you must still meet the main criteria listed below.
Completed conveyance application forms must be signed by the parent or guardian (page 4) and be submitted to the School no later than Friday 3 March. If you have previously submitted a form and there is no change to mode of transport or address details, you are not required to complete a new form for 2023.
New forms must be completed for students attending the School for the first time, or existing conveyance allowance claimants who have a change of circumstances affecting eligibility. For example:
- Moving residence or changing their mode of transport;
- Changing schools / campuses, ie/ Penbank Campus to Woodleigh Campus
The Department of Education and Training’s main criteria for student eligibility is:
- The School attended is the nearest appropriate school (or attach supporting letter, as above)
- The student resides more than 4.8 km from the school by the shortest practicable route.
- Students are of school age 5 – 18 years and enrolled at school for 3 or more days per week.
To apply for a conveyance allowance, parents are required to complete the appropriate forms.
- Travel by contract bus: Conveyance Allowance Application – Private Bus Travel
- Travel by myki bus: Conveyance Allowance Application – Public Transport Travel. Must provide proof of purchase ie/ copy of receipt or ticket.
- Travel by car: Conveyance Allowance Application – Private Car Travel will need to be completed for each student, listing all students travelling in the nominated vehicle.
- Combined travel: Each appropriate form will need to be completed as above, e.g. drive further than 4.8km to catch public transport (Private Car/Public Transport).
Please note for Woodleigh Campus families: If you live within 4.8km of public transport (ie/ one of our myki buses) and choose to travel by private bus or car, you will not be eligible to claim the conveyance allowance.
Lodgment of Applications
The School will lodge 4 claims a year (1 per Term) with the Department of Education and Training. The Department will reimburse the school and the allowance will be credited to your fee account in installments. Completed applications need to be received by Friday 3 March, 2023 to be included in the Term 1 claim.
Contract Bus Reimbursement is determined on the basis of the shortest practicable route from the student’s residence to the school, and not the actual distance travelled in the bus.
Public Transport The cost of fares will be fully refunded.
Private Car Reimbursement is made on the basis of the one-way distance travelled per vehicle and the number of students in that vehicle. Payment is made to the family operating the vehicle.
If you have any queries please contact Robyn Kent on 5971 6100 or email rkent@woodleigh.vic.edu.au.
ROBYN KENT
Bus Co-ordinator
Join us at our Term 1 PEP Talk - Wednesday 1 March
Join Professor Lea Waters, leader in the field of positive psychology, for our Term 1 PEP Talk on the evening of Wednesday 1 March in the Senior Campus Hall from 7pm.
Prof Waters will introduce you to the strength-based approach that informs the teaching and learning at Woodleigh School, and highlight the research underpinning this approach, including:
- higher levels of resilience and well-being;
- more effective stress-appraisal processes
- and higher likelihood of growing through adversity.
The strength-based approach has been shown to help adults be happier at work, children be happier at school and parents be happier at home.
See you at the Minimbah Fair! Friday 3 March
It's FUNORAMA time! Festivale Du Minimbah, Minimbah's County Fair will be full of wonders and fun for all, thrilling attractions and activities!
Games, challenges and stalls will provide the fun, delicious food and drinks will keep tummies happy, and heaps of live music, including the return of our fabulous class performances, will keep everyone entertained!
This PFG-sanctioned event will occur on our Minimbah Oval after school on Friday 3 March.
Your ticket purchase will award you with MINIMBUCKS! To be used on the attractions and activities!
Purchase your family ticket or single today!
Get your Fair tickets hereWoodleigh’s curricular and co-curricular programs offer a wealth of experiences; from classroom activities to incursions and excursions, Camps, Activities, Music, Sports, and Arts programs. And we love to document and share it with you all.
In line with privacy regulations, we need to update our permissions for image capture and use which showcase the learning and community engagement of the school. We have clarified the levels of permission families are able to give to allow the publication of images of their children.
Woodleigh’s image consent levels are as follows*:
- Images for school management and safety purposes – No consent is required
- Annual School Photograph Images – Opt-out available
- General Usage Images – Opt-out available
- Web-Based Publicly Accessible Images – Opt-in
- Images used in External Media – Opt-in
- Images used in Advertising – Individual consent will be sought
*Further explanation of the levels of consent and their associated use follows below.
As with medical and co-curricular consent, image use permissions will be managed by Operoo. Operoo requests will be sent to families in the coming weeks.
Woodleigh has always celebrated the achievements and experiences of our students, and we hope to keep publishing images and videos that highlight the amazing work done by staff and students at Minimbah, Penbank and the Senior Campus.
We hope these changes will better reflect the way we use images while protecting the wishes of individuals and families. If you have any questions about image use at Woodleigh, please shoot me an email: aliddiard@woodleigh.vic.edu.au
ADAM LIDDIARD
Director of Community Engagement
Levels of Image Consent at Woodleigh
Images for school management and safety purposes
Consent is not required for Woodleigh to use student images for safety reasons, such as identification, medical and school management systems, including but not limited to:
- TASS (main school database)
- SEQTA (Learning Management System)
- OPEROO (Medical management)
We require an image of all students for these purposes, which we request at enrolment. We will periodically update this image as the child progresses through the school, using school photographs when available.
Annual School Photograph Images
Woodleigh may use the individual and group annual school photographs for the following purposes:
- For sale to parents/guardians (parents are under no obligation to purchase)
- For school identification purposes, stored on school databases
- To print on school ID cards.
We notify families that photographs are being taken, and parents can opt-out of having their child participate. To opt-out, parents must contact the relevant Campus Reception before photo day to advise that their child will not participate.
General Usage Images
An annual Standard Collection Notice outlines the images we use, including images of students or student’s work as they engage in their learning, activities, camps, excursions, and other events the school offers.
Examples include the following image use:
- In learning and teaching tools and activities (e.g. for assessment, professional development, classroom displays, noticeboards, learning activities)
- In print newsletters and magazines produced by Woodleigh
- On Internal ICT systems and school sites, learning and teaching sites and websites (including SEQTA and Seesaw)
- In supporting the learning needs, wellbeing, and health of a student (i.e. PE skill development)
- For other purposes where the usage is restricted to the school community
- For class, Homestead, and Team photographs: e.g. annual class photograph, sports team or another team photograph.
Where possible, older students are asked by staff for their permission (this may occur informally) to use the image/s.
Parents can opt out of general usage by responding to the annual Standard Collection Notice. Parents can inform the relevant Head of Campus in writing if they wish to change their consent during the year.
Web-Based Publicly Accessible Images
Annual consent will be sought for the school to use images in online, publicly accessible locations such as the Woodleigh Messenger and Website and the school’s social media accounts, including Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Vimeo.
Parents can opt-in by responding to the annual communication. Parents can inform the relevant Head of Campus in writing if they wish to change their consent during the year.
Images used in External Media
Annual consent will be sought for the school to use images in external media such as newspapers and other third-party publications for the purpose of promotion and communication of school activities and programs.
Parents can opt-in by responding to the annual communication. Parents can inform the relevant Head of Campus in writing if they wish to change their consent during the year.
Images used in Advertising
Individual consent will be sought for the use of images for advertising purposes. The school will provide information regarding the image’s intended use in the consent documentation.
Images Taken by Others at School Performances, Sporting Events, and Other Community Events
When possible, Woodleigh permits parents/carers, students and invited guests to photograph, film or record school performances, sporting events and other community activities. (Note: this is not possible for copyrighted performances).
However, the school asks that families, students and guests who photograph, film or record activities do so for personal use and do not publish the images, including on social media, without the prior consent of the persons whose children also appear in the images.
Please note: The school does not own or control any images of students taken by parents/carers, students, or their guests at school events.
Please note:
On occasions where we record or capture whole school or large group events (Assemblies, Productions, Concerts, Sporting events), we will do our best to exclude children whose parents have chosen to opt-out. However, at large-scale events, this may not always be possible.
Our Year 5s have spent a wonderful week adventuring and connecting down at Wilson's Prom.
The Conveyance Allowance only applies to students attending Senior Campus and students attending Penbank Campus. These families are eligible to receive help with the cost of transporting their children to their nearest school or campus. The allowance is a contribution towards transport costs, and is not intended to cover the full cost. It is available to students travelling by public transport, private car or private bus.
The Victorian Minister for Education has amended the definition of the closest appropriate school / campus (Instrument of Specification). This may impact some of our families who have been unable to make a claim in the past, or were deemed ineligible.
Woodleigh School and Bayside Christian College are registered the same and classified as same-type schools. Therefore, previously if you lived closer to Bayside Christian College you would have been deemed ineligible to receive the conveyance allowance. However, parents can now apply for consideration by providing a “signed letter” to the school stating why the closest school of the same denomination is not appropriate for their child. You must include your child’s name and demonstrate the below points:
- The student does not belong to, or associate with, the school’s particular religion, or engage in religious activity associated with the school’s religious doctrines; and
- The relevant school compulsorily requires its students to engage in religious activity associated with that religion or religious doctrines.
The Department of Education and Training will review individual applications on their merits. Please note that you must still meet the main criteria listed below.
Completed conveyance application forms must be signed by the parent or guardian (page 4) and be submitted to the School no later than Friday 3 March. If you have previously submitted a form and there is no change to mode of transport or address details, you are not required to complete a new form for 2023.
New forms must be completed for students attending the School for the first time, or existing conveyance allowance claimants who have a change of circumstances affecting eligibility. For example:
- Moving residence or changing their mode of transport;
- Changing schools / campuses, ie/ Penbank Campus to Woodleigh Campus
The Department of Education and Training’s main criteria for student eligibility is:
- The School attended is the nearest appropriate school (or attach supporting letter, as above)
- The student resides more than 4.8 km from the school by the shortest practicable route.
- Students are of school age 5 – 18 years and enrolled at school for 3 or more days per week.
To apply for a conveyance allowance, parents are required to complete the appropriate forms.
- Travel by contract bus: Conveyance Allowance Application – Private Bus Travel
- Travel by myki bus: Conveyance Allowance Application – Public Transport Travel. Must provide proof of purchase ie/ copy of receipt or ticket.
- Travel by car: Conveyance Allowance Application – Private Car Travel will need to be completed for each student, listing all students travelling in the nominated vehicle.
- Combined travel: Each appropriate form will need to be completed as above, e.g. drive further than 4.8km to catch public transport (Private Car/Public Transport).
Please note for Woodleigh Campus families: If you live within 4.8km of public transport (ie/ one of our myki buses) and choose to travel by private bus or car, you will not be eligible to claim the conveyance allowance.
Lodgment of Applications
The School will lodge 4 claims a year (1 per Term) with the Department of Education and Training. The Department will reimburse the school and the allowance will be credited to your fee account in installments. Completed applications need to be received by Friday 3 March, 2023 to be included in the Term 1 claim.
Contract Bus Reimbursement is determined on the basis of the shortest practicable route from the student’s residence to the school, and not the actual distance travelled in the bus.
Public Transport The cost of fares will be fully refunded.
Private Car Reimbursement is made on the basis of the one-way distance travelled per vehicle and the number of students in that vehicle. Payment is made to the family operating the vehicle.
If you have any queries please contact Robyn Kent on 5971 6100 or email rkent@woodleigh.vic.edu.au.
ROBYN KENT
Bus Co-ordinator
Join Professor Lea Waters, leader in the field of positive psychology, for our Term 1 PEP Talk on the evening of Wednesday 1 March in the Senior Campus Hall from 7pm.
Prof Waters will introduce you to the strength-based approach that informs the teaching and learning at Woodleigh School, and highlight the research underpinning this approach, including:
- higher levels of resilience and well-being;
- more effective stress-appraisal processes
- and higher likelihood of growing through adversity.
The strength-based approach has been shown to help adults be happier at work, children be happier at school and parents be happier at home.
It's FUNORAMA time! Festivale Du Minimbah, Minimbah's County Fair will be full of wonders and fun for all, thrilling attractions and activities!
Games, challenges and stalls will provide the fun, delicious food and drinks will keep tummies happy, and heaps of live music, including the return of our fabulous class performances, will keep everyone entertained!
This PFG-sanctioned event will occur on our Minimbah Oval after school on Friday 3 March.
Your ticket purchase will award you with MINIMBUCKS! To be used on the attractions and activities!
Purchase your family ticket or single today!
Get your Fair tickets here