Friday 20th September

• Last day of Term 3! - 2:30pm finish

Monday 7th October

• First day of Term 4!

Wednesday 9th October

• HotShots Division Tennis - see XUNO

Friday 11th October

• Winters Flat Primary School Disco! - 5:00pm-7:00pm - More info below!

Monday 14th October

• Assembly 2:45pm - School Leaders presenting

Monday 21st October

• Division Cricket - more info to come

Friday 25th October

• Year Prep & Year 1 Grandparents and Special Friends' Day - details to come

Monday 28th October

• Assembly 2:45pm - P/1J presenting

Monday 4th November

• Curriculum Day - no students at school

Tuesday 5th November

• Melbourne Cup Public Holiday

Monday 11th November

• Assembly 2:45pm - 4/5/6BM presenting

Tuesday 19th November

• 2025 Prep Transition #1 - 2:15pm-3:15pm

Monday 25th November

• Assembly 2:45pm - 4/5/6C presenting

Tuesday 26th November

• 2025 Prep Transition #2 - 2:15pm-3:15pm

Tuesday 3rd December

• 2025 Prep Transition #3 - 2:15pm-3:15pm

Monday 9th December

• Assembly 2:45pm - 2/3H presenting

Tuesday 10th December

• 2025 Prep Transition #4 - 10:00am-12:00pm
• Whole school Step-Up Day - 10:00am-12:00pm

Thursday 12th December

• Year 6 Graduation - 5:30pm-8:30pm - more details to follow

Monday 16th December

• Assembly 2:45pm - Year 6 Students presenting

Friday 20th December

• Last Day of Term 4 - 1:30pm finish

NUDE FOOD – SUSTAINABILITY PRIORITY

Please help eliminate plastic wrappers at our school by continuing to send nude food in lunch boxes. We do not have general waste bins in the playground, and we are trying to reduce, re-use and recycle as a school which promotes sustainability.

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BREAKFAST CLUB – WE STILL NEED VOLUNTEERS

Winters Flat has been successful in applying for support from Breakfast Clubs Victoria. The initiative is a partnership between the Victorian government and the Food Bank.

“The School Breakfast Clubs program seeks to address the impact disadvantage can have on education outcomes by offering free and healthy food for students in all Victorian government schools that opt in.

The program is a universal program and must be available to all students at the school. A key feature of the School Breakfast Clubs Program is the flexible delivery model. Schools can tailor the program to suit their local needs, which may include a café style breakfast set up or a ‘grab and go’ service.

The program delivers a menu that meets Healthy Eating Guidelines, prioritises green rated and fresh foods and where possible, uses locally produced and manufactured supplies.”

We are seeking volunteers who can serve at Breakfast Club in the kitchen for one morning per week.

Family home care packages are also available. Please see Karen Mahoney at the office for further information.

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TEACHER SHORTAGES

The shortage of replacement teachers and Education Support staff in Castlemaine continues to impact. As mentioned in the last newsletter, when we can’t replace teachers who are unwell, we are forced to split classes. Please keep children at home when they are symptomatic.

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CHESS SUCCESS!

The Winters Flat Chess team competed at the competition hosted by CSC last Thursday and came 3rd in the Primary School section. Individual achievements included Leto (gold medal) James (silver medal) Archie, Michael and Abel (bronze medal). Congratulations to all the students who competed in the chess tournament. Every game is a learning experience. Special thanks to chess coach Harry Poulton.

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SPORTS NEWS

Congratulations to the Winters Flat Tennis squad who had a great day out on Friday 6th September. They have qualified for the next level and a team will be taking part in the District competition, following selection try outs on Wednesday 9^th October next term. Thanks to Sam and Helen K for coaching.

A small team of four, representing Winters Flat PS attended the Athletics in Bendigo on Monday. They had a great day out with results as follows:

Atti – came 3^rd in both High Jump and Long Jump

Aurora – came 1^st in High Jump and 3^rd in the 100m sprint

Evie - came 1^st in Shot put and 2^nd in Discus

Ginger – came 1^st in Hurdles

Once again impressive results for such a small team!

Thanks again to Sam for the coaching sessions and to both Rosie (for getting them there) and Sam for being at the event to support the team.

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TRIVIA NIGHT – WOW 

The night exceeded our expectations! It was an amazing event made possible by a hard-working team behind the scenes and upfront.

Firstly, thanks to our incredible hosts Jasper and Sam who set the mood and had the room from the outset.

Special thanks to:

Kitty for the preliminary work including organizing the table placement and bookings.

Karen M who liaised with various businesses and performed so many administrative tasks to help ensure a successful event.

Rhani for organizing the drinks and glasses

Rosie who worked tirelessly before the event, at the bar on the night and sorting and shifting in the aftermath.

Helen Weir with assistance from Marg who cleared the space, stowed everything safely and restored the room (on her day off!).

Shera and Pip who along with Rosie kept the bar running so smoothly

Kirsty and Lisa who were responsible for the platters and other snacks

Jill who organized generous donations for the silent auction and prizes and donated some herself. Jill also supplied the delicious platters of bread and olives (another donation) as well as some delicious retro snacks. Jill also generously gave her time to clean up on Sunday

Amy Truscott for the generous donation of the flowers and vases

Helen K for flowers for the tables

Jim Austin and Eliza for AV equipment.

Family members who moved furniture and helped set up

All members of the Community Engagement committee for the preparations and promotion.

Staff and parents who loaned equipment including eskies and lamps.

Finally thank you to all members of our school community who came along on the night to support this event. I’m hoping Karaoke segments feature next time as well!

Expenses are yet to be deducted but the amount raised on the night was more than $5,000.

Sincere apologies if I’ve not included names of people I should have thanked.

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WORKING BEE SUNDAY 15^TH SEPTEMBER

The weather was kind on Sunday as were the band of volunteers who turned up to help.

Sam Deal, Dean and Terry have all but finished the steps down to the oval. Using recycled materials, they have re-set the steps and created a rustic handrail. Terry made a start on the painting the chipboard sheets which will be decorated and ultimately cover the storage room windows.

The front of the school looks lovely thanks to Helen V and Martin (who also lugged all the tables back to the Art room), as well as Amy, Casey, Helen K and Tallace (who also wielded crowbar and shovels in the placement of handrails).

Annabelle and Leila completed the deck which is look amazing and still managed to soak up another twenty litres of deck oil.

In addition to a huge post-trivia clean-up, Helen W made a huge impact on the sensory garden, removing weeds and sprucing up the beds ready for mulching.

Once again thanks to Jill who after the trivia clean up stayed to sand the six picnic tables

prepare them for oiling. Students working with Terry will complete the job on Wednesday.

Once again apologies if I’ve not included names of people I should have thanked.

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CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP

This term our creative partner Lz Dunn has been working with students in Prep and Year One. The Creature Ways has involved children becoming animals and building their habitats. Outdoor play was a major feature and on Monday this culminated in a performance for parents which also took place outdoors. We saw creatures in ways you could never imagine. Great concept! Special thanks to Lz, as well as Justin Marshall and Takeshi Kondo who assisted on presentation day.

This partnership was made possible and funded by Creative Victoria.

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PASSIONS AND PATHWAYS

The students in Years 5 and 6 had a great day, baking savoury muffins, serving and selling them for afternoon tea last Wednesday, to raise money for cancer research. Today was the launch of the Passions and Pathways Castlemaine expo at the Castlemaine library. This is the culmination of excursions to the university and TAFE in Bendigo, as well as to local businesses here in Castlemaine. Passions and Pathways has been made available to our students for two years now, Immersing children in future possibilities through real-world experiences.

Thanks to Karen B, Michelle, AnneMaree, Tristan and Terry for supporting our senior students through this worthwhile program.

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VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers are welcome in every classroom as well as the Kitchen/Garden and specialist areas. Reading partners for the junior school are always welcome.

If you have the time and inclination, please let us know. Volunteers at school must have a Working with Children Check.

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BIRTHDAYS

Tina had a birthday on the 5^th September

Terry has a birthday on the 10^th September

Hermione - turns 9 next week

Lily - turns 12 next week

Karen M has a birthday on the weekend

Hip Hip: Hooray

Hip Hip: Hooray

Hooray: Hip Hip

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END OF TERM ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This has been another busy term at Winters Flat. Once again, it’s the extras that our school staff and community provide, that significantly enhanced the experiences of our students. Term 3 has seen Blue Skies Dance for Year 2 -6, Passions and Pathways for Year 5 and 6, Soccer for Years 4-6, Bendigo Writers‘ Festival Years 4-6, Tennis Years 4-6, Creature Ways Prep-1, Making Friends with Worry (all year levels), Parent/Teacher interviews (all years) and the Trivia night (whole school celebration).

The staff teams I’d like to thank for the work they do above and beyond the job description are:

• Karen M, Kitty and Rosie (Front office)
• Karen B, Michelle, Sam, AnneMaree and Tristan (SLC)
• Jennifer, Brodie and Melissa (2/3)
• Fiona, Tina, Marg, Shelly, Sophie, Kate and Hannah (JLC)
• Helen, Bron and Hannah (Disability Inclusion, Student wellbeing and participation)
• Sam, Katie, Bron, Harry, Terry, Cath and Serena– Specialist classes
• Liz D, Carmen, Wendy O, Hollie (regular and reliable CRTS)

They have all contributed to a great term.

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Suzanne Kinnersly
Principal

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COVID SCHOOL PROCEDURES

Schools will make sure your child is as safe as possible and will focus on:

• washing hands
• physical distancing
• rapid antigen testing
• Outdoors when practical
• Air purifiers indoors
• mask wearing – recommended but not mandatory

Free rapid antigen tests

Free rapid antigen tests are still available from the office.

Testing is strongly recommended for students and staff who are symptomatic.

After doing the tests at home, if it is positive, you are advised to:

• let the school know
• keep your child at home for 7 days
• for health advice contact the Department of Health via the COVID-19 Positive Rapid Antigen Test Self-Reporting Form or call centre on 1800 675 398.

Mango Fundraiser

Spring is in the air and so is the launch of our Mango Fundraiser for 2024. 

Mango order forms have been sent home with students today, all orders and monies need to be back at school by 24^th October with no exceptions. Each tray will cost $30 and will have approximately 12 XL or 20 small mangoes per tray.

Please let all your regulars know and start collecting your orders in the holidays.

There will be the $100 book voucher up for grabs for the family that sells the most mangoes.

Extra order forms will be available at the office or can be printed at home from the pdf below.

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Hats!

As the warmer weather starts, it's time for us to wear our hats again! Students will need to wear their school hat while outside, from Monday September 9th!

Please ensure that your child's name is clearly written on their hat, as they "go missing" very often. 

You can check daily UV levels using the UV widget on our website: https://www.winters-flat-ps.vic.edu.au/sunsmart-widget

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School Saving Bonus

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, read the attached information sheet or visit vic.gov.au/school-saving-bonus.

Karen Mahoney & Rosie Annear 

Office

Trivia Night!

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Winters Flat Disco!

The Community Engagement Committee is throwing a disco next term! It will be held on Friday October 11th (the first Friday back at school after the holidays) from 5:00pm-7:00pm in the school hall.

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Container Deposit Scheme

Winters Flat Primary School is now a Donation Partner as part of the Container Deposit Scheme!

This means that when you take eligible containers to a a Refund Point, you can now choose to donate your 10c-per-container refund to the school!

It may seem like a small amount, but every little bit helps the school, and you'll also be contributing to our circular economy!

For more information about the Container Deposit Scheme, check out the website. 

For more information about what containers are eligible for the CDS, check out this page.

Our closest Refund Point is the Chewton Service Station. They accept 100 or less containers over the counter every day, and offer bulk deposits (over 100 containers) on Thursdays, Fridays (8am-5pm), and Saturdays (9am-3pm).

Last Wednesday, eleven of our students travelled to Castlemaine Secondary College for the Mount Alexander Chess Challenge, to compete against other students from the area.

Our chess team had a great day, and came third overall! Leto also came first overall! Well done to all our students.

Good luck to our team who will be travelling to the Vic state final in Term 4.

This week in the Kitchen and Garden..........

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What we're cooking in the kitchen this fortnight...

Yum!!!

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Chefs of the week:

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Kitchen volunteers:

We would love some kitchen helpers in our cooking classes!

They are held fortnightly on Mondays (even weeks - 4/5/6C), and every Wednesday (even weeks - 4/5/6B; odd weeks - 2/3H), between 11:25am & 1:25pm.

The Prep/1 classes will have a special cooking class each term.

Kitchen helpers for these classes would be particularly helpful - please let the office know if you'd like to volunteer!

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What you can expect from a class:

Students work in groups to make seasonal dishes, using produce from our garden. Once a group finishes preparing their dish, they clean up their bench, do dishes, and set the tables. Around 1:00pm, we all sit down together and share the meal.

Volunteers will need to sign in via the visitors log in the office and show their WWCC. Please contact the office if you have any questions or would like to volunteer! 

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On Friday September 6th, some of our students hosted a pop up Creative Kids Stall.

They sold handmade goodies like bracelets, pet rocks, and earrings, as well as second hand toys, clothes, and games.

They raised a grand total of $101.55 which will all go back to the school!

Congratulations to everyone involved in this fantastic initiative - especially Heidi, Rosie, Harriet, Maeve, Hermione, Odessa, Rupert, Wil, and Ottilie!

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Some feedback from the stallholders: "We are very happy with how the stall went. We had the best stall ever! There were so many people and we raised lots of money for the school. We would like the money to go towards the school's sensory space. We want to do another stall next term, and maybe sell food (like cookies and brownies) and plants, too! Thank you to everyone who came and bought something!".

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Seeking expressions of interest for casual crossing supervisors.

Do you know of anyone who would be interested in becoming a crossing supervisor at some of our local school crossings?

The position requires a sensible and pragmatic approach to safety in relation to traffic, the use of Stop signs, and most importantly, the safe passage of children across some of our busy roads! It is a great opportunity to become a part of the local community as well as helping to keep our children safe.

Renumeration is based on an hourly rate, with an additional allowance for travel to and from which ever school crossing you are supervising. Training, equipment and uniform are provided.

The hours are approximately 40 minutes to an hour in the morning (depending on which school crossing you have been allocated) and roughly the same hours for the afternoon shift. Start times are from 8.10am to approximately 9.00am and the afternoon shift is 3.00pm to approximately 4.00pm.

If you, or someone you know, might be interested, please email:

j.sheldon@mountalexander.vic.gov.au

and I can answer any questions and explain the role in greater detail.

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Zinda Festival – a feast for the senses!

Zinda is Bendigo’s largest annual celebration of cultural diversity, and it is lining up to be another full day of delicious authentic cuisines, traditional performances, interactive activities for the kids, dance workshops and more! And it is FREE.

Presented by Loddon Campaspe Multicultural Services, the event kicks off at 11am on Saturday 12^th October at Garden for the Future, White Hills and willfeature a sea of colour and costumes with a long list of performers, from local community groups, bringing the stage alive.

Be sure to bring your dancing shoes as we celebrate. Our K-Pop and Bollywood dance workshops will put a spring in your step and the African drumming ensemble will have the crowd moving its hips. The henna art, hair braiding and face painting activities will have everyone looking great and feeling rich with culture.

This year, we have teamed up with the City of Greater Bendigo and the team from the Bendigo Lions Club to offer free parking. If you make your way to the corner of Kennewell street & Hamelin street, White Hills, (GPS coordinates: 36°43'26.8"S 144°18'16.8"E) you will be guided to your space by the lovely group of volunteers. It is then a short 150m walk, or skip, across the foot bridge (wheelchair friendly) where you will be greeted with delicious smells sights and sounds as you start your Zinda journey.

None of this would be possible without the continued support from the Victorian State Government and major sponsorship from the City of Greater Bendigo, Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation, Bendigo Tafe, Bendigo Market Place, Wise Employment/Access Skills Training and    Win Network.

Zinda truly comes alive because of our heart-warming list of sponsors, partners, volunteers, community groups, performers, businesses & organisations and most importantly, you!                                                       We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and look forward to seeing you there!

For more information, follow our socials or jump onto the website:

Website: https://zinda.org.au/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZindaFestival/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zindafestival/

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