We are Sunsmart - a note for families.  Sunscreen Poster

Think UV not heat  

UV levels are starting to rise  

It's time to dust off those sun hats, check the sunscreen expiry date and get your SunSmart app ready.   

UV can't be seen or felt. It's the part of the sun that can damage the skin and eyes and lead to skin cancer.   

The good news is, most skin cancer can be prevented if we protect from UV.
In Victoria UV levels start to rise from mid-August. To be sure you are using sun protection when you need to, check the sun protection times on the SunSmart app, add the SunSmart widget to your website or make SunSmart one of your web favourites so you can check the UV levels and sun protection times for your area each day. 

Regardless of the weather, remember to SLIP, SLOP, SLAP, SEEK and SLIDE whenever UV levels reach three or more.

1. To help create a barrier between your skin and the sun's UV, SLIPon clothing that covers as much skin as possible.
2. For any skin you can't cover with clothing, SLOPon SPF30 (or higher) broad-spectrum, water-resistant sunscreen. Apply 20 minutes before going outside and reapply every two hours.
3. Protect the delicate areas of the head and face and SLAPon a sun protective hat. Make sure it has a wide brim that provides good shade to all areas. Caps do not provide enough UV protection so are not a suitable alternative.
4. Consider built, natural and temporary UV protection and encourage children to SEEKshade whenever possible. Set up activities in shaded areas.

5. If appropriate for your situation, SLIDE on wrap-around sunglasses labelled AS1067 to help protect the eyes from UV.

Don't wait until term four. Please have your SunSmart app and widget ready so you’ll be all set to know when to use sun protection.

The sun protection times are a forecast from the Bureau of Meteorology for the time of day UV levels are forecast to reach 3 or higher in your location. At these levels, sun protection (hat, clothing, sunscreen, shade and, if practical, sunglasses) is recommended for all skin types.




For more information for families please click here

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Monday 24th February 2025 is a Curriculum Day.  Please make alternative arrangements for the care of your children on this day.

Camp Australia will be operating on this day, please register if care is needed.

Pupil Free Days

The Department of Education and Training (DET) allows all government schools to hold four curriculum days per year. Curriculum days are pupil free days which allow the staff to work together on planning and professional development activities.  The first day of Term 1 is a student-free day in all government schools to allow for appropriate planning to take place for the arrival of students. School Council has approved the following dates for 2025 as curriculum days:

 

Tuesday 28th January 2025 – first day of Term 1	Teachers back - VTLM 2.0 & Curriculum Mapping
Wednesday 29th January 2025 - second day of Term 1	Supporting Positive Student Behaviour
Monday 24th February 2025	Berry Street
Monday 3rd November 2025	Assessment & Reporting

 

Staff Professional Practice Day

The Department of Education and Training (DET) allows all government schools to hold a common professional practice day on the same day for all staff.  This is to enable the most effective and efficient use of this day.  We have scheduled our professional practice day on the following day.  Students will not be required to attend school on this day:

 

Monday 21st July 2025 (first day of Term 3)

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Our school is subscribed to the Happy Families School Membership! Owned and run by Dr Justin Coulson, one of Australia’s leading parenting experts, the membership offers a wealth of parenting education and resources.

We will regularly share resources available through our membership with you, including Insight Articles and Webinars. You can also access your resources at any time using the below URL (unique to our school) and password.

URL & PASSWORD

https://schools.happyfamilies.com.au/login/wps

PASSWORD: happywps

We recommend bookmarking this link. You should only need to put the password in once and the site will remember you.

The latest Insights articles are listed below:

Term 3 2024
The quest for independence and identity
Gettting along with siblings
Parenting with Influence, Not Control
The Power of Perspective
Stop, look and listen to your kids
Parenting on the same page

Term 2 2024
The best way to say 'No!' to your kids
Making Family Life Fun
Teaching children that mistakes are okay
Every Day Counts
Technology Giants and Our Kids
Family Goal Setting
Managing fatigue as a parent
The Power of Habit

View webinars     View Articles

INSIGHTS ARTICLES 

A new Insights article is released weekly during the term and we will include these with the school newsletter. Insights articles are written by Dr Justin Coulson and other leading experts and provide parenting education and support for a wide variety of traditional and contemporary parenting challenges. You can also access 300+ previous Insights articles on our school’s URL.

Each week Justin will be answering a question from the school community.  click here to watch video.

PARENT WEBINARS

You have access to 4 live webinars a year (one per term). We will announce upcoming webinar details in the Insights articles. You’ll have access to the recording via our school’s URL but as the webinars are live, we recommend you watch them in real time so that you can ask Dr Justin and / or the guest presenter any questions you may have.

We hope you enjoy the Insights and webinars!

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