Dear Parents/Carers

On behalf of the school community, I would like to congratulate the P&C on a very successful Colour Run. An impressive amount of money was raised and a great time was had by all.

It is hard to believe that we have just under five weeks remaining of the 2021 school year. Like you, staff at school are very busy getting ready for end of year events and activities to celebrate all the work your children have done and the great achievements they have made. We have some key events still ahead of us, including Carols by Candlelight, Adventure Week and the Year 6 Graduation ceremony. With each of these events comes a great deal of planning and organisation. Please send all notes and payment via your classroom teacher.

As you will be aware, Joondalup Schools current OSHC (outside school hours care) contract has come to an end. It is my understanding that Joondalup OSH Club has been in operation at Joondalup Schools for a number of years and we thank them for their contribution over the years. As per Departmental requirements and processes, the contract went out to tender and the new contracted provider is Camp Australia. I appreciate that this change has created some apprehension as our students, your children, transition between services. I have spoken with all but one family at JESC, who currently access OSH Club on a regular basis to ensure the options of vacation care have been provided. Please see information below:

There will be no onsite (at Joondalup Schools) vacation care in January 2022 as the licencing will not be in place at this time. Both Camp Australia and OSH Club have options nearby available to families, and can put you in touch with other places as required. These options were provided as an example, however I encourage you to visit the websites to find a location that best suits your needs.

• Camp Australia. Woodvale Primary School, 44 Keatley Crescent, Woodvale
• Camp Australia. Grandis Primary School, 220 Grandis Boulevard, Banksia Grove
• OSH Club. Francis Jordan Primary School, 25 Peterborough Drive, Currambine
• OSH Club. Connolly Primary School, Fairway Circle, Connolly

Camp Australia are holding two parent information sessions on Wednesday 24 November 2021 in the school staffroom. The first session is at 5.00pm and the second, 5.30pm. This will be an opportunity to ask questions and meet key staff members.

From the beginning of the school year in 2022 Camp Australia will provide all OSHC onsite. Camp Australia will operate out of the current classroom on the school site (Room 15 in E Block). As children currently do, they can walk to and from their classroom to OSH. For younger children, they will be taken to and from OSH with a staff member.

Websites:

Osh Club - https://www.oshclub.com.au/

Camp Australia - https://campaustralia.com.au/

As always, our staff will continue to support our children as the changeover occurs and they are getting to know the new staff. We are always happy to work collaboratively with our service providers to meet the needs of our students.

Associate Principal

We welcome our new Associate Principal, Sean Whitehead, who commenced with Joondalup ESC this week. Sean is an experienced administrator and is looking forward to meeting everyone at Joondalup. His experience is diverse and extensive in supporting students and families to achieve success. Welcome!

Parent Morning Tea

Our Term 4 parent morning tea will be held on Friday 26 November at 9.00am. This will be a chance to discuss ideas for speakers for 2022 and help us to know what information you would like so we can source the right person/organisation. It is also an opportunity to meet our new Associate Principal, Sean Whitehead. Please send your rsvp to kirsty.harris@education.wa.edu.au for catering purposes. Each attendee will go into a draw to win a small hamper. This is our final parent get together for 2021 and we would love to see you all before the year ends.

Year 6 transition

Remaining transition Days for ​2021 will be held on:

Term 4, Week 7, Thursday 25 November 2021, 9.30am – 2.00pm

WA Education Awards

As a finalist for the WA Education Awards - Primary School of the Year, some of Joondalup ESC staff will be attending a presentation breakfast at Optus Stadium on 29 November. We will be provided with a link to stream the presentation from 7.00am and our staff and students will be watching to hear the winner announced. Regardless of the outcome, I would like to recognise the efforts of our staff, students, families, P&C and School Board who have all contributed to our success. There are only four finalists in this category across the state, so this recognition speaks volumes about the dedication and commitment of our whole school community and the education on offer at Joondalup Education Support Centre.

If you would like to watch the livestream, the link will be made available soon from the Department’s website https://www.education.wa.edu.au/wa-education-awards

Carols by Candlelight

Carols by Candlelight is scheduled for Thursday 2 December. The gates will open at 5.00pm for a sausage sizzle or family picnic, with the event commencing at 6.00pm. This year, some of our Joondalup ESC students will be participating with their Primary School buddy class and attending rehearsal with Miss O’Connor (JPS Music teacher) to practise. Please let your classroom teacher know if you and your child will be attending the Carols by Candlelight event, so they can ensure they attend the rehearsals. We anticipate the evening finishing at approximately 7.30pm.

If you notice any suspicious activity on School Grounds, please contact Security on 9264 4771 or the Police on 131 444.

Hi everyone,

My name is Heidi Brough. I have recently joined Joondalup Education Support Centre’s staff as a STEM teacher, and I would like to share a bit about myself. I was born with a physical disability known as an upper limb deficiency. This resulted in me being born without any fingers on my left hand. Ever since I was born, I have always struggled to complete everyday tasks, such as tying shoelaces, opening tin cans and tying my hair up. However, I have never let my limitations stop me even though these tasks took me years to master and some I still struggle with today. This drive and determination is helping me to inspire and become a role model for others, something that I value very much.  

Last year, I was very fortunate to be involved in a STEM project named ‘Aussie Hands’ at Ashdale Secondary College. This STEM project involved Year 9 students measuring, casting designing and constructing a functional prosthetic hand using a 3D printer. I am learning how to use this prosthetic, known as the ‘robot hand’ by the students. I have shared my personal struggles, in the hope to inspire students with disabilities to keep going despite challenges and to not give up on their dreams. Teaching STEM is supporting me to help students build resilience as STEM is a brilliant school subject for encouraging students to have a go and explore new and different ways to achieve.

Be proud of how you are born!

I look forward to seeing you all around school and in the local community.  

This term Room 16 went on our Year 6 camp, and what a week we had! Starting on Wednesday, Mr Hamilton drove us on the bus to Swan Valley Adventure Centre. There, we went on a giant flying fox which was three stories up. Everyone was very brave and some people even went upside down. We were a little worried about rain that day, but managed to miss most of it and finished the activity dry. During lunch we played some games in the hall and after, our guide named Alex came to take us on some team building activities. We had to balance on a giant seesaw, navigate through a minefield and move as a tank. After SVAC we drove to camp and set up our dorms. We loved seeing the campsite and exploring what it had to offer. We had pizza for dinner and played a game of bowling before going to bed. We were so tired that we were all asleep by 9pm.

The second day was busy like the first. We found out we had a few early risers in the group, with some of us waking up at 5 o’clock! Mrs Wunhym was so kind to make us pancakes in the morning and we sat and watched ABC kids whilst eating. Some of us decided to play with the sports equipment set up by the camp supervisor, and others decided to chill. We drove to The Vines at 8.30am to play minigolf. It was such beautiful weather, and the course was great! Luke was our best golfer of the day, followed by Chase. When we arrived back at camp, Phil prepared the pool for us and we had a swim. Mr Hamilton, Mrs Wunhym and Mrs Magookin decided to watch from the sidelines. Mrs Martin and Mrs Clark prepared a barbeque for lunch and the aboriginal expert, Jason, came after. He was amazing! He showed us how to make tools with the environment around us using the techniques aboriginals use. We made some glue out of sap, charcoal and kangaroo poo.....yuck! Afterwards, we threw some boomerangs on the field. They were a little tricky at first but we all got the hang of it. Mr Hamilton almost got hit in the head with his! That night we went to Hogs Breath for our dinner and played spotlight. It was great fun.

Friday was another busy day. We had to pack up our campsite and headed to Scitech. It was sad to leave camp but we were ready for home. At Scitech we learnt about the moon and what was needed to create a moon base. We also learned about fire and how quickly it can get out of control. There was also a fantastic exhibit on spy gear on the main floor and many of us enjoyed pretending to be secret agents. We particularly enjoyed getting through the laser room. After Scitech we made our way back to school where we enjoyed fish and chips for lunch, and were picked up by our parents. We are so proud of how everyone behaved on camp and hope they enjoyed it as much as the teachers.

Over the past few weeks we have been reading beach and Summer related stories.

Our favourite so far has been Bluey The Pool. We all got very messy and wet while doing our story role-play. As a class, we used our speech devices and PODD books to re-tell the story.

As you can see from the pictures, the students had a blast.

Celebrations

The next big celebration on the calendar is Christmas. The campus is celebrating with a picnic and Carols by Candlelight sing-a-long. In Visual Arts we are working towards a whole campus Christmas mural. The students in rooms 2 & 21 worked with acrylic and their fingers to paint a green page with the texture of pine needles. Their work will be shaped into a Christmas tree.

Helen Sweet

Art Specialist Teacher