Music Rocks Australia Concert

Next Wednesday we will be celebrating the semester with a concert led by students who have been working with Ben each Wednesday for music. Students will be performing in the undercover area. This year we will film the performances and send them to you on SeeSaw so you don’t miss out, as parents will not be able to come this time.

Reports

Reports will be emailed to all families on Wednesday 1 July. As you are aware reports this Semester will look very different as teachers will be providing comments on progress, rather than achievement. Kellie Carter has sent all families an email to confirm we have the right details to send the report to. If you need any more information, do not hesitate to give us a call.

New Classrooms

Our two new classrooms have arrived! We are hopeful to have access to them next week. Room 28 (Kindergarten) will be moving to the new classroom in the Kindy area. This classroom will be Room 33.

PP/1 in Room 23B will be relocating to Room 28 which is right next door to where they are now. We have decided to make the move with the students so they can be part of the transition, which will lessen any anxiety around being in a different classroom.

New Pedestrian Gate

A new pedestrian gate will be installed next to our new Kindergarten classroom. Hopefully this will occur during the term two school holidays. This gate will give families access directly to the Kindergarten playground, without having to walk up the driveway and through a car park. This gate will make coming to school and leaving school safer, and gives families who require parking bays unobstructed access.

Parent Morning Teas - Term Three

Parent morning teas will return next term! We are really looking forward to seeing many families come together for a cuppa and a chat on our our first scheduled date of Friday 14 August.

We have scheduled an additional morning tea on Friday 11September. At this morning tea we will have a representative from SECCA attend.  SECCA help support people with disabilities to learn about relationships and health.  We have had SECCA visit us before and our families have requested another information session.

All families are welcome to attend,  a reminder will be sent out closer to the date.

Assemblies

Assemblies will recommence with the primary school in the coming weeks. At this stage no parents will be able to attend, but it is another step towards our normal school routine. At this stage not all students will be able to attend at the same time, so a schedule will be put together.

Bore Filter

There has been some works ongoing on the oval over the past couple of weeks. A shed and large water tank has been installed by the basketball courts. This is a bore filter which has been a joint project between both schools. Last year both schools received a grant for school maintenance. We put our money together to purchase the filter. It is hoped this filter will treat the sprinkler water and will stop the orange staining we see around the school. We will endeavour to clean and beautify some of the staining around the school throughout the year. A huge thank you to Carol Selley who has been the organiser of the bore filter on behalf of both schools.

Cleaners Appreciation Day

Earlier this week we acknowledged the work of the school cleaners.  Thank you to Mr Neil Knobbe, Ms Gail Pickavance, Ms Supin Henderson and Ms Yani Zulyani who work before and after school, and to Ms Sharon Doyle, Mrs Camilla Rosvall, Ms Jiranan Scholes and Ms Christel McEnvoy who work during the day.

Their combined efforts to keep the school clean each and every day is appreciated.  Cleaners are often the unsung, and sometimes unnoticed, staff members who make a difference.  We are very fortunate to have a dedicated team who will push the vacuum cleaner, squirt disinfectant and wipe every surface that we touch. 

Natalie Hatton

Principal

Congratulations to our Merit Award recipients.

We  have seen some fantastic work come up to the office. Students are so proud of their work and we love to see and hear about it.

Did you know that being just 30 minutes late each day adds up to one day every fortnight? This table shows you how just a little bit of time adds up to a lot of missed learning.

Every day a student is absent is a lost opportunity for learning. Too many absences not only can affect achievement for the absent student but also can disrupt learning for the entire class.

What Can You Do?

• Develop a regular bedtime and morning routine.
• Help your child lay out clothes and pack backpacks the night before.
• Avoid missing school unless a child is truly sick and seek help if chronic illness is a challenge. Check with our office staff if you are not sure about when to keep your child at home due to illness.
• If your child seems anxious about going to school, talk to teachers, or other families for advice on how to make her feel comfortable and excited about learning.
• Reach out to a family member, a neighbour, or another parent if you are having trouble getting your student to school.
• Arrange medical appointments when school is not in session.
• Avoid extended vacations when school is in session.

Now that school is back to routine, students are required to attend school on time and each day they are well. We understand that from time to time, your child will have a therapy appointment or similar but these should be made to have minimal impact on the school day. Students who come late to school find it harder to get settled as they miss out on the morning routine.

If you would like to discuss your child’s attendance, please contact your classroom teacher or a member of the administration team.

In Room 3 this term we have enjoyed exploring different environments to complete our work.

We have visited the Pirate playground, sensory garden and nature play area. For maths we have been able to: count objects to make collections, write numbers in sand and use positional language.

In English we have been writing letters and words in the sand, communicating in full length sentences to peers and staff and also been exploring with writing tools in the fresh air. We have all had lots of fun during these sessions.

This term in Room 25 we have been learning all about Australia. We have read many fantastic Australian story books and completed some great writing and craft pieces. We have made koala enclosures, decorated flags and played with many messy sensory items.

On Tuesday we learnt about Australian iconic foods, animals and places. We followed this up with a fairy bread making activity. We had to independently butter and slice our bread. Once we followed all of the steps we then got to sit and enjoy our fairy bread. Once we had tasted our fairy bread we then wrote a recount.

The awesome students in Room 21 have been focusing on a new book each week as a theme across the literacy sessions. So far this term they have enjoyed; Bark, George, Pete the Cat - I Love my White Shoes, Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, Dear Zoo, Mrs Wishy-Washy and Teddy Bears Picnic. Students have been producing some wonderful Predictable Chart Writing and Guided/Independent writing based around each week’s book. On Friday’s, the class enjoys ‘messy communication play’ to summarise the learning they have done throughout the week.  

It has also been fantastic to see  students become increasingly independent with getting themsleves to class in the morning, and they should all be commended for their resilience to the numerous changes they faced throughout Semester 1!

Students across the school have been working hard at developing their Digital Technologies skills this term. We have been looking at how computers use information that is broken down into small, sequential steps in order to perform different functions.

In our lower primary classes, we have been learning this concept through digital sequencing tasks. Some classes have been taking everyday activities, such as getting ready for school, and sorting pictures of each step of the activity into the correct order. Some students have then used the media functions on the iPad to number the steps and record themselves talking through each step.

To complete the next stage of this process, students have used green screen technology to take photos of themselves performing the parts of the routine in the correct location. They have then used these to create their own digital sequence.

From there, students in some classes have started to investigate the concept of branching pathways, and how computers use this to follow procedures to perform multiple functions. We have used choose-your-own adventure stories as a way of learning this. Students have participated in these stories in book and video form, sequenced familiar stories using branching and some have started to write branching stories of their own. From here, we will be using some of the video production skills we have used in the past, such as green screen and stop motion, to bring these stories to life.

Rory Critchley

Science and Technologies Teacher

Maker Space & Coder Dojo Champion

Sue Norman And Kerry Read

AAC Coordinators

The students in Rooms 9,16 & 27 viewed the art work of Alexander Calder and then, with assistance, created self-portrait mobiles from wire. This was a very ambitious project, but I think the results are great.

Helen Sweet

Art Specialist Teacher

Next term will see the recommencement of the after school garden club. There is certainly a lot of work to be done, crops to be planted and healthy recipes to be made.

NEWS FLASH

Our Edible Bush Tucker Garden Project - Out of the 538 schools across Australia that received funding for Woolworths Junior Landcare grants, we were amongst the two in WA selected to write case studies about.  Some of our bush tucker plants will be ready to harvest in Spring.

Here is the email and link to our project.

Hi Natalie and Sandra,

We wanted to let you know that we’ve created a case study about the fantastic outcomes of your school’s Indigenous Edible Bush Tucker Garden project that was funded by the Woolworths Junior Landcare Grant you received in late 2018.

The case study is on our junior Landcare website at:   https://juniorlandcare.org.au/case_studies/indigenous-bush-tucker/

At the very bottom of the case study you will see:  

We hope you and your school community will click on the “heart” to like your case study. Plus, we encourage you to share this achievement via your school’s Facebook page and if you have Twitter as well.  Just click on the icon and share.  In your comment, can you please tag @Woolworths and @LandcareAustralia.       

Best regards,

Valerie Woods
Communications Manager / Partnerships

 

Recycling Programs - Will Recommence in Term 3

Please continue to bring in:

• Beauty products and hair care packaging
• Batteries
• Mobile phones and accessories
• Dental hygiene packaging including toothbrushes
• Coffee pods
• Ring Pulls from cans of drink

Remember that our Grow Free Cart is set up near the front office.

 "How does the cart work?" We have a simple answer: you give what you can, and take what you need. There are no prices, no bartering, no trading, no value. Like you would with family and loved ones.

What can I put on the cart?

Homegrown or homemade produce: fruit, veg, herbs, preserves, eggs, etc. Preferably grown with organic principles, without toxins. Grown with love is a strict prerequisite! Seeds, seedlings, cuttings and rootstock (Please label all, and heirloom seeds are best, as they can be saved from) All things gardening, whether it be gardening magazines, planters,  worm tea, jars , paper bags and small boxes for seeds or produce.

Happy gardening and recycling,

Sandra & Stacey – Sustainability Coordinators

Tip - Even during winter the UV index can be high on clear days, sio please keep wearing your hat

Siena recently gained her white belt with red tips.  Congratulations Siena on this achievement.  If you are interested in martial arts for your child, have a look the information below or have a chat to Siens'a family.

At the last P&C Association meeting all of the executive roles in 2020 were filled and the office bearers are: 

President:          Amy Stewart

Vice President:   Hazel Brooks

Secretary:         Joanne Salmons

Treasurer:          Lina Chua

Having these key positions filled ensures the ongoing operation of all of the things, such as the canteen, that this group brings to the school.  It is wonderful to have parents who are keen to be involved in the school in this way. 

Important Dates for 2020