We’ve had a busy start to term 3 with the celebration of our 100 days of Prep and 100 days as a school.  It is wonderful to see how far we have come as a school community in such a short space of time and I am truly proud of the efforts and achievements of all of our teachers, students and the wider community.  Let’s keep up the good work.

Enrolments

We are up to nearly 400 students for 2024 and growing quickly.  We know that there are still a bunch of Preps who are yet to enrol for next year, so we would encourage you to do so as quickly as possible to engage with our Prep programs in term 4.  Our recruiting for the new year has started and we need our numbers to be solid, so that we are able to staff according to the needs of our school.  If you have enrolled a Prep for next year, you should have received a letter confirming enrolment and to outline our transition dates.

Gym hire

People have been asking to hire at gym space at different times.  We still have lots of after school spaces available, so if you have a sport or business that needs somewhere to operate either after school or on weekends, I would encourage you to contact the office and speak to Jo for more information.  We want to encourage as many community groups to use our space as possible, so that we can provide opportunities for the students at our school and surrounding schools.

100 days of school

It was wonderful to see all of our Preps and Prep Teachers dressing up as 100 year old people for our 100 days of Prep celebration.  Students participated in a number of fun activities linked to the number 100 and had a great time over the course of the day.  We thank all the parents who took the time to dress their children up in costumes so that they could embrace the day.

Relocatables

An update on our relocatables.  We have now received 4 new relocatable buildings at the rear of our school.  These are currently being connected to services and fitted out for use.  They should be ready for use in the next 3 weeks.  These buildings provide us with an additional 6 classroom teaching spaces and an additional art room.  We are hoping to receive further buildings to accommodate our growth by the end of the year.  I thank everyone for your flexibility with any inconvenience caused by this installation.

Year 6 fundraisers

Over the next few months, we will try to raise money for our Year 6 students so that they may have a series of activities to do at the end of the year to celebrate the end of their primary School years.  We would ask all families to participate in any fundraisers that may occur to enable this to happen.

Lunches and packaged food

We’ve noticed that several children have been dropping their rubbish all over the school grounds during lunch times.  Most of the rubbish is from processed foods or juice boxes.  Please speak with your children about the appropriate disposal of these items as it helps to keep our school looking good.

Principal’s Day

Today is annual World Principal’s Day.  It is an honour to be the principal of this school and I appreciate all the staff, students and community who help to make my role enjoyable.  I wouldn’t really want to be doing anything else!  I also wish Mrs Pittman a happy Principal’s Day in what is her first as a member of the Principal class.  She has been an amazing support to me and all in the community and I think you would agree that she is doing a wonderful job in helping this school to be as awesome as it is.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Darryl Spiteri

WE WANT OUR PARENTS / CAREGIVERS / GUARDIANS TO TELL US WHAT THEY THINK!

Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents / caregivers / guardians think of our school. The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education that is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of families’ perceptions of school climate, student behavior, and student engagement. The survey is optional, but we encourage all families to participate. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.

All families are invited to participate in the survey.

The Parent / Caregiver / Guardian Opinion Survey will be open from Monday 7 August to Friday 8 September 2023.

The survey will be conducted online, only takes 20 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the survey period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones. The online survey will be available in English and 10 other languages including Arabic, Greek, Hakha Chin, Hindi, Japanese, Punjabi, Simplified Chinese, Somali, Turkish, and Vietnamese.

Please speak to our office staff if you would like more information.

Disco in the Gym!Scholastic Book Fair

It’s about books! It’s about your children. It’s about fun! It’s our Scholastic Book Fair — a special time for our entire school community, to be held in our Library/Wellbeing area.

Please plan now to attend our Book Fair, scheduled for Tuesday 22^nd, Wednesday 23^rd, Thursday 24^th and Friday 25^th of August before school (8:15- 8:40 am) and after school (3:00-3:30pm). You’ll be glad you did! It’s a perfect time to explore the affordable books and products with your children. Plus, a portion of the sales benefits our school directly. Money raised will contribute to purchasing books for our students. We encourage you to take time for this special event. Can’t wait to see you there!

Book Week

On Friday 25^th of August, at Assembly, we will be holding our Book Character Parade. Students can come to school wearing their costumes based on a character from a favourite story book. Our theme is READ, GROW, INSPIRE!  The costume can be anything you already have at home in the cupboard. We look forward to seeing parents and guardians joining us at the parade.

Introducing the School Leaders

Prep Class Captains

Our Learning…. in Prep

To celebrate 100 Days of School, Prep students dressed up as if they were 100 years old. Throughout the day students took part in various fun activities to help them celebrate the achievement of being at school for 100 days! We are 100 days brighter!

Our Learning…. in Grade 1 & 2

Literacy

This term, we’ve been making summarising fun and engaging for our students. With the use of film strips, students have understood the flow of a story from start to finish. We’ve also introduced the SWBST (Somebody, Wanted, But, So, Then) strategy, which has been invaluable in helping them to identify the key elements from fictional texts. For non-fiction, we’ve applied the ‘Burger Strategy’, prompting students to pinpoint the important sections of a text, much like the layers of a burger. These strategies have not only made summarising more enjoyable but also enhanced their skills across different types of texts. 

This Term, in Writing, we have been focusing on writing information reports, specifically on developing students’ understanding of the features of an information report. These include an introduction, descriptions about an animal’s appearance, diet, habitat and a conclusion. Students have been learning facts about Australian animals including Koalas and Kangaroos. Our students have been following the writing process, from brainstorming and drafting to revising and editing, with an emphasis on the use of descriptive language. They have also been engaging in weekly recount writing with a focus on the correct use of punctuation including capital letters, commas and full stops. 

Numeracy 

In our 1/2 classes, we have been diving into the exciting world of Numeracy! Students named and identified the features of 2D and 3D shapes in our learning spaces. They applied their knowledge of patterns and identified the missing element. Through hands-on materials, students will investigate how to share items equally across a group as they learn about division. Students will use counting strategies such as doubles and near doubles, counting on, number lines, partitioning to solve addition and subtraction problems. Students will continue to develop their place value  knowledge by being able to recognise 1 tens is the same as 10 ones. Students will investigate fractions by looking at whole, halves, quarters and eighths.

RACV Road Safety Squad

On Monday 24th July, the grade 1/2 cohort participated in an engaging and educational road safety incursion. Led by professionals from RACV, the incursion provided a fun and interactive learning experience for the students. Through various activities and discussion, the students gained valuable knowledge about road safety rules, pedestrian awareness, and the importance of being careful near roads. The students developed a greater understanding of how to stay safe when crossing roads and walking in their community. This experience equipped students with essential skills and awareness that will contribute to their overall safety and wellbeing. 

Healthy Eating for Children

Lunches and snacks play an important role in supplying children with their daily nutrition needs.  Nearly half a child’s daily nutrition needs should be during the hours they are at school.  Good nutrition at school will help children:

• build healthy bodies and minds
• stay alert and focused in class
• fuel with the best foods for activity and play
• stay healthy and fight illness
• maintain a healthy weight.

Eating habits are formed early in life, so by packing a healthy lunchbox and being a good role model, you will send a positive and powerful message to your child.

Tips for Packing Healthy Lunches

• Aim to include at least one item from each of the five food groups in your child’s lunchbox:

– grain (cereal) foods, mostly wholegrain and/or high fibre varieties

– lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds, and legumes/beans

– milk, yoghurt, cheese and/or alternatives, mostly reduced fat

– fruit

– vegetables and legumes/beans.

• Keep food easy to unwrap or peel.

Congratulations to the following students who received awards during our assemblies!

Keep up the great work!

Students of the Week – Ending 28/07

Students of the Week – Ending 04/08

Congratulations to the following students who are celebrating a birthday in July & August!

We hope you had a lovely day!

Gurneet 34B

Mataius 34C

Riyaazpreet PD

Amayra 12C

Lexi 34B

Sableen 12E

Gislaine PD

Sakina PD

Mia 12A

Chloe 12B

Domaneek 56C

Jasmine 34B

Jashan 34A

Norah PA

Noah 12D

Hargun PA

School Term 3

Monday 10 July 2023 – Friday 15 September 2023

Friday 25th August – Years 3 & 4 – Earth Crusaders Incursion

21st August till 25th August – Book Week – Theme – ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’

Tuesday 22^nd August and run until Friday 25^th August – Book Fair 

Trading times for parents & students to purchase items will begin at 8:15 to 8:40am (before school) and 3:00- 3:30pm after school.

Friday 25^th of August – Book Character Parade

28th August – Literacy and Numeracy Week

Wednesday 30th August – Years 5 & 6 – SES Victoria Incursion

Monday 28^th August at 9am –  Whole school incursion -‘Books to Life’

Friday 15th September – Last Day of Term – Casual Clothes Day (Gold Coin Donation)

School Term 4

Monday 2 October 2023 – Wednesday 20 December 2023

Wednesday 6th December – Year 6 Excursion to Fun Fields

Thursday 14th December – Year 6 Graduation