NEWSLETTER N0.33
3RD NOVEMBER 2011
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
eSMART PROGRAM In a recent edition of the Berwick leader newspaper, our school was profiled as one of the first 300 schools in Victoria to start the Alannah & Madeline Foundation eSmart Program – an anti-cyber bullying program aimed at protecting children from cyber-bullying. Assistant Principal, Debbie Cusack and Jodie Norton, our school council president have worked tirelessly to ensure our school’s participation in the program and have been attending workshops conducted by the Alannah & Madeline Foundation in preparation for its commencement at our school. This program holds much promise to enable schools and their communities to effectively
deal with a growing problem that can have devastating effects.
to be compelling – for example, your child may have a very small friendship circle PARENT REQUESTS FOR and you may wish to GRADE PLACEMENTS th alert us to this fact. As of next Thursday 10 November 2011, I will be accepting Alternatively, your child and another child may not get on very parent requests for grade well at all and it would be in both placement for their child/ren for children’s best interests to be 2012. These requests must be in separated from each other. writing, addressed to me, and Sometimes, you may feel that your provide strong reasons for the request. Grade placement requests child may be better off to be separated from a close friend can take the form of a request to because in your view they may have (a) have your child placed in the a dependency issue with that child. same grade as another child, Insofar as teachers go, this is not a (b) not have your child placed in the same grade as another child or popularity contest – my advice is to suggest a particular teaching style (c) be placed with a particular rather than an individual teacher, teacher or not placed with a unless of course you have a very particular teacher. good other reason for alerting me As all our grades will be straight grades in 2012, grade structure will to such a request. not be an issue for next year. Please note that your reasons need
DIARY DATES Friday 4th November Tuesday 8th November Friday 11th November Friday 18th November Tuesday 22nd November Wednesday 23rd November Monday 28th November Tuesday 29th November
Summer Lightning Prem Berwick Lodge Walkathon 5/6 Interschool Summer Sport 5/6 interschool Summer Sport 3/4 Joffas Toonschool Prep Myuna Farm Excursion Prep Polly/Pete’s Day Show 2nd hand Uniform Shop 2:30pm
NOTICES DUE BACK BY Thursday 10th November Monday 14th November Wednesday 16th November Friday 18th November Tuesday 22nd November Tuesday 29th November Wednesday 30th November
Grade 6 Graduation Bear/Soccer Social Club Books 3/4 Joffas Toonschool Prep Myuna Farm Excursion Berwick Lodge Walkathon PFA Nomination Forms Prep Polly/Pete’s Day Show
CANTEEN IS CLOSED ON TUESDAYS
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT C ONTINUED….. One thing that does test my patience is what I call unreasonable requests – that is where a parent may list up to 4 children in whose grade they want their child and another list of 3 or children whom they don’t want in their child’s grade and then nominate one or two teachers for their child. Believe me, this does happen! Please be reasonable as the teachers put in an incredible amount of time to create balanced grades across the school and we do know the children and the dynamics of their relationships at school fairly well.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’s) Q. Is having my child repeat a grade an option? A.Yes it is and it is ultimately your call as the child’s parent. This is, however, not something to be undertaken lightly. We have to be very confident that by repeating a grade level, the child will benefit from the experience as repeating does cause some trauma to many children. If you have not already done so and are considering this option, please speak with your child’s teacher as a matter of priority. QUOTABLE QUOTE ‘Self-talk works best when it is the enemy of negative thoughts.’
HENRY GROSSEK SCHOOL AWARDS
Congratulations to the following students who received awards over the last week: Brooke PC
Goy PM Hailey PC
Jobin PL Thomas PL
Kamea PW Jasmin PC
Aaron PW Katie PM
A S S I S TA N T P R I N C I PA L S ’ R E P O RT PFA WALKATHON Next Tuesday our students will be participating in the PFA Walkathon which is the major fundraiser for Term 4. Students have been asked to collect sponsorship from family and friends and will be walking a maximum of ten laps each. There will be a junior and a senior circuit, with the Prep to Year 2 students walking around a course within the school grounds and the Years 3 to 6 following a course around the Melbourne Water Reserve. The timing of the Walkathon will be dependent on the weather conditions forecast for Tuesday and families will be notified tomorrow regarding the updated plans. Students will be representing their house on the day, so they are encouraged to dress in house colours. It is important that the clothing worn for the day be sunsmart and that they have appropriate footwear, a sunsmart hat and a drink bottle. Parents are encouraged to attend to support their children.
points through the Woolworths Earn and Learn Program. With these points we have decided to purchase sets of Lego to supplement our Robotics program. The Coles Sports for Schools dockets have been sent off for counting and we will keep families informed when we are notified the total of dockets collected.
STRANGER DANGER ALERT Yesterday we received a report from a family regarding an approach made to their child on Monday evening. The child was approached whilst waiting for a friend in a local park. The description of the driver and his vehicle has been provided to the police who are following up on this report. The driver was a young male wearing a Collingwood beanie and driving a white trade van with two pipes attached to the roof. The driver asked the child to come with him and the child did not respond but instead ran to his mate’s house. We have requested that teachers remind their class of SHOPPER INCENTIVE ‘stranger danger’ strategies PROGRAMS without creating panic or fear Both the Woolworth Earn & amongst the students. We have Learn and Coles Sports for also requested that staff on duty Schools incentive programs are continue to be diligent in reporting now closed. We thank parents for any unusual presence in the yard their support with both of these. or around the adjoining streets. Families collected a total of 18373
Parents are reminded that children should be collected as close to 3:30PM as possible and teachers will ensure that students who have not been collected by 3:45PM are moved to the administration area. Office staff will then attempt to make contact with families or make arrangements to send the children to the OSHC Program. We thank parents for their support in this matter and trust that you understand that the safety of your children is important to us. CONGRATULATIONS We wish to congratulate Kaaviyan 3M who was awarded a highly commended in this year’s Remembrance Day poster competition. Kaaviyan has been invited to attend the Shrine of Remembrance for the November 11th Remembrance Day Commemorations 2011. This will be followed by the official poster competition ceremony where she will be awarded her prize and have the opportunity to view her prize winning artwork at the official display.
LYNNE BRENNER AND DEBBIE CUSACK
Visual Arts News Chemmart 2012 Calendars The Calendar looks wonderful with our own Natalie’s artwork representing the month of May! We have a few spare Chemmart 2012 Calendars that are now ‘hot off the press’ available from the Art Room if you would like one. Please see Mrs McLeod or Mrs Whitelaw. You may also like to collect your own from the Chemmart at either Narre Warren or Fountain Gate. Thank you, Mrs McLeod & Mrs Whitelaw
Library News Wow! What a wonderful year the students and myself have had in the Library this year learning all about Asia! I would like to thank all the parents and students who have approached me with such positive feedback. If you haven’t managed to check out our school’s library blog then I highly recommend that you take the time to do so. It showcases all the hard work the children have completed this year: http://blpslibrary.global2.vic.edu.au/ The Year 5 and 6 students have been finishing off their unit on ‘The Rice Growing Process’ by creating their own piece of Asian artwork. The Year 3 and 4 students are about to begin a unit called ‘Indonesian Sports’ now that they have finished their ‘Indonesian Endangered Animals’ non-fiction books. The Year 1 students have been having fun learning a traditional Indonesian dance (that also tells a story). On a sadder note; unfortunately I need to notify everyone that there will be no more borrowing for the year as of today. As you are all aware the Library is going to be located in our new building next year and for this to happen we need to begin packing all our fantastic books. So with this in mind, could I ask everyone that has a book at home to return it back to the school as soon as possible please. I thank you in advance for your full cooperation and understanding.
Smiles, Miss Sarah Vine WHAT IS PERSISTENCE? Definition of “Persistence” Persistence means trying hard and not giving up when something feels likes it’s too difficult to do. Types of Thinking That Build Persistence Giving Effort - means thinking that the harder you try, the greater your success will be, and knowing that success is not caused by luck. Working Tough - means thinking that to be successful, you sometimes have to do thing that are not easy or fun. I Can Do It - means thinking that even when your work is hard, if you keep trying you are more likely to be successful than to fail.
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) 2012 and School Start Bonus (SSB) Applications for the 2012 Education Maintenance Allowance and School Start Bonus are now available from the school office. If you have a child under 16, and hold a valid Health Care Card, Pension Card or be a foster parent you may be eligible to receive the EMA. Your Health Care / Pension Card must be valid on the 1 st February 2012. The 2012 allowance of $235 is split evenly between the parent and the school and is paid in two instalments, one in March and one in August. The School Start Bonus is provided to assist low-income families with the costs associated with their child starting Prep or Year 7. If you hold a valid Health Care Card, Pension Card or be a foster parent, and have a child starting Prep at Berwick Lodge in 2012 you may be eligible to receive this one-off $300 payment. Closing Date: Parents/Guardians with Prep children commencing in 2012 need to lodge a School Start Bonus form before Thursday 15th December 2011. Education Maintenance Allowance applications must be lodged at Berwick Lodge before 29th February 2012. Please see the school office for application forms or if you have any queries.
Dear Parents/Guardians, This year all Grades 3 to 6 children will be participating in the Fantastic Fridays Program in Term 4. This program will run on Friday afternoons (2:30pm to 3:30pm) starting from Week 3 and will run for approximately 6 weeks. It is an elective program where students will be mixed with their peers to learn a variety of different subjects outside the normal curriculum areas of Literacy and Numeracy. The elective programs on offer are:
Gymnastics Lego Cooking Art / Craft/Scrapbooking Woodwork Sport Photography Playing Musical Instruments Science and Technology
We have a number of teachers allocated to the various programs but are asking our school community for some support. If you have any expertise in any of the following areas and would like to participate in the program we would greatly appreciate your time and experience. These activities require different materials and resources and we would greatly appreciate any donations to support our Fantastic Fridays Program. These could include-construction materials such as wood, screws, wheels, art supplies, foam cups etc. Please see Traceye Rapinett for information or details about the program.
School Name
OSHC
Coordinator: Dorien Erasmus
Last week ended with our OSHC children attending a very special Halloween disco. Congratulations on the creative and realistic costumes! This week was too short for all the fun we tried to fit in and next week we will need super powers to create Super Heroes at OSHC! Save on Care You can save 50% or more on Before and After School Care fees with the non-means tested Child Care Rebate. Almost all families are eligible. And remember – permanent bookings are cheaper than casual bookings. To find out more call Customer Service Team on 1300 105 343 Monday to Friday. Visit our website to register www.campaustralia.com.au. Once registered you can make bookings and cancellations, view your statements and manage your details anytime of the day online. Parents, please remember to CANCEL your child if you know he/she will not be attending ASC. That saves us from running around to find your child in the afternoon. Before school care: 6:45am – 8:45am
After school care:
3.30pm – 6.30pm
Star of the week: Stephanie K 5C: For being very responsible and helpful in OSHC. WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK Super Heroes (Thank you for your great ideas Blair S 6K, Maverick W 4DR and Tyson J 4S) AFTER SCHOOL CARE
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
Create your own Super Hero
Make your own Comic Book
Super Hero Finger Puppets
Super Hero Cup
Super Hero Mask
Parents & Friends Association NEXT MEETING: Thursday 1st December 2011 at 1.30pm in Room 16. Everyone is welcome, including toddlers. 2ND HAND UNIFORM SHOP: Our next 2nd hand uniform shop will be open in the school canteen on Tuesday 29th November 2011 from 2.30pm until 3.15pm.
AGM AGM - Thursday 1st December 2011 at 1.30pm: The Parents and Friends Association will be holding their Annual General Meeting at which Office Bearers for 2012 will be elected. Vacancies exist for all executive positions:
President Vice President Secretary Treasurer It is a condition of election to an office bearer position, and/or voting of these elections, that you register prior to the annual elections being conducted. Registration forms are available from the school office. Nomination forms have been included with this newsletter.
PFA CAFÉ: Is open on Thursday afternoon’s from 2.45pm in Room 16, next to the grade two portables. As the weather gets warmer we will be providing cold drinks, for a gold coin donation. So don’t wait outside your child’s classroom in the heat, come in and grab a cool drink. We will still have tea & coffee available so make sure you drop in for a chat.
GET YOUR WALKING SHOES READY Walk-A-Thon - Tuesday 8th November 2011: On Tuesday 8th November 2011 we will be holding our Walk-A-Thon. The Walkathon will be held on a school grounds circuit for our Prep - Grade 2 students and around the Cyril Molyneux Reserve for our Grade 3-6 students. Each child will be allowed to walk a maximum of 10 laps!! There will be prizes for the most money raised by a single child, the highest fundraising family and the top fundraising class. At the end of the Walk-A-Thon each child will be given fresh oranges and an icy-pole. We still need parent volunteers to help make this day a success, so if you are able to offer any assistance it would be greatly appreciated.
THANK-YOU Thank you to all the Parents who assisted with the Halloween Disco. Without your help we are unable to run these events. It was a great night filled with lots of dancing and the children all looked fantastic in their scary costumes. We would especially like to thank Jason Miller, manager at Eden Rise ALDI for his generous donation of glow sticks for this event. We are extremely appreciative for their support of our school and for all the local businesses who donate to our school.
BUSINESS ADVERTISING
COMMUNITY NEWS KARATE CLASSES FOR CHILDREN When: Every Friday 7:00pm - 8:00pm Location: Berwick Lodge Primary School gymnasium Cost: $9.00 per session (Pay by Term or Pay as you go $10.00) Age Group: from 5 years old (boys & girls) Karate teaches DISCIPLINE, SELF DEFENCE, AWARENESS and builds CONFIDENCE /SELF ESTEEM First Lesson Free, No Obligation Phone: 9759 7187 or 0418 809 808
NARRE WARREN LIBRARY Raise money and awareness of women's cancer Fathoming fashion - a workshop with Fiona Etty-Leal "how to get 'the look' with minimal financial outlay" Fiona Etty-Leal puts the spotlight on fashion: Do you love the clothes you buy? How to understand fashion and make it work for you, plus learn to use accessories with flair and how to make your existing wardrobe look current and exciting. Each participant will receive notes on the topics covered. Proudly supported by Casey-Cardinia Library Corporation and the City of Casey Mayor, Shar Balmes, we invite you to this evening of fashion and fun. Bring your mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts and girlfriends for this unique opportunity to be locked in at the Library. No entry after 7.15pm. Light refreshments included. $2 donation to Cancer Council (donation forms available for larger or credit card amounts). Friday 4 November 2011 7.00 - 9.00pm Narre Warren Library Overland Drive, Fountain Gate Bookings essential Ph: 97047696
COMMUNITY NEWS