North Perth Primary School An Independent Public School Albert Street North Perth WA 6006 Phone: (08) 9328 7104 Facsimile: (08) 9328 8166
Parent Newsletter Issue 1
2 February 2018
Inspiring young minds, creating possibilities Welcome back to a new school year at North Perth Primary School, an Independent Public School (IPS). We’ve enjoyed a very smooth start with the students excitedly catching up with their friends and settling back into the school routine. We have welcomed many new families and staff members to our school this year and I know they will be made to feel welcome by you all. 2018 is going to be another exciting year and parents will continue to be provided with many opportunities to be involved in their child’s education and to be an active part of our school community. Please see your child’s teacher if you are able to assist in the classroom, on excursions or during special activities. Alternatively, your assistance in the canteen, library or on a committee or working group such as the P & C or Dad’s Group would be appreciated and is a great way to get to know the other parents. You may also like to consider nominating to join the School Board as we are currently seeking a community representative. Importantly, the children love seeing their parents lending a hand and your involvement helps strengthen the partnership between the home and school. Term planners, key announcements and news items will be posted on our website so it is important for all school families to subscribe to ensure they are kept informed of school matters. It’s a simple process—go to the home page at www.northperthprimary.edu.au and then click on the subscribe button in the top right-hand corner. Please mark Friday 6 April in your diary so you don’t miss our Term 1 Open Night. We will provide more information about this event later this term. Karen Lockyer, Principal A MATHS AND ENGLISH RESOURCE FOR HOME The school has recently purchased the IXL online Maths and English resource for Years 2-6 students. Teachers use the program at school to support their learning plans. It is designed for 3 x 20 minute sessions a week at school to reinforce explicitly taught concepts. We encourage students to use the program at home, if possible. With IXL, your children will learn at their own pace. IXL's adaptive questions automatically adjust to just the right level of difficulty. A wide variety of question types keeps practice sessions fresh and enables all types of learners to succeed. It is a powerful tool in helping parents to understand the curriculum and know how to support their child's learning. Students in Years 2-6 can use the same login they use at school to login at home. If you have any questions or need your child's login details please see your child's classroom teacher. HOLIDAY IMPROVEMENTS As usual there was a lot of maintenance and improvement work undertaken during the holiday break, including the installation of new turf in front of the soccer goals and a low fence on the south and west sides of the oval. The fence has been installed as a fall prevention measure for our children, to preserve the integrity of the bank to minimise further ‘landslides’ and to keep balls and children away from boundary fences.
KEY DATES Friday 2 February Monday 5 February Wednesday 7 February Thursday 8 February Sunday 11 February Monday 12 February
Canteen opens today Olive Tree Orders Collection 2.00pm—4.00pm Assembly – Student Leaders announced Canteen Committee 9.15am GATE Applications Close – Year 7, 9, 10 and 11 in 2019 Free Fruit Day—provided by canteen P & C AGM and General Meeting, Staff Room, 7.30pm Tuesday 13 February Parent Information Meetings—K, PP and Year 1 students Ensemble 7.30am - 8.30am Wednesday 14 February Welcome Morning Tea (New Parents), Staff Room, 9.00am
School Banking Wednesdays 8.15am in the school library
PARENT INFORMATION MEETINGS Parent information meetings are conducted at the beginning of each year. These meetings provide Tuesday 13 February 2018 parents the opportunity to meet the teachers, to learn 4.15pm – 5.00pm 5.00pm – 5.45pm more about the learning program and to ask Kindergarten Room 18 Year 1 Room 9 questions. Kindergarten/Pre-primary Year 1 Room 10 Kindergarten – Year 1 Students Room 16 Year 1 Room 7 Parent Information Meetings have been scheduled Pre-primary Room 20 during Week 3 for the parents of our Kindergarten, Pre-primary Room 21 Pre-primary and Year 1 students. Parents are encouraged to attend these meetings. Year 2 – 6 Students The Year 2 to 6 teachers will be conducting individual parent-teacher interviews during Weeks 2, 3 and 4. This is an opportunity for parents to share information about their child. Teachers will also send home a copy of the class timetable and additional information. Each teacher will advise parents of the process they will be using to timetable the meetings. Specialist Programs Specialist teachers will also briefly outline their programs to parents over a cup of coffee. The dates will be advertised on the website. INFORMATION TO PROPERTIES AROUND THE SCHOOL SITE REGARDING OUR SCHEDULED BUILDING CONDITION ASSESSMENT Building Condition Assessments (BCA) are carried out at all schools at regular intervals as part of the Department of Education’s overall asset management strategy.
TERM DATES FOR STUDENTS—2018 Term 1: Wednesday 31 January – Friday 13 April
In addition to the inspection of the building internals, drones will be used for the first time to provide footage of roof condition and coverings, including penetration points, box gutters and safety anchor points. All of the drone footage will be given to the Department of Finance’s Building Management and Works, and drones will only be used out of school hours, before 8.00am and after 4.00pm weekdays, on weekends or during school holidays.
Term 4: Tuesday 9 October – Thursday 15 December
Drone operators are required to comply with the necessary insurances and certifications including: Current Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) certification; and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) operator certification. The BCA inspection of our school will be conducted in due course. Please do not be alarmed if you see drones flying over the school buildings during the year. SCHOOL ASSEMBLY Our first assembly will be held in the undercover area on Wednesday 7 February, commencing at 8.55am. We will be introducing new staff members, announcing the Year 6 Student Leaders for Semester 1 2018 and also presenting merit certificates. We do hope you can join us.
Term 2: Tuesday 1 May- Friday 29 June Term 3: Tuesday17 July - Friday 21 September
WELCOME MORNING TEA New parents to the school are invited to attend a special morning tea to meet members of the administration team and the P & C Association. Date: Time: Venue:
Wednesday 14 February 2018 9.00am—9.45am Staff Room (off the school hall)
No need to RSVP, just come along after drop-off in the morning. UPDATE ON COVERED ASSEMBLY AREA The architect and representatives from the School, Department of Education and Department of Building Management Works met with interested contractors on site last week to discuss the scope of works and related matters prior to tenders being submitted. At this time we are still expecting construction to take place during Term 2.
STAFFING UPDATE Our class structure and staffing allocation for 2018 is listed below. As we are continuing to accept new enrolments we will be monitoring class numbers carefully. Some of the staff members attached to our school in 2017 have not returned this year, including: Luciana Carelli—Luciana was the School Psychologist allocated to our school by the North Metropolitan Education Regional Office. As an IPS we decided to select and manage our own school psychologist and has been relocated to a non-IPS school in the region. We wish Luciana all the best at her new school. Ann Righton - Ann shared a class with Ms Covban and worked on Mondays and Tuesdays in the Year 4 class in 2017. She has decided to retire to spend more time with family and friends and do the things she never seemed to have time for before. We wish her all the best for her retirement. Lauren Ibbotson—Lauren was a part-time French teacher attached to our school who has been on approved leave for several years. She has been successful in increasing her time at another school and has decided to relinquish her position at North Perth. Kelly Carder— Kelly has been on leave for two years and has successfully gained a position closer to her home. Belinda Doust —continuing on parenting leave for Terms 1—3. Carina Bahn —continuing on parenting leave for Terms 1—3. Carol Braack—Carol was a School Officer working two days a week in the front office assisting the Manager Corporate Services with finance, asset and site management matters. We wish Carol all the best in her full-time position at a secondary school. Brian Hounsell— Brian taught the Year 5/6 class in 2017 and was successful in gaining a position at Bayswater Primary School for this year. We wish Brian all the best at his new school. Michael Egan—Michael taught a Year 1 class last year and has gained a position south of the river for 2018. We wish Michael all the best at his new school. Linda Scott—Linda taught Kindergarten in Room 16 in 2017 and is currently waiting to be advised of her placement for this year. We wish her all the best with her teaching career. Andre Dumolard—Andre was appointed to backfill the part-time French position at our school on a temporary basis and we wish him well as he works across four schools this year. Lenore Cathcart—Lenore worked across the school in different roles. We look forward to Lenore continuing her association with our school in the future. New Staff Members We welcome several new staff members to our school this year, including: Rikki Armstrong - appointed Term 1, working Mondays and Tuesdays in Year 4/5 Room 12 while the position is advertised. Mardi McNamara— permanent appointment, teaching the Combined K/PP Room 16 class. Melissa McKay—permanent School Psychologist, working Wednesdays. Melissa Mezzatesta—appointed for 2018, teaching Year 4 Room 19. Caris Miffling—permanent appointment, teaching Pre-primary Room 21. Kat Petterson— appointed Term 1, teaching Year 1 Room 10 while the permanent position is advertised. Aubrey Smith—permanent appointment, teaching Pre-primary Room 20. Sarah Thomason—permanent appointment, teaching Year 3 Room 1. Rachelle Whitney— a familiar face rejoining the early childhood team to teach Kindergarten Group 1 Room 18 while Ms Doust is on parenting leave this year. START OF SCHOOL DAY We understand that children are excited to get to school each day, however, we encourage everyone to arrive after 8.30am as teachers are busy preparing for the day and supervision is limited. Anyone arriving before 8.30am is required to wait in the front courtyard. Students participating in the school choir, ensemble, an early excursion or school banking may go to their designated area at the time arranged. Please remember that there is no playing on playground equipment or with balls before or after school.
CLASS STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITE CLASSES Class Structure The school has commenced the 2018 school year with the class structure outlined below. The structure was developed by considering a number of factors, including the 2017 school enrolment, confirmed new enrolments, information from families that advised their children would not be returning, maximum class sizes, school programs and our operating budget. We may need to adjust the class structure in the first few weeks of the school year if actual enrolments are lower or higher than expected.
Kindergarten Class—includes two Kindergarten groups Combined Kindergarten & Pre-primary (includes 2 K groups) Pre-primary - Two classes Year 1 - 2 classes Combined Year 1 & 2 – 1 class Year 2 - 2 classes Combined Year 2 & 3 – 1 class Year 3 – 2 classes Combined Year 3 & 4 – 1 class Year 4 – 1 class Combined Year 4 & 5 – 1 class Year 5 - 1 class Combined Year 5 & 6 – 1 class Year 6 - 1 class
Composite Classes Our class structure for 2018 includes several composite classes. A composite class includes more than one year level. I understand that some parents may be concerned if their child is allocated to a composite class. Some parents may believe their child will be disadvantaged or recall the past practice of some schools placing students requiring support in a class with a lower year level and placing those requiring extension in a class with a higher year level. The teachers have developed classes that are educationally and socially balanced with students of different academic abilities allocated to each classroom. It is important for parents to be aware of the following: There is a range of abilities in every classroom, whether they are composite, multi-aged groupings or one year group. Teachers commence the year by ascertaining where the students in their class are educationally and socially, considering what is expected of each year level and then planning to move them forward. Teachers provide a differentiated curriculum to meet the needs of all the students in their class. They implement a variety of strategies, including collaborative learning activities, individual education plans, and open-ended tasks which provide students the opportunity to work at their level e.g. writing, investigations, problem solving. Small group work is a feature of all classes, including composites, and may be based on year level, ability, interest or social groupings. Children of the same year level who are in different classes will still have the opportunity to socialise in the playground. Teachers will provide class specific information at the beginning of 2018. Parents of children in composite classes, as with any classroom structure, are advised to address concerns regarding their child with the class teacher at the earliest opportunity in the new school year. Please be assured that the teachers of all classes will be working to extend the performance of all students.
The TERM 1 2018 PLANNER is located on the school website.
ADMINISTRATION STAFF
SPECIALIST TEACHING STAFF Robyn Hart Art (Tues—Friday)
Art Room
Deputy Principal
Helen MacPherson (Tues—Friday)
Music
Music Room
Debra Ansell
Manager, Corporate Services
George Naumovski (Mon—Friday)
Physical Education
Corrina Cook
School Officer (Tues—Fri)
TBA
Simone Prideaux
School Officer (Mon—Tues)
Year 3 French
Natalie White
Library Officer (Mon—Th)
Anna Person
Ensemble (Tuesday)
Anna Person
Double Bass (Tuesday)
Flavia Todea (Tues)
Violin/Viola Teacher
Skye Reynolds
Brass (Thursday)
TBA
Cello
Karen Lockyer
Principal
Sharon Downsborough
Deputy Principal (Mon – Th)
Andrew Streeton
CLASS TEACHING STAFF Rachelle Whitney (Mon, Wed & alt Friday) Sam Kop (Tues, Thurs & alt Friday) Mardi McNamara TBA (Friday)
Kindy Grp 1
Room 18
Kindy Grp 2 Combined K and PP class Pre-primary
Room 16
Caris Miffling Caroline Smith (Friday)
Pre-primary
Room 21
Suzy Minson
Year 1
Room 9
Kat Petterson
Year 1
Room 10
Debbie Smith
Year 1/ 2
Room 7
Sasha Dunn
Year 2
Room 2
Charlotte Walker
Year 2
Room 5
Julie Fort
Year 2/ 3
Room 6
Sarah Thomason
Year 3
Room 1
Kym Robinson (W – Fri) Paul McFarland (M – T) Chelsea O’Roirdan
Year 3
Room 4
Year 3/ 4
Room 22
Rikki Armstrong (M &T) Vic Covban (Wed- Fri)
Year 4/5
Room 12
Melissa Mezzatesta
Year 4
Room 19
Emma Chin
Year 5
Room 13
Robyn Newman
Year 5/6
Room 14
Mary Knee
Year 6
Room 15
Aubrey Smith Sharon Wandby (Friday)
SUPPORT STAFF – EDUCATION ASSISTANTS Suzana Conda
Education Assistant (Mainstream)
Denise Koch
Education Assistant (Special Needs)
Gillian Layton
Education Assistant (Mainstream)
Usha Rajput
Education Assistant (Special Needs)
Kerry Russell
Education Assistant (Early Childhood)
Cristina Scott
Education Assistant (Early Childhood)
Cindy Spight
Education Assistant (Special Needs)
Leanne Stewart Kindergarten
Education Assistant (Early Childhood)
Kath White
Education Assistant (Early Childhood)
Room 20
SUPPORT STAFF - FACILITIES Ray McGlade
Gardener
Cindy Mayor
Cleaner-in-Charge
Tanja Coso
Cleaner
Egi Retter
Cleaner
NORTH PERTH PRIMARY SCHOOL An Independent Public School School Board ~ Community Representative Vacancy 2018-2020 Call for Expressions of Interest North Perth Primary School is an Independent Public School. This means the school has greater autonomy and can make decisions about matters such as staff recruitment, financial management and governance in order to enhance student learning. The School Board of an Independent Public School plays an important role in establishing the school’s strategic direction and monitoring its progress towards agreed performance targets, set out in the Business Plan. The Board is governed by its Terms of Reference and members abide by the Code of Conduct. We are an active and involved School Board and meet a minimum of twice per school term. Meetings take place at the school on Mondays from 5:00-6:30pm. Working Parties are formed as needed. We are seeking a new Community Representative to complement our current Board members’ skills in education, finance, and management. Desirable skills include, but are not limited to, communications, public relations, marketing, and community relations. If you would like to be considered for this role, please email an expression of interest to the Chair, Kati Tonkin, including the following information: your reasons for nominating; your links to the North Perth community; relevant professional and/or committee experience. Your expression of interest should be submitted to nppsboard@gmail.com by Friday 2 March 2018. The Board will consider nominations at a meeting on Monday 12 March 2018. The Chair will advise nominees of the outcome by Friday 16 March 2018. Further information about NPPS School Board can be found on our website, or you may wish to contact the Chair, Kati Tonkin, on 0409 113 980 or the Principal, Karen Lockyer, on 9328 7104.
PARENT PARKING As there is limited parking available around the school we encourage our school families to consider walking or riding to school. If you are unable to walk all the way to school, consider parking a short distance away and walking the last bit – it’s a healthy choice, will help the environment and also ease traffic congestion. There are manned crosswalks on View Street, Angove Street, Charles Street and Loftus Street to help keep everyone safe crossing these busy roads. If you do drive all the way to school please abide by the road signage and be considerate of our Albert Street neighbours by not parking on their verge or blocking drive-ways. Please do not use the car park located between the main school buildings and the oval. This car park is for staff members vehicles, delivery vehicles and the out-of-school care buses only. It is important for staff members to be able to park in the school car park as street parking around the school has time restrictions and it is very disruptive when cars need to be moved during the school day. Note: Visitors to our school with a valid ACROD Parking Permit may use the disabled bay near the rainbow gate.
2017 GRADUATION CEREMONY Many special guests, staff members, family members and friends joined our Year 6 students to celebrate the completion of their primary schooling and to present special awards. Congratulations to all our Year 6 students as they embark on the next stage of their education journey. AWARDS Citizenship Award
CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS North Perth Primary School is committed to health promotion strategies and believes that learning healthy eating habits commences early in life. The school and staff promote a culture of healthy eating and are committed to providing relevant information, skills and resources to students and caregivers. Our Healthy Eating Guidelines includes the following statement:
English Award
AWARD RECIPIENT Olivia B Kate F Maya D Sophie M Nicola de V
Science Award
Angus G
Humanities and Social Sciences Award Music Award
Amos R
Sportsperson Award
Maddy B
Please do not send birthday cakes, lolly bags or other snacks to your child’s class as we will be unable to distribute them.
LOTE French Award
Leon W
Thank you
Art Award
Emma G
Mathematics Award
Tom B
Dux Award
Tom B
Mount Lawley SHS SVAPA Scholarship GAT—Languages
Emma G Nicola de V
Encouragement Award
Mia W
Traditionally the Year 6 students present a gift to the school and on this occasion they presented a large mural they completed with artist-in-residence Mel McVee (Melski) during Term 4. The mural is located on the south wall of the Pre-primary teaching block. Congratulations also to Isabelle W and Jonathon V for performing their MC role confidently. Thank you to the Year 5 parents for providing the magnificent supper for this event.
EXPLORING STEM AT HOME Parents of Kindergarten to Year 2 children are encouraged to follow the link below to access the Department of Education publication “Exploring STEM at Home’. This booklet includes science, technology, engineering and mathematics activities and ideas for parents to support their children’s learning and development.
“Parents are not to bring snacks or birthday cakes to their child’s classroom. This is for the health and safety of all students, including those who may experience significant allergy to particular foods.”
North Perth Primary School is delighted to continue to work with UWA to offer Uni-Active to our Pre-primary - Year 3 students in Term 1, 2018. Uni-Active is a FUN movement program that encourages maximal participation, increased selfesteem and development of movement skills such as catching, throwing, running and balance. In Term 1, the skills Overarm Throwing and Balance will be focused on in the sessions. All participating children will receive a brief movement assessment prior to the start of the program. This program costs $112 for 8 sessions and will be offered in Term 1 on Friday mornings from 7:45am-8:30am on the school oval. The program commences on Friday 16 February and runs until Friday 13 April, the last day of Term 1. There is no lesson on Good Friday. Further information: Email uniactive-sseh@uwa.edu.au Enrolment and payment can be completed online: http:hpeu.com.au/uniactiveenrolment
Places are limited.
FUNDRAISING SUPPORT 2017 Congratulations to the Student Councillors who coordinated the following successful fundraising activities for charity and community organisations during 2017: Vinnies Christmas Appeal Mt Lawley Inglewood RSL Sub-Branch – Remembrance Poppies $238 Cupcakes for Cancer – Solaris Cancer Care $880 Pyjama Day - Salvation Army Winter Appeal $760.65 Together with the other Year 6 students they also raised almost $2 500 towards the Year 6 Camp and graduation activities eg selling scarves, school disco, free-dress days. Our 2018 Year 6 students have made a great start to raising funds to supplement their camp costs this year by selling computer cases, and ice-creams and drinks at our end-of-year Bush Dance.
SAFE TO SCHOOL The following are tips provided by the Department of Education to assist parents to regularly remind their children about how to stay safe while walking/riding to and from school. Always travel in a group. Walk on the footpath on the right hand side of the road so you face oncoming traffic. Wherever possible, leave space between you and the roadway. Stay in areas that are well lit. Stay in view – avoid going into areas that are hidden (such as parkland bush or behind shopping centres) and planning trips to avoid such locations. Be alert – earphones and headphones can reduce your awareness considerably. If you have a mobile phone, have it turned on and ready to dial an emergency number. If a passing car stops nearby, never get too close. Do not hesitate to run from a situation if you feel at risk. Report suspicious behaviour to your parents, school and the police (call 13 14 44 to report an incident or 1800 333 000 to reach Crime Stoppers), noting number plates of cars and/or clothing or distinguishing features of individuals. To get the latest community safety information from police, visit WA Police on Facebook www.facebook.com/WA.Police or online at www.police.wa.gov.au
Many of our school families have dogs as pets and some like to include them in the daily walk to and from school. Please be aware that dogs are not permitted on school property, including the school oval and car parks between the buildings and oval. We request that parents also consider the safety of our students by not leaving dogs unattended near the school boundary.
SCHOOL WATCH We appreciate the support of parents and community members who keep an eye on our school and help to minimise vandalism and antisocial behaviour at the school after-hours. In the event that you see any suspicious activity or vandalism occurring, we would appreciate it being reported to
School Watch on 9264 4771, 9264 4632,
School Watch Free Call on 1800 177 777
Police on 131 444.
Parents are asked to remind children that the school grounds are out of bounds out of school hours. Children may access the school oval during daylight hours while accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult.
CANTEEN FREE FRUIT DAY Monday 12 February 2018 Enjoy a healthy piece of fruit with your friends.
Kids Helpline Free, private and confidential, phone counselling service specifically for young people aged between 5 and 25.
1800 551 800
VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS Each year the school requests a contribution from parents to supplement the funding gained from other sources, including the State and Commonwealth Governments. The $60.00 contribution requested has been endorsed by the School Board and adheres to the Department of Education’s ‘Contributions, Charges and Fees Manual”, December 2016. Primary
PP
K
Total
2017
82.37%
89.55%
83.62%
83.37%
2016
82.98%
88.03%
88.24%
84.39%
2015
87.95%
84.51%
92.42%
88.07%
2014
87.01%
88.15%
82.93%
86.54%
2013
83.54%
76.12%
82.50%
82.29%
Voluntary Contribution Collection Rates: We appreciate it when parents decide to make the contribution. In 2017 the voluntary contribution was an opportunity to increase our revenue by $27 960. We collected $23 310, a shortfall of $4 650, to support our teaching and learning programs. We are now seeking Voluntary Contributions for 2018. If you have not already paid, either directly to the school or through Campion with the 2018 Personal Items List, please consider paying the contribution of $60.00 per child to the school office as soon as possible. If you are unsure if you have already paid, please contact the school office. We are able to accept cash and cheques made payable to North Perth Primary School. We also have credit card and EFTPOS facilities available at reception.
UNIFORM SHOP OPENING DAYS TERM 1 2018
Week 4: Thursday, 22 February 8.30am—9.00am Week 8: Thursday, 22 March 8.30am—9.00am SCHOOL WATCH
Please report any suspicious activity or vandalism to the following: School Watch Security 1800 177 777 Police 131 444.
ON-ENTRY LITERACY AND NUMERACY ASSESSMENT Making sure young children have the essential skills for future literacy and numeracy development at school is crucial. North Perth Primary School will be participating in the Department of Education’s state-wide On-entry Assessment Program. This early intervention assessment program assesses the foundation literacy and numeracy skills of Preprimary students using diagnostic assessment tools to support teachers’ professional judgements and helps them develop appropriate teaching and learning programs. It also means that students at risk in critical aspects of their literacy and numeracy can be identified and appropriate action implemented. Parents of our Pre-primary students will receive a letter with more information about this assessment program which will commence shortly. Further information can also be found by accessing the On-entry Assessment Program website at det.wa.edu.au/educationalmeasurement/On-entry and clicking on Information for Parents.
Thank you for your continuing support of our school. GIFTED AND TALENTED SECONDARY SELECTIVE ENTRANCE PROGRAMS Gifted and Talented Secondary Selective Entrance Programs provide a unique and challenging curriculum designed to bring out the very best in gifted students. These programs offer students the opportunity to study a selective academic, language or arts curriculum at one of 17 public secondary schools or online. Information regarding this program and the online application process was distributed to all Year 5 students in 2016. They were encouraged to apply immediately to avoid missing the closing date at the start of the school year. Applications for entry in Year 7, 9, 10 and 11 in 2019 close Sunday, 11February 2018. Parents can find more information and apply online at www.education.wa.edu.au/giftedandtalented or they can contact the Gifted and Talented Selection Unit on 9264 4307 or gtsu@education.wa.edu.au.
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