Newsletter 11th August 2021

Principal's Message

Vandalism - Mystery Solved!

Thanks to our vigilant community and the information parents have been able to supply, we were able to work with another school to identify the two high school aged students (not ex-students) who have been causing so many issues over the past few weeks.  We still continue to encourage anyone who sees anything of concern to report it immediately to the police on 131 444 or to School Watch on 1800 177 777.  We would also be happy to receive any feedback on our intention to install CCTV at the school to monitor the grounds.

School Roofs

While the two intruders mentioned above were accessing the school roofs as part of their modus operandi, apparently they are not the only ones.  It would appear that some of our ex-students, and possibly current students, have also been accessing our roofs after hours.  Apart from the possible damage that can be done to school property, it is quite a dangerous practice.  The colour-bond roofs can be slippery and the tiled roofs are brittle and break easily (not even roofers like going onto these).  We would hate to see someone fall through, or off, a roof.  I know of a student from a past school who fell through a recreation centre roof and, although she survived it, she did so with pins placed in her leg permanently.  We suggest you discuss this with your children if they access the school site unsupervised out of hours.

Storm Damage

On Monday night the school incurred some storm damage with a large gum tree being uprooted between the Kindy and Senior Block.  Fortunately no one was around at the time and the damage to the building and infrastructure was minimal (verandah, gutter and ramp handrail), considering the size of the tree.  It is a real shame to have lost another mature tree.  A large limb from the ficus on the corner of the school (Banksia Tce and Fourth Ave) also dropped.  I hope none of our families had any damage to their properties.

Open Night

As suggested by the School Board last year, we are going to run an Open Night at the school so parents can take a guided tour of their child(ren)’s class(es) and the work they have been doing in their classes.  There is also a possibility of a Sausage Sizzle on the night too.  Please add the following date to your calendars:

• 5-6:30pm Wednesday 8^th September

Adults using Toilets

If you are caught short and need to use the school facilities, please use the adult’s or disabled toilets, not the children’s.  The staff never use the children’s as it would be inappropriate, so we request all adults to do likewise.

Sue Millar Retiring

Ms Sue Millar, who has taken leave for the past 18 months, has decided that she will retire before the start of 2022.  As the only current students who have worked with her are in Year 5 this year (because she spent much of her career at KPS teaching the senior students), we wondered whether there might be past students or parents who would like to send her a short message via the school email to be included in her farewell.  If you wish to contribute something, please email it to kensington.ps@education.wa.edu.au

Planning for 2022

It's that time of year again when we start to look at how many students we will have in 2022 and to plan to staff the school to meet those needs.   You may complete one form (see the link below) for your family. However, if you have differing plans for each of your children currently attending our school (excluding the Year 6s), please complete separate forms for each.   Please return these forms to the school by Friday 17th September.

Cyber Safety - Internet Awareness

In case you missed either attending the parent workshop or receiving a copy of the presentation by Paul Litherland, attached below are the PDF notes of the presentation and a link to Paul's YouTube channel and website.  Paul offers information and advice on raising awareness of the issues for children, particularly, when using the internet.  We all need to be aware of these issues in order to avoid, as best we can, the pitfalls and traps of the cyber world.

School Photos

Just a reminder that school photos are scheduled for Week 8. Envelopes for individual and class photos will be coming home this week. However, you will need to come into the front office to collect a separate envelope if you would like a sibling photo to be taken.

New Staff Member

We have a new gardener!  Welcome to Mr Rhyc Palmer.  He has experience in the construction industry, plumbing and reticulation so we are very pleased to have such a capable and enthusiastic addition to our team.  Please make him welcome.

Values & Honour Awards

High School Scholarships

Special congratulations to the following students who have been accepted into specialist programs for high school:

• Harper - Create@Como Program at Como SC and Specialist Fashion and Design Program at Kent Street SHS
• Hector - Specialist Aviation Program at Kent Street SHS
• Isabel - Specialist EMITS Program and Specialist Music Program at Como SC
• Jackson - Specialist Aviation Program at Kent Street SHS
• Maddie - Specialist Music Program at Como SC
• Marcus - Specialist EMITS Program and Specialist Music Program at Como SC
• Matilda - Specialist EMITS Program at Como SC
• Niamh - Specialist EMITS Program at Como SC

Classroom Foyer Display

S1 Inquiry Cycle

We used the novel Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks to investigate traditional life of the Iroquois Indians. We discussed and researched the issue of stereotyping of many indigenous cultures around the world.

Teacher - Tina Teuchert

NAIDOC Reflections

Many students reflected on the NAIDOC theme and below are some examples of poems from our Year 6 students about what Country means to them:

A place where I can walk my pet through the bush

Talking with my sister at the end of the day

Playing sport with my dad in the backyard

Listening to the birds in the morning

Cooking a casserole over a fire with my dad

Swimming in the river with my dog

Watching the bush rush past on a road trip

Baking with my mum during a storm

Where my dog can run free on the farm

Climbing trees with my friends at school

Watching baby horses play on farms

This is what Country means to me

Student – Angelina

Being in nature

Looking at the beautiful spring flowers

The crunch of the hard sand in between my toes

The rustle of the leaves on the trees

A cloudy sky

The thump of the booming thunder

The laughter of the cockatoos

And the chirp of the jumping crickets

The calm buzz of the colourful bees

And the slithering of the snakes

This is what Country means to me

Student - Harper

Sports News

Inter School Cross Country

Well done to our amazing team, who all ran really well to win the Interschool Cross-country last Thursday. 

We had 17 place winners and 90% of our team came in the top half of the competitors.

Congratulations to our medal and place winners:  

1st: Isobel Yr 3, James Yr 4, Ava Yr 5, Zakaria Yr 5, Kieren Yr 6

2nd: Ted Yr 3, Charlotte Yr 4, Katya and Lawson Yr 5, Isla and Marcus Yr 6                                                     

3rd: Kenzie Yr 4, Ava and Ethan Yr 6

4th: Zara Yr 4, Tyler Yr 5, Matilda Yr 6                                                                                                                             

The final team scores were: Kensington 941, Lathlain 738, Millen 708, Victoria Park 607, East Victoria Park 571 and Bentley 108.

Several of our runners have entered in the State Cross Country tomorrow where 200-300 competitors compete at each year level. We wish them well.

Running Club

Running Club continues on Tuesday and Friday morning on the oval from 8.00 – 8.30am. Runners from Kindy – Year 6 are welcome. We are preparing for the Faction carnival.

Teacher - Raema Stanford 

Library News

School Board

The main focus of the last School Board meeting was the upcoming School Review on 20^th October.  The school is preparing its self-assessment and collating evidence for this process.  The School Review is to validate the school’s self-assessment.  We also discussed our focus areas of Environmental and Cultural Citizenship in the light of the work of the student councillors on encouraging and protecting birdlife at our school and the NAIDOC celebrations.

P & C News

Waterwise

Watering do's and dont's

We have created a helpful do’s and don'ts list for when using water outdoors:

You can…

• Hand water your garden and lawn with a watering can or hand-held hose
• Wash your car with a hose
• Top up your swimming pool
• Top up a pond or fountain
• Test your irrigation for up to 2 minutes on your watering days.

You can’t…

• Irrigate or use your sprinklers on your lawns and garden outside of your watering days
• Hose your driveway
• Use a high pressure hose or water cleaner
• Use children's water slides that requires a hose connection outside of your watering roster.

Hand watering

You can use a watering can or hand-held hose (with 1 outlet) on any day of the week. We still recommend that you use your water outside before 9 am and after 6pm.

Using a hose without a nozzle is not an efficient way to water your garden as the soil can’t absorb lots of water in a short space of time.

You can attach a nozzle with many different settings to your hose to avoid wasting water. They can be bought at your nearest hardware store.

Using a watering can is more water efficient as you can target specific plants that need more water than others. It also helps to avoid over watering.

High pressure hose or water cleaner

You can only use a high pressure hose or water cleaner to:

• Fight fires
• Avoid a threat to public health or safety (such as a chemical spill)
• Construct, demolish or repair buildings, paved areas and roads

Community News

Photo Competition with Geoff Baker MLA

Would you like the opportunity to have your photo displayed at Parliament House in Perth?

I'm looking to find the best 10 photos that tell the story of the people and places of the South Perth electorate.

The best entries will be included in an electronic display at Parliament House and will have their photo displayed on my Facebook page (with a credit).

The fine print:

- You need to live or study in the electorate of South Perth (Como, Karawara, Kensington, Manning, Salter Point, South Perth, and Waterford)

- Submit a high-resolution photo (taken within the Electorate) along with your contact details to Geoff.Baker@mp.wa.gov.au by 10am Friday, 3rd September.