Newsletter 1st December 2021

Principal's Message

Parent Helper Morning Tea

Today we showed our appreciation, through a special morning tea, to all the parents and volunteers that offered their services to the school throughout the year.  That is a lot of people!  A school like KPS benefits from a large number of volunteers, especially in a fete year.  You have all ensured that the extra programs, facilities and supports that add significantly to the children’s schooling, continue to occur. We thank you sincerely.

Christmas Concert

Today’s Christmas Concerts were a credit to all those students, staff and parents involved.  A big thank you to Mrs Dewing, the music parent helpers, the actors, narrators, comperes, junior choir, the band and the circus performers. Thanks to Mrs Stanford and Mr Ran Weinreb, for working with our circus performers.  Thanks also to our parents, students and staff who worked back stage, setting up or pulling down equipment, on sound and filming.  The concert will be repeated again tonight at 7pm, minus the staff item.

Art Prize

This week, at the morning Christmas Concert, we announced the winners of the P&C art prize and the popular art prize.  The former was won by Poppy (S4) with her chalk drawing of a red-tailed black cockatoos and the latter by Madeleine (S4) for her green frog.  A copy of Poppy’s cockatoo will be framed and added to our artist’s gallery, as is our tradition, in the office.  Their prizes and certificates were presented at the morning Christmas Concert today by Ms Sue Millar.  This is her last official act as she has now retired.  We thank her for her many years of service, and especially for being the person in charge of organising this competition and the art prizes for many years. Thank you to the P&C for sponsoring the P&C art prize.

Student Forum

The Student Council held their student forums to get feedback from students across Years 1-6.  They used that feedback to decide how they wished to spend their budget of $2000.  They decided that the best use of their funds would be to open up the courtyard in the senior block where there are four picnic benches so that they could create an outdoor classroom next to the vegetable patch and provide a great place to eat lunch.  They will also relocate the bench from there to outside the alcove in the senior block for more lunchtime seating.

New Roof & New Courts

The school will be a hive of activity over the school holidays.  Not only are we getting revitalised and multipurpose courts, but the tiled roofs will be replaced with colour bond.  Both projects have been long awaited and desired.  For your information, there is no truth to the rumour that the ficus tree on the corner of Banksia Tce and Fourth Ave is to be removed.  This has never even been discussed so we don't know how this rumour got started.  A couple of the small trees near the sea container will be removed to extend the courts but these will be replaced next year when we continue our five-stage replanting process. This will see an increase to the number of trees and shrubs across the school.

Graduation, Ringing of the Bell & 2022 Student Leaders

The Year 6 class will have their graduation ceremony on Wednesday 15^th December at Lifestreams.  This will commence at 5pm and be followed by the Year 5/6 social dance at the same venue.  On Thursday 16^th December, the Year 6s will spend the day at the foreshore.  Year 6 parents are welcome to join them. We will finish the year, as is traditional, with each Year 6 student ringing the school bell at the end of the day.  Parents interested in seeing who the 2022 Student Leaders are or to witness the Year 6s ringing the symbolic final bell are encouraged to be at school no later than 2:15pm that day.

Pixie Post

Each year the Year 6 students become Santa’s helpers by delivering students’ Christmas cards to the classes.  If your child would like to have their Christmas cards delivered to their school mates, the pixie post box will be placed outside the library from next week.  We ask students not to include lollies or chocolates in these posts.

Mural

You might have noticed the mural that is emerging on the donga wall.  This is being created by a student at Curtin University (through their artist in residence program) with the help of our senior students.  It reflects the work the Year 6 student councillors have been doing to encourage and protect birdlife in our school.  Thank you to Mrs Clare Brook for organising and coordinating all of this (it's been a mammoth task) and for Professor Brook for painting the undercoat.

Contributions and Charges

The Contributions and Charges for 2022 are linked below.  As we will not be doing upfront payments in 2022, parents that have credit this year will be receiving a letter to ascertain what they would like to do with that credit.  In 2022 we will be offering online payments through Consent 2 Go for all excursions and 'incursions'.  This will mean you can arrange this payment at the time of giving your consent for your child to participate in the event.  Further information on how to do this will be provided early in 2022. 

Please also note that the Booklists have been posted to our SZapp.

Bunnings visits the Pre-primary Classes

'The wonderful Ashlee came out from Victoria Park Bunnings as she was so impressed with our Bunnings play area set up in the Pre-primary play shed. She delivered craft activities and Bunnings leggo. We were so grateful and thanked her with some flowers and chocolates. We hope to see her again soon.'

Teacher, Jemma Marris

Classroom Foyer Display

Merry Christmas from Kindy Classes!

K1 Symmetrical Christmas Trees

The class folded their paper in half and then carefully used cotton buds to decorate half their page. It was fun folding the paper in half again and squishing the paint to reveal a fully decorated Christmas Tree!

K2 Handprint Reindeers

The children made handprints with glittery paint. Then they used a gold pen to draw the antlers, used stickers for the eyes and chose a fun pom pom to make the nose!

K3 Reindeer

To celebrate the end of 2021 year in Kindergarten at Vista Street, the students have begun some fun Christmas and celebration craft!  Don't their reindeers look amazing!

Sports News

Squash

On Monday and Tuesday, we had the opportunity to play squash using inflatable squash courts. This was possible due to the sponsorship of Healthways Smarter Than Smoking and WA Squash. Brennan introduced the students to squash and also talked about the Smarter Than Smoking message. We have local squash courts on Banksia Tce and there is a Junior Program in Victoria Park at Leisure Life, see attached information if your child is interested in continuing with squash.

State Cricket Final

Our Girls Cricket team consisting of Isla, Poppy, Tamsin, Ashlee, Meg, Matilda, Ava, Grace, Juanita and Bridget, qualified in the Regional Finals and then competed in the State Finals and played on the hallowed WACA turf. We played four matches and won one. An amazing effort to be one of the top eight schools in the State.

Schools Challenge

21 swimmers competed last weekend in the School Swimming Challenge at Wesley College. This is a meet where we swim against local schools from our Victoria Park area. Congratulations to all swimmers on competing and swimming all three strokes. As the event was cancelled last year it was a new experience for most swimmers. Well done to Milly, Matilda, Poppy and Niamh who came Runners-up in the Year 6 & Under Girls Freestyle Relay and to Kieren, Ethan, Marcus and William (Yr. 5) who came Runners-up in the Year 6 & Under Boys Freestyle Relay. Congratulations to Niamh for gaining the Year 6 Girl Runner-up. The final results were Kensington in third place in all three categories: the Boys, Girls and Overall scores. Super effort team!!

Bike Education

The Year 3's final session for Bike Ed is tomorrow, Thursday.  Parents, please ask your child about the skills they have learnt over the six sessions. This has been a free program for students due to our Sporting Schools funding.

Running Club

Yesterday we had our final run for the year and celebratory breakfast. Thanks to Swansea Street Fruit and Vegetable for their generous donation of fruit.

Well done to the 50 runners who run every week. Over the term, 100 children have attended Running Club at least once. Great to see our Kindy students attending and beginning their journey as runners. Thanks to Mel, Tina and Nick for their assistance. Thanks to all parents who often get roped in to help. Running Club could not operate without your assistance. We will recommence next year about half way through Term 1. Notification of a commencement date will be in the newsletter next year. Enjoy running over the holidays.

Teacher, Raema Stanford

Music

Senior Choir and Band photos are available from the Music Room.  If students bring along their donation (suggested $5), Mrs Dewing will issue the photo/photos immediately.  The donation is for the Music Department.

Music Uniforms must be returned by the end of next week.  All trousers, skirts and ribbons are hired and must be returned at the end of each year.  Please ensure your child's name is included with the returned items.

The USB recordings on the Massed Choir Concert have been issued.  If you have not received your recording, please email me immediately and I will contact the Media company.

Music Teacher, Lynette Dewing

P & C News

Icy Poles

The P & C will be selling icy poles for $1.00 during the second break (around 1.40pm) this Friday .

SAVE THE DATE!

2022  Movie Night will be on the 5th February 2022!

Uniform Shop

Uniform shop will be open on Friday 28^th January from 12noon to 2pm for back to school uniforms and Leavers T-Shirts

All orders purchased online through Team app from Dec 17^th 2021 will also be ready for collection on this date.

Kris, Uniform Co-Ordinator

Containers for Change

We have a wheely bin and/or a wool bale in the quadrangle where you can deposit containers, help the environment and fundraise for the school all at once.  We hope, with sufficient support from everyone, to expand this program.

Community News