Newsletter 22nd February 2023
Principal's Message
P&C for 2023
Thank you to the P&C of 2022 for all their hard work fundraising to provide extra resources for the school. We also appreciate their work in providing community building events such as discos, DUCKs events and sausage sizzles etc. Welcome to the P&C of 2023. Now that the courts are finished, the plan to build the new bike shed and renew the playgrounds, such as the early childhood area and the naturescape, will keep the P&C busy again this year.
Drop at the Door
Now that we have settled into the year, we would like everyone to begin dropping their children at the classroom door each morning, rather than inside the classroom. So, as per our Parent Handbook (available online), “When classrooms open at 8.30am, we ask that only students enter the classroom. If parents need to communicate with staff, please email or leave a message at the office. This is to encourage all students to become independent and to ensure staff focus on their students in the morning, rather than adult conversation”. We have also found that this helps settle the students as there are fewer bodies in the room and fewer unfamiliar adults. This is particularly valuable for those students who have anxieties or sensory processing issues. This is not to say that we parents are not welcome in the school. You are welcome to drop the teacher a line on SeeSaw or make an appointment to catch up. The early childhood and junior classes, in particular, may ask for volunteers to help on roster too. Thank you for your support with this.
Chat GPT Block
As you may have recently learned, a new artificial intelligence application called ChatGP is being used by some students to create content for assessments and assignments as part of their schoolwork.
After careful consideration, the Department has blocked access to this application on all public-school networks. This decision has been made with the best interest of students and staff in mind.
While technology continues to develop and evolve, and plays a critical part in every child’s learning, we need to ensure students can demonstrate and be assessed on what they learn and know.
Users of this technology also need to be 18 years and over.
The Department will monitor this application, as well as other new technology available to staff and students and will respond to any that do not meet the best interests of our students.
Introducing our Staff
As you will know from the last newsletter, we have a number of new staff. We will introduce you to them either in this newsletters or the next by including a photo and where they work.
- Mary Adam Fridays in P3
- Serinna Deas Fridays in P1
- Lisa Karaki Room 3
- Katherine Herne Room 5 (returning after a year’s absence)
- Adelle Harris Room 8 (was with us part time in S3 at the end of the year)
- Cecilia Franz in S2
- Conrad Lubich Library and leadership release
- Georgie Baxter, Special Needs EA working with a variety of students across a variety of classrooms.
Serinna Deas - working on Fridays in P1
Lisa Karaki - full time in Room 3
Cecilia Franz - full time in S2
Adelle Harris - working full time in Room 8
(Miss Harris was with us part time in S3 at the end of 2022)
Annual Reminders
We are required to provide everyone with some annual reminders.
While school starts at 8:50am each morning, we are happy for students to arrive at 8:30am when classroom doors open to allow students time to setup for the day and participate in before school sessions such as reading. This enables everyone to be ready for the start of the day. Students who arrive before this time must be seated in the quadrangle area and must not interrupt the teachers’ preparations for the school day (K-P students must be supervised by the parents before 8:30am). We can only guarantee supervision from 8:15am onwards. Students should not arrive at school before 8:15am. All students who arrive after 8:50am must report to the office so that we can record attendance without interrupting the classroom teachers’ lessons.
All students who have to wait at the end of the day for pickup must wait with Miss Jones at the kiss and wave. Any students who have not been collected by 3:15pm will be taken to the office for collection. We are happy for students who are being directly supervised by the parents to play on playground equipment after school. Supervising other people’s children, without consent from their parents, is not compliant with legal requirements. Equipment cannot be used before school (except by clubs who have been licensed to use the school site for training) and the oval is out of bounds before and after school.
All visitors to the school must report to the office first. This includes parents who are attending the school after the start of the school day. Students will not be released from their classroom without a slip from the office. This is a safety precaution to ensure only people who have the right to access students do so.
We have completed a deed of licence with OSHClub and allow them to use the undercover area before and after school each day so we must avoid this area altogether to allow them to run their program uninterrupted. Please access the quadrangle via the gate near the library rather than through the undercover area.
For safety reasons students are not allowed to ride their scooters, skateboards or bikes on the school grounds. Students are asked to walk these items instead. We also ask that parents follow the same rules as good role models.
Children are allowed to climb trees but they should not climb higher than a teacher can reach (approx. 1.8m).
A reminder that all student absences must be explained either in writing (by the SZapp app or by email) or by speaking to the school/class teacher (who will record the explanation in writing). All families taking vacation leave outside of school holidays must also write to the principal. It is important to note that Australia has mandatory school attendance.
The staff car park is not available for dropping off students in the mornings or picking up students at the end of the day. It is a small car park and our staff can’t all park there because it is so small. It is also difficult getting out during peak times (especially if others are trying to get in) so please do not use the car park. While I realise that often people think that when they do it there is no harm, but if everyone did it, of course, there would be chaos. It is also not safe for children to be in this area as backing cars don’t always see small children and children can move quickly and unpredictably. Thanks for your support on this.
It is a condition of entry that you abide by the school rules and the directions given by the principal or her delegates. Please be aware that the principal has no control over what occurs outside school grounds, such as on the roads surrounding the school. The school cannot enforce road rules or control the parking on the side roads, nor can it actively control traffic on those roads. The school is, however, in charge of the kiss and wave on the school grounds. Instructions on how to use the Kiss n Wave (alternatively called the Kiss n Drive) can be found on our website under the “For Parents” in the document called “Kiss and Drive guidelines” Kensington Primary School eNewsletter (kensingtonps.wa.edu.au). There is also a link to this document under “Forms and Documents” on the left side of this newsletter.
We encourage all parents and children to use the pedestrian gates to access the school, rather than the gates used by cars to drive through the kiss and wave. Apart from holding up traffic, this can be unsafe for children especially, who don’t always have the ability to process the traffic information in a timely manner.
Please note that the school has a Mobile Devices policy as part of our Positive Behaviour Plan. This policy states that children should not use personal mobile devices during school hours. This includes smart watches. Students who use their smart watches inappropriately (including being distracted by looking at things on them) will run the risk of having them confiscated and given a yellow behaviour slip.
Gift from the Class of 2022
Please take a look at the mural on the back of the outdoor play shed of the early childhood area. This is the mural that the Year 6 student council contracted an artist to provide for the school showing the Noongar season of Djeran. The funding for this project was provided by the Student Council (from the P&C) and the P&C Year 6 fundraising committee. Thank you to the P&C.
Updating SZapp and Lunch Order Subscriptions
Just a reminder that you will need to update your child(ren)’s classes on the school app, SZapp, and the online School Lunches Online site. On the SZapp app you go into Manage and unselect the old classes and select the new classes.
If you order your child’s lunch from School Lunches Online, please ensure that you update his/her classroom details on their website so that their lunch can be delivered to them.
Voluntary Contributions
We are now in a position to accept voluntary contributions for 2023. Thank you for your patience. If you have not already paid these contributions via the online booklist order, you may do so at the front office.
Upcoming Events
*FREE*
PROTECTIVE BEHAVIOURS WORKSHOP for Parents and Carers
At Kensington PS, we believe that all children have the right to feel safe at all times, but we also know as parents, carers and teachers we cannot be with each child every minute of the day.
The physical and emotional impact of bullying, cyber bullying, child abuse and domestic violence is now much better understood. Research consistently shows that teaching children preventive ways of staying safe, such as those described in the protective behaviours program, is an effective way of strengthening children’s ability to recognise danger, seek help and minimise risk.
Kensington PS is committed to teaching every child the protective behaviours program in partnership with you. Parents and carers play a vital role in helping children develop personal safety and resilience skills and it’s very important children hear the same messages at school and home. Working together, we can help our children to recognise unsafe situations and be proactive and confident in their response.
By attending this workshop, you will:
- learn the key principles of the protective behaviours program
- understand the positive impact of the protective behaviours program for children
- discuss how the protective behaviours program is being taught at school and
- practise activities and ways to speak with your child at home about personal safety that aligns with what they have learnt at school.
DATE: Thursday 23rd February 2023
TIME: 5:00 – 7:00pm
VENUE: Kensington Primary School Music Room
PRESENTER: Justine O’Malley
TO REGISTER: Please click on the School Events Calendar on SZapp, then find and click on this event. Scroll down through the information and find a Book Tickets button.
Please note: Because of the content of this workshop it is not suitable for children to attend. Thank you.
NAPLAN
Year 3 and Year 5 students will be participating in NAPLAN testing this term. Parents of students in those year levels should have received a brochure providing information on NAPLAN. Please see the timetable below for practice testing and the actual tests.
If you wish to withdraw your child from the testing, please speak to your child’s teacher or Mrs Di Filmer.
Sports News
Faction Swimming Carnival
The carnival is on Thursday March 2nd at Aqualife 11.00am – 2.30pm. Attending students are to wear their bathers to school with their shorts and faction T shirts. Students are to take food, water, hats, towel and sunscreen with them for the day’s events. All students from Year 5 – 6 will attend and invited Year 4 students. Consent2Go will be sent out this week so please check your emails and respond with permission and payment. The program for the day is attached to the newsletter. Students will swim in their nominated events which will be on the sport noticeboard. Competitors will be selected from the Faction carnival to swim in the Inter School carnival on April 4th. Parents are welcome to attend. Cost for spectators is $2.00.
Winter Sport
Check out our local community sport clubs for their winter registrations. Information will be on their web sites.
School Board
SCHOOL BOARD
The school board consists of a balanced mix of teachers, parents, and community members. Parent and community members provide an integral link between the school’s academic and administrative staff and the community, informing the decision making and direction of the school. We have several parent-representative positions vacant for 2023, so I encourage you to consider nominating. The positive influence that the parent community has on the school, through sharing their experiences, knowledge and desires for the parent community to ensure informed decisions are made in the best interests of the students, is inestimable. In setting and monitoring the business plan for the school, it is a great way to learn about how the school operates, its challenges and its successes. If you would like to get involved in continuing the positive development of the school and share your, and your fellow parents’, experiences to guide the school, I encourage you to consider nominating for the school board.
If you are interested in finding out more, please consider speaking with the principal, or any of our current board members. A list of current board members can be found on the school website.
Our School Board – NOMINATIONS OPEN
The School Board will be meeting twice a term - on the third and ninth Wednesday of each term at 5:30pm. Simon Keen is the current chair of the school board. There are some vacancies on the board this year. If you are interested in nominating yourself, please complete the nomination form linked below and return it to the school by Thursday 24th February. Below is also an information sheet, which gives potential nominees an overview of the board and how it runs. Below is a list of functions of the board as outlined in the Department’s policy. Please note – all Board members are now required to give consent for the Department of Education to undertake a National Police History Check into their backgrounds.
The functions of the school board are:
1 to take part in:
a) establishing and reviewing from time to time, the school’s objectives, priorities and general policy directions;
b) the planning of financial arrangements necessary to fund those objectives, priorities and directions;
c) evaluating the school’s performance in achieving them; and
d) formulating codes of conduct for students at the school;
2 to determine in consultation with students, their parents and staff a dress code for students when they are attending or representing the school;
3 to promote the school in the community;
4 to approve:
a) charges and contributions for the provision of certain materials, services and facilities;
b) extra cost optional components of educational programmes;
c) items to be supplied by a student for use in an educational programme; and
d) any agreements or arrangements for advertising or sponsorship in relation to the school;
5 to provide advice to the principal of the school on:
a) a general policy concerning the use in school activities of prayers, songs and material based on religious, spiritual or moral values being used in a school activity as part of religious education; and
b) the implementation of special religious education;
6 with the approval of the Minister, or the Minister’s delegate the Director General, or sub-delegates the Deputy Director General, Schools or Regional Executive Directors for government schools in their regions to:
a) take part in the selection of, but not the appointment of, the school principal or any other member of the teaching staff.
The board cannot:
1 intervene in the educational instruction of students;
2 exercise authority over teaching staff or other persons employed at the school;
3 control or manage the school unless the intervention is by way of performing a function prescribed for incorporated councils or boards (see section 3.3- Incorporated councils or boards); or
4 intervene in the management or operation of a school fund.
The council or board must comply with any conditions imposed on it by the Minister pursuant to section 130(3)(c) of the School Education Act 1999, and any directions issued by the Minister pursuant to section 135(1) of the School Education Act.
An induction process is provided for all new members. If you have any questions about the function of the board or what is expected, please email the principal at Kensington.ps@education.wa.edu.au
You may wish to check out our website School Board - Kensington Primary School (kensingtonps.wa.edu.au)
P & C News
Movie Under the Stars
Yr 6 Fundraising and the KPS P&C are excited to announce that tickets are now on sale for our Movie Night! Don’t miss out on early bird ticket prices - click on the link below to book!
DUCKs 2023 Dads catch-up, 7pm Thursday 9 March 2023, Music Room
Calling all KPS Dads and Father Figures - we would love to see you at at the first Dads catch-up event for the year being held 9th March at the Music Room at Kensington Primary School.
- Parking and Entry at Fourth Avenue gate near the bike shed.
- The Music Room is located just downhill from the oval, for those that may not be familiar.
- Drinks and Nibbles provided.
- Please invite fellow dads from your kids classrooms.
The purpose is to meet other KPS Dads and Father Figures, bring your activity ideas for 2023 and help us make a plan for the year.
Please RSVP HERE
Please email us at DUCKS.KPS@gmail.com to be added to the DUCKs group.
Thanks,
Conrad Slee and Justin Nicholls - DUCKs
Dads United for the Children of Kensington (primary school)
Containers for Change
We have a wheely bin and 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
A maths expo – now that’s something different!
The expo is targeted at families in the aim to provide support to parents and students with mathematics learning at home by showcasing interactive resources. It will be a fun, interactive day with lots of opportunity to see a variety of resources that make learning fun, and there are prizes to be won on the day!