Newsletter 9th August 2023
Principal's Message
Principals Day
This occurred last Friday. It is an annual event. Thank you to the staff, students and parents who acknowledged this event with lovely messages and signs of appreciation. The deputies and I were very grateful. It was a shame that I had a collegiate meeting that day – poorly organised to have a bunch of principals out of their schools that day. That did not diminish my appreciation of the thoughtfulness and care that was shown to me on my return on Monday.
Cross Country
Thank you to all the parents who cheered on our students last week. I am very proud of the way the children participated in this event. I am also very grateful for the lovely weather and atmosphere on the day. A big thank you to Mrs Stanford, Mr Guidi and Mr Powers who accompanied the students and organised them on the day. We are eternally grateful for Mrs Stanford’s organisation and commitment to supporting the students in their preparation for this event and on the day. Well done to all the students and congratulations for again taking home the shield – although it was a close-run competition this year.
Before School Supervision
Please remember that the school does not provide supervision for students before 8:15am. Between 8:15 – 8:30am, any student on the school grounds (except at organised events such as running club) students should be seated in the quadrangle. At 8:30am, the classroom doors are opened for students to prepare for the day. If you must drop your child at school before 8:15am, then please use the OSHClub. Their details are below. There is a cost involved in using the OSHClub but the school does not provide free supervision before 8:15am. You will be contacted by the school if your child arrives before 8:15am on a regular basis.
Any students not collected by parents by 3:15pm each day will need to be collected at the office. Please let the school know if you are going to be late. The office is not able to supervise your child if you are going to be over half an hour late. Again, OSHClub is available after school. You can register for this for free so that you can use this in an emergency.
Honours and Values awards
Creativity
Discovering the power of imagination! Encouraging original thought, curiosity and daring to see things in new ways. Identifying your own special strengths.
High School Scholarships
Special congratulations to the following students who have been accepted into specialist programs for high school:
Angus B – Selective Academic Program at Fremantle College
Jimmy K – Old Aquinians’ Scholarship at Aquinas College
James B – Specialist EMITS Program at Como SC
Sienna B – Create@Como Program at Como SC
Clara B – Create@Como Program and Specialist Music Program at Como SC
Upcoming Events
Book Week
Read, Grow, Inspire!
Dress as your favourite book character on Thursday 24th August. 9.00am -parade undercover area.
Lost Property
We have accumulated a large collection of lost property, which is located outside the staffroom. Please take a look (or encourage your children to look) if you are missing any items of clothing.
Donated Uniforms
If you have the opposite problem – you have unwanted uniforms – then, if they are in reasonable condition, please consider donating these to the uniform shop for resale. It is easy to do – pop any clean items into the large red wheelie bin between Room 7 and the office area, along the verandah surrounding the quadrangle.
What's Been Going On At KPS
NAIDOC Events
On Friday 28th July, KPS celebrated NAIDOC. We began the day with a smoking ceremony and dance performance from Wadumbah. This was an interactive performance that saw a number of students and staff get up and dance too. This family group of performers (three generations) were energetic, enthusiastic and very friendly. They were a joy to have at the school. The student councillors had seen them at the Walk for Reconciliation and were very keen to have the rest of the school see them. Likewise, the student councillors also met the artist, Julianne Wade from Whadjuk Artist, at the Walk for Reconciliation and were pleased to be able to invite her to work with the students across the school to make four wonderful canvases depicting the NAIDOC theme – For Our Elders. She was recently in the newspaper for her residency at Brookfield Place’s Tower 1 lobby where she produced a lovely artwork tracing the lifecycle of the sheoak through the Noongar seasons. So, we were very lucky to book her to work with our students. We will be displaying this work once we have it framed and will showcase them in a newsletter.
The student councillors also worked with a number of classes across the school to teach them how to ‘weave’ a bangle with raffia. Classes conducted sessions in their rooms sharing stories and Aboriginal histories. Mrs Jetta, with the help of many staff members, cooked kangaroo and emu sausages and her famous damper to share with the staff and students. We are very grateful for her commitment to NAIDOC and the school community. It was a lovely day of celebration.
Cyber Safety Parent with Paul Litherland (2022 WA Australian of the Year)
Yesterday afternoon Paul Litherland from Surf Online Safe worked with the Year 5 and 6 students to upskill and inform them of the pitfalls of using online social media apps. His humour was appreciated by the students as they began to learn how to protect themselves online.
Last night, Paul delivered a presentation to parents on this topic. We had a fantastic turnout, especially for such a stormy night, with about 40 attendees. Paul’s dedication to protecting our children and informing parents of how best to do this was very much appreciated - along with his humour, knowledge and energy. Thanks to the P&C for continuing to fund this event.
Visitors from South Korea
The Curtin Education Community (the network of local schools that KPS belongs to) is deepening its ties with Curtin University. As part of that partnership, KPS hosted Curtin University student teachers from South Korea yesterday morning. They toured the school and visited classrooms to observe how primary schools are run in Australia.
Foyer Display - Room 9
As a part of Reconciliation Day and NAIDOC Week, Room 9 learnt a poem about Aboriginal Peoples connection to the land. Mother Earth was written by Nola Gregory and she kindly gave her permission for us to learn and perform the poem. The children have also been learning about some of the symbols used in Aboriginal artworks. They then chose symbols that were representative of the sentiments in the poem and created their own works of art representing a connection to the earth.
Sports News
Interschool Cross-country
Last Thursday our team of 48 runners competed in the VPASSA Interschool Cross-country at Harold Rossiter. As a team we ran extremely well. Congratulations to our place winners:
Year 6 Girls - 4th Charlotte | Year 6 Boys – 1st James |
| Year 5 Girls – 2nd Isabel | Year 5 Boys – 2nd Freddie |
| Year 4 Girls – 4th Bella | Year 4 Boys – 3rd Maxwell |
Year 3 Boys – 3rd Cooper |
The final scores were:
Kensington 783
Millen 754
Victoria Park 743
Lathlain 676
East Victoria Park 496
Bentley 204
Several of our Year 6 runners competed at the State Cross Country immediately following their race. They competed against 300 - 350 runners from across the state. Congratulations to James Yr. 6 who placed 6th and to all the runners who all ran times faster than last year’s times.
Faction Athletics Carnival
The faction carnival will be held in Week 7, weather permitting. Times are approximate. Please see the overview for the week and full program below.
Running Club
Running Club is on each Tuesday (running track) and Friday (oval) morning from 8.00am – 8.30am. New runners always welcome. Parents of Kindy and Pre-primary parents must attend with their child. Active kids learn better!
School Board
School Board Meeting
The Board met on Monday 31st July. The Board agreed to use the Connect and Respect: Expectations document recently published by the Department as the basis for a school document to replace the Complaints Management Policy. The Board also provided some feedback on a draft vision statement for the Reconciliation Action Plan. This will be reviewed at the next RAP meeting on Friday 18th August.
P & C News
DUCKs family bushwalk at Lesmurdie Falls, 5 August 2023
We had around 35 kids, dads and mums join in the DUCKs family bushwalk over this past weekend on a cool and sunny day in the hills that was perfect for being outdoors. We had two groups to starting at different times to suit daytime plans. The kids had a great time running up the trails, scampering around the rocks and walking along the edge of the stream.
Most of us stopped and had a mini picnic with the kids at some point while overlooking the sweeping views of the city and coastal plains. It was a great day out and good to see so many dads leading their kids along the way. Each family made the most of the walk, with the littler legs of our younger kids tending to focus on the shorter sections, while the older kids were able to extend themselves and walk the trails up past the top of the falls. We had some lovely wildflowers out on the day. Thanks to all the dads and mums that came along to spend fun family time outdoors getting to know other families from the school. There were many tired and happy kids at the end.
Save the Date
DUCKs Campout - 10 November 2023 - Our annual Dads and Kids Campout and Silent Disco on the school oval. Please mark it in to your calendars.
For any questions, please contact:
The Fathering Project
We encourage Fathers and Father-figures to sign-up to The Fathering Project (see their website).
A recent update from TFP included a link to a video by Dr Bruce Robinson on the importance of the Father-Daughter relationship. Here is the link:
All the best,
Conrad Slee - DUCKs
Dads United for the Children of Kensington (Primary School)
Containers for Change
Containers for Change Competition
Win cool prizes for you and your class, AND help the environment and the P&C!
The Containers For Change Competition continues. Pop your collected bottles, cartons and cans into the bins at school (near the staff room) and email a photo to kpscontainersforchange@gmail.com
Collect at least 10 eligible containers, take a photo and email to the address above.
Students can also take containers to an eligible Containers for Change donation point (e.g. Manning Markets on Saturdays and Vic Park Markets on Sunday). Scan the QR code below or quote Scheme ID C10350959 to make sure the donation goes to KPS P&C.
Submissions close Sunday 20 August, with individual and class winners to be announced at the school assembly on Wednesday 23 August.
Community News
Online workshop with Early Childhood Psychologists: Supporting a child diagnosed with ADHD
The Early Childhood Psychologists are running online workshops during term 3 for families. Families do not need to register. You are welcome to share the information and Webex link with your families.
Date: 23 August 2023, 8-10pm
Blurb: Being a parent brings joys and challenges. But parents of children diagnosed with ADHD can face special challenges. They may need to learn extra ways of supporting their children. They may feel frustrated if their parenting strategies don’t seem to work. Too high expectations can lead to conflict and disappointment. This workshop will provide you with some suggestions to help you support your child.
Link:
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