Newsletter 21st February 2024

Principal's Message

Bike Shed Upgrade

The P&C are moving forward with the upgrade to the Bike Shed, funded largely from the money raised at the 95^th anniversary fete in 2021. The tendering process has commenced.  Thank you to Adam Goodwin (Architect) and Ed McLarty (Engineer) for donating their time and expertise to draw up the plans for this venture.  We hope to have this work commence during the April school holidays.

Early Close – Wednesday 24^th April

We will be having an early close in Term 2 on Wednesday 24^th April at 12 pm (noon) in order to run our annual parent-teacher meetings a la ‘speed dating’.  This means teachers are able to meet with parents for 10-minute bookings that afternoon, along with other time slots during the week before and during that week.  Teachers will focus on providing parents with information on how their children are doing in literacy, numeracy and socially/emotionally.  The meetings on Wednesday afternoon (starting at 12:30pm) will be held in the senior block.  Parents are asked, if they are able, to collect their children at noon that day.  If you cannot do that, supervision (but not classes) will be provided at the school until 3pm. While there are no supervised crossings surrounding the school, please be aware that no crossings will be manned at noon anywhere, so students should remain at the school until 3pm if this is a concern. No phone meetings are available on Wednesday afternoon and face-to-face meetings are always the best and most preferred.  The SZapp booking system will be opened for bookings before the end of term.  You will be notified when this has occurred.

Volunteering Parent Declaration Forms

We thank all our parents who generously volunteer their time and energy to support our school community. There are some changes to the Working with Children Check policy, to ensure the safety of children when we have volunteers in the school.

If you would like to volunteer at our school, you will need to sign a ‘Parent and child volunteer declaration form’. You cannot volunteer if you have a current Working with Children Negative Notice or Interim Negative Notice.

These changes affect parents who are engaged in volunteer work. For example, you are considered a volunteer when you assist with activities such as reading sessions, day excursions, canteen duties, helping at a sports carnival or carrying out P&C duties.

You are not a volunteer when:

• picking up and dropping off your child
• observing events like school assemblies
• attending parent and teacher interviews
• visiting the uniform shop.

If your circumstances change, and you are issued with a Negative Notice or Interim Negative Notice after completing the ‘Parent and child volunteer declaration form’, you must advise the principal.

A current Working with Children Check is required by all other family members and friends over 18 years of age who want to volunteer.

It is a collective responsibility to ensure the safety of our children. We appreciate your ongoing support and dedication to our school community.

Please note that a fact sheet and the declaration form can be found in the Forms & Documents section of this newsletter (left hand column) and the Parent section of the school website: Forms & Documents - Kensington Primary School (kensingtonps.wa.edu.au)

School Board Elections

We are still looking for parents to join our School Board.  Please contact the school if you want to know more. Please find more information below.

The School Board currently meets twice a term - on the third and ninth Monday of each term at 5:30pm in the staffroom.  Claire Stone is the current chair of the 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 2024, 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

If you are interested in nominating yourself, please complete the nomination form linked below and return it to the school by Thursday 22nd 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)

Allergy Aware

We are seeking your help to support the students in our school with severe allergies.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening. The most common causes of anaphylaxis in schools are allergies to food and insects (bees).

The Best Practice Guidelines recommend an Allergy Aware approach, which means we are supporting students at risk of anaphylaxis in the following ways:

• training staff
• educating students about allergies and anaphylaxis
• teaching students that we all have different needs and to be respectful of others
• teaching students the importance of getting help immediately if their friend with allergy looks sick.

For food allergies, we are also:

• encouraging students with food allergies to wash their hands before and after eating
• encouraging students to wash their hands after eating something their classmate or friend is allergic to
• teaching students not to share food with friends who have food allergy.

Food allergies are common in school aged children and avoiding the food is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction. Therefore, we have put a range of different things in place to help keep these students safe. In younger primary classes, we may send letters home to suggest ways to support a child with food allergies that are additional to those listed above.

We ask you to support the school’s Allergy Aware approach so that we can increase safety and provide an environment that meets the needs of all our students.

Thank you for helping our school be “Allergy Aware”.

Kindy Families

Dear Families,

Please be aware that because Term 1 was a 9-week term and we are heading into an 11-week term, our Kindy timetable will have a change for Term 2 only.

Usually, Kindy 1 would attend Wednesdays on the school odd weeks (1,3,5,7,8,9) and Kindy 2 would attend Wednesdays on the even school weeks (2,4,6,8,10). However, in Term 2 this will reverse, but only for Term 2.  Term 3 and 4 will revert to the usual weeks.

Please see the calendar attached.  

Honours and Values Awards

Foyer Display - Room 1

Upcoming Events

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. Students in Years 3 and Year 5 will be completing NAPLAN during Weeks 7-8. Below is a timetable of the testing so parents know when tests will be conducted.  There will also be catch-up testing for students that miss a test session.

Any queries or concerns regarding NAPLAN feel free to contact Deputy Principal Clint McNerney on 64368448 or via email clint.mcnerney@education.wa.edu.au

If you wish to withdraw your child from the testing, please speak to your child’s teacher or Clint McNerney.

Sport News

Faction Swimming Carnival

The carnival is on Thursday 29^th February at Aqualife 11.30am – 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 along with 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 interschool carnival on 12^th March. 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.

Dates for Carnivals for 2024

VPASSA Inter School Carnival Dates 2024

Japanese News

Kensington Primary School is pleased to announce that following a successful visit in 2023, a group of primary school students from Japan will again visit Kensington Primary School for one week Sunday March 24 to Saturday March 30 at the end of Term 1, 2024! 

We are currently seeking expressions of interest from families who would like to host a visiting Japanese student (9-12 years of age) during this visit.  A remuneration will be paid to host families to assist with living expenses for the week.  Please email Margo.Whittle1@education.wa.edu.au to register your interest. 

If you emailed me last year, thank you. We still need a few more families.
Many thanks
Whittle sensei

School Board

Board Meeting Update (12^th February)

The Board met last week and discussed the following:

·        Facilities updates – especially the upcoming upgrade to the bike shed over the April holidays

·        Reporting to Parents feedback

·        Early Close on 24^th April for parent-teacher interviews

·        Changes to requirements for Working with Children Checks for parents and volunteers as well as the new induction process for contractors and volunteers

·        End of 2023 Financials

·        2023 Annual Report

·        Board Elections – we still have places for parent members

Minutes of the meeting can be found on our school website Our Community - Kensington Primary School (kensingtonps.wa.edu.au)

P & C News

Movie Night

This Friday night 23rd Feb! A great way to kick off the KPS social calendar.
Last minute registrations at the link below 

Kensington PS Movie Night 2024 - Migration Tickets, Kensington Primary School Oval, Kensington | TryBooking Australia

🐥Migration will be aired on the big screen on the school oval.  Bring a picnic rug or low chairs, and enjoy a great school community event, raising funds for our 2024 Year 6s. 

🌭🍔 BBQ and snacks for sale from 5.30pm, 23rd February 2024. This event is BYO, plastic cups only please. 

Gates open at 5.00pm with the movie commencing at 7.30pm.  Children 2 years and under are free.  

Family and friends welcome!

Thanks & Welcome 

Thankyou to some of our outgoing P&C members - the school is a better place thanks to your contributions:

Christine - for many hours manning the uniform shop
Sean, Liam & Sarah - for the endless efforts in fundraising 
Justin - ducks BBQ master
Tash - keeping everyone informed with comms!

Welcome to all the new members and position holders - looking forward to an exciting year.

If you missed the AGM and are wanting to get more involved this year we are looking for fundraising volunteers & ideas - the more fun the better!

UNIFORM SHOP AT VISTA STREET KINDY

We have set up a temporary shop for Term 1 at Vista Street kindy - Open Thursday mornings 8:20 - 9am. Online orders are still available (and preferred).

Uniform Shop Closed Week 7,8 & 9

We will be closed for the last weeks of Term 1 while our system gets upgraded - last day open 7th March (closed weeks 7/8/9). Any orders that come in during the closure period will be delivered to your classroom the week of April 18th. Fortnightly in person sales will continue from 18th April at Vista Street.

Uniforms

Follow the QR code for a direct link to the uniform shop to order online. Include your child’s name and classroom and we will deliver the following Thursday. Easy as! Happen to have ordered the wrong size? No problem, we are happy to exchange, just leave the tags on. 

Wondering what to do with uniforms you’ve outgrown? Leave them in the red donation bin located next to Room 7.

DUCKs Dads kick-off night, Wed. 13 March 2024

Hi Dads - We are having a kick-off night on Wednesday 13 March 2024, 7:30 - 8:30 pm at the Music Room. Please let us know by either email DUCKS.KPS@gmail.com or via the existing DUCKs WhatsApp group when the meeting details are posted there.

Also, the P&C needs your help to take an hour shift at the barbecue for the Movie Night this Friday 23 February on the school oval, between about 5:00pm and 8:00pm. New dads and current dads welcome to join and get to know some new people on the night. Please use the sign-up link sent to your class WhatsApp groups and sent via the DUCKs WhatsApp group this morning.

For any dads who want to join the DUCKs WhatsApp group (look for the DUCKs logo) to connect with other dads, please email us at DUCKS.KPS@gmail.com

Thanks,

Conrad - DUCKs Leader

Dads United for the Children of Kensington (DUCKs)

Year 6 Fundraising 

The Year 6 fundraisers are in full swing and appreciate your support: Icey pole sales have commenced. They are again available each Friday on the oval - please bring your $1 coins.

Containers for Change

Community News

The Commissioner for Children and Young People invites all WA children and young people aged under 18 to share their views on the environment through an online survey. 

The survey is completely anonymous and will take about 5-10 minutes to complete.

Have your say before Friday, 1 March 2024.

Access the survey here.