Newsletter 6th March 2024
Principal's Message
Faction Swimming Carnival
Thank you to Mrs Stanford, her team of parent helpers and the staff for the effort they put in to ensuring this carnival ran smoothly. It was a great day to be in the pool. Thanks also to the wonderful student leaders who prepared their teams well and to the students for their great sportsmanship and determination. Please see the results below under Sports News.
New School Board Members
Thank you to the following parents and staff for nominating to join the School Board. The Board looks forward to working with them.
Parents:
- Nicole Clark
- Naomi Ivala (second consecutive term)
- Lisa Joss
- Vanessa Leggo
Staff
- Katherine Herne
- Megan Mehnert
- Kate Dash (1 year)
We wish to thank the following members who are now leaving the Board after completing their term(s). Their contributions have been invaluable to the school and the community, and we acknowledge them for the gift of their time, wisdom and energy.
Parents:
- Renee Farmer
- Simon Keen
- Liam Lynch
Staff:
- Clare Brook
- Mary Adams
P & C Voluntary Contributions
Clarifying Confusion around P & C Voluntary Contributions
We have received many calls and emails regarding P & C Voluntary Contributions. Although the P & C voluntary contribution was mentioned on the booklist, please note that payment for this specific contribution was not collected through the booklist so it needs to be paid directly to the school (as per the booklist notice). The decision not to collect it through the booklist was made to prevent families from inadvertently paying $60 per student instead of the intended $60 per family.
Apologies for any confusion and thank you for your support.
Kindy 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.
School Lunch Online
We've made some changes to the school lunch online ordering system. When ordering your child’s school lunch, please ensure that you complete the form by entering your child’s year group and classroom. This change will assist with smoother delivery of school lunch orders.
Honours and Values Awards
Integrity
Being honest and standing up for what you believe is right. Doing the right thing even if it is hard.
Foyer Display - Room 2
Colour Monsters
After reading The Colour Monster series by Anna Llenas and learning about The Zones of Regulation, Room 2 were inspired to create their very own Colour Monsters. We added some strategies to our monsters 'emotions toolkit'. In the toolkits are some ideas for us to use to help regulate our feelings. We hope you love our Colour Monsters.
What's Been Happening
Premier’s Reading Challenge
The following students received certificates for completing the 2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge by reading at least 12 books across the 18-week challenge. These certificates were presented at this morning’s assembly by Geoff Baker, MLA. Well done to all these students. We hope to have even greater participation in 2024.
Alexander J Annabel M Caiden W Chester H Daniel B | Ella R Jess R Lewis P Oscar B Thea H |
Upcoming Events
NAPLAN
NAPLAN starts for Year 3 and Year 5 students on Wednesday 13th March. The schedule was published in the last newsletter.
Harmony Day – Thursday 21st March
We will be celebrating Harmony Day as per usual this year. Students are encouraged to wear orange or dress in a national costume representing their heritage. Students will be working with their buddies from another (younger/older) class in the afternoon.
ANZAC Ceremony
The ANZAC ceremony will be held at the school on the morning of Wednesday 24th April (Week 2 of Term 2). This will should at approx. 9am (time TBC).
Early Close – Wednesday 24th April
We will be having an early close in Term 2 on Wednesday 24th 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.
Something to Consider
Should You Be Checking Your Kid's Phone?
Smartphone ownership among younger children is increasing rapidly. Many primary school children now own smartphones and they have become the norm in high school. Parents of younger children may occasionally (or routinely) look at their child’s phone to check it’s being used responsibly and safely. But as children mature into teens, parental inspections will likely feel like an invasion of privacy. Many would not ask for a high schooler’s diary, yet phones hold even more personal information.
Click on the following link to read an article by Joanne Orlando from "The Conversation" on this topic:
Should you be checking your kid’s phone? How to know when your child is ready for ‘phone privacy’
NB: the school does not take responsibility for the information in this document.
The Role of the Home in Children's Critical Reading Skills Development
A new study has identified the specific home environment factors that were judged to support or hinder the development of children’s critical reading skills. The factors highlighted the importance of having a space for the child to be heard and involved in family discussions, having a space for differing viewpoints and critical thinking, parental competencies to support critical reading skills, and positive parental attitudes towards schooling and learning.
Click on the following link to read an article by Leena Paakkari and colleagues from "Nature - Humanities and Social Sciences Communications" on this topic:
The role of the home in children’s critical reading skills development
NB: the school does not take responsibility for the information in this document.
Sport News
Faction Swimming Carnival
Congratulations to all our swimmers who participated in our carnival last week. Well done to our medallion winners.
Year 4 Champions: Mabel and Ioane. Runner ups: Vivienne, Alex and Seb.
Year 5 Champions: Jessie and Finn. Runner ups: Elsie and Max.
Year 6 Champions: Isabel and Xavier. Runner ups: Eliza and Alfie.
The final faction points were:
Endeavour 559
Cygnet 528
Investigator 472
Parmelia 428
Congratulations Endeavour on back-to-back wins.
Special thanks to our parent volunteers – Amy, Brendan, Shannon, Jen, Amanda, Bernadette, Janet, Mackenzie (Notre dame student) and staff who assisted. Thanks to Ms Faulds and Ms Chatfield for organising the inside activities where the swimmers had lots of fun.
The interschool carnival is on Tuesday 12th March 11.45am – 2.30pm. The program of events is on the sport notice board.
Edu-Dance
The Edu-dance concerts for Pre-primary to Year 2 will now be held on Wednesday 27th March at 2.00pm or 2.30pm in the UCA. The classroom teacher will advise you about which concert each class will be performing in. Teachers will also provide you with information about costumes that are required.
P & C News
Class Rep get together
Tuesday 12th March, 7pm
Upstairs at Boston Brewery
Information night for class reps, P&C members and interested parents for 2024 events and making KPS a great place for all.
P&C meeting
19th March 7:30pm in staffroom
Please bring along any ideas to the meeting - all welcome to attend.
UNIFORM SHOP AT VISTA STREET KINDY
Uniform shop is closed for the rest of Term 1. Online order will be processed and delivered to classrooms.
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.
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)