Newsletter 24th April 2024

Principal's Message

Pupil Free Day – Monday 6^th May

As you will be aware, we did not have our usual pupil free (school development) day at the start of this term.  The reason for this is that the planned professional learning for the staff was not available on that day, so we have had to shift the day to accommodate this training.  We will need to do that again in Term 4.  We really prefer to have the pupil free days on the first day of term, whenever possible, but for a series of four trainings, over two years, we have had to shift the day to accommodate this much in demand training.

Vista Street

As you will know, last year and this year we have not needed to use Vista Street kindy.  However, we may need it in the future, so we don’t want to lose it.  This year and next, the Department plan for that site is to allow Kensington Secondary School to use it.  Our equipment will be stored until we need the site again, which should not be until at least 2026.

Early Childhood Busy Bee

A huge thank you to the parents who came along, organised by Ed McLarty and Amanda Thomason, on Saturday to do some gardening and manual labour to clean up the early childhood playground.  They removed tyres, concrete, weeds and a myriad of other items.  Things are looking so much better.  We are now organising to meet with a playground designer to look at improving this area and the old naturescape area.  This will be a project the P&C will work towards funding once the bike shed has been completed.  See the P&C section below for photos from the day.

Bike Shed

We had hoped the bike shed would be upgraded over the past holidays, but we now believe it will be done over the next holidays.  We are looking forward to seeing this.  We may have a few days at the end of the term where this area may see some preparation work that will require us to change how the bike shed runs for the last week.  We will let you know. A big thank you to the P&C for funding the lion’s share of this work.

Introducing New Teaching Staff in Term 2

As we mentioned in our last newsletter, we have four new members of our teaching staff in Term 2.  We also will have some new Special Needs EAs (SNEA) starting soon too.

We welcome:

Access to free period products

Our school will soon be providing access to free period products for students, as part of the Western Australian Government’s commitment of access across WA public schools.

Period products are a fundamental health necessity and having a period should not be a barrier to participating in school. Providing access to free products at school is designed to enable students to stay engaged in their studies and ease some cost-of-living pressure for families.

We believe a dispenser will be installed in the senior girls’ toilets where students will be able to take what they need, when they need. Both Libra-branded pads and tampons are available. Libra products are Australian manufactured and made to Australian Standards. We will confirm the location of these products once we have them confirmed ourselves.

Our school is committed to improving students understanding of period health and addressing any stigma.

Information available from the following websites may assist you to have conversations about menstrual health and hygiene at home:

• https://www.getthefacts.health.wa.gov.au/our-bodies/periods
• https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/menstruation

WA Student Assistance Payment

All Western Australian school students (Kindergarten to Year 12) currently enrolled in a public school, registered non-government school, or home-schooled, with a valid WA student number (WASN) are eligible to claim this payment from Monday 15 April 2024.

The WA Student Assistance Payment is available to claim within the ServiceWA app. More information about setting up the app and step-by-step instructional videos are available on wa.gov.au/servicewaapp. The ServiceWA app is the fastest and most convenient way to claim the payment; however, alternative claim methods will be available for those unable to access ServiceWA. More information is available at education.wa.edu.au/wasap/questions-and-support.

A support line has been established for parents and carers to manage any enquiries regarding eligibility and how to claim. Parents and carers can call 1800 882 345 for support between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday.

The school will assist parents and carers to identify a student’s WASN or provide support to submit a claim in exceptional circumstances. You should already have received advice on your WASN from the school.

Tuesday's Industrial Action

As you know the half-day stop-work action was taken yesterday morning by the SSTUWA.  We had approximately 80 students away.  The morning absence, if parents have explained it as due to the industrial action, will not be counted as an unauthorised absence and so it will not impact their semester’s attendance percentages.  However, if they did not arrive for the afternoon, the absence will be counted, and parents would need to provide another reason.

Letter to Pre-Primary Families

Foyer Display - Pre-Primary 1 & 3

The Pre-Primary classes in PP1 and PP3 have been learning about ANZAC Day, which takes place on the 25th April every year.

ANZAC Day is a day to remember the ANZAC soldiers from Australia and New Zealand who served in the first world war. The red poppy is a symbol to remember the soldiers who served in the war, and to remember all the other service men and women who have served for Australia. The purple poppy is a symbol to remember the animals who fought in the war.

What's Been Happening

ANZAC Ceremony

Thank you to Mr Griffiths and S4 for again organising our ANZAC day service.  A big thank you to Lance Corporal Nigel Battams who presented the ANZAC speech.  He is a combat engineer in the 13^th Engineer Regiment of the Australian Army. Thank you also to those families that sent flowers for the wreaths and also to the parents who helped out in putting them together. Thank you to the band and choir for performing so beautifully. It was a moving and respectful occasion.

We shall we remember them.
Lest we forget.

Student Voice Forum

Last week the Student Council ran their Student Voice Forum.  Two students from each of the classes from Year 1-6 joined the forum.  The Student Council asked for their feedback on:

• What they liked about the school
• New ideas for the school
• What charities we could support financially or with service and how we could raise funds
• What our school vision should include

Over the next few newsletters, we will share their feedback. 

The Student Council will consider what ideas they can work on and this can include how they will spend their $2000 budget (funded by the P&C).

What We Like

Access school dental services

The Education Department has school dental services which are free to students who are aged 5 - 16.

WA has over 150 fixed and mobile dental therapy services. Using the below link you can locate a service closest to you. 

Find the nearest Dental Clinic

Crunch&Sip

Sport News

Summer Carnival

The last week of the Term 1 was the summer carnival. All our teams competed had a great day and competed well. The boys cricket won the shield with T ball and girls cricket coming second. Overall, we placed fourth. Thanks to Amy (coached girls’ cricket) and the many parents who supported us on at the carnival. We are now in training for the winter carnival during senior sport.

Edu-dance

Our Edu-dance program culminated in some excellent dance routines at the final concerts. Thanks to Mrs Voysey and Edu-dance for conducting the fun program.

National Ride to School Day

160 students rode, scootered or walked to school. S2 had the most students with over half of their class choosing to be active.

Walk to School Day is on 10th May. Let’s make a big effort to beat 160 that participated on ride to school day.

Running Club

Running club is back, this week we had 40 runners attend. Come and join us for a fun active way to start the day. New runners welcome. We run on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8.00am – 8.30am.
Active kids learn better.

Faction Cross Country

This event is in Week 9 Friday 14^th June. The schedule will be in a later newsletter. The course maps are on the sport the notice board.

School Board

Due to the industrial action, the Board will not be meeting in person on Monday 29^th April, as planned.  They will review the budget, funding agreement and be updated on some staffing changes and other operational areas via email.

P & C News

Kindy/Pre-Primary busy bee

Thankyou to all the families who came down on Saturday to help with the playground busy bee - it looks great and I’m sure the kids are enjoying it. Some action shots below from the morning.

Book Club

Orders are due in THIS FRIDAY, 26th April.  You can order online or drop the exact cash in the P&C box at the front office.

Mother’s Day Raffles 

Tickets are now live for the Mother's Day raffle- there is an exciting group of prizes up for grabs, you won’t want to miss having a chance to win.

A big thanks to the local businesses who have donated prizes and to the wonderful Kindy class reps for organizing.

DUCKs Dads and Kids Bike Ride, Sat. 11 May 2024, 2pm

We have a DUCKs Dads and Kids Bike Ride coming up from Hurlingham Playground (start and finish, 7km loop), South Perth to the Kids Playground at Optus Stadium:

Saturday 11 May 2024

Arrive at 1:45pm for a 2:00pm briefing and departure.

Ride to the kids playground at Optus Stadium for about an hour of play, then return to Hurlingham Playground to finish with a picnic (provided).

No experience necessary. Suitable for all.

To Register please:  

Click Here

DUCKs Upcoming Events - Save The Dates (calling all Dads and father-figures)

2024
TERM 2

Saturday 11 May 2024 - Dads and Kids Bike Ride (free)
Saturday 8 June 2024 - Dads and Kids Indoor Climbing (cost TBA)

TERM 3

Saturday 20 July 2024 - Dads and Kids: Paper Planes and Pizza (minimal cost)
Sunday 4 August 2024 - Dads and Kids Hike - Lesmurdie Falls (free)
Sunday 1 September 2024 - Father's Day at Perth Zoo (free entry)

TERM 4

Saturday 26 October 2024 - Gravity Centre - Gingin (cost TBA)
Friday 8 November 2024 - Campout and Silent Disco (highlight of the school year)

Please note: Dates of events may need to change, but we will stick to this as closely as possible. Join DUCKs to stay up to date.

Please email DUCKS.KPS@gmail.com or ask a fellow dad to be added to the DUCKs private WhatsApp dads group or to our events email list.

Thanks DUCKs dads. Keep doing great work.

Conrad Slee
Dads United for the Children of Kensington - DUCKs

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.

Containers for Change

Community News

The Department of Education will once again deliver the Career Conversations events for families and schools throughout the state in 2024.  Feedback on the 2023 events is positive and participants highly valued the opportunity to hear accurate, up-to-date career pathway and labour market information.  A key highlight for the participants was hearing from industry representatives and employers.