Newsletter 5th June 2024
Principal's Message
Noongar Season of Maruru
Makuru (June & July) sees the coldest and wettest time of the year. Food choices changed from the water to the land, for example, the yongar/kangaroo. Yongar was good for meat and for bookas/cloaks and hunting tools. Animals prepare for breeding – you will see pairs of ‘wardong’/ravens and an influx of Mali/black swans. You can see the purple and blues of the blueberry lily, the purple flags and, at the end of the season, the white flowers of the weeping peppermint. Our Makuru mosaic mural has been completed and installed in the quadrangle, which is the area of the school named after this season. See below under "What's Been Happening" for more details and a peek at the mosaic.
End of Term Plans - Staffing
I hope you enjoyed your long weekend, even with the wet weather. We only have four weeks left of this longer term. However, I only have this one week left as I will be on long service leave until the end of this term. Mrs Clare Brook will be stepping into the principal role during my absence. Mr Griffiths and Mrs Mehnert will share Mrs Brook’s deputy role.
Start of the School Day
Just a reminder that students should not be at school before 8:15am unless they are attending an organised school event (e.g. running club, student council meeting) or OSHClub. We cannot provide supervision until 8:15am. Between 8:15 – 8:30am students must wait in the quadrangle. Classrooms open at 8:30am for students to prepare themselves for the day.
Honours and Values Awards
Foyer Display - S4
S4 Cartesian Pixel Art
The year 5 and 6s in S4 have been looking at the cartesian coordinate system as part of Measurement this term. They have learnt how to use the system to create and follow instructions to create images. They have been looking at how the coordinate system is used to create video game worlds and how these designs are then rendered onto digital images on screens though the use of pixels. You can see here some examples of pixel art that the students created using Cartesian planes. Each square is one distinct colour to mimic what we can see when we look at digital image on a screen.
What's Coming Up
Student Council Fundraiser
The Student Council are raising funds for Telethon Kids. We ask students to please wear their pyjamas and bring a gold coin donation on Friday 7th June.
What's Been Happening
Ed Connect Volunteer - Joan
Joan Logan, one of our Ed connect volunteers, has been volunteering for 5 years. Joan is a retired speech pathologist and has worked with a number of our students over the years. She has provided hours of support for students in literacy and language. We are very grateful for her contribution and thank her for her generosity and terrific work.
Reconciliation Week (27th May – 3rd June)
Last week the students across the school had a focus on learning more about our First Nations’ culture, country and people as part of Reconciliation Week. Each class looked at a different topic and then on Friday the students from each class joined with students from other classes to teach each other what they had learnt by sharing in a yarning circle. This was a lovely way to show what they had all learnt.
Each student was asked to record their reconciliation dream for Australia. Here is a selection of those dreams:
- We did the blanket activity and learned about Aboriginal history. I want people to accept the first Aboriginals (inhabitants) of Australia.
- To give everyone a voice and to learn and share together.
- For Aboriginals to have a right and a choice.
- Treat Aboriginals the same as others and the right way. Treat them how you want to be treated.
- I want Aboriginal people to be happy with non-Aboriginal people by supporting each other’s strengths.
- To live together in peace and harmony.
- Be kind and share the land.
- Reconciliation Week is about saying sorry to the Aboriginals. Saying sorry for stealing their land and saying it was unclaimed.
- Reconciliation means to fix the problems in the past, to prevent it happening in the future.
- We learnt about the stolen generation and what the Aboriginals went through.
- My reconciliation dream is for countries to recognise that we are all equal no matter where we come from.
- My reconciliation dream is for everyone to be treated equally and not by their gender or the colour of their skin. We learnt about the history of Australia.
- My reconciliation dream is the Aboriginals get treated the same was as the other people.
- For Australian people to accept the first people of this land. We learnt about Aboriginal wellbeing.
- Being helpful, kind and welcoming to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders who lived here before us. Make sure that we can remind them not ever to give up on your biggest dreams.
- No one's racist and Aboriginals and non-Aboriginals are equal.
- For everyone to have legal rights.
- My dream for Australia is that Australia will be safe and peaceful and everyone will be treated the same no matter who they are.
- Embrace Aboriginal culture. Listen to them.
The students in Years 5/6 were also involved in the Koora Waangininy Boodja interactive activity to learn about history from an Aboriginal perspective. Unfortunately, the planned parent workshop did not go ahead but there are plans to reschedule and advertise more widely.
Next term the Year 3/4 classes will be involved in the Djurpin Kaa Kaa program (Happy Kookaburra) learning more about Noongar language and the Dreaming. This will follow NAIDOC week that occurs in the school holidays. The school will also host Gina Williams and Guy Ghouse who will perform their music in the Noongar language in Week 3. This is funded through a PALS grant. We know these events are wonderful opportunities for our students to understand the breadth and depth of our Australian culture and history. We have hosted these presenters before. More information will follow.
Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)
Our RAP committee met on Tuesday (4th May) at 2pm in the staffroom to continue work on our RAP, focusing on planning the strategies for the fourteen mandatory actions. Thank you to Katja, Jacquie and Wayne for their steadfast devotion to reconciliation and our school.
Student Voice Forum
Over the last few newsletters, we provided some of the feedback obtained through the Student Council run Student Voice Forum. Two students from each of the classes from Year 1-6 joined the forum. Below are the suggestions the students gave the student council on what their vision for their dream school would include.
Our Vision – Dream School
Junior School | Senior School |
· Learn more · Building up equipment · Bigger classrooms · More sports · More kids from different countries · Kids come from other schools · Slip n Slide · Woodwork | · Extra curricular & excursions · A place to find friends and have fun · Passion Project · Time to socialise · Investigating · Testing your ideas · Fun/active · Being able to move if you need to · Flexible learning space |
P&C Artist in Residence Program - Mosaics
On the 13th and 14th May, the Year 1 ,3, 5 and 6 students worked with Mosaic artists to complete the 2nd stage of our Makuru season installation. Each student had the opportunity to place tiles to create an artwork which included the flora and fauna of the Makuru season. The final artwork was installed along the ramp in the quadrangle last week. It is a shame that the railing gets in the way. Thank you to the P&C for funding the Artist in Residence program and for Mrs Brook who organised and coordinated this.
P&C Day WA
Last week, we recognised the wonderful and important contribution the P&C makes at our school. We put out a special newsletter devoted to the P&C and celebrating P&C Day where we thanked the P&C for the wide variety of work they do, including fundraising, and we specifically thanked the office bearers and executive team. On Tuesday night, the principal presented the P&C with a commemorative book of thanks. The pages of this book were reproduced in the special newsletter. Check out our website or app for that newsletter if you missed it.
Sport News
Proposed Faction Cross Country Program Friday 14th June 2024
Parents are welcome to attend the event.
Medallions and ribbons will be presented after each event.
The Faction shield will be presented to the winning Faction in the UCA at 2.50pm.
An event will not commence before the allocated time but may be later than the set time.
Event | Time | Year group. | Event | Time | Year group. |
1 | 9.00 | Yr. 6 Girls | 9 | 11.40 | Yr. 1 Girls |
2 | Yr. 6 Boys | 10 | Yr. 1 Boys | ||
3 | 9.30 | Yr. 5 Girls | 11 | 12.00 | Yr. 2 Girls |
4 | Yr. 5 Boys | 12 | Yr. 2 Boys | ||
5 | 10.00 | Yr. 4 Girls | 13 | 12.20 | Yr. 3 Girls |
6 | Yr. 4 Boys | 14 | Yr. 3 Boys | ||
7 | 10.30 | PP. Girls | |||
8 | PP. Boys |
The inter school cross-country is in Term 3, Thursday 25th July.
Runners from Year 3 -6 will be selected from the carnival to compete.
Running Club
Join us for a fun way to start the day on Tuesday and Friday mornings from 8.00am – 8.30am. New runners are welcome. There will be no running club on Friday 14th June, the day of the faction cross-country. The last day for running club this term will be Tuesday 18th June, we will recommence on the first Tuesday of Term 3 the 16th July.
School Board
The next School Board meeting will be on Monday 10th June. On the agenda will be an update on our Play and Inquiry priority; the National Quality Standard (K-Year 2), the Reconciliation Action Plan and the ongoing review of our Positive Behaviour Plan. We will also provide feedback on our Berry Street Education Model training that occurred on 6th May and the ongoing facilities improvement plans.
P & C News
Uniform Shop
Open this Thursday 6th June in the “donger” next to the staff car park from 8:30 - 9:00am.
Reminder we are sold out of some sizes as part of our transition to a new provider next term.
Uniform Online Orders
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.
Colour Run
Thank you to everyone who assisted with the sponsorship for the colour run and, of course, to the kids who ran all those laps - your efforts have helped us raise over $7500 for the school.
DUCKs Indoor Climbing event, This Sun! 9 June 2024, 2pm
Hi KPS Dads and Families,
We have an Indoor Climbing event at Rockface Climbing Centre in Balcatta This Sunday 9 June 2024. Please arrive 1:45pm for a 2pm start.
This event is targeted at Dads and Kids (including father-figures). Mums and other family members are also welcome to join. Please let us know on the RSVP form linked below.
Details:
Location: Rockface Climbing Centre, 7B Ledgar Road, Balcatta WA 6021
Date: Sunday 9 June 2024
Time: Arrive at 1:45pm for a 2:00pm start. Please arrive on time. Finish will be about 4pm, but you can stay longer if the kids are having too much fun.
Please RSVP for the event to completing the form in this link:
You will also need to complete a Rockface online Registration form for each person participating - there is a link in the RSVP form for this. If you have been to Rockface before, then you won't need to fill in the form again.
We will also be catering this event with basic food and drinks for the kids and parents attending, but please remember to bring a water bottle too for climbing.
Further event details are available in the RSVP link.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Keep up the amazing work guys. Excellent work with the Dads and Kids Bike Ride on 11 May 2024. We had about 25 to 30 dads and kids join in for a fun ride along the river and spend time at the stadium playground and picnic back at South Perth. Keep it up all. We love to see you involved. There were many great conversations had and new connections made, which is exactly what we want to see more of. Thank you to the supporting mums as well.
Thanks,
Conrad Slee - DUCKs (Dads United for the Children of Kensington)
Email queries to: DUCKS.KPS@gmail.com
Next Event: Save the Date - Saturday 20 July 2024 - Paper Planes and Pizza
Containers for Change
