newsletter 7.5.15 - Mount Eliza North Primary School
Transcription
newsletter 7.5.15 - Mount Eliza North Primary School
Mount Eliza North Primary School No. 5140 Moseley Drive, Mount Eliza 3930 Tel. 9787 6611 Fax: 9787 6754 MAIL: [email protected] KALORI Issue No. 6 Inquirer Thinker WEB ADDRESS: www.menps.vic.edu.au Communicator 7th May 2015 Risk-Taker Knowledgeable MENPS students aspire to become life long learners who take pride in their ability to make a difference by taking action within local and global communities. Principled From the Principal’s Desk: Walk-o-fun Thank you to our parent organisers for this fun event as we walked around the tropics. I enjoyed changing outfits from being a pirate to a captain and a few others! This is one of the school’s major fundraisers and funds will be allocated to the construction of a new sandpit and bike enclosure. I’m in the process of getting final plans and quotes. Fingers crossed that these might be built during the next term break. Education Week Monday, 18th May is the start of our Education Week celebrations. We will be inviting our grandparents along to spend time in classrooms with their grandchildren and enjoy a cuppa with morning tea. If the children do not have any grandparents to attend, they are welcome to invite a valued relative or adult friend. Look out for the flyer for Open night on Thursday 21st which will explain open classrooms and musical presentations. NAPLAN NAPLAN testing for all students in Years 3 and 5 commences on Tuesday, 12th May and continues over the following 2 days. We consider the testing an opportunity for the children to demonstrate their learnings and understandings at that particular time. The very next day they could have again moved on with their learnings. Caring Open-Minded Balanced DIARY DATES We treat the exercise seriously, however we do not place any undue pressure on our students to achieve. I would hope that you also will support the children and be aware that they do often feel self-inflicted pressure, and may be a little emotional as well. The exam type situation is a mostly unfamiliar environment for our children and each student will react differently. An early night, a good breakfast, reassurance from families and not being late to school will all help support our children. Primary Years Program You may have seen a few tired teachers on Tuesday. I, along with 7 staff spent Saturday, Sunday and Monday in the city with 500 other educators as part of the International Baccalaureate, ‘Making the PYP Happen’. The majority of educators were from Victoria but I also spoke to teachers from Tasmania, Canberra and NSW. I had an interesting conversation with a Principal from India who is establishing the program in her school. The 3 days certainly broadened my understanding of the program and helped confirm and expand the knowledge of our staff. I thank the staff for their commitment for giving up their weekend to attend this course. Staffing We welcome Ms Natalia Lopo-Morales to our school. Ms Lopo-Morales is replacing Mrs Haynes for the remainder of the year who has commenced maternity leave. Mark Watters Principal Reflective May 7 Art Show Meeting 7pm 8 M/A to Coolart 8 MENPS Cross Country 12 - 15 NAPLAN Week 18 Education & Book Week 20 School Council 21 Grandparents’ Morning 21 Open Night 26 Harmonies Unite 7pm 29 PFA Meeting June 4 Lightning Premiership Yr 6 4 Art Show Meeting 7pm 8 Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday 9 - 12 Planning Week 17 School Council 19 Curriculum Day No students at school 26 Last day of term 2.30 Dismissal ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT Last week was the first of many Prep Tours for new students in 2016. It is always a pleasure to meet prospective parents and their children and take them on a tour of our beautiful school. When conducting a tour the School Captains, Mark, Melissa and I take great pride in espousing all the virtues of Mount Eliza North Primary School. We explain the IB and the Primary Years Program, our comprehensive transdisciplinary curriculum and the five elements of the program. We expound the philosophy and social and academic benefits of Multiage. We highlight our Junior School Council and student leadership opportunities. We reel off the extra curricula activities that our students can participate in for example: Instrumental Lessons, French Choir, Middle and Senior Choir, Ensemble, School Band, Extension French class, Horizons lunchtime programs, camps 2 – 6, Interschool sport, Year 5 Wakakirri, Night of Notables and the list goes on! We talk about our professional and dedicated staff and our high academic expectations, standards and outcomes for our students. While conducting the tours we walk around the school and through our amazing facilities. As I conducted my tour I couldn’t help but smile and feel proud of the comments from the FRESH EYES in my group. They were all truly impressed and wanted to enrol their children straight away! These tours always remind me of how wonderful our school is and how much we take for granted. How lucky we all are to work in such a wonderful environment with supportive colleagues, students and families. How lucky our students are to come to such a wonderful school with great staff, high learning outcomes and an outstanding curriculum and facilities. As I commented to our students at our whole school assembly on Monday, it made me realise how proud I am of the students, staff and community that make MENPS the outstanding school that it is today. Sometimes it takes FRESH EYES and a comment from someone else to make you realise how much you have and how lucky you are! School Councillor Profiles Hello everyone, my name is Scott Doughty and I have just joined the School Council this year. I have two boys at MENPS; one in Year 5 and one in Year 2. I have been involved with the MENPS Art Show for the past five years and have been Convener of the show for the past two. My interests are sailing and camping, both of which I enjoy doing with the kids. Sometimes I feel I enjoy these things a little more than the kids who would rather be 'plugged in' than on the water! I am currently in the middle of a career change. Having spent nearly two decades as an engineer in the automotive industry I am now re-training as a builder. Having some extra time available, now seemed like a great opportunity to contribute further to the school community and get even more involved in my children's education by joining the School Council. Hello everyone, my name is David Smith and I am a member of the MENPS School Council, currently in the role of President. This is my fourth year on the School Council. I joined the School Council as a way of contributing to the school in a way that I thought would be valuable based on my skills and experience. My children, Isabella and Emerson are in Year 3. My interests are Scuba Diving, Gardening, Yoga and my family. Hello everyone, my name is Julie O’Brien and I am one of the Assistant Principals here at MENPS. My role on the School Council is as Treasurer and member of the Management Committee. I have been a teacher here at MENPS for 15 years and have been the Assistant Principal for 4 years. I am married with two boys in their early twenties. If you have any questions or concerns regarding our wonderful school please do not hesitate to contact me at school. Hello everyone, my name is Kate McKenzie and I have been a member of the MENPS School Council for the last 3 years. My children are in grades 6 and 2 and absolutely love being part of the MENPS community. I work full-time making it difficult to get involved in school activities during the day, so joining the School Council has given me an opportunity to be involved in the school, whilst learning more about the school at a grass roots level. When I’m not working or participating in School Council, I love to cook and have a secret yearning to be on ‘The Block’ one day (if only it didn’t involve being on TV!) Hi, I’m Mark Watters Principal and Executive Officer of MENPS. I’ve just started my 33rd year in education and have quite a few more to go. I have been a Principal for 11 years and have had the opportunity to lead 4 schools of varying demographics which has given me great experience to have a rounded view of education. I have 2 children, a son in Year 7 at Mornington SC and a daughter who has just finished Year 12. I’m really enjoying my time at MENPS and meeting as many people as possible!!!. MUSIC NEWS Year 6 Drum Band After auditioning a multitude of talented year 6 students, I have chosen the students to become the Drum Band of 2015. They are Chanel Mullins, Helena Herman, Portia LewisSmith, Holly Bromage, Mia Flanagan, Olivia Batsch, Ella McManamny, Natalyla Parton, Felicity Light, Ben Buturlin, Hayden Berechree, Sophie Baker, Brodie Rawsthorn, Ben Schmidt, Luke Baker. Congratulations on a fantastic debut for the Monday assembly performance after only one rehearsal. Jaida Baulk danced at Beachside Dance Festival against 10 others and was awarded first place in the song and tap section. Congratulations Jaida. Open Night Please refer to the Open Night Schedule to see when your child is performing. Multi-Age performances and most presentations by instrumental tutors begin at 6pm and finish at 6.30pm. Most senior performances begin at 7pm and finish by 7.30pm Harmonies Unite The Super Choir will perform on Tuesday 21st May with our Community Choir at Toorak College at 7pm. A huge night—not sure their stage will fit us all in! Tickets at the door-$7.50 per adult, students are free. Instrumental Hire and payments to Music Tutors are now overdue. PLEASE REMIND MUSIC STUDENTS TO COME PREPARED WITH THEIR INSTRUMENTS AND MUSIC BOOKS. Wakakirri Please note that the payment for participation in Wakakirri is overdue. Rehearsals and emails to volunteer parents will begin this week. New Mornington Concert Band For any musicians out there. The new Mornington Concert Band will rehearse on Mondays at 7.30pm until 9.30pm at the Park Pavilion (in Mornington Park, bottom of main Street). BYO instrument and stand. For more information ring Jenny Stevenson at Toorak College 9788 7260. From the Nurse……... Food Allergy Week (17 – 23 May) is an initiative by Allergy and Anaphylaxis Australia that aims to increase awareness of food allergy in an effort to promote understanding and help protect those at risk. Head to www.foodallergyaware.com.au to find out how you can support. Did you know that you can be allergic to any food? However, 90% of reactions are caused by nine foods – cow’s milk, egg, peanut, tree nuts, wheat, sesame, soy, shellfish and fish. MENPS BOOK FAIR The annual MENPS Book Fair will be held during Education Week 18th - 22nd May in the Multi-Purpose Room. Parents and grandparents may purchase books: daily from 8.30 - 9.00 am or during Open Morning 9.00 - 11.00am or Open Night 6.00 -7.30pm on Thursday 21st Students thoroughly enjoy the opportunity to choose a book with their family and the school’s library benefits greatly from each purchase. See you at the Book Fair. PFA News Congratulations to the following students on their fantastic sporting achievements: Harry Scott and Declan Jackson represented Mt Eliza North in the Southern and Northern Division Soccer Championships last week. The boys enjoyed the experience but were not selected to compete in the next round of competition. Jacob Taberner, Jaeger and Branten Kindler, Kyle Rees and Priya Redfern-Seamons all played in the District Golf Championships last week. The students played nine holes and had to score 55 and under to advance through to the Regional championships in November. Jacob finished in second place with a score of 38, Jaeger scored 51 and Branten 52. Kyle scored 58 on the day. Priya won the girls section of the competition. Congratulations to all students! GRADE 4 BASKETBALL LEAGUE: Last Wednesday saw the final game of the Grade 4 Basketball League being played. The students who participated in the lunchtime competition demonstrated teamwork, enthusiasm, commitment and great sportsmanship. The teams finished in the following order: 1st place Champion Meatballs 2nd place Flaming Ducks 3rd place Melting Barbie Heads 4th place Cool Chicken Nuggets 5th place Leaping Lizards A huge thankyou to the following Grade 5 students who refereed, scored and timed the games: Jesse Ilsley, Liam Atkinson, Darcy Webb, Emily Shepherd, Jessica Ward and Martha Power. HOUSE CROSS COUNTRY: On Friday 8th May the Mt Eliza North House Cross Country is being held for Grade 3,4,5,and 6 students. The students will assemble on the oval at 2pm for a 2.15 start. The event will commence with the 12/13 age group and will finish with the 8/9 age students. 11, 12/13 year olds –3 kms 10 year olds -2 kms 8/9 year olds-1 km. The top ten finishers in the 10, 11 and 12/13 age group will compete at the District Cross Country on Wednesday 20th May. Good luck to all competitors! Abbey Power (Grade 6 student 2014) is currently the Victorian Karate champion and recently finished first in the Australian Open Karate Championships in her age group. Abbey has been selected to train at the A.I.S. in June and is hoping to be selected to compete in India later this year. Outstanding results Abbey and best wishes from the Mt. Eliza North community. Sue Harris Well…a huge congratulations to Anna Grigg and Quinn Carradine for a fabulous Walk-OFun!!! Their organisation was so good they even managed to arrange the perfect weather. Thank you also to the large number of parents that helped out. Everyone had a great time and the counting has begun! Please collect your sponsor money and send it in to school ASAP so we can let you know the grand total raised for the school through this fun event. By now the children who ordered Mother's Day presents should have them safely hidden away at home waiting for Sunday. Another congratulations to Yvonne Chan for a massive effort coordinating this event and to the many parent helpers that gave their time to help too. Grandparents morning is coming up soon so please look out for my request for helpers to serve morning tea. It would be for less than 2 hours so if you haven't helped out yet now may be your time. Later in the term we will be having another Hot Dog Day and our annual school disco will be this term too. Watch this space for details of both of these events. As always, we welcome anyone in the school community to join the PFA. Come along, meet new people and be involved in the fun events at MENPS. Our next meeting will be on Friday 29th May at 2:30pm in the staffroom. I hope to see some more smiling faces there. Susan Procter Would your kids like an international ‘big brother’ or ‘big sister’? SOUTHERN CROSS CULTURAL EXCHANGE is looking for voluntary host families for overseas students aged 15-18 arriving in Australia in July 2015. Host families can choose a student based on their interests, background and nationality, for a duration of 3, 5 or 10 months. We have carefullyselected students arriving from Italy, France, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain, looking for families who are willing to welcome them into their home and show them the Australian way of life! Want to learn about another culture without leaving home? Our international students are looking forward to learning about Australia, and enriching the lives of their host families. Call Southern Cross Cultural Exchange on 1800 500 501 for more information. WE’VE MADE THE NEWS The ‘Australian Teacher Magazine’ has just published an article on our Senior School—Recycled Paper & Cardboard Project. We’re ALMOST FAMOUS! This magazine is delivered to all schools around Australia. We’re part of the ‘In The Classroom’ section and represent the Visual Arts. Well done us! WANTED: BOTTLES, BOTTLES & EVEN MORE BOTTLES! The more bottles we collect the greater and more diverse art we can create. We’re planning on making flower, bug & fish plastic bottle sculptures and bottle top murals. Mineral water, water and soft drink bottles are the best. NO DAIRY PLEASE. Middle School Art News - Recycling and Re-Inventing Our Middle School students have been busy designing, paper mache constructing and decorating sea creatures and monsters using recycled materials—bottles, newspaper and odd bits donated to the art room. They appeared to enjoy using the papier mache glue. Their art is so CREATIVE AND LOOKS FANTASTIC! Cindy Minogue: Art Teacher SCHOOL COUNCIL Executive Officer: President: Mark Watters David Smith [email protected]. Vice President: Liz Wenham Secretary: Russell Gilchrist Treasurer: Julie O’Brien Parent Representatives: Kate McKenzie Liz Wenham Ryan Irwin Mithran Doraisamy David Smith Scott Doughty Leah Davidson Sophie MacKinnon Margaret Coughlan (PFA) Teacher Representatives: Melissa Wisniewski Russell Gilchrist Julie O’Brien Chris Sutcliffe SMOKING BANS TO APPLY ON SCHOOL GROUNDS AND AT SCHOOL ENTRANCES From 13 April 2015, smoking was banned within four metres of an entrance to all primary and secondary schools in Victoria, and within the school grounds, under an amendment to the Tobacco Act 1987. The Importance of Classifications and Age Restrictions Classification Systems: In Australia, the same classification system is used for TV, movies and video/ computer games. These classifications are based around age and what content, e.g. violence, language and themes, is appropriate for different age groups. These classification are G, PG, M15+, MA15+ and R18+. There is more determining what is appropriate for your child than just checking the classification. For example, a game which is rated M 15+ is recommended only for those people over the age of 15 whereas MA15+ is restricted to only those people aged 15 years or older; what affects the classification is the content of the game. What the Australian Classification Board states in their parent information page is that; ‘Parents and guardians are the most appropriate people to determine which films and computer games are most appropriate for their children to see and play. The classification information provided on classified products can assist them to make that choice.’ What we recommend is that as protectors of our children, we get involved and do our own research (published reviews, watch, play or read). Whatever material/content we have concerns over, we look at before allowing our children access to it. We can find out what interests them and why. The majority of social media websites are restricted to users aged 13 years and above. Facebook and You Tube require users to confirm that they are 13 or older to sign up. This age restriction is there because these sites require a level of maturity to use them safely and responsibly. What is suitable for students to see, play and read at school? According to the teacher information sheet provided by the Australian Classification Board, there is a Classifications Act 1995 that lists publications, films and computer games that maybe suitable for students to see and play at school. In other words there are guidelines that educators need to follow. The G (general) classification is suitable for everyone. However, some G classified films or computer games may contain content that is not of interest to students. The PG (parental guidance) classification of films and computer games should be no higher than mild, but it may contain material that students find confusing or upsetting. PG classified material is not recommended for viewing or playing by persons under 15 years without guidance from guardians. As a general rule at MENPS all PG classified material needs to have parental/guardian consent before our students are exposed to it. To summarise, the best way to consider the classification of our school is rated G, because we follow the classification system set out by the government. We sometimes seek permission for children to watch PG rated movies/program, as it is connected to a unit of inquiry and their learning (this mostly occurs in the senior school). For any further information, I recommend you look at the Australian Government Classification website. Cindy Minogue: eSmart Co-ordinator