Parkhill Primary School Newsletter
Issue 22, Thursday July 19 2018
Principal's Message
Dear Parents/Carers,
Welcome back to a blustery Term 3!!! It is going to be another very busy but productive term. We have swimming starting in Week 3 and the concert at the end of the term, as well as Three-Way Conferences and much more.
I have some wonderful news to share with you. Many of you will already be aware that Liz Nevill (4N) has had her little baby 10 weeks early. Baby Max was born weighing a tiny 1.4kg. Mum and baby are both doing really well. As a result we have employed (a little earlier than expected) Elizabeth O’Meara. Elizabeth, or Liz just to confuse us, has already started in 4N. Please do pop in and say hi to welcome her to Parkhill.
SWIMMING:
We are again lucky to be able to run a whole school swimming program. Please do complete and return the slip as soon as possible if you have not already done so, as notices are now overdue. It is important to note that even if you are not intending on accessing the program you still must return your form so that the charges are not applied to your account. The swimming element of the curriculum is very important and the swimming program run through Huntingtower is excellent. It is important to note that a school swimming program is just that. It is not club swimming. The program is intended to cater for the majority of students at their ability. Huntingtower has wonderful facilities that suit the needs of Parkhill.
http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/curriculum/Pages/swimming.aspx
Please see below the times and dates of your child’s program:
MORNING ROUTINE:
As you will have noticed, we have made some changes to our morning routine. Thank you to all of you for the feedback. In the morning the children gather and play on the asphalt at the front of the school until 8:50am. This is the same as always. This means the children are not allowed to gather around the back of the school or down the ‘corridor’ toward the Y5/6 building. You will appreciate that this makes supervision very difficult. So ALL children stay at the front of the school until 8:50am. Michelle Smith and I will let everyone know when it is time to go into the classroom to get ready for the day. Again, this is the same as always. The change is that the children DO NOT come back out onto the asphalt to line up. Once they are in their classroom the teacher has ‘soft start’ activities set up for the class and the children transition straight into their day. It is important that you respect the beginning of the school day and leave the classroom on the first bell at 8:57am. We do encourage independence as much as possible with the daily routine and it is important for the children, even in Foundation, to learn to do their jobs by themselves. Popping into the class to say hello is just lovely, then please do leave your child to complete their routine themselves.
FINAL MOVE:
The Art Room is ready!!! We are looking to coordinate a move into the Art Room on Thursday 2nd August. If you are available to help with the move please do let me know – again we will meet at 9:30am in the staffroom and take it from there. The other move days were so successful as a result of the support we had from the community.
PARKHILL PLAYSPACE VISION BOARD:
Come and add to our Vision Board! You will find it in the foyer beside my office! We are looking to develop a vision of what we, as a community, would like the school play spaces to look like. Send photos of things you like, draw pictures of ideas you may have and add them to the board. Thanks to all that have contributed already!
Have a fun and safe weekend,
Elaine Brady
Principal
Calendar of Curriculum Events
Friday July 20 - Y5 Parliament House and Old Treasury Building Excursion
Tuesday July 24 - Story time
Wednesday July 25 - Division Mixed Netball (selected students)
Tuesday July 31 - Swimming begins for Y3-6 & ICAS English
Wednesday August 1 - 3M Melbourne Museum Excursion
Thursday August 2 - 3R Melbourne Museum Excursion
Monday August 6 - Swimming begins for F-Y2
Monday August 13-Wednesday August 15 - Three-Way Conferences
Tuesday August 14 - ICAS Maths
Tuesday August 21 - Story time
Monday September 3 - Swimming Carnival
Tuesday September 11-Wednesday September 12 - School Concert
Tuesday September 18 - Story time
Friday September 21 - Term 3 ends at 2:30pm
Student of the Week
1B - Whole Class
1H - Whole Class
2C - Whole Class
2M - Addison G
3M - Collin J
4G - Radman Z
4N - Sarah R
5D - Zach C
5H - Caleb T
6CM - Emerson W
6L - Ruby H
2018 Parent Opinion Survey
PARENTS - TELL US WHAT YOU THINK!
Our school is conducting a survey to find out what parents think of our school. The Parent Opinion Survey is an annual survey offered by the Department of Education and Training that is conducted amongst a sample of randomly selected parents. It is designed to assist schools in gaining an understanding of parents’ perceptions of school climate, student behaviour and student engagement. Our school will use the survey results to help inform and direct future school planning and improvement strategies.
Approximately 30 per cent of parents will be invited to participate in this year’s survey. All responses to the survey are anonymous. This year the Parent Opinion Survey will be conducted from Monday 23rd July to Sunday 26th August.
The survey will be conducted online, only takes 10-15 minutes to complete, and can be accessed at any convenient time within the fieldwork period on desktop computers, laptops, tablets or smartphones. The online survey will be available in a range of languages other than English. These include: Arabic, Vietnamese, Mandarin, Chin (hakha), Hindi, Japanese, Somali, Turkish, Punjabi and Greek.
The survey results will be reported back to the school at the end of September. Last year we used the survey results to plan our initiatives through our Annual Improvement Plan.
Please speak to your child’s teacher if you would like more information.
Michelle Smith
Assistant Principal
Critically Endangered: The South Corroborree Frog
Oh no! The South Corroborree Frog is endangered because trout are eating their eggs! Another reason is because of global warming!
How you can help: stop driving your car and ride your bike whenever you can. Also, save electricity by turning your lights off when you don’t need them.
You can also visit the frog at the zoo to find out more about the special breeding program they have.
By Alexis H and Aimer S, 2C
PFA News
President: Vanessa Cowley
Vice President: Katrina Battle
Treasurer: Sumi Sundram
Secretary: Kylie Touloupis
Communications: Eva Conley
General Members: Fiona Crellin, Jason Van Lint, Elle Delmee, Mark Havas, Lisa Jacobson, Anny Murray, Wendy Douglas, Janneke Storteboom, Leanne Knight
TERM 3 2018 EVENTS
SATURDAY 4 AUGUST - PARKHILL COMEDY NIGHT
Wednesday 8 August - Cupcake Stall
Friday 31 August - Father’s Day Stall
Friday 21 September - Special Lunch Order
SCHOOL DISCO WRAP UP
A fantastic night was had by all, a BIG thank you to Helen Dimo for coordinating the event. At one stage I think there was more noise coming from the Parents Retreat than the disco! It was really nice to see the Parkhill Community connecting. The night would not have been the success it was without the help from its volunteers so thank you ‘Team Disco.’ You did a great job organising tickets sales, manning the door, calming the crowd, decorating and providing supplies for the Parents Retreat.
Our last shout out is to our Parkhill teaching staff – A BIG thank you for attending. The children really love sharing this night with you, having fun and checking out your dance moves – they can’t wait to see themselves on Parkhill TV.
RESPONSIBLE SERVICE OF ALCOHOL (RSA)
A FREE ticket for Comedy Night is on offer if you hold a current RSA certificate and are willing to help us out on the night. Please email Kylie at parents.friends.secretary@gmail.com.au if you can assist. Thank you!
COMEDY NIGHT (Licensed Event) Saturday 4 August
Grab a ticket and a few friends and join us for guaranteed fun!
Tickets are $30 (This is an 18+ event).
You’ll find tickets via the link: comedyforacause.net/parkhill
We have the line-up and it looks good! Check it out below.
Parkhill Primary School
Email: parkhill.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au
Website: www.parkhillps.vic.edu.au
Location: 4a Parkhill Drive, Ashwood VIC 3147
Phone: 03 9807 2239