Parkhill Primary School Newsletter
Issue 24, Thursday August 2 2018
Principal's Message
Dear Parents/Carers,
The Art Room is ready!!! Thanks to everyone who was able to help with the move – once we have everything set up the children will be able to use the space for their Art classes going forward. We’re nearly there! The builders are due to leave us before the end of Term 3, then the old Y3/4 building will be taken away, and we can begin the work on our new play spaces.
Please do continue to add to our Parkhill Play Space Vision Board outside of my office, if you have any photos or ideas you can also email them through to me at brady.elaine.e@edumail.vic.gov.au
KIDSMATTER:
What is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a whole body-mind state of awareness that involves ‘tuning in’ to the present moment, with openness and curiosity, instead of ‘tuning out’ from experience. Mindfulness is a state of being fully awake to life – being aware and undistracted in the present moment. It is about focusing attention on the present, rather than thinking about the past or worrying about the future - which is often our brain’s default mode.
Mindful awareness is something that we all possess and that can be strengthened through practice. Mindfulness can be developed through formal sitting meditation practices, or through informal everyday mindfulness activities that use the senses to anchor the attention, such as mindful walking, listening to music, eating or conversation. Mindfulness is a clinically proven tool to support wellbeing and mental health by reducing stress and allowing life to be experienced more fully.
Why practise being mindful?
The way we interact with our kids has a huge impact on the way they think about themselves and their levels of personal resilience. Ellen Langer and team, a world-renowned mindfulness researcher, found that children not only prefer to interact with mindful adults, but actually devalue themselves following interactions with mindless adults (Langer, Cohen & Djikic, 2010).
The benefits of mindfulness with children
Research shows that mindfulness training increases connectivity in the frontal lobe of the brain, which is linked to improved attention, memory processing and decision making abilities.
Mindfulness training involves tuning in to internal and external experiences with curiosity resulting in increased self-awareness, social awareness, and self-confidence.
Mindfulness training increases children’s ability to self-regulate their emotions, especially difficult emotions such as fear and anger, through breathing and other grounding techniques.
Mindfulness has been shown to improve empathy or the ability to understand what another person is thinking or feeling, which improves children’s awareness of others and helps them to build positive relationships.
https://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/mental-health-matters/mindfulness
THREE-WAY CONFERENCES:
Our Three-Way Conferences will be held from Monday August 13 to Wednesday August 15. Please follow the instructions below to book your child's Three-Way Conference.
Have a fun and safe weekend,
Elaine Brady
Principal
Calendar of Curriculum Events
Friday August 3 - Y6 Creative Convention
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
FS - Mirella V
FT - Aiden K
1B - Siam P
1H - Alicia M
2C - Whole Class
2N - Elizabeth L
3M - Alexandra D
3R - Hayden M
4G - Michael K
4O - Ava M
5D - Angus M
5H - Isabelle Y
6CM - Xavier M
6L - William L
Y6 Creative Convention
Y6 have spent a busy eight weeks exploring creativity and the production process during our Inquiry unit 'Creative Capers.' Most recently students have planned their own creative product and spent the last few weeks producing items to display and sell to our school community. We would love to invite all members of the Parkhill Community to attend our Creative Convention on Friday August 3, between 9.15am and 11.00am. Join us in the Y6 classrooms and ask students about their creations, their production process and perhaps purchase one of our many brilliant designs.
Creative Convention
Friday August 3
9.15am - 11.00am
Y6 Classrooms
Andrea Crane
Y6 Teacher
Important Information About Permission Forms
Thank you to those families who return permission forms in a timely manner. It’s very important that forms are returned by the due date as there are last minute arrangements that need to be done, e.g. student numbers confirmed with venue, etc. If your child is unable to attend the event it is very important that you return the form with the “do not give permission” option circled. This helps with the finalising of the event but it also gives us the written permission needed for any charges to be taken off your account. If we do not receive a permission form and your child does not attend, the charge will remain on your account and you will be liable for the charge.
Could you please also make sure that you write your child’s name in the space provided at the top of the form and that a parent signs the form. If the form is not signed then it will be returned to you.
If you have any further questions, please come and see Steph or myself in the office.
Jo Ravida
Business Manager
Bring it Breaky
Our next “Bring it Breaky” is coming up and we’d love for you to come enjoy breakfast with us.
When: Thursday August 9, 9:00-9:30am
Where: Staffroom
Who: All welcome
Please bring something you would enjoy for breakfast to share (or just bring yourselves).
"The Little School on the Hill"
Let me introduce you to “The little school on the hill”.
This year we enjoy our biennial school performance - a splendid show that we practice, perform and put on for our adoring fans and families. Our production this time though has a very special story - it’s the story of Parkhill!
It tells the story of a little school on a hill that was weary and worn, in need of a bit of a spruce up. So in steps the School Council who work with politicians and architects to make the new school real. The school yard sees visits from the demolishers, builders, a random collection of tools, and finally, the movers. After they’ve all visited the site, magically we have a new little school on the hill.
This story was gleefully devised by our Performing Arts genius, Jackie Knight, and cobbled together with a bit of a chuckle by our Assistant Principal, Michelle Smith. We’ve chosen known songs (I wonder if you’ll be able to pick them?) and inscrutably penned our own lyrics over the top of them.
The cast for the concert is as follows:
We’ll let you in on more of the secret as we get closer to the performance dates, which will be the 11th and 12th of September.
Michelle Smith
Assistant Principal
Y3 Inquiry Action
As the action for the Y3 inquiry 'Needs and Wants', the Y3 students wanted to help those in need. We decided to give some food to The Salvation Army after listening to an inspiring talk by Brad Potter from the Salvos.
Thank you to all the families who so generously donated foodstuffs to the Glen Waverley branch of the Salvation Army.
As you can see from the photo we collected an enormous amount! The staff were very grateful and said that it would be distributed immediately to those in need.
Anne McGregor
Y3 Teacher
Save the Bonobos
People of Parkhill, Bonobos are endangered and we need to save them. A Bonobo is a small type of chimpanzee, also known as the dwarf chimpanzee. People are hunting them down to eat them or are keeping them as pets.
You can help by researching more about this endangered animal through species directory (www.worldwidelife.org.au/species/bonobo).
Thank you for helping us find out more to help the Bonobo!
By Jayda G, Anna S and Zaid S, 2C
PFA News
Committee Members:
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
Saturday 4 August - Parkhill’s Comedy Night, 18+ event, Tickets $30
Only 3 days left until 'Comedy For a Cause’ in support of Parkhill Primary School and things are looking great!
The line-up is brilliant! As our host we have the “TRULY HILARIOUS” host of 'Spicks and Specks’ - Josh Earl, supported by an array of the best new comics in Australia (see the poster below).
Tickets are selling well, but we are still a while off our fundraising goal, so please help us get there by promoting the event to your friends, family, colleagues and co-workers! A few phone calls, emails and text messages from you really will make all the difference for the school. So please help us out! The show will be amazing and it is open to the general public.
Here is the link for tickets (www.comedyforacause.net/PARKHILL)
Thank you so much for your support and we look forward to seeing you on Saturday 4 August.
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!
Wednesday 8 August – Cupcake Stall
YUM! YUM! YUM! We’re back for Term 3!
Please let Kylie know at parents.friends.secretary@gmail.com.au if you’d like to help out and bake for this event.
Parkhill Primary School
Email: parkhill.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au
Website: www.parkhillps.vic.edu.au
Location: 4A Parkhill Drive, Ashwood VIC, Australia
Phone: 03 9807 2239