Newsletter 2nd December 2020
Principal's Message
Pixie Post
Each year the Year 6 students become Santa’s helpers by delivering students’ Christmas cards to the classes. If your child would like to have their Christmas cards delivered to their school mates, the pixie post box will be placed outside the library from next week. We ask students not to include lollies or chocolates in these posts.
Christmas Concert
Today’s Christmas Concerts were a credit to all those students, staff and parents involved. While it was a shame that not everyone could attend due to COVID restrictions, we will be sending out a link to watch it online soon. A big thank you to Mrs Dewing, the music parent helpers, the actors, narrators, comperes, junior choir, the band and the circus performers. Thanks to Mrs Stanford and Mr Ran Weinreb, for working with our circus performers. Thanks to our parents, students and staff who worked back stage, setting up or pulling down equipment, on sound and filming.
A Cash Cow!
The Year 4s this year worked with Mrs Filmer and Mrs Backhouse on the Picasso Cow Program. They learnt all about the Australian dairy industry and their work culminated in an informative art work – their cow, Queen Banksia Moonlight Coco-Rose. They were also awarded a Special Mention award with a prize of $250. Congratulations! We are all very proud of your efforts, which were displayed earlier this term alongside the Art Exhibition.
Retirement
Mrs Lyn Both will be retiring at the end of this year. She has been at this school since 1995 (25 years) and teaching in WA schools for 45 years. A wonderful innings! In recent years, Mrs Both has been teaching Science and HASS (Humanities and Social Sciences) in the junior years with a day or two in a classroom. So most students currently at the school have been taught by Mrs Both in some area. Monday 14th December will be her last day at the school. We thank her for her many years of service and we wish her all the very best for this next chapter in her life.
Student Term Dates for 2021
Next year we will again have School Development Days (pupil free days) at the beginning of each term (28-29th January, 19th April, 19th July and 11th October). This means the term dates for 2021 will be:
Please note: there is only 9 weeks in Term 1 but 11 weeks in Term 2. The rest go for the usual 10-week period.
App/Online Services Permissions
The Department of Education WA is currently reviewing all online third party services. Starting in 2021, all parents will be notified and/or permission sought for us to use all of these services (apps and online services that collect students’ personal information, such as student name). This means apps such as Class Dojo must be assessed and a rating given to them that corresponds with the level of permission required from parents. We will use Consent 2 Go, as usual, at the beginning of next year to contact you to update your details and, at the same time, we aim to seek your permission, if required, for each app/service we use. Consent 2 Go, for example, (like Apple products and PAT testing) requires your permission but it is a low level of risk and so it will be part of a bundle of permissions. Class Creator, which we use to set up classes, Schoolzine (our SZapp school app) and Oliver (our online library system) just requires us to notify you that they are being used. Currently we do not know what rating all our apps/services will receive. For example, we do not know how Class Dojo will be rated. This may have an impact on which apps/services we choose to use.
Free Health Resources
The WA Department of Health offers free resources to support schools and parents in helping children develop healthy relationships and sexuality education. We have placed their digital resources for parents and students on our school website. They can be accessed by clicking on the Information tab and selecting Useful Links. Or you can find the links below.
- Talk Soon, Talk Often- A guide for parents and carers on how to talk to their children about sex and relationships
- Yarning Quiet Ways- Based on Talk Soon, Talk Often and designed in consultation with Aboriginal families to help parents and carers of young Aboriginal
- Top Tips- 20 top tips for talking about relationships and sexuality and 10 reasons for talking soon
- Girls & Puberty or Boys & Puberty flip books
Class Placement 2021
We have begun the process for class placements and these will be finalised over the next week. However, we are at a difficult size with student numbers. We aren’t quite big enough to require an extra classroom but our numbers are tight. Please let us know as soon as you can if your child will not be returning to the school in 2021. Without a crystal ball, we don’t know if we will get an influx of new enrolments next year and, if so, which year levels this may affect. It is possible we could have to restructure the school during the holidays or during the school year. There is always a chance that this will happen, but it is more of a concern with our awkward numbers next year. This is the reason why we don’t publish the class lists until the work day before classes start. If you are aware of any students considering enrolling here next year, please encourage them to do so as soon as possible.
Values and Honour Awards
INTEGRITY
Being honest and standing up for what you believe is right. Doing the right thing even if it is hard.
Art News
Art Prize
This week we announced the winners of the P&C art prize and the popular art prize. The former was won by Poppy (S2) with her chalk drawing of a lion and the latter by Madeleine M (S2) with a water colour of a koala. A copy of Poppy’s lion will be framed and added to our artist’s gallery, as is our tradition, in the office. Their prizes and certificates were presented at the afternoon Christmas Concert today. Thank you to the P&C for sponsoring the P&C art prize.
Sports News
School Sport WA “Champion of Champions” Track and Field Carnival
Congratulations to Ava, Isla and Harper who competed in the “Champion of Champions” carnival. This is an invitation only carnival for those students who excelled at the Inter School Athletics Carnival. The girls competed against athletes from many schools.
Wheelchair Sport
Students from Years 4-6 participated in this program. On Friday 20th of November our class got a chance to have a go at wheelchair basketball thanks to Rebound WA. Andrew from Rebound WA came down to coach us. At first it was quite hard to move around but, once you got the hang of it, it was fun to zoom around. It was hard to get the ball if it ever fell on the ground. This gave us an insight into what it would be like to live with a disability. (Milly)
Some of Our Thoughts
“It allowed me to be me” (Ebony)
“Really, really, really fun!”
“It taught us how to use a wheelchair.”
“It was different to a normal sport lesson because I could not use my legs.”
Sporting Schools
This term, with our Sporting Schools funding, we have participated in basketball sessions with the Perth Redbacks, badminton – senior students, and Bike Education for the Year 3 students. The funding allows us to participate in some activities we might not otherwise be able to do.
Circus
We have had our final circus session for the year. It has been great to see the progress of so many students as they challenge themselves to try a harder skill and not give up. A group of Year 6 students performed at the Christmas Concert showcasing the skills they have learned over the last 6 years. Thanks to Mr Ran for his assistance in putting the show together.
Swimming Lessons
Swimming lessons will be in Week 9 and 10 for all students from Pre-primary to Year 5. The lessons are compulsory. Please make sure you have completed the Consent2Go, pool enrolment form and paid the $40 (if you received a yellow envelope).
Classroom teachers will advise their class of the changing arrangements for swimming lessons. A school shirt or rashie must be worn over bathers to and from the pool. Thongs can be worn to and from the pool, but shoes must be worn at school. Please make sure ALL clothing is clearly labelled including underwear, goggles and towels.
Students
Lesson 1: 11.25 – 12.05 – Rooms 2, 8, 10
Lesson 2: 12.10 – 12.50 - Rooms 1,5, S2
Lesson 3: 1.00 – 1.40 – Rooms P1, 4, S1
Lesson 4: 1.45 – 2.25 – Rooms P3, 3, 9, S3 Yr.5
Basketball Backboards and Hoops
Thanks to the P&C for the new lower backboards and hoops on the basketball court near the grass area.
Japanese News
Japanese Teacher Awarded
Margo Whittle has been celebrated for her extraordinary achievement in the Japanese language art and culture curriculum in WA. She is a Level 3 classroom teacher (the highest level for a classroom teacher - Mrs Kavanagh and Mrs Williams are also Level 3 classroom teachers) and the Treasurer for the JLTAWA (Japanese Language Teachers' Association of WA) and shares her passion, energy and talent for quality language teaching pedagogy in WA which is why she has been officially recognised as the winner of the Hilde Dixon Award for 2020.
Music
Choir & Band Photos
There are Senior Choir and Band photos available for a suggested $5 donation to the Music Dept. Children should bring their donation to the Music room.
The Big Sing
On Thursday November 19th, ninety-six very excited Senior Choir members travelled into the city to perform on the Perth Concert Hall Forecourt. The Big Sing was an opportunity for the children to join with 29 other schools and sing through the repertoire that they had learned for this year’s Massed Choir Festival. Because of COVID 19 we were not able to have our usual concert in the Concert Hall. The Kensington students performed their eight songs brilliantly and enjoyed singing along with the 1400 choristers assembled.
The performance was filmed and should be available next week. We will send parents the link to the private YouTube channel when they become available. Stay tuned!
School Board
The final School Board meeting for 2020 will be held next Monday afternoon. The Board will be discussing the targets for the next Business Plan.
P & C News
The P&C met last night for the final time this year. They reviewed the Wish List items they will be funding for 2021 and began planning for 2021 events, including the 95th Anniversary Fete. Last Friday's school disco was very successful. Thank you to Louise Flaherty and her team for their organisation of this fun night.
Community News
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