Newsletter 24th March 2021
Principal's Message
Easter Bonnet Parade
Next Wednesday the Student Council has organised an Easter Bonnet (Hat) Parade at 10:30am. Students are encouraged to bring a gold coin donation for the Perth Children's Hospital and wear a wacky/fancy/cheerful hat. Creativity is encouraged.
Interschool Swimming Carnival
As usual, KPS organised the interschool swimming carnival. Thank you to Mrs Stanford who organised this event. It was smooth sailing! We also appreciated the work of Mrs Backhouse and our staff, as well as Martine and our parent helpers. We were very proud of how our students behaved and competed with East Victoria Park and Victoria Park PS. We won this event and a number of our students won the champion or runner-up champion boy or girl. See below for details.
Feedback & Response
Thank you to everyone who provided feedback to the school on the break time trial and on the drop-off point for Kindy and Pre-primary students. We have taken on-board the feedback and will implement new procedures in Term 2.
New Break Times
While we can’t satisfy everyone’s preferences, we have done our best to address the issues raised through the surveys with staff, senior students and junior primary parents. We will revert to only two breaks but will have one of the eating times after a 30-minute play and one before a 20-minute play. We opted for the second eating time to be first due to the late hour of the day.
8:50 – 10:50 | Session 1 |
10:50 – 11:20 | Play 1 followed by eating with class |
11:30 – 1:30 | Session 2 |
1:30 – 1:40 | Eating in undercover areas |
1:40 – 2:00 | Play 2 |
2:00 – 3:00 | Session 3 |
Kindy and Pre-primary Drop-off Point
Following a survey of parents, we have found that the most popular drop-off point is outside the classrooms. Unfortunately, as explained in the survey, we are unable to staff two drop-off points, so Kindy and Pre-primary students will be unable to use the kiss and wave in the mornings. Therefore, like the rest of the school, the drop-off point from Term 2 onward will be outside the classroom. Please observe the social and physical distancing requirements of COVID and avoid congregating together on the verandahs – especially when students are leaving the rooms and collecting their bags.
Kindy and Pre-primary parent helper rosters will start in Term 2, if not before. I encourage all parents who are able to get involved in these parent rosters. See Saw and email are the preferred communication tools. Teachers will, at the minimum, provide class updates to parents on a fortnightly basis. Please ensure you have the parent See Saw app downloaded on your phone. School information is sent via the Schoolzine app (SZapp) and email. Please ensure you have the SZapp, not the SmartLink app (this is no longer functioning).
Harmony Day
On Friday we celebrated Harmony Day. Our choir sang, "Everyone Belongs" and our chaplain, Michael Anson, spoke about the value of not all being exactly the same. Students worked with their buddy classes making artwork from leaves. Below is the results of S1 (Year 4/5) and Room 4's (Year 2) buddy time - a friendship tree.
Mobile Devices Policy
In line with Department of Education policy, the school has instituted a ban
on the use of personal mobile devices from the time students arrive at school
until they leave the school at the end of the day. Exceptions may apply for
health or educational purposes. Please be aware that mobile devices include mobile phones, tablets and smart watches. Students may keep them in their bags if they need them before and after school, but the school has no insurance policy to cover any thefts or damages. See the attached policy document (it is part of our Positive Behaviour Plan).
Fire Station
Last year, the school was invited to participate in an art project for the redevelopment of the fire station on George Street. The fire brigade visited the school and showed us all of their equipment, including the fire truck. Students then worked with the artist, Paula Hart, to draw representations of what they saw. Some of these were then included in the final metal art work. Above you can see the final art work. The following students’ artwork was used in creating this installation:
Akira, Anna, Chloe, Deacon, Fin, Luke, Tom and Connor.
The installation can be viewed from the bush side of the site.
Student Leaders Position
Elected Head Boy and Girl: Jackson and Meg
Elected Student Councillors: Max, Bridget, Ebony, Isla, William & Tamsin
Elected Faction Captains & Vice Captains:
Cygnet Captains – Ethan Sm & Amelia; Vice Captains – Kieren & Ava
Endeavour Captains – Harper & Ethan Sc; Vice Captains – April & Blaise
Investigator Captains – Marcus & Juanita; Vice Captains – Hamish & Sachi
Parmelia Captains – Remy & Harry; Vice Captains –Hector & Leela
Class Captains: S3- Oscar & Niamh C; S4 – Dhruvi & Ethan L
Aboriginal Mentors: Ashlee & Caleb
Library Monitors: Niamh D, Sachi, Poppy, Isabel & Angelina
Lunch Order Monitors: Luke, Lenny, Austin, Marcus, Sebastian, James, Ethan L, Kieren, Caleb & Riley W
Production Crew: Poppy, Niamh D, Marcus, Austin, Sophia & Angelina
Band Captain: Oliver
Choir Captain: Darcey
Junior Primary Mentors: Harper, Grace, Lily, April, Amelia, Betty, Ebony, Milena, Lucy, Jack, Maddie, Fin, Sachi, Leela & Matilda
Sports Monitors: Hector, Harry, Hamish, Ethan L, Jonty & Jack
Art Monitors: Ruby, Remy, Bridget, Poppy, Dhruvi & Matilda
ICT Monitors: S4-Ashlee, Meg & Darcey; S3 – Harry, Hamish, Hector & Riley T
Loose Parts Play Monitors: S3 – Sebastian & Luke; S4 – James & Fin
Keep Clear
After working with the school, recently the City of South Perth installed Keep Clear/No Parking yellow lines on Fourth Ave to prevent people blocking our Kiss and Wave entrance (near Banksia Tce) and our oval gates. Please be observant of these new requirements as failing to do so can result in a fine from the rangers, and disruption to the flow of traffic.
Bronwyn Jones
PRINCIPAL
Classroom Foyer Display
Pre Primary 2
In PP2 we read 'Grandpa and Thomas' by Pamela Allen. We made connections as we discussed our own experiences at the beach with our families. The children created a wonderful ocean scene using both man made and natural materials and shared their favourite experiences at the beach. They were just like Grandpa and Thomas who shared their love of building and decorating sandcastles at the beach.
Stephanie Dixon, Teacher
Sports News
Inter School Swimming Carnival
Last Thursday we had our interschool carnival. We competed against Victoria Park and East Victoria Park.
We started the day with a team breakfast and left for Aqualife at 11.45am, very excited. Thanks to Ava and Sachi who were our team managers for the event. Jackson, Meg, Isobel and Harry assisted at the carnival and did a great job. Thanks to Mel and Martine and staff Mr Griffiths, Mrs Backhouse and Lisa without whose assistance the carnival would not have run so smoothly. We swam extremely well as a team winning most of the relays and placing in every event. Congratulations to our medallion winners. The final results were: -
1st Kensington: 406
2nd East Vic Park: 346
3rd Vic Park: 179
Our medallion winners were: -
Year 4
Girls– Runner Up: Harriet - Kens
Boys- Champion: James - Kens
Year 5
Boys- Runner Up: Elliot - Kens
Boys- Champion: William - Kens
Year 6
Girls – Runner Up: Niamh - Kens
Boys- Runner Up Kieren - Kens
Summer Carnival
The carnival is on today, selected Year 5/6 students will play Tee ball, cricket, volleyball and Newcombe Ball against 5 other schools. Look out for the results in the newsletter next term.
Running Club
Running Club is on Tuesday and Friday mornings on the oval from 8.00am – 8.30. Come along and get active and ready for the day's learning. Active Kids Make Better Learners. We will recommence in Term 2 on the first Friday.
Yesterday for the first session we had 60 enthusiastic runners. We will run on Friday and next Tuesday before breaking for the holidays.
Raema Stanford, PE Teacher
School Board
Board Election Results
We have four new (or re-newing) parent Board members and two new staff Board members. In this newsletter we will introduce you to three of the 2021 members and the next newsletter we will profile the rest. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognise and thank the members who have completed their terms of office: Jeremy Hogben (two terms), Hans-Christian Jeppesen, Carla Martella, Di Filmore and Siobhan Bushen. They have made a significant contribution to the school and the work of the Board. It has been a pleasure working with them.
Parent Representatives:
Mike Purves
Commenced in 2019 and re-elected 2021
I am a parent of two boys at Kensington Primary School, one in Year 6 and one in Year 5. I am passionate about the school and our community and would like to contribute more to both moving forward.
Professionally, I am a senior leader with P&N Bank and my role is to deliver a portfolio of projects that will realise our strategic objectives. My key strengths would be: project and program management, stakeholder engagement, communications and organisational change management.
Outside of work, my personal interests include a love of running, playing and coaching soccer (I am an accredited coach at youth level) and being a general sports enthusiast.
Adam Bartle
Commenced in 2021
My wife, Kate, and I moved to Kensington eight years ago after returning from a work stint in the Pilbara. I have two children in Kensington Primary (Tom in Year 1 and Grace in Kindy) and a baby (Georgia) still at home.
In my professional life I am a Chartered Engineer working in the Marine and Port facilities
space with a focus on Project Management. I feel I have skills that complement the
existing board members skills, including my project management skills and ability to work
with diverse teams developed through consulting work with a wide range of clients and
team members around the world.
Outside of work, my hobbies include being bossed around by my children, watching or
playing sport, and spending time outdoors either camping somewhere remote or heading
down to the beach.
As my children have grown up in the area, being involved in local sporting teams and
activities around Kensington, I have developed a strong connection to Kensington and feel
joining the KPS Board is a great opportunity to give something back to both the school and
the community. We are so lucky to live in Kensington and be part of such a great
community and, by joining the school board, I hope to keep fostering that sense of
community and encouraging parent involvement in our children’s education.
Staff Representatives:
Ashley Griffiths
I have been a part of KPS since 2012, when I started doing relief EA work whilst studying my teaching degree, and I have been a teacher here since 2016. I have spent a lot of time developing our Year 6 program to really challenge the students and ensure they have a good foundation of academic and self-management skills to take with them as they head off to high school. My favourite part of teaching is getting to know the students and their families and building strong relationships with them. KPS has such an incredible community around it and you can see how much of a difference this makes to the lives of the students here.
In my life outside of school I have a wonderful wife, Heidi, whom I have been married to for eight years, and two young boys, Hugo and Charlie. When I am not spending time with the family I love to play and watch sport, with a particular interest in soccer, basketball and Formula 1. I also love listening to music, watching movies and spending far too much time thinking about and researching mechanical watches.
P & C News
P&C Office Bearers
We have a full complement of classroom representatives and most office bearers identified:
President - Ed
Vice-President - Drew
Treasurer - Shannon
Secretary - Jen
Fundraising – Carla, Louise
Board – not filled
Library – Susan
Banking – Cathy
Uniforms – Kris
DUCKs – Dave
Year 6 – Leanne
Sport - Adam
Grounds and Facilities – not filled
Music – not filled
General Committee – Vanessa
Comms / social media – Mel
All communication to the P&C is via the following email address: kensingtonpandc@gmail.com
DUCKs Event Planning Meeting
Wednesday 24th March at 7pm at The Como hotel
The DUCKs are holding a DUCKs event planning meeting this Wednesday night (24th March) at the Como Hotel, 7pm for a 7.30 start. We're planning to sit at the tables outside on the South Terrace side if you are looking for us. It's a bit quieter around there. Come along and help us get 2021 under way for the DUCKs.
Everyone is welcome; we appreciate all ideas and suggestions for events. If you've got something you'd like to see happen at KPS this year come along and tell us all about it!
Scholastic Bookclub Organiser Wanted
At the end of 2021, I will be reluctantly stepping down as the Scholastic Bookclub Organiser for Kensington Primary School and I’m keen to identify one or two people who can learn the ropes before I finish. The role involves distributing catalogues, managing our school’s account with Scholastic and packing and delivery of book orders.
I have thoroughly enjoyed doing this job and have loved fostering the love of books amongst our kids.
I have worked on my own but if two people worked together, the load would be shared and it would be even more fun.
If you are interested in taking on this role, please contact me on 0414 915 169.
Susan Henwood
Thank you
The Kensington Primary School P&C would like the thank our community for the wonderful support shown for our fundraiser at the recent state election.
We received so many delicious donations for the cake stall, had lots of keen volunteers cooking at the BBQs and selling food on the day. Of course, our local community turned up and supported us by purchasing the delicious food!!
We are very excited to announce that we raised $2818.39 to go towards the P&C’s fundraising efforts for 2021.
School Banking
School banking is now on Thursday mornings 8.30 - 8.50am outside the music room. Previous bankers, we welcome you back - please bring in your completed deposit slips with your deposit book. New bankers are also most welcome, please see the link below for more information.
Waterwise and Wastewise
Community News
2021 Leisurelife Junior Sports (Netball, Basketball, Soccer)
- Junior Netball Team Registrations for the 2021 Winter Season (Yrs 1 – 10) are now open until Monday 12th April. For full information and to register, go to www.victoriapark.wa.gov.au/junior-netball
- Coaching for basketball, netball, and soccer for 6 12 year olds also available during the school terms www.victoriapark.wa.gov.au/junior-activities
ALL ABOARD WITH METRONET - SEE PERTH'S NEW RAILCARS
These April school holidays METRONET will have a full-scale model on display at Yagan Square, giving people an early opportunity to see inside Perth’s new C-Series trains.
METRONET would like to invite you to share this information with your school families, to attend the free family-friendly event from Saturday, 3 April to Sunday, 18 April between 9am and 5pm.
Visitors can walk through the carriage and along with the railcar, there is a 1:50 scale model on display, and kids can get involved with a scavenger hunt.
Thursday mornings between 9am-10am are reserved for Quiet Hour, where the display will be low sensory to cater for those who prefer to experience the train in this environment.
Walk-ins will be welcome and families wanting to skip the queue will be able to register for free VIP tickets at www.metronet.wa.gov.au/all-aboard.
If you need any further information on the event, or could share some promotional materials, please just let us know by return email or at 9326 3666.
As the biggest railcar order in the state’s history, the METRONET Railcar Program will deliver 246 new C-series railcars to Perth’s rail network.
The trains will service an increased demand from METRONET projects and replace the A-series trains that currently operate on the Armadale/Thornlie, Fremantle and Midland lines.
Find out more about the Railcar Program and METRONET at www.metronet.wa.gov.au.
Regards
Communications and Engagement Team
p: (08) 9326 3666 | w: metronet.wa.gov.au