Newsletter 25th August 2021
Principal's Message
Re-Planting
The Student Councillors, the school and the City of South Perth are working together to revegetate our school, creating a bigger canopy and a better environment for the birds and everyone at the school. This is a four stage process and the first stage will start on 31st August outside the office, near the donga. You might have noticed that the agapanthus etc. have been removed in order to replant with natives and bird friendly plants. The City of South Perth will then grow seedlings for us to plant in Stage 2.
You may also have noticed that the beds in the quadrangle have been looking very empty too. We have a theme for each bed and have started work on replanting and landscaping those. The Japanese garden, funded by the P&C, is developing well and the meadow/cottage garden (with the cow) has also been planted and scattered with seeds. The Bush Tucker bed will be developed at a later date once funds are available.
Containers for Change is Here!
We have a wheely bin currently in the quadrangle (orange lid) where you can deposit containers, help the environment and fundraise for the school all at once. We hope, with sufficient support from everyone, to expand this program.
Science Laboratory Conversion
As part of the 2021 election commitment it has been confirmed that the McGowan Government will give Kensington PS $25,000 for science equipment and a science laboratory conversion (science classroom refurbishment). We will be informed when these funds are made available through this rollout.
Mural
We are hoping to work with a Curtin University volunteer artist to paint a mural on the donga – the side that faces the office. Currently this is a bit of an eyesore so it will be great to have this redecorated.
Open Night
Please put this date in your diaries:
- 5-6:30pm Wednesday 8th
We are going to run an Open Night at the school so parents can take a guided tour of their child(ren)’s class(es) and the work they have been doing in their classrooms. There is also a possibility of a Sausage Sizzle on the night too.
CCTV
We have begun the process for purchasing CCTV for the school to try to deal with intruders who damage our school overnight or on weekends. These cameras will be installed in the areas furthest from the roads – the less visible side of the school: from the senior block, the early childhood areas to the office. If you have any feedback, please email or phone, or make an appointment to discuss it with us face to face.
Room 3
As Mrs Mehnert is not able to return to work this term, the school has sent an email and SZapp note to parents of students in Room 3, explaining the situation. We thank Miss Pedley for all the work she has done to continue the delivery of a quality program in Room 3 during the first weeks of Mrs Mehnert’s absence. Ms Marija Zavodja will be taking Room 3 until the end of term, working Wednesday – Friday. She will work with Mrs Ramsay, Mrs Mehnert and Miss Pedley to ensure continuity of program. This term, we ask that parents contact Mrs Ramsay or Miss Zavodja, rather than Mrs Mehnert, if there is anything they need. Saw Saw and email are the preferred modes of communication. Ms Zavodja will also contact parents to introduce herself.
Planning for 2022
It's that time of year again when we start to look at how many students we will have in 2022 and to plan to staff the school to meet those needs. You may complete one form (see the link below) for your family. However, if you have differing plans for each of your children currently attending our school (excluding the Year 6s), please complete separate forms for each. Please return these forms to the school by Friday 17th September.
School Photos
Just a reminder that school photos are scheduled for Week 8. Envelopes for individual and class photos will be coming home this week. However, you will need to come into the front office to collect a separate envelope if you would like a sibling photo to be taken.
Bronwyn Jones
PRINCIPAL
Values & Honour Awards
Respect
An attitude of treating ourselves, others and all living things with dignity and courtesy. Treating others as we want to be treated.
High School Scholarships
Special congratulations to the following students who have been accepted into specialist programs for high school:
Isla - Create@Como Program at Como Secondary College
Juanita - Specialist Netball Program at Atwell College
Poppy - Specialist EMITS Program at Como Secondary College
Tamsin - Specialist Netball Program at Melville SHS
Classroom Foyer Display
PP 1 - Languages
In PP1, we have been learning about different languages! Our classmates have been teaching us some words from their home languages. We have also been learning the Noongar names for animals in our class and the Auslan signs, too.
Noongar is an Australian Aboriginal language that is spoken by members of the Noongar community, who live in the southwest corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast, to Esperance on the south coast. It was the first language spoken in this region.
Auslan is Australian Sign Language and is used by the deaf community of Australia. Auslan uses manual communication and gestures instead of sound to express the speaker’s thoughts and meaning. This involves a combination of hand shapes, facial expressions and the orientation and movement of hands, arms or body.
We have created some pictures of animals using different mediums, such as: water colour paints, poster paints, oil pastels, pencils, collage materials and natural materials. Beside each picture, we have written the Noongar name and attached a QR code. The QR code links you to videos we have made, showing you how to do the Auslan sign for the animal, as well as pronouncing the Noongar name. We hope you enjoy learning with us!
Teachers: Mrs Kavanagh, Mrs Baker and the superstars of PP1
Sports News
State Cross Country
Nineteen of our students entered in the State Cross Country on Thursday August 12. It is a very daunting experience racing against the best in the state with competitor numbers in each race ranging from 215 to 343 and the distance was longer than we run at Interschool. Our runners handled the situation very well and I was very proud of their efforts. Congratulations to James who came 2nd and, along with Isobel and Ava, was invited to the state trials next year.
Year 3 Girls: 215 competitors: Isobel 14th.
Year 4 Girls: 300 competitors: Charlotte 71st, Kenzie 113th, Sara 220th. Year 5 Girls: 343 competitors: Ava 19th, Katya 40th. Year 6 Girls: 335 competitors: Isla 30th, Bridget 65th, Ava 88th. Year 3 Boys: 257 competitors: Ted 98th, Freddie 126th. Year 4 Boys: 292 competitors: James 2nd, David 152nd. Year 5 Boys: 293 competitors: Zakaria 23rd, Lawson 36th. Year 6 Boys: 278 competitors: Ethan 83rd, Jackson 130th, Hector 133rd.
Faction Carnival
Faction Carnival Week is next week! The program for the week is attached. There may be some changes and we will endeavour to give as much notice as possible. Parents are reminded not to “visit” their children in the faction bays on Friday. Competitor lists will be on the Sport notice board outside the staffroom. Competitors from Year 1 to 6 will be selected from the carnival to compete at the interschool carnival in Week 9.
Running Club
Running Club continues on Tuesday and Friday morning on the oval form 8.00 – 8.30am. Runners from Kindy – Year 6 are welcome. We have been preparing for the Faction Carnival.
Summer Sports
Registrations are now open for a range of summer sports. Check out our local clubs' websites for details.
Library News
Book Week Parade
Reminder tomorrow (Thursday 26/8/21) our Book Week celebrations will culminate in our annual Book Week Parade. K1 & K3 had a wonderful dress-up day yesterday and we look forward to seeing what characters the rest of the school bring to life from old worlds, new worlds and other worlds.
P & C News
P&C Fete Poster Competition
Thank you to everyone who entered the P&C Fete Poster Competition - the standard of entries was very high! After much discussion, the following two winners were chosen to win a Free Ride Zone wristband:
Junior Winner: Leo (Room 1)
Senior Winner: Lewis (Room 9)
These two students will also see their posters displayed around the school and local community in the lead up to the fete.
Never fear if you missed out on a prize, Early Bird sales open today for Ride Zone tickets. Details are on the flyer below and tickets can be purchased from the following link:
https://www.trybooking.com/eventlist/kensingtonpandc
We will also be displaying all of the poster competition entries on the day of the fete so that we can enjoy everyone's hard work.
Thank you to all of the students who entered.
KPS Fete 2021 Committee
BOOKFAIR
We had a great selection of books on offer this year from Child Education Services in East Perth. Parents and kids took advantage of the opportunity to buy some new books for home and the library.
We sold 184 books this year, which is an increase from last year. Many of these were donated to the library. Mrs Rankin-Hume will also soon receive a voucher to spend at Child Education Services. This all means that our children will have many new titles to enjoy in the coming months.
Thanks to everyone who came and browsed, bought and donated. Thanks also to Mel, Dee, Giselle, Cathy, Lara, Sarah-Jane and Jenny for volunteering and ensuring the Bookfair ran smoothly. Thanks to Mrs Rankin-Hume for accomodating us in the library.
Susan Henwood
A big thank you to Mrs Henwood for all the wonderful work she has continued to do with Book Club and with this wonderful Book Fair.
KPS staff and students.
P&C Meeting
The next P&C meeting will be on Tuesday 7th September at 7:30pm in the staffroom.