Newsletter 16th December 2020
Principal's Message
Thanks
Thank you to all families for your contribution to our school and the Kensington community. We wish you Happy Holidays and hope to see you back, safe and sound, in 2021. As we could not have our usual Parent Helper morning tea, you should have received, (or, given the Christmas post delays, you will be receiving) in the post, a card with a message and student artwork printed on it. We are very grateful for your moral and physical support this year.
Farewell
Tomorrow we farewell our Year 6s. At 2:30pm they will ring out the school year. Year 6 parents have been invited to watch this tradition if they wish. They will have prime viewing positions in the quadrangle after watching the students process from the oval. In the morning, the student councillors and faction captains will announce their 2021 counterparts and handover to them officially. While these Year 5 students will introduce themselves formally next year, as Year 6s, at the first assembly, the Year 5 parents are welcome to attend either or both of these events. Please note, in order to accommodate Year 5 parents, we have informed the Year 5 students if they have won an elected leadership position for 2021 – just not which position. These students and the recipients of Year 6 graduation prizes will be announced in a separate email as the Year 6 prizes will be presented this evening and the Year 5 badges will be presented tomorrow morning.
We also say farewell to all families and staff who are moving on too. Some to new schools, some overseas and some moving onto the next chapter of their lives - retiring or transitioning to high school. We wish all families leaving KPS all the best for the future and we thank them for the contribution they have made during their time at KPS. We especially thank all those people who have been active members of the P&C.
We say a big thank you and farewell to the following staff who have given much to our school over the years:
Retirement: - Mrs Lyn Both (Room 3 Monday teacher) who has taught in our junior primary for 25 years!! We thank her for all the wonderful work she has completed, supporting students, staff and families. We also wish her a happy and long retirement.
On leave for 2021: Continuing on leave is Miss Shannon May, Ms Sue Millar and Mrs Rhonda Skinner. Mrs Cate Smith will also be on leave in 2021. We know they plan to make the most of their overseas travel and time away from school, so we wish them all the very best.
We also farewell Mr Bo Zhou (cleaner), Miss Katherine Herne (P3 teacher) and Ms Callen Toner (S1 teacher). We thank them all for their contributions to the school in 2020 and wish them well on their new ventures.
Our staff will remain outside at the end of the school day tomorrow to farewell students and parents.
Miss Hasson’s Wedding
Congratulations to Miss Hasson on her wedding recently. While Miss Hasson’s husband is Daryl Brown, she will not be changing her name. This will reduce any confusion as we already have a Mrs Brown at the school (and a Jones, Smith and White … other popular surnames).
Team Reilly vs MND
We farewelled one of our wonderful Education Assistants, Emma Reilly this week. At the beginning of the term, Emma had to make the difficult decision to resign, enabling her to be a full time carer for her husband Ben, who was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in January 2020. Ben and Emma are trying to raise awareness of MND by sharing their journey on Facebook and YouTube. Some of our staff proudly sported their Team Reilly vs MND t-shirts when Emma came in to say good bye. You can follow the Reilly family’s journey and/or assist them through the following links:-
https://www.facebook.com/TeamReillyvsMND/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCorkRuaQ1AHBXxgv-_V5AWw
Go Fund Me Page https://gf.me/u/yjyddv
Christmas Doors
Bunnings ran a competition for Christmas door decorations this term. A few of our classes participated and have received special acknowledgements. Thanks to (left to right and top to bottom) Mrs Kavanagh (P1), Miss Herne (P3), Ms Hasson (Room 5) and Mrs Andrews (S2).
Trial of New Break Times in Term 1
Next year we are trialling some new approaches to break times. In Term 1 the following break times will be trialled. We will also flip lunch and Break 2 so that lunch will follow immediately after play time. Lunch will also be eaten with class teachers. Crunch ‘n’ Sip will occur throughout the day – but sticky and messy foods will have to be eaten during set break times, when work books are not on desks.
Classroom Staff
As our student numbers are very tight this year, I cannot announce the class structures (although they will likely be similar to this year’s – but not exactly the same). However, below is the staff for each classroom.
2020 Bebras Australia Computational Thinking Challenge
Congratulations to the following students who have achieved the highest possible score amongst Years 5 & 6 students in the 2020 Bebras Australia Computational Thinking Challenge:
Mia, Samuel and Cooper.
Keep Our School Safe
During the holiday period, school premises are more vulnerable than usual and can become targets for a small number of offenders.
If you live near the school or are passing by, please keep an eye on our grounds for us. Listen for unusual noises; look for suspicious vehicles and notice if groups of children or teenagers are congregating around the school. Your involvement can really make a difference in preventing damage to our school. I urge you to report any suspicious activities to:
SCHOOL WATCH – 1800 177 777
POLICE – 131 444
Sports News
Ultimate Frisbee
Last week S3 and S4 participated in Frisbee sessions conducted by Zia and Colton from the Carnaby Club at Curtin University. It was a lot of fun and the students adapted to the game very quickly, with most students never playing the game before. Zia was very impressed with the skill level. In the future Ultimate Frisbee may be a sport in our Summer Carnival. Next year we hope to play it in our Senior Sport sessions.
Swimming Lessons
Lessons will be completed on Thursday when certificates will be sent home. The students have worked hard improving their swimming technique. The certificate will indicate what stage to attempt next year.
Sport Monitors
Thanks to our Year 6 Sport Monitors Andy, Jacob, Anna and Neave for a great effort throughout the year in looking after our sports equipment and putting it out and in every day. They have also set up for all the Senior Sport sessions on Fridays and generally helped Mrs Stanford with any set up that needed to be done, big or small. Your effort is very much appreciated.
Bike Education Year 3
All students that participated in our Bike Education sessions have an opportunity to win a bike. The competition closes December 20.
To enter the competition please use the follow link and fill in the required details - https://www.ridenation.com.au/promo/win-a-bike
Library News
Music News
CELEBRATION OF SONG from WA Masses Choir Festival on November 19.
Big Shout out to everyone who joined in on the premiere!
Chaplain News
We will have a new chaplain starting in 2021. His name is Michael Anson. We will introduce you to him next year.
Lost and Found
School Board
School Board Updates
As we close off 2020, the School Board would like to extend its thanks to everyone, students, parents, teachers and the local community, for successfully adapting to the constant change this year. In preparation for 2021 and beyond, the teaching staff and School Board have been developing the next business plan and would like to give everyone the opportunity to provide feedback before it is finalised. Below is a summary of the key focus areas and accompanying explanation. These are key focus areas in addition to the Australian curriculum which must be taught by all schools. Below you will find the information and instructions for sending in any feedback.
I would also like to thank everyone who has volunteered at the school this year, from class reps, P&C, DUCKS and board members. Your contributions to the school are highly valued.
Enjoy a well-deserved summer holiday.
Brendan Joss, Chair – KPS Board
Business Plan Priorities
While this Business Plan spans the next three years, it marks the start of a number of new initiatives for the school that will remain the focus for years to come and will not be completed within the life of this one Business Plan. The diagram below is a visual representation of the new business plan, centred around relationships, the focus areas are built on the school’s values, which appear in the outer circle. Click below to see further details on these priority areas.
Feedback
As we begin to finalise the planning for this new Business Plan, we are happy to receive any feedback or information that you might wish to share to help us offer the best educational opportunities to your children, now and into the future. If you wish to take up this offer, please email kensington.ps@education.wa.edu.au
School Board Elections
The School Board currently meets twice a term - on the third and ninth Monday of each term at 5:30pm in the staffroom. Brendan Joss is the current chair of the school board. There are some vacancies on the board next year. If you are interested in nominating yourself, you will be asked to complete a nomination form and return it to the school by Thursday 25th February 2021. In next year’s first newsletter this form and an information sheet will be provided, which gives potential nominees an overview of the board and how it runs. If you are interested in finding out more, please consider speaking with current board members. A list of current board members and their profiles can be found on the school website. Please note – all Board members are now required to give consent for the Department of Education to undertake a National Police History Check into their backgrounds.
Community News
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