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ARMADALE PRIMARY SCHOOL Densham Road Armadale 3143 Phone: 9822 7003 Fax: 9824 8954 OOSHC: 9822 4912 Email: [email protected] Website: www.armadaleps.vic.edu.au
NEWSLETTER NO. 24 - 16 August 2012
COMING EVENTS
Friday 17 August - L4 Hooptime Gala Day Monday 20 August - Book Week commences Wednesday 22 August - Book buying day in Performing Arts room Thursday 23 August - L4 Immigration Museum & NGV excursion Friday 24 August - Book Week Parade 9.00am Friday 24 August - ―Alice in Wonderland‖ Parent Helpers morning tea 10.00am Friday 24 August - L1-4 Book Week performance ―And the Winner is‖ incursion Friday 31 August - Fathers‘ Day Stall (presents cost $5) Wednesday 5 September - L3 children depart for Camp Rumbug Friday 7 September - L3 children return from Camp Rumbug Friday 14 September - PFA Meeting 9.00am in staffroom
Dear Parents,
On Thursday and Friday night last week every child was a star, flourishing and blossoming in a wonderland, feeling the magic that was our performance, Alice in Wonderland. How fantastic that every single child was included in the production and was able to perform up on the stage in front of a very large and loving audience. Every student in our school was connected to the production and every child will remember this wonderful experience as the highlight of 2012. The loving audience was thrilled with the singing and dancing and fully enjoyed the music, the humour and the fantasy that was Alice. How do you measure the merit of a whole school production, with the number of rehearsals and the cumulative disruption to the normal academic learning program? I find that a very easy question to answer, the worthiness was obvious to us from Term 1 and to you as parents, when the red curtain was raised. Firstly students will always remember the experience and the connectedness to an event, rather than an individual lesson. If you cast your mind back to primary school what do you remember? More often than not it‘s the teachers you had, the best friends you made or it‘s your own connection to an experience such as a concert or a sports day. Our memories are based on our emotions and the relationships we have with people. Were our children emotionally engaged with this production? Have they been ―high‖ on excitement all last week and this week? If the answer is yes, then Alice in Wonderland will live on in all our children‘s memories for a very long time!
The second reason which substantiates the performance is that it was not a stand alone or a ―one off ―event which disrupted our normal program. All the learning that is undertaken here at APS is very deliberately linked and strategically planned to connect with meaning and purpose. For all of this term, as part of our whole school inquiry learning curriculum all classes have been investigating ―entertainment‖ from a historical, cultural, social and musical perspective. Students have been undertaking research; producing projects; using a wide array of technologies to construct a presentation on their own line of inquiry. Alice was also an extraordinary
example of a learning journey where the students have: learned lines, songs; music; choreographed routines; co-ordinated hand movements; how to come on and off a stage; where to stand under lights; costume design and making; theatre make up; backstage action; props; set design; lighting; sound cues; being miked up; voice projection; rehearsals and full dress rehearsals; ticketing and sales; program design; music arrangements and the list goes on. Would that have happened within the confines of a normal classroom? The feedback all week has been amazing. Thank you to so many parents who have forwarded emails, flowers and cards to express their thanks and gratitude. Our teachers have been thrilled to have their efforts recognised by the school community in such a warm and generous manner. There are so many people to thank for bringing this production to fruition – apart from Amanda and Colleen, Alice was truly a team effort. The willingness of parents and teachers to put in far beyond what is normally expected was truly humbling. To all students, teachers and parents – my deepest thanks for all of your support and contributions. For the parents who supported Alice all the way through, the school would like to invite you to a special morning tea on Friday 24th August at 10.00am in the Performing Arts room. Details are provided further in the newsletter Here are just a few of those emails that I have received since Friday morning. I really do appreciate the thoughtfulness of those parents to offer our school their thoughts and feedback. “Firstly I just wanted to say how wonderful last night’s performance was-absolutely truly magical! Your words at the end about education through entertainment and the enhanced confidence and team building skills the children will no doubt have acquired through this whole school effort were spot on. As for the memories of APS ,I couldn't agree more-it will be Alice & Aladdin that will retain a special place in all our hearts. Well done to all!”
Susan Johnson (mum of Phoenix 3D and Liam 2P)
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Acting Principal's report continued…
“I wanted to send a note to congratulate you on the performance of Alice in Wonderland last week. We attended on Thursday evening and were so impressed by the quality of the show, and the standard that the children were able to achieve. Our daughter Tilly is in level 2 and this was her first experience of a musical. She loved learning the songs and then the choreography and also enjoyed the whole school rehearsals where she could watch the older children tackle their individual roles. It was clear from watching Tilly and also from seeing all of the children at the National Theatre, how proud they were of this production. Please pass on to Amanda Wilson and to everyone involved my thanks and congratulations on a wonderful achievement. It is initiatives such as this that produce such confident children who are clearly very proud of their school.”
Georgie Hunt, Mother of Tilly (2S)
“I have returned from Alice in Wonderland and wanted to congratulate the school, and Amanda in particular for what was a truly remarkable show. With Maya in grade 1, I was not sure what to expect from APS, but the performance tonight exceeded my expectations. My Mum and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and she was also impressed with the APS production having seen numerous productions from other grand kids' schools. The acting, the costumes, the sets, the songs, the choreography and the personalities shining through were all wonderful to watch. It is hard to believe that this was done on a tight budget relying on the support of the community as it seemed s o profes s iona l in s o ma ny w a ys . As a Mum, it has been a joy to watch Maya's excitement in the lead up to this week, and witness a leap in confidence from a child who 2 years ago refused to continue ballet lessons when she realised she had to perform on stage. Tonight you said that this has been an education for the children which I completely support. The skills they learn and the memories they create will stay with them forever. Congratulations again on a superb performance.”
Nicki (Mum of Maya in 2T) “Just a short note to say well done to all involved with tonight's performance of Alice in Wonderland. Our two boys, Jack and Tom just loved it and have gained so much out of it. I take my hat off to APS for doing an amazing job. Please pass on a huge well done to all involved.”
Georgie Handbury (mum of Tommy 2S and Jack 1J) “Hi Rochelle, my congratulations to all involved in the performance last night. What a fantastic showcase for your school and state education. Enjoy the day and the performance tonight … then sleep.”
Dennis Pratt (Field Officer for schools in Stonnington and Glen Eira, my boss in the
Department)
“Magic Happens at Armadale Primary School” Bruce Hemingway, our School Council President, who delivered this message on stage at the National Theatre at the end of the finale on Friday night. “Dear Amanda and Colleen I just wanted to thank you both so much for 2 fantastic evenings. There is no better way to spend a night than watching your children on stage having heaps and heaps of fun while also feeling very special. I am in awe of what you both put together, not to mention some of the performances. It was absolutely fantastic and I know the children loved every minute of it. James did not want it to end. You have taught them more than you know during the whole "Alice in Wonderland" experience. Thanks for giving all the children (but particularly James) such a wonderful opportunity. I hope you have a chance to relax and enjoy the feeling of having done something really special.”
Andrea Gray (Mum of Jamie 4N and Henry 2E) If you wonder why I am beaming with pride this whole week, the above emails tell the story. Book week –“Champions Read” This exciting week will be happening next week and the students have a fabulous opportunity to engage further with their reading and love of books when they visit the book fair with their teachers. They will also be treated to a performance from Poet, Raymond J Bartholomeuz on Wednesday and a Musical performance on Friday, ―And the winner is‖ , the level 4‘s are also attending a Book Launch on Wednesday afternoon. The celebration of Book Week will culminate in our Book Week Parade between 9.00 am and 10.00am on Friday morning. I don‘t think the bananas will appear again this time, but Malcolm and I will certainly put our heads together. Farewell to the Cowdery–Johnson Family Susan Johnson and Liam Cowdery treated us all at assembly yesterday to a wonderful pictorial showcase of Quex Park and the fabulous mansion and museum that they will be managing for the next 2 years in Kent, England. It is very sad to say goodbye to them, they are the essence of our Armadale community, proactive and generous supporters of our school. We wish them well with this new adventure in their lives, thank them most sincerely for all that they have done here at Armadale and look forward to hearing how everything is going with frequent emails and video links. If you would like to know more about their new home please quick on the link below: http://www.quexpark.co.uk/ I know I will miss my chats with Susan very much. Lost Property This has been recently bagged up and will be taken home washed and cleaned over several weeks. Please purchase any items you like through the second hand tubs and kindly leave a gold coin at the office.
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YOU CAN DO IT! AWARDS 1J Luka Jevtic For developing confidence to share his work more often in front of an audience.
Super effort Luka!
1P Birinderjit Singh For weaving with confidence during his Hand Skills lesson.
2E Henry Gray For the enthusiasm and confidence in his attitude which he applies to all aspects of his learning.
2J Jack Cooper For displaying confidence in everything he does at school, even if it's tricky! You are a fantastic example of what confidence means.
2P Josephine Robson For focusing on the correct formation of your upper and lowercase letters. You have demonstrated confidence while completing set writing tasks. I am so proud of you, Josephine!
2S Stella Spears For demonstrating persistence when undertaking tasks as well as, demonstrating a positive attitude towards learning. You are a STAR Stella!
2T Luke Vickery For being a confident and excited grasshopper in Alice in Wonderland, and for being a superstar at tip-toeing when moving around backstage.
3C Brett Boscacci For the great sportsmanship and team work displayed throughout the Level 3 Hooptime basketball gala day! You are a great role model for our school. Well done Brett!
3C Bella Houghton-Allen For always striving to achieve academic excellence in all subject areas. Well done Bella, you are a champ!
3D Phoenix Cowdery For showing confidence during her preparation in moving to England. She has been conscientiously completing extra homework and other work in order to better prepare herself for the move from grade 3 to grade 5. Well done Phoenix, and all the best for the future!
3D Lulu McLaughlin For the positive effort that she has shown in Basketball during Level Three sport and Hooptime. A superstar effort Lulu!
3F Sarah Zagame For the positive effort that she puts into tasks and working conscientiously on her learning activities. Well done Sarah!
3F Christian Fernandez For demonstrating great team skills and contributing positively to his team at Hooptime Basketball
4N Stella Bourne For the wonderfully creative Acrostic Poem you composed about the Olympic Games. A Gold Medal effort, Stella!
4N Ally Golusin For the wonderful leadership, commitment, co-operation and confidence you displayed throughout the Alice in Wonderland experience. You are a star Ally.
4Z George Giannakarios For displaying persistence and achieving good results during difficult maths activities. Keep up the good work George!
Acting Principal's report continued… Staffing changes –farewell Kerry Troup Students in 3D have to farewell Kerry Troup at the end of this week as she begins her teaching position at Stonnington Primary. We were fortunate to secure Kerry to cover Malcolm‘s classes at the start of Term 3 when Malcolm and I found ourselves in Acting Principal positions. Kerry has completed a fabulous 5 weeks of teaching with 3D, she is highly competent and professional in all areas of her teaching and her transition into Malcolm‘s class was seamless. She has managed her class beautifully and I regret recommending her as young graduate to Stonnington during Term 2, of course I didn‘t know then that we would need to secure her services during all of Term 3. On behalf of the whole community I extend our best wishes to Kerry, thank her for all that she has done during her time here and know that she will enjoy a happy and long career in teaching. Fortunately for 3D we have secured the services of Andrea Brown, a wonderful teacher who is currently replacing Virginia
Wallace whilst she is on long service leave to enjoy a new grand-daughter. Andrea has been a frequent visitor to the school, and has worked across many of the Level 3 classes. Andrea will teach 3D until the end of Term 3, September 21st and I hope before that date the school will know the outcome of the new Principal Selection Process. Again I would like to reassure the school community that we undertake a rigorous selection process when placing replacement teachers in classrooms and we only place teachers of the highest calibre in classes to replace our permanent staff. Whilst we would all like a stable learning environment for our children, sometimes events are taken out of our hands and we deal with it as best we can. The positives for our children is that they experience varying teaching and learning styles, develop resilience and flexibility which prepares them for the great changes they will experience in secondary settings. Warm regards,
Rochelle Cukier
Acting Principal
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PARENTS AND FRIENDS FOR ARMADALE (PFA) Hi everyone, Father’s Day Stall Father‘s Day is on Sunday 2nd September – only 2 weeks away! – and our annual Father‘s Day Stall will be held on Friday 31st August. Kristen Steele & Susan Hucker have kindly volunteered to organise the stall, and a note from Kristen & Susan with details of the day follows this article. Don‘t forget to look for the donations box in your classroom! PFA Meeting Please note that the meeting scheduled for tomorrow (Friday 17th August) has now been cancelled. The next scheduled PFA meeting will be on Friday 14th September. Expressions of interest - PFA Co-Presidents Our roles as co-Presidents come to an end this year. We are hoping to appoint two new Presidents ASAP to ensure a smooth handover. We are asking for expressions of interest so if you want to know more about this fulfilling, valued and varied role, or know someone who may be interested, please contact us. Have a great week everyone.
Abbey Nash Jill Davies 0410 509 161 0414 335 555 [email protected] [email protected] PFA Co-Presidents
FATHER’S DAY STALL Hi all, Father's Day is fast approaching and we wanted to let you know that the APS Father's Day Stall will be held on Friday 31st August this year. As in prior years the stall will consist of a mix of gifts donated by APS families and gifts purchased by the school, which the children will then be able to purchase with their $5.00. The donations especially help to enhance the variety and fun of the stall and can include items such as magazines, books, sporting/gardening equipment, stationery, chocolates etc. To ensure that all Dads get well and truly spoilt on their special day, could families please donate a gift in the coming weeks. Unwrapped gifts can be left in the donation boxes that your classroom reps will have placed in each classroom. Additionally if you know of any businesses happy to donate to the stall, we would love to hear from you. Helpers will be very welcome throughout the mornings on either Thursday 30th August for pre-wrapping, or on Friday 31st for the actual stall. It is a lovely event to be involved in and we look forward to seeing lots of you there - coffee and morning tea provided! If you have any queries please contact us. Thanks Susan Hucker - 0404 392 240 Kristen Steele - 0417 703 998
PARKING A number of parents have asked if a reminder could be given to all families to adhere to the five minute drop-off and pick-up zones outside the school in Densham Road and Northcote Road. Many parents are parking considerably longer and making it difficult for other parents to make a quick drop-off or pick-up. Please also be considerate of our neighbours and do not park across private driveways or in the parking spots of nearby flats. Lastly, the driveway in Densham Road is not to be used as a drop-off or pick-up point. We need to keep this free for emergency situations at all times.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND PROGRAMS There are still programs available to purchase (for a gold coin donation) from the office if you missed out on purchasing one from the National Theatre last week. Don‘t miss out on your memento of a wonderful evening.
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND So much has already been said and written about this fantastic performance. All I want to add is my congratulations to Amanda and Colleen, and all the staff who did such a fantastic job in preparing the children and organising such a major event at our school. Many thanks also to the parents who devoted countless hours to prop and costume making. The fruits of all your labours were very much on show last week. BOOK WEEK – CHAMPIONS READ After all the excitement of Alice over the past several weeks, it‘s hard to believe that Book Week is now just around the corner. Elsewhere in the newsletter you will see some detailed information that Sara Powell has put together. Many thanks to Sara for making a special effort to come in to help support our Book Week even when on family leave, it is very much appreciated. Don‘t forget that the Book Fair this year will be in the Performing Arts room, not the library. I hope you have started thinking about your costumes for the Book Parade on Friday 24 August. GREEN TEAM NEWS The level 1 and 2 Green Team are preparing for the Special Clean Up Australia activities next week. They have worked out special areas for each class to look after and keep clean next week. Don‘t forget we can all do our bit by making sure that as much as possible all food brought to school is in reusable ‗nude food‘
containers. The level 3 and 4 Green Team are preparing for their special activity on Monday 27 August. We are going to the Port Phillip Eco Centre to participate in their Sustainable Schools Activity Day and Harvest Picnic. Our Green Team will be presenting a special activity there, where we will be teaching other students the principles of recycling and waste management. 1:1 NETBOOK PROGRAM The school is proposing to introduce a 1:1 netbook program in 2013 for Level 4 students to complement and enhance our current our current ICT provision. The 1:1 program involves parents leasing a netbook for their children for use at home and school. The School Council and Staff have endorsed this proposal and the school is taking further steps to bring the program to implementation in level 4. At this stage we would like to ascertain your readiness to be part of this innovation for your children. In order to assess the readiness of the parents to embrace this new program, and to learn about any concerns they may have, we will be conducting a survey of all parents in Levels 3 and 4. You will receive an email with the link to the online survey in the next few days, and we would encourage everyone to complete it.
ACTING ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
You have seen the live show, now watch the MOVIE!
To order your copy of the Armadale Primary School production of ―Alice in Wonderland Jr‖, please fill out the order form below. It is a great gift idea for Christmas! Orders must be returned to the office by Friday 17th September in order to receive the DVDs this term.
——–—–—————–——————————–—————–—–—————–———–—–—————–——————–—–—
ALICE IN WONDERLAND JR DVD ORDER $35.00 each
Student‘s name: _______________________ Class: _________
I would like to order _____ copy/copies of Alice in Wonderland Jr DVD Please debit my credit card as below: Amount: $ ____________ ($35.00 each) Name on Card: _______________________________
Card no: ________ / ________ /________ / ________ Expiry Date: ________ / ________ Signature: ___________________________________
Malcolm Dow
Acting Assistant Principal
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ALICE IN WONDERLAND JR – Reflection Thank you to everyone involved in making Alice in Wonderland Jr. a great success. We were so proud of all the students and have enjoyed hearing the excitement in their voices over the whole experience. Also, we could never have organized an event like this without the help of a fabulous team of staff and parents. It was a great demonstration of TEAM WORK! To show our appreciation to all the parent helpers we are holding an ALICE IN WONDERLAND parent helpers’ morning tea on Friday 24th August at 10.00am. This will take place after the Book Week parade. Any parents are welcome to attend. Amanda Wilson and Colleen Johnson ALICE IN WONDERLAND – MISSING ITEMS FROM PERFORMANCE NIGHT The following hired items went missing after Friday night‘s performance. Could Level 4 parents please check to see if they have the following items at home:
1 white half apron OCM007
2 pair black trousers from Mad Hatter... OCP218 and park scene CLP065
2 orange triangular scarves
1 red skivvy CLJ213
1 red tshirt CLB949 There were also two non-hired items that went missing after the performance.
1 hair straightener (Andrea Gray‘s)
1 grey winter jacket (Milla Alekna‘s) If anyone has seen these items could they please see Amanda ASAP.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND DVD Next week we will receive the first DVD recording of our Alice in Wonderland Jr. production. We are excitedly waiting to watch the performance as audience members. The company we use to capture this special event, ―Stagefright Concert Productions,‖ produce a final product of high quality. Unfortunately this has flowed through to the cost of the DVD which will be $35. If you would like a copy of the Alice in Wonderland Jr. DVD, please fill out the form attached to this week‘s newsletter. Orders must be in by 17 September. ALICE IN WONDERLAND JR. PROFESSIONAL PHOTOS
Information will be available in next week’s
newsletter
PERFORMING ARTS AWARD: LEVEL 4 – For their commitment, dedication and the confidence they displayed throughout the whole Alice in Wonderland journey. All the staff and students are extremely proud of your efforts. You are all stars, well done! ASSEMBLY PERFORMANCES – either singing or playing an instrument
Students are encouraged to perform at assembly and share their music with the school. Please contact me or your classroom teacher if you would like to play/sing for us.
CHOIR 2012 –Friday 17th August 2012
SENIOR CHOIR (Level 3 & 4) – Friday 8.15am in the Performing Arts hall
JUNIOR CHOIR (Level 2) – Friday 8.15am in the UPSTAIRS INFANT BUILDING
Amanda Wilson Performing Arts Co-ordinator
Visual Artist of the Week Harriet Conheady 4N For the excellent skills she displayed when creating her London Eye artwork. She combined a variety of printing and collage techniques to achieve a great result.
Visual Art Class of The Week 2T For the effort they made when painting the Father's Day wrapping paper. They came up with fantastic
ideas, thank you 2T for this wonderful wrapping paper!
Art Smocks Some students still need to bring their Art smocks back to school. Smocks should be labelled clearly with your name. Smocks are stored in classroom tubs/baskets and brought to each art lesson. New smocks can be purchased from the uniform shop in Kew.
Year 6 Art Club ‘Acrylic Painting on Canvas’ Art Club will be running this Tuesday @ 12.45pm in the Art Room. I will look forward to seeing you all then.
Lucy Gorman
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BOOK WEEK 2012 Book Week begins Monday 20th of August and there is a full week of activities planned across the school. Please find the Book Week timetable on page 8 of today‘s newsletter. Parents are welcome to attend the book preview sessions on the Monday and Tuesday in the Performing Arts room and are also welcome to purchase books on the Wednesday after school in the same location. If you would like to purchase books for your child, simply complete the forms the students will be bringing home on either Monday or Tuesday and return them to school on the Wednesday with correct payment. If there is a book that your child has asked for that is not in stock, it will be ordered and delivered to them asap. Books will be on sale on the WEDNESDAY only as they are collected Thursday afternoon by Scholastic. Please ensure that if you wish to purchase any books that this be done by your child during the morning by filling in the details on the Wish Lists that they will bring home, or by yourself in the afternoon session. We are unable to sell any books after Wednesday afternoon.
If there are any parents that are available to help on the WEDNESDAY with the buying of books, it would be greatly appreciated if you contact Malcolm Dow. In order for the buying to run smoothly, it would be best if two parents could help from 9:00 - 12:00 and then again in the afternoon from 3:30 - 4:30 or so. You can contact Malcolm on email [email protected] or complete the form below. We are lucky to have two performances during Book Week. On Wednesday the poet Raymond J Bartholomeuz will be performing and on Friday, there will be a musical performance entitled ―And the Winner is ...‖. Parents are welcome to attend the performances throughout the week, please just let your classroom teacher know that you will be coming. Finally, don't forget that the Book Week Parade will be on again this year with the theme ―Champions Read‖. The students are very creative with their costumes and we hope to see everyone once again dressed up on the Friday to share in the celebrations of Book Week. Sara Powell Librarian
BOOK WEEK HELPER Yes, I can help at the Book Week sale on Wednesday 22 August at the following times:
9.00 - 10.00am
10.00 - 11.00am
11.00am - 12.00pm
3.30 - 4.30pm
Name: ___________________________
Email: ___________________________
Child‘s name & class: _________________
Please return this form to your child’s class teacher
or the office by Monday 20 August
JUNIOR GREEN TEAM Next week is Keep Australia Beautiful Week. The Level 1 and 2 Green team leaders are actively involved in this important campaign. They are responsible for informing their class about the week and are encouraging their class to help keep different parts of the school rubbish free. At our last meeting we were surprised to learn that adults, rather than children, were more responsible for littering! Read the following link to learn more about what you can do to help Keep Australia Beautiful! at http://kab.org.au/keep-australia-beautiful-week/ Pippa Cocks
LEVEL 1 BULLETIN
This week‘s Level 1 bulletin is on the website for the Prep parents under Level & Specialist Bulletins in the Parents tab or follow this link.
HOUSE POINTS
Rose won this week‘s house. Congratulations to all the children in Rose.
Rose
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Attachments: (Advertised material is distributed with this newsletter. Whilst all care is taken to ensure validity we take no responsibility and imply no endorsement)
