Extending the performance of all students

North Perth Primary School Albert Street North Perth WA 6006

Phone: (08) 9328 7104 Facsimile: (08) 9328 8166

Email: Principal.NorthPerth.PS@education.wa.edu.au

www.northperthprimary.edu.au

Parent Newsletter Issue 09 11 June 2014

ASSEMBLY Congratulations to the Year 2/3 Room 6 students for a very entertaining assembly last Wednesday. The class had been developing their reading, writing, oral language and visual arts skills through an integrated study of the culture of the traditional owners. They introduced us to several towns across Australia with Aboriginal names and their meanings. They also shared a Dreamtime story that told us how the koala gets its stubby tail. Well done, boys and girls.

YEAR 5 INTENTIONS FOR 2015 We have commenced planning for 2015 and to help determine our staffing requirements it is essential to know which current Year 5 students may NOT be returning to North Perth Primary School for Year 6. Please email Ms Downsborough, Deputy Principal, on Sharon.Downsborough@education.wa.edu.au if you are able to do so. Thank you.

FOODBANK SCHOOL APPEAL Each year North Perth Primary School supports selected charity organisations and we are supporting the Foodbank WA winter appeal this week.

Every month, more than 55 000 Western Australia’s receive food that has been sourced through Foodbank WA – about 40% are children. The current economic climate means that people who may never imagined asking for support in the past are having to turn to charity . So it’s not just the traditionally vulnerable groups such as the homeless seeking food relief, but also the aged, single parents and the working poor.

Demand for food relief continues to rise with an estimated 16 000 Western Australian’s turned away from welfare agencies each month because there is insufficient food to go around.

Please consider donating a can of food to help families and people in need. Tinned foods such as soups, vegetables, fruit, fish and canned meals can be used in food hampers or made into healthy, filling meals to relieve hunger.

Foodbank collection bins are located in the school hall – just look for the large bins.

Merit Award

Recipients

Caitlyn G

Lorena A

Oliver P

Lotte O

Aaki O

Neave M

Amalee D

Liam S

Lucas L

Keelie M

Jeremie T

Allegra C

Rhiannon s

Alara J

Sofie K

Sophie K

Room 14

Kara M

Niamh S

Music Award

Room 5

Principal’s Award Ethan H, Lachie R,

Tilly J, Oscar W,

Nicola D, Jaime F,

Maddy B, Oliver D

KEY DATES Thursday 12 June Uniform Shop 2.30pm - 3.00pm Friday 13 June Eagles Cup - NPPS vs Westminster PS Monday 16 June First Aid Focus #1 Religious Education Working Party 2.00pm Tuesday 17 June P & C Meeting 7.30pm Wednesday 18 June School Banking Day Assembly Year 2 Room 2 Friday 20 June First Aid Focus #2 Eagles Cup—Sutherland-Dianella PS vs NPPS Monday 23 June First Aid Focus #3 School Council 3.15pm

2014 FOODBANK SCHOOL APPEAL Monday 9 June – Friday 13 June 2014

Please donate a can of food to this community cause.

Kindergarten and Pre-primary Applications for 2015

We have commenced taking applications for enrolment for the following programs;

Applications close on 25 July 2014. Application forms are available from the school office.

Photocopies of birth certificates, immunisation history statement and proof of residential address (i.e. rates notice or up-to-date utilities account) are required for photocopying with the application form.

Please note; students already attending Kindergarten at North Perth Primary School this year are required to apply for 2015 and re-submit proof of residential address.

If your child is currently in Kindergarten and you have previously supplied a copy of your child’s birth certificate and immunisation statement (unless updated), we will not need another copy.

Children currently enrolled in Pre-primary to Years 5 do not need to submit an application for enrolment for the remainder of their primary years. Please note that an application can

only be made at ONE GOVERNMENT SCHOOL.

Kindergarten 2015 Children born 01/07/10 to 30/06/11

Pre-Primary 2015 Children born 01/07/09 to 30/06/10

FIRST AID FOCUS The Kindergarten to Year 7 students will be participating in a free first aid lesson conducted by a St John Ambulance trainer during the final two weeks of June. This activity is conducted annually to help equip children with the first aid skills they need if faced with a medical emergency. The lessons are fun and informative with hands-on techniques and demonstrations. The students will receive a first aid certificate of completion, giveaways and helpful first aid resources and information.

Vegetable Slice Traffic Light Category – GREEN

Ingredients 1 packet (approximately 300g) of frozen spinach (defrost

and squeeze out most of the moisture before adding to the cake)

1 tsp baking powder ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 cup semolina ½ cup gram flour (chick pea flour) ½ cup oil 1 cup of reduced fat yogurt 2 cups mixed frozen vegetables 2 tsp grated ginger (optional*) 2 large cloves garlic, crushed (optional*) 1 tsp sweet chilli sauce (optional*) Sesame seeds – sprinkle with sesame seeds prior to

baking *optional ingredients enhance the flavour of the vegetable slice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. 2. Line a 2 litre baking tray with grease proof paper or spray

lightly with canola oil. 3. Mix all ingredients together and transfer to baking tray. 4. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. 5. Bake for approximately 30 minutes or until golden. Do

not overcook as the edges will become very dry. 6. Cut the slice into squares for serving.

SUSTAINABILITY FAST FACTS - PLASTIC Recycling plastic saves twice as much energy as burning it in

an incinerator.

41 recycled plastic bottles represent enough

energy savings to run a refrigerator for an hour. To run it for a month it requires a tonne of plastic to be recycled.

Approximately 88% of the energy is saved by

producing plastic from plastic as opposed to plastic from the raw materials of oil and gas.

If each Australian family used one less plastic bag per week,

there would be 253 million less bags used per year. Start reducing waste by rejecting plastic bags, take re-usable bags with you when shopping.

PRIMARY EXTENSION AND CHALLENGE (PEAC) ASSESSMENT 2014 The PEAC Program provides part time extension and enrichment for exceptionally able students in Years 5 and 6. PEAC offers a range of courses that provide these students with work that is intellectually challenging.

All students in Year 4 will have the opportunity to be assessed for suitability for the PEAC Program on Monday 23 June (Room 13) and Tuesday 24 June (Rooms 19 and 22) in the library. Testing will begin at 8.45am. The scores from the tests will be used in the selection of students for PEAC courses and extension programs during 2015 to 2016.

A letter will go home today to all Year 4 students. If you have any further queries about the test or the PEAC Program please contact Lisa Mitchell, Learning Support Coordinator.

DISCO The discos held last week were an outstanding success with great music provided by DJ Jamie. A big thank you is extended to the Student Councillors for promoting this annual event and carrying out their duties responsibly on the night. They ensured everyone had a great time and used their initiative when needed. Thank you also to the many dedicated staff members who supported this event by assisting with supervision on the night.

Art Room – Smart Arts Investigation #3 Name the Australian artist who won an art award for their portrait painting of an

Australian actor in 2013.

Place your answer in the box located in the hall.

The first correct answer drawn wins a prize.

Happy searching!

Meredith Burke

Art Specialist

…………………………………………………………………………….

Name: _____________________________________________________

Year: _________ Room: __________

Artist: _____________________________________________________

Painting Title: ______________________________________________

YEAR 6 & 7 CAMP On Tuesday 27 May, the Year 6 and 7 students set off for a four day adventure at Ern Halliday, Hillarys. We spent our whole day

outside from morning to mid-afternoon, doing different activities including caving, flying fox, big swing, team games, lost pilot,

crate climb, archery and vertical ascent. Each night we had different recreational activities put together by our fabulous teachers

whilst they were wearing animal beanies. On our second night, we had a camp concert with performances from some 6/7

students. We had very unique performances which included singing, dancing, acting and even a onesie fashion show! On the last

night at camp we had a movie night and we watched Back to the Future.

STAFF ON LEAVE The following teachers will be on approved leave

Alana Elliott (Yr 4/5 Rm 19) – 23/06/14 – 04/07/14

Brian Hounsell (Yr 6/7 Rm 14) – 30/06/14 – 04/07/14

Suzy Minson (Yr 1 Rm 9) – 16/06/14 – 04/07/14

Andrew Streeton (Yr 6/7 Rm 4 & Deputy) – 06/06/14 – 04/07/14

Charlotte Walker (Yr 1 Rm 10) – 25/06/14 - 04/07/14

During the absence of your child’s teacher, please forward all queries or absence notifications to NorthPerth.PS@education.wa.edu.au . Alternatively, call into the school office to chat with a member of the administration team.

HEAD LICE ADVICE We’ve recently had several reports of students with head lice and if everyone makes an effort to check their own child’s hair regularly we may be able to limit the spread of this annoying pest. Head lice are small insects that live in human hair. The eggs look like grains of salt stuck to the hair and are most often found behind the ears and along the forehead and temples. Head lice can live in the cleanest hair. They don’t make you sick, but can cause itching, especially in children. Head lice are very common, particularly in schools where children often have their heads close together while playing or doing their work. Please examine your child’s hair for signs of head lice by following the advice below. Remember that head lice are only about 2-4mm long and are often hard to see. Head lice can move at up to 30cm per minute and will rapidly run away when the hair is parted to search for them. Applying hair conditioner to the dry hair slows the head lice down, so they can be trapped with a metal ‘nit’ comb. How should you look for head lice and eggs (nits)?

To check hair effectively for eggs, use a magnifying glass in strong light (eg. sunlight to examine the hair shafts

close to the scalp, especially behind the ears and at the nape of the neck. Eggs look like grains of salt and are glued tightly to the hair shaft.

To check hair effectively for head lice, carefully comb enough hair conditioner through the dry hair to

thoroughly saturate the hair. Then, divide the hair into small sections and comb again, section-by-section, using a metal fine-tooth ‘nit’ comb. The hair conditioner slows the head lice down so they can be trapped in the metal ‘nit’ comb.

Continue combing the whole head in this way. Wipe the combings on a white tissue or paper towel and

examine them with a magnifying glass in strong light, e.g. sunlight, to look for head lice and eggs.

Rinse the hair conditioner out when finished and dry the hair.

Continue the hair conditioner treatment daily for the next 10 days only if head lice have been found.

If head lice are found, it is important to check all other household members for head lice. Combing their hair

with hair conditioner as described above will make this task easier and more effective. Remember to check extended family members e.g. grandparents, also if they have had close head-to-head contact with anyone found to have head lice.

Useful ideas to help prevent infestation:

Check your child’s hair regularly for head lice and eggs.

Tie long hair back.

Consider applying gel, mousse or other barrier solutions.

Avoid sharing combs, brushes, hats and hair accessories.

Kill head lice and eggs trapped in combs and brushes by immersing in hot water for 10 minutes.

Avoid head-to-head contact with other children. The Department of Health ‘Head Lice Fact Sheet’ contains treatment advice and other information and was the reference for this article. A copy of the fact sheet is available from the school office on request. Thank you in anticipation of your support with this request as it is only with a combined effort from the school and community that we will be able to control this problem.

Parenting WA Line Free 24/7 support and information for parents

1800 654 432 www.communities.wa.wa.gov.au/parents

“Early nurturing lasts a lifetime.”

UNIFORM SHOP The Uniform Shop will be open

Thursday 12 June 2014

2.30pm – 3.00pm

SCHOOL SITE & BOUNDARY There is often some confusion over the school boundary and whether the school oval and the car parks between the oval and main school buildings are part of the school site or are community facilities.

The land on which North Perth Primary School is located is a reserve vested in the Minister for Education (Title LR3047/634) - refer to attached aerial plan with a cadastral overlay.

The oval is clearly part of the school site which is often accessed outside of school hours by local families who use the playground equipment, fitness track and grassed area for sporting activities or to exercise their dogs. Generally, the oval is used responsibly and most dog owners use the bags provided to clean up after their dogs. Understandably, it is very frustrating for our Physical Education teacher, Mr Helfand, when he has to spend time each morning cleaning up ‘dog poo’ and even more distressing for a child who steps in it! If exercising your dogs on the oval, please use the bags and bins provided. Thank you.

The car park area between the oval and main school buildings is NOT a public thoroughfare and only people attending the school on school business should be in this area during school hours. Unfortunately, on occasions we have people walking or riding bicycles or motor-bikes through this area which is a safety concern for our children who regularly move through this area. We would appreciate your support in reminding local residents not to use the school car parking area as a short-cut to the shopping centre during the school day. Thank you.

SCHOOL WATCH The cleaners and gardener have reported an increase in the amount of rubbish such as cigarette butts, alcohol containers, drug paraphernalia and take-away food packaging being discarded after-hours, especially on weekends. It is extremely difficult to clear the broken glass from the bitumised areas around the school. Our unwelcome visitors are also regularly climbing onto the tiled roof, cracking the new tiles causing leaks, and breaking into the smaller storage shed. This misuse of the school site is costly in terms of time to report (Education Security, Police, repair contractor), clean-up and repair. We desperately need the support of our school community to help protect our school. What to look for?

The most important times for you to be vigilant are during weekends and school holidays as the

school is unattended and therefore more vulnerable than usual to crime.

Keep in mind that our school site is large with multiple "blind spots". If you hear unusual noises from within the school, such as glass breaking or banging noises, this might mean people are up to no good.

Watch for groups "hanging around" on school grounds. This should not occur and can be one of

the starting points for crime to occur.

If you live near our school and see or hear suspicious behaviour, immediately telephone:

School Watch Security on 1800 177 777 Police on 131 444

Your assistance in protecting our school is appreciated.

Room 12 with special guest Amanda Keenan

from the Weekend West Magazine

On Monday 9 June, we had a special guest visit our classroom. Her name was Amanda Keenan and she is the Deputy Editor from the West Weekend Magazine. She came into our class to talk about what it is like to write for the newspaper. She talked to us about her role in the newspaper and what type of stories she writes. Amanda is a features writer which means she gets to write more in her stories, she does stories on interesting people (including Hugh Jackman) and she has even done a travel story in Cambodia. We got to ask her some questions and we even got to hold her Dad’s Logie! Amanda was very nice, she has a very interesting job and a lot of great stories to tell.

PEAC GT PROGAM

GT is a Gifted and Talented program for some students who go to PEAC. 25 PEAC students are chosen from each year (6 to 9). There are four parts to the program each year, each one at SciTech. There is a science theme for each part (e.g. Chemistry, Forensic Science, and Technology) of the program. Four people from North Perth Primary were chosen to be in this program, and I was one of them.

So far this year there has been two programs, Take Off (Flight) and Forensic Science. The most recent one, Forensic Science was my favourite. We had to investigate a crime scene. It was a break-in where the criminal had smashed a window and we had to investigate whether or not the suspect had committed the crime. We compared fingerprints and footprints to see whether they matched the suspect’s and tested DNA to see whether it matched his. In the end we discovered that he did commit the crime.

We had some free time after so I got to look in the rest of the exhibition, The Carnival of Science. It was made to show the science behind sideshow attractions. I lay on a bed of nails and had my head cut off by a by a guillotine and put on a platter. I had a great time and can’t wait for the next one.

By Ethan W

EAGLES CUP There have been two more rounds played in the Eagles Cup competition. In Week 4 we hosted Sutherland Dianella and in Week 6 we competed against Dianella Heights. All our teams showed great spirit and sportsmanship in their respective sporting encounters.

North Perth Sutherland Football 46 25

Soccer 1 3

Netball Yr 7 15 13

Netball Yr 6 26 6

North Perth Dianella Heights Football 33 73

Soccer 0 4

Netball Yr 7 7 15

Netball Yr 6 23 3

We found out about the Aboriginal names for many Australian Towns.

My town was Gidgegannup and it means place where spears are made. Benji My town was Indooroopilly and it means valley of water. Cate My town was Yalgoo and it means place of blood. Maggie My town was Boroondara and it means where the land is thickly shaded. Hannah My town was Wee Waa and it means fire for roasting. Connor My town was Eucla and it means rising of the planet Venus. Emma

We have planted lettuce and broccoli seeds. They have already sprouted and we are waiting for them to become large enough so we can plant them in our garden

bed. We are thinking of delicious ways to use our vegetables

when they are harvested.

Teacher: Miss J Fort / Education Assistant: Ms C Spight

We painted parts of a Dreaming Story called

How The Koala Got His Stumpy Tail.

We designed and created Boomerangs with the Year 3 class from Room 1.

Year 2-3 Room 6

We have been listening to lots of Dreaming Stories.

With Ms Cianfagna, our Pre-Service teacher, we thought of lots of titles for a new Dreaming Story. Here are some of them:

How the kookaburra lost his laugh. By Olivia

Why the wombat has short and stumpy legs. By Isabelle

Why the koala has fuffy ears By Mia

Why the emu forgot to run By Rory

We will be choosing the ones we like best and writing our own

Dreaming Stories.

In Term 2 we have been learning about the

FIRST AUSTRALIANS.