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Newsletter 1, 8th February 2018
Foster Primary School Phone: 0356822370 Fax: 0356822500
Email: [email protected] Website: www.fosterps.vic.edu.au
Principal: Mrs Lorraine Gurnett
School no. 6221 Hours of supervision: 8.30am—3.30pm
From Mrs Gurne�
Welcome back to Term 1 at Foster Primary SchoolWelcome back to Term 1 at Foster Primary SchoolWelcome back to Term 1 at Foster Primary SchoolWelcome back to Term 1 at Foster Primary School OUR VISION: Everyone can Learn to Learn
OUR VALUES: Be Respec�ul, Be safe, Be a Learner, Be caring
I hope you all had relaxing and enjoyable summer break and that 2018 has started well for you all.
Student Achievement
This year we con.nue our focus on Numeracy. I was reading an interes.ng book by Jo Boaler about
‘Mathema.cal Mindsets’ over the holidays. As we all know, the brain is an incredible piece of human
anatomy and can grow, adapt and change, depending on how we use it. “A lot of scien.fic
evidence suggests that the difference between those who succeed and those who don’t is not
the brains they were born with, but their approach to life, the messages they receive about
their poten.al, and the opportuni.es they have to learn. The very best opportuni.es to learn
come about when students believe in themselves.” Jo goes on to say, “There is no such thing
as a ‘maths brain’ or a ‘maths gi7’, EVERYONE can learn Maths well”.
Students with a growth mindset take on hard work, and they view mistakes as a challenge
and mo.va.on to do more. So, as we explore growth mindset in Maths, have a think about
the language you use to talk about Maths. Have you ever said, “I was no good at Maths”, “I
never liked Maths”, “Maths is a really hard subject”, or “Only smart kids can do Maths”?
Over the coming weeks I will explore the impact these simple messages have on our students
and ourselves and hopefully we will all begin to see Maths, any level of Maths, as both
reachable and enjoyable. Watch this space!
Posi�ve Climate for learning
We welcome Sarah Hogan to our staff this year, as our new Welfare Officer, and look forward
to an exci.ng year of learning ahead. Sarah has wri>en a great ar.cle introducing herself,
outlining her role and explaining how best to make contact.
This year as we ‘Build our Learning Power’, we are focusing on Building Resourcefulness: being
ready, willing and able to learn in different ways. One key component of being a resourceful
learner is asking ques.ons. There are many ways that you can nurture this capability at home
by saying “I don’t really know myself yet. I wonder what we could ask to find out? When we
find out, what might we ask next? Is this a good enough answer? Might there be more to it?
Why is it fun to ask ques.ons? The list and possibili.es are endless! Perhaps your child can fill
out the ques.on slip and we can display it in the main corridor and share in assembly to
see just how many great ques.ons there are out there! The next challenge might be to
see who, if anyone, can answer them!
Schoo
l valu
es: Be a Lea
rner
, Be Respec
tful, B
e Sa
fe, Be Caring !
Schoo
l valu
es: Be a Lea
rner
, Be Respec
tful, B
e Sa
fe, Be Caring !
Schoo
l valu
es: Be a Lea
rner
, Be Respec
tful, B
e Sa
fe, Be Caring !
Schoo
l valu
es: Be a Lea
rner
, Be Respec
tful, B
e Sa
fe, Be Caring !
Page 2
Congratula.ons to our new Student Leaders for
2018. They have made a great start to the year
and are already engaging in projects,
demonstra.ng pride in both themselves and our
school.
Community Engagement in Learning
It was so pleasing to see the Great Victorian Bike
Ride 2017 Post Event Report, in which Foster was
congratulated for being the most welcoming
town. In fact 86% of par�cipants voted for
Foster. A fantas.c achievement and very
reflec.ve of the engaged parent and community
support that Foster Primary School receives on a
regular basis.
At assembly yesterday we hosted the Foster
Secondary College Stage Band and wow—what a
show! Thank you to Bec Bone for organising this
very entertaining a7ernoon for our school, you
sure have a talented bunch of musicians there.
Our school is very fortunate to have amazing
benefactors, who donate to our school in many
different ways. We are extremely grateful to
receive a generous dona.on of $1,000 from Jim
Pickersgill towards new books in the Junior library.
We have made determined efforts over the last
few years to replace outdated books and this will
certainly help us, together with parent voluntary
contribu.ons, as we con.nue in our efforts to
modernise the reading material available to our
students.
At the start of each year, we welcome
nomina.ons for School Council. We have a
phenomenal team on School Council and this year
we have four vacancies. A brief le>er explaining
the role of School Council and nomina.on forms
for School Council are included in this newsle>er.
My Ques.on is
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Notice Board
Parents&FriendsMeeting
Thursday22ndFebruary
9.30amStaffroomFosterPrimary
School
AllWelcome
ChangestoBusArrangements?
Pleaseremembertowriteanote
orcalltheof%icetocon%irmthese
changes.Nonote,the‘usual’
arrangementwillapply.
Thankyou
Due back to school by Monday 12th
February please.
BOOKCLUB
Last year’s Christmas Raffle winners:
1st Prize Outdoor Heater—Bre> Garrow
2nd Prize $100 Chamber of Commerce
voucher—Frank Abbisogni
3rd Prize $50 Chamber of Commerce
voucher—Burgess Family
Congratula.ons and thank you, we raised
approximately $750.
WINNERS
SCHOOL BANKING
Commonwealth School Banking will be on Wednesdays this year.
New students will be given an envelope explaining the process of
our school banking.
Any queries please don’t hesitate to see Carolyn.
Student Leaders
School Captains Ally & Taj
School Vice Captains Sebas.an & Eden
SRC Captains Sophie & Luca
SRC Vice Captains Jet & Becky
Sports Captains Ella & Max
Environmental Captains Zoe & Brynley
Maintenance Crew Leader Jake
Assembly Coordinator Erin
Waratah House Captains Briley & Eden
Oberon House Captains Sophie & Jet
Darby House Captains Sebas.an & Flynn
Student Learning
Foster Primary School is seeking a well
organised, self mo.vated individual to co-
ordinate volunteers with the set up, running of
and pack up of the Kitchen Garden Market stall
each month at the Foster Farmers Market.
Please contact Catherine for further
informa.on, Phone 56822370.
Volunteers needed for the next Farmers Market Stall please.
Saturday 17th February. If you’re available, please contact the
office 56822370. Thank you
Garden Kitchen Volunteers Needed
The kitchen garden program is up and running again for 2018. Garden classes run every
Tuesday morning while Kitchen classes are every Tuesday and every second
Wednesday.
It is vital for the success of the program to have volunteers to assist these classes. No
experience is necessary. Please let other family members and friends know.
We would also welcome anyone able to help out in the garden on other days with
weeding, pruning etc. There are also some garden handy person jobs to be done.
If you can help out please contact the school.
Page 6
Gr 3-6 House Swimming Carnival Friday 9th February
Please note that spectator viewing will be on the hill, the students will be siUng in the shade on the
Golf Course side this year. Thank you.
Student Engagement & Wellbeing
For more informa.on visit the
Kidsma>er website
h>ps://
www.kidsma>er.edu.au/
mental-health-ma>ers/social-
and-emo.onal-learning
WelfareandWellbeingSupport
Meet our new Welfare Officer, Sarah Hogan.
Hello, and thank you for such a warm welcome to Foster Primary
School! I am so excited to join your lovely school and look forward
to geUng to know all students, teachers and families.
Lewis Howes describes the 3 truths of greatness as:
1. Following your dreams
2. Being grateful
3. Living in service – building others up
So to learn a li>le more about me, I thought I’d answer how
I’m pursuing greatness. This could be a great conversa.on
around the dinner table tonight, or even every week, to find
out how your family members are living the 3 truths.
Following my dreams: My dream is to combine my love of
helping people and my profession, which I feel is happening
now! I have spent the last 13 years gaining exper.se and
experience, and con.nually learning. I am a counsellor and a
nurse, and I am grateful to be in a profession where my passions
of helping people are my job!
Another dream is to have a magnificent garden and be able to
keep my plants alive! I’ve managed to look a7er pot plants, and
now I’m moving on to a small vegetable garden. I’m recrui.ng the
knowledge of our student gardeners and the Rotary volunteers
from the Breakfast Club to help me out!
Being grateful: I am very grateful for the friendly students,
families and staff who have welcomed me to Foster Primary
School, and given me many recommenda.ons of shops and sights
to visit.
I am also grateful to my neighbour who brings me the local paper
each week, and always waves when I see him.
• Students may have ongoing
appointments and see me on a regular
basis, as mutually agreed
• Parents can request a check-in by
emailing me at
• Teachers and support staff can also
request a check-in
There may also be peer media.on mee.ngs
My approach is aligned with posi.ve
psychology, trauma-informed care in prac.ce,
and a>achment theory. I also use other
counselling theories to provide the best
approach for the individual.
I will provide useful resources and informa.on
in each newsle>er, and would love requests or
feedback on topics.
I look forward to mee.ng you all and working
together to con.nue to enhance our resilient,
connected community,
Sarah Hogan, RN. MN. GradDipCouns., Welfare
Officer, [email protected]
Living in service: I love to travel, and have been
lucky enough to volunteer in Bolivia and Nepal. In
May 2018, I will join the African Mercy Ship in
Cameroon, to volunteer for a couple of weeks,
which I’m sure will be life changing!
This weekend I also babysat my nephew so that
my brother and sister-in-law could a>end a
wedding. It is said that kindness shared fills both
the recipient and the givers’ happiness levels. This
was certainly the case on the weekend!
WelfareOf�icerThe role of the Welfare Officer is to enhance the
school’s ability to maintain the posi.ve and
engaged culture and to support students at risk of
disengagement or challenges. It takes into account
health and wellbeing, resilience, engagement,
interpersonal skills and intrapersonal abili.es.
I aim to be an approachable, accommoda.ng and
advoca.ng student support to assist students to
be their greatest. This will involve geUng to know
each student individually, which some of your
children may have already experienced. In doing
this I hope to dispel the no.on that wellbeing
support is only for specific people, and instead
ins.ll the belief that looking a7er your wellbeing is
vital to flourishing.
How can students, who would like some wellbeing
support, meet with me?
• I am aiming to meet with every student one-
on-one at least once this year
• Students can request a mee.ng at any .me
by placing their name into the Wellbeing
Support box at the office recep.on. They
can also request a mee.ng by speaking to
their teacher, to me personally or to the
office staff. However using the box is
encouraged
Page 9
Community
Our school is very fortunate and we are very grateful to
have such amazing benefactors, who make dona.ons to
our school in many different ways.
To start the year off, I am thrilled to receive a generous
dona.on of $1,000 from Jim Pickersgill of Jim Pickersgill &
Associates Pty Ltd, Accountants and Financial Planners
based in Leongatha.
Jim was born and bred in South Gippsland and as the
middle child of 15 children, his parents did it tough. They were poor but never went hungry. Jim’s
mum used to say to him, you will never receive an inheritance so we want to give it to you now -
it’s called educa.on.
Jim’s parents strived and went without so many .mes to make their children’s dreams come true.
And they have! However, as a child from a family less fortunate, Jim o7en felt different when other kids had things
he didn’t. A new pencil case, a new school bag and so on. So this made him, at .mes, feel
excluded. When we met with Jim, he stated “Every parent, guardian and teacher knows our responsibility
does not stop with our own children. We are guardians of all children and should strive to make
the world a be>er place for them. This humble dona.on may go some
small way in changing one child’s life, so they feel a bit more included, a
bit more confident and not as le7 out. Therefore, please accept this
dona.on in the spirit intended. If we can help one child, we have made a
difference.”
A big THANKYOU to Yanakie Camp Dra7 for
dona.ng $500 towards the Kitchen Garden
Program. The School Captains, Ally & Taj
and School Vice Captains, Eden & Sebas.an
accepted the cheque this morning on behalf
of Foster Primary School. We thank you very
much for your generous support.
Page 10
Child Safe Standards
Please see further information on Child Safe Standards on our school webpage
A reminder that Community members are encouraged to raise any concerns about child abuse with the Principal or report directly to Child Protection/ Police
Should you have any ques�ons, queries or complaints, please see your
classroom teacher, if you’re not happy with the outcome, please see the
Principal, if you’re s�ll not happy with the outcome, you may contact
h>p://www.educa.on.vic.gov.au/school/parents/complaints/
Pages/default.aspx
Page 11
Community News
For further informa.on on what’s going on in our
fantas.c community, please see the school website:
h>p://www.fosterps.vic.edu.au/community-links/
Parent Informa�on Page:
h>p://www.fosterps.vic.edu.au/general-informa.on/
TOORA NETBALL CLUB
2018 JUNIOR PRE-SEASON TRAINING
~All players are invited Current, New and Old~
Thursday 15th February 2018 4:30pm
@ Toora Netball Courts
This training is for all grades-
Under 17’s, 15’s, 13’s & 11’s
~Family Friendly Club~
Please contact Emily (0427833683) or
Foster Aussie
Hoops
Commencing
Wednesday Feb
21st at Foster basketball stadium
3.45pm to 4.00pm
ages 5 &up
For more info contact Shannon
0409521579
Register at aussiehoops.com.au
Page 13
Calendar of Events
February 2018 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
29 Jan
Book
Collection
30 Jan
Term 1 Starts
31 Jan
No Preps
Austswim
Workshop
1 Gr3-6 Water
Safety Program
2 Gr3-6 Water
Safety Program
3 4
5 Gr3-6 Water
Safety Program
6 Gr3-6 Water
Safety Program
7 Gr3-6 Water
Safety Program
No Preps
8 9 Swimming
Carnival Gr 3-6
10 11
12 Back Up
Day for swim
carnival
13 14 No Preps
School Council
15 16 17 18
19 20 21 No Preps
District
Swimming
Korumburra
22 23 24 Foster Show 25
26 27 28 No Preps
March 2018 Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
1 2 Division
Swimming
Clean Up
Australia Day
3 4
5 Preps 1st Full
Week
6 School
Photos
7 8 9 10 11
12 Public
Holiday
13 14School
Council
15 Regional
Swimming
16 17 18
19 20 21 Harmony
Day
22 23 24 25
26 27 28 Student
Parent Teacher
Interviews
29 End Term 1
Student Parent
Teacher
Interviews
30 Good Friday 31
2018 Dates to Remember
April
16th Term 2 Begins
25th ANZAC Day
27th Corner Inlet
District Athle.cs
Carnival
May
4th Pupil Free Day
11th Mothers Day Stall
15th—17th NAPLAN
16th Cross Country
Foster Golf Club
31st Division Cross
Country Stony Creek
June
11th Queens Birthday
Public Holiday
12th Pupil Free Day
29th End Term 2
July
16th Term 3 starts
August
31st Father’s Day Stall
September
13th Division Aths
21st End Term 3
October
8th Term 4 starts
17th—19th Camp
Rumbug Gr 3 /4
November
5th Pupil Free Day
6th Melbourne Cup
Day
7th—9th Camp
Coonawarra Gr 5/6
December
21st End Term 4
P-2 Water Safety
