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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: [email protected]
www.northperthprimary.edu.au
Parent Newsletter Issue 19 27 November 2014
Merit Award Recipients
Hudson K Joseph D Aslan U Pablo G Zara G
Nicholas R Scarlett W Angus B Amalie B Marlon R
Alexander S Calyn R Adam G Rose W
Georgie D Maggie K Isabella H
Judd D Muhammad I,
Taheer K Sebastian B Matthew S
Bridie L Libby C Ben M Ella W
Depeche O
Jeremy T
Music Award Room 19
Principal’s Award
Sarah C, Charlie L, Jeremie T, Olivia B,
Matilda C, Ira K, Leela L, Michael M,
Chezlina C, William O, Harper D, Lotte O, Fergus F, Caleb L, Raheem K, Luke V,
Fin B, Zander P & Thomas A
FREE CLIMB FRENZY We’re excited and celebrating achieving more than $40 000. This means we now have the funds for our challenging Explorer Dome and additional funds raised through crowd-funding will help off-set some of the costs for expanding the current sandpit on the oval. Please continue to support this project by encouraging friends, family and work colleagues to donate before the project closes.
INSPIRING YOUNG MINDS, CREATING POSSIBILITIES The School Council has been an extremely hardworking group that has dealt with the usual items of business and also tackled projects that have required a significant time commitment by each member. An Annual Report that includes a summary of the Council’s functions, membership, endorsed planning documents and main activities for 2014 is included in this newsletter.
One of the most significant projects for 2014 was the Vision process that included workshops for students, parents and staff members discovering the positive elements about our school and dreaming for the future. The key themes from these workshops were then presented to parent and staff representatives at a follow-up workshop with the School Council which developed the following draft Vision and Mission Statements and identified key values with the assistance of our facilitator, Marie Sakotic.
Vision Inspiring young minds, creating possibilities.
Mission Our mission is to foster an inspiring community of learners in which committed educators and parents work together to empower each child to reach their potential.
Values At North Perth Primary School we recognise that learning is not just an individual pursuit but includes learning with and from others. The school community works together to demonstrate and foster our core values:
Lifelong learning
Respect
Resilience
Care
Responsibility
Equity
Integrity
Inclusivity
The School Council welcomes your feedback on each of these and invites written comments to be placed in the box in reception or sent by email to [email protected] or [email protected] before Sunday 7 December 2014.
CROWDFUNDING TALLY
North Perth free-climbing dome
$40 894 www.chuffed.org/project/free-climb-dome
KEY DATES
Tuesday 2 December P & C Meeting - 7.00pm Wednesday 3 December Water Incursion—Year 1 (Rm 5, 9 &10) Friday 5 December Carols on the Lawley Lawn Monday 8 December MLSHS Year 6 Orientation Pizza and Pasta orders due Tuesday 9 December MLSHS Year 7 Orientation Year 6 Graduation Ceremony Wednesday 10 December Assembly - Pre-primary K & PP Student Reports distributed Newsletter Day Friday 12 December School Open Night 5.30pm - 7.30pm
TIME TO CELEBRATE 2014 is a year that started with excitement and the dream of many possibilities. As the year draws to a close it’s time to reflect and
celebrate the achievements that were made possible through the concerted and creative effort of so many people working together
to provide opportunities and support for our students.
Please join the celebration at our end-of-year Open Night which will showcase class art projects, and also highlight our music
program. All classrooms will be open on this night.
Date: Friday 12 December 2014
Time: 5.30pm – 7:30pm
Students will need to assemble in their classroom at 5.15pm.
Come along and enjoy a picnic on the grass. You may pre-order pasta and pizza using the order form to be distributed tomorrow.
Alternatively, you may bring your own picnic. The canteen will be selling soft drinks, juices, water and a selection of ice-creams
and icy poles on the night.
More information regarding this celebration activity will be distributed next week.
COMPOSITE CLASSES We are currently determining our class structure for 2015 by considering the anticipated student enrolment and our funding
and expect to have some composite classes next year. A composite class includes more than one year level.
I understand that some parents may be concerned if their child is allocated to a composite class. Some parents may believe
their child will be disadvantaged or be concerned because they recall the past practice of some schools placing students
requiring support in a class with a lower year level and placing those requiring extension in a class with a higher year level.
The teachers will be developing classes that are educationally and socially balanced which means there will be students of
different academic abilities allocated to each classroom.
It is important for parents to be aware of the following:
There is a range of abilities in every classroom, whether they are composite, multi-aged groupings or one year group.
Teachers commence the year by ascertaining where the students in their class are educationally and socially, consider
what is expected of each year level and then plan to move them forward.
Teachers provide a differentiated curriculum to meet the needs of all the students in their class. They implement a
variety of strategies, including collaborative learning activities, individual education plans, and open-ended tasks
which provide students the opportunity to work at their level e.g. writing, investigations, problem solving.
Small group work is a feature of all classes, including composites, and may be based on year level, ability, interest or
social groupings.
Children of the same year level who are in different classes will still have the opportunity to socialise in the
playground.
Teachers will provide class specific information at the beginning of 2015.
Parents of children in composite classes, as with any classroom structure, are advised to address concerns regarding their
child with the class teacher at the earliest opportunity.
Please be assured that the teachers of all classes will be working to extend the performance of all students.
INSTALLATION OF OUR
NEW BOLLARD
ARE YOU LEAVING THE SCHOOL?
The staffing allocation for the school is dependent on
the number of students enrolled at the school and the
closer our estimate is to the actual enrolment the
smoother the start to the 2015 school year will be.
Please email Mrs Cook in the school office
[email protected] if your child will
not be returning to North Perth Primary School in
2015.
Thank you for your support with this request.
SECONDARY SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIPS FOR 2015 The Department of Education coordinates scholarships that provide financial support to eligible children
in secondary schools to help with their studies.
Applications for a number of these scholarships are now open for next year (2015) and close at 4.00pm
on Wednesday 31 December 2014.
Information about scholarships and criteria to be met by applicants is online at
http://det.wa.edu.au/schoolsandyou/detcms/navigation/discover-the-opportunities/secondary-school-
opportunities/scholarships/
KOREAN DAY AT MOUNT LAWLEY SHS
Mount Lawley Senior High School, as one of the Korean
Language Schools in WA, will be hosting „Korean Day‟ on
Friday, 12 December 2014.
This event is open for Year 4 and 5 students and
parents. All activities are free of charge to visitors.
This event provides students the opportunity to
experience Korean culture and the famous Korean
dishes such as „Bibimbap‟ and „Korean BBQ‟ as well as
„Kimchi'.
The details are as follows:
Date: Friday, 12 December
Time: 3.00 pm to 6.00 pm
Place: Middle School 1 & 2
Mount Lawley Senior High School
Cost: Free
Please direct all enquiries regarding this event to
ZOO EXCURSION
"On the 20th November all of the Year 1s went to the zoo. I was in Rex's mums group Her name was Sharon. When we saw the crocodile it looked like it was a picture but it was real. My favourite animal was the red panda. Next we watched the otters getting fed. We got to call them. It was fun." By Lyla
PIZZA PARTY "On the 14th of November Room 9 and Room 5 made pizzas. Kirstyn, Alison and Minh helped us. Kirstyn is my mum and Alison is my friend Evie's mum. First we picked tomato and basil and we put it on the pizza. Then we ate them." By Gracie
VISIT TO ST RITA’S NURSING HOME Last Thursday a group of senior students performed for the residents at St Rita’s Nursing Home. We sang Aint No Mountain, Do Re Mi and I’m a Believer. Then Sarah, Sophie, Lauren, Lexie and Sofie entertained the audience with their instrumental performances. We finished off with a joyful rendition of We Wish You a Merry Christmas. It was a really lovely visit with some of the residents even joining in and clapping.
RELIGIOUS EDUCATION POLICY UPDATE 208 people completed the online survey seeking parent views on whether Special Religious Education should be introduced at NPPS. An open meeting was held on 14 November to present the results of the survey and to answer parent questions. 19 people attended this meeting and a robust discussion was held.
The survey statistics are available on the school website: www.northperthprimary.edu.au/
In response to the open questions (Q8 and Q9) the following broad themes emerged:
Q8. Which religious and/or cultural events do you think should be acknowledged during the school year? approximately a third of respondents wanted to see religious and cultural events relevant to children/families at the school
acknowledged many parents felt that children’s knowledge and tolerance of others would be positively impacted by celebrating or
acknowledging a wide range of religious and cultural events relevant to the school community some respondents thought there should be an ‘all or none’ policy (c. 10%) approximately a quarter wanted Easter and Christmas to be acknowledged/celebrated but mostly in a secular context (‘more
Easter bunny than resurrection’) other specific religious or cultural events that were mentioned received under 10%
Q9. School Council welcomes your comments in relation to the above questions, as well as general comments about Religious Education at NPPS. Please make your comments below. most respondents were supportive of General Religious Education, which is delivered as part of the curriculum by the
classroom teacher: people felt that teaching children that there are many religions and cultures that make up our society increases
acceptance and tolerance those who would support the introduction of SRE felt that:
religious education (SRE) teaches the children solid principles many of them explicitly said they also want their children to gain knowledge of other faiths
those who would oppose the introduction of SRE made two main points: they were concerned that the introduction of SRE would compromise the secular nature of public education many felt that religion is the responsibility of the parents and should therefore occur at or through the home (eg.
Sunday School) general concerns and clarifications:
concern was expressed about how full the curriculum already is the question was raised whether alternatives to SRE would be offered if SRE were to be offered outside of school
hours or at lunchtime (eg. Lego club, chess club) some suggested ethics as an alternative to SRE some argued that if SRE were to be offered, it would be important to offer a choice as to offer SRE to one religious
group and not others might send a message of exclusion
Next steps The working party of School Council which is developing the policy will meet again on 1 December to discuss the survey feedback and the feedback at the open meeting. Work on the policy will continue into 2015. The draft policy will be made available to the school community for comment.
ENSEMBLE ASSEMBLEY
On Wednesday 19 November our school ensemble performed at our school assembly. It is always wonderful to hear our ensemble students play. They performed Camptown Races and Drunken Sailor. Thank you to the ensemble director, Ms Chloe Christian, for her commitment and ability in creating an ensemble of excellence.
BOOK FAIR Thank you to Helen Plange coordinating another very successful Book Fair last week. This event was loved by the children and enabled many families to purchase good quality books at a low cost to encourage a love of reading. I know many parents also used this opportunity to purchase items for gifts. Total sales for the Book Fair was $3537.00 which resulted in a $1283.00 contribution towards our library resource collection. Well done everyone.
THANK YOU MORNING TEA Last Friday the school staff held a very special morning tea to show their appreciation for the support provided by parents during 2014. Although it is an extremely busy time of the year for parents we were delighted that many of our wonderful volunteers were able to join us in the hall. Thank you to our registrar, Debra Ansell, and school officer, Corrina Cook, for their assistance organising this event. A special thanks to one of our school parents, David Lee, for his catering assistance – the pastries were delicious!
CHESS SET When we were conducting the visioning process with the students some dreamed of a giant chess set. Fortunately, this is a dream we could make come true.
We purchased an outdoor set with pieces up to 30cm high and to ensure it could be played all year round a chess board has been painted on the library verandah.
The large chess set is proving to be very popular.
YEAR 6 AND 7 GRADUATION GIFTS This year the graduating students of Year 6 and 7 have held many fundraising
events. The money raised has subsidised the camp and other graduation
events. The students have also used this money to purchase leaving gifts for
the school, a tradition at North Perth Primary School. The students decided on
two sculptures—one has been placed in the front garden near the steps to
reception and the other is in the courtyard outside Room 10. The sculptures
will be a reminder to us all of our current senior students
OPEN NIGHT FOOD The P&C together with Pasta Cup and Crust Pizza will be offering dinner options (by pre-sale only) for the up and coming Open Night on Friday 12 December. There will be kids and adult size pastas and 3 large pizza options. Order forms will be handed out at the end of this week to students and will be available at the canteen next week. Pre-orders need to be in by Monday 8 December. You can also bring your own picnic if that suits you better.
The P&C will also be selling soft drinks, juices, water and a selection of icy poles and icecreams on the night.
CANTEEN VOLUNTEERS We are still in need of Canteen volunteers. We can't run our canteen without your help. This term has been a real struggle to find willing helpers and a handful of volunteers and the canteen committee have been picking up the slack week in week out. Please consider if you order lunches from the canteen that you volunteer at least once a term. We understand that a lot of parents work and have other young children to consider, but if you have a day off or can arrange for a playdate for your younger ones we would really appreciate your help for a 2.5hr shift. Click on link below if you can help us out! Term 1 roster for 2015 will be up soon too, so please look at that and lock yourself in for next year! http://vols.pt/6f49d4
SCHOOL CHAPLAINCY PROGRAM: INFORMATION AND SURVEY LINK There is growing recognition the school environment plays a major role in the social and emotional competence and wellbeing of children. Pastoral care is shared by and is the responsibility of everyone.
A school chaplain can provide additional support to a school’s pastoral care program.
Schools have been encouraged to apply for National School Chaplaincy Programme (NSCP) funding for the employment of a school chaplain to support the emotional wellbeing of students by providing:
pastoral care services; and
strategies that support the emotional wellbeing of the broader school community.
Who is a school chaplain? For the purpose of the NSCP, a school chaplain is a person who:
is recognised by the school community and the appropriate governing authority for the school as having skills and experience to deliver school chaplaincy to the school community;
is recognised through formal ordination, commissioning, recognised religious qualifications or endorsement by a recognised or accepted religious institution or a state/territory government approved chaplaincy service; and
meets the NSCP minimum qualification requirements
Chaplain’s Code of Conduct School chaplains must adhere to a Code of Conduct and guidelines which prevents them proselytizing or evangelising within the school.
Qualifications of Chaplains To be employed in public schools, school chaplains must have the following minimum qualifications:
a Working With Children Check;
a National Police History Check from the Department of Education;
a Certificate IV in Youth Work; or
a Certificate IV in Pastoral Care; or
an equivalent qualification (as determined by the State); and
This certificate or equivalent qualification must include competencies in ‘mental health’ and ‘making appropriate referrals’.
Roles and responsibilities of a chaplain School chaplains are responsible for supporting the spiritual, social, and emotional wellbeing of their students. School chaplains, have a key role in supporting the spiritual wellbeing of their students, regardless of faith or beliefs. School chaplains must be able to provide support for a range of day to day matters affecting the school community and communicate effectively with a diverse group of people. They can become involved in a wide variety of issues including health, social and values education and emotional support. School chaplains are required to support and work with the school staff.
How would the chaplain work at North Perth Primary School to contribute to the pastoral care of students? It is anticipated that the initial focus would be on raising awareness of the role of the chaplain and their approachability by regular classroom visits to support the learning program, presence in playground during school breaks and at the start and end of the school day, addressing the school community at school assemblies, attending staff meetings and school functions e.g. fortnightly morning teas, sports days, open nights.
Key strategies at our school may include assisting with the implementation of pastoral care and values programs e.g. Rainbows Grief and Loss, Keep Us Safe Protective Behaviours, You Can Do It; supporting individual learning and behaviour programs; supporting students (with parent approval), parents and staff members experiencing difficulties e.g. family breakdown, bereavement, social and behaviour issues; and providing parent support by assisting with the implementation of the Positive Parenting Program and promoting parenting services e.g. Parenting WA Line.
Parental approval would be required for all student one-on-one sessions with the school chaplain.
Application by North Perth Primary School Information regarding the NCSP application process was provided to schools one week prior to the closing date. Due to the short timeline the School Council decided to submit an application and then commence consultation with the school community. If a decision is subsequently made to not participate in the program, the application will be withdrawn.
The school will be notified of the outcome of this application process on 28 November 2014.
Background to chaplain support at our school In April 2011 a Support Chaplain (shared across six schools) was appointed to North Perth Primary School one day per fortnight. The chaplain assisted the teachers to implement the You Can Do It social and civics program, she was also available to provide extra support and pastoral care to students (with parent permission), parents and staff members on a referral basis. However, for a number of reasons this support program has been intermittent and very limited.
This program will enable a consistent level of chaplain support to be provided.
Survey Please assist the School Council by completing the School Chaplaincy Program survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7RLKZJL . Your responses will assist the School Council with its deliberations regarding the program.
Want to know more? Find more information about the chaplaincy program at http://det.wa.edu.au/studentsupport/behaviourandwellbeing/detcms/navigation/wellbeing/school-chaplaincy-program/?page=3#toc3
SCHOOL COUNCIL ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Council functions
take part in:
establishing and reviewing the school’s objectives, priorities and general policy directions;
the planning of financial arrangements necessary to fund them;
evaluating the school’s performance in achieving them; and
formulating codes of conduct for students at the school.
also:
approve contributions and charges;
develop dress code in consultation with parents and staff;
provide advice to the Principal on religious education;
promote the School in the community.
Meetings
School Council is required to meet a minimum of 4 times per year
In 2014 we have had 7 general meetings and the annual public meeting, and there will be one further general meeting in December.
Working Party meetings are held in addition as needed.
Membership
4 Staff Representatives (including the Principal), 3 Parent Representatives and 2 Community Representatives.
Chair: Kati Tonkin (Community Rep.)
Secretary: Victoria Bingham (Community Rep.)
Staff Reps: Karen Lockyer (Principal); Sharon Downsborough; Lenore Cathcart (replaced by Mary Knee for 2014); Andrew Streeton
Parent Reps:
Cherry Bogunovich, Cam Brooks, James Hawkes
Members are appointed/elected for three year terms
In 2015 there will be 3 vacancies: 2 staff reps (Apr.); community rep (Sept.)
School planning documents endorsed
Budget 2014 (meeting 1/2014)
Annual Report 2013 (meeting 1/2014)
School Improvement Plan 2014 (meeting 2/2014)
Main business in 2014
School Council has devoted most of its time and energy in 2014 to three projects:
Independent Public School development process
NPPS signed up for the IPS development process in 2013. The Chair, Principal and a Staff Rep attended the first two work-shops in March and April. At these workshops it became clear that the school would not qualify for IPS without a shared vision and sense of community. SC decided to focus on developing this in 2014 with a view to readiness for IPS in 2015.
Development of new School Vision, Mission, Values
engaged an external facilitator (Marie Sakotic) to run workshops with parents and staff;
organised and hosted three Parent Visioning Workshops (August); organised and hosted Combined Parent and Staff Visioning Workshop (October);
to be launched at final assembly, 2014.
Religious Education Policy
online survey on Special Religious Education (>200 responses);
held a public meeting to give feedback and answer questions (19 parents attended);
policy to be finalised in 2015;
an application for the federally funded chaplaincy program has recently been submitted; an online survey will be conducted this term to determine whether this program would have the support of the school community.
Other activities
Chair and Principal attended Eleni Evangel’s forum with Minister for Education, Peter Collier (May)
developed and endorsed School Council Correspondence Guidelines (June)
approved Contributions & Charges and Personal Items lists for 2014 (October)
confirmed School Development Days 2015 (October)
Outlook 2015
Policies to be reviewed/developed:
Religious Education (begun 2014; to be finalised 2015)
Behaviour Management (discussions began in 2013; currently with teachers)
IPS:
staff and parent community consultation as to whether IPS will assist in achievement of new school vision
possible application for IPS
At the beginning of the year Room 15 performed their
“You Can Do It” Assembly Item which delivered a very
important message to the whole school community about the
“5 KEYS TO SUCCESS” Even though this was a serious topic we had
lots of fun with group skits representing each KEY as well as some
pretty cool “a Capella”
from the boys.
ERN HALLIDAY CAMP On the 27th of May, all the Year 6/7s left to go to
Ern Halliday Camp. Over three nights and four days
we took part in team building activities, playing
outside and being active. They had very friendly
staff and we all got to know each other more, so we
didn‟t want to leave (but I think the teachers did!)
We did activities like caving, crate climbing and a
massive game of basketball. Luckily the boys and
girls were split up into different dorms, which were
2 storey and filled with bunks. It really gave us a
great memory of our last year of primary school.
(written by Riley C)
THE AMAZING RACE!!
On the 16th of October Rooms 15, 14 and 4
went on an “Amazing Race” around the city of
Perth. There were many places we had to go
to, such as the Belltower, Water Town,
Parliament House, ABC Studios, and the
Museum. We also had to find public art pieces
like “The Arch” in Northbridge and “Unfolding
Lives” outside the Museum. Each team had a
different starting point on the day and my
team started at the Bell Tower. After the
race we had a meeting in the hall to find out
who won. The winning team (which wasn't mine)
got a $20 iTunes voucher each!! It was a
fantastic day.
(written by Matthew Z)
DEBATING
In Term 3, we all took part in Go-zone Debating. During
our preparation time, our teacher Leslie taught us how
to structure a proper speech. When the big night
came, parents and siblings were seated in the audience
and we were ready to battle it out! At the end of the
event we were awarded with individual and team
awards.
It was a great night!
(Written by Sarah B)
