DATE: Thursday 6th August 2015 ISSUE 23

Our Purpose: The Monmia school community is committed to providing

innovative programs that stimulate and challenge each student to develop

lifelong learning skills and strategies. We provide a safe, nurturing

environment where teachers, students and parents work in an effective

partnership. www.monmia.vic.edu.au.Ph: 9364 1007

MONMIA MESSENGER

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Dear Monmia Families,

GREAT THINGS I NOTICED DURING THE WEEK

Terrific team work by Mrs Koen, Mrs Auld, Mrs Mitrevski and Mr Squires for helping with the

wombat rescue last week. She didn’t want to leave our friendly school and it took a good deal

of leverage to get her out of the burrow. Mrs Koen armed herself with a mop and Mr Squires

used a hook to help Chris the wildlife rescuer dislodge the wombat. The zoo vet has informed

us that she was a wild wombat that has been returned to a reserve nearby as wombats are very

territorial.

Wonderful turnout of parents/guardians to the Year 5/6 Canberra Camp Information Evening.

Thank you to the 5/6 PLC teachers for organising this session.

All staff members are currently completing their mid cycle performance reviews meeting with

their reviewer and I. It is so impressive to hear of what leadership, teachers, aides and

administration staff members are able to celebrate in the achievement of their goals which

impacts directly on student engagement, wellbeing and learning. I wish parents/guardians

could hear the stories of success that I am hearing and what this wonderful community of staff

are doing to ensure that the learning environment at Monmia embraces our school philosophy,

values and vision.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY NEWS

As a Victorian State School we are obliged to follow DET guidelines and practices in the

management of Occupational Health and Safety. To this end every chemical used in the school has to

have a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). This is a document prepared by the manufacturer,

importer or supplier of a dangerous good, hazardous substance or other chemicals. An MSDS

describes the properties and uses of a particular substance including details about substance identity,

chemical and physical properties, health hazard information and precautions for storage, use and safe

handling.

So any cleaning product, paint or glue for example has to be purchased according to our chemical

register. Even the hand sanitisers can only be those recommended and purchased by the school. The

only suitable hand sanitiser that we use at school is AQIUM. Teachers have made me aware that

many children have their own sanitisers in their bags at school. I am asking that parents/guardians

please remove these from their children’s bags and have them use the school supplied ones.

Unfortunately, any other sanitisers would require the school to create a new MSDS for each type of

sanitiser. Please help us with this issue by not supplying your child/children with their own personal

had sanitiser.

10 TIPS TO HELP YOUR CHILD BE SAFER ONLINE

1. Keep computers in a central place at home and have clear rules about how much time

your children can spend online.

2. Play an active part in your child’s life and know your children’s friends, not just their

closest friend.

3. Look out for signs of bullying such as sudden loss of interest in going school, not wanting

to spend time with friends, feeling miserable, difficulty sleeping or a general drop in school

performance.

4. Learn how to access the internet on the computer, sign up for a course if you are not

familiar with computers.

5. Learn the privacy settings and parental controls on your home computer.

6. If you are concerned about your child’s behaviour online Google their name to see where it

might be mentioned or set up a Google alert to notify you when anything about your child

is posted online.

7. If your child is being cyber bullied contact the Internet Service Provider (ISP) to close the

account of the person bullying.

8. Talk with your children regularly about what they are doing online and shoulder surf to

supervise and monitor their behaviour.

9. Talk with your children about keeping their passwords private and their mobile phones safe

so no-one can steal your child’s identity to bully others.

10. Work closely with the school if your child is being cyber bullied.

SCHOOL UNIFORM

I have noticed that several students are beginning to wear variations of our school uniform. Please

remember that HOODED TOPS ARE NOT ALLOWED AS THEY ARE DANGEROUS

WHEN STUDENTS GRAB THE HOODS. These are not part of our school uniform. THE

ONLY COLOURS THAT SHOULD BE WORN ARE BLACK AND RED. I have seen students

in blue, white and a variety of other colours. ONLY BLACK PANTS SHOULD BE WORN NOT

NAVY BLUE. If parents/guardians are having difficulties with school uniform please come to

speak to me. We also have a good quality range of second hand uniform that is reasonably priced.

When you chose to enrol at Monmia you agreed to abide by our policies. It is School Council policy

that school uniform should be worn at all times. If you have any problems please come and see me

so we can organise to assist.

SCHOOL ORGANISATION FOR 2016

School planning for 2016 is about to start. If you have a child who turns five before 30 April 2016

and you have not enrolled them please do so as soon as possible. The prep enrolments will

determine the number of Prep classes we will need. Also if you are planning to leave Monmia

please complete the form attached to this newsletter. This will also help us to plan the number of

classes at each year level for the rest of the school. School enrolment numbers determine the

number of staff we will have for 2016.

Please spread the word with your friends and family if they too have a school age child ready to

commence in 2016.

REGIONAL FINALS

The Monmia Mixed Netball Team are playing today in the Regional Finals in Geelong. We know

that they will do us proud by putting in the effort to do their best and that they will work together as

a team as they did in the District Finals. GO MONMIA!!

One of our Prep parents, Kim Shaw has very kindly offered to donate a Fairy Garden for our Prep

students. This is very exciting as she will help them to create it in the Prep courtyard closest to Prep

B. Kim has a business called Fairy Gardening Australia and has been nominated in the 2015

Ausmumpreneur Business Awards. There are so many inspirational fairy gardens created by her

clients. Please check out her website www.fairygardeningaustralia.com.au and vote by clicking the

award link. I wish my niece and nephew were not young adults as I’m sure they would have loved a

fairy garden when they were younger.

Warm Regards,

Lorraine Bell Principal Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MonmiaPS

DATES FROM THE DIARY

Mon Aug 10 -

Fri Aug 14 Book Fair

Wed Aug 12 District Athletics Carnival

Mon Aug 17 School Council Meeting

Mon Aug 17 -

Fri Aug 21 Grade 5/6 Camp

Canberra

Mon Aug 31 -

Fri Sep 4 Numeracy & Literacy Week

Thur Sep 17 Monmia School Concert

Fri Sep 18 Last day of Term 3

Early dismissal 2.30pm

Mon Oct 5 First day of Term 4

Wed Oct 14 2016 Prep Parent

Information Evening

6.00 - 7.00pm

Tue Oct 20 Prep Orientation Session 1

School Council Meeting

Mon Oct 26 Prep Orientation Session2

Thur Oct 29 Multicultural Lunch Day

Tue Nov 3 Melbourne Cup Day

Public Holiday

NO SCHOOL THIS DAY

Tue Nov 10 Prep Orientation Session 3

Tue Nov 17 School Council Meeting

Fri Dec 18 Last day of school for 2015

Early dismissal 1.30pm

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MonmiaPS

Enrolments for 2016 are now being taken. If you have a child that will be turning 5 before 30 April 2016 and you want to enrol them for Prep, please see Catherine or Norma in the office for an enrolment pack.

Parents/Guardians enrolling their child will need to provide their child’s birth certificate or passport as well as their completed immunisation certificate.

Appointments for school tours are available on request and can be booked by calling Norma or Catherine in the Office.

If you know of neighbours or relatives living in our area who want to enrol their child/ren for 2016 please ask them to contact the school for an enrolment pack.

To secure a place in our Prep 2016 intake School Council has stipulated a $50 non-refundable deposit. This security will be deducted from the 2016 Resources and Materials Charge.

Enrolments will not be accepted without the deposit or the required certificates.

Confirmation of enrolment will include a gift for each 2016 Prep student of a Book Box and book to start them on their reading adventure!

PRA Michael E for concentrating on learning and being able to summarise fairy

tales.

PRB Isabella G for amazing effort during our reading group. I love how you

remembered all the words, Isabella!

1/2A Liam C for his great effort in improving his handwriting.

1/2B Madeline C for recording 100 nights of reading!! Fantastic effort!!

1/2C Max A for coming to the floor every time ready to listen and learn! You are

a great role model, Max!

1/2D Mila S for her huge improvement in her writing and all areas of her learning.

I love seeing your confidence grow more and more each day! Well done

Mila!

3/4A Thomas K for always trying so hard with his school work. Well done

Thomas and keep up the fantastic work.

3/4B Rina K for practising your multiplication facts and working hard to achieve

your maths goal. Keep it up!

3/4C Brandon H for writing an excellent explanation of what makes a good

friend.

3/4D Abdulrahman M for taking greater care of his work presentation. Well done

Abdul!!

3/4E Phillip T for always putting in a wonderful effort in his homework tasks.

5/6A Tarni K for working well in the class.

5/6B Alex J for a great attempt at summarising shared reading text.

5/6C Alyssia J for your brilliant realistic fiction writing! You brought your

characters to life!

5/6D Jayden B for planning a feature article about ‘too much gaming’.

Languages Anabelle A of 5/6E for taking her time and putting an amazing effort into

writing the hiagana characters. It is helping you to write them beautifully.

Well done!

Kids Helpline Call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800

Kids Helpline is a free 24 hour counselling service for

Australian kids and young people aged 5-25 years. You

can get help over the phone, email or web. Kids Helpline

counsellors talk with more than 6,000 kids each week, and

help with all sorts of problems, big and small. Kids Help-

line opened in 1991, and since then has received more

than 5.2 million telephone calls and online contacts from

children and young people. Kids Helpline is mostly fund-

ed by BoysTown and also receives support from govern-

ment, sponsorship and donations.

Kids Helpline trained counsellors will:

listen to you

believe you

help you with your problems

help you to sort things out in your own way

talk to you about who else might be able to help

What can you talk about? You can talk to Kids Helpline about anything. Maybe

something has happened at home or school and you're not

quite sure what to do about it. You might be feeling sad,

scared or lonely, or just want to talk to someone who un-

derstands. Or you might have a question that you want an

answer to. No question or problem is too big or too small

for Kids Helpline.

Kids often call about:

Family

Friends

Feeling sad

Feeling scared

School

Anything!

Who will you be talking to? You will always talk directly with a counsellor when you

call or email Kids Helpline, or use the web counselling. A

counsellor listens and helps people with their problems.

All of the counsellors are trained especially to work with

kids.

What happens when you call?

When you call, you can ask to speak with either a male or

female counsellor. You'll talk directly with a counsellor

when you call Kids Helpline. The following things will

happen each time you contact Kids Helpline:

You will hear a recorded message which tells you

about how Kids Helpline works.

After listening to, or reading the message, you will

be connected to a Kids Helpline counsellor.

The counsellor you speak to will tell you his or her

name, so if you call Kids Helpline again, you can

ask to speak to the same person.

Your counsellor will ask you what you would like

to talk about and ask you some questions to help

understand what's going on for you. You don't have

to say your name and your counsellor won't tell

anyone what you discuss.

You can talk to Kids Helpline for as long as you like.

Some calls only last a few minutes and others can last up

to an hour.

Questions you might have? What if I don't know what to say?

The counsellors at Kids Helpline are very nice

and patient and will help you to feel comfy to talk

about stuff. It's OK if you don't know what to say

at first!

Do I have to tell the counsellor my name?

No, you don't have to say your name if you

don't want to.

Can I ask to speak to a girl or boy counsellor?

Yes, you can ask for a girl or a boy counsellor

if you want to.

What if I have to hang up quickly?

That's ok. Counsellors at Kids Helpline know

that sometimes kids have to hang up. You can

always call back!

Will my parents be able to tell if I called?

Most times the Kids Helpline number doesn't

show on landline phone bills. If you're wor-

ried, you can always call for free from a pay

phone.

Do I have to tell my parents that I am calling?

You can if you want to, but you don't have to.

What if I need help really quickly?

If you need help really quickly and can't wait

for a counsellor - then it's important to tell

your Mum or Dad, or maybe a friend or

neighbour. Plus for any emergencies you can

call the police. That number is 000 and is a

good one to know!

Is there stuff I am not allowed to talk about?

You can talk about anything you want to. No

problem is too big or too small. You can even

ring and have a chat to see if you like it.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MonmiaPS

SPOTLIGHT ON BOUNCE BACK

A WELLBEING AND RESILIENCE PROGRAM

THE FOCUS FOR THIS WEEK IS:

RELATIONSHIPS-Getting Help to Sort out Disagreements

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MonmiaPS

Dear Parents and Guardians, Here are some more tips in understanding friendships. It’s OK to have an argument as long as you don’t hurt the other person. Disagreement (also called conflict) is what happens when people don’t agree, when they want different things or when they think someone has been unfair. You have to speak up when you think that things are not fair or when you don’t agree about something. Although speaking up is important, you must remember to do it in a way that doesn’t hurt someone else. Remember it is always a good idea to try to see things from their point of view as well. It is important to find a way to disagree that lets you find a solution to the problem and still be friends. Sometimes it is OK to just say “We don’t agree on this issue but we can still respect each other’s opinions and be friends”. You can’t sort things out until you are the boss of your angry feelings. The main reason why people try to hurt other people when they disagree is because they get angry and then they can’t remember the good things to do to sort out the disagreement. You have to try hard to be the boss of your angry feelings if you want to sort out arguments in a way that lets you still be friends. When you have arguments with friends you have to remain the boss of your feelings and:

remain in control stay calm think before you act.

Family Activity As a family play the game ‘Feelings Circle Charades’. Write some feeling words on cards. Place the cards in a bowl. Sit in a circle and pass the bowl of cards around to music. When the music stops, the person with the bowl pulls out a feelings card and acts out the feeling, whilst the other family members try to guess the emotion. Discuss with your family what it means to be the boss of your feelings? I hope you find the articles useful and I look forward to any feedback. Next week we will begin looking at our CASEA focuses.

Warm Regards,

Lucy Vorpasso

Assistant Principal Student Engagement and Wellbeing

SEASON TWO

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MonmiaPS

All away games have a $6.00 bus fare which is payable before the game.

Sports: Basketball, handball, softball, volleyball and Kanga Cricket

FRIDAY 07/08 VS CANA (AWAY)

FRIDAY 14/08 VS MARY MACKILLOP (HOME)

FRIDAY 21/08 BYE

FRIDAY 28/08 VS SYDENHAM-HILLSIDE - HILLSIDE CAMPUS (AWAY)

FRIDAY 04/09 GRAND FINALS

The 2015 Parent Opinion Survey has been conducted statewide over a one week period this term (27 to 31

July).

The purpose of this survey was to collect information about parent opinions and to use this information to

drive further improvements in our school.

We have received 88% response rate as of Monday 3rd August, this is slightly lower than last year of 91%.

Thank you to all the parents who have returned their surveys.

Those parent/guardians who have returned their surveys will go in a raffle draw to win movie passes for

the family. This will be drawn on Monday 10th August at our whole school assembly.

Warm Regards,

Vineta Mitrevski Assistant Principal

If your family is leaving Monmia please complete the

following form and return as soon as possible to the Office

Planning for 2015 School Year

Child’s Name:

Child’s Year Level in 2015:

New School in 2015:

Reason for transfer:

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MonmiaPS

A reminder to everyone to keep logging their books for the Premier’s Reading Challenge.

We have 12 fantastic readers who are already finished!! It is amazing to see that 1,351

books registered- fantastic effort everyone.

A further reminder that if you do not wish to have your child’s name published on the

Honour Roll, please notify Catherine at the office or myself.

If you can’t remember your username or password come see me.

Happy Reading everyone,

Miss Vidmajer

It’s that time of the year again – the Book Fair is here!

In a little over a week, the Library will open its doors and welcome

everyone to come a have a look through our books for sale.

Opening times will be:

Monday 10th August: 2 – 2:30pm and 3:30 – 4pm

Tuesday – Thursday: 8:30 – 9am, 2 – 2:30pm and 3:30 – 4pm

Friday 14th August: 8:30 – 9am

The Fair will be packed up during the day on Friday, as items need to be

returned to the store. I cannot hold any items, but most items can be

re-ordered (and will arrive promptly, usually the following week).

Come in and say hello,

Jayne in the Library

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Monmia is a Bucket Filling School! We fill buckets and we don’t dip!

We use our lid to keep our bucket full and keep the drops in! I love how the Bucket Fillers Philosophy has been embraced by our school community this year. I know that we can keep filling other people’s buckets and make Monmia Primary School a warm, positive and caring place to be. When we all fill other people’s buckets then all community members benefit from these acts of kindness. There is so much to acknowledge at Monmia Primary School! Here are some ‘drops’ for you to read.

Remember that when you fill someone else’s bucket, you fill yours as well so keep filling buckets Monmia!

Happy Bucket Filling!

Kind Regards,

Lucy Vorpasso

Assistant Principal

Student Engagement and Wellbeing

Student Engagement and Wellbeing

If your child is absent from school it is crucial to inform the school as to the reason for the absence. To communicate a student absence to the school please: make a phone call to Norma or Catherine in the school office between 8.30am to

9.30am on the day of the absence. send an email to the school’s email, monmia.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au, to inform

the school of the absence. send a written note and/or certificate to the classroom teacher when your child

returns. Thank you for your support with the school’s attendance procedures.

PAYMENTS AT THE OFFICE

When making payments for any items at school, can we please ask that

parents supply the correct money as we do not have change at the Office.

Also, just a reminder that we now have EFTPOS available.

Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/MonmiaPS

Monmia is again participating in Woolworths Earn and Learn.

So what do you need to do? It's simple. From Wednesday 15th July to Tuesday 8th September 2015, when you shop at Woolworths you can collect Woolworths Earn & Learn Stickers from the checkout operator or through an online order and place them on a Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker Sheet. There’ll be one Woolworths Earn & Learn Sticker for every $10 spent (excluding liquor, tobacco, and gift cards). Once completed, simply place the Sticker Sheet in the Collection Box, either at your local Woolworths, or at the front office. Let’s see how many stickers we can collect – the more stickers, the more exciting things we can get for the school!

MONMIA PRIMARY SCHOOL IS PROUD TO PRESENT

OUR BIENNIAL CONCERT

We Are Australian! A Celebration of our Cultural Diversity

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17TH

THE CELEBRITY ROOM

MOONEE VALLEY RACE COURSE 6.30-9.30