10 April 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome to the last newsletter for term one. This has been a busy and productive term and I would like to sincerely thank all parents and caregivers for helping your child settle into the school year and celebrating the progress they have made during the term.

Thanks to parents who have updated contact details with the front office. It is essential that we have up to date contact numbers in case of an emergency. Please be aware that we are only able to release your child to adults you have included on your contact list. If your child is on the bus, please alert them to any changes in the daily schedule along with a note to the class teacher in the Communication Book.

PLDS teachers have completed transition visits to schools of our exited students. Student information was sent to schools and teachers shared a handover file of information for the 2018 teacher. We invited the exiting school teachers to attend Professional Learning at PLDS with schools taking up the offer and attending the many Professional learning opportunities offered by PLDS and the Outreach Team.

Our Speech and Language Team along with teachers have completed language assessments with students and collaborated to write Individual Language Plans for every student at PLDS. We are currently meeting with parents to discuss the language goals and strategies for your children. Thank you to those parents who have taken the opportunity to attend the valuable meetings to build your knowledge of your child’s education. Please contact the front office if you were unable to attend your child’s ILP meeting.

The Outreach team continues planning and presenting Professional Learning to the teachers in our service areas. The valuable service offered by the team ensures we are building the capacity of teachers in WA to support the language and literacy needs of students.

In this newsletter you will find updates from our four sites. The students at Pinjarra enjoyed celebrating Harmony Day and an Easter Hat Parade. The students from Mandurah have been learning about family histories and celebrating traditions. Our Bungaree students have been exploring Science and making seed bombs and our pre-primary students at the RLPS Campus had a visit from the Rockingham Fire Station to learn all about fire fighters and fire trucks.

Voluntary contributions and charges are due by the end of term one. There will be more information in term two about the draw to win an exciting prize for fees sent in by the end of this term.

The PLDS School Board will hold an Annual Public meeting on Thursday 10th May. You will find further information in this newsletter and we look forward to welcoming members of our community to the meeting.

Peel Language Development School would like to congratulate the P & C office bearers for 2018 and we look forward to continuing to build positive and productive partnerships. We thank you for the valuable work you do at the RLPS campus.

Have a safe and happy holiday and we look forward to exciting learning opportunities in term two.

Shelley Collins
Principal

Important information for Parents

Naplan

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. Year 3 students at Peel Language Development School are encouraged to complete the NAPLAN testing. It is carried out in a safe, non-threatening environment usually in their own classroom, supervised by their own teacher.

NAPLAN tests the sorts of skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life, such as reading, writing, spelling and numeracy. The assessment will take place between the 15th to the 18th of May 2018.

NAPLAN is made up of tests in the four areas (or ‘domains’) of:

• Reading
• Writing
• Language Conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
• Numeracy

NAPLAN tests skills in literacy and numeracy that are developed over time through the school curriculum.

Your child’s NAPLAN report will be sent home in late September. You can get more information regarding the NAPLAN testing process by accessing the national NAPLAN website

All Campus

Harmony Day

Harmony day celebrated across all classrooms!

Across all campuses, we celebrated Harmony Day, which is normally on the 21st of March every year. The children completed activities and learnt about what the day means. This special day aims to engage people to participate in their community, respect cultural and religious diversity and foster a sense of belonging for everyone.

Our diversity makes Australia a great place to live. Harmony Day is a celebration of our cultural diversity – a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home.

RLPS Campus

Community Helpers

In Pre-Primary this Term we have had a very busy time learning about Community Helpers. ECE5, PP4, D2 and D3 have been lucky enough to have visits from quite a few of our emergency service workers. Mr Ninness was kind enough to bring a remote ambulance vehicle in to school for the children to see, learn about and investigate.

Local firefighters from the Rockingham fire station also visited our school for the Pre-Primary’s. After a very informative and engaging whole class talk, all of the Pre-Primary children were able to go out to the oval where they were shown through the fire truck and all it’s equipment and they were even allowed to have a go at spraying water from the fire hose. To add even more excitement and dramatic effect to their visit, the firefighters were called out to a job part way through their visit and the children were very excited to see and hear the fire trucks race off with sirens and lights going to help out someone in need. Even though the firemen were called out during their visit, they managed to make it back to school afterwards to finish off their visit with us.

Lastly, to conclude our topic on Community Helpers, we were able to have a visit from two police officers from Rockingham station. The two policemen were very informative about the police service and made their visit very interactive for the children by providing dress up clothes and a guided tour of their police vehicle.

Many, many thanks go out to our local emergency service personnel who have helped to make our Community Helpers lessons become more interactive and exciting.

Easter Hat Parade

On Thursday on the 29th of March the whole school went to the Easter Hat Parade.
First the whole class finished our Easter hats.
Then the whole school went to the grass quadrant. We sit on the grass.
Next we walk around and come back to our spot.
Finally we went back to class.
I thought it was fun and cool.
By Jazmyn

Easter Hat Parade
On Thursday the 29th of March 2018, the whole school went to the grass quadrant.
First the class finished the hats. I added some paper to my hat. I added some more sticky tape because my hat didn’t have enough stick. Then we took a photo with my classmates.
Then the whole school went to the grass quadrant.
By Eiji

Mandurah Campus

Miss Michelle Colebourne, Maths and History Teacher.

This Term in History we have been learning about our family histories and celebrating traditions. We have been looking at family trees, family structures and family traditions. We have also explored cultural traditions, dreaming stories and Aboriginal Art. Mandurah Primary School celebrated Harmony Day by having a community breakfast and face painting. In history we are currently learning about ANZAC Day, as this important event will take place on the school holidays.

In Maths this term we have been exploring the magic of 2D and 3D shapes with our Maths Wizard, Miss Poly Gon. Students have had a lovely and entertaining time learning from Poly and have really enjoyed creating our Neon Shapes chart.

Just before our well-earned Easter break, PLDS students from years 1 to 3 were treated to an excursion to the Caterpillar Park in Mandurah. The Intergenerational Easter Day was a free event held on March 29 and hosted by the City of Mandurah Library.The day was aimed at acknowledging senior citizens in the community and people with Dementia. Children engaged with the community, and were able to take part in Easter crafts, a farm yard petting zoo and an Easter egg hunt whilst playing in the park.

Students were treated to two Australian Easter stories read by the Mandurah City Mayor, Mayor Williams. The Mayor also presented Mrs Stroud with a reading pack for the school.

Students are excited for the last day of school as we are having our REACH rewards day on Friday. Students and staff will be having fun with water games, a perfect way to end the Term.

Bungaree Campus

Seed Bombs at Bungaree

During Science at Bungaree the students made Seed Bombs for Easter!

Seed Bombs are made out of air drying clay, soil and Cornflower seeds.

Once the Seed Bombs are dry you simply throw them anywhere there is dirt, along the side of the road, in an open field and in the garden. The next time it rains they will dissolve and before you know it there will be a little more beauty in the world. The Cornflowers are a mixture of colours, blue, purple, red, pink and white.

The students enjoyed making their Seed Bombs, worked well in their groups, helping each other and saying nice things about each other's creations.

We hope you enjoy the beauty they bring.

Bungaree Team.

Pinjarra Campus

On the 21st of March rooms 28, 29 & 30 joined together in order to celebrate Harmony Day 2018. In Mrs Bellenger’s delicious restaurant the students cooked taco’s together enjoying a Mexican fiesta outside in the sunshine. In Mrs Lewendon’s amazing art studio the students created a finger painting masterpiece with the Harmony day symbol. Finally in Ms Claxton’s psychedelic science lab the students made orange slime. We all had a blast celebrating the cultural diversity within the beautiful country that we live in.

On the 29th of March we celebrated Easter with our host school Pinjarra Primary in their annual Easter hat parade. Rooms 28, 29 & 30 displayed their dance moves as they moved around the stage modelling their creative Easter hats. It was so much fun!

We have all had such a wonderful term 1 here at PLDS Pinjarra. From all of the staff we would like to wish our parents and students a safe and enjoyable school break. We look forward to seeing you all fresh and ready to learn in term 2!

Emma Claxton

Dental News

Please see below for Greenfields Dental Therapy Centres closure dates over the April school holidays 2018.

Dental News
GREENFIELDS DENTAL THERAPY CENTRE
HOLIDAY CLOSURE DATES:
Tuesday 17.4.18
Friday 20.4.18
Wednesday 25.4.18

In case of EMERGENCY please call….
Between 8am-4.30pm Mount Henry: 9313 0552
For after-hours emergencies please call: 9325 3452
9 ZAMBESI DR GREENIFELDS / PH: 9581 3895

The Science Team

This term the Science team have been working on Biological Science.

Welcome to week 11!

Here are some of the activities the students have enjoyed.

Pre Primary had a day with Karen from Bunnings, learning how to treat the soil, helping it to retain water to aid the health of the plants, the needs of plants while adding them to PLDS garden beds and learning about which animals may come and visit the plants.

Year 1 has been learning about the creatures found at school and at home. Students have investigated snails, earthworms and ants, to name a few, leaning about their features and habitats. 1.3 are also growing corn.

Year 2 has been learning about the life cycle of Mealworms, the different stages in their life, how they change and how to look after them.

Year 3 has been learning how to categorise animals based on certain features. They have been learning how to use a branching tree and how to find the answers to questions about animals to help sort them out.

The Science Team xx

PS we have taken many photos but they are going to be work samples!

Welcome to worm farms!

This term the Science team are working on Biological Science.

I have requested, a few times, in the PLDS Newsletter, for clear plastic bottles. We have a few AND WE NEED MORE!

Specifically we need 2L clear plastic bottles and 500ml clear plastic bottles WITH LIDS.

They will be used to make worm farms in different year groups however the focus is different for each one.

Buying worms is easy enough but as they come in groups of 1000 we are making the most of the purchase.

Ideally the worm farms would have been made already but due to the lack of bottles they will now be made next term.

The plan is to make them in pairs and each pair needs 1x500ml clear plastic bottle WITH A LID and 1x2L clear plastic bottle

In total we need them for 12 classes (each PP class and each Year 1 class) so that’s approximately 84x2L clear plastic bottles and 84x500ml clear plastic bottles WITH LIDS.

Thank you for your help!

The Science Team xx

Community News

Rockingham Basketball Recreation Association

Good Afternoon,

The RBRA will be holding a registration day for all players looking to join or continue playing in our association. On Friday the 13th of April these players can come and meet other players and clubs looking to create teams for our upcoming winter season.

If you are interested in joining a team and haven't yet had your team placement confirmed please come down to the Rockingham Flames Clubroom (in the Mike Barnett Sports Complex) from 5pm-6pm on the 13th of April. Any team or club contacts that are looking for more players to join their teams are encouraged to also come to the Registration Day.

Kind Regards,
Cady Jorgensen
Rockingham Flames Basketball Administration Officer

Positive Parenting Programs

Triple P Group course

Triple P – Positive Parenting Program teaches positive, practical and effective ways to manage common issues which most parents will face.

Parents will learn effective parenting strategies such as ways to encourage behaviour you like, how to promote your child’s development and how to prevent or manage common child behaviour problems.

The next FREE 8 week Triple P Group course is:

When: Wed 2 May – 20 June 2018
Location: Darius Wells Library, Kwinana
Bookings: Please book online in the link below
If unable to book online, please contact the Child Health Booking System on 1300 749 869

Triple P Seminars

Triple P – Positive Parenting Program will help you with practical, positive and effective ways to deal with common behaviour problems and ways to help your child achieve their best at school and for the future.

There are three Triple P Seminars to choose from:

1. Children’s behaviour – the tough part of parenting
2. Raising confident children
3. Raising emotionally resilient children

The next FREE 3 week Triple P Seminar Series is:

When: Wed 6, 13 & 20 June 2018
Location: Warnbro Community YMCA, Warnbro
Bookings: Please book online in the link below
If unable to book online, please contact the Child Health Booking System on 1300 749 869

School Nurse

Influenza

Influenza, or the ‘flu’ is caused by an influenza virus. It is spread through the air when someone coughs, sneezes or talks. It is also spread by touching something that has the virus on it and then touching your nose, eyes or mouth. Common symptoms include sore throat, cough, fever, headache, chills, tiredness and muscle aches.

People with the flu should rest and drink plenty of fluid. Use paracetamol in recommended doses if necessary - but do not give children any medication containing aspirin.

Be sure to keep your child home from school while he or she is sick. If you require school work for your child contact the school to prepare some for you to collect.

The best way to prevent flu from spreading is by washing your hands regularly and after coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose.

Flu vaccines are available prior to winter starting. For more information, contact your GP or local Immunisation Clinic.

Why should I consider having my child vaccinated against the flu?

The National Health and Medical Research Council, Australia's peak body for health advice, recommends annual vaccination for anyone six months of age or older who wants to reduce their chances of becoming ill with the flu.

Annual flu vaccination is strongly recommended for anyone six months of age or older with a medical condition that places them at higher risk of severe illness from flu. Children and adults with heart, lung or kidney disease or a weakened immune system, are eligible for free flu vaccine through the National Immunisation Program.

Children without underlying medical conditions who become infected with flu can also develop serious illnesses. Flu can cause high fever and pneumonia, and make existing medical conditions worse. Flu can also cause convulsions and diarrhoea in children.

Influenza viruses are always changing. Each year scientists try to match the strains of influenza viruses in the vaccine to those most likely to cause flu illnesses that year. It takes up to two weeks for protection to develop after vaccination against flu and protection lasts about a year.

The seasonal flu vaccine is available on prescription or via GP and immunisation clinics and is provided free for certain groups. Flu vaccines are available prior to winter starting. For more information visit the link below or contact your GP or Immunisation Clinic.