19 September 2018

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Well done to everyone – we have arrived at the end of a busy and productive Term 3. In the past fortnight there have been a number of major events at most of our sites. Here at Rockingham Lakes and at Bungaree we have had our annual Sports Carnivals. You can read about Bungaree below and as for RLPS, the weather held out for the day and although a little windy the participation and sportsmanship was excellent. It showed that all our students understand the importance of team work and helping each other to do the best you can. Again we will have some students from most of our sites going on to inter schools. Congratulations everyone, but particularly Mr Voges on great organisation and participation all round. Please read below about the new playground and upcoming fun day at our Pinjarra site and about the upcoming events at our Mandurah site.

Last Tuesday was the annual RLPS and PLDS Open Night. A huge thank you to all the parents and family members who came along to see what students have been working on throughout the year. This event coincides with our annual Artacular display. This year the theme for the art works was ‘The Greats’. There was work on display from students from all our sites and from RLPS students as well as any staff who wished to share any hidden talents. Many thanks to Mrs Hirsiger and Ms Thwaites and all their helpers for making this annual event so spectacular and keeping visual arts alive for our students and community.

Term 3 is always one of our busiest, and so I thought it worthwhile taking a moment to thank all the people who work together to make our school as great as it is. Many thanks to Parents and Caregivers for your continued support of your children ensuring they come to school ready to learn; well rested, with healthy lunches, in uniform and home practice completed. Many thanks to our teachers and education assistants for their relentless commitment to the learning programs they deliver, always full of fun and enthusiasm and successful outcomes. Thanks also to the Admin Team and support staff in the office at all our sites, the Speech Pathology Team and the Outreach Team. All these people are masters of multi-tasking, supporting the smooth running of the school and its processes. Finally, a big thanks to all our students who bring energy and excitement for learning and smiles every day.

I would like to wish everyone a well deserved break and look forward to seeing you all back in Term 4. A reminder that students return on Tuesday October 9 for all our sites except Pinjarra. PINJARRA WILL BE OPEN FROM MONDAY 8 OCTOBER. The Colour Run will be happening Friday week one at RLPS.

Michelle Columbus
Deputy Principal

Important information for Parents

Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards

Nominations for the 2019 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards are now open.

Offered through a partnership between the Commonwealth Bank and national charity Schools Plus, the Awards recognise and reward great teachers who are delivering transformative and measurable outcomes for their students.

It’s a big opportunity to recognise the incredible work teachers at your school are doing. It will also give them a chance to become one of 12 teachers and school leaders who’ll receive a $45,000 Teaching Fellowship. The Fellowship includes support for professional development as well as $30,000 for a school project that improves student outcomes.

So, if there’s one, two or even three great teachers working at your school, make sure you put them forward for the 2019 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Awards.

Bungaree Campus

Faction Carnival

On Friday Bungaree held its annual faction carnival. Students had a great day participating in running races, novelty and team games. Congratulations to all students for their exemplary behaviour and good attitude. Well done to Peron who won on the day, Richmond and Mangles were close runner ups. Thanks to all those parents who came to provide support on this special day.

Brilliant Kids Morning Tea

Congratulations to these students who were chosen to attend the brilliant kids morning tea. Students were acknowledged and thanked for their fantastic effort throughout Term 3. ‘Excellence Through Effort’. Well done!

School Photos

Our School Photos will be taken on:

Wednesday 17th of October 2018
Thursday 18th of October 2018

Class Photos/Portraits:

• Every Student will have their photo taken, whether they are purchasing photos or not.
• Your child has been given a personalised pre-paid envelope by the class Teacher.
• Please ensure that your child returns the pre-paid envelope with enclosed payment to school on photo day if you wish to purchase photos. If you have ordered online you don’t have to return the envelope to the photographers, but some children like to have something to hand in, so just write paid online on the envelope so we are aware.
• Please note: The Photographers are not permitted to open the envelopes and cannot provide change.
• You will be able to place your order online as soon as you receive your unique code, you do not have to wait until photo day to order online.
• The expiry date for online ordering is the 24.10.2018. Any orders received after this date are treated as re orders and will incur a $30.00 reorder charge on top of your order you wish to purchase. You can email your order request through to reorders.perth@msp.com.au or call our office on 08 9240 8000

Family Photos:

• Envelopes can be obtained from Administration.
• Family photos are being taken each morning before school.
• Please ensure that your family envelope with enclosed payment is handed to the photographers on photo day.
• Family photos can not be ordered online at this stage.

Special/Sports Group Photos:

• If your child is in a Special/Sports photo you will receive a link and password to the online gallery after photo day, where you can view and order these photos if required. These photos will be packed and delivered with the school’s bulk order.

Please Note: Class Groups, Individuals and Family Photos are not available to view online

Pinjarra Campus

What a busy term we have had at Pinjarra PLDS. To celebrate, the PBS team have organised some wonderful activities including mud play and tabloid games for all students to participate in on the last day of Term 3. We also have our Term 3 awards ceremony which celebrates student achievement across all classrooms.

As it approaches the much anticipated ‘Scarecrow & Wheelbarrow’ race day next term, PLDS students have worked together to complete our Bunnings themed Scarecrow, ‘Billy McBunnings.’ We have had some practise runs on the course and are busy devising some strategies for race day.

Finally, Term 3 has seen the renovation of the Year 1 play area by our host school Pinjarra PS. The students have been very excited about the new playground that has been built including a climbing frame and flying fox.

From all of us at Pinjarra PLDS, we wish you a wonderful and safe holiday. We look forward to seeing you all fresh and warmer in Term 4

Mandurah Campus

As the term comes to an end, we have two events coming up at the Mandurah Campus. We have the REACH reward day on Friday where the PP- Yr3 Peel students and Mandurah students will be working together to complete activities that will last for a minute in order to work out the challenge.

On the same day the PP-Yr3 students will get to be a part of the first ever Colour Run Fundraising event at Mandurah. Notes have been sent home to families for this but please remember to bring in a spare white shirt to get 'colourful' in your child's bag to get changed into after recess.

Individual Parents/ Caregivers have been finalising bus information in anticipation of the bus coming to the Mandurah Campus. Notes have also been sent home regarding swimming next term, so please make sure that you check communication books for all of this important information.

On the 13th of September, classes celebrated R U OK? day where they learnt about the importance of talking and starting conversations, even at an early age. Room 11 has been learning about poems this week and have completed their very own acrostic poem using their names. They have also been learning about synonyms and have been completing lots of activities to increase their word vocabulary.

We wish everyone a safe and happy holidays.

RLPS Campus

1.5

In 1.5 we have chickens. Their names are Steve, Miss Muffins and Fluffy Lemon. Since week 7 we have watched the chickens grow. We found out that they have to have water, food and a warm shelter to survive. We have learnt that when we handle the chicks we need to be gentle with them. We have taken them outside to explore and they loved searching worms and food. We have loved caring for the chickens in 1.5! (Written by students in 1.5)

School Holidays

City Kids

Keep your kids active and entertained with the City Kids program.

There are many free and low cost programs on offer during school terms and holidays for all ages.

Try new things, learn new skills, get crafty, and build friendships. Your kids can do it all.

Activities are separated into three age groups; 0-4, 5-11 & 12-17, suit a range of interests and skills and are hosted by different teams throughout the City of Mandurah including Youth Development, Mandurah Libraries, Mandurah Recreation Centres and the Mandurah Community Museum.

The Children’s Book Council of Australia Awards 2018

Look out for these books at your local library

2018 Book of the Year: Early Childhood

Winner - Rodney Loses It by Michael Gerard Bauer

Rodney was a rabbit who loved nothing more than drawing. He never found it tiresome, tedious or boring. But then one day, disaster struck, the one thing Rodney feared, while working at his drawing desk his pen just... DISAPPEARED!

Honours - The Very Noisy Baby by Alison Lester

Honours - Hark, It’s Me, Ruby Lee by Lisa Shanahan

2018 Picture Book of the Year

Winner - A Walk in the Bush by Gwyn Perkins

Little Iggy doesn’t want to leave the house, but Grandad insists – they always have fun together. What follows is a wonderful journey in the great Australian outdoors with singing birds, wallaby surprises, secret caterpillar messages and oodles of grandad humour. Here is a story about the wonders of nature, the funny side of life and spending time with the ones we love.

Honours - The Great Rabbit Chase By Freya Blackwood

Honours - Mopoke by Philip Bunting

Community News

School Nurse

Building resilience

Resilience is the ability to cope with difficult situations and ‘bounce back’ when things go wrong. Young people need to develop resilience in order to navigate life’s ups and down. As a parent, you can help your child to become resilient by giving him or her opportunities to learn and practice new skills, for example:

• Allow your child to solve some of their own problems. Learning to deal with issues builds skill and confidence. Don’t jump in to fix things, unless the situation has got out of hand.
• Arrange a fun, child-friendly activity each week like a trip to the park, play date with a friend or watching a favourite movie. Regular ‘ups’ provide a bank of positive emotions to buffer against life’s ‘downs’ that may involve disappointment or conflict.
• Help your kids to think positively. If your child is frustrated by a difficult maths problem, say, "I know that question was hard today, but yesterday I saw you solve a hard problem. You kept trying until you worked it out.”
• If you have a disagreement with your child, the most important thing to do is to reconnect and repair the relationship. Let your child cool down then offer a hug or words of support. This has benefits for your child’s mental health as well as their ability to deal with relationship problems throughout their life.

For more information about raising a resilient child, go to one of the links below or contact your local Community Health Nurse, (Leona Martin), on (94192266).