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It’s hard to believe we’ve been back at school for such a short time. So much has been achieved already – our new councillors are elected, Literacy pro and Mathletics points earned and Talk 4 Writing oral texts learnt. Students are busily preparing the latter ready to present to the rest of the school in the near future. As part of our continual promotion of reading and literature, each class will present an oral text during our whole school line up on a Monday morning. When the students aren’t performing, I will be sharing a favourite story or two with the students. Research shows that immersing children in good quality literature has a beneficial impact on all aspects of literacy – reading, writing and oral language. Of course, listening to a good story is also highly enjoyable and, as such, the perfect way to start the week.
Once again, the students have quickly settled into the new school year and it is inspiring to see their enthusiasm for learning and eagerness to share this with others. Many of them have completed surveys for their teachers, outlining their strengths and weaknesses and setting goals for improvement. Despite their youthfulness, they have applied critical self-reflection and honesty to this task. Teachers will use this information when developing programmes and timetabling activities so that the students can see that their perspective is considered. These surveys are part of the ‘student voice’ program we trialled last year and are now fully implementing. Students will use specific tools, such as ‘exit notes’, three way interviews and negotiated assessment criteria to reflect on their learning. Teachers will also use this information to evaluate the impact of teaching and adjust it to better meet their students’ needs. This is an exciting project and I look forward to seeing the impact on our students’ motivation for learning.
Caroline Booth
Principal
Cyber Safety for Children and Young Adults
It was great to see so many of you at the Cyber Safety parent Meeting last night. A wealth of information was presented with the aim of encouraging self protection for children through education and empowerment.
Our class teachers are also ensuring students are well versed on cybersafety. Many of you will have viewed our school online agreement which sets out the rules and expectations for working online. Lessons have already started about the risks attached to social media and online activity and also how to treat others with respect and care when using these resources, both in school and out. We take cybersaftey very seriously at school and use a number of resources to explicitly teach key behaviours to apply whenever they go online. These include:
- Keeping personal details private – using a nickname rather than their real name and asking parents before giving out their name, address or phone number
- Not to share username or passwords
- To always think before posting something on social media, as once posted, messages can be difficult to remove
- Not to post images or messages that they would not want others to know about or that they would not say directly to the person
- Being respectful of others content, e.g., not to post photos without the owner’s permission
- The possible negative consequences of publishing identifying information, including images of themselves or others
We use age-appropriate teaching tools, from Kindy to Year 6, to reinforce these messages, many of which can be located on the Department of Education esafety website. This website also has excellent advice and resources for parents who are concerned about the dangers associated with online activity and social media in particular. Please investigate the following link to find out how you can support your children when they are working online. This will help to reinforce the message we are giving as a school.
In the last newsletter, students had cast votes for our 2020 councillors. Now, our successful students have been announced and are as follows: Bryce, Lexi, Imogen and Summer for Semester 1 and Ethan, Charli, Maddie and Callie. Semester 1 councillors, along with our head boy and girl, have already made a great start to their new roles. Semester 2 councillors will begin their role in Term 3. Here are the entire gang.
We have expanded our group of student leaders since our last newsletter with Faction captains have now being appointed. To be a positive leader takes a strength of character and will often involve the following qualities; kindness, integrity, initiative, forgiveness and delegation. Congratulations to all of our new school leaders. We look forward to seeing you in action over the coming months.
Our Faction Captains for 2020 are:
Tern: Mia.T & Bell
Gull: Cooper and Isabella
Albatross: Levi and Grace.W
Their first role will be to organise their factions for the swimming carnival.
Talking of the Swimming Carnival, we would like to thank the P&C for their contribution to this event. They have made a generous donation of $4.50 per child to reduce the cost for those attending. Thank you!
Monday, 2 March | Labour Day, Public Holiday |
Friday, 6 March | Years 4 to 6 Faction Swimming Carnival, Craigie Leisure Centre |
Thursday, 12 March | Assembly - Room 12 |
Friday, 20 March | Pre Primary to Year 6, Colour Explosion Fundraiser |
Wednesday, 25 March | Parents Eve, 3-5pm |
Thursday, 26 March | School Photo day |
Parents Eve, 5-7pm | |
Thursday, 2 April | Harmony Day |
Assembly - Room 5 | |
Buddy Lunch, 12pm | |
Friday, 3 April | Pre Primary to Year 6, Singh Sisters Incursion, 1:30pm |
Thursday, 9 April | ANZAC Ceremony |
Last day of Term 1 | |
Friday, 10 April | Good Friday Public Holiday |
Monday, 27 April |
ANZAC Day Public Holiday |
Tuesday, 28 April |
Pupil Free Day |
Wednesday, 29 April |
Students commence Term 2 |
Tuesday, 12 - Friday, 15 May |
NAPLAN - Years 3 & 5 |
Monday, 18 - Friday, 22 May |
NAPLAN Catch-up (if required) |
Thursday, 21 May |
Assembly - Room 10 |
Monday, 25 May |
Reconciliation Week Incursion - Dion Drummond, Pre Primary to Year 6 |
Wednesday, 27 - Friday, 29 May |
Year 6 Camp |
Monday, 1 June |
WA DAY Public Holiday |
Thursday, 4 June |
Assembly - Room 9 |
Friday, 5 June |
Faction Cross Country, Pre Primary to Year 6 |
Thursday, 18 June |
Assembly - Room 11 |
Thursday, 25 June |
Lightning Carnival at Kingsway Sporting Complex, Years 4 to 6 |
Friday, 3 July |
Last Day of Term 2 |
School Run4Fun Colour Explosion
Dear Parent/Guardian
RE: School Run4Fun Colour Explosion
We’re turning our event from bland to GRAND this year by adding an explosion of colour. The more money we raise the more we can provide for the students through vital school projects, in particular enhancing Digital Technologies resources and upgrading reading books.
The School Colour Explosion™ Run will be held on Friday 20th March starting at 2.00pm. We do ask that you wear a plain white
t-shirt as the students will be covered in powder from head to toe. The day’s focus is on fun and fitness with the added benefit of raising funds for our school.
COLOUR POWDER: The colour powder used in our event has been sourced direct from India, the home of Holi Powder. It is made of high quality corn starch and permitted food colours. It’s non-toxic, biodegradable, skin safe and environmentally friendly. Toxicological Risk Assessment and ingredient listings can be obtained from the School Office upon request. Students with asthma are advised to be careful in their decision to participate.
HOW DOES MY CHILD FUNDRAISE? Students have now received a Sponsorship Form with instructions on how to raise money and order prizes. Students obtain donations in cash using the Sponsorship Form together with online fundraising.
Students who raise as little as $10 or more will receive an incentive prize for their efforts. But why not aim higher? You have the option to choose up to five (5) prizes and this will set your fundraising goal. Family and friends are your greatest supporters, so ask them first for your support. You will reach your fundraising goal in no time.
STUDENT PROFILE PAGE. Create a Student Profile Page at www.myprofilepage.com.au which is unique to you. There are also some great features like creating your own avatar, selecting your prize goal and recording your sponsorships.
You can also register for online fundraising. It’s the easiest way to help your child raise money and to reach your fundraising goal sooner. You can share your fundraising page to family and friends through Facebook, Twitter, email and even text message with a few simple clicks.
WIN A DREAM HOLIDAY WORTH $10,000! For your chance to win a $10,000 Flight Centre Gift Voucher, create a Student Profile Page at www.myprofilepage.com.au and for every $10 raised you will receive one entry into the draw to win. The more you raise the more chances to win.
WIN A CRUISE OF YOUR CHOICE! The highest fundraising student in our school will go into the draw to win a $5,000 cruise of your choice. To enter, you must create a Student Profile Page at www.myprofilepage.com.au and you can view your ranking on our school’s leaderboard.
HOW TO ORDER PRIZES? To reward your child for their efforts, they will receive incentive prizes based on the total amount of sponsorship dollars raised in cash and online. You have two options to place your prize order:
- Login to your Student Profile Page at www.myprofilepage.com.au. Once the fundraiser has finished, click the ‘ORDER MY PRIZE’ button via the dashboard, OR
- Complete the back page of the Sponsorship Form and return to the school for processing.
Please note, all donations need to be finalised on or before Friday 20th March and student prizes will be delivered shortly after.
Thank you in advance for your participation and get ready for a BLAST OF COLOUR! Happy fundraising!
Di Thorby
Phys Ed Teacher
Rangers Parking and Community Safety – Safety around Schools – 40km ZONE
Vehicles which park contrary to parking signage around schools are a major hazard and impact on the safety of children, pedestrians and other road users in these areas. It is imperative that drivers are aware of, and park in accordance with, the parking conditions which apply near schools.
As part of the City’s continuing effort to provide a safer environment for everyone City of Joondalup Officers conduct patrols of school parking in the mornings and afternoons throughout the school term.
As part of this initiative Officers use patrol vehicles, which have been fitted with Licence Plate Recognition (LPR) cameras, to capture digital images of vehicles which are parked contrary to parking requirements near schools. Any infringement notices, issued as part of these patrols, will be sent via mail to the registered owner of the vehicle.
Please see the link below for a copy of the City’s School Parking brochure which provides additional information in relation to parking near schools. This is a reminder for parents and caregivers of their responsibility in ensuring that they park correctly near schools.
Mobile Phones & Smart Watches
A reminder that mobile phones and ipods etc, need to be signed into the front office at the commencement of each school day. These are stored away for the day and students come back at the end of the day to collect them. Students wearing smart watches must ensure that it is on 'areoplane mode' while they are at school.
Communication to or from parents or carers, during school time, regarding any issues relating to students is the responsibility of the school and will be managed by the school. Parents who need to contact their children during the school day can contact our school on 6206 2100.
Mobile phones/ Smart watches can be effective means of communication between parents and their children before and after school hours. However, during school time, they are a distraction to students and have the capacity to negatively impact on the learning environment and the safety and well-being of students. Please view our school policy for additional information.
Schoolzine App. (SZapp)
Please see below the instructions on how to install the SZapp, which is a user friendly app for parents.
Install now and start using the app to notify us of your childs absence, access newsletters and more.
Use of Staff Car Park
In the interest of safety, parents and students are NOT permitted to access the school through the staff car park on Charonia Road before or after school. Our staff car park is out of bounds to all pedestrian and motor traffic other than staff themselves. The staff car park is not to be used for dropping off or picking up your children.
There are two pedestrian paths/access points either side of the staff car park on Charonia Road to facilitate safe entry to our school. The staff car park in Charonia Road is our Emergency Access point also. This must be free to allow ambulance, fire trucks and other emergency vehicles entry at all times. Please do not block access to the bitumen area.
Voluntary Contributions
Thank you to all who have paid their child’s contribution for 2020. Monies collected through this scheme enhance the learning program at MHPS. If you have overlooked payment, please come in and see us at the front office or alternatively, payment can be made via direct deposit into the school bank account.
Bank Account details for MHPS.
For your convenience to make direct deposits:
Mullaloo Heights PS (MHPS)
BSB: 066 040
A/C No.: 19903178
Please include your child’s name as reference.
Eftpos facilities at MHPS.
We have Eftpos facilities available, accepting Visa and Master Card. Please see the front office to make payments.
Student Health Form 2020 (Excursions)
A hard copy of the 2020 Health Form for Excursions has been sent home with students. Could parents/ guardians please complete these forms and return to the Front Office by Friday, 28 February 2020.
Parent/ Guardian Contact details
If you have changed any of the following details, could you please notify the school, as soon as possible;
- Residential address
- Contact numbers – home, mobile
- Emergency contacts
- Email address
Medical updates
If there has been any change in your child’s health, that you may feel the school needs to know, for the safety of your child, for example; If your child has an anaphylactic reaction to anything, an allergic reaction or asthma, please notify our school in writing so that we can update our medical records.
This week I started the Peer Mediators Program with some of our year 5 students. We talked about the qualities of a good leader and the students completed a strengths activity where they chose three cards that represented the strengths they have. We talked about how each of their strengths are useful for peer mediation.
We also explored in more detail the qualities of empathy and active listening. I then trained the students on how to use the peer mediation process. They watched video examples of the process and did role plays where they practiced resolving conflicts. Finally, I gave the students their notepad with some strategies they can use at recess and lunchtimes- including the ‘S.N.A.C.K’ way of making friends to help younger students, and the BUZ Hopscotch Method of resolving conflict. They are excited to put their training into practice and help students at recess and lunchtimes.
Please see the article below ‘Strong families: what they are, how they work’ from the Raising Children Network.
Strong families generally have a few things in common: emotional and physical security, lots of warmth, care and positive attention, firm, fair rules and routines, good communication and connections to others outside the family.
As a parent, the way you feel and behave can have a big effect on other family members, especially your child. For example, if you’re feeling angry or stressed, your child might feel stressed too. This is why it’s so important for you to look after yourself, make healthy lifestyle choices and get support if you need it.
Kind regards,
Jess Smith
Chaplain