23 September 2016

Newsletter Articles

Principal's Message

The holidays are nearly upon us and, I think you'll agree, the break has been well earned by our hardworking students. They have given total commitment to every activity and event thrust upon them throughout this busy term. Sports, literature, music and the performing arts have defined the term so it is fitting that our final assembly was a celebration of the wide variety of interests and talents of our students. The Talent Assembly is a popular event with many students auditioning. The standard for participation is always high and watching the final, polished performance is a real treat. This year was no exception. Well done to all students who overcame nerves and bravely participated in this wonderful show. Thanks also to Mrs Ameduri for giving our students the opportunity to showcase their considerable talent and creativity.

Before Term 4 is upon us, I would like to wish you a happy break. Students, please remember all the things your teachers and parents have taught you about keeping safe. Wear your helmet when cycling, look right and left before crossing the road and be mindful of 'stranger danger' advice at all times. We look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday 11th October, safe, rested and ready for another term of hard work.

Caroline Booth
Principal

Dates to remember

Class Placements 2017

Later in Term 4, we will be organising classes for 2017. When placing students, teachers will take into account educational and social needs to ensure that classes are well balanced and provide an effective learning environment for all. If you have a request regarding the placement of your child and it is based upon an educational reason, please put this in writing and forward to Caroline Booth before Friday, 21st October – Caroline.Booth@education.wa.edu.au. All requests will be considered, but as we are a small school, they cannot be guaranteed.

Cyber Safety – What can parents do?

Parents often talk to us about how we ensure our students are educated about the risks attached to social media and online activity. We take cybersafety very seriously at school and use a number of resources to explicitly teach protective online behaviours to our students. Students are taught 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.

Mullaloo Heights Primary School Environmental Garden

Last year, staff members discussed ideas about using the existing school environmental garden area more effectively and giving the area a re-vamp at the same time. They wanted to keep all the positive aspects of the garden plots, but wished to provide students with more experiences to make links between social and emotional learning and the environment; the idea of a sensory garden emerged. A sensory garden is a garden environment designed with the purpose of stimulating the senses. This stimulation occurs courtesy of plants and the use of materials that connect one's senses of sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound.

After the relocation of the chickens to their new coop late last year, the work to clear the old existing site began. Work has continued in the area this year and plenty of progress has been made. A lot of digging and sweat has followed with new retaining walls which include built-in steps, a pathway, irrigation repaired and a general tidy up. Over the last two week new plants were purchased and planted with the generous help of Mrs Tess Bryant and the student Environmental Monitors. The plants are still getting established at this stage, but we can already see the foundations of a sensory garden that is not only beautiful to look at, but will tantalise the senses too!  The final stage of planting will take place when a raised garden bed is installed and the taste component of the garden will be planted there.

We would like to thank Mrs Tess Bryant who has assisted with all stages of the project and her knowledge and dedication to our school is really appreciated. We would also like to thank Abbey Syers who contacted Whitfords Bunnings and they generously donated $200.00 towards the school project. If you haven't had a look in the Environmental Garden for a while, we would love you to pop in and have a look.

Have a look at the photo gallery and see how far we have come.

Father's Day 2016 – Kindergarten Special Event

On Thursday evening, 1st September, to celebrate Father's Day, the Kindy children invited their Dad/Grandad into the classroom for a sausage sizzle and for a variety of activities; including shaving Dad, making a paper plane and drawing a picture of Dad. The children felt very special returning to school at nighttime with their Dad.

Year 3&4 Visit the Duyfken

Today we went to the Duyfken replica at Hillarys Boat Harbor. It was great fun. Most people expected the boat to be much bigger, but it was quite small. We wondered how you could fit 30 -35 people inside. The Duyfken has sailed all around Australia. In the past, the sailors communicated to other ships by leaving a special plate with information about the island on which they had landed. They would nail this to the tallest tree before leaving. If another ship saw the plate, they would take it back to Holland and give it to the map makers to update their maps. While we were on the ship, we found out how to load a cannon. It took much longer than is shown on movies. Below deck, the hand-made floors were made of brick. The bricks were replaced every 2 weeks. Once we had a good look around, we sat in a nice place to eat fish and chips. By Marcus and Scarlett (Room 10)

Where are our old school uniforms?

When we started wearing our bright, new uniforms this year, teachers and parents were left wondering what to do with the old uniforms which were still in very good condition. It seemed such a waste to throw them away. Luckily for us, our P&C president, Chris McCafferty, had a great idea for recycling these pre-loved items. He located an altruist who agreed to take our old uniforms to schools in Asia where students cannot afford them. At this moment in time, our uniforms are on their way to students in the following schools:

• Blessed Home in Tamil Nadu, India
• Eagle Home in Andra Pradesh, India
• IVCM Mamre Learning Centre in Siem Reap, Cambodia
• Jesus School in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• Kampong Cham Orphanage, Cambodia

When the uniforms reach their destination, photos will follow. We believe this will be the start of a partnership between Mullaloo Heights and these schools. Watch this space!

Merit Certificates: Thursday 22nd September

P&C Self Defence Class – Friday 28th October

Please read the below flyer to find out about this latest P&C fundraiser.

P&C Disco for Parents and School Community

The P&C are organising a disco for members of our school community on Friday 2nd December. This should be a great way to socialise and celebrate another great year at Mullaloo Heights. See the flyer below for more information. Tickets will be available in Term 4 from the front office.

Parent Information/Reminders

Uniform Concepts – School Holiday opening days

Please note that the Uniform Concepts store in Joondalup will be closed for the first week of the term break and will re-open for the second week, dates below:

• Closed from Monday, 26 September – Saturday, 1 October (inclusive)
• Re-opens on Monday, 3 October.

Community News