26th June 2014

Principal’s Desk

End of Term 2 Hard to believe but tomorrow is the last day of Term 2. We’re already half way through the school year. There will be an assembly at 2:10pm and dismissal will be at 2:30pm. I hope everyone has a great holiday and I look forward to seeing you all back for a very exciting and productive 3rd term. Local News!! Make sure you check out the front page of the latest copy of the Chelsea Mordialloc Leader Newspaper. The school won the $1000 Leader Local Grant! The 4 girls pictured actually filmed a video that was part of the submission. A big thank you to the parents who put together the submission as I know it was an enormous amount of work and, of course, to all the parents and school community who voted for our submission. A fantastic result! This grant plus the money raised at the Bunnings Barbeque will enable us to build not just a coop but a chicken palace. Reports A gentle reminder to dig into your child’s bag today to get their mid-year report. Make sure you also find the Parent-Teacher Interview notice and have it ready to return 1st thing next term. Help!! Our Lost Property box is overflowing and ready to spill over across the room. There must be a lot of students walking around without jumpers, jackets or trackie pants. Either that or there are a lot of parents buying replacement garments. Please take the time tomorrow to check to see if any of it belongs to your child. Early Arrivals I find it ironic that I wrote an article for the last Jumbunna about the problems associated with frequently coming late to school and I am now writing about the problems associated with coming too early to school. School hours are 8:45am to 3:45pm. Teachers are not officially on duty until 8:45am. Some students are regularly coming to school before 8:30am and are unsupervised in the yard. This is putting them at risk. If it is necessary, for any reason, to drop your child off at school early, there is the opportunity to place them in the Before School Care Program which opens at 7am each school day morning. Ken Jones Principal

How to talk more with your kids The links between school achievement and parents’ ability and propensity to talk with kids from a young age is indisputable. If you were to focus on one thing to give your child an advantage then do what should come naturally – talk with them. The language stimulation they receive when they talk with parents is one factor. The language of first borns is generally more extensive and richer than their siblings who spend less time in one-on-one situations with a parent. But engagement in conversation with parents benefits kids in a far broader sense. It is trite to say that kids learn a great deal from their parents but, in fact they do when we talk with them. In many ways it is through conversations that kids get a real sense of us and who we are. It is by talking with kids that we impart some of our knowledge, ideas, wisdom and thoughts as well as how we get a window into their worlds and how they think. Getting conversations going with kids can be a massive challenge. Busy schedules, homes designed for individual enjoyment rather than group living, and kids that clam up are some of the blockers to conversation that parents meet. So you may need to be a little cunning, a little proactive and a little inventive to get some chat going at home. Here are five ideas to help you get more conversation going in your family: 1. Turn off the TV (and other screens). Most homes have a range of electronic screens that you compete with to get their attention. Don’t be afraid to take control of those screens and create a little conversational space. Start with a screen-free day each week or screen-free hour each day if you are a home full of screen junkies. 2. Turn on the TV (and other screens). If you can’t beat them, join them. Some television programs provide great conversational fodder particularly for older children and teens. This can range from “who’s going to win Australian Idol?”, “what happens to the winners of Australian Idol?” to “what is the point of Australian Idol?” 3. Have more mealtimes (with the TV off). The family that eats together talks together…or they should. I have a theory that families with a strong food culture (i.e. they love food and value the whole eating experience) have strong bonds. So make mealtimes special and insist that kids sit until everyone finishes rather than they eat all their peas. Avoid turning mealtimes into food fights that you can’t win. 4. Move more. If sitting and chatting is not your child’s thing then try getting them up and moving. Boys will often talk when they walk or play so consider getting some action happening. When their hands are busy the tongues will often loosen up. 5. Try shoulder-to-shoulder parenting. Sitting together in a car, washing dishes and playing a game can provide opportunities for talk. Take the eye contact out of the equation and you may find the talk just flows with some kids. Every family has their own way of getting the talk happening. Figure out what works for you and make sure it happens. It seems to me that the best communication in families happens when no one is working at it BUT in busy modern families you do need to work at communication. That is the way of it. You have to work hard at family.

Education Sub-Committee

Meeting

There will be an Education

Sub-Committee meeting on

Tuesday 29th

July at 5:30pm.

If you are interested in

attending or want further

information please contact me

at the school.

Clem Langford

Assistant Principal

Fri 27/6 Winter Sports Yr 5 & 6 Bonbeach v Chelsea 9:30am Junior Grades Teddy Bear’s Picnic Assembly 2pm - Mr Jones Last day of term - students dismissed at 2:30pm

Term 3

Mon 14/7 Term 3 begins 9am Tue 15/7 JB & JT Thailand Cultural excursion Wed 16/7 JJ & JS Thailand Cultural excursion Tue 22/7 Junior School Parent Teacher Interviews 2:30pm-7pm Wed 23/7 Senior School Parent Teacher Conferences 2:30pm-7pm Thur 24/7 Middle School Parent Teacher Interviews 2:30pm-7pm Tue 29/7 Yr 3-6 ICAS English Competition Education Sub-committee meeting 5:30pm School Council meeting 6pm Mon 4/8 Book Fair Week begins Fri 8/8 Book Fair Week concludes Tue 12/8 Yr 3-6 ICAS Mathematics Competition Wed 20/8 Junior House Athletics Fri 22/8 Senior House Athletics Sun 31/8 Preschool - Bunnings Keysborough BBQ Fri 5/9 District Athletics Tue 16/9 Yr 5 & 6 Forest Lodge Camp depart Fri 19/9 Yr 5 & 6 Forest Lodge Camp return Last day of term - students dismissed at 2:30pm

Term 4

Mon 6/10 Term 4 begins 9am Sat 18/10 Preschool Working Bee Tue 4/11 Melbourne Cup holiday Tue 18/11 Preschool 2015 Parent Information Night Wed 3/12 Preschool Meeting 7pm Wed 10/12 Yr 4 Camp Manyung depart Fri 12/12 Yr 4 Camp Manyung return Tue 16/12 Yr 6 Graduation 6pm Fri 19/12 Last day of term - students dismissed at 1:30pm

PLEASE NOTE: The Uniform

Shop is now open on the

1st and 3rd Tuesday of each

month from 8:50am - 9:15am.

Prepaid completed orders forms can

be left at the office to be filled.

Orders will then be available for

collection Tuesday afternoons from

the office.

Thank-you

Bonnie, Misako &

Katarina

Parents and Friends meeting

The P & F will meet Tuesday 22

nd July

at 9:15am in the Indonesian room.

All Welcome!

Reminder that the Canteen is open on FRIDAY’S ONLY for over the counter sales of snacks and lunch orders.

Fri 27/6 CLOSED Thank you Canteen Committee

Once a week, take a peek!

Families please check your child’s hair for Head Lice each Sunday before they return to school. Please treat immediately if an infestation is found. The incidence of head lice would reduce significantly if this quick check was undertaken weekly.

Congratulations to the following children who will receive Student of the Week awards at this week’s assembly.

JA Jack Croton JB Baily Van Leeuwen JJ Frankie Mayer JS Dylan Brimelow

ME Tyler Fox MK Harrison Noble MMB Ruth Littler

Senior School: Elaina Li, Charlotte McPherson, Kyril Blumin

STUDENT SCHOOL BANKING

Please bring your student bank books to the school office on THURSDAY mornings.

Thank you Jan

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