DIARY DATES

Friday 27th May Interschool Winter Sport (away

Berwick PS)

Preps - Basil Safety House

Friday 3rd June Interschool Winter Sport (home

Beaconhills College)

Monday 6th-Wednesday 8th June 5/6 Camp1 (5T, 5C, 6K,

6N)

Wednesday 8th-Friday 10th June 5/6 Camp 2 (5H, 5W, 6P, 6N)

NEWSLETTER N0.15 26TH MAY 2011

NOTICES DUE BACK BY Friday 27th May 5/6 Camp Coolamatong Final

Payment

Monday 30th May Social Club Books

Friday 3rd June Prep, Grade 1&2 Swimming

Program

BERWICK LODGE PRIMARY SCHOOL Phone: 9707 1766 Fax: 9796 2198

E-mail: berwick.lodge.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

Visit our Websites : http:// www.berwicklodgeps.vic.edu.au,

Camp Australia/Out of School Hours Care: 9769 8251

CANTEEN IS NOT OPEN ON TUESDAYS

ISSUES WITH LOCAL

TEENAGERS In recent weeks we have had some

problems with a small group of local teenagers. They began by meeting after school hours and on weekends at the

back of our school near the Cyprus trees and setting up a small campfire

type of arrangement. Unfortunately things didn‟t end there and the

situation has progressed to the point where we have been in regular contact

with the local police who have now spoken with these teenagers on a

number of occasions and last weekend evicted several of them from our

premises. At the time they had been skylarking on the gymnasium roof.

We have also spoken with them a number of times, advising them not to

loiter in the vicinity of our school grounds, especially during school hours.

At times they have been reasonable while at other times some of them

have been loud and abusive. I

understand that parents have

been intimidated by some of them

on several occasions as they hang around our

precinct. This is quite unacceptable. The local police have the names and

addresses of some of these children and I visited the Narre Warren

Police Complex this week to air my

concerns personally to them. I have

been assured that our local police are taking the matter seriously. My advice

to parents who are having problems with these teenagers is to ring - 000 -

immediately and reinforce the message that we have had enough and are

seeking some urgent action on their part.

I do advise you also not to get yourself into an argument with any of

them as that will not solve anything, but possibly make matters worse. To

the best of my knowledge these teenagers have not physically harmed

anyone nor threatened to do so as yet. However, their presence and general behaviour is worrying.

People do ask me to take action and I appreciate this. However, there are

limitations to what I can do, especially since much of what concerns us is

happening out of school hours and near our school grounds. We have

been in touch with the family of one of the boys, have spoken with those

concerned and referred the matter on to our police. Maybe some of you

have contact with the families of some of these children and can offer some

wise counsel as friends of the family or make contact with our police

whenever you come across their poor behaviour. Reporting them to us is welcome also – we will report them to

the police, but I think it will help if members of our local community do

likewise.

In bringing this matter to your

attention, I don‟t wish to alarm you or overstate the problem. These children

are more of a nuisance at the moment than anything else. Nipping the matter

in the bud with your help and the support of our local police is my

current aim.

USEFUL INFORMATION FOR

PARENTS The Department of Education & Early

Childhood development (DEECD) has valuable information for parents, for

example, “Helping your child to

count”, and “Parent Control –

how much is too much?”

There are regular email newsletters for

which parents can subscribe or access online at:

http://www.education.vic.gov.au?aboutschool/participation/

parentupdate/editions.htm From time to time I will publish

articles with my report as I understand not everyone has ready access to the

internet.

Continued…..

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ’s) Q. What should I say or do if I am confronted by an abusive child? A.This follows on from the above. The short answer is what not to do – that is to lose your cool and say or do

something that inflames the situation or puts you in an awkward situation. Don‟t grab or threaten the child or children in question. Unfair as that may seem to you at the time, and sometimes you may feel very justified in giving the child a

tongue-lashing or even more, you simply make things difficult for yourself if you do so. Reason with them as best you can at the time and report the matter to us if they are students at our school. We will support you in the matter. If the

problem arises well after school hours, then still report the matter to us at a later date and you might consider reporting it to the police and their parents if you know them and feel confident enough to do so.

QUOTABLE QUOTE

„The burden of parenting rests lighter on the minds of those who never forget that they were once children themselves.‟

HENRY GROSSEK

STUDENT HEALTH

We have been made aware that

there has been a case of the

infection „Slapped Cheek‟ in the

Prep area. This is a mild illness

that occurs mainly in younger

children and can be

characterised by a

bright red flush on the

face and a rash on the

body.

As the infection is

most contagious prior

to the onset of the

rash it is not necessary for

children with the rash to be

excluded from school, unless they

are feeling uncomfortable or

unwell.

The most effective means of

minimising the spread of infection

is to practice high standards of

hygiene. Groups at higher risk

than the general community are

pregnant women and people who

have immunity suppressing

illnesses.

An information sheet from the

Victorian Government Health

Information website has been

included in the newsletter for your

information.

The class teachers will reinforce

positive hygiene practices with the

children to minimise risks of

infection.

PYJAMA DAY

Congratulations to our Year Six

students, Michaela, Jemma and

Chloe H who organised our

Pyjama Day fundraiser this week.

The girls were inspired to run this

event following the recent Casey

Student Leaders‟ Reception where

the guest speaker, a current Year

12 student, explained how she had

made a difference through her

participation in a project involving

the creation of a new playground

at her Primary School. The girls

came up with the idea of

fundraising to help purchase new

basketball rings following recent

vandalism which destroyed our

current rings. They submitted a

proposal for their idea to the

Principal Class and undertook all

the arrangements

from the

advertising and

promoting through

to the collection

and counting of the

money. Through

their efforts they

raised $681.90.

The girls are to be

congratulated on their initiative

and the fabulous job they did. Well

done!

PREP ENROLMENTS FOR

2012

Thank you to our families with

Prep students for 2012 who have

contacted the office for enrolment

forms. At this stage our Prep

enrolment numbers are growing

daily. For our planning purposes it

is beneficial for us to know our

projected prep enrolment well in

advance. We also need to be

aware of students with special

needs who may require

submissions for extra support at

school. Families with queries

regarding this

matter are

encouraged to

make contact

with us to

discuss the

options

available to provide support.

For your information we are

sending the program for our „Step

into Prep‟ evening home with this

newsletter. If you would like to

attend this evening, please contact

the office to register your interest.

LYNNE BRENNER & DEBBIE CUSACK

ASS I STANT PR INCIPALS ’ REPORT

HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR ADDRESS OR PHONE NUMBER?

Please ensure you let the school office know if you have changed address or updated mobile phones with new numbers.

This information alleviates stressful situations on students when they are ill and we cannot contact parents

EMA 1st INSTALLMENT ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR COLLECTION FROM THE

SCHOOL OFFICE BETWEEN 8:30AM - 4:00PM

SCHOOL AWARDS Congratulations to the following students who received awards over the last week:

Anakin PW Ajay PM

Malindu PL

Chloe PL

Erin PW

Ashley PC

Connor PM

Jayda PC

WHAT IS GETTING ALONG?

Each Types of Thinking That Develop Getting Along Provide the young person with many learning opportunities for understanding the idea that all people are

complex and made up of many characteristics - some good, some not so good, some that you share,

some that you do not share.

Discuss with the young person the idea that, while it is quite normal to dislike aspects of another person‟s qualities, culture,

or behaviour, it is wrong to think badly of them. Being tolerant means accepting all people with their differences rather than

judging them by their differences.

Encourage the young person, when he/she encounters some quality in a person he/she does not like, to learn more about the person. Discuss how the young person is likely to find

something good about the person.

Spend time discussing with the young person the idea that it does not make sense to evaluate the overall worth or value of

another person based on those aspects of their behaviour or differences that the young person dislikes. To do this, you can use a “fruit Bowl” analogy. Ask the young person to imagine a bowl of fruit - apples,

oranges, peaches, pears, mangoes - some of which are perfectly ripe and some that either too green or overly ripe. Suppose this fruit was placed in a bowl but you did not know what was in the bowl, nor

could you see inside. Suppose you were asked to pick out a piece of fruit, and you picked out a beautiful, ripe peach. If someone then asked you to rate the overall quality of the bowl of fruit based on the peach,

what would you say (e.g. “Great bowl of fruit”)? Suppose you picked out another piece of fruit and it was an over-ripe banana. If you were then asked, “How would you now rate the overall

value of the bowl of fruit?” what would you say (e.g. “Mixed value.”)? The point to make is that just as it doesn't sense to rate the overall value of the bowl of fruit as

totally good or bad on individual pieces of fruit, so, too, does it not make sense to ever evaluate the overall value of a person based on their behaviour (good or bad) or their differences.

Dear Parents/Guardians,

This year all Grades 3 to 6 children will be participating in the Fantastic Fridays Program in Term 2. This program

will run on Friday afternoons (2:30pm to 3:30pm) starting from Week 2 and will run for approximately 8 weeks. It

is an elective program where students will be mixed with their peers to learn a variety of different subjects outside

the normal curriculum areas of Literacy and Numeracy. The elective programs on offer are:

Gymnastics

J-Rock

Lego

Cooking

Art / Craft Construction

Billycarts

County Fair

Fashion / Jewellery Making

Science and Technology

We have a number of teachers allocated to the various programs but are asking our school community for some

support. If you have any expertise in any of the following areas and would like to participate in the

program we would greatly appreciate your time and experience. These activities

require different materials and resources and we would greatly appreciate any

donations to support our Fantastic Fridays Program. These could include-

construction materials such as wood, screws, wheels, art supplies, foam cups etc.

Please see Traceye Rapinett for information or details about the program.

Pyjama Day

On Tuesday 24th May 2011 Berwick

Lodge Primary School had a pyjama

day and it was a very successful day.

We raised a total of $681.90 which

was fantastic.

The cost of the

Netball rings are

less than what we

raised, so we have

decided with the

remainder of the

money we will put

towards our

World Vision

Sponsors.

Congratulations to PL who

raised the most money, 1J

came second and 3D was third.

Thank you for everyone that

participated in wearing their pyjamas

on the day.

Michaela 6N, Chloe 6N and

Jemma 6N

Sport News

Congratulations to the following students who have qualified for the Casey

North Division cross country trials:

10 year old girls: Monique 4L

11 year old boys: Matthew V 5H, Tom N 6N

11 year old girls: Lilli A 5H, Jemma I 5C

12/13 year old boys: Marko S 6K, Kyle N 6P

These students had to finish in the top ten of their district trials that were

held on Monday 23rd May 2011.

What has been a busy term gets even busier with upcoming visits by „Life.

Be In It‟ and the „Jump Rope for Heart‟ fundraiser taking part in June. The

Preps are busy practising their jumping skills. Stay tuned for more details.

Finally, I‟d like to congratulate, Jemma, Chloe and Michaela from 6N for

their wonderful efforts in raising money through pyjama day. This has paid

for new netball rings to replace the ones

that were damaged through vandalism.

Great initiative girls!

Nick Pryor

P.E. Cordinator

Parents & Friends Association

NEXT MEETING: Thursday 2nd June 2011 at 1.30pm in Room 16.

Everyone is welcome, including toddlers. The PFA welcomes anyone wanting to join the fun and help make

a difference our school.

2ND HAND UNIFORM SHOP: Our next 2nd hand uniform shop will be open in the school canteen on

Tuesday 28th June 2011 from 2.30pm until 3.15pm. There will be a table with $1.00 items, so get in

quick!! We would like to thank all those families who have donated uniforms as they have assisted other

families in our community.

Current events

This week we asked for all chocolates to be returned. Thank you for all who sold the

chocolates. Anyone who sold a full box will still get a prize.

We are looking for help with our fundraising. Do you own or work for a company that would be willing to

donate a product or gift voucher for our Clover Cottage Evening, or prizes for our Walk-a-thon which is

later in the year. For your time and effort we are able to promote your business in our Newsletter. Any

products or services would be greatly appreciated. If you would like more information please email us on

blps.pfa@hotmail.com or leave your details at the office and I will happily call you to discuss it further.

Upcoming Events

This week we sent out a form for Family Portraits. Please try and get these forms back

as soon as possible. There are samples of the photos that will be taken in Room 16. The

sitting fee is $15 and you get a framed 10” x 13” family portrait. Also if you have family

or friends outside of the school community who would like to have their portraits

done, we can accommodate them, as long as both families have their photos taken on

the same day. BOTH of you will receive an additional 8” x 10” for your enjoyment as

long as a photography package is purchased.

Photos will be taken on Saturday 18th June 2011 and Sunday 19th June 2011.

News

Remember every Thursday afternoon, the PFA will be offering tea, coffee or hot

milo in Room 16, from 2.45pm. You can either drink in the room with us, or take

it away, all for a gold coin donation. So if you arrive to school early to get a car

park and want to keep warm, we invite you to come along to our PFA Cafe and

have a drink. There are papers to read and toys for the younger kids to play with.

Everyone is WELCOME. Currently we are open on Thursday afternoons only, however we

welcome feedback as to whether other days would be appreciated as well.

We have been given Avon catalogues and other small business catalogues for everyone's enjoyment. If you

would like to leave something in Room 16 for everyone to look at, please come and talk to us.

WE are always looking for ideas and help, so if you want to comment but are unable to contact us, you can

email the PFA on blps.pfa@hotmail.com or via the school office.

The PFA would like to thank you for your continued support.

Advertisements published by the school are accepted in good faith and should not be regarded as an endorsement of any product or service.

Parents and members of the school community are advised to investigate any service or product to determine its suitability to meet their family's needs prior to accessing it.

NARRE WARREN-BERWICK

BLUE LIGHT DISCO

BERWICK LEISURE CENTRE,

MANUKA ROAD, BERWICK

SATURDAY 4th June 2011

For Students in years 4,

5, 6, 7, & 8 only

Times 6:00pm to 10:00pm

COST: $10.00

Any enquires to Narre Warren

Police Station 9705 3111

COMMUNITY NEWS

BLOSHC NEWS

TAKE HOME A BIG BROTHER OR BIG

SISTER

Give your children the wonderful opportunity

to have an international big brother or big sister

by hosting one of our exceptional international

students arriving in Australia in July for their 5

or 10 month programs. Our interna-

tional students from France, Ger-

many, Italy, Holland, Spain, Japan and

the Scandinavian countries will live as

a local, attend a local secondary

school, arrive with their own spend-

ing money and comprehensive insurance cover

– all arranged by Southern Cross Cultural Ex-

change. Visit us at www.scce.com.au, email

scceaust@scce.com.au or call us toll free on

1800 500 501, request our little booklets of

international student profiles, and capture the

spirit of family and friendship!

We look forward to having fun at

Camp Australia next week, when we

take a cruise on a pirate ship. Ahoy!

This Week:

M: Pirate Hat

T: Pirate Ship

W: Pirate Castle

T: Pirate Jewellery

F: Treasure Hunt

Star of the Week: Subhashini 4DR: For being a great

helper in the Arts and Crafts area.

A friendly reminder that Curriculum

Day is Tuesday 14th June 2011 and

we have an Expression of Interest

Form, so fill one in if you think you‟ll

need care for this day. The session

would run form 6:45am - 6:30pm.

However, we need minimum of 20

children to run a program on the

day. These forms need to be filled

out no later than Friday 3rd June

2011.

New Enrolments/Bookings

& Cancellations: All new enrolments/Bookings &

Cancellations are completed online

at www.campaustralia.com.au

OSHC Hours: Before School Care

6:45am - 8:45am

After School Care

3:30pm - 6:30pm

Our direct line is 9769 8251 or you

can call the Camp Australia Admin

on 1300 105 343

Thank you

Dorien and the OSHC

Team