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Berwick Lodge Primary School. Newsletter, October 2011
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PRINCIPAL’S REPORT PARENT &FRIENDS
ASSOCIATION (PFA)
Thank you to those parents who
sent back their PFA registration
forms following last week’s
newsletter. They
can be returned at
any time and do
not obligate you in
any way. With our
PFA elections due
in early December, may I remind you
that it is a condition of election to an
office bearer position and/or voting
at these elections, that you are
registered prior to the annual
elections.
SCHOOL SPECIALISATION
PROGRAM
Our state government has called for
expressions of interest from
Victorian government primary and
secondary schools to apply for
one-off Specialisation Grants worth
$100,000 each. Over the next two
years the Victorian Government will
provide $2.5 million for a total of 25
one-off grants to government
schools to specialise in a field of their
choice; such as languages, maths,
science, robotics, multimedia,
fashion, design or horticulture.
These grants will be very difficult to
obtain – 25 over two years with
potentially 2000 plus government
schools vying for them.
Nevertheless, we will be submitting
an application – drawing on our
extensive radio broadcasting/audio
e-learning/LEEP/multimedia/
international school partnerships
programs under the banner of
“Digital Broadcasting”. As well as
applying for one of these grants, this
enables us to sharpen our focus on
what we are currently doing in the
area of digital learning and move
ahead in an area that is only going to
become more and more important in
the future.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS (FAQ’s)
Q. Will we again be having a qualified
security officer attending
our school disco next
week?
A.Yes – this has proven to
be both popular and
valuable in the past and
we see no reason why we
would not continue with the
practice.
QUOTABLE QUOTE
‘The difference between doing and
achieving is a highwire balancing act
from which the occasional fall is not a
disaster.’
HENRY GROSSEK
NEWSLETTER N0.31 20TH OCTOBER 2011
DIARY DATES Friday 21st October 5/6 Interschool Summer Sport
Tuesday 25th October Gr 6 Family Life Program
Wednesday 26th October Singapore Supper Night 7pm
Friday 28th October Halloween Disco
5/6 Interschool Summer Sport
Saturday 5th November PFA Shopping Tour
Wednesday 23rd November Prep Myuna Farm Excursion
Monday 28th November Prep Polly/Pete’s Day Show
NOTICES DUE BACK BY
Thursday 20th October Shopping Tour
Friday 21st October 5/6 Outdoor Education & Water Safety Program
Thursday 27th October Halloween Disco Thursday 10th November Grade 6 Graduation Bear/Soccer
Friday 18th November Prep Myuna Farm Excursion
Wednesday 30th November Prep Polly/Pete’s Day Show
SCHOOL AWARDS
Congratulations to the following students who received awards over the last week:
Jai PM Chelsea PL
Ashley PC
Phillip PC
Chloe PW
Dylan PL
Cooper PC
Joey PW
Jordy PL
CANTEEN IS CLOSED ON TUESDAYS
Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) 2012
and School Start Bonus (SSB)
Applications for the 2012 Education Maintenance Allowance and School Start Bonus are now available
from the school office.
If you have a child under 16, and hold a valid Health Care Card, Pension Card or be a foster parent you
may be eligible to receive the EMA. Your Health Care / Pension Card must be valid on the 1st February
2012. The 2012 allowance of $235 is split evenly between the parent and the school and is paid in two
instalments, one in March and one in August.
The School Start Bonus is provided to assist low-income families with the costs associated with their child
starting Prep or Year 7. If you hold a valid Health Care Card, Pension Card or be a foster parent, and have
a child starting Prep at Berwick Lodge in 2012 you may be eligible to receive this one-off $300 payment.
Closing Date: Parents/Guardians with Prep children commencing in 2012 need to lodge a School Start
Bonus form before Thursday 15th December 2011.
Education Maintenance Allowance applications must be lodged at Berwick Lodge before 29th February
2012.
Please see the school office for application forms or if you have any queries.
eSMART
Our school has recently registered
to take part in eSmart, a
framework to manage cybersafety
and wellbeing. eSmart will help
teachers, students and the whole
school community embrace the
benefits of technology and reduce
our exposure to cyberspace risks
such as cyber bullying, identity
theft and accessing or sending
inappropriate images or content.
Funded by the Victorian
Government, eSmart is an
initiative of the Alannah and
Madeline Foundation, a national
charity committed to protecting
children from violence.
Our work towards achieving
eSmart status will involve the
whole school community – for
example, we will be integrating
cybersafety into our wellbeing
policies, establishing clear
procedures to deal with incidents,
and delivering curriculum around
the smart, safe and responsible use
of technology.
We are currently establishing an
eSmart committee to be led by
Debbie Cusack and Jodie Norton
(School Council President).
Debbie and Jodie will be attending
their first briefing next week. We
will regularly update you on our
progress through our newsletter.
More information is also available
at www.esmart.org.au
SHOPPER INCENTIVE
PROGRAMS
The Coles Sports for Schools and
Woolworths Earn
and Learn
programs are now
over. We will
continue to
collect tokens and receipts to add
to our tallies up until tomorrow
(Friday 21st October). Thank you
to all families who have again
provided wonderful support to the
school through the collection of
these tokens and receipts. Thanks
also to the PFA for their assistance
with collection and collation. We
look forward to reporting the
results of these programs to our
families.
VACATION CARE
PROGRAM
During Term 3 the YMCA notified
our School Council that as of the
conclusion of the Term 3 holiday
break they would
cease to operate
their vacation care
service at Berwick
Lodge Primary
School. This
decision followed a
review of YMCA
Victoria OSHC programs in the
Casey Region and the intention to
centralise their school holiday
programs. As of the January 2012
school holidays the YMCA will
operate their service for this area
at Berwick Leisure Centre.
Our School Council are keen to
maintain a school holiday service
for our families and other families
in the area on our site. Therefore,
we are liaising with Camp
Australia, our current OSHC
provider to establish a vacation
care program at Berwick Lodge.
We will keep families informed
regarding our progress with these
arrangements. At this stage we
are quite confident that Camp
Australia will take up this
opportunity.
VICTORIA WALKS TO
SCHOOL AND NATIONAL
NUDE FOOD DAY
Yesterday our school celebrated
both the Victoria Walks to School
and National Nude Food Day with
a whole school walk and lunch.
The children paired up with their
buddies to take a walk around the
school environment (a great lead
up to the PFA Walkathon
fundraiser on Tuesday 8th
November 2011). This was
followed by a buddy lunch. The
children enjoyed their walk in the
sunshine and the opportunity to
interact with their buddies.
Congratulations to the following
children who won prizes in our
school’s Victoria Walks to School
Colouring Competition: Samudra
PW, Meg 1C, Chloe 2F, Shenae
3M, Katya 4S, Edward 5T and
Hannah 6N.
STUDENT HEALTH
We have been made aware of a
number of cases of chicken pox in
the junior area of the school. The
exclusion requirements for
chicken pox are that the child be
excluded until fully recovered or
for at least five days after the
eruption of spots
first appear. Other
contacts do not
need to be excluded
unless they suffer an
immune deficiency. We have
included a flyer with this
newsletter with additional
information for families.
LYNNE BRENNER AND
DEBBIE CUSACK
ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS’ REPORT
Enrolments for 2012 are now being accepted! Enrolment forms are available from the school office. Original birth certificates and immunisation certificates need to be sighted by the office at the time of enrolment.
Dear Parents/Guardians,
This year all Grades 3 to 6 children will be participating in the Fantastic Fridays Program in Term 4. This program
will run on Friday afternoons (2:30pm to 3:30pm) starting from Week 3 and will run for approximately 6 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
Lego
Cooking
Art / Craft/Scrapbooking
Woodwork
Sport
Photography
Playing Musical Instruments
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.
1/2 CSIRO VISIT
On Wednesday 19th October, Grade 2Z went to the CSIRO (Commonwealth, Scientific and Industrial Research
Organisation) Incursion in the Afterschool Care Building with Sean. He was really nice. We got sorted into groups
of three. We did three experiments which were: Experiment Number 1 with powder, a balloon and vinegar.
Experiment Number 2 was with a heat pack where you had to crack a metal coin and it would explode in the heat
pack. Experiment Number 3 where we had to put a tablet in two cups (hot and cold) and it would explode.
After that, we had to go. Our favourite bit was the experiment with the heat pack.
Written by Tayla and Georgie
On Wednesday the 19th of October, after recess, Grade 2Z went to the Afterschool Care Building for the CSIRO Incursion.
The person that hosted it was Sean. He taught us about Solids, Liquids and Gases and then placed us into groups of three. We
got given numbers 1-3 and did three experiments. In the first experiment we had a balloon and a bottle. The bottle had
vinegar and the balloon had bi-carb soda in it. When we tipped the bi-carb soda in the vinegar, the balloon blew up.
The second experiment was with a heat pack full of water and a coin like thing that made it hot. We made it hot by clicking
the coin then it felt like sand in the heat pack. Experiment three was a cup of hot and cold water and two tablets. We
dropped one of the tablets in each cup and the hot water dissolved faster.
Our favourite experiment was experiment one.
Written by Lincoln and Zach
On Wednesday 19th October, 2Z went to the Afterschool School Care Building for the CSIRO Incursion. CSIRO stands for
Commonwealth, Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. In the Afterschool Care Building there was a guy called Sean.
Our favourite part was when we got a heat pad and we had to break a coin inside it. When the coin was broken the heat pad
would get very hot and very white.
Written by Alannah and Jacinta
Grade 2Z went to a CSIRO Incursion in the Afterschool Care Building with Sean. We learnt that CSIRO stands for
Commonwealth, Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. Sean told us that a liquid can change into a solid. When we
did the third experiment, there were two cups, one was cold water and one was hot water. We had to drop a tablet in both
and our group predicted the hot water would win and it did!
This was our favourite experiment because it was cool when the tablets were racing.
Written by Xander and Lachlan
On Wednesday 19th October, Grade 2Z went to the Afterschool Care Building for the CSIRO Incursion with
Sean. CSIRO stands for Commonwealth, Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation. It was funny when Sean
spilt the water trying to show us what a liquid looked like! When Sean did an experiment, he had a heat bag with
a metal coin inside it. He cracked the coin and it exploded inside the heat bag!
Written by Brodie and Luke
Phys Ed News
Wow! Week 1 was an amazing week for Berwick Lodge sports teams and
athletes. Firstly we had eight athletes chosen to represent our district at the
Casey North divisional athletics trials. Congratulations must go to all students
who participated, and special recognition goes to Stephanie K (5C) in discus and
Jake M(5T) in long jump who both qualified to represent Casey North at the
Regional athletics trials. Thanks to Maria Mitreski for
her vital help on the day and good luck to Jake and
Steph, the school community is behind you.
Secondly, Berwick Lodge had three teams playing in the Hooptime regional
finals. Tuesday 11th October 2011 the 5/6 girls team play extremely well all day
and advance to the final, where they were beaten by a fired up Malvern team. It
was a great effort from the girls to make it that far after qualifying with a wild
card. A big thank you to Joanne Lotherington and Kim Caldow for all of their
help with the team.
On Thursday 13th October 2011 it was the grade 3/4 All-Star Boys and Girls competing in their regional
finals. The girls battled hard all day despite being massively undersized in most games.
Their determination was a sight to behold. A big thank you to Michelle Sorraghan and
Suzanne Weiland for coaching and scoring the girls’ games.
The boys had a very successful day and ended up going down by 1 point in a tight grand
final. Fortunately, they were deservedly awarded the wild card to progress through to
the state finals, held on Monday 28th November 2011 at Dandenong. Good Luck boys!
Thank you to Kayla Foster for doing a great job coaching the boys and to Shaun Connel
and Andrea Hellyer for their assistance on the day.
School Name OSHC Coordinator: Dorien Erasmus
Welcome to all the new faces – hope you already feel part of the BLOSHC family! We are looking forward to the warmer weather for outside play and lots of fun activities to keep our creative little minds busy.
Parents, please remember to CANCEL your child if you know he/she will not be attending ASC. Save on Care
You can save 50% or more on Before and After School Care fees with the non-means tested Child Care Rebate. Almost all families are eligible. And remember – permanent bookings are cheaper than casual bookings. To find out more call Customer Service Team on 1300 105 343 Monday to Friday.
Visit our website to register www.campaustralia.com.au. Once registered you can make bookings and cancellations, view your statements and manage your details anytime of the day online.
Before school care: 6:45am – 8:45am After school care: 3.30pm – 6.30pm
Star of the week: Aishlene 5H: For being a super helper. Thank you, Aishlene!
WHAT’S ON THIS WEEK Islands
AFTER
SCHOOL CARE
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY
Hawaii Puerto Rico Bali Fiji Madagascar
Parents & Friends Association NEXT MEETING: Thursday 3rd November 2011 at 1.30pm in Room 16.
Everyone is welcome, including toddlers.
2ND HAND UNIFORM SHOP: Our next 2nd hand uniform shop will be open in the school
canteen on Tuesday 25th October 2011 from 2.30pm until 3.15pm.
PFA CAFÉ: Is open on Thursday afternoon’s from 2.45pm in Room 16, next to
the grade two portables. As the weather gets warmer we will be providing cold
drinks, for a gold coin donation. So don’t wait outside your child’s classroom in the
heat, come in and grab a cool drink. We will still have tea & coffee available so
make sure you drop in for a chat.
SHOP TILL YOU DROP!
SHOPPING TOUR - Saturday 5th November 2011
Christmas is only 2 months away!! This is the perfect opportunity to start, continue or finish
this important shopping. We will be visiting a toy warehouse, manchester,
homewares, adultand children’s clothing, sports clothing and foot wear.
There will be a variety of presents available for everyone on your Christmas list.
Morning tea and a 2 course lunch will be provided.
Payment and forms are due back by Thursday 20th October 2011.
UPCOMING EVENTS
HALLOWEEN DISCO - Friday 28th October 2011: This Term we will be having a
Halloween Themed Disco in the Gym. Prizes will be awarded for the scariest
costume. Games will be played and lots of spooky fun to be enjoyed. Payment and
forms are due back on Thursday 27th October 2011. If parents can offer any
assistance on the night, it would be greatly appreciated.
Walk-A-Thon - Tuesday 8th November 2011: Get your walking shoes ready everyone!! We
are having our annual Walk-A-Thon on Tuesday 8th November 2011. There will be two separate
courses for the junior and the senior classes. Prizes will be awarded for the best fund raising
class and individuals. Notices will be sent home next week. Money raised will go directly to the
school.
SUPERMARKET VOUCHERS: A huge thank you for everyone’s efforts in collecting the
Coles and Safeway vouchers. There is only a short time left to return your dockets to school.
This was a great opportunity for our school to obtain much needed sports equipment and
classroom resources. Please have all your vouchers returned to school by Friday 21st October
2011.
COMMUNITY NEWS
Yarra Valley Railway’s
Halloween Ghost Train
Friday 28th & Saturday 29th October 2011
Take the Ghost Train if you Dare
Ghost Train Rides $25 or $22 conc./child Fri - 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm
Sat - 7pm, 8pm, 9pm, 10pm, 11pm.
Children U12 at parent’s discretion. Not recommended for U5 yo
BBQ, Snacks, & hot & cold drinks available.
See us on Facebook YVR Ghost Train
For Bookings email : [email protected] Or Contact Dan O’Connor 0417 554 573
St Andrew’s Uniting Church
105 High St, Berwick, 3806 (Enter off the Service Road)
Pre-loved
BOOK SALE
Saturday 12th November 2011
8:30am - 1:30pm
BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS Lots of categories of pre-loved books
Andy’s Café OPEN