Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
TELEPHONE Office (08) 89274022 Preschool (08) 89272894 OSHC (08) 89455321 Fax (08) 89272566
Volume 33 Number 01 27 January 2016
E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://web.ntschools.net/w/leanyerprimary
Diary Dates February ✏ Tues 2
Yrs 5/6 Parent Morning Tea 8:10 - 9am(Staffroom)
✏ Wed 3
Yrs 3/4 Parent Morning Tea 8:10 - 9am(Staffroom) ✏Wed 3
Joffa ✏Mon 8 to Fri 11 &
Mon15 to Fri 18 Yrs 5/6 Swimming Program ✏Tues 9
Yrs 1/2 Parent Morning Tea 8:10 - 9am(Staffroom) ✏ Wed10
Pre/Tran Parent Morning Tea 8:10 - 9am(Staffroom) ✏Mon 15 - Fri 19
Darwin Dental at Leanyer School (appointment only) ✏Wed 24
School Board Meeting March ✏Wed 30
Open Classrooms 1-30pm to 2.30pm ✏Friday 25
Good Friday ✏Mon 28
Easter Monday April ✏Friday 1
Last day of Term 1
Start of the School Year at Leanyer Welcome back to the 2016 school year! Children, teachers and parents have started the school year smoothly with children telling us they are very happy to be back at school, teachers who have been in and out of school for the past couple of weeks and who are happy to be back and lots of very happy parents on Monday morning!! Walking around classes, children have settled into their routines and are becoming familiar with new expectations, teachers and friends. It is common for children to take time to make these adjustments, as it does for adults after a long break in routines. A special thankyou to office staff and teachers for ensuring that children and families had a positive start to the new school year and to parents for having children ready for learning. Staffing Update With Marylou O’Gallagher’s unexpected resignation during the holidays, a new teacher has been employed for the year 4 class. Kristy De Kock comes to Leanyer from working in short term contracts in local Darwin schools and several years in international schools. We were very lucky to add a great teacher to our staff team at such late notice as I know several Darwin schools are still looking for staff. Welcome Kristy. Kristy joins new and returning staff: Claire Rowat (Year 6), Darren Beattie (Year 5), John Knight (Year 5), Ranae Graham (Year 4) and Ming Quay (Music). I was also informed of maintenance officer Michael Guest’s resignation after taking leave in 2015. This allows the continued employment of Mike O’Connor who did an amazing job keeping our school looking fantastic last year. Alisha Prosser, multi-talented teacher and public relations expert has been employed by the school, using IPS funds, to manage project work. You may have seen Alisha’s great work in the recent Darwin Life magazine where Leanyer had a one page feature. We wish all our new and returning staff all the best for a wonderful professional experience working with the Leanyer School community. Friday Fortnightly Assemblies We love to have parents come to our fortnightly assemblies, held on Friday morning at 8.15am every even week (i.e. weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10) of term. Assemblies last for approximately 40 – 50 minutes and are led by students, featuring things that are happening at our school. Assembly is important in building our school’s culture – it is the only time we all come together to talk about what is important to us so come along and share what happens at assembly with your children. See the diary dates on the front of each newsletter for assembly dates.
Language Other Than English (LOTE) in 2016 Last year Leanyer School Council funded the employment of the Indonesian LOTE teacher as this program was
deemed too important for our children’s learning to discontinue. This level of funding is not sustainable in 2016 and
we have had to seek alternatives to provide a quality LOTE program. Our partnership with the Confucius Institute has
strengthened with our Chinese sister school partnership and our important and developing relationship with CDU. As
a result the Confucius Institute has been able to offer Leanyer one full day of Chinese language teaching to start the
school year with a view to increasing this as the year unfolds. All Year 3 and 4 students will access a weekly Chinese
LOTE lesson, taught by a qualified teacher, Mr Ping Zhang. There is no cost to the school for tuition however the
school is providing the class materials. Teachers at this level will be integrating the LOTE learning into their
programs. This is an exciting development and we are hopeful of being able to offer this to other classes later in the
year.
Parent Morning Teas – All Welcome We would love you to join us at a year level morning tea over the next few weeks to speak with the principal team and a member of School Board and to meet up with other parents. This is a great opportunity for new parents to meet with others, to start to get to know the Leanyer community and to make contact with the principal team, school board members and the Defence Transition Coordinator. Morning teas will be held at 8.10 – 9am in the staff room – come to the front office for directions or enter from the gate near the canteen. Preschool aged children welcome! See elsewhere in this newsletter for dates. School Crossing and Parking Keeping children safe is a really important issue at our school. School Board funds a school crossing supervisor on Leanyer Drive to manage before and after school traffic and to ensure the safety of students who walk to school. Hamna does a great job as crossing supervisor, sometimes taking her life into her own hands! Drivers, please ensure you slow down as you move through the crossing and look out for children crossing. The Kiss & Go areas at the front and back of the school are for dropping off and picking up only and are not parking areas. Cars should not be stationary in these areas for longer than 2 mins. Staff on duty will ask cars to continually move forward to ensure all parking spaces are used. Please do not ask your child to cross through traffic to enter double parked cars and understand that this request will be refused by supervising staff. Illegal parking in this area causes extremely dangerous situations for our students. The car park on Leanyer Drive is a Staff and Deliveries Only car park and the sign at its entrance clearly states this. Parents parking in this area create an extremely unsafe situation with a mix of cars and children trying to get through, therefore the gates are locked before and after school. If this creates a difficult circumstance for any parent, especially those with mobility issues, please see me to discuss the special consideration you require. As often said, everyone in the school community (parents, the school and students) share a responsibility to keep our students safe. We need a commitment from everyone to support the school to achieve this. School Board AGM – 6.30pm Wednesday Feb 24 in the Staff room. All parents are welcome to attend the 2016 AGM. Under our current constitution Leanyer has positions for 4 parent representatives on the School Board and this year, as we move to a new structure, the school has requested the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) to manage parent elections to these four positions. Using AEC processes, nominations will open next week - please see next week’s newsletter for more information. Any parents interested in nominating for School Board are urged to speak with me or a current Board member (Neale Cooper, Karen Urquhart, Donna McRae) about the role that is possible to have in setting the school’s direction. Best wishes to all families for a wonderful year of learning and belonging to Leanyer School. Anne Tonkin Principal [email protected]
From the NEW Acting Assistant Principal
Hello! I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Ghiran Byrne and I’ve just been appointed the new acting Assistant Principal at Leanyer P.S. Like many of you who are starting either a new year, a new school or even your first day of Transition and Preschool, there are many feelings and thoughts probably buzzing around inside of you. I know they are for me ☺ As Dr Seuss says “You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose”. You are in the driver’s seat, so take charge and enjoy the start of the year. Be curious and come and find out about me (and you)
1. How long have I lived in Darwin? 2. What were my favourite subjects when I was at school 3. My greatest achievement and challenge
4. What I love most about being a teacher
Defence School Transition Aide (DSTA)
I would like to welcome all new and existing Defence families to Darwin and a new school year. As I walk around the school I see many happy smiling faces ready to tackle the new school year head on. If your child has some difficulties settling in to their new school environment please don’t hestitate to contact me and I will assist in any way I can to make the transition as smooth as possible. Just a friendly reminder about the up and coming morning teas to be held in the staffroom on the following days: 2nd Feb year 5-6, 3rd Feb year 3-4, 9th Feb year 1-2 and 10th Feb year Pre School/Transition. Kind Regards Greg Grace Leanyer Primary School Tues 8.00am-2.30pm Wed 8.00am-11.30am P: 8927 4022 E: [email protected]
Darwin Dental Clinic
For any dental needs for your children please call the
Darwin Dental Clinic on 89226466.
Canteen Specials
Thursday 4 February Macaroni Cheese
$4
Thursday 11 February Hot Dog with sauce
$4
Thursday 18 February Chicken Nuggets, roll & fruit drink
$5
Thursday 25 February Fried Rice
$4
School Banking School banking is every Thursday morning. If your child has a Commonwealth Youth Saver bank account they may bring their completed deposit books to the Office.
PARENT WELCOME MORNING TEAS
Where: The Staffroom
Time: 8:10am - 9am
Tuesday 2nd February Years 5/6 Wednesday 3rd February Years 3/4 Tuesday 9th February Years 1/2 Wednesday 10th February Pre School & Transition We look forward to your company!
Newsletter
If you would like an electronic copy of the weekly newsletter, please
send your updated email address to:
Thank you
The on-site dental examination services at Leanyer Primary School will be available from Monday 15th to Friday 19th February for dental examinations only.
To arrange an appointment please call Oral Health Services on 8922 6466.
Following the examination additional appointments for dental treatment may be required. These can be arranged at a conveniently located NT Government dental clinic equipped to provide comprehensive dental treatment services.
All children attending dental appointments will be required to be accompanied by a parent or carer. Being present during your child's appointment helps you to understand what treatment is required and how to keep your child's mouth and teeth healthy.
A reminder parents can always access Oral Health Services appointments for their children at conveniently located NT Government dental clinic by calling 8922 6466.
For further information visit the Oral Health Services website: www.health.nt.gov.au/oral_health
FOR STUDENTS WHO GO TO CATHOLIC R.E. LESSONS Preparation for the Sacraments at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Casuarina, will commence on 7 February 2016 (Reconciliation). Confirmation will be prepared in second term and First Holy Communion in third term. Enrolment forms may be picked up from the front foyer of the church. Contact Father Joseph on [email protected]
