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Kensington Primary School Newsletter Kensington Primary School Newsletter
7th May 2015 McCracken Street Kensington Vic 3031
Phone: (03) 9376 6013 Fax (03) 9376 4574 www.kensingtonps.vic.edu.au E-mail: [email protected]
Care Program: (03) 9376 9848
Principal: Mark Ryan Assistant Principal: Julie Stephens
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
Upcoming Events Contents Upcoming Events 1 Principal’s Report 1- 3 Wellbeing at KPS 4 Funrai$ing 9
Care Program News 6 Art News 7
Community News 10
Marvellous Music
A few weeks ago Brooke sent around a message for teachers who wanted a ukelele for their grade. The response was
overwhelming, so now most grades have their own instrument. Brooke has been running lessons on the ukelele for a
number of months with the older children. It has been a delight hearing the massed groups play and sing along.
Sometimes at lunch times the children will borrow a ukelele to play. They play melodically and have a lovely time.
DATE TIME EVENT May Thur 7
th 5pm Education Meeting
Frid 8th
11.30 – 4pm
Grade 5/6 Interschool Sports – Ascot Vale PS Away Parent’s Day Stall
Tues 12th
NAPLAN – Writing
Wed 13th
NAPLAN – Reading
Thur 14th
NAPLAN - Numeracy
Sat 16th
School Working Bee
Mon 18th
7pm School Council
Tues 19th
9am Education Week - Open Day 9.15am & 7pm Tours
Wed 20th
8am Boroondara Eisteddfod
Thur 21st
9am Soccer Carnival
Frid 22nd
Yr 6/7 Transition Forms to be returned – final date
Sun 24th
2pm Boroondara Eisteddfod Final
Mon 25th
6pm Communications Committee
Tues 26th
5pm Funrai$ing Committee
Wed 27th
8.45am Werribee Mansion Excursion for Preps 3/4 Artplay Workshop
June Thur 4th
5/6 Excursion to Arts Centre
Frid 5th
9am Grade 5/6 Interschool Sport – St Marys Home
Mon 8th Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday – No School
Frid 19th 5.30pm Winter Solstice Pizza Night
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
School Council
There was discussion about fees and how the school obtains the funds to operate. The scrapping of Educational
Maintenance Allowance is a concern for those families who used to receive this subsidy. The government provides
money to the school based on the number of students and some extra is gained if the school has disadvantaged families
(determined by occupation). This money is to pay for everything and there is no more. Plumbing, electricity, cleaning,
painting, etc is all paid for from the Cash grant. All programs have budgets that they adhere to and many of these
programs receive meagre amounts. The Finance committee have devised a matrix to prioritise spending and ensure there
in no overspending.
Teachers salaries are paid from the Credit allocation and the more experienced the more they cost. The principal has to
establish a budget using a planner-there are no extra funds that can be obtained from the Department. We are hoping that
extra funds will be derived from the new government and the Gonski recommendations to ease pressure on this budget.
A team has been formed (made up of parents) looking at the playground, the resurfacing and other play opportunities
.This wonderful group are developing a bit of a master plan for the future . It is great that we have so many parents with
skills who give so much to the school. Council believes it is an opportune time to develop such a plan. Consultation of
course will occur and guide the development of this plan.
We have just had our Strategic Plan returned from the Region and this has been approved and signed off. The process has
taken over a year and has been extremely thorough. We now have a plan for the next 4 years. Thanks again to the many
parents who came along to the meetings last year and contributed ideas and thoughts about what was valued and how the
school could be improved.
The verandah is progressing steadily and will be completed around the end of the term. It will be a great addition to the
school. Most of the work will be done on the weekends so as to not interfere with programs.
Council has given the green light to the breakfast program that Melissa runs. It does not incur any great costs and is a
benefit to a number of the students. Melissa is always looking at grants to support the program.
A Communication sub committee has been formed and is ready to get to work. They will be asking for interested people
to join the committee and make some recommendations and overall improve the communications across the board.
Thanks was expressed to the retiring councillors Tim and Wizz for all their efforts. All valued their substantial
contributions.
Our new council president is Stewart Brook and we thank him for putting his hand up to take the reins. Stewart on his
acceptance of school council president wanted to thank the staff for all their extra work they do after hours and their
ongoing commitment.
We now have a full complement of school councillors which is great. I would like to thank KathrynWebb for coming
along to the last meeting and then putting her hand up to join. It is really important to have keen people on the council.
The council has thanked Rebecca from the Care Program for her excellent management of the program. The staff are
working very well and the financial situation is sound. There are up to 100 children on a couple of the nights and they are
extremely well catered for in the program. Rebecca is off on a brief holiday soon and Joanne will take charge for this
period.
State Budget
It looks quite promising that the Andrews government is going to support extra funding for schools. It appears that some
Gonski money will become available which will be a relief. Thankfully the fundraising group has done such a wonderful
job and the money raised has previously gone to laptops and iPads and the fete money will now go to resurfacing of the
playground, which is long overdue.
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
NAPLAN
National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) involves students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 from all
states and territories in Australia and is overseen by each school.
If your child is in one of these years, the program will assess their skills in four areas - reading, writing, language
conventions (spelling, punctuation and grammar) and numeracy.
These are the skills every child needs to help them progress through school and succeed with future work and study
opportunities.
NAPLAN tests skills that are developed over time, through the school curriculum. It is not a test your child is able to
‘prepare’ for.
These national test results provide information on how your child is progressing and performing in the key areas of
literacy and numeracy and also help to support improvements in teaching to benefit your child.
The assessments happen nationwide . In 2015, NAPLAN testing will take place between 12-14th of May.
For further information about your child's NAPLAN results contact your child's school.
For more information on NAPLAN, including guidelines, sample tests and material for parents, see: NAPLAN
For more information on what your child will learn at different stage of school, see Stages of Learning
From the ACARA site Advice from Andrew Fuller
10 tips for taking tests
“No one really likes tests or exams. Here are a few tips,” says Andrew Fuller, Clinical Psychologist
1. Remember everyone gets stressed during tests and everyone has to learn how to manage these feelings.
2. Know that stress is your body’s way of getting ready to take on a challenge and perform at your best.
“Stress can help us to perform at high levels - as long as we know how to keep it in check” Andrew Fuller, Clinical
Psychologist.
3. Write down your concerns about the upcoming test as questions – and then write answers to those questions.
“Just writing out your fears, getting them out of your head and onto some paper helps you to gain some perspective”
Andrew Fuller, Clinical Psychologist.
4. Focus on doing your best with the questions in front of you, rather than thinking about how you did in past tests.
“Performance in any area requires presence- focus on what you have to do right now” Andrew Fuller, Clinical
Psychologist.
5. If you breathe out and count silently, “one thousand, two thousand, three thousand”, you will start to feel calmer.
“The part of our calming system is activated when we breathe out slowly” Andrew Fuller, Clinical Psychologist.
6. Maintaining a powerful posture sends a signal to your brain that tells it you are feeling in charge of things.
“Your brain is extremely clever but it can also be pretty stupid. It believes what you tell it. If you hold a power posture
your brain notices and decides that you’re feeling fine and lowers the levels of stress” Andrew Fuller, Clinical
Psychologist.
7. Eat breakfast – a mix of protein (like eggs) and carbohydrates (like toast).
“Usually a higher protein, lower carbohydrate mix increases memory, concentration and energy” Andrew Fuller,
Clinical Psychologist.
8. Drink water. Avoid energy drinks, which may interfere with your levels of concentration.
“Energy drinks increase your levels of adrenaline making you feel wired. If you are feeling stressed you are better to
drink water as it reduces your levels of cortisol- the stress hormone” Andrew Fuller, Clinical Psychologist.
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
Bounce Back
9. Get a good night’s sleep.
“Before a test or exam it’s best to get a good night’s sleep.” Andrew Fuller, Clinical Psychologist.
10. Remember that tests and exams are important, but they are not the big predictors of life success.
If you would like more information you can download a free copy of “Preparing for tests and exams” from
www.andrewfuller.com.au
ASIC
Can I recommend this site. It has lots of interactives about dealing with finances. I liked the one about choosing a mobile
phone plan. It really gets the children to think about getting value for money. It has activities for all grades.
https://www.moneysmart.gov.au/teaching/teaching-resources/teaching-resources-for-primary-schools
Mark Ryan
Principal
Looking on the Bright Side – Making your own luck
We are now looking at developing optimistic thinking in Bounce Back in the unit ‘Looking on the Bright Side.’ One of the areas that we learn about is the concept of ‘luck’. For some children, believing that people are either lucky or unlucky can hinder their ability to look on the bright side and become more resilient. In some cultures concepts such as luck and fate are central to making sense of life’s ups and downs. Of course with the rise of the gambling culture in Australia, it seems we are all susceptible to believing that somehow luck is either on our side or is not! When we stop and think about it, it is clear that what we call luck is actually a random occurrence – sometimes good and sometimes bad. When children believe they are ‘unlucky’ most of the time, it is often because they focus more on things that do not go well and underplay the good times. With this thinking comes a change in behaviour – if
you don’t believe you will be lucky, you are less likely to put work into something or to look for opportunities. When we change our thinking, we can change our behaviour and in a way, begin to ‘make our own luck’. For example:
look for good opportunities and make the most of them. An opportunity is a chance that can help you. We need to be on the lookout for good opportunities, we are more likely to find them if we meet new people and try new things
listen to your hunches and check them out. A ‘hunch’ is a strong thought or idea you have about something. Your hunches won’t always be right but if you listen to them and then check them out you could get ’luckier’.
expect that good fortune CAN happen to YOU too. Believe that it IS possible for good things to happen for them. Don’t think that good fortune only happens to other people and not to you. If you think you could ‘get lucky’ then you are more likely to put in effort and notice when something good is happening or could happen around you.
turn bad events and situations into good ones. When something goes wrong for them, ‘lucky’ people try find something good in the bad event or situation. Look for any small good parts of a not-so-good event or situation. Maybe things could have been even worse and you can feel relieved. Maybe there were some small bits of it that were OK and you can concentrate on those bits. Maybe you learnt something useful from what happened or you can think of a way to make things better.
These ideas are linked to the concept of fixed or growth mindsets, researched by Carol Dweck. If you would like to
read more about this, the following link takes you to an interesting article about the importance of how we respond
to and praise children in order to support a growth mindset and take ‘luck’ out of the equation!
http://nymag.com/news/features/27840/index4.html
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
Monday Mathematicians
Patterns created by students in Monday
Mathematicians.
Enrolments for Prep 2016
We are now accepting enrolments for Prep 2016. If you have a child who will be starting Prep next
year and you live in the Kensington area, please download the enrolment form from our website or
pick one up from the school office. Completed forms should be returned with a copy of the birth
certificate, immunisation certificate and a $50 non- refundable deposit, which will be offset against
school fees in 2016.
Thank you
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
Care Program News
Here are the main activities for Aftercare for the month of May. See you in Aftercare
Rebecca
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
6th Knitting with Joy Knitting skills with Joy! Choose your
colours and knit to your hearts content.
7th Outdoor Play
Huge game of hide and seek tiggy
outside!
8th Art and Craft
Jewellery bowls. Kid tested during the
holiday program. These clay jewellery bowls
are not only handy and fun to make but would
make for a great present!
11th Skateboarding Due to popular
demand skateboarding is back! Chris is coming every
Monday to teach skateboarding skills in
term 2.
12th Painting Madness Mix colours! Use
sponges and corks and lots of other materials and see
what you can create.
13th Art and Craft
Animal paper plates! Use your imagination and fine motor skills to create some funky animals, from paper
plates!
14th Sport
Badminton! Learn the rules and
play the game!
15th Clay
Learning the basic skills of clay work. Learning from each other and
giving the older kids a chance to show
everyone the skills they’ve learnt in art
class.
18th Skateboarding Due to popular
demand skateboarding is back! Chris is coming every
Monday to teach skateboarding skills in
term 2.
19th Art and Craft
Marbling paintings. This fun and
innovative way of painting makes some beautiful
pieces.
20th Sport
Number soccer in the hall or on the oval depending on the
weather!
21st KNITTING WITH JOY
AND JOHANNE: Learn how to knit and
create your own masterpiece.
22nd Bingo
Make your own bingo board and we will play a huge game of bingo!
25th Skateboarding Due to popular
demand skateboarding is back! Chris is coming every
Monday to teach skateboarding skills in
term 2.
26th Chalk
Chalk Murals outside or on chalk boards! Use those imaginations and
artistic skills.
27th Music
Make your own
musical instrument!
28th KNITTING WITH JOY
AND JOHANNE: Learn how to knit and
create your own masterpiece.
29th Dancing games! Musical statues.
Musical chairs! Any other of your favourite
musical dancing games!
LOST PROPERTY
We have accumulated a large amount of lost property during the first term. If your child is
missing their jumper, water bottle, lunch box, hat etc please check at Lost Property which is
located just inside the door to the hall. To reduce the amount of lost items, remember to
label your child’s clothes and belongings so that they can be returned if they go missing!!
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
Art News
HOF ART PROJECT
Would you like to be part of this exciting opportunity?
Come to the HOF art room on Tuesday lunch time to get the ball rolling for ideas, inspiration and designing. All
welcome.
Have you noticed the large pieces of wood on the ground near the HOF?
These are covering big holes.
In the holes will go some posts, on the posts will be a new veranda to shade is from the sun.
Early next term we have been invited to decorate the concrete that will be poured into the holes to hold up the posts.
Linda and Melissa are working with children interested in being in the design team to decide what will be pressed into
the wet concrete. Interested community members are also welcome to join this working party.
We started last week by discussing big ideas for its direction. What messages do we want to give and receive from these
decorations?
How do we want the space to feel when we are playing in and around the art works? What are the important messages/
ideas/ values/ feelings to represent our school and how can these be shown visually?
Lots of brain storming going on and we have asked the students to do some research on ways you can to decorate
concrete.
If you have ideas but can’t attend on Tuesdays write / draw them down and email to Linda.
If you have any expertise with concrete and you are happy to support us a “phone a friend” consultant when we have
wonderings, please contact Linda Weisser as we need a bit of expert help with this medium.
Come any Tuesday Lunch time you can 1 30- 2.00pm
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
School Lunches
KPS, together with the Department of Education actively promotes healthy eating and physical activity. We encourage all families to pack a healthy lunch and snacks for your child to eat while at school. These foods considerably influence their eating habits, growth patterns, energy, concentration levels and ability to learn. Healthy school lunch ideas include:
sandwiches or pita bread with cheese, lean meat or salad
cheese slices, crackers with spread and fresh fruit
washed and cut-up raw vegetables or fresh fruits
frozen water or milk, particularly in hot weather
Highly processed, sugary, fatty and salty foods should only make up a very small part of your child’s diet. Foods to limit in school lunches include:
processed meats such as salami and pressed chicken
chips, sweet biscuits, muesli and breakfast bars
fruit bars and fruit straps
cordials, juices containing sugar and soft drinks
Please also remember that there are a number of children with allergies at our school so we ask that no foods containing nuts or sesame be brought to school. This includes peanut butter, muesli bars and Nutella.
Our canteen offers wonderful healthy lunch choices including rolls, wraps and hot food options at very affordable prices . New menu items are being introduced soon so check the website for the latest canteen menu.
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
Grade 6 News
Funrai$ing News
Parent’s Day Craft Stall
This Friday 8th May in the School Hall Foyer
The Fundraising Committee are holding a craft stall.
Students are welcome to purchase items during the day, with prices starting from 50 cents. Teachers
will take their class over to the hall foyer so that students can view and purchase items. The stall will
remain open until 4pm for parents.
Lots of lovely handmade goodies so please
come along and see what treasures you can find.
Grade 6 News
Transition to Grade 7 for 2016
Thank you to all the parents who have returned the transitions forms for their child’s secondary
school preferences. Just a quick reminder that all application forms must be completed and
returned to KPS by Friday 22nd May 2015.
Thanks
Grade 6 Teachers
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
Community News
Department of Education & Kensington Primary School do not endorse the products or services of any private advertiser. No
responsibility is accepted by the Department of Education or Kensington
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
Hi Friends of Newells Paddock
An exciting event is at the park in mid May - our biggest EVER! & You are specially invited to:
Visit Newells Paddock for a super fun family day:
Sunday, May 17 between 10:30am - 3:30pm
* Planting 1000 new plants for native wildlife
* Free BBQ lunch
* Up close encounters with live Australian animals: blue tongue lizard, wombat, frog, kookaburra, ringtail possum, turtle, python
snake and a crocodile! (Animals of Oz 1:30- 3:30pm)
RSVP appreciated for catering: [email protected] or facebook
We'll have some tools & gloves for planting, but if you have your own favourites, bring them along. Bring a picnic rug &
balls to play with if you like too!
Please wear weather appropriate clothes and closed shoes.
Access: from Jamieson Ave, Footscray or ride/walk from the Maribyrnong River Trail, near the train line to the city
(follow the signs).
Portaloos will also be provided on the day
City of Maribyrnong are proudly supporting this project through the Environmental Sustainability Grants Program. BBQ
provided by Rotary Club of Yarraville - thankyou!
Everyone is welcome! Help us spread the word & attract new people to the park, please forward this on to any local
groups who may be interested such as schools (in the newsletter?), kindergartens, workplaces, churches, community
groups etc. We can provide posters too. Thank you!
We look forward to seeing you down at the park soon.
Yvonne
Secretary
Friends of Newells Paddock Inc A0060464X [email protected]
facebook.com/newells.paddock
instagram #newellspaddock
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
Tuning in to Kids
Emotionally Intelligent Parenting
A six session parenting program for
parents of primary school aged children Would you like to learn how to:
be better at talking with your child?
be better at understanding your child?
help your child learn to manage their emotions?
help to prevent behaviour problems in your child?
teach your child to deal with conflict?
Tuning in to Kids was introduced to KPS last year and parents reported that they enjoyed the opportunity to focus on
developing stronger relationships with their children and found the emotional intelligence skills to be very beneficial.
We are keen to run the groups again in 2015. If you are interested, please contact Melissa Martin
Depending on interest, the group could be during the day or evening. There will be a fee for the groups this year ($10
per session: there are six sessions) and the groups will only run if there is a minimum of 14 participants.
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
Paper or Digital? The choice is yours! View Online
Great news! Every offer in the printed Entertainment™ Book will also be in the Entertainment™ Digital Membership for your smartphone!
So all you need to decide is which Membership is right for you »
Purchase your Entertainment™ Membership from Kensington Primary School again to support their fundraising efforts this year.
Regardless of which version you buy, receive over $20,000 worth of valuable offers from the best local restaurants, your favourite cafés, hotels
and resorts, travel, attractions, shopping and more in the NEW Melbourne Entertainment™ Membership! See what's inside »
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Kensington Primary School Newsletter
A few kids from Kensington Primary are running a homemade Lemon-AID stall to raise funds for the Red Cross
Nepal Earthquake Appeal. We would love your support to help raise $100 or even more!
Lemon-AID for Nepal
Saturday 9 May 2015
Between 11am and 1pm
Skinny Park (Bellair Street Reserve) at the Macaulay Road end.
Here is the link to the Red Cross site if you want to see where your money will go:
http://www.redcross.org.au/nepal-earthquake-2015.aspx.
