PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY

Peanut & Cashew Free School Newsletter

Friday 18th October 2019

Issue No:16

Respectful, Responsible, Safe and Kind Learners

Life Education Van Visits PPS

The Middle Learning Community sessions with Harold were centred around safety online and cyber-bullying. They created this newsletter information for our school community.

Safety Online Have you changed your password in the last six months? Do you know how to create a strong password? If not, come and see us (the year 3-4’s) and we’ll help you! When we walked into the van, Jasmine welcomed us and introduced us to….HAROLD! He had been playing on his ipad. He had received an unkind email about his friend Josh. We helped him solve the problem by giving suggestions on what to do. To be cyber safe, we know…

To keep our password private.

Keep personal information private.

Only add friends you know in the real world.

If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Talk to your parents about any concerns you have.

Take photos of any unkindness and block that per-son.

Youtube kids is great for people under the age of 13.

Instagram, Facebook and Snap chat are all age lim-ited to 13+.

Roblox and Minecraft are designed for any age. If you need extra help online, Kids help line is a great

resource. Just like toothpaste in a tube , what you put online, can’t be removed and put back to where it was… So always be SAFE, KIND, REPECTFUL and RESPONSIBLE in

School Calendar of Events 2019/2020-See Page 3

NO SCHOOL TERM 4 CURRICULUM DAY

Monday 4th of November 2019 Kelly Club Bookings—phone 0448 449 113

Respectful, Responsible, Safe and Kind Learners

PPS supports the Motor Neuron Daniher’s Drive– Remembering Monica

Our PPS school captains and Junior Learning Community proudly represented our school at the 2019

Daniher’s Drive that started in Portarlington recently. Portarlington has raised the over $80,000 in the

name our dear friend Monica Hayes who died from MND in 2016. Our students ‘wowed the crowds’ as

they sang, danced and welcomed everyone to our beautiful seaside village.

Monica was an important part of our community. As the new principal to Portarlington Primary School in 2011, I met Monica in the first few days of leading the school when she popped in to the office to welcome me and introduce herself. Keen, supportive, vivacious and with a steadfast commitment to teaching and learning.

Monica was a staunch supporter of education and she was one of the first community members to put her hand up to help the Portarlington Primary BOSAC (Build Our School Action Committee) when our school community pleas for a better standard of school facilities were falling on deaf ears politically.

She supported our Active Travel to School campaign in 2013 that saw our school involved in designing and implementing the safe walk to school routes complete with bollards designed by our children. Monica and her team of walkers joined in with our children to lead the way in healthy approaches to travelling to school.

In 2014, Monica worked tirelessly to help Portarlington be as plastic bag free as we could be. The children designed the environmentally friendly bags that were distributed across our community as part of her SIP group future planning-(Staying in Portarlington).

As part of our community consultation process in 2014, Monica came to meet our architects when our ‘new school’ build was announced and provided feedback and ideas on behalf of the wider community on how Portarlington’s ‘school of the future’ should develop. Monica cared very deeply about our children and our school.

In late 2014 and 2015, Monica supported our school directions with our White Ribbon activities and our own very own campaign to “Break the Silence”. This is our school’s commitment, awareness and education program that supports us to learn and embed models of respectful relationships in our school culture and prevent the perpetration of violence against women and girls.

Thank you to the MND Portarlington Organising Team for inviting us to this special event.

A big congratulations to our children and teachers Dylan Dunoon and Brad Greenwood for

their sensational performances.

PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY …….

REMINDERS-2019 School Calendar

Please check the calendar regularly as some events are subject to change. Child Safety Standards

Enter at the Office only-To maximise safety we request that parents and visitors do not use other doors to enter

the school. Parents and visitors are not permitted to go directly to classrooms at any time without signing in at the

office and discussing their needs with an office staff member. Thank you for your understanding.

PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY …….

2019 (further dates will be added as they come to hand)

2019 Term 3

22nd Oct SCHOOL CONCERT

23rd Oct GEELONG CUP HOLIDAY—NO SCHOOL 25th Oct Buddies excursion- TBC (Year F & Year 5) 29th Oct Bring Your Own Laptop Parent Information Session 6-7pm Walk, Scoot, Ride to school October Promo ends 4th Nov CURRICULUM DAY TERM 4 –NO SCHOOL 5th Nov Melbourne Cup 8th Nov Portarlington Pop-Up School (further details to

be announced) 11th Nov Remembrance Day 13th Nov P-2 Pet Education sessions 15th Nov Pink Day 19th Nov School Council 21st Nov SLC Blue Light Disco - TBC 22nd Nov White Ribbon Day - Zero Tolerance of Family Violence 26th Nov Volunteers Morning Tea –11am 29th Nov Year 2 sleepover -BIG NIGHT IN 2-6th Dec Swimming 10th Dec Year 6-7 Transition (govt schools) 2020 Port PS school transition day School Council 11th Dec Year 6-7 Transition (govt schools) 17th Dec Last Day of final instruction 18th Dec Final Assembly 11.45am Year 6 Graduation –6pm 20th Dec Last Day of term 4 - 1.30pm finish

2020 DATES (further dates will be added as the come to hand) 2020 Term 1 28th Jan Staff Commence at school 29th Jan Year 1– 6 students commence school 10th Feb Foundation Students com-mence school full time 24-26th Feb SLC Urban Camp 9th Mar Labour Day Holiday – NO SCHOOL 18th Mar School Photo Day 27th Mar Last day of Term 1 - 2.30pm finish 2020 Term 2 13th Apr Easter Monday Holiday – NO SCHOOL 14th April Term 2 commences 20-22nd May MLC Camp to Portsea 26th Jun Last day of Term 2– 2.30pm finish 2020 Term 3 13th Jul Term 3 commences NAIDOC WEEK for PPS 18th Sep Last day of Term 3 - 2.30pm finish 2020 Term 4 5th Oct Term 4 Commences 18th Dec Last day of term 4 - 1.30pm finish

2020 Planning for Classes Students Leaving Could you please let us know soon, if your child or children are not going to be attending Portarlington Primary School next year. We begin the process of organising classes for next year soon so we need to know our numbers. We are getting a lot of enrolments at the moment so if you know anyone who is coming to us, please let us know too.

Classes for 2020 We will put your child in the class we think is the most appropriate for their learning and ensure there is a spread of personalities and learning needs in each class.

Your written preferences will be taken into consideration when teachers allocate students to classes. If you have a particular preference please write to Lesley (Principal) by -

Friday 6th of November at 3.15pm This must be in writing and must be signed and should have an educational reason for your preference. We do know that certain types of personalities do get on better than others and that we need to consider this when creating the classes.

Visual Arts JLC and FLC have been making art using natural materials. The JLC have used leaves, sticks, bark combined with paint and PVA glue to make textural art works. Also they have combined leaves and pastel to use their imagination to create a magical insect or bug that have wings. FLC have continued to develop their imagination and strengthening of their fine motor skills. The FLC students have created pastel rubbings to magically make leaves appear in their art.

Melbourne Adventures-Well done to our Next Level

Athletes

Congratulations to Mekhi, Mikyla and Laney who recently competed in

Melbourne last week. All 3 students represented our school in Keilor.

Mikyla said that she was the youngest in her age group in long jump with all

other girls who were 11 and she is only 10. One competitor jumped 4 metres

and 43 centimetres which was very, very difficult to beat.

Mekhi came 4th in the shot putt and the winning distance was over 11

metres. Mekhi said he threw his best at about 9 metres.

Laney also came 4th in her race. Laney trains regularly and loves to run.

We are extremely proud of our PPS athletes.

School Council -October 2019 update Listed Items for this Month 1. Child Safety Standards– A) Respectful Relationships– We are delighted to be announced as a LEAD SCHOOL in this area. We will work to support other schools in their implementation of the framework. B) Wise Child Parent Information sessions are being held on Tuesday, September 17th 1-3pm and 6-8pm. These activities align with the requirements of the CHILD SAFETY STANDARDS that came into effect from August the 1st, 2016. 2. Student Voice and Agency– The school council reviewed our discussions from the last meeting around Learning at Portarlington primary School. This month we revisited our school mission, vision and values from our 2018-2021 Strategic Plan. The school council is still very interested in engaging parents in this conversation about learning. An article by Charles Leadbetter has been uploaded to COMPASS for parents to read. A survey will be distributed for parents to have input into the process next week. 3. Bring Your Own Laptop (BYOLT)- We continued with our processes for the implementation of the 2020 program. The school council re-viewed Frequently asked Questions that parents will have as part of this process. A parent session will be held on the 29th of October 2019 from 6-7pm. 4. Traffic Safety Update– There has still been no response from the relevant authorities. 5. Traffic Safety Action Group (TSAG)– The TSAG will commence action to support the school with a petition. Interested parents are invited to join the group through contacting our school office. Further information will be distributed to parents including the Traffic Risk Assessment information. Reports Presented 1. Principal Report– This report provides information to school council on how our school is working to-wards the goals

and priorities outlined in the School Strategic Plan. Our Staff Survey data was presented (see next page of this newsletter). The improved results were very pleasing.

The NAPLAN data was presented (see the next page of the newsletter). Although this is a single snapshot of one time throughout the school year, the data has provided us with information to plan for our 2020 Annual Implementation Plan which will see a focus on spelling and maths. The following school events were approved- Buddies Excursion to Super Tramp October 25th Term 4 Curriculum Day – Monday, November 4th SLC District soccer Lightning Premiership- 12th of November SLC Blue Light Disco, Geelong West Town Hall- 21st of November 2. Finance Report– No report this month 3. Grounds and Buildings Report– Grassed Areas: As informed in an email to school council and a letter to families on Friday the 13th of September, the builders, architect and landscaper have agreed to repair the grassed areas to the schools specifications. 4. Fundraising, Sponsorship and Grants– A) Further discussions were held about the Themed Trivia Games night organised for Saturday the 19th of October 2019.

Outdoor Maths– Volume and Capacity The Middle learning Community have been investigating volume and

capacity in mathematics this term. Our learning decks provide a

great opportunity for their mathematical inquiries.

PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY……..

The Portarlington Primary School Council are seeking the support from interested parents or members of our community to join the Traffic Safety Action group. This will involve helping to deliver petitions to businesses in Portarlington. The petition has been developed to enlist community support for improving the safety of the school crossings around our school including the need for crossing supervisors (employed by the City of Greater Geelong).

Please contact the school office on 5259 2572 if you are able to help.

Each year we set targets in our Annual Implementation Plan. The tables below show that our results varied in 2019. We were a trial school for NAPLAN online in Year 5. You may have read in the media that there were glitches in the online system. Our Year 5 children adapted very well to the changes and tried very hard to navigate their way around the new platform.

Our 2020 focus will be on improving spelling and maths .

Year 3 2019

Year 5 2019

Area At or Above Expected level

Below Expected Level

School Strategic Plan

Bottom 2 Bands

Target: % <20%

Reading 96% 4% Far Exceeded

Writing 100% 0% Far Exceeded

Spelling 76% 24% 4% slightly below (1 student)

Maths 84% 16% Exceeded

Grammar & Punctuation 84% 16% Exceeded

Area At or Above Expected level

Below Expected Level

School Strategic Plan

Bottom 2 Bands

Target: % <20%

Reading 85% 15% Exceeded

Writing 76% 24% 4% slightly below (1 student)

Maths 74% 26% 6% slightly below 1 student)

Numeracy 76% 24% 4% slightly below (1 student)

Grammar & Punctuation 68% 32% 12% below (3 students)

This information pack will include: 1. 2. 3. 4.

2020 BYO Laptops for Learning Tuesday, October 29th, 2019

6-7 pm RSVP: Please register online in

COMPASS

Health and Safety-No Smoking with in 4 metres of our

school boundary .

Smoking in cars, especially with children is discouraged.

Speed Limit– There is a 40k

speed limit in designated areas

during school times. The main

street is always 40km per hour.

ATTENDANCE https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/spag/participation/Pages/attendance.aspx

ensure the

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Information and Reminders Communication to Parents

Portarlington Primary uses electronic systems of communication. The online system at our school is called COMPASS.

Our friendly office staff can help you with any login issues or show you how to use COMPASS. Newsletters are produced every fortnight. They can be accessed via COMPASS and on our school

website -www.portps.vic.edu.au On our website you will also find the web link to COMPASS. Social Media – for school updates and information (facebook). Please contact the school if you have

questions as we only use facebook to share information and to celebrate events. SMS messaging system– important information is sent to parents via a text messaging service. Please

respond to any requests sent out through the SMS service. Do not reply using texts as the school does not receive reply messages.

Student Diaries and phone calls are also used to communicate to parents. Staff are also available for meetings with parents. We want to make sure that we provide you with our

full attention so please phone the office to make a suitable time for an appointment. Staff have meetings most days between 3.30 and 4.30pm. Staff are preparing for student learning,

PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY …….

Extreme Weather

At school we can experience days of extreme weather—this could be rain, wind, heat or bushfire smoke. We have guidelines and procedures for extreme weather conditions which include ensuring the children are inside so that they are safe. Depending on the weather, we may implement one or more of the following processes according to the conditions- Seek shade or cover Wear hats/coats/scarves Drink plenty of water Open the school hall Direct children to passive play in the hall. Instruct staff and students to remain in classrooms for break times Provide sunscreen Encourage parents to apply sunscreen and provide water bottles for their children

There is an urban myth that schools send children home when the thermometer hits a certain temperature-this is not the case and normal school

hours apply.

Children or Animals in Cars Melbourne and greater Victoria will experience extremely high temperatures for the back to school period. Parents and/or guardians are reminded that on hot days it is important never to leave children or pets alone in a car. Temperatures inside a parked car during summer can be around 20 to 30 degrees hotter than the outside temperature. Leaving children or pets in hot cars, even for a moment, can result in serious injury or death. Young children’s smaller body size and underdeveloped nervous system places them at a much greater risk of life-threatening heatstroke, dehydration and other serious health risks. If a parent or guardian is travelling with a child, never leave them alone in a parked car, not even for one moment.

Reminder-Student Supervision Staff supervise the school yard between 8.30am—8.50am, 11.10 -11.30am, 1.40-2.15pm and 3.15-3.30pm. Children arriving at school before 8.30am must be accompanied by an parent/carer or booked into the before school care program Kelly Club as no supervision is provided before this time.

PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY……..

Yard Supervision Every day Please discuss this with your child. Our school yard is always supervised. Staff wear fluorescent vests for easy identification. Staff members may also be found in the office and staff room during break times. Passive play operates (with a teacher), at lunch time in the library.

Some Reminders for 2019 School Uniform: The students are looking amazing in their complete uniforms. If you can’t find an item, please ask, as we will do our best to make sure that we keep them all looking part of a team. Hair: hair that is past shoulder length is to be tied up Nail polish other than clear is not welcome Bike shorts are only to be worn under a skirt or dress, not as a uniform item. Leggings ( dark blue only) can be worn under shorts, dress or skirt, not worn by itself with a long T shirt. Shoes – runners or black school shoes only Hair ties – dark blue or red Jewellery- only sleepers or stud ear rings. No necklaces/ bracelets /rings of any kind for safety reasons. No netball skirts please. Hats Keeping our Beautiful Children Safe in the Sun! Hats must be worn outside commencing the 1st of September until the 1st of May each year. Second Hand uniforms: We have a small supply of second hand uniforms. Mel, Lisa or Margaret are able to help you. The stock of second hand uniforms is regularly replenished from unclaimed, un-named clothing which has been laundered. Thank you to the parents who have donated good quality uniform items which children have outgrown. We really appreciate your support. All money raised from our second hand uniform sales is directed toward funding of our sponsored child Emmanuel Wasilwa from Uganda. This costs us $360 per year to sponsor him plus last year we paid an extra $270 for his accommodation for the year so he could go to secondary school (for his board during the school term). Absences and Late Passes: If your child is absent from school – please record the absence on COMPASS as soon as possible to explain the absence. It is important that absences are accurately recorded on our data system. If you know that your child will be absent for an upcoming appointment– you can record it at anytime on COMPAAS (even the night before). If you are running late – Parents /carers must sign your child in at the office and have Mel or Lisa enter the attendance on the computer. The child collects an Arrival Pass Card and is taken to their class learning space by a member of staff. Conveyance & CSEF Forms Conveyance Allowance Application forms and Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund application forms are now available at the office. If you believe that you are eligible please contact Lisa, or Mel at the office.

Kelly Club- Out of School Hours Care We would like to welcome back the Kelly Club team to our school as the providers of our OSHC service. All bookings, management, organisation and communication is done by the team at the Kelly Club. The school does not do this. Jodie Brown is the coordinator. Please contact OSHC on 0448 449 113 to find out how you can book into the Kelly Club.

2019 TERM DATES

2019 School Starting Time

Our school grounds are supervised from 8.30am. All staff start work at this 8.30am This time also supports many of our parents and caregivers who have work or appointments first thing in the morning.

Classes start at 8.50am and children will be required to be on time each day.

Please address any queries to our friendly office staff and they will be happy to help you.

7.15am Kelly Club-Before School Care

8.30am Drop off Yard Supervision by a Teacher Breakfast Club on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday

8.50am Classes Start Session 1

10am Session 2

11am Eat/Play

11.30am Session 3

12.30pm Session 4

1.30pm Eat/Play

2.15pm Session 5

3.15pm Classes End Kelly Club-After School Care Yard Supervision by a Teacher until 3.30pm

3.30pm Yard Supervision ends

6pm Kelly Club-After School Care finishes

PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY …….

Period Start Finish Length

Term 1 Tuesday, January 30 2019 Friday, 5 April 2019 10weeks

School Holidays Saturday, 7 April 2019 Monday, 22 April 2019

Term 2 Tuesday, 23rd April 2019 Friday, 28 June 2019 10 weeks

School Holidays Saturday, 29 June 2019 Sunday, 14 July 2019

Term 3 Monday, 15 July 2019 Friday, 20 September 2019 10 weeks

School Holidays Saturday, 21 September 2019 Sunday, 6 October 2019

Term 4 Monday, 7 October 2019 Friday, 20 December 2019 11 weeks

2018/2019 Summer School Holidays

Saturday, 21 December 2019 Tuesday, 28 January 2020

2019 School Staffing

2019 School Structure

11 Home Groups

FLC: Foundation x 2 home groups (3 staff ) JLC: Year 1-2 x 4 home groups (6 staff )

MLC: Year 3-4 x 3 home groups (4 staff ) SLC: Year 5-6 x 2 home groups (5 staff )

PORTARLINGTON PRIMARY……..

Principal Lesley-Ann Allbutt

Assistant Principal Jackie Kaiser

Business Manager Lisa Gale

Primary Welfare Manager Margaret Browne

Technical Support Brendan Beattie

Teachers- Home Group Michael Campbell

Sarah Evans

Brad Greenwood

Christopher Hester

Lauren Bannam

Mel Meaney

Brooke McLaren

Tom Kearney

Michelle Primmer

Dylan Dunoon

Lisa Waterman

Teachers- Specialist Program Renee Aloi

Jasmine O’Brien

Kim Mikelsons

Tim O’Hara

Morgan Lee-Hickey

Wendy Newton Education Support Staff

Bec Pavez

Frank Pavez

Mel Singleton

Mary Minogue-Bolton

Karren Sheard

Jo Pepyat

Teacher Coaching, Educational Consultancy and Speech Therapist

Andrea Hillbrick

School Groundsman Neil Sheard

Portarlington Primary……..

Our school uniforms are available for purchase from PSW Geelong.

Located at 164 Malop Street, Geelong

Phone 03 - 9768 0383

Open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm and Saturdays 9am - 1pm

Orders can be placed online at www.psw.com.au

FRESH LUNCH FAIRY DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN ORDER LUNCH EVERY FRIDAY WITH OUR FRESH LUNCH FAIRY! YOU CAN LOG ON AND CREATE AN ACCOUNT AT

www.freshlunchfairy.ecwid.com

Or you can phone 0424 654 109

Portarlington Primary……..