SCHOOL ATTENDANCE If your child is absent we now require parents to inform the school of this in writing. This can be done via a note, an email or completing the attendance slips at the office. Phone calls will be made if an absence has not been reported to the school on the day of the absence.

SCHOOL COUNCIL A School Council meeting is on tonight at 6:30pm in the Staff Room. Any parent interested in learning more about the school and meeting other parents is more that welcome to come along, you do not need to be a member of School Council to attend. School Council meetings are held twice a term and the dates will be published in the newsletter. We are really interested in starting up a few parent working groups, such as School Meal Deals, Gardening and Fundraising.

SCHOOL PICNIC Upon arrival, students will be asked to line up in their grades for roll call. Students will then be re-sun screened, so if your child requires their own sunscreen could you please have this ready at this time as well? The day will then commence. At the end of the day, students will be required to line up again for the last roll call of the day. Parents are to collect their child from here at this time. If you are leaving earlier than this you will need to see the class teacher who was in charge of your child’s particular grade in the morning and get them marked off.

LIZARD SIGHTING Yesterday we had a student report to the office what he thought was a snake sighting. We were able to photograph the animal and send it to an expert who suggested to us that it may be a lizard NOT a snake sighting. We could only see part of the animal as it was under a building. This made it difficult to determine the species. As a precaution, we implemented a restricted play area at lunch time and at the end of the day. Students are reminded that if they see a lizard or a snake they are to remain calm and report the sighting to their teacher or the front office. There are a number of lizards that call our school home and these animals are harmless if left alone.

DATES TO REMEMBER

FEBRUARY 2018: Wednesday, 7th Grade 1 Parent/

Friend information event - 3:45pm in the Grade 1 Classrooms.

Thursday, 8th Grade 3-6 Swimming

Trials at KooWeeRup.

Grade 2 Parent/ Friend information event - 3:45pm in the Grade 2 Classrooms.

Wednesday, 14th Grade 4 and 5

Information Session. Friday, 16th Whole School Picnic

(confirmed). Friday, 23rd District Swimming

Sports at KooWeeRup Swimming Pool (for selected team only).

March 2018: Friday, 2nd Grade 6 Excursion to

Sovereign Hill.

REMINDER: Sunsmart hats must be worn by all students when playing outside. This is a compulsory part of the Term 1 uniform. Students who do not bring a Sunsmart hat to wear will be asked to spend recess and lunch undercover.

Wednesday, 7th February, 2018

From the Principal ………

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Thumbs Up

To our School Captains (Cristina J & Connor C) and our Vice Captains (Matilda S & Mack B) for a fantastic effort on Monday in running their first School assembly. Well done guys!!!

To all our new little Foundation Students who have completed a wonderful first week at School. They

are doing a fantastic job!

To Mrs Esler who has been doing a GREAT job in running our school! Thank you Mrs Esler.

To all our staff who have supported Mrs Esler – Well done!

THERE WILL BE NO MEAL DEAL UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

International research demonstrates a strong correlation between students’ learning, long-term outcomes, attendance at school and appropriate participation in education programs. The Victorian Government ‘everyday counts’ initiative promotes the fact that regular school attendance enables students to maximise their full potential and to actively participate and engage in their learning. It is important that children develop habits of regular attendance at an early age. Students who are regularly absent from school are at risk of missing out in fundamental aspects of their educational and social development. Children with attendance of 80% or less (that is, 40 days or more absenteeism per year) may be significantly disadvantage in their learning. The Education Act requires that children of a school age (6-17) residing in Victoria are required to be in full-time attendance at a government or registered non government school unless they are receiving approved home tuition, correspondence education, or have been granted an exemption by the Regional Director. As outlined the need for students to attend regularly at School is vitally important, with poor attendance leading to students experiencing a great deal of anguish and frustration as they fall well behind their peers in learning and become increasingly disconnected with their classmates and friends on a social level. Please make sure that your child attends school as regularly as possible to ensure they have the best opportunity to excel and be part of everything that school has to offer. Your co-operation and effort in this matter would be greatly appreciated and make a world of difference to your child’s future.

Punctuality and Attendance at School This week our winners are

Attendance Cup – 3S and 4A

Punctuality Cup – 00C and 5P

Well done to those grades and keep up the good work!

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School Council Meeting Our first School Council meeting for 2018 will take place tonight, at 6:30pm. This is our last meeting of our current School Council prior to the election of our new Council for the 2018 School Year.

All parents and friends of the school are more than welcome to attend this meeting and, if you are interested in being part of School Council in 2018, please let Trudie or Mrs A in the office know.

SCHOOL HATS Sun Smart hats must be worn by all students when playing outside. This is a compulsory part of Term 1 uniform. Students who do not bring a Sunsmart hat to wear will be asked to spend recess and lunch undercover.

Please ensure that hats are clearly labelled with a student name so if it is lost it can be returned.

MUSIC WITH MICHAEL Michael Wallace has returned to Cardinia Primary School to continue his music lessons on Thursdays. We have limited spaces for students who are interested in guitar and drums. If you would like your child to attend please see Veronika or Sue at the office. The cost is $8 per session payable upfront at the beginning of each term. Students participating are expected to catch up on the work they miss during class time.

BOOK CLUB NEWS Don’t forget that any Scholastic book orders must be in by this Friday, 9th February. If you would like to place an order, parents can either pay cash or cheque to Scholastic or deliver payment together with their order form included in the brochure. Alternatively, you can pay for your order over the phone using a credit card directly to Scholastic then provide our office with the order and receipt.

If you have any questions, please Mrs Friend or Mrs A in the office

School Banking

Student banking will start this week. Information packs have been given to all our

Foundation Students. If you would like to start a savings account for your child you

can collect an Information pack from the office. Banking will be done every Thursday

morning. Therefore, books will need to be handed into the office before 9:00am

Thursday.

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FROM THE OFFICE CONVEYANCE ALLOWANCE If a student lives more than 4.8km from this school and this is their nearest school, the parent may be entitled to Conveyance Allowance. Please see Mrs A at the office for a form to fill in.

PERSONAL DETAILS If any of your personal contact or medical details have changed please let the office know. It is very important that we have up-to-date student information in case of emergencies.

TISSUE BOXES Every year we ask our school families to donate 2 boxes of tissues for students to use in their classrooms. This helps us immeasurably by keeping our school costs down each year. If you haven’t already donated, could each family please supply 2 boxes of tissues (can be any brand) and hand them into the office.

DISABLED CAR PARKING Just a reminder that the Disability Car Parking Section in the School Car Park is designed for those who have a Disabled Sticker on their car. Please do not park in this spot unless you have the correct sticker.

SCHOOL NEWSLETTERS Our School Newsletter is completed every Wednesday and is usually available from the school’s website in the afternoon. Hard copies can also be sent home with your child. Please see Mrs Friend at the office if you would like a hard copy.

Parent Information Sessions

Over the next few weeks each year level will be hosting a Parent Information session. Grade 4 and Grade 5 will be holding their information session on Wednesday, 14th February, commencing at 3:30pm. Grade 6 will have their information session on Monday, 12th February, commencing at 3:40pm. Class teachers will notify parents through the newsletter and class bulletins when they will be conducting their particular sessions.

SWIMMING TRIALS WITH DISTRICT SWIMMING SPORTS FAST APPROACHING ON FRIDAY, 23RD FEBRUARY, WE WILL BE HOLDING SWIMMING TRIALS ON THURSDAY, 8TH

FEBRUARY. SWIMMING TRIALS’ PERMISSION FORMS HAVE ALREADY GONE HOME FOR STUDENTS THAT WISH TO TRIAL. THESE NEED TO BE RETURNED

ASAP.

STUDENTS WERE REMINDED THAT TO TRIAL, THEY MUST BE CAPABLE SWIMMERS (ABLE TO SWIM A FULL LAP WITHOUT STOPPING) AND PAY THE $15 TO

HELP THE SCHOOL COVER THE COST OF POOL AND BUS HIRE.

STUDENTS WILL LEAVE SCHOOL AT 1:00PM FOR OUR TRIALS SO STUDENTS WILL NEED TO BRING A PACKED LUNCH AND THEIR SWIMMING GEAR FOR

THIS DAY. REMEMBER THE SUN SCREEN! STUDENTS THAT ARE NOT TRIALING WILL COMPLETE NORMAL CLASS ROUTINE.

IF YOUR CHILD WISHES TO TRIAL, PLEASE RETURN THE FORM AND PAYMENT BY MONDAY, 5TH FEBRUARY TO GUARANTEE THEIR SPOT. GOOD SWIMMING

CARDI!

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2019 Foundation Enrolments With the 2018 Preps settling in, it is time to start planning our 2019 intake! If you have a Pre-School child who will begin Foundation at Cardinia Primary School in 2019, could you please visit the office as soon as possible to ensure we have your child’s details? Please do not assume we know your child will be attending our school. With so many new families, it is a huge job to keep track of all possible future Preps. You will need to provide the office with your current email address as well as your Pre-School child’s full name, date of birth and the name of the Kindergarten she/he currently attends. A 2019 enrolment form will then be given to you and these are due back fully completed by the end of Term 1. Rest assured that all siblings of current students will be given a place for Foundation, 2019. However, we do need your details to confirm your child’s place. Please see Trudie or Jodie if you have any questions regarding the 2018 Prep Enrolment procedure.

School Choir Choir has commenced this week. Choir practice is Tuesday lunch time from 1:40pm – 2:10pm in the

Library.

It would be appreciated if parents could please remind students (especially Foundation, Grade 1 and

Grade 2 to attend each week). New members are welcome and a performance will be occurring in early

March.

Thank you for your support with Choir

Mrs Clarissa Young

Music Teacher

IT’S A BOY!! Congratulations to the Stone/O’Brien family on their new addition. Baby

Beckett Reid was born 8’2’ and is a baby brother for both Harley &

Alexis.

FREE DRESS DAY On Friday, 23rd February there will be a free dress day for students. Students will need to bring a gold coin donation and funds will go towards the Rotary Ride to Confidence charity bike ride. Please pay your money at the office.

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School Picnic The School’s Annual School Picnic is taking place on Friday, 16th February. Permission forms have already been sent home. This is a traditional event held by the Cardinia Primary School Parents’ Club for the Cardinia Primary School community. It is a tradition that has been taking place for over 70 years in one form or another. It is held at the start of the year to give parents, students and staff the opportunity to meet and greet in a more informal atmosphere and is a terrific way to kick off the school year and get an understanding of the fantastic work that our Parents’ and Friends’ Club does for the school and its students.

Students who require transport to this event need to be at school by 8:45am and wait near the main entrance of the school (Hall Car Park). All transport will be leaving the school at 9:00am and returning to school as close to 3:30pm as possible. Families who are going direct or providing their own transport do not need to come to school but can drive directly to the picnic area, meeting us at the venue at around 10:00am.

*** Remember if your child requires a lift and is 7 years or under then you will need to provide us with a booster seat for the trip. This is a legal requirement. ***

A Brief Outline of the Day: 10:00 am Everyone arrives and rolls are taken by class teachers. (Mrs Esler teacher in charge). 10:15 am Slip Slop Slap takes place and announcements made. 10:30 am Start our walk along the beach 11:00 am Buddy sandcastle and beach sculpture competition. 11:45 am Roll Call and students remain in the picnic area 12:00 Noon Lunch time for all – sausages in bread, corn, watermelon and cordial. 12:30 pm Beach activities – games and a paddle in the water 2:00 pm Pack up, final roll call and return to school for those students requiring transport

Things to Bring: Water bottle/drink cup Change of clothing / towel Snack Bathers – worn under clothes Sun Screen Hat T-shirt or rash vest to be worn at all times – even when in the water. (No singlet tops.) Appropriate footwear for the beach. No bare feet under any circumstances.

Please don’t bring: Any extra beach toys, except a plastic bucket and/or spade. No flotation devices or boogie boards.

Friday 16th is a normal school day for students attending the picnic and as such they will be under the supervision and direction of staff from 10:00 am to the conclusion of the picnic at 2:00pm. All students are expected to be part of the planned activities and parents and friends are more than welcome to join in. At 2:00pm all children are expected to exit the beach area and we will pack up. Families who are staying longer can return to the beach area after the clean-up has been completed.

Additional permission forms are available from the office. Included on the permission form is a map indicating where we will be conducting the picnic. For those who have been with us previously it is the same site as previous years. Students are not required to wear their school uniform for this activity.

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CSEF The Education Department will continue to offer CSEF (Camps, Sports and Excursion Fund) for families who are entitled to a Health Care or Pension Card. If you hold a current Health Care or Pension Card and would like to apply for CSEF please see Mrs A or Mrs Friend in the office. Please note these funds can ONLY be used for School Camps, Sports or Excursions. If you have any questions, please see Mrs A in the office.

Zooper Dooper This Friday, 9th February our School Captains will be selling Zooper Doopers to raise funds for our school. Zooper Doopers will sell for $1.00 and will be available from the BER building at lunch time.

COLES ‘SPORTS FOR SCHOOLS’ PROGRAM This year Cardinia Primary School will be participating in Coles ‘Sports for Schools’ program. For every $10 spent at Coles, families will be given a voucher.

Parents then need to deliver your voucher/s to the office and place in the

collection bin. Every voucher received will go towards us obtaining new sports

equipment.

GUESS THE SERIAL NUMBERS!! Next Friday, at our school picnic, we will once again run our $50 note competition.

For $2 per guess you can choose numbers that you believe may be the last 2 serial numbers

printed on each $50 note.

There will be 4 $50 notes up for grabs so see Mrs Friend if you wish to participate & remember,

you can guess as many times as you like.

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