Inside

This

Issue

Principal

News 1

Nella

Cascone 3

PLT

News 5

Admin

News 7

School

Banking 8

Chess

News 9

Fundraising

News 10

Library

News 10

Italian

News 11

Athletics

News 12

Art Room

News 13

ICT

News 14

Community

News 15

Calendar 16

The Cambridge Chronicle KEEPING THE COMMUNITY INFORMED

Sister School: Villa Grimani International School Website: http://www.villagrimani.it/en/

11 May 2017

Dear Parents and Carers

Students in grades three and five have been sitting the NAPLAN assessment this week. We

see this as a real celebration of our teaching and learning and a great opportunity to see

how much our students have developed over the two years. While this is an assessment

tool that is used at Cambridge, and all schools across Australia, it is just one form of

assessment. It measures reading, writing and numeracy. It does not measure so many other

skills that, as a school and as a society we greatly value such as kindness, respect, resilience

or character.

As a school we work hard to engage our community and work with our families to develop

strong home school partnerships. As such, we organise many family nights and community

events such as:

We also run sessions to support parents such as:

Fundraising

Our fundraising committee is a subcommittee of the school council and works closely with

the student engagement team, leadership and the arts committee to organise events such as

the mothers’ and fathers’ day stalls, the Arts Fair and separate fundraising events. I would

like to thank the fundraising committee for the hard work that went into organising the

mothers’ day stall this week. Bogan Bingo was planned for 27 May but this event has been

postponed. More information will follow later in the year. The money raised from these

events goes directly to improving our school facilities for your children to enjoy. There was

information sent out in the last newsletter if you would like to join the fundraising

committee.

We are having a pupil free day on Friday, 2 June and students are not required at school

on this day. Our staff will use this day to support the assessment and reporting process. All

schools in Victoria are now teaching the Victorian Curriculum and the reporting is slightly

different as a result. We will provide more information to our families before the reports

are sent home.

Bush dance PLT 5 and 6 welcome BBQ

Carols night Community movie night

School fete School art show

Tuning into kids Building Resilience in Children (with Andrew Fuller)

Cyber safety Parent helper course

Student Voice

Each week I have the privilege of sharing morning tea with the principal award winners. Last

week one of the award winners, Lochana, proposed an initiative to help reduce waste in the

yard. Lochana spoke to us about having ‘Nude Food Day’ each Tuesday during term 3.

Students will be encouraged every Tuesday to bring food to school without wrappers. The

teachers will look at the students’ lunch boxes and any student who has a lunch box without

wrappers will be given a token. The students will then put their tokens in a box near the

canteen (either in a blue, yellow, red or green box depending on what house they belong in).

A tally will be kept each week and the house with the most tokens at the end of the term will

be able to wear their house colours to school on an allocated day at the end of term,

celebrating their achievement. This is a lovely idea as it not only encourages waste reduction,

but also working together across the school as a team. I’d like to thank Lochana for her idea

and also to Rachael, one of our preservice teachers, who will be helping Lochana with

implementing the idea. We are collecting bottle tops to use as tokens for this initiative.

Every Day Counts!

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them

behind and can affect their educational and social outcomes. Each missed day is associated with

progressively lower achievement in numeracy and literacy. We all want the best for the

students at Cambridge Primary School so please support your child to be at school every day,

ready for learning.

2017 Student Attitudes to School Survey

During the period between 13-23 June our students will be participating in the Attitudes to

School Survey. The overall objective of the annual Attitudes to School Survey is to collect data

about the opinions of students (in years 4 - 12) to assist schools with planning, developing

curriculum and improving student outcomes. The survey will assist us to gain an

understanding of students’ perceptions and their experience of school and provide us with

valuable data on their views around wellbeing, teaching, learning and school in general.

Outside School Hours Care Feedback

The Out of School Hours Care subcommittee of school council is seeking feedback from

families that use the service. Provided is a link to a short survey that will be open all term. The

link to the survey is also on the school’s website. At Cambridge Primary School, we greatly

value the ideas and feedback from our families and students, and we encourage all those who

use the OSHC program to please take five minutes to fill in the survey so we can continue to

improve the service. You can access the survey at the URL below or by scanning the QR code:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BZL3S8R

I will be on long service leave for the next two weeks. Nella Cascone will be acting principal

while I am away.

Have a great week

Nadia

News from Nadia cont…. Page 2

Working with Parents and Carers “Parental involvement has significant positive effects on children’s academic achievement and adjustment” (Desforges & Abouchaar, 2003). “Parental involvement in their child’s

schooling is a protective factor for academic success and mental health and wellbeing” (Georgiou, 1997). “Parental involvement in school is associated with increased levels of child co-operation and conformity, peer sociability and confidence, and lower antisocial, worried or upset behaviour” (Melhuish, Sylva, Sammons, Siraj-Blatchford & Taggort, 2001). As is evident, there is a lot of research which points to the importance of parents and carers being actively involved in their child’s education. This can be done in a variety of ways, some as simple as listening to your child read each and every night, to helping out at the school by volunteering to work in the classroom, canteen, on excursions etc. Part of a teachers job is to get to know not only your child but the whole family. Therefore it is very important to communicate in a positive way with the teachers. By working together we achieve the best outcomes for our children and develop caring, respectful and resilient citizens which have stronger protective factors to enable them to overcome what life throws at them.

Attendance Cup winners for April We congratulate the following grades for their excellent attendance in April: 2C 97.73% 2D 97.73% 0A 97.37% 0C 97.37% 3C 96.63% 2A 96.47% 3D 96.00% REAL Robotics Project 2017 Ten of our year 6 students - Cory 6C, Sa’ad 6C, Tommy 6C, Dylan G 6B, Ben M 6B, Jacob 6B, Arnav 6A, Sajeiniy 6E, Aditya 6E and Natalia 6D will be attending a whole day of activities with the focus being on Robotics Enhanced Applied Learning (REAL). They will be involved in learning about coding, designing, building and programming Lego robots with the intention of participating in a robotics competition later in the year. They will be competing with other schools across the state. If parents want to know more about this exciting opportunity for our students, they can log onto https://firstaustralia.org/programs/first-lego-league/. School Uniform Students are required to be in school uniform each day they attend school. If for some reason they are out of uniform parents and carers must send a note explaining the reason. If you are unsure of what items of clothing constitute our uniform, a copy of our Student Dress Code/Policy is on our website for reference.

Message from Our Assistant Principals Nella Cascone PLT 3-6 & Sarah Narres PLT Prep - 2

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Peer Mediation Thanks to the hard work of Ms Cain and Mrs Blake, 80 of our grade five and six students were trained in the Peer Mediation Program. The program trains students to problem solve by teaching them strategies to use when dealing with minor incidences involving other students within the yard. It is a process by which two or more students involved in a dispute meet in a private, safe and confidential setting to work out problems with the assistance of a trained student mediator. We congratulate the following students on completing their training as peer mediators. They will be presented with their badges at the upcoming assembly on Monday, 15 May. 5A Casaya, Rihana, Jemimah, Lila, Shaun, Ayannah & Alexander 5B Jazmine, Vedant, Brodie, Paiti, Niharika & Bic 5C Allana, Malin, Dougie, Lochana, Tahnee & Hamza 5D Bu Gay, Mitchell, Jake, Elii, Justin, Ruth & Wani 5E Yanzhe, Jamie, Farah, Kavidhi, Likitha & Hibba 5F Isaac, Manal, Emily, Vinay, Aruba, Tiana, Yash & Ana 6A Nick, Anthony, Brooke, Hayley, Callum, Brayden, Kyah & Ashley 6B Venky, Dinara, Rahul, Riya, Kayla, Lucy, Jessica & Kye 6C Ali, Emon, Jasmine, Meera, Oliver, Sariah & Sebat 6D Hibah, Jamehah, Bibidh, Rylee, Aiman, Vaishu, Jordan, Christine & Natalia 6E Christian, Areej, Armalea, Namira, Aaron, Ruthvika, Leteisha & Sama Cambridge Art Ambassadors Congratulations to the following students on becoming the first Cambridge Art Ambassadors. Elynne 6C Christine 6D Letishia 6E Lisha 6B Nahin 6B Tahlia 6C Wani 5D Tommy 5F Dee 5C John 5A

Nella M Cascone

Message from Our Assistant Principals cont... Nella Cascone PLT 3-6 & Sarah Narres PLT Prep - 2

Page 5 News from the Professional Learning Teams (PLTs) Copies of all term planning documents can be found on display at the front office

School Values: CARING

POSITIVITY

RESPECT

HONESTY

RESILIENCE LOVE OF

LEARNING

This week’s

value is: Resilience

PLT PREP We are well into term two now and the preps are blowing their teachers away with their reading and writing! In maths, they are enjoying learning more about shapes and creating their own patterns. This term we have an exciting excursion coming up - more details to come soon! If you would like to come along to any excursions throughout the year as a parent helper, you would be more than welcome. Just make sure that you have a valid Working with Children Check and that you have registered Cambridge Primary School to your card. Just a friendly reminder that hats are no longer required in the yard; however, students are welcome to continue to wear their hats and sunglasses outside at school if they wish.

PLT 1 Hi everybody! We are heading into assessment week in grade one, so please make sure that you bring along your charged iPad to class each day. If you have headphones, we encourage you to please bring them along also. We have been learning all about how to stay healthy and safe in class during our inquiry unit this term and will continue to learn about our bodies, healthy food and exercise. In numeracy, we are learning addition and subtraction and working on many different strategies to help us solve addition and subtraction problems. Keep up the good work grade ones!

PLT 2 The grade two classes attended an incursion last week by Wyndham City Council about how food waste can be recycled through council green bins, composting and worm farms. We were able to see and touch the worms and look at how our school composting bin works. We now have bins in the classroom for our organic waste, which can be added to the compost bin. We have been working on digital technologies this term. Students and parents have signed the ICT user agreement. We have noticed a few infringements. It is important that iPads come to school every day fully charged. They should be brought to school inside their protective case. It is also necessary for students to have all the grade two apps. A list of apps can be found on the school website. Students need to have storage space on their iPad to access Mathletics. We would appreciate help from our parents in resolving these issues.

PLT 3 This week the grade three students have been sitting their NAPLAN tests. Well done to all of our students who prepared and participated for each of the tests; you should all be very proud of your efforts. NAPLAN results will be released later in the year and passed on to parents. Please remember to ensure your child has their iPad at school each day, fully charged and ready to

be used in the classroom. iPads are a school tool and should have all of the required apps installed.

If you need a copy of the required apps, please see your child’s classroom teacher.

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PLT 4 The students are well and truly engaged in their learning this term. They have written some convincing persuasive texts on a variety of topics and will now be learning about writing information reports in the next few weeks. In reading, students have learnt, practised and explored different comprehension strategies to help them monitor their own reading. After focusing on 2D and 3D shapes so far this term, we are now moving onto the four number operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. We start assessments next week and it is very important that children attend school every day to make the most of their learning and stay on track with their assessments. A reminder about the Scienceworks excursion coming up on 18 and 19 May. If you have not already returned the signed permission slip, can you please do so ASAP?

PLT 5 Congratulations to all of the students from PLT 5 who have completed the NAPLAN tests this week. The students prepared extremely well for these tests and we were proud of the way they took the tests seriously and performed to the best of their ability. Peer mediation started this week and there are many PLT 5 students involved. These students have chosen to give up their time to patrol the yard and help to solve some of the smaller issues that might come up. These students received official training from Mrs Blake and Miss Cain last Monday. Well done to all of the students involved. Here are some dates to keep in mind: Friday, 2 June – student free day Tuesday, 6 June – Cambridge Chess Championships Monday, 12 June – Queen’s birthday holiday Wednesday, 14 June – Athletics day for all 3-6 classes Tuesday, 27 June – Reports go home Friday, 30 June – last day of term two - 2:30 pm finish

PLT 6 Secondary School Transition Forms Thank you to the families who have returned the Secondary School Transition form. Those families who are yet to return them, please do so as quickly as possible. If you are waiting to hear from a non-government secondary school, you can return the form completed and it is very easy to alter once the place is confirmed. Uniform It is wonderful to see the students in their uniform. However, as we transition from summer to winter a number of year six students are not coming in correct uniform. If a thicker jacket is required, we encourage this to be navy blue and should not be worn in the classroom, only the yard. Peer Mediators Our students have made a wonderful start to the peer mediation process and are supporting the teachers to keep Cambridge a safe space. Badges will be presented as soon as shipment arrives. Parents will be informed prior to the assembly.

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Administration News

Canberra Camp Payments If you are paying by instalments, the second instalment is due on 6 June with the final payment due by 15 September. Excursion Notes Just a reminder that the PLT 4 Scienceworks excursions are coming up next week. Please ensure permission notes are returned by Monday, 15 May. The PLT Prep Melbourne Zoo Excursion is coming up on 20 June. Permission notes are due back by no later than 22 May.

CSEF Just a reminder for pension and health care card holders, CSEF applications for 2017 close on 23 June 2017.

CSEF Prep Uniform Packages State Schools Relief Prep uniform applications are now open and all application forms already submitted to the office have now been entered. We received fantastic news late last term that all preps eligible for CESF funding will receive a pair of tracksuit pants and a pair of shoes in addition to a voucher for a bomber jacket. Vouchers can be redeemed at our uniform supplier, PSW in Hammer Court, Hoppers Crossing. The tracksuit pants and shoes will be delivered to the school soon and will be sent home with your child in the coming weeks.

Students Arriving Late ALL students (including siblings) arriving after the bell has gone MUST SIGN IN AT THE OFFICE and collect a late pass BEFORE GOING TO THE CLASSROOM.

Attendance/Absences If your child is absent for any reason, you must notify the school. The preferred method is to report absences via the school website at www.cambridgeps.vic.edu.au - just click the link to complete the

Student Absentee Form (see below):

If you do not have access to the internet, you can write a note to your child’s classroom teacher (please include your child’s full name, grade and dates of absence). Please ensure notes are sent to the classroom and not handed in at the office. Teachers will take note of the details and then pass the note to the office for processing, and therefore it is not necessary for parents to notify the teacher and the office separately.

Extended Absences/Holidays If you are planning to take your child out of school for more than 4 days (for holidays etc), you must notify the school in writing before departure. Extended absences for holidays etc will need to be approved by the principal. Approval will depend on the duration of the absence and the impact this may have on your child’s academic progress. If you have any queries or concerns about a planned extended absence, please contact the office.

SCHOOL BANKING

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If you child has lost any uniform items or other personal effects, please check the lost property baskets located in the corridor behind the office. The baskets are frequently overflowing so please clearly label all clothing, hats and drink bottles to ensure they can find their way back to your child.

Just a reminder that School Banking is every WEDNESDAY. All bank books must be received at the office before 9am.

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CHESS News

Page 10

LIBRARY NEWS FREE LIBRARY BOOKS

We are in the process of weeding unwanted books from the library which

will be offered to students for free over the coming weeks. These books

have all had their barcodes crossed out so you will know that they are for

your child to keep at home and that they do not need to be returned to

the library.

BOOK FAIR

Book Fair will once again be held during Student Led Conferences on

Wednesday, 28 June. We look forward to seeing you there.

FUNDRAISING NEWS

We would like to extend a huge thank you to the following parent volunteers who helped out at the Mothers’ Day stall on Wednesday.

We truly appreciate your support.

The Bogan Bingo fundraising event scheduled for 27 May has been postponed. Keep an eye on the newsletter in the coming months for further information.

Fiona Tracey Crystal

Angela Karen Sally

Geeta Debbie June

Yvonne Jacky Lauren

Kelly Georgie

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ITALIAN NEWS

3-6 Athletics NEWS

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ITALIAN NEWS

Dear Parents & Carers Our 3-6 Athletics Carnival, which was scheduled for Tuesday, 2 May, has been postponed due to Council works running overtime at the VU track. The new date is Wednesday, 14 June 2017. We will be holding all permission notes to be used for the new date. In the event of bad weather, the backup date will be Tuesday, 27 June. Thank you

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Art room NEWS

Art room NEWS Page 14

ICT NEWS

Page 15

Page 16 Calendar and Important Dates

JUNE 2017 Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

7 1 2

NO SCHOOL Student Free Day

8 5 6 7 8 9

Cambridge Chess

Championships

PLT P-2 Footsteps

9 12 13 14 15 16

NO SCHOOL Queen’s Birthday Holiday

PLT 3-6 Athletics

PLT P-2 Footsteps

School Council

PJ Day - Student Leadership

Fundraiser for “Soldier On”

10 19 20 21 22 23

PLT 4 Swimming

PLT Prep Zoo Excursion

PLT P-2 Footsteps

11 26 27 28 29 30

Reports Go Home PLT 3-6

Athletics Backup Day

Student Led Conferences

Book Fair

PLT P-2 Footsteps Last Day Term 2

2:30 pm finish

MAY 2017 Week Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

4 8 9 10 11 12

NAPLAN NAPLAN NAPLAN NAPLAN Catch-up Day

Practice Emergency Evacuation

5 15 16 17 18 19

REAL Robotics Project

District Cross

Country

School Council

PLT 4 Group 1 Scienceworks

Excursion

PLT 4 Group 2 Scienceworks

Excursion

6 22 23 24 25 26

Prep Braveheart Personal Safety

Incursion

7 29 30 31

Division Cross Country

Attitudes to School

Survey PLT 4 -6

13-23 June