SCHOOL VALUES: ● RESPECT ● RESPONSIBILITY ● RESILIENCE ● LEARNING SUCCESS

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Preston Primary School 240 Tyler Street Preston 3072 Ph : 9470 1167 email address : preston.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au Before and After School Care Program – Permanent and Casual Bookings / Cancellations – Telephone / SMS - 0407 351 708

The newsletter of Preston Primary School, 09 October 2019

Website: www.preston-ps.vic.edu.au

Diary Dates and upcoming events ....

October

Mon 07 to Fri 01 Nov – Walk to School (more info in newsletter)

Wed 09 – Gr 5 Robots Incursion (Session 1)

Fri 11 - Uniform Shop CLOSED (Qkr orders can still be made)

Fri 11 – Gr 4AA and 4AB – walk to Preston Library (am)

Wed 16 – Gr 5 Robots Incursion (Session 2)

Wed 16 – Prep 2020 Orientation (Session 1) Fri 18 - Uniform Shop CLOSED (Qkr orders can still be made)

Fri 18 – Gr 4AC and AD – walk to Preston Library (am)

Fri 18 – Gr 6 Italian Walking Exc

Wed 23 – Gr 5 Robots Incursion (Session 3)

Wed 23 – Prep 2020 Orientation (Session 2)

Fri 25 - Uniform Shop CLOSED (Qkr orders can still be made)

Wed 30 – Gr 5 Robots Incursion (Session 4)

Wed 30 – Prep 2020 Orientation (Session 3)

November

Fri 01 - Uniform Shop OPEN

Tues 05 – Melbourne Cup Public Holiday –

no children at school

Mon 11 to Fri 15 – Grades 2,3,4 Swimming program ($45)

Fri 15 – Art Show ! SAVE THE DATE

From the Principal…. I hope everyone had an enjoyable and relaxing break. It seems hard to believe that we are already at the beginning of the final term

of 2019. Term 4 always seems to fly by so quickly, as there is so much on, so it won’t be long and we will be at the end of another

year. I hope our Grade 6 students enjoy their last term of primary school.

Term 4 is always a very busy term in schools as we have many important day-to-day tasks to do including teaching, assessment and

report writing, however we also have an eye on planning for the 2020 school year.

In Term 4 one of the biggest roles for the administration section of the School is to get in place our staffing profile for the 2020. All

government schools are self-managing, which means we are given an indicative budget based on our projected enrolment and we

then have to staff the school accordingly. We received our 2020 budget at the end of last term and as is normal, there has not

been any significant increase in the budget. We have to manage the budget very carefully so that we don’t go in to deficit. While

the DET will let schools go in to deficit, just like the bank, they eventually want their money back and schools have to repay it. We

do not want to go in to deficit as this would mean added pressure on the budget in years to come and therefore we can only

employ the number of staff we can afford. It is a delicate balancing act.

WHOLE SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

On the last day of Term 3 we held a whole school assembly at the Senior School. It is a shame we can’t have a whole school

assembly more often however the logistics of getting all of the Junior School students up to the Senior School is quite time

consuming. It was terrific to see so many parents, grandparents and family members join us at the assembly.

At the assembly we had performances from our 5/6 band and the three choirs. Each of the performances were very entertaining.

Well done to all of the students who are members of the choirs and band. While the students who are in the band rehearse during

school time, the students who are in the choirs give up their lunch time once a week to rehearse.

Thanks to all of the teachers who teach the band and choirs, Jason Sofra, Ben Crellin, Hannah Pullar, Antonia Donis,

Ursula Vanderzee, Jen Cora and Katia Aloia.

ARRANGEMENTS FOR 2020

As we are currently in the process of organising our staffing and grades for 2020 and it is important that we have an accurate

indication of the number of students who will be attending Preston PS in 2020.

If your child is currently in Grade Prep to 5 and they will not be returning to Preston in 2020 we would appreciate it if you

could let us know as soon as possible.

Please contact the School either by phone on 9470 1167, or email us at preston.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au.

Wednesday Weekly

SCHOOL VALUES: ● RESPECT ● RESPONSIBILITY ● RESILIENCE ● LEARNING SUCCESS

PREP ORIENTATION

Next Wednesday we will be holding the first of our three sessions of Prep Orientation. If you are aware of any families who live in

our local area and have not yet enrolled their child could you please let them know they need to do so as soon as possible. We are

all looking forward to meeting our new preps and their families next week.

PORTFOLIOS

Yesterday the students were given their Portfolios to take home and share with their parents. It is important that parents read the

Portfolio with their child and discuss their learning. The Portfolios contains a sample of the assessment tasks students

completed in Term 3. Please remember it is only one assessment task which has been done throughout the term. Our students

are regularly assessed using a variety of assessment tools. All assessment is used to inform the teachers’ planning for the student’s

future learning.

Once you have read the Portfolio could you please sign the form at the back of the Portfolio to indicate you have read it and

provide any feedback. We would appreciate it if all Portfolios could be returned to your child’s teacher by Monday October 21st.

Regards,

Janet Paterson,

Principal.

HATS Term 4 has arrived and it is once again COMPULSORY for all children to wear a hat when they are outside. Children must

wear a royal blue school hat. Parents can buy a bucket hat from the school Uniform Shop; however, the children can also wear

a broadbrimmed (royal blue) hat.

Children are not permitted to wear a baseball style hat.

Parents please make sure your child has a clearly named hat in their bag at all times during Term 4. Children who do not have a

hat will be restricted to playing in an undercover area.

Book Levies …. Just a reminder that the Term 4 instalment ($62.50 per student) will be processed by Compass on 21 October.

Thank you!

Uniform Shop …..

Uniform Shop will be closed for counter sales on the following Fridays: October 11th, 18th and 25th

(first three weeks of Term 4).

PLEASE NOTE – Qkr orders can still be made.

Orders will be processed and sent home with children.

Haven’t got the app?? Go to your App Store or Google Play Store and search Qkr – look for Qkr with Masterpass

CHESS Timetable

NO CHESS THIS WEEK

Chess will resume in Week 2 of Term 4

Thu 17 Oct – Junior 8.00 am

Thu 17 Oct - Intermediate 3.30 pm

Fri 18 Oct - Advanced 8.00 am

Senior School, Grade 2 corridor, second-last room on the right.

SCHOOL VALUES: ● RESPECT ● RESPONSIBILITY ● RESILIENCE ● LEARNING SUCCESS

Grade Prep Report ....

Preps celebrate their love for books At the end of last term, the Junior School children celebrated literature and their love for reading during Book Day festivities.

Our day began with a parade where the children (and teachers) dressed up as their favourite book characters. There were plenty

of Billie B Browns, Harry Potters, Hermiones, Fairies, Princesses, Superheroes, Frozen characters, Wallies and so many more

wonderful characters. It was wonderful to see so many children go to the effort to dress up and be part of our love for books

celebrations.

In the afternoon, we were very excited to watch a performance which was an adaptation of the wonderful picture story book

titled ‘Room on our Rock’. It tells the tale of a group of seals who fear the approach of a strange pair of seals, one being a child

whose rock is being overwhelmed by the sea. The students were able to experience the acts of sharing and empathy through the

interpretation with believable characters.

“We loved when the storm came and the seals had to swim to another rock.”

“It was sad when one seal didn’t allow any other seals on her rock.”

“It was funny when Doris swam to the other island.”

Grade 3 Report ....

Brickz 4 Kidz Incursion Grade 3 ended a busy Term 3 with a fascinating incursion including Lego and coding! Students built dragsters using Lego including

a mini receiver. They used tablets to code the race cars to drive.

We have been exploring coding apps such as Kodable and Scratch on the iPads and students love working on their directions and

code to create games and solve puzzles. Coding helps students think creatively, cooperate, problem solve, improve their

technology skills for the modern world and work through a problem in a methodical and resilient way.

“I liked working as a team to build the car and then racing them against our classmates” Zain

“It was a great hands on activity and you had to think creatively” Minh

“I like racing the car against my friends” Zongting

“Racing was great, you had to code to make the car go fast so you could win” Sarah

“Coding was fun, you had to look at all the instructions to make it do what you wanted, we nearly drove our

car off the table” Zara and Anastasia

SCHOOL VALUES: ● RESPECT ● RESPONSIBILITY ● RESILIENCE ● LEARNING SUCCESS

Grade 5 Report ....

Grade 5 students enthusiastically participated in Reader’s Theatre during reading groups in the final weeks of Term 3.

They embraced the opportunity to read aloud with expression and worked very cooperatively to produce entertaining short

plays. The students used their imaginations and initiative to make props and costumes to enhance their performances.

The audience enjoyed the entertaining and humorous presentations and the students are all keen to do more Reader’s Theatre

sessions in the future.

News from the PE Department ....

Junior School

The Prep and Grade 1 students have been participating in various activities focused on the fundamental movement skill of the

Bounce. The students are enjoying playing games that involve bouncing individually, changing direction and changing hands. In the

coming weeks we will focus on moving faster while bouncing and learning to look up and around while on the move.

Senior School

The Grade 2 students are currently undertaking a modified Basketball Unit. They are participating in drills that include dribbling,

passing, goal shooting, defending and leading into space. After learning and practising the different skills needed to play Basketball

they will play in some modified Basketball games.

This week the Grade 3 students have been focusing on the Overarm Throw. Students have explored the throw using various

pieces of equipment including beanbags, small foam balls, large foam balls, tennis balls and Vortex Howlers. The students practised

throwing for accuracy when target throwing and they challenged themselves to throw really far when using the Vortex Howlers.

The Grade 4, 5 and 6 students have started participating in Fitness Circuits. Fitness Circuits are a fun and interactive way for

children to be physically active and consist of several stations with various activities designed specifically for strength and

cardiovascular fitness. The students work in small groups for a specified time (approximately 1-2 minutes) before rotating to the

next activity. It was great to see everyone participating and challenging themselves at the various stations, and most importantly

having fun while getting fit!

SCHOOL VALUES: ● RESPECT ● RESPONSIBILITY ● RESILIENCE ● LEARNING SUCCESS

Tom B, PAA

Holly W, 6AD

Get ready, get set for Walk to School 2019!

Preston Primary School has joined the hundreds of primary schools across Victoria for a fun month

of walking, riding and scooting to and from school. By participating, we have a chance to win some

great prizes!

From October 7th to November 1st we will be encouraging our entire school to walk, ride and scoot to school. If your child

can’t walk, ride or scoot to school, there are heaps of ways they can still get involved in the fun. Part way is okay! If you can’t

walk the whole way, why not try parking the car a few blocks from your school and walk, ride or scoot the rest. Kids are

healthier and happier when they’re active every day. Walking kids to school is a great opportunity to get them active and build

their confidence and life skills. It’s also a chance for everyone to spend some quality family time together.

About Walk to School Every October, VicHealth’s Walk to School encourages Victorian primary school kids and their families to walk, ride or scoot

to and from school every day. Studies show that it takes 30 days to build a habit. The longer we do something healthy, the

more likely that healthy habit will stick. That’s why Walk to School lasts for an entire month, rather than a single day. It’s about

building healthy habits for life. Along with the health benefits, it also reduces traffic congestion, saves on parking, helps us

connect with family and friends and saves the environment!

Find out more about Walk to School by visiting www.walktoschool.vic.gov.au

Ukulele…. The Ukulele group has been working very hard

throughout the year and to celebrate our work,

we held a small concert at the end of Term 3.

Well done everyone!

Regards,

Clare.

Make sure you get your copy of the latest Darebin News. Preston Primary School's sustainability efforts feature on the front cover! David Gibson and the OHSC team have been working through the local share waste network to divert

before and after care's food waste (more than you might imagine!) into organic compost and animal feed for local

residents. This is a great example of the collective steps we can take to make Preston Primary a sustainable school!

Another great alternative for domestic food waste is Darebin Council's new food waste collection, which started today! Our green waste

bins are now for both food and garden waste. These are the kinds of food items that go into the bins:

Fruit and vegetable scraps Egg shells

Citrus, onion and garlic Dairy products (cheese)

Meat, small bones and seafood Bread, pasta and cereal

Coffee grounds and loose tea leaves Used paper towel and newspaper, used to wrap loose food Follow these easy steps to recycle your food waste:

1. Use a kitchen container when you are preparing food or cleaning out the fridge. Any old container will do, we encourage residents to

upcycle old yoghurt tubs or food storage containers.

2. Put your food waste straight into the kitchen container. If you would like to line your container, use a sheet of paper towel or newspaper.

Do not use plastic bags (even if they are compostable) to line your container. 3. Empty the contents of your kitchen container straight into your food and green waste bin. Layering food waste between your garden

clippings works best.

More information is available here!

The Sustainability Planning Team