Many of our classes have completed activities for Remembrance Day.  Thank you to everyone for their respectful celebrations.

Thanks to Mrs Simpson for organising the Secondhand Uniform Sale this morning.  It was a great success.

We will be having a fire drill in the coming weeks to prepare for the upcoming bushfire season.

We have a busy few weeks coming up with excursions, Year 6 Camp, the Disco, and Kindy transitions.  Please ensure your child is in full Bertram BLUE uniform for all excursions, with a Sun Smart hat, unless otherwise noted on the excursion form.

This Friday’s Disco promises to be a hoot! An early thanks to staff for donating your Friday night to spend with our students.  The Year 5 parents are starting their fundraising early for Year 6 activities in 2020 and appreciate your support by purchasing a Sausage Sizzle on the night. If you haven’t already, please return your order form as soon as possible! 

Cathy Stott, Kiera Slade, Danielle Ware, Shaun Spice

Deputy Principal 

The Department of Education coordinates a range of student scholarships, grants and prizes to meet some of the costs of secondary schooling. Our secondary schooling scholarships are now open for applications through the Department's website. Students completing Year 6 this year at your school may be eligible for one of the two scholarships below:

• James and Rose Coombe Scholarships for regional and remote students. Several of these scholarships are available each year and successful applicants can reapply in subsequent years. The funding amount starts at $1 000.
• Maud Zervos Education Grants for students with a parent/caregiver who has a disability related to spinal or limb paralysis or limb loss. A 'rollover clause' in this scholarship makes funding available for each year of secondary study, subject to satisfactory progress. The funding amount starts at $750 in lower secondary and rises to $1 000 for upper secondary studies.

Applications close for both scholarships at 5.30pm on Thursday 12 December 2019.Scholarship eligibility criteria, application forms and information on how to apply can be found on the Department's scholarships webpage: https://www.education.wa.edu.au/scholarships

We invite you to join our Mobile Device Management system.  We believe this system brings with it a number of improvements and supports to further extend your child's learning but also to support you as you work with your child through access and screen time issues many parents are facing on a daily basis.

The Mobile Device Management (MDM) App continues to be uploaded to student iPads  Parents and guardians, will be notified by email with further details regarding the installation.

Why outdoor play is important

Playing outside gives your child the chance to explore the natural environment and have adventures. They can play games, test their physical limits, express themselves and build their self-confidence.

Outdoor play can also mean more mess – and more mess often means more fun!  When your child is outside, he/she probably has more space and freedom for big movements, like running, jumping, kicking and throwing. Physical activities like these are good for your child’s health, fitness and physical development.  Spending time outdoors might lower your child’s chances of developing short-sightedness. And a bit of safe play in the sun can be good too – small amounts of sunlight exposure can help boost vitamin D levels.

Getting your child into outdoor play: ideas

It’s a good idea to encourage your child to play outside several times a day.  Outdoor play doesn’t have to be a big deal, particularly if you have an outdoor space at your home. Especially with older children, sometimes all you need to do is send them out the door and let them come up with their own games. When younger children are playing outside, though, they need your help to stay safe around outdoor hazards.  Many younger children love to ‘help’. This means that outdoor play can include working with your child on everyday tasks like weeding, sweeping the driveway, watering vegetables or hanging clothes on the line.

Making time to visit your local park, oval or playground is a low-cost and easy option, especially if you don’t have a yard. Your child will probably have even more room to run around there and might meet other children.  If you can walk to the park, you can also teach your child about road and pedestrian safety on the way. Even younger children can get out of the stroller and walk for a little while. Walking together shows that you value and enjoy outdoor activity too. Other outdoor, active transport activities include riding bikes or scooters.

As your child gets older, you could encourage them to try a structured outdoor activity like junior sport.