Parkhill Primary School Newsletter

Dear Parents/Carers,

CAMP WEEKAWAY SPECIAL…

This week’s newsletter comes to you straight from camp Weekaway!  The children and staff are having a blast…

I have added some photos of the activities so that you can share their excitement. We have been hut building, canoeing, getting lost, and found in the maze. We have seen children flying through the forest on the flying fox and balancing their way over the initiative course. 

We have been super lucky with the weather too - although very cold we have managed to stay dry! 

A massive thank you to the staff for taking time away from their own families to support the children through their first camp experience!  

Reminders:

• Please spend a few minutes of your time completing our connected schools community feedback survey: https://forms.gle/88sRY7ELbZn34CQv9 

• Calling any parents with grant writing skills!! We are looking for some help - there are many and vast opportunities in the community to access funding through grant applications. The process is a little time consuming and requires certain skills. If you think you could help us in our drive to acquire grants to improve aspects of the school please do shout out and let me know! 

• Monday 24th May we will host a WORKING BEE from 3:30 - 5pm ending with a sausage sizzle run by our PFA. 

• Open Day/Evening: Come and enjoy a coffee in the staffroom at 9am, classrooms are open from 9:30 - 10:30, and an open evening from 5:30 - 7pm.  This will be on Tuesday 25th May.  

• In term 3 we will hold our whole school assemblies on a Monday afternoon. Assembly will start at 3pm as usual. We intend to move afternoon tea break back by 10 minutes to allow us more time in the assembly space.

Monday 24 May - Bring It Breaky - see below for details

Monday 24 May - Working Bee from 3:30 - 5pm ending with a sausage sizzle run by our PFA.

Tuesday 25 May - Open Day and Night - see below for details

Wednesday 26 May - National Sorry Day & Y2/3 Woolworths excursion

Thursday 27 May - Reconciliation Week begins

Wednesday 2 June - Y5/6 Camp Information Session

Thursday 3 June - Mabo Day & Y4/5 Monash Civic Centre Excursion 

Friday 4 June - Wear It Yellow Day  & Y5/6 Camp full payment due

Wednesday 9 June - Thursday 10 June - GATEWAYS Eureka

Monday 14 June - Queen's Birthday Public Holiday

Tuesday 15 June - Friday 18 June - Y5/6 Camp Kangaroobie

Friday 25 June - Term 2 ends at 2:30pm

2/3A  - Stephie D

2/3B - Jassy G

2/3C - Nikita V

4/5A - Miranda C

4/5B - Peter K

4/5C - Daniel W

6A - Luke C

6B - Henry B

From next week, Y4-6 students will be sitting the Attitudes to School survey in class. This annual survey asks the students about their perceptions and experiences of school.

Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, bullying and life in general.

This year there will also be questions about health and wellbeing. These questions are included so that we may better understand and support students throughout their schooling journey.

More information will be sent out to families with Y4-6 students shortly. If you have any questions, please let us know.

A big congratulations to all the Y3 and Y5 students that sat the NAPLAN tests last week and this week for catchups. They performed admirably and tried their best. Friday’s special NAPLAN celebration breakfast was the icing on the cake! 

Thanks to families for their support making sure the Y3s and Y5s were well prepared. Extra special thanks to our NAPLAN breakfast mums who sat dutifully chopping fruit and vegetables on the Friday for our hungry NAPLANers, and their coordinators Pip and Chris.

Watch this space - we have the UNSW ICAS assessments coming Fridays in August. We will be offering four assessments - Writing, English, Science and Maths. These assessments are optional, and are offered as both a way to challenge students and a gauge to monitor their understandings. More information to follow.

This week we view the companion policy to the Visitors policy - Volunteers!

Volunteers are also visitors, so they are governed by both policies when working in the school. A volunteer is a visitor that offers their time to support the school. A parent helper is a volunteer.

All volunteers must have a current WWCC, whether working directly with children or not. The Child Safety Reporting Obligations must be observed. Volunteers are covered by the Department’s insurance so if they are

Volunteers are also visitors, so they are governed by both policies when injured while working in a volunteer capacity, they may be entitled to compensation.

The full policy can be observed on our website - Volunteers policy.

We still continue to reserve a place for you in our meetings - all you need do is turn up! If you want to know when the meetings are scheduled, send through an email to Michelle at michelle.smith@education.vic.gov.au and we’ll write your name on the chair!

Reconciliation 

Noun: The restoration of friendly relations. 

Reconciliation Week is a week to explore Australia's past and what we can do to have a brighter future. At Parkhill we will be learning all about Aboriginal culture and the idea of reconciliation. It will start on National Sorry Day, Wednesday 25th May. It’s a day to reflect on past decisions made and to say sorry.

Then there's the 1967 Anniversary of the Referendum on Thursday 27th May. This is about Aboriginal Australians finally being acknowledged as part of the Commonwealth.

Then Mabo Day on the 3rd June which celebrates the High Court decision to officially recognise the rights of Aboriginal Australians to own and use the land that their families had always lived on.

We finish with Wear it Yellow Day on the 4th June. You can wear a splash of yellow like socks, scrunchie, hat or earrings - which shows everyone that you’re willing to have meaningful discussions with your friends and family about your role in the ongoing process of reconciliation.

Please bring a gold coin donation which will go towards Children's Ground.

The choir is excitedly preparing for our upcoming performances. We have had an amendment to the date to the Reconciliation Assembly which has moved from Friday 28th May to Friday 4th June at 3pm.

We ask all choir members to meet in the library at 6.45pm on Tuesday 25th May for our Open Night performance which commences at 7pm.

Our final performance for the term will be our final assembly on Friday 25th June.

Thank you very much for supporting your child by bringing them along bright and early on Fridays mornings and also by attending their performances

Kind regards,

Kirsten and Marinda

We’d like to invite you to come to our first 'Bring It Breaky' for 2021 and our first in over 12 months! Bring yourselves, and some morning tea to share.

When: Monday 24th May at 8:45am

Where: Staffroom

Parents/carers and pre-schoolers all welcome.

The F/Y1 sandpit has been busy 'cooking' up a storm of soups and salads and we would love to enhance their culinary creations. If anyone has any old pots and pans sitting in their cupboard that they no longer need, please donate them to the F/Y1 sandpit. Please take donations to the office.

Kerry D'Arcy

Education Support

Executive Committee:

President:  Rossanne Clay                  

Vice  President: Kylie Brown

Treasurer:  Sumi Sundram

General Members:  Elle Delmee, Vanessa Cowley, Trish King, Marinda tanner.

We have lots of fantastic events for our school community this term that we’d love for you to be a part of. And we’re always on the look-out for new helpers and connections so feel free to email parents.friends.secretary@gmail.com if you’d like to find out more. On behalf of the PFA we are looking forward to meeting you at one of our many upcoming events!

TRIVIA NIGHT - Saturday 29th May

Want a night out full of teasing trivia, exciting games, and dancing? Our Trivia Night is one of our second biggest fundraisers of the year and it relies heavily on the generosity and participation of YOU - our Parkhill families and friends - to be a success. So, if you are thinking of going but can't find a table, please reach out to me or to a PFA member and we will be able to place you on one that you are comfortable with.

TRIVIA NIGHT - Saturday 29th May

WHEN: Saturday 29 May at 7:00pm to 11:00pm (7:30pm kickoff)

WHERE: School library

TICKETS: $25. You can purchase a table of 10 or individual tickets.

THEME: Op Shop Glam - There are individual and group prizes so get your table together and start planning now!

Book your tickets here https://www.trybooking.com/BQTPZ

BYO drinks and nibbles. Group and individual prizes!

As a bonus, if you get your team and table name submitted to the PFA by Saturday 22nd May your team gets 7 bonus points. Each day afterwards will be one bonus point less. So get in quick!

We are so blown away by the generosity of our community. We've received lots of great things from Chemist Warehouse (next to Officeworks), Feminae, Mr Burton's on High St, Ashburton Meats, Officeworks, Bunnings, Dan Murphy's and also the donations of people like Adele, Nikki, Luke, Kate, Dan, Briggite, Sumi, Kylie, Astrid & Harri from our community.

If you would like to donate we would love your support. We are still looking for tickets to places or events, free sessions to a class, or gift baskets. Please contact Rossanne 0480 171 847 or parents.friends.secretary@gmail.com if you have any queries.

TRIVIA SETUP/PACKDOWN HELPERS NEEDED

If you're able to spare one hour to help with setup or packdown of the Trivia event on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning please sign up here. Many hands make light work: https://signup.com/login/entry/1216988316556698095

WORKING BEE SAUSAGE SIZZLE HELPERS

We are looking for someone that could help us setup, manage and shut-down the BBQ, at our school working bee on Monday 24th May, from 4:45pm - 6:00pm. Your help would be greatly appreciated :)

PFA TERM 2 EVENTS

Lots to look forward to this term, please mark the dates in the calendar. You don’t want to miss a thing!

ENTERTAINMENT BOOK

Thank you for your continued support. Did you know 20% of every Entertainment Membership goes directly to Parkhill Primary?

Follow the link and support us today: https://au.entdigital.net/orderbooks/9r34937

If anyone in the community has an RSA (responsible service of alcohol certificate) – to help behind the bar at future events we would love to hear from you! Please email parents.friends.secretary@gmail.com to get in touch.

RITCHIES COMMUNITY BENEFIT PROGRAM

Our Fundraising Partner Ritchies IGA supermarkets have launched their new revamped community benefit program. Every month Parkhill will receive a % from our members’ spend. Please download the Ritchies loyalty app today and start saving!

Don’t forget to mark ‘Parkhill Primary School’ as your favourite Community Recipient. Our school has received a whopping, $7,638.68 from Ritchies since the program inception. See the flyer at bottom of the newsletter for details and QR codes.

Thank you.

Rebel community givebacks is a program designed to allow schools to earn instore credits at rebel to purchase essential sporting equipment and teamwear.

Parkhill is rewarded with 5% back on sales linked to a member or student who is a rebel active member.

So please, remember to mention ‘Parkhill Primary’ on your next visit.

The credits raised have been invaluable in enhancing the school equipment over the years we have been involved.