Welcome back to Term 3! It has been great to see so many students return in full school uniform and ready to engage in learning.
Today I had had lunch with Tyler, Zsarvuante and Haran who received White Certificates at this morning’s assembly. During Semester 2, students who receive White Certificates at Senior Assemblies will be invited to bring their lunch to the staffroom for lunch with the principal. Students receiving White Certificates at Middle and Junior Assemblies will have a special play time in the swale. Congratulations to our students who consistently demonstrate their Bertram FRREE behaviours both at school and when they are on excursions.
In Western Australia children can start their education in Kindergarten, however compulsory schooling starts the following year in Pre-primary. All children of compulsory school age must be enrolled in school and are expected to attend every day.
Children attend Kindergarten at Bertram 5 days per fortnight – 3 days one week and 2 days the next. While it is not compulsory to enrol your child in Kindergarten, once enrolled it is expected they will attend on each of their assigned days.
Enrolments are now open for 2020 and application forms should be returned to the front office by Friday, 26th July 2019.
Who needs to enrol?
You need to apply to enrol your children in school for 2020 if they are:
· Starting Kindergarten – 4 years old by 30th June 2020
· Starting Pre-primary, the first year of compulsory school – 5 years old by 30th June 2020
· Starting Year 7, the first year of secondary school
Kindergarten places are limited so if your child was born between 1st July 2015 and 30th June 2016 I encourage you to complete an enrolment form available from the front office as a matter of urgency.
https://www.education.wa.edu.au/how-to-enrol-a-step-by-step-guide
If your Year 6 child will be attending Gilmore College in 2020 you may drop their enrolment form in to the front office at Bertram Primary School. Late enrolment at high school for Year 7 may limit the electives subject your child is able to choose from.
This Friday at Community Chat, Gerson Bermudez (Senior Engineering – Traffic Officer) and Jenny Marslen from the City of Kwinana will be discussing the traffic calming plans for the area around Bertram Primary School. I encourage parents and members of the community to attend this session which will be held from 8:45 – 9:45am in the staffroom. Following this information session, morning tea will be provided to celebrate the support our school receives from our P&C. All past, present and interested members of the P&C are welcome to join us in the staff room between 9:45 and 11:00am. For catering purposes, please RSVP to Amy Foster in the front office if you will be attending our morning tea. Children are welcome under your supervision.
Does your child play Fortnite or other online games? Are you aware of incidents of cyberbullying involving your child or their peers? Do you know what a healthy and safe amount of screen time is for your child?
The Cyber Safety Seminar being held at Telethon Speech and Hearing on Wednesday, August 14th from 6:30 – 8:30pm will cover the following topics and more:
· How predators are using online platforms to bully and groom young children
· The increase in gaming networks and apps such as Fortnite and Tik Tok being used to access increasingly younger children
· Where the greatest risk of online grooming is occurring
· The marked increase in cyber flashing across WA
· How to best prevent your children from becoming cyber victims – and how to deal with it if they do
· The recommended screen times for children of various ages
https://www.tsh.org.au/event/cyber-safety-presentation/
Speakers will include Melanie Epstein, Program Manager at Telethon Kids Institute; Jordan Foster, Managing Director of YSafe and Clinical Psychologist; Paul Litherland, former police officer and founder of Surf Online Safe; and Sian Williams, founder and ambassador of Kidzucate.
Bertram Primary School has purchased 20 tickets for parents/carers to attend this seminar and we have booked a bus to provided transport between Bertram Primary School and Telethon Speech and Hearing in Wembley. If you would like a ticket (valued at $35) please contact the front office.
Thank you to our families and community members who helped keep the school safe over the holidays. If you see or hear anything suspicious at school overnight or on the weekend or holidays please call School Watch on 1800 177 777 or the WA Police on 131 444. Please remind your children the school is out of bounds once school finishes unless they are attending Helping Hands.
Thank you for your ongoing support.
Jane Weir
