BALCATTA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Telephone: 9345 8100 Fax: 9344 3665

NEWSLETTER

Number: 3 9 March 2017

OUR

LIBRARY

PRINCIPAL’S PATTER

Hello Everyone

Congratulations to Tiana Crompton, Amani Hashmi and Tamara Josevski for

being elected as our student councillors for this year. I am sure they will be very

fine ambassadors for our school and we look forward to their leadership

throughout the year.

Many thanks to everyone who came along to the classroom parent meetings

held over the past three weeks. It is most important to find out about classroom

policies, procedures etc. and to enhance communication between the school

and the home. Information given out at these meetings has also been sent

home to all those parents who couldn‟t attend due to work commitments, etc.

Parents are invited to make an appointment with their child‟s teacher/s at any

time throughout the year to talk about their child‟s progress and any concerns

they may have.

Next week (Friday 17 March) Mrs McCarthy (School Chaplain) and I together

with our Year 6 student leaders (councillors, faction captains & vice captains)

will be attending „Young Leaders‟ Day‟ at the Perth Convention Centre. High

profile speakers will talk to the children, with the objective of inspiring students to

make a positive contribution to the school and also of motivating students to

become great leaders in their area of influence. Hopefully, our students will be

empowered by the practical skills of balancing studies, school commitments

and social life, as well as managing the responsibilities of these areas. It will

expose students to a diverse range of leaders in society and to their views on

leadership. The list of speakers in the past has been both diverse and interesting

and from a variety of fields, including sports, politics, community service, arts,

business and the media.

Enjoy your weekend.

Welcome to autumn.

Peter Gates

Principal

SCHOOL ASSEMBLY

Our next assembly will be held tomorrow, 10 March, commencing at 9.00 am

with our Year 5 class performing the item. Parents, grandparents, friends and

community members are very welcome to attend. Please note that the

presentation of badges to our school councillors and faction leaders will also

be held at this time.

Mural painted by Mrs Jasna

Pavicic

STARRY WORK

SCHOOL PHOTOS – Photo Hendricks

Our class photos including Kindy B will be taken on Thursday 16

March. Kindy A will have their photo taken on Wednesday 15

March. Parents may choose to purchase from a variety of

packages. The ordering envelope, together with the correct

payment enclosed, will need to be handed to the photographer on

the day the photos are taken. Envelopes will be sent home shortly.

Family photo‟s will be taken in the library on Thursday morning (16 March) at

8.30am. A separate envelope will be available.

HARMONY DAY

We will be celebrating Harmony Day on Thursday 23 March. A whole

school assembly will take place in the undercover area from 9.00 –

9.30am. All parents, family and friends are very welcome to attend.

We ask that all students wear orange to school on this day to signify

unity and harmony.

„Rice‟ has been chosen as Balcatta‟s theme this year in acknowledgement

of the many multicultural families at our school that eat rice as a main part

of their diet. We are arranging a „Rice Extravaganza‟ for all the parents,

students and staff of the school and ask for your generous support and

culinary expertise !!

More details to follow.

Nicole Murphy

EAL/D Teacher

PLAYGROUP

When: Thursdays

Time: 9.00am -

10.25am

Place: Playgroup

Room

Co-Ordinator

Larissa McCarthy

(Chaplain)

SCHOOL CAR PARKING (Reminder)

Parents who pick up or set down children by car are asked to

note the following: ♦ If using the “SOUTH car park (behind the Pre-primary

Centre) enter via Alford Street and then left turn exit into

Main Street.

♦ The verge area along Albert Street near the school oval can also be

utilised.

♦ Park in Sylvia Street and cross Main Street using the pedestrian crossing

attended by our crosswalk wardens.

♦ The staff/visitors car parks at the front of the school are for use by the

staff and visitors only and are NOT to be used as a “drop off” or “pick

up” area for students, particularly the car park outside the library.

Thank you for your anticipated support, which can only enhance the safety

of our students.

A HEALTHY LUNCH BOX Sandwiches are a great lunchtime food because they are so easy to make. There are

many different sandwiches you can create. Try something different each week and

your child will never get bored.

Consider different breads (e.g. wholegrain, wholemeal, white or rye) and slices of

pumpkin bread or fruit bread for something different. You can also choose from a

range of shapes (e.g. sliced bread, round or long rolls, pita breads or

French sticks).

The trick to a GOOD sandwich is making sure it does not go soggy.

Don’t forget to pack snacks for the morning and afternoon.

Fruits are a great snack to pack - whole, chopped or dried.

Finally – always remember to pack some water.

FOOD CHOICES In our modern society, very few children use enough energy to deal with

the extra calories of ‘treat’ foods and drinks. Children need fresh and

nutritious food for every meal and snack. Every item of ‘treat food’ fills up

the stomach and prevents children eating the food they actually need to grow strong,

smart and healthy.

Provide wholegrain bread and cereals, fresh fruit, vegetables, lean meat and low fat

dairy products. Offer treats such as biscuits, cake, chocolate, ice-cream, snack bars,

chips etc., only on special occasions.

For food ideas, go to www.freshforkids.com.au

P & C NEWS Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/BalcattaPSPandC

SCHOOL BANKING COLOURING IN AND CROSSWORD COMPETITION.

Colouring in sheets (K - 4) and crosswords (yrs 5 &

6) will be sent home with all students in the next

few days. We have some amazing prizes up for

grabs in 4 categories!

Kindy & Pre-Primary

Years 1 & 2

Years 3 & 4

Years 5 & 6

We encourage all students to enter and go into the draw to win one of four

fabulous prize packs!

School banking is available every Thursday morning in the uniform shop from

8.30am - 9.00am.

\

UNIFORM SHOP The uniform shop is open on Thursdays from 8.30 am to 9.00 am.

READING AT HOME

A reminder to parents, of the importance of reading at home.

Success in any area of the curriculum is directly related to

attitude and effort. However, the ability of our students to read

and comprehend is the key. Without appropriate reading skills,

students will not perform as well as they should. Children should

be encouraged to read on a regular basis and whatever parents

can do to help their children in this area will benefit them in the future.

VIRTUE OF THE MONTH - KINDNESS

What is Kindness? Kindness is showing you care, doing some good to make life better for other

people‟s needs. Kindness is showing love and compassion to someone who

is sad or needs your help. Kindness is treating yourself and others gently. It is

caring about the earth and all living things.

Why Practise It? Without kindness, no-one would listen when people or animals need help.

Everyone would be looking out for himself. The world is lonely without

kindness. When someone reaches out to another in an act of kindness, it

helps them both. People‟s lack of kindness to the earth damages the air,

water and the land. This causes people and animals to suffer, too. Being

kind allows us to feel connected to everything and everyone.

Signs of Success Congratulations! You are practising Kindness when you:

• give tender attention to someone who is sad or needs help

• do things to give others happiness

• practise habits that help the environment (reduce, re-use, recycle)

• resist the temptation to be cruel

• accept people who are different

Mural painted by Mrs Jasna

Pavicic

REMINDER !!

CLOTHING LABELS – Please ensure children‟s clothing (including hat) is labelled

with their names, so they can easily be identified and returned, if lost.

DATES TO REMEMBER MARCH Friday 10 March • Assembly – Yr 5 (9am)

Wednesday 15 March • Kindy A Photos

Thursday 16 March • Class Photos (Kindy B)

Friday 17 March • Young Leaders Day

Tuesday 21March • School Council Meeting (2.30pm)

Thursday 23 March

• Newsletter (4)

• Harmony Day celebration

• Assembly – Yr 4 (9am)

Tuesday 28 March • P & C Meeting

APRIL Thursday 6 April • Newsletter (5)

Friday 7 April

• Interim reports go home

• ANZAC Ceremony (2.30pm)

• Last day of term

Term 2 begins Wednesday 26 April (for students)

NO HAT

.

NO PLAY