Volume 23 Issue 28 Thursday 7 September 2017

P arent Opinion Survey Thank you, to those families who completed the brief online

Parent Opinion Survey. Although we distributed 210 personalized links to the survey, we only achieved 71 respondents.

Unfortunately, this only equates to a 34% response rate. In past years when paper surveys were distributed, we achieved approximately 80% of our sample returned. Despite the disappointing response rate, we do appreciate the contribution of those 71 families who contributed to the process. The results will be forwarded to the

school in due course.

S taff Professional Development

When the learning and assessments conclude for the students at 3:15 p.m., the

learning and assessment of staff often continues through their participation in professional development. Following student dismissal on Tuesday 5 September, staff participated in On-Site Workplace First Aid Instruction through HEALTHGUARD First Aid Training Services. In addition to having Ros Cleversley, our first Aid Officer, all staff are trained and maintain their accreditation in Level II First Aid and CPR. It’s surely

reassuring to our community that the children are in safe hands

S potlight on Years 5 and 6 The Spotlight Performance concept complements the Musical Futures approach to teaching music

which Linda Moore, performing arts teacher, has embraced. The approach embraces principles such as:

Personalised Learning

Aural Learning

Practical Application

Performance

Composition

Improvisation

Linda has applied these principles to all areas of performing arts. Lessons commence with explicit teaching and progress to the exploration of personalised musical projects! A collage capturing our Year 5/6 performance is included in this week’s newsletter!

www.brentwoodparkps.vic.edu.au

term dates 2017 term 3 17 july - 22 sept term 4 09 oct - 22 dec

term dates 2018 term 1 30 jan - 29 march term 2 16 april - 29 june term 3 16 july - 21 sept term 4 08 oct - 21 dec

11 sept parent / teacher interviews 3:30 pm—6:30 pm 13 sept parent / teacher interviews 3:30 pm—6:30 pm 11 sept – 19 sept junior swimming program ($73.00 due 6 sept pay by qkr or csef) 16 sept book club online ordering closing 20 sept division athletics ($8.00 due 13/9/17 selected students only) 13 oct – 24 nov summer interschool sports ($19.50 due 9th oct, pay by qkr or csef)

jim bell, principal jenny reid, assistant principal

DATES TO REMEMBER

C hinese Language and Culture

Brentwood Park Primary School’s Visit to

our Chinese Sister School in Jiangsu

Province CHINA!

Jo, Jim N and Jim B, along with ten senior school students are preparing for our first school visitation to China. A visit to our sister school Yangzhong Experimental Primary School will be a highlight of the visitation. All very excited! There are six, Year 6 students; Hannah, Dom, Sam, Ty, Richard and Cooper and four, Year 5 students; Anagha, Blake, Tim and Josh all preparing for what is shaping up to be a huge adventure! The itinerary includes visits to The Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, a Beijing Hutong Tour and The Great Wall. After visiting Beijing and Changzhou, our delegation will homestay with host families from our sister school in Yangzhong. A trip on the bullet train takes them to Shanghai and then after a few days visiting the Yu Garden, the Old Town Market, the World’s Finance Centre, Nanjing Road and The Bund, they will head home!

At last week’s assembly, our delegation were presented with their new polo shirts which have been purchased specially for the trip. It is in addition to their standard school uniform and will be worn by the students at special events and whilst attending class at Yangzhong Experimental Primary. The entire visitation will be an exploration journey including cultural and educational experiences for all taking part!

Our delegation of students will certainly have the opportunity to expand upon their introductions of self and friends! Listed below are only a few of the elementary conversational phrases that will be put to effective use!!

Nǐ hǎo ，wǒ de míng zì jiào —。

你好， 我 的 名 字叫 ——

Hello, my name is __ .

Wǒ jīn nián —— suì le 。

我 今 年 —— 岁了。 This year I am ____ years old.

Wǒ de péng yǒu shì — hé —。

我的朋友是 —— 和 ——.

My friends are ___and ___.

Wǒ xǐ huān —— hé ——。

我 喜 欢 —— 和——。 I like _____and ________.

Wǒ bú xǐ huān —— hé ——。

我 不 喜 欢 —— 和——。 I don’t like ___and ___.

I nstrumental Music Program With two weeks of trial violin lessons undertaken, enrolments

have been confirmed! Seventeen students have taken up the opportunity to learn violin! Thank you to those families and students who have shown interest. Two groups of students for the weekly lessons have been organised. The lessons are held in the library from 3:30 to 4:15 p.m. Please note that the violin lesson on Friday 22nd September will begin around 2:45 pm as the school term finishes at 2:30. If you would like additional information, please don’t hesitate to contact Eun-ju, violin teacher, on 0430721784.

P rep Enrolments 2017 Prep enrolments are now being taken for next year! If any of our current families have a child

who is commencing Year Prep next year, could they please ensure that they complete the enrolment procedure. Tania Lucas, our Year Prep transition coordinator has already been visiting kindergartens and other early learning centres to introduce herself to and to introduce the concept of starting school next year for the first time. Enrolments need to be finalised to ensure the children can participate in our transition program with the first session scheduled for Wednesday 11 October at 11:15 a.m. - 12:00 midday.

S ports Shorts: District Athletics Carnival Last week the district athletics carnival was held. Our school’s team competed against 7 other

schools in track and field events. There were many outstanding performances given by our students. I was very proud of the sportsmanship displayed by all of our students. Congratulations to the whole team, every student competed exceptionally well. Many first placed students have progressed through to the ‘Divisional Athletics’ which will be held on Wednesday 20th September at Casey Fields. High Jump: Maginga 1st, Karita 1st, Landon and Kirra 3rd. Long Jump: Landon 1st and Grace 2nd. Triple Jump: Samko 2nd. Shot Put: Paora 3rd. Discus: Nicola 1st. Hurdles: Maginga 1st. 1,500m Max 1st and Wyatt 3rd. 800m: Max 2nd and Tina 3rd. 200m: Karita 1st and Lincoln 3rd. 100m: Teresa 1st. 4x100 relay: Kirita, Teresa, Chelsea and Nhidi 1st. Tianna, Jessie, Gabby and Emily 2nd. Maginga, Max, Ty and Abhi 2nd. Many thanks to Melissa and our athletes for attending, it was fantastic to see so many parents supporting our school. Your support is greatly appreciated. A great day had by all. Once again, collages capturing aspects of the day are included in this week’s newsletter! Thanking you. Jim Narayan and Mel Dennis

P remiers’ Reading Challenge As of 7 September, 33,888 books have been selected and 33,888

books have been verified! Since the Premiers’ Reading Challenge opened on 21 March, 100% of our students registered have completed the Challenge! The Challenge is now closed!

Congratulation to all of our 720 students!

J oin a Sport: It would be great to see and hear that your child is playing sport outside of school.

Please help develop your child’s fitness and skill level by joining in an external activity. There are many options for sporting activities around the City of Casey that may be of interest for your family. Athletics is popular and you can join the Casey Little Athletics Club by registering at casey@lavic.com.au or by calling 0458 284 154. The cricket season is approaching, with many local clubs seeking players. Please contact Judith on judithwaller61@gmail.com or on 0438 773 735 for the Narre Warren Cricket Club. The Berwick Cricket Club contact is berwickjuniors@hotmail.com or contact Ian Paul on 0414 716 824

Basketball is also a popular sport, please contact Lana at president@berwickpanthers.com.au or on 0418 113 430. Jim Narayan, H&PE Coordinator

P arent / Teacher Interviews Parents are asked to note that parent / teacher interviews are

scheduled for Monday 11 and Wednesday 13 September. Interview notification slips have been forwarded home. Attendance is strongly encouraged.

Term 3 Week ending 1st September, 2017

FCV Logan For being such a Superstar and making amazing choices. FBM Elisha For being a Superstar reader during our Cold Write. FJF Emma For her great work during our maths lesson on place value. FSM Kunal For his amazing effort in learning his Oxford Words. Well done! FTL Vanshveer For making a great start in FTL. Well done! FLP Homaira For writing some fantastic sentences about your hospital visit. AWESOME sounding out! 1HG Maahir For concentrating extremely hard with your handwriting and striving to reach the stars. WELL DONE! 1MC Ruby For the hard work she has put into improving her writing and spelling. Well done, Ruby. 1NC Saman For her excellent recount this week and for using a range of VCOP strategies. 1MB Max For a positive attitude towards all his school work. Well done! 1BV Vanessa For her excellent presentation when completing all her school tasks. Well done! 2DK Aiza For her hard work and persistence in maths this week; learning about fractions. Well done! 2CM Andrew For bringing his kiwi for our mystery box and writing super questions for us to guess what it was! 2AD Jack For his fantastic recount about his time so far in grade 2. Well done! 2RG Lesath For his terrific spelling this week and participation in our outdoor game. Well done! 3CH Sam For always displaying our school values. You are a wonderful member of our grade. 3SH Ashton For displaying our school values and concentrating hard to complete your tasks. 3MF Makayla For her positive attitude towards her learning this week. Keep it up! 3LM Matilda For her effort to remain focused and on task. 4MB William For always being polite and showing respect to others. 4CP Theresa For always doing your best in everything you do - Fantastic! 4VK Zhaoxi For his wonderful foot cover design in science. 5SM Nithilan For being an enthusiastic Little Mathematician. Well done! Awesome job! 5JG Rihanna For being caring and considerate towards other students this week! 5SI Ausea For creating an engaging project discussing how the gold rush helped develop Australia. All in your own words. You’re a superstar! 5LF Aaron For writing an excellent recount of his time in grade 5 this year. Well done!

Term 3 Week ending 1st September 2017

Year 6 and ‘SPECIALIST’ Stars of the Week 6JP Varina For incorporating all VCOP strategies into your Cold Write recount. Well done! 6JA Karthik For an awesome job reading Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge to the school. 6JD Jasmine For excellent expressive reading of the book Wilfred Gordon McDonald Partridge! Health & P.E. 6JA For Brilliant Basketball skills & drills with our “American” basketball guests! Health & P.E. FLP For displaying teamwork & persistence during skipping. LOTE 3MF For your excellent demonstration in remembering words and sentences in Chinese when we revisited the colour unit. Great job! LOTE 5SM For the whole class’s great efforts in working on your Chinese bilingual book. Impressive, 5SM! Visual Arts 2CM For their fabulous paper strip collage. Visual Arts 3CH For their creative patterns using paper shapes!

P LEASE DIRECT MONEY FOR EXCURSIONS, ETC TO YOUR CLASSROOM TEACHER - NOT TO THE OFFICE.

Please hand money and permission slip in sealed envelopes to classroom teacher first thing in the morning. By following this process teachers are aware that your child will be attending the excursion and mark them off

their lists. Money is collected by office staff and processed each morning and a receipt given back to teachers along with permission slips. All money is tallied and banked daily – no money is left on the premises. If you wish to pay by credit card, a proforma is available from the office. This can be filled out with details and placed in a sealed envelope and handed to your classroom teacher

Please deliver cash in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and grade on the front by 9.30 a.m. If you have a number of children attending an excursion you can place all money and permission slips in the one envelope with children’s names and grades on the front and deliver to one of the children’s teachers. The office staff will be able to allocate money to the children’s particular items and distribute permission slips and receipts back to teachers. Enve-lopes are available at the office. If you have a large amount to be paid or need to process an EFTPOS transaction through a savings account you can make arrangements to pay at the office. We also have a new Qkr payment system on our Skoolbag app. If you download our Skoolbag app and Qkr payment app you can now pay for your child’s excursion on line.

All change will be delivered to the children in the afternoon. Re-imbursements will only be made under certain circumstances – they will be made by cheque (no cash transactions are made).

Notices are sent out with a final collection time – please adhere to this time. All money and permission slips are required to be sent back by this date – otherwise your child will not be able to attend. This enables us to confirm bookings and numbers with bus companies and organisations we are visiting. Also we need to send details to the De-partment of Education Emergency Management for all excursions, camps, etc. We also need to accommodate students who will not be attending.

We would appreciate it if parents could please follow these processes.