Issue 12 May 7 2015
From the Principal
New Principal at Ashwood College:
I had the pleasure of welcoming Ashwood College’s new Principal, Mr Brett Moore, to Parkhill
this week. Mr Moore arrives at Ashwood College after a very successful time at Sunbury Downs
Secondary College and I was most impressed with Mr Moore’s vision and enthusiasm for his new
school.
Mr Moore’s arrival comes at a time when our Year 6 families are currently very busy making decisions about their child’s transition to secondary schooling. From time to time I am asked for advice on different high school options and I always encourage families to go on a tour and have a
chat with the schools that they are interested in. I strongly discourage families from making decisions solely on rumours, reputations and innuendo and in my opinion it is never too early to
visit schools for future years. Researching online through the school’s website and the
Myschools website can be handy but physically visiting the schools is a great way to get a feel
for the school and an understanding of the facilities and programs that will be on offer.
Website development:
If you have visited our website recently you will note that we have added a translation facility
that enables the reader to translate all our information into any language. This is a great addition to our site and I’m sure it will help many new families learn more about our great school.
Thanks to Mrs Suzanne Carmody and Miss Michelle Smith for organising this new facility.
Education Week:
Please keep Wednesday 20 May free in your diary! You are invited to visit your child and any
other class/ specialist area from 9.00am-11.00AM and 6.30pm—8.00pm on this day. We are
also encouraging parents to stay for recess and enjoy snack time with your child. A personal invitation and flyer of events will be coming home shortly!
Curriculum and Learning:
If you walk into one of our classrooms, on any typical day, you will see students engaged in a variety of learning situations, including literacy blocks, numeracy sessions and inquiry learning.
One thing that may stand out to you is the way that our literacy and numeracy sessions are
structured. Through the analysis of student assessments, our staff has identified particular
needs and have grouped students accordingly. This then allows a more tailored and individualised approach to student learning. Another example of this individual approach in our teaching
is the way that we are utilising Learning Intentions for our students. When you walk into a classroom during any literacy or numeracy session you will clearly see the specific ‘Learning Intention’ for each lesson. These are displayed as WALT and WILF. This stands for ‘We are learning to’
and ‘ What I am looking for’ By making these intentions clear at the commencement of each lesson the students will know what they are learning and this will increase the likelihood of them
achieving success.
NAPLAN:
A reminder that the National Assessment Program – Literacy & Numeracy (NAPLAN) tests for
2015 will take place between May 12 - 14. Teachers have planned preparation and trial activities
for students to familiarise them with the testing process.
Once NAPLAN has been completed, individual reports will be forwarded to parents later in the
year (usually late Term 3 or early Term 4) and we will have access to both individual and group
data to assist our planning and teaching strategies.
Whilst our NAPLAN results continue to produce excellent results, I stress the point that this assessment is only a small part of the assessment profile gathered on students and should be
viewed as such. It will provide parents and staff with a snapshot of students’ achievements but
should not be seen as a definitive or comprehensive assessment. If you have any questions
about the testing or results please see your child’s teacher.
Mother’s Day:
Happy Mother’s Day to all of our Parkhill mums for Sunday. We hope that each of you enjoys
something a little extra special this weekend. Our Parents and Friends Association have done a
wonderful job with our annual Mother’s Day Stall which will be held tomorrow. I am sure your
children are eager to spoil you on Sunday. Thanks once again to our parent volunteers who
give their time for the benefit of all the children.
Girls and boys remember to give Mum an extra big hug on Sunday morning
and make sure Mum gets the chance to put her feet up!
Vitamin D – ‘1 May, Hats Away’:
During Term 2, students are no longer required to wear a sun smart hat
when they are outdoors. The Cancer Council advises that from May to August
when UV levels are low (below 3), in most situations, Victorian schools can put sun hats and other sun protection gear away. Due to the low levels of UV it is time for staff and students to get
some sun for vitamin D. Further information is available on the Cancer Council Victoria website.
http://www.cancervic.org.au/preventing-cancer/be-sunsmart
Before School Drop off Time:
Recently there has been a significant increase in the number of students who are arriving at
school before 8.30am without adult supervision. Parents are reminded that teachers are not
on yard duty until 8.45am as they are in meetings and attending to other commitments. Students arriving prior to the beginning of school must be booked into Out of School Hours Care
please. We thank you for your cooperation with this to ensure the safety of your child.
Prep 2016:
Over the last few weeks I have been inundated with prospective families who would like a tour
of our wonderful school. With 65 Preps this year, we anticipate a large number next year and
are starting to plan our transition sessions already. All schools appreciate receiving enrolment
forms punctually so it would be very helpful if we can receive enrolment forms before the end
of this term. I provide personalised tours for interested families throughout the week so
please ring the office to make an appointment or give our details to family or friends who may
be interested in hearing more about a Parkhill education for their child/ren.
Earlier this year, I wrote an article about the common preconditions of high performing
schools. They include: a focus on curriculum, high levels of expectation of staff and students, strong leadership and an orderly and supportive learning environment.
Parents have an enormous influence on school culture which has great potential to enhance the
way students feel about themselves and their connectedness to peers and school. To maximise
this potential, parents were asked to assist staff to ensure Parkhill’s high standards regarding
our orderly and supportive environment were maintained and even improved. To do this, parents were requested to assist with two items; arriving to class on time and wearing the
school uniform correctly.
On behalf of all staff we would like to thank all of our families for doing such a great job to ensure everyone is here on time. It has enormous benefits for all students as it enables the day to
begin smoothly and the value of each lesson is maximised.
The challenge for everyone will be to maintain this as the cooler weather sets in and staying under the warm covers for a few more minutes becomes increasingly tempting. One of the best
ways to avoid being late is to ensure everything is organised the night before. Lunches made,
uniforms ready and bags packed. The children should be a part of this process and have some
simple tasks they complete each evening. In the morning, it is also best for children to leave
the technology alone until all tasks are completed. A photo board with the jobs to be done every morning is a great visual tool to help every family to be prepared. You never know, you may
just save so much time that you can spend 5 more minutes in bed.
School Values:
Once again this week I witnessed our school values in action. Congratulations to Joey Pryor 5/6 G
who found a large sum of money in the playground and handed it to the office. Well done Joey,
we are all proud of your honesty.
In closing, it is my pleasure to announce that Parkhill Primary School will be embracing the
KidsMatter Program. KidsMatter is a flexible, whole-school approach to improving the mental
health of our students. Supported by the Australian Government, Beyond Blue, Australian Psychological Society, Principals Australia Institute and Early Childhood Australia, Kids Matter is recognised as an outstanding framework which enables schools to focus on and support students’
mental health. Shortly you will receive a letter and survey with further details regarding this
new initiative. I commend the survey to you and encourage all families to respond by filling it
out and sending it back to your child’s class teacher. I look forward to sharing more information
about KidsMatter in the future but please visit their website at: www.kidsmatter.edu.au
Bye for now
Rod McKinlay
Principal
Is it your Birthday?
To celebrate their birthday, children are invited to buy a book for the Library.
The birthday child will have their photo taken with their book, to be placed on display
on our Library Birthday Wall.
An acknowledgement and thank you is pasted in the front of the book for all readers
to share and the Birthday book is read with the class during Library sessions.
It’s a lovely way to help contribute a book of your choice to our Library collection.
When you have purchased your book, just drop it in to Mrs. Bateman or Mrs. Gibson in
the Library and we will do the rest!
Cathy Bateman
Grade 3 and 4 students enjoying their 6 week Circus Skills program.
Grade 3 and 4 Garden Classes
Many thanks to all the Grade 3 and 4 parents who have volunteered their time to help with our
garden classes this Term. The students have been busy planting, harvesting, cooking and sharing food from the garden. They have cooked and eaten fried rice, bruschetta, corn on the cob,
salad wraps and collected the eggs daily from the chooks!
Calendar
of events
Friday
May 8
Parkhill PFA
Mother's Day
Stall
9.10am
Friday
8.45pm
Mother's
Movie Night
Pinewood
Cinema
Thursday
PFA Meeting
May 14
MEETING
ROOM
May 8
2.30pm
Please note
the change of
venue
Thursday
PFA Meeting
June 4
All welcome
2.30pm
Meeting Room
Friday
Trivia Night
June 12
R.B.Hall
7.30pm
Thursday
Student Disco
June 25
R.B.Hall
2 sessions
President: Anny Murray (Miakoda & Jennon Grs 4 & 3)
[email protected]
Vice President: Vanessa Cowley (Madison Prep T)
[email protected]
NAPLAN
NAPLAN tests for 2015 are occurring on Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13 &
Thursday 14 May.
Breakfast will be offered to the students on these days. The PFA are
supplying fruit and baked goodies – thanks to Sumi & April who are
organising and sourcing these items.
Helpers are needed in the Grade 3 area to cut up and deliver the fruit
those mornings. Please see Sumi if you are able to help.
Thank you to Simone Wall and the Grade 5 mums who have offered to
help with the Grade 5 classes. The Grade 5 roster is already full -which
is fantastic.
Mother's Day Stall
The Mother’s Day Stall will be held Friday 8 May and will
run from 9.10am till 12.30pm in the hall.
Thank you to those who have already volunteered but we need
quite a few helpers for this event. If you are unable to stay for the
whole time we will be offering two time slots to assist :
9am-11am and 11.30am -12.30pm.
Please let Vanessa or Anny know if you can help or email Anny on
[email protected]
Prices will range from $1- $10. All students will have an opportunity to
purchase a gift for their mother.
Mother’s Day
Thank you to all the
ladies who helped
with the Mother's Day
Stall wrapping bee on
Thurs. 30th April.
Vanessa and her helpers have sourced a
terrific group of
items from which the
children can
choose a gift for
their mum.
Thank you Vanessa
for all your hard work
in organising this
year's Mother's Day
stall.
Mother's Day Lucky Ticket
The lucky tickets will be drawn at the end of the Mother’s Day stall on
Friday 8 May. Tickets are available from the school office.
Tickets may be bought until the end of the Mother's Day Stall at
12.30pm on Friday 8. Tickets are $2.00 each.
Student Disco:
Thursday the 25 June
We are still looking for someone to organise the retreat for the parents.
If you would like to be involved please let us know.
Remember that there is a 'how to book' to help you plan!
Special Lunch and Scout Raffle:
Coordinators are being sought for both the Special Lunch and the
Scout raffle. These events will not occur without a coordinator for
them willing to step forward and take on the task. These would be a
great 'toe in the water' for someone interested in contributing to the
PFA activities.
Please see Anny, Vanessa, Lisa or Joanne if you are interested in taking
on one of these roles.
Camp Kangaroobie
The warm sand on my bare feet and the sound of waves clashing on the beach, crash in my
ears.
After what felt like hours of walking, we had finally reached the beach.
The sun was out and there were no clouds in the sky. What a perfect day to be at the beach!
It was time for lunch. Sandwiches were passed around, and after people had finished, it was
time for an intense game of football.
3 hours later, we went back to camp for a yummy dinner. We were all sandy and a bit wet, but
really tired.
What a great day on the beach at camp!
By Charlotte Hall 5/6M
A noise to my right caught my attention. I turned, and my next victim took off.
I chased her, jumping over logs, and brushing past leaves until I caught up.
No, I wasn’t in the hunger games, I was at camp! We had a great time doing the activities.
The first activity was bush game. You ran around the bush tagging people, and collecting tags
to “survive” the game.
Farm work was another activity. We helped feed cows and pigs, and learnt about them.
Canoeing meant getting splashed, a lot, but we had
great fun. The last activity was the mud obstacle
course.
There were many obstacles, some that involved
crawling in the mud, and getting very wet.
We had a truly great time at camp Kangaroobie!!
By Emma Curtis 5/6M
Birthdays
May
Oliver B
Joseph P
Douglas T
Alexandra S
Ruby P
Akil M
Joseph F
Mystique H
Benjamin F
Pandelis A
Amrith S
Viktoria K
Harlie C
Milan T
Anik P
Ella M
James D
Thomas H
Nicholas T
Dylan M
Mark S
Gemma E
Nathan N
Phyllis T
Pria T
Billy N
Anabel W
Donation Items for School
Swimming
2015
Calendar of
Curriculum events
Thank you to all who have donated. No more items are needed.
Friday 8 May
Mother’s Day Stall
Tuesday 12 May Thursday 14 May
NAPLAN
Grade’s 3 & 5
Second Hand Uniform Donations
are greatly appreciated.
Wednesday 13 May Prep Grandparent /
Special Person Afternoon tea
2.00pm—3.30pm in
the Hall
A big thank you to the following:

Joanne Dodd's for sewing 12
beautiful aprons for the students to use when cooking
in the kitchen.
Friday 15 May
Grades 1 & 2 MCG
Excursion
Friday 15 May
Grades 3 & 4 Health
Afternoon
Sunday 17 May
Working Bee Term 2
1.00pm - 4.00pm
Grade 3 & 4 MCG
excursion

Ann Smatihanavin for cleaning toilets.
Tuesday 19 May

Anne Seefeld, Roger & Aiden
for building a box compost
structure.
Wednesday 20 May Story Time for 2016
Prep enrolments
2.15—3.15pm
Wednesday 20 May Open Day \ Evening
Administration
Visitors: Please remember to
return you Visitor badge and
for emergency purposes adhere
to the rules of signing in & out at
all times when helping in the
classroom, dropping items off or
helping out in the many ways
possible at Parkhill.
Essential Education Items | Parent Payments: Over due!
If you have not made payment
arrangements please contact the
office as soon as possible.
TIQBIZ News: Remember school
events are updated in the Tiqbiz
‘CALENDAR’ on a regular basis &
reminders only beep through 24
hours prior to events happening.
You can also sync the calendar to
your own device!
Thursday 21 May
Grade 5 & 6 Design
Inquiry excursion
Thursday 21 May
Grade 3 & 4 Parent
Health Expo in the
Hall & science Kitchen 2.15—3.30pm
Friday 22 May
Parkhill Cross Country Grades 3—6
Friday 29 May
SDSSA Cross Country
Monday 1 June
Monash District
cross Country
Wednesday 3 June Prep’s Puffing Billy
Excursion
Friday 26 June
End of Term 2
2.30pm dismissal
PILATES
TRY YOUR 1ST CLASS FOR $6!
Pilates is popular with all ages and abilities and can help with general fitness, a stronger, toned, more flexible body, improved posture, injury prevention, increased energy and enhanced wellbeing!
Come and find out what Pilates can do for you at our friendly classes!
Mon. 9.30am, Weds. 6pm,
Thurs. 9.30am and Sat. 9.15am
The Uniting Church Hall, 482 High Street Rd,
Mount Waverley. Mel: 61 G12
Tuesday 7.30-8.30pm
Parkhill Primary School Hall, Parkhill Drive, Ashwood. Mel: 60 K9
Cost: $13.00 per class for block bookings or $17.50 casual
Please contact Karen to reserve your place:
email: [email protected] Tel: 9807 0429
www.karenspilates.com