ISSUE 8
26th March 2015
Excursion Payments - PLEASE
NOTE NO PAYMENTS WILL BE
ACCEPTED AFTER THE DUE DATE.
FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK
END OF TERM 1
Tomorrow, Friday 27th March 2015 is the final day of Term 1.
Children will be dismissed from school at 2.30pm. Parents are
Years 2-6 ICAS (NSW) Competitions due 13th April
Years 3 & 4 Swimming due 17th April - $80
asked to please make necessary arrangements to collect their
children on time.
Year 5 Cosmodome Incursion due 24th April - $12
CULTURAL DIVERSITY WEEK
Canberra Camp balance due 18th Sept - $500
Thank you again to our students, staff and parents for their
positive involvement in this special week in the school’s calendar.
The week finished with the United Nations’ International Day of
Happiness held on 20th March 2015. The purpose of this was is
‘to promote happiness as a universal goal and aspiration in the
lives of human beings around the world’.
We celebrated the United Nations’ International Day of
Happiness at school assembly with smiley balloons for each
student, and dancing to ‘Happy’ and ‘If You’re Happy and You
Know It’.
ENROL NOW FOR 2016
Coming Events
Mar 27 Term 1 ends tomorrow at 2.30pm
Apr 13 Term 2 begins at 9.00am
Apr 17 Year 5 & 6 Interschool Sports
Apr 21 Year 3 Swimming
Apr 22 Internet Safety Awarness Presentation @ 6.30pm
Apr 22 Year 4 Swimming
Apr 24 Year 5 & 6 Interschool Sports
Apr 27 Year 2 Yarabee Yesterday’s World Excursion
Apr 28 Year 3 Swimming
Apr 28 Year 5 Cosmodome Incursion
Apr 29 Year 4 Swimming
Apr 30 House Cross Country Trials
Everyone also participated in creating a page for our whole
school Happiness Book. This publication will be available for
viewing in Term 2.
Buildings & Grounds; Eduction & Policy; Finance &
Fundraising; Community Building & Relations Committee
Meetings 14th April, 12th May, 9th June, 14th July, 11th
Aug, 8th Sept, 13th Oct and 11th Nov 2015
OSHC 16th April 2015
School Council Meetings in 2015
21st April, 19th May, 16th June, 21st July, 18th August, 15th
September, 20th October, 17th November and 9th
December
1
CHANGE AND ATTITUDE
Like it or not, change is an essential part of our life. People who
accept change generally thrive, while those who complain and
fear change may develop negative attitudes towards life and
relationships. The process of change begins with us. We all
have tremendous potential to achieve our desired goals. But
the one thing that may determine the level of that potential is
our attitude.
Change is normal, and most of us will experience unpredictable
changes in both our personal and professional lives. None of
us want to acknowledge that at times we doubt our ability
to accept new ideas, use new technology, or adapt to new
processes. We don’t even want to think about what’s ahead –
new ways of doing things, new terminology, new beliefs and
new behaviours. Fear can have several elements:
l Fear of the unknown: what will happen? How will I deal
with it?
l Fear of losing control: what should I do? How will this affect
my life?
l Fear of being inadequate: what if let people down? What if
I can’t cope?
l Fear of moving outside your personal comfort zone: it’s
worked for me for years, why do I have to change?
Attitude determines how we choose to behave and function
in our daily interactions. It decides the size of our dreams and
influences our determination when we are faced with new
challenges. No other person on earth has the power to choose
our attitude. People may affect our attitude by teaching us
poor thinking or behaviour habits, or misinforming us or
providing us with negative influence – but no one can control
our attitude unless we surrender that control.
No one else ‘makes us angry’. We make ourselves angry when
we give up control of our attitude. Whatever someone else may
have done is irrelevant. We choose our attitude and response,
not they. If we care about ourselves, then we must accept full
responsibility for our own feelings and learn to guard against
those feelings that have the capacity to influence our attitude
in a negative way.
We teach our students that having the right attitude is one of the
basics that success requires. Our Values Program complements
the teaching of resilience, coping with change and developing
a positive attitude.
BUILDING CHILDREN’S VOCABULARY
Early knowledge of vocabulary consistently predicts children’s
later reading achievements. Young children learn words from
talking with parents, brothers and sisters and friends. Parents
can also help children learn more words by using a variety of
methods to develop their awareness of words. Remember to
always keep the learning of new words fun.
v Read poetry and rhymes. Look for collections of poems that
appeal to children. Repeat them often so children learn them
by heart. Make up nonsense verses when out in the car. Make
it a game to find as many words as possible to rhyme with their
names or other words they already know.
v Use new words in new contexts. Try to use a new word
again in your conversations and discussions. Make using it as
natural as possible.
v Explain what a new word means. Link it to other words they
already know.
v Look at the letters and sounds in new words. Make it a
regular game when reading together to say new words, sound
them out and look at the letters and letter combinations.
v Choose a letter and everyone thinks of as many words as
they can beginning with that letter.
v Use family outings to point out words on signs and in
shops. Even very young children can identify initial letters and
guess what the word means.
v Play word games such as Scrabble, Boggle, Upwords and
many others.
v Play with word association. You say a simple word like ‘dog’
and they have to reply with the first word that comes to mind.
STUDENT LEADERS
It is my pleasure to introduce you to our Blue Gum House
Captains:
Adam
My name is Adam and I’m am one half of the Blue Gum House
Captains. I am an approachable person who will make you
smile when you are feeling down. I’ll tell you a little bit about
myself. I love reading, playing football and spending time
with friends and family. I am a funny person, some say I’m a
mushroom, it’s probably because I’m a fun-gi.
Maggie
My name is Maggie and I am one of the Blue Gum House Captains
for 2015. I’d like to describe myself as a very approachable and
genuine person. One of my favourite hobbies is playing sport
and being active. I love to play basketball. I also love being
around friends and family. I always put 110% effort into work at
school and I’m always eager to learn more in class.
Here are some ideas to use at home:
v Act and illustrate words when you are reading aloud.
Children who know very few words enjoy sounds and actions
as well as direct explanations of what a word means. Children
with larger vocabularies often prefer to discuss the new word
and its meaning.
2
CONGRATULATIONS
In closing … One more sleep and then it’s the Term 1 school
I congratulate our Year 6 student and Student Council President,
Ethan, on his success in gaining a full scholarship for Ivanhoe
Grammar (Ridgeway Campus). Well done Ethan!
I also commend another Year 6 student, James, on his
scholarship achievement for Ivanhoe Grammar (Plenty
Campus). Congratulations James!
holidays! I hope all families will make the most of the school
holidays and experience many exciting moments together.
Keep safe, be happy, and enjoy the two week break.
I leave you with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi, ‘There is more
to life than increasing its speed’.
NEW SMOKING BANS
Lu Alessi
Principal
Smoking was banned on the grounds of all Victorian
Government schools by the Minister of Education in 2009 via a
Ministerial Ban Order. From Monday, 13th April 2015, smoking
is banned within four metres of an entrance to all primary and
secondary schools in Victoria, and within the school grounds,
under an amendment to the Tobacco Act 1987.
FROM ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S DESK
Hi everyone,
Reminder about hats
We are a Sunsmart school and we are required by policy to wear
hats from September to April. Students are required to wear a
hat at school for the duration of this time. Please ensure your
child has a hat with their name clearly written on it. If you need
to order a replacement hat please see the uniform shop during
open hours.
PARENTING INFORMATION
Feeling like a mum or a dad - do you confuse redundancy with
irrelevance? Submitted by: Michael Grose
Last week I placed a post on Facebook about the importance of
developing independence in kids. Specifically, I asked people to
finish this sentence:
“I make myself redundant with my kids by getting them
to_____________.”
The responses were fabulous, showing the diversity of
approaches and ideas that parents have, as well showing a
determination for children experience the feeling of confidence
that comes with real self-reliance. (They are well worth a read!)
ASSEMBLY
Weather permitting, the next whole school assembly will
be held tomorrow Friday, 27th March 2015 at 1.40pm. If
the weather is not suitable, sub-school assemblies will be
conducted; the Early Years in the multipurpose room and
Middle Years in the undercover area outside the LOTE Room.
One person issued a ‘Take Care’ warning about developing
independence in kids. This particular mother has found that her
daughter has become so independent that she has become
almost irrelevant in her eyes. This post struck a chord with me.
START OF TERM 2
Term 2 will begin on Monday, 13th April 2015. Please ensure
your children are at school by 9.00am to resume their learning.
It shows that how controversial/challenging redundancy for
parents can be.
HAPPY EASTER
As many readers would know I believe that a basic tenet of
parenting is to teach kids the skills of independent living from
the earliest possible age. Growing up means gaining the
capability to look after yourself and others.
Even though it’s a week away … I wish everyone in our school
community a Happy Easter and hope you will spend quality time
with family and friends. Enjoy chocolate eggs in moderation.
Parents, among other things, are teachers giving kids the skills
as well as opportunities to look after themselves and others. It
sounds simple, but it can be complex to put into practice. For
starters lack of time means it can be easier ‘to do for kids’, than
allow them ‘to do for themselves’. (For ‘do’ insert any self-help
skill such as dress, do up shoelaces, get oneself out of bed,
prepare breakfast….)
Also in a practical sense if you have more than one child then
independence-building is uneven. That is, one child will
generally relish the idea of independence often at the expense
of others.
3
But individual differences are a challenge that parents always
need to overcome regardless of the context.
On that note make sure you take some time to get physical and
enjoy the sunshine over the holidays.
A mum may want her child to be independent, but no parent
wants to be irrelevant. We all want to be connected to our kids
and to be a part of their lives. Irrelevance though shouldn’t be
confused with redundancy. They are very different.
Year levels have completed their Integrated Learning topics for
Term 2:
Foundation - What is my history and how do I know? What
stories do other people tell about the past? How can stories of
the past be told and shared?
In the quest for a feeling of relevance and connection we can
do far too much for our children. I have been guilty of this in the
past. As my children moved into the later teen years I would
often do simple routine things for them such as making
lunches, getting them up in the morning and driving them to
the bus stop (even though it was only a five minute walk) as I
desperately wanted to feel like a dad. I wanted to avoid feelings
of irrelevance at all costs to the detriment of their independence.
Year 1 - How has family life changed or remained? How can we
show that the present is different from or similar to the past?
How do we describe the sequence of time?
Year 2 – How has the past created our future?
Year 3 - How has our community changed over time?
Year 4 – What relationships exist in nature?
Independence building becomes a balancing act between
preparing our kids to (eventually) leave the nest while enjoying
a close, loving relationship with them. Sometimes the desire for
the latter prevents us from doing the former. This is natural, but
as the old notion goes: “The job of parents is to give kids roots
to grow, and wings to fly.” In an emotional sense for parents,
giving kids wings is by far the hardest job of all.
Year 5 - What systems help us survive?
Year 6 - How are changes clarified in a different way?
STUDENT ATTENDANCE
Every day counts – school attendance
We all want our students to get a great education, and the
building blocks for a great education begin with students
coming to school each and every day.
CURRICULUM NEWS
The Australian Curriculum has been written to equip young
Australians with the skills, knowledge and understanding that
will enable them to engage effectively with and prosper in a
globalised world. Students will gain personal and social
benefits, be better equipped to make sense of the world in
which they live and make an important contribution to building
the social, intellectual and creative capital of our nation.
Missing school can have a major impact on a child’s future – a
student missing one day a fortnight will miss four full weeks by
the end of the year. By Year 10 they’ll have missed more than a
year of school.
There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a
student misses puts them behind, and can affect their
educational outcomes.
Accordingly, the Australian Curriculum must be both relevant
to the lives of students and address the contemporary issues
they face. With these considerations and the Melbourne
Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians in
mind, the curriculum gives special attention to these three
priorities:
Coming to school every day is vital, but if for any reason your
child must miss school, there are things we can do together to
ensure they don’t fall behind:
S S peak with your classroom teacher and find out what work
your child needs to do to keep up.
S D
evelop an absence learning plan with your teacher and
ensure your child completes the plan.
S Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures
S Asia and Australia’s engagement with Asia
Remember, every day counts. If your child must miss school,
speak with your classroom teacher early as early as possible.
S Sustainability.
Cross-curriculum priorities are embedded in all learning areas.
They will have a strong but varying presence depending on
their relevance to the learning areas.
The new laws were activated as of the 1st March 2014 and this
means that parents can be fined for not sending students to
school without an acceptable reason.
The content descriptions that support the knowledge,
understanding and skills of the cross-curriculum priorities are
tagged with icons. The tagging brings to the attention of
teachers the need and opportunity to address the crosscurriculum priorities at this time. Elaborations will provide
further advice on how this can be done, or teachers can click on
the hyperlink which will provide further links to more detailed
information on each priority.
If you’re having attendance issues with your child, please let
your classroom teacher know so we can work together to get
your child to school every day.
ON REFLECTION
With term 1 drawing to a close, as a new parent you could be
saying to yourself; “ I wish I knew that before my child started
school!!!” here is a list of things you could reflect on and review
or even put in place in preparation for Term 2.
Planning days have been bubbling along nicely. Term letters
will go home the first week of Term 2. If you have any concerns
or information about your child’s learning please do not
hesitate to contact their classroom teacher.
J B
uy lots of the same pairs of socks, so if you lose one you’ll
have a spare, not a left-over.
4
J B
uy a good quality summer and or winter uniform because
they will outlast the cheaper ones and you save money in
the long run.
ATTENDANCE DATA
J W
hen you name your child’s clothing, lunch box and drink
bottles, with permanent markers - use only the surname.
Things can then be handed down to younger siblings.
It’s COOL to be at SCHOOL!
J Teach your little boy what a urinal is and how to use it.
J If your child is having a lunch order, make sure you put in
something for them to eat at recess time as the orders don’t
arrive until lunch time.
J T he school bags offered at uniform shops are excellent. You
may think they are too big for your child, however once the
lunch box, hat, drink bottle, library book, take-home book,
jumper or jacket and finished work go in there, there’s not
much room left.
J A
ttach a little trinket to your child’s school bag so that it is
easily distinguishable from other bags.
J I f you can afford to buy two hats, do it. Leave one permanently
in the car or school bag….it saves the argument about the
hat every morning.
J It’s OK to forget other parents’ names….it’s hard enough to
remember your child’s new friend’s name. Just ask again!
J If you want to be a part of what is going on at school, come
to a Parent and Friends meeting.
It’s NOT OK to be away!
Here are the student absences for term 1, week 8 2015. These
statistics cover the days for the period Monday 16/3/15 to Friday
20/3/15.
CONGRATULATIONS - Early Bird
Congratulations to Groups Eucalypt 2, Eucalypt 7 and Waratah 5
for being here on time to start their learning for Week 8 of Term
1.
100% Attendance winners - Term 1 Week 8 2015
Congratulations to all the students who were here every single
day last week:
Foundation - Hana
Year 1 - Adam
Year 2 - Li Peng
Year 3 - Alana
Year 4 - Adam
Year 5 - Joshua
Year 6 - Max
2015
J A
rrange coffee mornings with other parents at a place
Week 8
where the toddlers will be kept entertained and you don’t
Term 1
have to clean up!
Without
With
Total
Progressive
Average
No.
Total
date
Student
to Rate/
Note
Note
Foundation
5
6
11
116
1.9
Years 1
10
22
32
Years 2
6
8
14
Years 3
14
22
36
J F ill drink bottles from home, it’s cheaper and healthier than
buying packaged juices.
Years 4
2
10
12
IN CLOSING
Years 5
8
12
20
Years 6
13
11
24
TOTAL
58
91
149
204
137
188
130
121
149
1045
2.2
1.6
2.1
1.4
1.5
2.0
1.8
J T ry to help out in the classroom once a week. Your child will
love it and you will get to know the other kids, as well as
being familiar with their school activities.
J B
uy snap lock bags for lunch because they can be reused
and they are easier to open than cling wrap.
It has been a very busy week with all staff finalising planning
Term 2. A reminder that assembly will be at 1.40pm with an
early dismissal at 2.30pm on Friday. Students will be dismissed
from their classrooms. I wish people a happy and safe holiday
and I look forward to holiday stories on your return next term.
I leave you with a quote
One day your life will flash before your eyes. Make sure it is
worth watching….Author unknown!
Remember that being at school on time, every day, can
improve student learning! Please make sure you continue to
send a note if your child is going to be absent from school.
Cihan Ozbilgin
Student Attendance Data Coordinator
Keep smiling! 
Fiona Rosa
Assistant Principal
5
Citizenship Awards
Year 3
Waratah W5 Michaela
For caring for her classmates.
Waratah W6 Keerthana
For showing the value of friendliness.
Hibiscus H5 Everyone in H5
Term 1
For being responsible and respectful learners in Term 1.
Hibiscus H6
Joy
Week 9
Foundation
For always demonstrating her best listening skills.
Waratah W1 Lizzie
For always trying her best and coming to school with a
smile. Well done!
Waratah W2 Myiesha
Year 4
For showing the value of responsibility.
Waratah W4 Waratah 4
Waratah W3 Dinara
For being friendly, fun and respectful for all of Term 1.
For always following classroom rules.
Eucalypt E1 Afua
For demonstrating the value of kindness.
Eucalypt E8 Kya
Year 1
For demonstrating the value of positivity.
Waratah W7 Xiao Wen
For always caring about her classmates.
Waratah W8 Shilah
Year 5
For always being kind and caring to others.
Eucalypt E2 Jyle
Waratah W9 Max
For displaying the value of positivity.
For showing more responsible behaviour.
Eucalypt E3 Seyon
Waratah W10 Hayden
For displaying the value of kindness.
For improving his listening skills.
Eucalypt E4 Michael
For displaying initiative.
Year 2
Hibiscus H1 Taleb
Year 6
For being a great friend!
Eucalypt E5 James
Hibiscus H2 Elissa
For being a responsible and respectful student.
For making some new friends.
Eucalypt E6 Xia
Hibiscus H3 Samantha
For always having a positive attitude.
For displaying the value of enthusiasm.
Eucalypt E7 Zak
Hibiscus H4 Alaa
For demonstrating the values of flexibility and kindness.
For showing the value of enthusiasm.
6
Learning Awards
Year 3
Waratah W5 Stevie-Lee
For outstanding rhetorical questions within her writing.
Waratah W6 Nayle
For awesome Home Learning.
Term 1
Hibiscus H5 Everyone in H5
Week 9
For a wonderful effort in Term 1.
Hibiscus H6 Maddison
Foundation
For a wonderful effort in Term 1.
Waratah W1 Chase
For working hard to write a sentence. Well done!
Waratah W2 Rama
Year 4
For trying hard with her learning.
Waratah W3 Stephanie
Waratah W4 Mirae
For trying hard to write new words.
For great improvement in her Reading.
Eucalypt E1 Ava
For her excellent reading skills.
Year 1
Eucalypt E8 Arshdeep
Waratah W7 Tony
For always trying his best during our reading sessions.
For making 4 digit numbers with MAB during Maths.
Waratah W8 Dean
Year 5
For doing a great job with his reading.
Waratah W9 Esra
Eucalypt E2 George
For doing excellent work in Maths.
For his excellent work with time.
Waratah W10 Isabella
Eucalypt E3 Jafar
For improving her writing and using lowercase letters.
Great effort with his persuasive writing.
Eucalypt E4 Anthony
For excellent work habits.
Year 2
Year 6
Hibiscus H1 Fouad
Eucalypt E5 Max
For excellent reading!
For excellent work in Novel Study.
Hibiscus H2 Cooper
Eucalypt E6 Gavin
For writing excellent instructions.
For his excellent work in the Maths extension.
Hibiscus H3 Austin
Eucalypt E7 Seth
For making great improvements with his reading.
For achieving excellent results in Maths.
Hibiscus H4 Geneveive
For her excellent origami skills.
7
STUDENT BANKING
Keyboard
Congratulations to Ava (W10), Jaidyn (W10), Aleisha (H2),
Katrina (H2), Panchali (H1), Rasika (H4) and Laura (H5). Happy
Eshu
Year 6
Ethan Year 6
saving people!
Adam
Year 6
Singers
Vivian Gulia
Student Banking Coordinator
FOUNDATION BREAKFAST
Jack
Year 6
Xia
Year 6
Lara
Year 5
Ukulele
Last Friday, the Foundation students had their Foundation
Breakfast as part of the Outdoor Education Program. This
program prepares students for future activities such as
overnight sleepovers and camps. Our classrooms were
transformed into restaurants, the students became customers,
and the teachers became waiters and waitresses! The students
enjoyed a three-course breakfast of cereal, toast and fruit. Their
manners were exemplary as they enjoyed their meals. A terrific
time was had by all!
Zac Year 6
Thank you everyone. And now let’s rock!
Fiona King and Simon Ferwerda
CULTURAL DIVERSITY WEEK
WOW! We had such a fabulous time last week celebrating
Cultural Diversity at Mill Park Primary School.
It began with our Assembly last Monday, where interesting
facts were shared with the students. One of the facts is that
Mandarin is the most popular language in the world. We were
then introduced to some Belly Dancing lessons by our Middle
Years Music Teacher, Ms King. It was a lot of fun participating
and it was great to see all the students and teachers getting into
the spirit of Belly Dancing!
Our week continued with a Story Time session on a culture of
choice in the classrooms. It was great to hear students share
their own stories about foods they eat, where their families are
from and specific customs about their culture.
Foundation Team
ROCK BAND 2015
One of Mill Park’s favourite events is the Multicultural Parade. It
was amazing to see the school community dressed up in some
wonderful costumes. Each student had the opportunity to
parade around with their classmates. We saw lots of students in
traditional Chinese dresses, American Indians, Hawaiian Hula’s,
Libyan dresses and European Soccer players. Congratulations
to all the students and their families for embracing our parade
and being involved in the spirit of ‘dressing up’.
First of all, THANK YOU to all of the students who showed their
enthusiasm, talent and amazing musical skills during the rock
band auditions that have occurred during lunchtimes over the
last eight weeks. Well done!
And now, congratulations to the following students who have
been selected to be in the Mill Park Primary School Rock Band
for 2015!
Drumkit
Thomas Year 6
Stefan
Year 5
The Foundation students had their Grandparents Day/Special
Persons Concert, which is always a favourite! The whole school
also participated in a variety of multicultural rotations. In the
Year 2 area students were able to make ‘Carnivale’ masks from
Brazil, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, Japanese Fans and Harmony
Hands.
Conga/Percussion
Blake
Year 6
We finished our fabulous week with the International Day of
Happiness. In classrooms, students worked collaboratively to
create a page that shows what happiness means to them. Once
all the pages from each classroom are collected, a Mill Park
Happiness Book will be made and displayed at the front office.
Bass
Connor
Year 6
Jaclyn Year 6
Guitar
Brody Year 6
Triston Year 5
8
CYBER SAFETY ‘I-SPY’
The students received a yellow smiley face balloon to take out
to assembly and everyone got into the spirit of singing and
dancing to the ‘Happy’ song by Pharell Williams. Thank you to
our Student Leaders for leading the dance.
Hidden around our school are some mini pictures that represent
Cyber Safety. We are going to play a whole school game of ‘I
Spy’ and there are some prizes to be won! There is a checklist
attached to the newsletter that you can use to keep track of
how many pictures you find. You will also need to record where
you found the pictures. They will be hidden around our school
in windows and on doors.
On behalf of the Hibiscus PLT (Year 2 and Year 3 teachers and
Mrs Turner) we would like to thank the school community for
being so actively involved in this year’s Cultural Diversity Week.
It is amazing how well we celebrate all the differences amongst
our diverse range of 61 cultures.
Grazie, ’Danke schön’ Merci, Hvala, Gracias!
Kelly Spurr
Leading Teacher Hibiscus PLT
There are 3 prizes to be won by the first 3 people who find ALL
of the mini pictures. The prizes are:
AN IMPORTANT CYBERSAFETY
MESSAGE
SA Mathletics Live voucher that allows you and a
friend to have 30 minutes together on Mathletics
Live (as negotiated by your teacher).
Only a couple more weeks until our Internet Safety Awareness
Presentation! Have you returned your expression of interest
form?
SAn iPad token that allows you to spend some time on
your iPad (as negotiated by your teacher).
To help your children stay safe online, Mill Park Primary School
is hosting a Cybersmart Outreach—Internet Safety Awareness
presentation. Designed for parents, teachers and students, this
presentation is provided by the Australian Communications
and Media Authority (the ACMA) as part of a national program
of Cybersmart Initiatives.
SA 30 minute voucher for you to go onto your netbook
and have ‘free time’ (as negotiated by your teacher).
If you require another checklist please see Miss Therapiotis (W6)
or Miss Dehghani (E8).
The presentation is conducted by an ACMA Cybersmart trainer
and is free of charge.
The Cybersmart Outreach—Internet
presentation will be held on:
Safety
Message brought to you by the eSmart Team: Efstathia
Therapiotis, Vanessa Fasulo, Corrado Porcaro, Adam Horne,
Stephanie Dehghani, Jacqui Taylor-Gosling and Caitlin
Shipsides.
Awareness
Wednesday 22nd April, 2015 at 6:30pm in the Eucalypt
Building
READING MATTERS
As a bonus for those who attend the night, there will be door
prizes raffled. Each family will receive a raffle ticket upon entry
and the door prize raffle will be drawn at the conclusion of the
presentation.
Congratulations! H3, H6 and W6 have completed the Challenge.
2nd Prize
This means that every child in these groups has read 30 or more
books. This also means that we have 182 students who have
completed the Challenge and read 7,298 books. Brilliant
reading! I know many of you have started reading for the
challenge, please bring your reading sheets to the library so
that I can start recording the data on the official site.
Sony Extra Bass Headphone Valued at $49.95
Premier’s Reading Challenge
3rd Prize
The Premier’s Reading Challenge is part of our Literacy
Program and therefore compulsory for each child to enter.
1st Prize
Nikon Coolpix S01 Compact Digital Camera Valued at $69
YellowStone Portable Speaker Valued at $28
Permission forms are coming in thick and fast. There are still 55
permission notes outstanding. If you have not brought your
form back please do so as soon as possible. If you need another
form come and see me. Home Reading books are not on the
Message brought to you by the eSmart Team: Efstathia
Therapiotis, Vanessa Fasulo, Corrado Porcaro, Adam Horne,
Stephanie Dehghani, Jacqui Taylor-Gosling and Caitlin
Shipsides.
list so please borrow from the library.
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Divisional Sport News:
This is meant to be stress free. The books in library are labelled
for easy selection by the students and there are tubs of the
books in their different levels near the circulation desk. Please
encourage your children to borrow from these tubs during
library sessions, before and after school and at lunch times. If
they borrow two books a week – one a “Challenge book” and
one of their own choice they will complete the Challenge in no
time. Please come and see me if you need further information. I
am available before school from 8.30 -9.00am and after school
3.30 – 3.45pm. If you still wish to see the book list the website for
the Premier’s Reading Challenge Book list is www.education.
Congratulations to Toby, Max, Emily and Ashtyn who
participated this Term in District sport trials in Basketball and
Netball (Ash). The students were successful in advancing to the
next level of competition and I am looking forward to hearing
about their experiences during the next trial process.
Sincerely,
Jason Gray
PE Teacher
vic.gov.au/prc
‘BDSSA’ Coordinator
Overdue Books
Thank you to the students who have returned overdue books
this week. New lists went out yesterday. Please bring your books
back on time so your name does not appear on my wanted list.
Make sure that your child has a library bag and they bring their
library books back within the two week borrowing time. The
children can borrow during their weekly library sessions, at
lunch time, before school (8.30-9.00am) and after school (3.30
– 3.45pm).
PARENTS AND FRIENDS ASSOCIATION
NEWS
To all families and to all teaching, support and administration
staff of Mill Park Primary School.
Happy Holidays!!
CHECK OUT THIS SPACE FOR MORE INFORMATION ON EVENTS TO
COME IN TERM 2.
Your best friends can be found within the pages of a book.
Enjoy the holidays!
FUNDRAISING CALENDAR
TERM 2 2015
Happy Reading
Sharon Turner
Library
April: WALKATHON
May: MOTHERS’ DAY STALL
Education Week: BIGGEST MORNING TEA
The Parents and Friends Association meet on the second
Tuesday of each month in the Community Room.
SPORTS CORNER
These meetings are open to all parents and guardians,
grandparents and interested members of the School
Community.
Bat Tennis and Tee Ball advance to the Grand Finals!!!!!!
The last day of Term 1 will be a very memorable day for both the
boys Bat Tennis and Girls Tee Ball teams that advanced to the
Bundoora Sport District Grand Finals. The Bat Tennis boys will
be playing Plenty Parklands Primary School (their only loss) at
Plenty Parklands, while the Tee Ball girls will travel to the YMCA
Softball grounds, Morang Drive to play against the Mill Park
Heights team. I am very excited for both teams and proud of all
the students involved in Interschool Sport this term. Both
Volleyball teams finished in 4th Place and our Cricket boys
finished in 3rd place overall.
If you have heard of great Fundraising ideas that have worked at
other schools or organisations via friends or work colleagues,
we would love to hear them.
Our next meeting will take place on Tuesday 14th April at
9.05am.
We hope to see you there!
Term 2 Sport is also being organised at the moment and
selected students will represent our school again in Footy,
Soccer, Netball and Girls Bat Tennis.
Kathryn Murray
PFA Secretary
It has been a very action packed and fast term and I am looking
forward to Term 2. Information regarding PE planning and
events will be forwarded in upcoming newsletters.
I would again like to thank all the parents that supported our
teams throughout this term and our Middle Years teachers that
did an outstanding job each week preparing our students for
sport and sport carnivals.
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