Volume 21 Issue 33 Thursday 29 October, 2015

O ur Annual Mini-Fete With an abundance of stalls and sunny weather

prevailing, our annual Mini Fete was a huge success! Congratulations to all the Year 5 and 6 students on their outstanding effort and thank you, to our school community, for supporting this event!

With money counted, I am thrilled to announce that $4,769.60 was raised!!! This was an outstanding achievement!!!

The Year 5 classes will now collectively decide the school resources to be purchased or the programs to be supported with their portion of the money raised with the Year 6 portion supporting the Year 6 graduation.

A collage of photographs in this week’s newsletter has captured many aspects of the occasion!

F oundation Transition Program This week, the Foundation Year [formerly known as Prep Year] students for 2016

commenced their transition program. This was the first of four sessions which will be conducted to support the children’s introduction to school. With classroom activities undertaken by students, parents had the opportunity to meet with Jim and Jenny in the Multi Media Centre to be given an introductory overview of the school, to be informed about the School Nursing Program, the Before and After School Care Program, the School Banking Program and to have individual questions answered. It was a full agenda and time was limited! For a number of children and parents, it was a new experience but for others with older siblings and children at the school there was certainly an element of familiarity! Regardless, our transition program certainly promotes commencing school as a positive experience for our new enrolments!

V isual Arts News Thanks to the parents who have donated plain brown and printed paper, wrapping paper,

plastic rectangles and magazines. All donations are very much appreciated. Here is a list of useful things that we can use in the art room: paper, cardboard, corrugated cardboard, plastic containers, lids, balsa wood, fabric, ribbon, wool, inner cardboard cylinders from foil and cling wrap, polystyrene trays and magazines. Please send these useful items along to the art room any Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Thank you for your support. Joi Zappia, visual arts teacher

www.brentwoodparkps.vic.edu.au

TERM DATES 2015 TERM 4 05 OCT - 18 DEC. TERM DATES 2016 TERM 1 28 JAN. - 24 MARCH TERM 2 11 APRIL - 24 JUNE TERM 3 11 JULY - 16 SEPT. TERM 4 03 OCT. - 20 DEC.

16 OCT - 11 NOV INTERSCHOOL SPORTS & LIGHTNING PREMIERSHIP 02 NOV CURRICULUM STUDENT FREE DAY 03 NOV MELBOURNE CUP PUBLIC HOLIDAY 04 NOV BOOKFAIR AND ART EXHIBITION (THIS YEARS THEME IS CHRISTMAS) 06 NOV YEAR 6 GRADUATION BEAR/BALL ($14 PAYMENT DUE) 09 NOV BOOKFAIR SPECIAL PERSON MORNING (FOUNDATION TO YEAR 2) 17 DEC YEAR 6 GRADUATION (NOTICE TO FOLLOW) JIM BELL, PRINCIPAL JENNY REID, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

DATES TO REMEMBER

K ambrya Maths - Term 4, Week 3 This was the final week of our Mathematics enrichment program at Kambrya! The students

have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges set and the learning undertaken. For the final lesson, the students had to identify the base and calculate height of a triangle. The height is always perpendicular to the base, and when looking at them both they form a right angle. Where you have a triangle with no right angles, you create a perpendicular line from the base, creating a right angle, and that is where you will get your height measurement. LEARNING GOALS: Area of a composite shape. To find the area of a combined or composite shape. SUCCESS CRITERIA Break shapes into smaller parts. Subtract a small area from a big area. Mrs Ridoutt explained to the grade 6 students the formula of calculating the area of basic shapes: Area for a square is Length x Width. Area for a rectangle is Length x Width. Area for a triangle is 1/2 x base x height. ACTIVITY The class had to work out the area of several composite shapes by following a multiple step process. The students had to divide the composites into basic figures, assign lengths, and then calculated the area of the individual shapes; adding/subtracting the results together to find the total area of the composite shape.

Our students proved to be attentive and studious!!!!!

M usic: Count Us In: Celebration Day – Thursday 29 October 2015 “Music: Count Us In” (MCUI) is Australia’s

biggest school initiative, with more than 500,000 participating students from over 2,100 schools nationwide. Music education has been proven to improve students’ literacy, numeracy, school attendance and confidence.

“Music: Count Us In” brings teachers, parents, students and the music industry together in celebration, as more than half a million people unite to sing the same song at the same time, right across the country. All students from Brentwood Park Primary School participated in this event. Today, we assembled at 12.30pm on to sing the song “Gold”; a song which celebrates the value of friendship and our hopes for a bright future.

P arent Opinion Survey 2015 As you are aware, opinions of parents are sought on an annual basis through the random sampling

of school families. From the families selected, we had 85% returned for externally processing and we were recently forwarded the results. These results were presented to School Council on Tuesday 27 October. The General Satisfaction variable revealed that 90.5% of the parents randomly selected stated that “they were satisfied with the education their child receives at Brentwood Park”, 6.4% were non-committal and 3.2% revealed dissatisfaction. These percentages were a little more positive to last year and resulted in the school mean for this variable surpassing the School Type and State means; 6.18, 5.96 and 5.86 respectively. Our school mean of 6.18 achieved us a percentile ranking of 67.7 compared to the percentile ranking of last year of 35. This year’s results were pleasing overall and gratifying given that, as a school, we work tirelessly to provide the best possible education for all children. Results were presented in graphical and tabular forms. The highest ranking elements were Connectedness to Peers, Student Safety, Student Motivation, Homework, and Learning Focus. The lowest ranking element was Parent Input. The numerical data illustrated that our school means in these variables surpassed both School Type and State means and that only 2.6% - 8 % of respondents were in disagreement with the positive statements presented. We will continue to evaluate our procedures and programs on an annual basis and in adherence to our continuous improvement agenda.

J OHN MONASH SCIENCE FAIR On Monday evening, four Brentwood Park students displayed their scientific research at the John

Monash Science Fair as part of the Little Scientist Big Scientist Program. The four little scientists are Ethan (5CH), Sandavi (5LF), Caitlyn (5LF) and Yuvarnika (5CP). Ethan and Sandavi presented their research on the Flight of Birds and Caitlyn and Yuvarnika presented their research on the Working of the Heart and Lungs. During the evening the little scientists communicated to the Science Fair visitors the purpose of their research. Their research was presented by the making of models, posters and PowerPoint slideshows. As the principal of the school, Peter Corkill stated that our little scientists communicated their knowledge and skills in a variety of modes. At the Official Ceremony Peter said that he was amazed with the quality of projects and Leonie Walsh, the Lead Scientist of Victoria addressed the audience stating that science is important for industry and the industrial sector is just as important for science. She stated that the students of today need to demonstrate creativity, innovation and problem solving skills. She also emphasised that industry sector not only wants students who have the technical and scientific skills, but also excellent communication and relationship management skills. One of the interesting free apps that was demonstrated on the night was Daqri 4D. Why not download this free app!!

S tudent Transfers and Enrolments 2016 In order for us to arrange staffing, grade structure, budget allocations and various other school

functions for the 2016 school year, it is imperative that we are able to ascertain student numbers for next year. The more accurate with our future planning, the smoother we can make the transition for the children from one year level to the next. Parents are requested to contact the office of additional enrolments for Years Foundation – Year 6, if they have not already done so. If any families are aware that their children, other than the current year 6 students, will not be attending Brentwood Park Primary School next year, could you please notify the office or your child’s classroom teacher. Thank you for your cooperation. Your assistance is greatly appreciated!

S chool Banking As you are aware, student bankers receive a Dollarmites token every time they make a deposit

to their savings account at school, regardless of the amount. Once they have 10 tokens, they can redeem them for a variety of reward items. The more tokens they save, the more items they can redeem throughout the year.

I was astonished by how tall Phar Lap was. Did you know that the skin on Phar Lap’s model in the museum is actually real while his skeleton is actually in the New Zealand museum? Daniel

4SM at the Melbourne Museum and Imax Theatre

I was amazed when I walked into the Imax Theatre because it was gigantic. We watched the real Ice Age in 3D and it was AWESOME! Ty

I was really interested to learn how the Aboriginal women held their babies inside their hoods and the outstanding way in which they made huts to live in. Abbey

Watching the Ice-age documentary was really heart-warming and also made me think about how the animals survived and dealt with the harsh, cold climate and predators threatening to kill other existing species. Gaby

I never really cared much about type writers but when I saw the number of different type writers used in the olden days, I was truly amazed. Anu

I was super excited about everything in the museum and found it exceptionally educational. One of the things it taught me was that every Aboriginal tribe is different. Arron

I was totally astonished by the 3D experience as it made me feel like I was right there at that moment in the Ice Age! Thomas

I went to the exciting museum and learned about the First People and at the Imax Theatre we got 3D glasses to watch Titans of the Ice Age which made the movie even more realistic. Sherinder

The part that fascinated me the most was the wall that had a record of everyone who was Aboriginal and they could relate to their families on the wall. Ebony

I didn’t know Aboriginal people spoke different languages. That was so fascinating for me. Anatoly

In the forest gallery, I saw a fire place with a chimney from a house that was burnt down in a forest fire. That fire place was the only thing that was left after the house burnt down. Tye

The museum was certainly breathtaking but the Phar Lap exhibit was my favourite. Although the garden walk was extremely interesting, Phar Lap was the best! Did you know that Phar Lap’s heart was twice the size of a human being’s heart? Eliza

I was fascinated by the bower birds at the museum. I was astounded to learn that after the male bowerbirds have made their bower, the female dances around the bower and if she goes down the centre, she likes that male. Hannah

The movie Titans of the Ice Age was extraordinary. When I watched it, it felt like I had gone back in time. Raven

An amazing exhibit was the Forest Gallery. Leading from the gardens was a footpath to the waterhole. There were fish, eels and frogs in the waterhole. Ash

It was very sad in the movie when people started hunting animals. It was also heart-breaking when they found the month old baby mam-moth who had died so young. Jada

It was mind-blowing how they discovered the mammoth bones after such a long time. Holly

I thought it was heartbreaking when the mammoth fell into the steaming water from the hot springs. Nekeytah

There was an old fashioned cinema and rollercoaster in the museum. Jorden

I thought that the Imax theatre was magnificent and when the snowflakes looked like they were falling on me and all around us, I was fascinated. Nayab

I loved the magnificent, old half house because it was terrific seeing how houses looked in the olden days. It was amazing how the woolly mammoths lived and how scientists found a one month old baby mammoth who had died so many years ago. Taryn

It was a little sad to see how some animals killed other animals to survive. I was fascinated to learn that the Aboriginal people made medicine from plants growing around them. Darby

I was amazed by how fast Phar Lap was but was saddened by how he was killed. He was poisoned by horrible guys who wanted their horse to win the races. Cooper

I was totally amazed when I saw the structure of the humungous Blue Whale in front of the Forest Gallery. The movie Titans of the Ice Age taught me there were many reasons causing the mammoths to die. Jaskaran

I learnt that the Aboriginal people got their medicine from flowers and plants around them. Sophie

I was astonished to see a large, thick stump of wood about 600 years old in the museum. I was mind-blown to also see a gigantic whale skeleton in the middle of the museum. Ashton

The museum was amazing and I liked watching the sabre-toothed cats challenging the dire wolves for the kills in the Titans of the Ice Age. Jake

I learnt that thousands of years ago mammoths had slipped into the tar and drowned. Jonte

I enjoyed looking through the telescopes. Muginga

I liked going to the historical museum because it was full of incredible artefacts. Dominique

In Term Four, students have explored a range of collage techniques and materials. Foundation students have used a range of paper types and pre cut fabric for their collage. Year One and Two students have used tissue paper to create flowers in a vase, based on the work of Vincent Van Gogh. Year Three students have used corrugated cardboard, foil, embossed and glossy paper for their bird collage. Students in 23CM created a litter collage. They collected interesting litter from the playground and then arranged it onto a thick cardboard background and glued it down with PVA.

Visual Arts Collage: is a piece of art made by sticking various different materials onto a background. Collage comes from the French word ‘coller’ which means ‘to glue’. A collage has three components a background, materials and glue. Collage materials include paper, fabric, balsa wood, natural materials, lids, photographs and newspaper clippings. 

Year Four students are currently working on a mosaic. They are using small mosaic squares for the foreground and single colour squares for the background. The mosaic squares are cut into rectangles and triangles as required. Year Five students are working on a torn paper collage using glossy paper from magazines and Year Six students are creating a distorted face using facial features from magazines.

As you are aware, the Brentwood Park Book Fair starts on Wednesday 4th November in the MMC. The Brentwood Park Art Exhibition will also be held at this time. All the hallways leading to the MMC, are adorned with the art work of our wonderful students. Please stop by and enjoy!

The Brentwood Park Art Exhibition will be held from Wednesday 4th November to Friday 13th November.

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 re-quired to be sent back by this date – otherwise your child will not be able to attend. This enables us to confirm book-ings and numbers with bus companies and organisations we are visiting. Also we need to send details to the Depart-ment 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.

‘SPECIALIST’ Stars of the Week

Health & P.E. 5CP, 5CH For getting a hole in one in Pitch and Putt! 6JA Visual Arts 3ER For their fabulous face collage using glossy magazines. Performing Arts 5CP For demonstrating persistence and getting along skills when playing guitars, keyboards & xylophones. LOTE 3LP For your consideration of bringing your own pencil case to the Chinese class in 2015.

Term 4 Week ending 23rd October 2015

FTL Aaliyah For her enthusiasm at the farm. FBV Bosley For working hard to settle into FBV. Welcome to Brentwood Park P.S! FSM Ben For writing a good recount of our trip to Myuna Farm. 1HG Paora For being a super problem solver and reading a timetable accurately. Well done! 1MB Jack For his enthusiasm and engagement during the school Science Day! 1MM Karishma For writing an excellent Information Report and utilising her VCOP strategies! 2AD Nidhi For writing an amazingly detailed recount on Science Day! Fantastic work, Nidhi. 2RG Tiannah For her positive attitude to tasks and always trying her best. Well done! 2/3C Nigitha For the outstanding job you did on your research about New Zealand!. Well done! 3ER Emily For being a caring and supportive team member of our class. 3LP Jessie For being a responsible, reliable ALL ROUND classroom SUPERSTAR! You are AWESOME! 4SM Ashton For having a positive attitude towards his learning and demonstrating excellent getting along skills. 4VK Richard For working hard to complete fraction number lines accurately. 5CH Cooper For being a fantastic team member during Mini Fete preparations. 5CP Danny For his fantastic display of teamwork during interschool sports.   5LF Baylon For concentrating and completing class activities. Well done! 6JA Sienna For making a wonderful start with completing her homework in term 4. 6JD Danish For his continued effort at all tasks! You always work to the best of your ability. 6TS Neelupa For teaching our class an aerodynamics lesson following our Science Day.