Wales Street Primary School Newsletter

Date: 13 February 2020 Term 1, Number 2

In This Issue

Message from the principal

PE News

CSEF News

Great Ideas Grant

Safer Internet Day

Scholastic Book Club

Our Great Fete

Welcome Picnic Postponed

ABC Music Program Flyer

Next Curriculum Days

Tuesday 10 March, 2020

Thursday 4 June, 2020

Friday 5 June, 2020

The yard is supervised before

school from 8.45am and after school until 3.45pm. Students must not be dropped off and left alone before 8:45am. Any student in the yard

unsupervised before 8.45am will need to go to our school aged care program.

An important reminder that any change of address or contact phone numbers needs to be

updated with the office. This

includes work numbers and emergency contacts. It is very important that the school is able to contact families in the event of an accident or illness.

From the principal……

Our ‘soft start’ initiative has certainly been well received by parents and staff and has resulted in a very calm atmosphere at the start of the school day. Learning programs have begun as soon as the bell goes to begin the day. Robyn and I have been out in the yard and have spoken to many parents who are enjoying the chance to take their child to their classroom, and those with more than one child, have said that it is easier to drop both at their classroom door. The ‘kiss and go’ zone also appears to be flowing smoothly with a longer time frame for parents to drop their child at the gate.

This week we will be upgrading our PA system to play the music at 8:50 until 9am automatically as Luisa Kalenjuk has been kind enough to be managing this element manually every day. This ten minute window provides enough time for all students to go to their classroom, get themselves organised for the day and be ready in front of their teacher by 9am. Thank you to the staff for making this transition so smooth and we will continue this trial for a few weeks more.

Privacy Policy We have been asked by the Department of Education to remind parents to read the DET Privacy Policy annually and understand its implications for your family. You can find the policy in Compass under School Documentation along with many other policies that are relevant to our school.

Parent Information Nights- Meet The Teaching Teams Will be held on Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th February 2020. These evenings provide parents with an opportunity to meet the teaching staff for these year levels. During the evening, the staff will give you an overview of the key learning areas taught in each year level as well as any key events or programs that you will need to be aware throughout the year. Parents are provided with the opportunity to ask questions. We look forward to seeing you there.

Recess: 10.40am–11.10am Lunch eating time: 12.50pm-1.00pm Lunchtime: 1.00pm – 1.50pm

School Finish: 3.30pm

Events Tuesday 18 February G: F 5 & 6 Information Night Wednesday 19 February G: 1 2 3 & 4 Information Night Thursday 20 February G5 Fizzics Incursion

Friday 21 February Welcome Picnic 6-8pm Tuesday 25 February Northcote District Swimming

Championship 10-12:30 Wednesday 4 March

G4 WTP Excursion G1 Market Fresh Incursion Thursday 5 March G5/6 T20

Contact Us

Ph: (03) 9484 3949

Fax: (03) 9480 5930

wales.street.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

www.walesstps.vic.edu.au

Tuesday 18th February

Grade Where

5:45-6:15pm 6:15-6:30pm

Foundation Clyde Street Building Individual Classrooms

6:30-7:00pm 7:00-7:15pm

Grade 5 Clyde Street Building Individual Classrooms

6:30-7:00pm 7:00-7:15pm

Grade 6 6B & 6C Double Classroom Individual Classrooms

Wednesday 19th

February

Grade Where

5:45-6:15pm 6:15-6:30pm

Grade 1 Communal Space in the Wales St Building Individual Classes

5:45-6:15pm 6:15-6:30pm

Grade 2 Clyde Street Building Individual Classrooms

Flexibuzz and Compass As we are now fully integrated onto Compass as our main platform for communication which we have been using for five years, we will be phasing out the use of Flexibuzz by the end of term one as we feel that the need for 2 platforms is no longer necessary.

Compass has an app that provides the same features as Flexibuzz in delivering push notifications and we have extended the Compass Newsfeed to be ‘live’ for 12 month so articles can be retrieved if necessary. Flexibuzz has some limitations as it relies on parents to re-join and sign in each year which means we are open to anyone who subscribes to the site and not everyone is connected to us. Compass is for Wales Street families only and requires more security via a password and username. If you have not used the Compass app, we are providing plenty of notice to migrate to this app. Staff will continue to use both apps until the end of term one. Dogs in the school ground Please be aware that dogs need to be on leash and are not to be brought into the school grounds before and after school. With many children around we need to respect the needs of the community, our four legged friends and the children in our care.

Website Have you seen our amazing website! A very special thanks to Fiona Clarke for driving the changes to our new platform and getting it up and running this year. It is a much easier site for our staff to work with and will make communications and information easier to produce and share on a more stream lined platform. Check it out!

School Council Vacancies & Elections 2020 – Call for Nominations Each year approximately half the members on school council face election as part of a process to ensure mentoring and renewal of this body.

The role of School Council, the various categories of membership election and calls for nominations for the 2020 election are detailed below. If you choose to

PYP Learner Profile

Attributes

Open Minded

Principled

Reflective

Courageous

Thinker

Caring

Communication

Inquirer

Knowledgeable

Well Balanced

PYP Attitudes

Appreciation

Enthusiasm

Cooperation

Creativity

Confidence

Commitment

Curiosity

Integrity

Empathy

Tolerance

Independence

Respect

nominate, please attach a written paragraph about yourself that can be published in the event of an election and for entry into the newsletter. If the number of nominations exceeds the vacancies then an election is conducted for members of the School Council of Wales Street.

PS. Before considering standing for School Council please consider the time commitment as it is an expectation that as a School Council member that you may also be a member of one of the sub committees. Election Time Frame

Friday 14th February Notice of School Council vacancies and calls for nominations Nomination forms on the website or copies at the front desk and attached to this newsletter.

Friday 21st February Closing Date for School Council Nominations at 4pm. Monday 24th February Notification of School Council Elections if required Tuesday 25th February Display a list of candidates, nominators and seconder

outside Office. Distribution of ballot papers by mail if necessary. Thursday 5th March Close of ballot at 4:00 pm. Friday 6th March Counting of votes and declaration of the poll. March 25th School Council AGM. Membership category Term of office Number of positions Parent member From the day after the date of

the declaration of the poll in 2020 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2022

FOUR

Department of Education and Training (DET) employee member

From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll in 2020 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2022

ONE

What Is a School Council and What Does It Do? All government schools in Victoria have a school council. They are legally formed bodies that are given powers to set the key directions of a school within centrally provided guidelines. In doing this, a school council is able to directly influence the quality of education that the school provides for its students.

Who Is on the School Council? There are three possible categories of membership:

A Mandated Elected Parent Category

More than one third of the total members must be from this category. Department of Education and Training (DET) employees can be Parent members at their child’s school as long as they are not employed at the school.

A Mandated Elected Det Employee Category Members of this category may make up no more than one third of the total membership of school council. The principal of the school is automatically one of these members. Jenny Deeble, Acting Principal

PE News - Term 1 Sports dates and information

This term we will have students from grades 4-6 participating in some of the following sporting events.

District swimming – Tuesday 25 February, 2020

Division swimming – Monday 2 March, 2020

Grade 5 & 6 District T20 – Thursday 5 March, 2020

Regional swimming – Tuesday 17 March, 2020

Grade 4-6 WSPS House Athletics Day, Coburg Athletics Track – Monday 23 March, 2020

Grade 4-6 Back up WSPS House Athletics date – Thursday 26 March, 2020

Please note that the House Athletics day is being held earlier than in previous years, this is due to a number of factors, the major one being weather! As the date for the State, Regional and Division Athletics are earlier than in previous years, we have been forced to hold our school event in winter. This creates safety concerns for our students and also increases the likelihood of the day being postponed, making staffing and parent attendance difficult. By holding the event in term one, we are hoping to avoid these issues. Students who make the District team will compete on Thursday 20th August.

Camp Sport and Excursion Fund (CSEF) CSEF is provided by the Victorian Government to assist eligible families to cover the costs of school camps, excursions and incursions and sporting activities.

If you received CSEF in 2019, you do NOT need to complete an application form for 2020 unless there has been a change in your family circumstances; such as a change of custody, change of name, concession card number, or new sibling commencing in 2020.

To apply please download the application form from Compass, or they are available from the school office.

Great Ideas Grants 2020 Each year $10,000 of fundraising money is committed to the Great Ideas Grants program at Wales Street Primary School.

Who can apply? Students, staff and families are eligible to apply for a grant of up to $1,500 for a ‘Great Idea’. We love to see applications from students! What sorts of things do the students of Wales Street Primary School say they want or need at their school?

All applications will receive feedback, and if not suitable for a Great Ideas Grant, there may be other avenues of support available for the Great Idea.

How do you apply? Please find information on how to apply, and the application form here: GIG 2020 information and application Also available on the school website!

Timeline for Term One applications: Monday 10th February - Applications open

Friday 6th March - Applications close

March - Selection Panel reviews applications and makes recommendations to School Council

Thursday 26th March - Applicants advised of outcomes

All applications must be submitted by email to wales.street.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au by 5pm Friday 6th March 2019.

A second round of applications will open in early Term Three.

For further information contact Kylie Price wspsgig@gmail.com

Safer Internet Day 2019: show some RESPECT online This week we have been immersed in responsible use of digital devices for ‘Safer Internet Day’. As we are in the process of gaining ESMART accreditation we are sending home Acceptable Use Policies. This is a good time to discuss safe and responsible use of devices/internet with your child. Jason Sergi (eLearning Coordinator)

Safer Internet Day 2019 on

Tuesday February 5th is a

global day dedicated to

providing a better internet

experience for all. The theme

of this year is “Together for a

better internet”. To do this, we require commitment from all areas

of government, schools, tech companies, app and gaming creators and social networks themselves. But we also need to

take it upon ourselves as individuals, teachers, parents, families and young people to do our part for a better internet.

The focus of this year’s commitment is on the 4 R’s of Respect, Responsibility, Reasoning and Resilience.

These areas are obviously things that I cover regularly in my work with schools, families and corporations, and so I will

take a closer look at some of these concepts here, starting today with Respect.

Respect ourselves and Respect others

Obviously we would consider it a ‘no brainer’ to continue the ethos of ‘do unto others as you would have done to you’, as

we spend increasing amounts of time connecting in online spaces. It seems we should all have read the memes now about

being kind, to stop bullying and to be mindful of others. So why do we need to talk about this? Well….. just spend a few

moments on any social network and you will see way too many examples of disrespect by internet users both of

themselves and of others. And it can range from the insensitive, the poor judgement, the bold and brazen comments to

the downright horrific and heinous.

So here are some of the things we need to be teaching and indeed role modelling and mentoring when it comes to showing

Respect online.

The usual ……

Don’t offend others by posting offensive stuff.

Remember the digital footprint you leave behind so be sure it is showing you in the light you wish to be seen.

Don’t be mean

Don’t abuse others

Show kindness

And the slightly more nuanced behaviours…….

Stay on point

When someone is talking about apples, you don’t have to point out everything they haven’t said about oranges. In other

words…. We often have 280 or so characters we use for a Twitter comment, or a relatively short Facebook update where

we may want to make a quick observation. People can make a such a statement on something without having to cover

every single angle and permeation that you need to dissect and question. Sure if something is particularly offensive, then

call them out. But if it’s just picking apart a comment to have yourself heard and use someone else’s post for your

soapbox……then please refrain, find your own platform and show them, their views and their updates a little respect by

staying on point.

Take things for face value

Look at the intention of something before adding your 2 cents. For example. Here is a meme created by Netsanity.

It’s a humorous meme. Meant to highlight the advanced skills of kids today and

how they can easily navigate their way around the seemingly intricate skills of a

smartphone but tend to struggle when asked to perform some slightly less skilled

labours of household chores. This was a post that went viral as parents worldwide

related to the meme and for the majority had a laugh as they no doubt recalled

their kids refusal to pick up a mop or broom. And indeed it is enjoyed by the

parents at my talks when I share this as a final slide for a bit of a laugh. But.There

are always those who want to see it for something more than it is. Both Netsanity

and myself when I shared it received comments and emails of abuse that this

meme was dangerously inciting parents to put deadly chemicals in the hands of

2 year olds and thus is completely irresponsible. Seriously? (That is the softer

version of what goes through my head when I read these sorts of comments)

People. Look at something for what it is. It is a bit of fun. Nowhere does it say put dangerous chemicals in the hands and

mouths of babies. Use your common sense.

The Online world is a melting pot of experience, beliefs and circumstance… respect that

When we believe in something, we must remember that not everyone holds the same beliefs. Not everyone’s experiences

are similar to our own. We can certainly argue a point of view, espouse our reasons for believing something or protect our

values as we see fit. But our role is not to change the way everyone else thinks. When you have an argument or viewpoint

you want to share with others, do so by sticking to your reasons and your beliefs, but don’t feel your role is to change the

whole worlds way of thinking with your tweets or comments.

The minute an argument turns personal…abort

This is a skill I teach to students (and indeed their parents). The minute someone turns their arguments away from the

issue and to the personal…then let it go. When they start making personal jibes then they have lost sight of the issue and

are wanting to engage in argument for arguments sake. Don’t disrespect yourself by engaging in personal ‘tit for tat’. Be

able to recognise when a conversation is no longer respectful, and leave it alone. This can sometimes be tricky and not

always evident at the time or in the heat of the moment. When I role play certain conversations with students and have

them recognise when and how to abort a conversation, it becomes a really effective way of alerting them to these future

situations and conversations that are not going to contribute in a helpful way.

Know who is worth engaging with

Similarly, we need to be able to recognise those people that won’t serve us well. Learn the skills to know who is worth

engaging with. If someone is not supporting, entertaining, enlightening, challenging or engaging with you in a meaningful

way…..then leave them be. Respect yourself enough to know those that are worth the effort, and those that are not.

Know when to sleep on it

We can certainly get upset, agitated or offended by what people say online. We may want to lash out a response. Tell

them they are wrong. Tell them they are crazy, stupid, and downright ridiculous. But in those moments, it’s always good

to sleep on it. It’s amazing how differently we can look at things 12 hours later. Usually we come to realise the tirade

wasn’t going to be worth it, the person wasn’t worth engaging with and the emotion isn’t quite so intense when we take

a little breather.

When we engage with others online we open ourselves up to a world of respect and a world of disrespect. Thankfully we

have a lot of say in what we accept as respectful and that which we don’t. Make sure you are making the decisions, and

teaching your kids to make the decisions, that ensures respect to themselves and to others, remains a priority.

For more information and resources on how you can take part in Safer Internet Day 2019, head to the Office of the eSafety

Commission site or the global SID2019 website.

Scholastic Book Club 2020 - Issue 1 now open for orders

Paper catalogues will be distributed this Friday 14 February. Orders will close the following Friday 21 February. Orders will be open for ONE WEEK ONLY once catalogues are out. There will be no exceptions, or we will not have orders back in time for distribution. Estimated distribution date: Friday 6 March (TBC) Please note: there are usually two issues each term, but due to a short term, Lamont Book Fair and the school fete we will only run one Book Club this term.

Don’t forget All orders need to be placed using the Scholastic LOOP online ordering system – online

https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent/Login.aspx or via the APP – Book Clubs Loop for Parents.

You can also view the catalogue online

School receives 20% back of all sales through Scholastic

GIFT ORDER If you would like to order books but not have them delivered to the kids in class you can select the Gift Order check box (or the Gift Order? tab at the bottom if using the APP) If you place a gift order YOU MUST BE ABLE TO PICK IT UP FROM SCHOOL DURING SCHOOL HOURS.

If you have any technical issues setting up your online account, or placing an order, please contact Scholastic directly on 1800 021 233. How to use Scholastic Book Club LOOP Register here https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au/Parent/Login.aspx for a parent account. Add your child/ren (select school, year level, and class)

There is also an APP - Book Clubs Loop for Parents, making ordering even easier. You must register for an account on the website before you are able to use the APP to place an order. For further information contact Kylie Price wspsbookclub@gmail.com

Fete planners will come out early next week, see red folders. And our first fete newsletter will go live on Fri 14 Feb via https://www.walesstps.vic.edu.au/get-involved/fete-2020/ From Wed 19 Feb, we welcome donations of complete books/comics, quality kids and ladies’ clothes and toys in good condition at the Fete Shed. Every school day 8.45-9.15am and 3.15-3.45pm. If you can volunteer at those times to help receive and sort donations, please contact Erica: wspsfete.coordinator@gmail.com Please drop chocolate bars for Lob-a-choc stall (particularly 200g varieties, NO nuts please) and wine donations for the wine raffle (only bottles you’d drink yourself) to School Office any school day 8.30am – 4.30pm.