Hi everyone,

Whole School Carols Night: Tuesday 17th December

Our school Carols Night will be held in the new ‘Gardens of

the Future’ in the Botanical Gardens adjacent to the back of

the school. The night will commence with families bringing

their own basket tea at 6.00pm followed at 6.30pm by class

performances. It is expected that the night will conclude

before 8.00pm.

As all children at the school will be involved in this night,

we ask that parents keep this date free and we look forward

to your attendance.

The format of the Carols Night is as follows:

The event is alcohol-free. As the evening involves

children, we ask that parents, friends and relatives do not

bring alcohol.

Supervision: can parents please ensure that pre-school

children are not running around any performance or sitting

areas.

Whilst this event will not be within school grounds, we

request that this also be a smoke-free event.

School children are to be seated in their class groups in

front of the stage area so they are ready to go on for their

performance. They should not be sitting with their family.

Adults should display good audience behaviours by facing

towards the performers and limit their talk whilst

performances are taking place. Your support is appreciated.

Please no pets.

Uniform Shop Closing

After Orientation Day, next Tuesday 10th December, the

uniform shop will be closed for this year. Uniforms will be

available to purchase on Book Pack days, Wednesday 22 and

Thursday 23 January between 9.30am and 1.00pm.

Orders can be made through Qkr at any time.

White Hills Primary School No 1916 Week 9, Term 4 Thursday 5th December Ph 54430799 F 54437222

white.hills.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

At White Hills Primary School we provide students with skills to be

lifelong learners. We are a community which caters for academic,

physical, social and emotional needs, preparing our students to

contribute productively to an increasingly globalised world.

Term 4 2019: Monday 7 October – Friday 20 December

Week 9 Thurs 5 – Fri 6 Dec Gr 5 Camp – Phillip Island

Thursday 5 December Gr 1 Tea 5.00pm Week 10 Monday 9 December Christmas Raffle Donations due today

Tuesday 10 December Orientation Day 2020 Prep Orientation 12-2pm

Parent Information Session 1-2pm

Last Day for Uniform sales

Bookpack Order forms due today 2020 G6 Grad Top orders / payment due

Thursday 12 December Parent Helpers Afternoon Tea 2.00pm G2 Sleepover

Raffle books and money due today

Week 11 Monday 16 December G6 Graduation Tea payment due today

Tuesday 17 December Whole school Carols Night Christmas Hamper Raffle Drawn tonight

Wednesday 18 December G5/6 Pool Party / Santa visit

School Reports home today

Thursday 19 December Transition - Step Up Session

G6 Graduation

Friday 20 December Last Day of Term 4–1.30pm Dismissal

Out of Uniform Day – Gold Coin

Wednesday 22 January Bookpack Day 9.30am – 1.00pm

Thursday 23 January Bookpack Day 9.30am – 1.00pm

Term 1 2020: Tuesday 28 January – Friday 27 March Tuesday 28 January First Day Teachers

Wednesday 29 January First Day G1-6 students 8.50am

Friday 31 January First Day Prep students 8.50am

Term 2 2020: Tuesday 14 April – Friday 26 June

Orientation Day next Tuesday

Orientation Day for those children commencing school in

2020 will be on Tuesday, 10th December, from 12.00 –

2.00pm. During this day, the children will be participating

in play and activities while their parents attend an

information session in the hall from 1.00-2.00pm. Details

of this transition session and book orders has been sent

home with the children at their second familiarisation

session. If you did not receive this information please see

Jeanine Fitzgerald or speak to someone in the office. Please

mark this date on your calendar so you and your child can

participate in this important transition session. On this day

children from Grade 6 will spend the day at their chosen

Secondary Schools, while children in Grades 1-6 in 2020

will be given the opportunity to work from 12.00 – 2.00pm

in one of their possible 2020 rooms.

Book Pack Information for 2020 Full payment for Essential Education Items Part A

(Student book pack & computer printing) MUST be

paid on your allocated book pack collection dates in

January 2020 (Wednesday 22nd or Thursday 23rd

January) or prior to the end of the 2019 school year. This can be paid via QkR.

Uniform Shop will be open on both book pack days

End of Term Dismissal -Early Finish-1.30pm

All students will be dismissed at 1.30pm on Friday, 20th

December. Children will have their normal lunch break at 11.00am

and then be dismissed at 1.30pm. There will be no assembly on this

day.

Out of Uniform Day – Last Day 2019

(Gold Coin Donation) We remind students shoes must still have covered toes and no

singlet tops to be worn as per the schools sun smart policy. Gold

coin donations will go towards supporting Bendigo Health.

2020 School Commencement School begins for students in Grades 1-6 on Wednesday, 29th

January 2020 at 8.50am.

Please note: Prep students will begin on Friday 31st January

2020 at 8.50am.

Lost Property

Please collect any jumpers/jackets and lunch containers from the enormous piles in the lost property tubs in Admin area.

Teaching Staff 2020

Below is the list of teaching staff in 2020. We welcome Darin Lord an experienced teacher from Merbein, near Mildura, Zoe Zhang,

our new Chinese teacher who has been teaching at BSE this year, Verona Beasley will be the wellbeing person who comes with

social worker experience in Tasmania and Caitlin McQueen a graduate teacher. We also welcome back some staff who have been

absent on family leave. This includes Bec Woods, Kaitlyn Morrissey, Jac Tanner and Hayley Robins.

Students will be given a note and map on Friday 13th December indicating their classroom teacher for 2020 and where they will be

located.

Specialist Staff 2020 Classroom Additional Support Personnel

Subject Staff Members

Art Monique White

Cadi Watchman

Music Kaine Marsh

Physical Education

Stewart Scoble

Jac Tanner

Chinese Zoe Zhang

Year Level Staff Members

Prep Jan Ellis

Grade 1 Karen Netherway

Grade 2 Karen Netherway

EAL Teacher Merrilyn Gaulke

Wellbeing Worker Verona Beasley

Chaplain (Access) Ricky Cawley

Grade Teacher

Foundation (Prep)

Emily McCoomb

Foundation (Prep)

Emma Roberts

Foundation (Prep)

Jeanine Fitzgerald

Foundation (Prep)

Liz Stewart

1 Jolene Travaglia

1 Dinah Freeman

1 Sarah Wood 0.6/ Sue Baker 0.4

1 Hollie Horbury

2 Kylie Pitt

2 Caitlin McQueen

2 Lauren Kilcullen 0.6/ Emma Allan 0.4

2 Melanie Young

3 Ashley Jenkyn

3 Sam Mumford 0.6/ Kristy Bateman 0.4

3 Greg Matthew

3 Jaime Gray

3 Ash Day

4 Hayley Robins

4 Chris Connaughton 0.8/Karen Netherway 0.2

4 Bree Bentley

4 Pauline Englefield

5 Darin Lord

5 Roger Byron

5 Gayle Millard

5 James Sait

6 Eddy Dickins

6 J’aime Perryman

6 Kaitlyn Morrissey 0.6/Bec Woods 0.4

6 Daniel Wridgway

29 Classrooms

The Silent Tragedy Affecting Today’s Children, (and

what to do about it) I came across this article and it certainly resonated with me

as a parent so I hope it will with many of you. The fix is just

about being a great parent as I know many of you already

are!

There is a silent tragedy developing right now, in our homes,

and it concerns our most precious jewels - our children.

Through my work with hundreds of children and families as

an occupational therapist, I have witnessed this tragedy

unfolding right in front of my eyes. Our children are in a

devastating emotional state! Talk to teachers and

professionals who have been working in the field for the last

15 years. You will hear concerns similar to mine. Moreover,

in the past 15 years, researchers have been releasing alarming

statistics on a sharp and steady increase in kids’ mental

illness, which is now reaching epidemic proportions. (APF

Note: the statistics cited in the links below are from the US,

however this is a world wide phenomenon).

• 1 in 5 children has mental health problems

• 43% increase in ADHD

• 37% increase in teen depression

• 100% increase in suicide rate in kids 10-14 years old

No, “increased diagnostics alone” is not the answer!

No, “they all are just born like this” is not the answer!

No, “it is all the school system’s fault” is not the answer!

Yes, as painful as it can be to admit, in many cases, WE

parents are the answer to many of our kids’ struggles!

It is scientifically proven that the brain has the capacity to

rewire itself through the environment. Unfortunately, with the

environment and parenting styles that we are providing to our

children, we are rewiring their brains in a wrong direction and

contributing to their challenges in everyday life.

Yes, there are and always have been children who are born

with disabilities and despite their parents’ best efforts to

provide them with a well-balanced environment and

parenting, their children continue to struggle. These are NOT

the children I am talking about here. I am talking about many

others whose challenges are greatly shaped by the

environmental factors that parents, with their greatest

intentions, provide to their children. As I have seen in my

practice, the moment parents change their perspective on

parenting, these children change.

Cont: pg3

What is wrong?

Today’s children are being deprived of the fundamentals of a healthy childhood, such as:

• Emotionally available parents

• Clearly defined limits and guidance

• Responsibilities

• Balanced nutrition and adequate sleep

• Movement and outdoors

• Creative play, social interaction, opportunities for unstructured times and boredom

Instead, children are being served with:

• Digitally distracted parents

• Indulgent parents who let kids “Rule the world”

• Sense of entitlement rather than responsibility

• Inadequate sleep and unbalanced nutrition

• Sedentary indoor lifestyle

• Endless stimulation, technological babysitters, instant gratification, and absence of dull moments

Could anyone imagine that it is possible to raise a healthy generation in such an unhealthy environment? Of course not! There are

no shortcuts to parenting, and we can’t trick human nature. As we see, the outcomes are devastating. Our children pay for the loss

of well-balanced childhood with their emotional well-being.

How to fix it?

If we want our children to grow into happy and healthy individuals, we have to wake up and go back to the basics. It is still

possible! I know this because hundreds of my clients see positive changes in their kids’ emotional state within weeks (and in some

cases, even days) of implementing these recommendations:

Set limits and remember that you are your child’s PARENT, not a friend.

Offer kids well-balanced lifestyle filled with what kids NEED, not just what they WANT. Don’t be afraid to say “No!” to your kids

if what they want is not what they need.

• Provide nutritious food and limits snacks.

• Spend one hour a day in green space: biking, hiking, fishing, watching birds/insects

• Have a daily technology-free family dinner.

• Play one board game a day.

• Involve your child in one chore a day (folding laundry, tidying up toys, hanging clothes, unpacking groceries, setting the table

etc)

• Implement consistent sleep routine to ensure that your child gets lots of sleep in a technology-free bedroom

Teach responsibility and independence.

Don’t over-protect them from small failures. It trains them the skills needed to overcome greater life’s challenges.

• Don’t pack your child’s backpack,

• don’t carry her backpack,

• don’t bring to school his forgotten lunch box/agenda,

• and don’t peel a banana for a 5-year-old child. Teach them the skills rather than do it for them.

Teach delayed gratification and provide opportunities for “boredom” as boredom is the time when creativity awakens:

• Don’t feel responsible for being your child’s entertainment crew.

• Do not use technology as a cure for boredom.

• Avoid using technology during meals, in cars, restaurants, malls. Use these moments as opportunities to train their brains to

function under “boredom”

• Help them create a “boredom first aid kit” with activity ideas for “I am bored” times.

Be emotionally available to connect with kids and teach them self-regulation and social skills:

• Turn off your phones until kids are in bed to avoid digital distraction.

• Become your child’s emotional coach. Teach them to recognize and deal with frustration and anger.

• Teach greeting, turn taking, sharing, empathy, table manners, conversation skills,

• Connect emotionally - Smile, hug, kiss, tickle, read, dance, jump, or crawl with your child.

We must make changes in our kids’ lives before this entire generation of children will be medicated! It is not too late yet, but soon

it will be. By Victoria Prooday, Occupational Therapist.

Repeat Messages

Centrepay an option to manage school costs in 2019

Please see previous newsletters for details, link is provided below:

Centrelink online account help – deduction

https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/online-help/centrelink/adding-new-centrepay-deduction-using-your-centrelink-

online-account

This might be a viable option to help families manage the school costs including camps as we know that the CSEF (Camps, Sports

Excursion Funds) of $125 generally covers the cost of Part B of the book pack (gymnastics, swimming, incursions and excursions)

but not the camps. Our Chaplain Ricky Cawley is also available to assist with this as he has had experience in supporting families to

set this up.

Please let us know if there is anything that we can do to support you.

Andrew Schaeche,

Principal

Students of the Week – Week 8 Term 4

PFG News Christmas Raffle The hampers will be drawn at the school Christmas Carols on Tuesday 17th December.

We are asking families to please donate items for the hampers. Donation ideas might include toys, decorations, gardening items,

cooking items, craft, books, games, tableware, and most importantly food for the Christmas feast. Any donations would be very much

appreciated and can be handed in to the school office. If you have sold the raffle tickets distributed last week and would like extra

raffle ticket books, please see staff in the school office. Please return money and any unsold tickets no later than Thursday 4.00pm,

12th December.

Graduation - Grade 6 Graduation will be held on Thursday 19th December. Helpers will be needed to ensure this event is a

success for students, so please advise Grade 6 teachers, PFG members, or office staff if you are able to volunteer time for this event

on 19th December. Payments are due Monday 16th December.

Thank you from PFG members

Grade 4 News Grade 4 news

The end of the year is approaching FAST, a couple of things to remember as we near

the end of 2019.

Please remember to return any school library books and classroom library books to

classroom teachers.

WHPS Christmas carols – Our song is Run Rudolph Run the kids have been

practicing hard and singing well in the lead up. We are going to be making some

reindeer headpieces at school, or if you have access to some please feel free to bring

them on the night.

Term 4 showcase will be on the 20th of December (last day of school) from 1 –

1:30pm in the BER building. Showcasing green screen adverts and historical events.

We look forward to seeing all of you there!

CLASS NAME AWARDED FOR…. CLASS NAME AWARDED FOR

2AK Chelsea A super star class member 3MB

Maddison Her excellent attendance this week

2P Hailie Supporting others in our grade without being asked

3C

Joseph Being an excellent role model

2H Charlie Showing responsibility during swimming lessons 3G Caleb Being a kind and helpful friend to everyone

2M Kaitlyn An outstanding effort during swimming classes 3J Lilly Being resilient during her Maths group

2T Ellen Always aspiring to be her best with the presentation of her work

4M Oliver Participating more independently in class discussions and asking for help when needed

2F Shakira Being responsible during swimming lessons this week

4B Deon Aspiring to do his best with sharing his strategies in Maths

1D Georgia Always completing work to the best of her ability 4O Ebony Being a responsible class member and always willing to help others

1M Zeruiah Always trying her best in class 4CP Ryder Making strong choices and leading by examples

1EW Ethan Always being a kind and considerate class member

5B Charlie Aspiring to do her best at the EBT last week

1S Mitchell Being responsible making sure he was here on time every day for swimming

5SH Ella Aspiring to break her lap record at EBT and achieving her goals

PR Maddison Always using good manners 5D Jack Increased resilience demonstrated at the EBT last week

PW Kayden Wonderful reading and listening 5S Jeslyn Aspiring to work incredibly hard each day in the classroom

PF Levi Being a caring, helpful class member who has aspired to do his best all year

6D

PJ Emerson Wonderful work on her sight words 6P

Chinese Lilly Actively participating in revision and completing her writing task with great quality

6W

Sport Ella F Her excellent work during volleyball sessions 6V

All students on camp

Community News

WEEKLY ROSTERS

Canteen Fri 6 December Jayde Proctor

Helper needed

Tues 10 December -

Wed 11 December Rebecca Adams

Margaret Blandthorn

Fri 13 December Sheridan Rose

Kate Duncan

Jayde Proctor

Helpers to arrive at 10.00am

All orders must be in the day before Orders are to be written on a large paper lunch bag unless

ordered through Qkr, (NO ENVELOPES), one per child.

Lunch bags are available for 10 for 60c or 10c each, with lunch

orders and will be sent home.

Urgent Reminder: If you are unable to assist with canteen

duty, please arrange a swap or inform the office so that a

replacement helper can be arranged. Mrs Helen Williams, Canteen Manager

Uniform Shop Fri 6 December Kelly Adcock

Tues 10 December Joji Abraham

Fri 13 December Closed for 2019

We will be selling Uniforms on Book Pack Days:

Wed 22 January 9.30am – 1.00pm

Thurs 23 January 9.30am – 1.00pm

Opening Times 2020

Tuesday 3.30pm – 4.00pm and Friday 3.30pm-4.00pm Mrs Kim Engi, Uniform Shop Coordinator

Newsletter Thurs 12 December Kelly Shaw

Thurs 19 December Teegan Stirling

Please collect from the office 2.30pm

Sickbay Fri 6 December Jo Piggott

Fri 13 December Katherine Debattista

Please collect from the office at the end of the day