Issue 11, Friday 6 May 2022
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Principal's Message
Dear Parents/Carers
We’ve hit the road running! Learning programs across the school are in full flow. We had a full day of Professional Learning on Monday when Cathy Epstein from Mathematics Association Victoria came to work in classes alongside our teaching staff. Cathy modelled learning and teaching around the concept of fractions with staff through our upper school, and spent the afternoon planning programs with our lower school staff. At the end of the day Cathy worked with the whole staff around learning and teaching in mathematics.
We held an information session for our Mandarin-speaking families about how to access and use the parent portal on Compass – thank you to Angelita Williams and Shuoyin Tu for organising and running this – and had a library working bee on Wednesday to sort through and tidy up the library space. Again, a huge thanks to those of you who were able to help!
On Wednesday afternoon selected students from our upper school attended John Monash Science School as part of the robotics group for girls (Robogals). See below for details!
This year at Parkhill we welcome back our biannual concert! We are able to hold a concert now that CoVID restrictions have been reduced. The planning and preparation is underway with Carlie Eriksen, Michelle Smith, Buni Hasvong and Marinda Tanner meeting this week to start the ball rolling. I am very excited to have such an amazing team working together to support the students at Parkhill in connecting with their inner creative performer. Concert is such a treat!
We had to postpone our Cross Country event on Thursday – the weather report had suggested rain so we moved the event to Tuesday to avoid wet soggy runners. In true Melbourne style the sun was shining most of the day. We will hold our Cross Country running event on Tuesday afternoon for anyone who wants to come along. The event involves Y3, Y4, Y5 and Y6s.
We also had to postpone our Stargazing event this week – it has been rearranged for 6th September. Fingers crossed for a cloud-free sky!
As always the Mother’s Day stall was a roaring success. We hold the stall in the library space and it’s lovely to sit in my office and listen to the buzz of excitement and the children purchase gifts for their special person. A massive thank you to Harley’s (4/5B) grandma for donating the gifts – wow! Thank you also to the volunteers who help make these events at Parkhill possible!
Tomorrow we are hosting our first Artisan Market at Parkhill. Pop in and see what’s happening between 9:30am – 2pm.
SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING:
Anxiety is part of our survival instinct. When we’re faced with a threatening situation, our brains and bodies respond by kicking into safety mode. Our adrenaline starts pumping, helping us get ready to escape the danger.
However some people, including children, react more quickly or intensely to situations they find threatening, or find it harder to get their anxious feelings under control. Some kids also perceive the world to be scarier or more dangerous than others. The link below offers some tips for helping your children manage anxiety.
EDUCATION WEEK:
Victoria will celebrate Education Week from Sunday 22 May to Saturday 28 May 2022. The focus of the week will mark the 150th anniversary of public education in Victoria. During Education Week we will hold our Open Day and Open Night. Our classrooms are open from 9:30am – 10:30am, with the open evening events running from 5:30pm – 7:15pm.
PARKHILL PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENT DRESS CODE:
Please take this opportunity to remind yourself of the dress code at Parkhill. As the weather gets colder we tend to see variations on our uniform scattered across the school. The following is taken from our school policy – which can be found on our website: Policies – Parkhill Primary School (parkhillps.vic.edu.au)
General appearance
While at school and participating in school activities, Parkhill Primary School students must comply with the following:
- Uniforms must be clean and in good repair
- Uniforms must be clearly marked with the owner’s name
- Additional layers of clothing may be worn underneath the uniform for added warmth, provided these undergarments are completely hidden (including leggings).
Jewellery and cosmetics
For safety reasons students are not permitted to wear decorative jewellery to school. Stud earrings and sleepers worn in the ears are the only acceptable jewellery. Discreet, appropriate watches are also acceptable.
Cosmetics, including nail polish, may not be worn at school.
Hair
For safety reasons, it is strongly recommended that shoulder length or longer hair be tied back. It is preferred that hair accessories be in school colours.
Hats and Sunglasses
School uniform hats must be worn outside from 1 September to 30 April (months with an R) and on any other day prescribed by the school. School uniform hats may also be worn outside of this time period, by parent or student choice. Students must wear school uniform hats.
Hats are not to be worn inside.
Students are permitted to wear sunglasses during outdoor activities. Sunglasses should meet the Australian Standards 1067 and cover as much of the eye area as possible.
I do hope you all have a wonderful weekend.
Best wishes,
Elaine Brady
Principal
Calendar of Curriculum Events
Please note that these events are subject to Covid-19 restrictions and are subject to change and/or cancellation.
NAPLAN 2022 - tests coming up soon!
NAPLAN assessments will begin next week for Y3 and Y5 students. We are hoping to offer a special breakfast treat for NAPLAN to help celebrate the commencement of the testing period (though I would continue to offer a balanced breakfast at home before the school day).
We plan to hold the tests on the following days:
Tuesday 10 May – Writing
Wednesday 11 May – Reading
Thursday 12 May – Conventions of Language
Friday 13 May – Numeracy
Y3 will have their test in the morning session (9:15-10:30), and Y5 will have their test in the middle block (11:00-12:30).
As always, the demonstration site is available online https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site. Please do contact your child’s class teacher or myself if you have any questions or concerns about your child sitting the NAPLAN tests.
Michelle Smith
Assistant Principal
Koori Garden Working Bee - Friday May 13th
On Friday 13th of May we will be coming together from 3:30pm onwards to finish preparing our new Koori Garden.
We will be digging up the garden beds and laying topsoil on them in preparation for the kids to plant them out with native plants later in the term. Come and join us after school pick up and be part of the fun.
Afternoon tea will be provided and you can register your attendance via the below link.
https://forms.gle/7aY3W8AdzV53qCuUA
A huge thanks in advance to our amazing Parkhill Community for continuing to invest in the development of our school, we so appreciate it.
Application for Year 7 Placement 2023 - one week remaining!
Applications are now open for Year 7 placement in 2023 and are due by Friday 13 May.
These applications determine your child’s placement for secondary school.
All information for this process can be found at the following location: https://www.vic.gov.au/moving-primary-secondary-school-information-parents-and-carers
You can either fill out the form on paper / PDF (linked on information page), or you can use the online application form.
For any further information, please let me know.
Michelle Smith
Assistant Principal
Wear It Yellow Day Fundraiser for Children’s Ground
Parkhill Primary is holding a fundraiser for Children’s Ground which is called ‘Wear it Yellow Day’. It is on Thursday 2nd June which is during Reconciliation Week. We ask everyone to bring a gold coin and wear something yellow.
Bush Tucker Garden Plants
Our votes are in for the native bush tucker plants. I’m going to share which plants we will be ordering from Green Link Nursery after all classes handed in their results. For our trees we are getting a Mana Gum which will be our biggest as it can grow up to 40 metres tall. We also will be getting some Silver Wattle Trees which help to attract bees, birds and butterflies. We be planting a Gold Dust Wattle which in the Woi Wurrung language is called ‘Wayetuck’. Some of the flowering plants you voted for include the Yam Daisy and our most popular plant is the Chocolate Lily with 151 votes (it smells like chocolate!). The Nodding Saltbush, River Mint, Running Postman and Native Violet will make up our ground covers. Lastly we are buying a whole bunch of Kangaroo Grass which is an orange and white grass that will bring some colour to the garden. This will all be ready to plant for Reconciliation Week!
By Santanah (Koorie Education Ambassador)
John Monash Science School enrichment programs - Robogals
The Robogals had their first session this week at John Monash Science School and had a brain-bending fun first session.
Using Mindstorms, they had to first make the robot move as directed, then in a square, and then battle it out on the Sumo mat. Their able robot – Japan – came in a very proud second.
Thanks to Wendy for the super snaps, as well as transporting the chatty four. Further thanks to the remaining three families who have offered to transport the girls for the remainder of the sessions.
STEAM Update
This term in STEAM our focus across the school is chemistry. We will be exploring materials and their properties in F/Y1, mixtures in Y2/3, solids, liquids and gases in Y4/5 and physical and chemical changes in Y5/6.
With this in mind we have been preparing some wonderful, chemistry inspired treats for our mums and special people over the last fortnight. While students have been sworn to secrecy, come Sunday ask away and find out just what students have been working on during STEAM lessons.
In addition to this I wanted to thank the 40 families who have accepted and confirmed their attendance at our Stargazing event. Unfortunately clear skies were not on offer to us and we were forced to postpone. Please stay tuned, Michelle Smith and I will reschedule and let you know as soon as possible about an alternative date.
Andrea Crane
STEAM Teacher
Library News
We had our working library bee group on Wednesday morning, and our heartfelt appreciation to our amazing mums (Jo, Suyi, Rachel, Katherine, Trish and Gen) who worked hard in getting the library spruced up for this term.
It was wonderful to catch up and spend the morning sorting and talking books. We shared our favourite authors and books we read growing up, and books we enjoy now. Our mums have placed some of their favourite books on the display shelves. Check and see if you have read any of them!
A reminder that the cut off date for Scholastic book orders is next Friday 13 May. You can browse the online catalogue Book Club Issue 3. Orders can be placed on scholastic.com.au/LOOP or by using the LOOP app.
Please email me if I can be of any assistance or if you have any queries.
And to our Parkhill mums, here’s wishing you a very Happy Mother’s Day!
Angelita Williams

Bread Bag Collection
Thank you to those families who have already begun collecting their bread bags and dropping them off to the office collection point. Wonder has teamed up with 1500 Aussie schools to help collect bread bags and reduced soft plastic waste. As a registered school the more bread bags we collect the more points we accrue. We can then redeem these points on new sports equipment. In addition, as a registered school we will go in the draw to win an exercise circuit made from the recycled plastic we all collect! So collect away, the more bread or wrap packets we collect the more equipment available to our deserving students.
Andrea Crane
STEAM Teacher


PFA News
Executive Committee:
President: Zoë Littlewood
Vice President: Vacant
Treasurer: Chris Fagan
Secretary/Communications: Vacant
General Members: Elle Delmee, Sumi Sundram, Vanessa Cowley, Jo Argaet, Iona Tsykalo, Lih-Shan Yam, Emma Gullan, Trish King, Marinda Tanner, Alex Cilsby, Emily Meagher, Nadine Philips


ENTERTAINMENT BOOK
They cost $70 and provide over $20,000 in discounts to all the things you love to do…dining, attractions, shopping, travel and more! They are filled with up to 50% off or 2-for-1 style offers, they are a great way to discover new favourites and enjoy the value at the same time. The proceeds of the books sold goes to Parkhill Primary School. Please order one now via this link




REMEMBER TO SAY ‘PARKHILL PRIMARY SCHOOL’ WHEN SHOPPING!
Rebel Community Kickbacks Program.
Under this program, Parkhill Primary School can earn 5% of your purchases at Rebel Sports as an in-store credit to spend on our school sports programs.
You can sign up in store or log into your rebel Active Member account when shopping online at www.rebelsport.com.au to attribute the expense to the school.
RITCHIES COMMUNITY BENEFITS
$52 Million is up for grabs!!
It’s quick, simple and easy to: Download, Register and Activate. Scan QR code. Nominate ‘Parkhill Primary’ as your chosen school.
Don’t forget to share the news with family and friends!
Need more?? Visit a store within 14 days of activating your card, spend $100 or more in a single transaction and scan your Ritchies card or app.
Get $10 off instantly. (Valid for one transaction).




DON’T MISS A THING!
Search for us using the name “Parkhill Primary School Community Page”.
Then click the “join group” icon.
A group administrator will confirm your association with the school and approve your request.
If you would like to be on our email distribution list and receive communication and minutes from our meetings please email parents.friends.secretary@gmail.com




Contact us on WhatsApp – https://chat.whatsapp.com/DtYmFR9RjrZ7ayDpYAVy6L or email parkhillpiranhas@gmail.com
Lunch Orders
You can find the links to the lunch orders on the website under Quick Links.