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.

https://www.familyeducation.com/school/anxiety-disorders/9-anxiety-busters-kids-taking-standardized-tests

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