Issue 13, Friday 12th May 2023
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The Parkhill Community touch the land and think of the Wurundjeri People and surrounding Clans of the Kulin Nation who cared for the land before us.
We share our gratitude to their Elders past, present and emerging.
As we touch this land we promise to treasure it; taking care of all its people, animals, plants and waterways.
We at Parkhill appreciate this land.
Thank you.
Principal's Message
Quite a busy week in the wintry weather at Parkhill this week. We’ve had an informative Restorative Practices session with Dave Vinegrad, Y3/4 Camp Information session, and ended the week at the District Cross Country. Thanks to the parents who attended the evening sessions. For the curious, there is more information about Restorative Practices in this newsletter, and Y3/4 Camp information was sent out via Compass. Thanks also go to teachers for staying back for the presentations, and to Alex Davies in particular, for organising our sessions with Dave Vinegrad.
Mother’s Day Stall – parents became shopkeepers and the students brought their purses fit to overflow for our Mother’s Day Stall on Friday. Big thanks to all our parent volunteers for making it happen, under the careful oversight of Zoe and Vanessa.
Open Day and Night – Our Open Day and Night will be next Wednesday, and we are looking forward to seeing the Move, Make, Motivate showcase from the students. Classes will be open in the morning 9:30-10:30am while students are in the depths of their M.A.D.D. (Music, Arts, Dance, Drama) activities, and we’ll see what they got up to in the evening showcase 5:30-7:00pm. Our Night will conclude with a performance from our famous choir and an address from the School Captains. All students attending the evening session need to come in their school uniform. Please come along to join in with your community to celebrate our wonderful school.
Camps – Camp information has been available on Compass for some weeks now. Please let us know early if you do not wish your child to participate, so that we are aware of student numbers. The consent forms and information can be found on the Compass portal, or, if you prefer, a paper copy is also available. If you would like financial assistance, please contact the office for support.
Y6-7 Transition – packs went out to Y6 families recently, along with the application for placement in 2024. We’ve received approximately 60% of all forms, and forms are now overdue. Please submit forms by Monday 15 May, so that the applications can be sent through to secondary schools for allocations. Please let me know, or call in at the office, if you have any queries about the application.
Attitudes to School Survey – Our student Attitudes to School Survey is set to begin in Y4/5/6 next Monday 15 May. The Attitudes to School Survey helps us to gain an understanding of student perception and experience at school. It provides valuable information that is used to further inform school strategy with student engagement, wellbeing and learning. Please notify the office if you do not wish for your child to participate.
Building update: no changes on the building front. We will soon be opening places for a masterplanning group through School Council, so watch this space if you are interested in this field and influence the future direction of Parkhill’s spaces. Of course, there are always places available on our Buildings and Grounds Committee if you’d like to have more of an immediate impact!
Have a wonderful weekend
Michelle Smith
Acting Principal
Calendar of Curriculum Events
4/5A Scientific Sketches and Wonderings in our Bush Tucker Garden
The year 4/5s have been using the text ‘One Small Island’ by Alison Lester. This is a nonfiction book about Macquarie Island. It is about how humans have impacted the island and features a variety of scientific sketches about the unique native plants found there. Students then became botanists and completed their own scientific sketches of native leaves in our Bush Tucker. They then completed some wonderings about their leaf back in the classroom.
Ella – I wonder what it needs to grow?
Aiden – How does the plant bring nutrients to the leaf?
Amara. Y – How common is it and how easy is it to grow and how long does it take to fully develop with all its leaves?
Ada – I wonder if it is edible?
Owen. S – How come the leaves are kind of sharp?
Raphael – Do leaves have veins?
4/5B 24 Hour Time
In Time this week, 4/5B have been learning about 24 hour time.
To get from 24 hour time to 12 hour time you minus 12 hours.
To get from 12 hour time to 24 hour time you plus 12 hours.
For example, 13:40 is 1:40pm and 22:47 is 10:47pm.
If the 12 hour time is an ‘am’ time, you usually don’t need to add or subtract the 12 hours. For example: 08:32 is the same as 8:32am – but, 00:22 is the same as 12:22am!
Now you know all about 24 hour time because of US!
By Christina, Kira and Paddy.
Learning: Eshelle, Pat, Gemma, Quin
School Photos
School photos were delivered to classrooms today. Check your child’s school bag or check with their class teacher.
Those who nominated to collect their photos from the office, these are ready to be picked up.
20% Discount on Sports & Co-Curricular Group Photos available until 25/05/2023
Dear Parents,
These school sports and co-curricular groups were photographed on 4/04/2023:
School Captains | ||
SRC |
You can now view and purchase the group images listed above and if you place your order before 25/05/2023 you will get a 20% early order discount. Just click on the link below. Please note the discount will be automatically applied at checkout.
https://www.advancedimage.com.au/PublicPortal/BrowseGroups.aspx?nbnhmHqqedAHiLGU/4GuFsy+ceJwx6RC
can also be viewed by visiting www.advancedlife.com.au entering the code: 957 YWB B8Z and clicking on “Group Photos”
Important
- Sports and co-curricular group photos can only be purchased online, PLEASE DO NOT return payment to your school
- If your child’s group or team is scheduled to be photographed at a later date, you will receive an additional email notification when the images are ready to be ordered
- Photos will be returned to your school for distribution approximately six weeks after the discounted early order period has closed
- Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available at your school’s advancedorder and your child’s advancedyou photo sites
advancedlife would like to express our appreciation to Parkhill Primary School for placing your trust in us. Please remember we offer a 100% money-back guarantee on our products to ensure your peace of mind. We would also love to receive your feedback or resolve any issues you may experience, to ensure your satisfaction. If you have any questions, comments or feedback relating to your advancedlife experience, please contact us at www.advancedlife.com.au/contact
May 19th is Walk to School Safely Day!
…and the SRC are encouraging everyone to walk to school!
“Safety” is the key word, so please only have your child walk if they are supported or already familiar with your school route. If they haven’t walked before, why not start today? Here are some ideas to make your walk safe:
- Contact local parents and organise a walking school bus together
- Walk part way (or all of the way!) with your child
- If you normally drive, consider parking at the end of the block and walking the rest of the way
The SRC will be taking a tally on Walk to School Safely Day and announce the class with the most walkers in the following assembly.
Remember to dress for the weather and walk safely!
Restorative Practices information session with Dave Vinegrad
This Tuesday evening, Dave Vinegrad visited Parkhill Primary School to run a workshop with staff and parents. Dave is the director of Behaviour Matters and a guru of Restorative Practices; a relationship and research-based approach to managing behaviour and consequences. This "relationships based learning" strongly connects with our school values of Care, Community, Courage and Curiosity as it guides our students to take responsibility for their actions, including participating in dialogue and problem solving to actively repair the harm caused to their relationships. This approach involves consequences at its heart, but instead of just being punished for their mistakes, students actively learn from them - just like you would expect in any other subject at school.
A big thank you to Dave Vinegrad for taking the time to return to our school.
Library News
Dear Parkhill Families,
Reminder notices were emailed home this week calling for overdue books which have not made their way home to the library. We will appreciate it if you are able to look for the missing books at home.
Students will not be able to borrow books if they have any overdues owing. Kindly email me if you are unable to find your books and I can update the system so your child will be able to continue to borrow from our library.
We are not requesting payment for any lost books. However, if you have lost a book and would like to make a donation to the library, you can do so via BPAY or credit card at the office. Kindly note that this is completely voluntary.
Please do get in touch if you have any queries. You can email me or leave a message with the office.
Thank you to families who have placed orders from Issue 3. If you wish to place an order, please do so by tonight to avoid missing the cut off date.
Browse the online catalogue Book Club Issue 3 and you can place an order at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or by using the LOOP app.
We expect orders to arrive in the next couple of weeks.
If you have any queries or need a hand with your order, please feel free to get in touch.
Angelita Williams
Save the Date - 27/5 Working Bee
From 12 pm onwards. Come along with your children and enjoy socialising whilst assisting with garden work around the school and enjoy the community feel of Parkhill!
The bottom carpark will be locked for two weeks while we prepare the area for gravel works.
Bread Bag Collection
Hi Parkhill, it’s that time of the year again when I am looking for lots of bread bags. Wonder has once again teamed up with 1500 Aussie schools to help collect bread bags and reduce 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. Last year we filled 2 large boxes and Mr Sciacca received 6 soft balls to boost his dodgeball ball collection. This year lets aim for 3! So collect away, the more bread or wrap packets we collect the more equipment available to our students!
Andrea Crane
STEAM Teacher
PFA News
President: Zoë Littlewood
Treasurer: Chris Fagan
General Members: Adam Keens, Emma Gullan, Lih-Shan Yam, Marinda Tanner, Sarah Bakri, Trish King, Vanessa Cowley
School Disco
DON’T MISS A THING!
Join our Facebook page.
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.
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Order Here – https://au.entdigital.net/orderbooks/9r34937
Lunch Orders
You can find the links to the lunch orders on the website under Quick Links.