Issue 15, Friday 3 June 2022
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Principal's Message
Dear Parents/Carers
Eventually we were able to see children playing in the sports hall! Dean Sciacca held PE lessons on the basketball court this week which was awesome to see!
Throughout the week children from across the school have been working in the Koorie Garden planting their chosen plants. The saplings will take some time to establish but are looking good. We finished the week with a Smoking Ceremony yesterday at 3pm and Wear It Yellow Day which was the perfect way to bring the garden together. Thank you to Bella Crowe for organising this.
At the beginning of this week was the Annual Principals’ Conference. This year the focus was heavily based around the impact of COVID and the state’s priorities moving forward. There were presentations and workshops centered around social emotional learning and mental health, connected communities and learning and teaching. All of which connect perfectly with our priorities at Parkhill. A highlight was the address by John Hattie: Constructive Alignment, Engagement and Learning.
We have been very lucky to be invited to join the Victorian Professional Learning Communities initiative. As a small school this is an exciting opportunity for us to participate in professional learning to build teacher capacity and improve student learning and wellbeing outcomes.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend – free from the cold and flu!
Best wishes,
Elaine Brady
Principal
Calendar of Curriculum Events
Professional Practice Day for Term 2
Professional Practice Days provide time for staff to plan together, observe teachers in other schools or complete other work to develop their professional understanding. Staff are entitled to Professional Practice Days throughout the year, one per term, pro-rata. DET has allowed schools to call a student-free day to facilitate a Professional Practice day for Term 2, to mitigate the difficulties of sourcing CRTs at the present time. We will be holding our Professional Practice Day on Tuesday 14 June (the day after Queen’s Birthday holiday). In doing so we aim to provide a day that can support all staff, is more convenient for families and is towards the end of term where planning usually occurs. Students do not attend school on this day. If you have any questions, please contact the office.
Michelle Smith
Assistant Principal
Open Night Shoutout
Big thanks to Daisy’s, who provided the rocks for our fantastic rock painting task on Open Night. If you didn’t get a chance to create your family rock, there will be more opportunities throughout the year. We also have big designs on placing these rocks in our dry creek bed. Watch this space!
Parkhill’s Be Brave, Make Change
We are now into the last week of this year’s Reconciliation Week – Be Brave, Make Change. However, our learning about First Nations culture is ever growing at Parkhill Primary and does not stop there.
Our Bush Tucker Garden has been a hands-on project that teaches students about the Wurundjeri Culture, creating more sustainable and biodiverse gardens in the school grounds.
This week, Parkhill students were true weather warriors, battling some rain and getting their hands dirty while planting their selected seedlings into our garden. With help from Roger, our Koorie Ambassadors, their families, Kerry, and Mark the Koorie Engagement Support Officer, our planting was a true success. We will continue to learn about these plants history and their use as foods, medicines and makeup for ceremony.
It was a perfect way to celebrate our learning as Elder Colin Hunter shared his wisdom and story through a Smoking Ceremony. We learned about the customs of cleansing and blessing the land through the ceremonial smoking of eucalyptus leaves. A burst of yellow was seen scattered throughout the event in honour of our Wear It Yellow Day fundraiser for Children’s Ground. We raised $135 – thank you all for your donations!
Thank you to our amazing Parkhill community for joining forces in what has been a truly memorable week.
Bella Crowe
Koorie Education Ambassador
Parkhill Shines at Cross Country
This term, Parkhill students travelled to Jells Park for the District Cross Country. With a team of about 50 athletes, we managed to get 7 through to the regional finals, also conducted at Jells Park. With some promising runners coming through in our junior school, we look forward to next year and beyond. Watch this space Parkhill!
Dean Sciacca
PE Teacher
Term 2 Science Week
In week 9 Parkhill will be running a whole school Science Week. As you will be aware a school science show has been booked for the afternoon of Tuesday 21st June, where students will be wowed with a range of science experiments and displays by Fizzics Education. In addition, a family workshop has been organised for the evening of Tuesday 21st of June, where parents are invited to join their children in a hands-on science workshop also run by Fizzics Education. Places are filling fast, however if you are free Tuesday 21st from 5.30 – 7.00pm and keen to participate, log on to Compass and select ‘STEAM Family Workshop’ to secure your place.
Andrea Crane
STEAM Teacher
Y2/3 Maths - Measuring Length
This week, the Y2/3s have been learning about length. They have been learning to use both formal and informal units to measure. Students used a range of materials including blocks, bears and string to measure heights and compared these in the class. With this, students learnt about metres and centimetres. They practised measuring by taking long jumps and recording how far they could jump. They used informal units to measure their jumps while others used formal units such as measuring tapes and even began converting between metres and centimetres.
Bianca Bevilacqua
Y2/3 Teacher
Reconciliation Week in 5/6A
5/6A has been commemorating Reconciliation Week this week.
Students created posters based on their own twist of the slogan “Be Brave, Make Change” by artist Tori Jay. We read “Say Yes” by Jennifer Castles and students debated what the 1967 Australian Referendum was about. We also engaged in further learning about key people in this movement. Students also played a game called “Bowitgee” from the Northern Territory, where they timed how many passes they could make with a ball in one minute. This was a hit with some students who then made up their own version, which they played at recess and lunch.
A big thanks to Bella Crowe for organising our Reconciliation Week activities.
Alex Davies
5/6 Teacher
Diversity Day
Diversity Day will take place on Wednesday 3 August.
If you would like to share your expertise about your culture, through for example, story telling, craft activities, dance (body movement), painting, drawing, traditional costumes, or a special artefact, we would love to have you present in our Diversity Day!
Please email Shuoyin at shuoyin.tu@education.vic.gov.au if you would like to join us.
Sharing time can be varied from 5 mins – 40 mins depending on the type of activity.
More information about the day’s activities will be released closer to the date.
Shuoyin Tu
Chinese Mandarin Teacher
Payment Options
Thank you to those who are paying by credit card for school events through Compass. We hope that you are finding this an easy way of paying and providing consent for events. If you are not wanting to pay through Compass there are still other options available to you. You have the option of putting credit on your school account either via BPAY, EFTPOS or cash and then selecting the CSEF/Credit option on Compass for payment. This is a great option for those who do not have a credit card that they can link on Compass. Contact the office if you are unsure of your BPAY details. You can also visit the office and pay via debit card, EFTPOS or cash. If you are paying cash, you will need to provide the correct amount as we do not have any cash on site to give you change.
Please let us know if you need any assistance with Compass, we can sit with you to help you navigate the platform.
Jo Ravida
Business Manager
School Concert 2022
Preparations are underway for our 2022 School Concert and we warmly invite members of our school community to be involved.
Do you have skills in:
- script writing
- singing, song writing
- dancing, choreography
- costume design/sewing
- music tech/editing
- lighting
- set design/building
- art/painting/prop making
- administration
- ticket/program design
- ushering
- general enthusiasm to be involved
School concerts are a confidence building and enriching experience for students and a wonderful shared creative project for the whole school community. We look forward to working together on this special event.
Please join us for our next planning meeting on Wednesday 22nd June in the library at 3:45pm or email marindatanner@gmail.com with details of how you would like to contribute.
Carlie Eriksen & Marinda Tanner
ATTITUDES TO SCHOOL SURVEY - Y4-6
The Attitudes to School survey asks students about their perceptions and experiences of school. Students will be asked about their thoughts and feelings in relation to their school, their learning, peer relationships, bullying, life in general, as well as health and wellbeing questions.
We are planning to hold the survey in class from Monday 30 May to Friday 17 June.
AtoSS是教育和培训部实施的年度学生调查，以协助您孩子的学校了解学生的看法以及他们在学校的经历。问卷涉及学生对其学校、学习、同学和家庭关系、韧性、霸凌、精神健康、身体活动及一般生活问题的想法和感受。
您孩子的学校将在今年30 May – 17 June期间开展AtoSS调查。
If you have any questions, please let us know.
BullyZero parent Webinars
Did you miss out on our BullyZero parent webinars? Here are some of my key takeaways:
Bullying is repeated, ongoing negative behaviour directed at an individual or group with intent to cause harm. It’s not a single incident, disliking someone, accidental, choosing different people to spend time with or having arguments. It’s important to remember that bullying is a behaviour, not a person and behaviours can be changed! Kids aren’t born to be bullies, they’re taught to be bullies. Behaviours are shaped and formed at home and dealing with bullying behaviour must be a shared responsibility between parents, students and teachers.
Warning signs for parents to look out for in children:
- Changes in behaviour
- Being secretive about who they’re talking to online and offline
- Feeling worried, anxious or scared, unexplained headaches, stomach aches, appetite changes
- Low self-esteem, negative self-talk, emotion/mood changes
- School refusal, spending large portions of time alone withdrawing from family/friends/social situations
What to do if your child is being bullied:
- Stay calm!
- Listen and allow your child the opportunity to find solutions or seek help
- Don’t approach the child/parent yourself, instead refer to the school bullying policy. Ask the school to devise a safety plan. Pre-arrange meetings with the school and follow up daily until the bullying stops
- Be open to using support services
Strategies for kids to deal with bullying:
- 4 R’s – Remain calm and don’t react
- Record date/time/incident/witnesses
- Report (tell someone, create a safety network)
- Refer to the school’s bullying prevention policy
What to do if your child is doing the bullying:
- Communication is key. Listen carefully and help your child to process anger
- Help them to understand that there are others with different perspectives
- Be clear that there are consequences to negative behaviour – encourage them to make distinctions between assertive and aggressive behaviour
- Praise positive behaviour! Avoid punishing, blaming and shaming
- Work with the school to support them and let your child know that they can come and talk to you
- Bullies can change negative behaviour. These people often have great leadership skills. Helping them to develop their self-awareness is key
Cyberbullying is a particularly dangerous form of bullying because our children can be subjected to bullying in their own homes and bedrooms. It can occur under our very noses as most parents don’t know what their children are doing online, don’t check their child’s online activities or log onto the apps their children are using. Cyberbullying is a criminal offence.
Action plan for ALL parents:
- Get devices out of bedrooms
- Set clear boundaries and time limits and learn to say NO!
- Supervise and monitor online gaming sessions and conversations (it’s loud, but getting kids to use speakers over headsets is one way to do this)
- Research parental control apps
- Ensure your child is using age appropriate platforms (Snapchat, Instagram and tik-tok are all 13+ and Fortnight is rated 15+)
- Visit esafety.gov.au
- Ensure your child’s apps are set to private
- Ensure that your child is not on technology 1-2 hours before bedtime so they get the recommended 9-12 hours of sleep
- Create a tech agreement with your child. Children need boundaries
A good way to have these conversations is not to frame them in terms of restrictions or privacy, but in terms of safety. You wouldn’t send your child walking through Kings Cross alone and neither should we give them unrestricted access to devices.
What to do if your child is being cyberbullied:
- Don’t remove devices – it isolates them socially and can cause more mental health issues
- Communication is key. Speak to your child. Work out strategies together. Reassure them that you’ll be there to support
- Listen, think and remain calm – resist the urge to pick up phone and attack the bully’s family as your children will feed off your reaction
- Collect evidence
- Report cyberbullying by first reporting to the media service (the app or program). Collect the URLs and take screenshots and submit this evidence to the eSafety commissioner (esafety.gov.au/report). Use the software to block the bully
You can find our school policy on bullying here: https://parkhillps.vic.edu.au/policies/
If you need any further support or information, please don’t hesitate to contact the school.
Alex Davies
Y5/6 Teacher
Head Lice
There have been cases of head lice recorded in the F/Y1 area. If your child develops head lice, please treat their hair before sending them to school.
Lost Property & Second Hand Uniform Stall Update
We have new Lost Property boxes – one in the lower school kitchen area and one in the upper school kitchen area. The children have been advised if they have lost any items to check the boxes first. Our resident Lost Property Monitors for term 2, Lucas and Will from Y6, check the boxes twice a week and return to named owners. A reminder to PLEASE label all items to enable a smooth process.
The next Second Hand Uniform Stall will be on Thursday 16th June from 8.45am.
Kerry D’Arcy
Lost Property & Second Hand Uniform Co-Ordinator
LIBRARY NEWS
Dear Parkhill Families,
It has been a cold, blustery start to winter, and the perfect time to snuggle up with a hot cuppa and a book or three.
Thank you for your continued support with purchasing books through Book Club. Every Book Club order earns Scholastic Rewards for the school to purchase additional resources and we have been building up our library stock.
Orders from Issue 3 were sent home during the week.
Check out some new titles from Issue 4. I will extend the closing date to Sunday if you haven’t had a chance to check out the latest issue. You can place your order at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or by using the LOOP app. Orders will now be closed this Sunday (4 June).
If you have any queries, please feel free to get in touch.
Stay warm,
Angelita Williams
Librarian
Just a quick thank you to those families who have collected their bread bags and deposited them in the box near the front office. For every 5kg of bread bags we collect we gain 500 reward points to go toward sports and play equipment. Let’s try and maximise our rewards by collecting the capped amount of 2,500 points. Collection will continue until September, so we have plenty of time to achieve this goal. Keep up the good work for both the environment and our fabulous school.
Andrea Crane
STEAM Teacher
Csef Applications - Closing Soon!
If you are eligible for Camps, Sports and Excursions Fund (CSEF) and have not yet applied, submit your application before Friday 24 June to receive funding. Download the form below or contact the office.
Reminder: if you have applied previously, you do not need to reapply.
PFA News
Booking Link – www.trybooking.com/events/landing/909189
TRIVIA NIGHT IS BACK!
Time to dust off those clothes that have been hiding in a box in the garage or raid the local op shop and get ready for some fun – Trivia Night is back in 2022!
WHEN: Saturday 13th August 2022 at 7:00 PM until late (7:30pm kick off)
WHERE: School library
TICKETS: $25. You can purchase a table of 10 or individual tickets.
THEME: Op Shop Glam – There are individual and group prizes so get your table together and start planning now!
Book your tickets here – https://www.trybooking.com/BZJQI or scan the QR code
Silent Auction Donations
Parkhill PFA will be running a silent auction as part of Trivia Night in August.
If you have anything to donate or know a business that would like to help, please email PFA.
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 below
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!
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.
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.
FLEXISCHOOLS LUNCH ORDERS
community notices
