Issue 16, Friday 10 June 2022
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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
Dear Parents/Carers
What a fabulously busy week at Parkhill! I cannot thank Andrea, Dean, Bianca, Bharti, Kerry and Jack enough for their work on Y3/4 camp – the children had an amazing time and they were super lucky with the weather too. Thanks to Michelle Smith and Bianca Bevilacqua for their organisation and coordination of the camp program.
The Y3 children arrived back at school on Wednesday and were out again on an excursion on Thursday. What an action packed week indeed!
Parkhill is very lucky to have been invited to become a Professional Learning Communities (PLC) school. A PLC is an approach to school improvement in which groups of teachers work collaboratively at the school level to improve student learning and wellbeing outcomes. The quality of teaching is the most powerful lever schools have to increase student learning and wellbeing, and at Parkhill working collaboratively is a high priority in planning our school structure.
As we know, evidence from high-performing school systems around the world shows teaching quality improves when teachers work together. The Victorian PLC initiative will provide training and ongoing support to implement a PLC in all Victorian government schools.
The Victorian PLC model builds the cultures, processes, and practices in schools that support and encourage the success of every student. The model facilitates an ongoing sharing of knowledge, collaborative planning and targeted teaching that accelerates student learning and wellbeing outcomes.
I am excited that we are able to be part of this initiative. The training of our PLC instructional leaders begins next term.
Our connections with local kinders continued this week with Shuoyin Tu visiting to run some Chinese sessions. I will accompany her next week to meet our local kinder groups. Our Community Engagement Sub-Committee met yesterday to document the progress of our ever-developing transition program, which is very comprehensive.
Heading into term 3 we will be hosting Parkhill’s Preschool Program which will replace Storytime going forward. The program runs in a similar way to Storytime but involves our Specialist team too. Preschool children will be invited to join us on a Wednesday afternoon from 2pm – 3pm throughout term 3. Sessions will include Storytime, STEAM, Performing Arts, Chinese and movement activities. We are excited to have the kinder kids come and visit us. If you know any preschool families please do point them in the direction of our website to check out the sessions.
Our Solar Challenge program got up and running this week. Michelle Smith works with students in our upper school to develop their own solar-powered vehicle which will be part of a statewide competition against other school students held later this year.
Thank you to everyone in the community who contributed to our Cupcake Stall on Wednesday – it’s always a winner and brings us together which is lovely. It’s so nice to see so many people buzzing through the school.
Our annual swimming program will be running in term 3 through weeks 3, 4, 5 and 6. Details will come home soon around payment, etc. The swimming element of the curriculum is very important and the school’s swimming program run through Huntingtower is excellent.
Just a reminder that Monday is a public holiday and Tuesday is a pupil-free day. I will see you all back at school on Wednesday as we head toward the end of term. Have a wonderful long weekend.
Best wishes,
Elaine Brady
Principal
Calendar of Curriculum Events
Professional Practice Day for Term 2 - NEXT WEEK!
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
Enrol now for Foundation 2023!
Does your child have a sibling due to start school next year? Be sure to submit your enrolment ASAP!
Enrolment forms can be collected from the office, or you can complete an enrolment form online. Contact the office if you have any questions.
Collection of Students and Visitor Procedures
If you need to collect your child/ren early from school, please come to the office to receive an Early Leave pass before collecting your child/ren from their classroom. Children cannot wait at the office for you to collect them as there is no supervision, so they must remain in the classroom until you arrive.
Similarly, if you need to deliver an item to your child/ren during the school day, please bring the item to the office and we will deliver it to the classroom.
ICAS assessments will begin in August
ICAS assessments are coming in August. This year we are offering the same four subjects as in previous years: Writing, English, Science and Maths, available to students in Y3-6. These assessments are optional; they are offered as both a way to challenge students and as a gauge to monitor their understanding. All tests take place on digital devices.
Currently, our schedule has ICAS assessments on Fridays, beginning 12 August. All tests will be held in the morning.
Friday 12 August: ICAS Writing
Friday 19 August: ICAS English
Friday 26 August: ICAS Science
Friday 2 September: ICAS Maths
For further information, please read the following (including privacy statement).
Signup is a straightforward process using the Parent Payment System. If you’d like to enrol your child/ren to participate in the ICAS assessments, head to https://shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps and enter the code: DUS456
Note: there is a charge for students to participate. Entries close Friday 29 July.
F/Y1 Excursion to Myuna Farm
We had a wonderful day at Myuna Farm in Doveton last Thursday. We went there to discover more about the needs of living things, and we certainly came face to face with a variety of different and amazing animals.
The F/Y1s had a ball (as did the helpers and teachers!) and were all so beautifully behaved. Special thanks goes to all our parent helpers: Marinda, Brent, Astrid, Nazmun and Haiting, as well as the various aides in attendance.
Here are some of the amazing photos that Marinda took that give you a glimpse of the fantastic day we had.
Anne McGregor and Bella Crowe
F/Y1 team
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
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
Library News
Dear Parkhill Families,
Orders for Issue 4 are now closed, and we expect orders to be sent home before the end of term. It is the perfect time to snuggle up with a book in this cold winter weather.
Scholastic Book Club will be back in term 3, stay tuned for the next issue in the new term. We thank you for your continued support.
If you have any queries, please feel free to get in touch.
Angelita Williams
Librarian
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
Lost Property & Second Hand Uniform Stall
These items are not named, but if they belong to you please collect them! They will be at the office until the end of term, but then donated if not collected.
REMINDER – Second Hand Uniform stall – Thursday 16th at 8.45am. There also will be a collection of non-school uniform clothes for sale too. Gold coin donation per item.
Kerry D’Arcy
Lost Property/Second Hand Uniform Co-ordinator
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
