Issue 33, Friday 27th October 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
Week four already has flown by, and we end this week at Parkhill by celebrating World Teachers Day. We are truly lucky to have our dedicated teaching staff at Parkhill, and I want to take this opportunity to thank them all for their commitment to our student wellbeing and outcomes. I am sure you’ll join me today in acknowledging our amazing teaching staff!
In regards to 2024 staffing we are still working towards recruiting and finalising what our staffing profile will look like for next year. As you know our class structure is 1 grade of Foundation, and 2 grades each at Y1/2, Y3/4 and Y5/6 next year. To replace some long term leave we will be interviewing in the coming weeks. I will keep you all updated as we know more after the interview process.
In other news we will be saying goodbye next year to Ms Andrea Crane, who has decided to retire and look to new adventures! Andrea has been an important part of our community for a long time and has admitted this decision was not taken lightly: her dedication to the school and our STEAM program has been second to none. Andrea will be taking time next year to travel and spend time with family – but she assures me she will still be part of the Parkhill landscape working as a coach, CRT and mentor. Thank you, Andrea, for your role in the Parkhill story.
Thank you to the people who came to our Forum night on Wednesday, and a big shout out to school council president Melo and our conveyor for the evening, Dan. As Melo discussed at the forum, the building and works project is coming along well and hopefully soon we will be able to share some concept designs with you. It was great for me to share the outcomes of the parent survey and the strategic vision with the forum. I look forward to sharing more of this information with you in the coming weeks.
In regard to the parent survey one of the items I asked the community about was the preferred assembly time. By far our community preferred assembly time to be 3pm on Friday afternoons. The comments attached to this related to people’s work and the ability to often leave earlier on a Friday if need be. To trial the time shift, we will begin to hold assemblies on Friday 10th November, the first Friday after the Cup Weekend that encompasses our Monday curriculum day.
Another aspect of the community survey was the concept of uniform. Overall, it was great to see that many people were happy with the uniform and that the darker blue with light blue accents (as we have now) were considered the best colour combination. In regard to uniform pride and consistency, please encourage your children to come to the office at any time should they be missing our standard pieces of expected uniform: we have many second-hand items in good condition and are happy to provide these to students as needed for a gold coin donation. Stay tuned for pictures of our Parkhill uniform in coming weeks: we have many fashionistas on hand to show us what a well-dressed Parkhill student looks like! Once again, I thank everyone who participated in the survey (67 families in all) and look forward to sharing more of the results soon.
And finally a super big thank you for the Building and Grounds subcommittee who last weekend moved mulch, added Buddy Benches and generally gave our gorgeous grounds a spruce up – our yard looks amazing.
Enjoy your weekend everyone –
Jo Jolly
Principal
Calendar of Curriculum Events
Reminder: Monday 6th November is a curriculum day. Students do not attend school on this day.
Student of the Week
The Term 4, Week 3 recipients were:
FA – Xavier M
3A – James A
4/5A – Amara V
4/5B – Miles V
6A – Imran M
First Aid
We have had reports of the following ailments throughout the school:
- Gastroenteritis
- Impetigo (school sores)
Please make sure that if your child presents with symptoms of these illnesses that they do not return to school until after 24 hours have passed without symptoms.
Early Leavers Policy
Please note that if you need to collect your child early from school, please come to the office and we will sign them out before collecting them from the classroom. This process still applies if an attendance note has been submitted via Compass. For safety reasons, we cannot allow students to wait for you in the office building or outside. You are welcome to call ahead to let us know and we can make sure your child has their bag packed and ready, but you must come in to the office to sign them out before collecting them from class.
School Forum Overview and Thanks
On Wednesday evening this week, School Council hosted a School Forum in the library. Our Principal, Jo, and our School Council President, Melo, spoke about the achievements in 2023 and the vision for the school in the coming years.
Key messages included:
- Great academic results in Year 5 NAPLAN.
- Excellent feedback from the community through the school community survey. Actions from this feedback include trialling a change in assembly times later this term (more to come), and establishing plans to explore rebranding of the school.
- Thanking parents and teachers for their ongoing work to build a sense of belonging in the school – through working bees, parent activities, committees and class ‘play-dates’.
- Excitement at the upcoming works being planned for the school through our grant pledged in the last state election – with a focus on improving playgrounds and outdoor spaces.
- Commitment to building enrolments, raising the profile of our school and striving for excellence in teaching, learning and culture.
Thanks to everyone for coming along, asking really important questions, and participating in the discussion. For those who were unable to attend, we encourage you to reach out to any School Council member or our Principal, Jo, if you have questions or ideas to share.
Emily Condell & Dan Edwards
(On behalf of Parkhill School Council)
Solar Challenge
Thanks to all our families who came to our first Solar Challenge held at Parkhill. By all accounts it was a successful event and our solar teams had a lot of fun and felt supported.
Thanks to our cooks and the PFA who helped to create such a successful event; and thanks to Solar Challenge families who helped students through tricky times when their boats or teams weren’t working right.
A final thanks and congratulations to our teams: they did us proud and tried their best.
Fish and Chips – Victor, Matthew, Flynn, Felix
Galacto Boys – Andy, Aiden, Connor, Daniel
Barbie Besties – Holly, Kara, Bella, Mia, Carmen
Fluoro Dolphins – Quin, Patrick, Somo
We had two certificate wins from Solar Challenge, Best Video (Junior Boat) and Best Design (Junior Boat).
Here’s the winning video https://youtu.be/t4nNQerAN9s
Michelle Smith
Assistant Principal
Looted Lunches - Culprit Apprehended
Congratulations to the families who joined our Looted Lunches science evening and successfully identified the culprit behind the lunch thefts. On Monday night families put on their forensic science hats and used chromatography, pH testing, microscopic analysis of crumbs and fingerprint analysis to identify that Mr Davies was, without a doubt, the lunch thief. Rest assured the children and Mrs Jolly will have words with Mr Davies to ensure that there isn’t a repeat of this horrific crime.
Andrea Crane
STEAM Teacher
Thanks for your help at our Working Bee
Last Saturday we had a very productive afternoon with parents, teachers and kids helping on improving our grounds. Achievements included:
- mulching around the hall and admin building;
- measuring out and painting a new four-square court;
- installing Parkhill’s Buddy Bench;
- fixing the stairs on the oval terrace;
- pruning and tidying around the grounds.
Another big win from the day was the fun we had together as a group, catching up as we pushed barrows, dug holes and painted perfectly proportioned squares!
Thank you to all those who volunteered their time.
From the Buildings & Grounds Committee
Garden Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to assist in weeding the kitchen garden area. If you or someone you know is able to pop in for a morning or two to help, we would greatly appreciate it! Please contact the office if you are interested.
State Schools' Relief Voucher Changes
For over 93 years, State Schools’ Relief has provided support in various forms to ensure that every Victorian government school student, regardless of their circumstances, is provided the opportunity to attend school with dignity.
In the past, where SSR could not supply a particular item, we have provided students with a voucher that could be redeemed at the relevant uniform supplier or school shop. However, over time, the gap between the cost of the item and the amount of our vouchers has grown wider. So, to ensure our support goes further for families, we are making some very important changes to our vouchers.
On Monday 27th November 2023 we will launch a new and improved voucher.
Key changes to SSR vouchers:
- Rather than part reimbursement per item, all vouchers issued from 27th November have a dollar value.
- Each voucher will have a value of $85.
- There will now be a limit of 1 voucher per application and a maximum of 3 vouchers per student/per calendar year.
- SSR vouchers will be valid for 3 months from the date of issue.
- Vouchers can be used to purchase any item/s at any uniform supplier or school shop.
- We will provide a link on our website (in the coming weeks) where families can track the expiry and remaining balance of their vouchers.
- SSR vouchers should only be used to buy items that State Schools’ Relief is unable to supply. They should not be used for shoes, bags, calculators, stationery or for plain items that SSR can supply directly (like plain track pants or grey trousers).
We truly hope that you embrace this much needed upgrade to our voucher offering. We trust that it will be a huge improvement and will provide an increased level of support to those that so desperately need it.
With excitement and anticipation,
the team at State Schools’ Relief
Library News
Dear Parkhill families,
The countdown to our Book Fair begins: 14 days!
The best candy shop a child can be left alone in, is the library.”
You are invited to our Scholastic Book Fair Family sessions which will be held in our library from Monday 20 November to Wednesday 22 November:
- 8:45-9:15 am
- 3:15-3:45 pm
You and your child will have the opportunity to explore a huge range of affordable books featuring characters and subjects kids love and want to read about, from newly released books and bestsellers to award-winning titles and perennial favourites.
Parent Help
We will love your help during the fair sessions. This includes tidying up the bookcases throughout the fair, monitoring inventory and helping with ‘LAST COPY’ displays on popular items, helping at the cashier desk and packing up after the Fair.
Want a chance to win a voucher?
Stay tuned next week for more information on how students can win a voucher to use at the Fair!
We would love to see you at our Book Fair!
If you have any questions or would like to help out at the Fair, please get in touch via email or leave a message at the office.
Angelita Williams
SUPPORT YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION WITH 12 MONTHS FREE INTERNET AT HOME
The Australian Government has established the School Student Broadband Initiative to provide free home internet for one year for up to 30,000 eligible families with school-aged students.
The initiative aims to boost education opportunities. NBN Co is leading the rollout of this initiative across the country.
How the School Student Broadband Initiative can help your child
Children who can access online learning at home as part of their education are more likely to engage in classroom activities.
Access to fast internet at home can also support children to build their digital skills, learn how to safely use the internet and take part in a world that is more reliant on digital technology.
Eligibility
To be eligible, families must:
· have a child living at home enrolled in an Australian school in 2023
· not have an active National Broadband Network internet service at their home* (having a mobile internet service does not affect eligibility)
· live in a premises that can access the National Broadband Network through a standard connection. NBN Co will check this for you after you apply.
· register interest with your school and complete a consent form to be assessed for eligibility.
*If an address has been disconnected within 14 days prior to an eligibility check – the address will be classified as ineligible. There may be cases where exceptions can be made, please contact the School Student Broadband Initiative team at SSBI@education.vic.gov.au to discuss further.
How the School Student Broadband Initiative works
If you are eligible, your home internet service will be provided at no cost for one year with a participating internet provider over the National Broadband Network. Each internet provider has its own step-by-step process to get you connected, which may involve you providing identification.
Once you sign up, the internet provider will help you set up your connection. The initiative does not include devices such as a computer or tablet. Other members of your household can use the internet service provided through this initiative.
The one-year period will start from the day your service is activated with your chosen provider. At the end of the one-year period, you will not be placed onto a paid service by your internet provider without your consent. The Australian Government is considering options beyond the one-year free period.
How to apply
· Print the consent form below or collect one from the school office.
· Complete the consent form and return to the school.
· NBN Co will use student address details on the consent form to confirm eligibility.
· If you are eligible, NBN Co will issue a voucher for your family to use to sign up with a participating internet provider. This will be provided to you by your school.
Please note: NBN Co will review the home address for eligibility. No personal information other than your main home address will be shared with NBN Co. Please see the consent form for details about how personal information will be used.
Find out more
For more information about the School Student Broadband Initiative, visit https://www.infrastructure.gov.au
OG Comes to Parkhill 2024!
Continuing our MSL and synthetic phonics journey in 2024, we are proud to host the Orton Gillingham training at Parkhill Primary School. This is an excellent opportunity for anyone working in education or allied health (such as speech pathology or occupational therapy) to take up this week of training here at Parkhill. The first four days are basic certification with an optional fifth day of advanced morphology training. Hosting a training week also means that we can send our own staff at a reduced rate to this valuable PD. If you know of any people who OG training would appeal to, please book via the links at the bottom of the flyer.
PFA News
President: Zoë Littlewood
Treasurer: Chris Fagan
General Members: Adam Keens, Emma Gullan, Lih-Shan Yam, Marinda Tanner, Michelle Wickman, Trish King, Vanessa Cowley, Iona Tsykalo, Jo Argaet
Colour Run
Instructions to sign up for the fundraising portal
NOTE: Chuffed.org only allows one child profile per email address, so please use a different email address for each child OR set up a profile for your family (but you will only be able to assign your funds to one class if this is the case).
Sock Fundraiser
Put your best foot forward… The PFA is doing a SOCK fundraiser again this year! This is a great gift or stocking stuffer idea with fun designs available for every sized foot. Socks are priced at just $7 or $8 per pair and our school will receive a percentage from every pair sold. We will also receive a bonus if we sell over 100 pairs – now that’s a goal worth aiming for! Order yours by Sunday 26th November for pre-Christmas delivery via school before the end of term.
Make sure you use this link when ordering for our school to benefit:
https://www.sockablefundraising.com.au/collections/shop-socks?ref=PARKHILLPRIMARY
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
Order Here – https://au.entdigital.net/orderbooks/9r34937
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
If you are unable to print a copy of the form, please see the office and we can provide one to you!
