ISSUE 04, FRIDAY 4 March 2022

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Principal's Message

Dear parents and carers,

Thank you for your support and participation in this year’s school council election. For the first time in years we had to hold an election in the parent member category. This is a really healthy sign of an active and engaged community. Having spent my career at a number of schools and as Executive Officer of several school councils, I am aware of what makes for a productive and effective school council and I have been so impressed with the Parkhill council and the commitment and dedication of all school councillors to enhancing and improving the school. The school council for 2022 is:

Office bearers will be elected at the Annual General Meeting in March.

As mentioned in last week’s newsletter, we will be holding a community forum on 24th March. At this forum the school council will outline some of the projects and actions it will be leading this year.

COVID-19 Positive Case Communication

We have been fortunate that so far this year we have had very few positive cases reported. When a case is reported, we have been notifying only parents of the class affected. As a result of some feedback on this approach and the need for community awareness, with any future reported positive cases we will notify the whole school community, identifying the affected class.

Thank you for the way in which you have supported each another and the school and please keep an eye out for Compass notifications.

Have a lovely weekend,

David Wells

Acting Principal

Calendar of Curriculum Events

Refer to our calendar for any updates of events

29May

NEVR Choir Performance at Hamer Hall

01Jun

Cup Cake Stall

01Jun

School Disco

02Jun

Y5/6 Winter Sport Round Robin

05Jun

Y3/4 Camp Weekaway

07Jun

Y6 Immigration Museum Excursion

08Jun

G.A.T.E.WAYS Eureka

12Jun

King’s Birthday

No event found!

Please note that these events are subject to Covid-19 restrictions and are subject to change and/or cancellation.

school photos

Please see the document below for information about School Photos. Please note that envelopes are not yet available at the office. We will let you know when the envelopes arrive for distribution.

F/Y1 Inquiry: Me and my school

The school leaders Noah, Jayda, Jasper and Abigail did a wonderful job explaining their roles to the F/Y1 students as part of a finding out session about different roles that people have at Parkhill. They spoke so confidently, and the F/Y1 students were great listeners. Well done all!

Anne McGregor and Bella Crowe

F/Y1 Teachers

John Monash Science School Enrichment Programs - Update

Selected students in Y5 attended John Monash Science School for their second session in Little Scientists and Mini Mathematicians. Thanks again to parents for the mum’s and dad’s taxis.

Trish captured the Little Scientists as they looked at onion skins and algae under the microscope, talked about adaptation and made robotic hands with straws and string.

I hear wonderful things about student behaviour and attitude; showing the Parkhill Pride!

Thanks for the super photography, Trish.

Michelle Smith

Assistant Principal

Break time activities

Ella and Kasia from 2/3A have been busy at their break times creating these amazing pictures using the drawing box area. We now await the creative stories they say they are going to write using the characters.

Also during the break times we have been keeping cool with some outdoor water sensory play areas and some of the Y1s helped me to go and spray some children to keep cool. Of course, we asked permission first!

Kerry D’Arcy

Education Support Officer

Invitation for Parent Voice: Our School Values

Do you know the Parkhill Primary school values?

They are Unity, Persistence, Care, Honesty, and Respect.

These have been the values the entire time I have worked at this wonderful school, since 2007 – and even, I believe, before that. However, time marches on and communities change and grow. As such, it’s time our beloved school values grew with us!

Since the beginning of Term 1, I have been collecting feedback from staff and students, trying to dig down to the roots of who we are as a school community. Words expressed by all involved have really captured the welcoming, diverse, caring and inclusive community that we have here at Parkhill, from our small school, child-focused approach to our dedication and innovation during long months of remote learning.

Interestingly, some of our current school values already strongly resonate with the feedback collected. However some do not. Progressing our school values is an important task as they play a key role in shaping our community, our teaching and ultimately of course – our students.

So I invite you to share with me any words that you feel capture our Parkhill community. Which of our existing school values resonate with you? Which do not? Please feel free to email me your thoughts: alex.davies@education.vic.gov.au

Alex Davies

Y5/6 Teacher

naplan 2022

NAPLAN is around the corner and we are already starting to plan our practice tests for the big days. NAPLAN in 2022 will be from 10 – 20 May. It consists of four different online assessments: writing, reading, conventions of language and numeracy. The only test that is not online is Y3 writing. All students in Y3 and Y5 will sit the tests.

Families with a Y3 or Y5 child will have already received information about the tests. If you are concerned about your child sitting the test, please talk to your child’s class teacher soon.

We are planning to hold our first practice tests in two weeks, where we will explore the demonstration sites to familiarise ourselves with the platform. Further practice tests will focus more on the pressure of timing and expected content. Teachers are already exploring curriculum that will be expected on the test in class.

You can check out the demonstration site at home too. Access at https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site

parent teacher interviews

Parent Teacher Interviews will take place on Tuesday 15 March and Wednesday 16 March. This year, Parent Teacher Interviews can be booked via Compass. Booking information was released earlier this week.

Please make sure that you are able to access Compass to book these interviews. An email was sent out earlier this week to those who have not yet accessed their Compass accounts. If you have not activated your account you will not be able to book Parent Teacher Interviews, so please make sure you have access!

If you are unable to log in to your account or are having difficulties accessing Compass, please contact the office and we can assist you.

partnering with parkhill invitation

Dear parents and carers,

We would love to invite you to join with us in Partnering with Parkhill by being someone who we work with from time to time to help make our school the best it can be. If you have a few hours spare occasionally and you are keen to see our school grow and improve then this survey is for you. Please take 2 minutes to tell us a bit about yourself and then let us know the areas where you might be interested in helping out at Parkhill. We are so excited to bring our talented and diverse community together in this way as we invest in Parkhill. Thanks so much and if you have any questions please come and chat with one of your School Council members.

https://forms.gle/nHJYA1ZMXwCfSoz1A

Parkhill PS School Council

Parent Class Reps & Co-ordinator

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

We are seeking expressions of interest for joining the Parent Class Rep team this year. The Parent Class Rep role is a great way to get to know more members of our Parkhill community, help coordinate classroom volunteers and bring families together through social events. In addition, we are also looking for a new Class Rep Coordinator to lead our wonderful team of volunteers. Full handover and support will be provided including a guidebook. To find out more please email me.

Pip Papageorgiou – philippa_isaacs@hotmail.com

flexischools canteen unavailable

The Flexischools canteen will be unavailable on the following dates:

Wednesday 16th March
Friday 18th March

PFA News

Executive Committee:
President: Zoë Littlewood
Treasurer: Chris Fagan
Secretary/Communications: Vacant
General Members: Elle Delmee, Vanessa Cowley, Marinda Tanner, Jo Argaet, Sumi Sundram, Iona Tsykalo, Lih-shan Yam, Emma Gullan, Trish King, Telma Tomy

Next week is the PFA AGM. Tuesday, 8th March 2022 @ 6pm in the library or via Google Meet – https://meet.google.com/sxk-qmkm-eqt

JOIN THE PFA

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

ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR YOU TO PURCHASE

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: https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/9r34937

REMEMBER TO SAY ‘PARKHILL PRIMARY SCHOOL’ WHEN SHOPPING AT REBEL!

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.