Issue 8, Friday 1 April 2022
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Principal’s Message
Dear parents and carers,
Over my brief time at Parkhill, I have been so impressed with the community spirit and support. The strength of the school is in its community and its willingness to get involved. This week we have had a number of events in which we have been able to bring the school community together to have fun and also share the learning experience of students at Parkhill.
It was so nice to see a great turn out for the Twilight Sports on Tuesday evening with a range of fun activities allowing for a mix of ages (including kinder kids) in Care Groups and culminating in the hotly contested sprint races. Such an event is not possible without the thorough planning and implementation of the staff. Thank you to the numerous staff members who assisted in various ways and in particular Sasha Guy for her organisation of the event and Dean Sciacca for setting up and running the event.
On Wednesday evening our STEAM teacher, Andrea Crane, ran a great activity that involved extracting DNA from strawberries. Again, this was a very successful and well attended event which gave an insight into the highly engaging and rich STEAM learning program at Parkhill.
Rounding out our week of community activities, we have a working bee tomorrow starting at 9am. The project for this working bee is the development of an indigenous garden at the front of the school. This will involve creating a large “yarning” circle in the middle with 8 paths radiating out from the circle. In between each path will be a garden bed with each to be planted out by each class in term 2. The working bee will be followed by a barbeque lunch.
Have a lovely weekend,
David Wells
Acting Principal
Calendar of Curriculum Events
Refer to our calendar for any updates of events
07 Apr 2022
All Day
Backflips Against Bullying
08 Apr 2022
All Day
Easter Raffle
08 Apr 2022
All Day
End of Term 1 – 2:30pm Finish
08 Apr 2022
8:00 am – 8:50 am
Choir Practice
15 Apr 2022
All Day
Good Friday
17 Apr 2022
All Day
Easter Sunday
18 Apr 2022
All Day
Easter Monday
25 Apr 2022
All Day
ANZAC Day
26 Apr 2022
All Day
Term 2 Begins
29 Apr 2022
9:00 am – 11:00 am
Winter Interschool Sports
05 May 2022
All Day
Stargazing at Parkhill
06 May 2022
All Day
Mothers Day Stall
10 May 2022
All Day
NAPLAN Opens
10 – 20 May 2022
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
NAPLAN (Y3 and Y5)
11 May 2022
3:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Cup Cake Stall
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Please note that these events are subject to Covid-19 restrictions and are subject to change and/or cancellation.
Next Friday is the last day of term 1, with school finishing at 2:30pm. It will be a Free Dress Day for all students!
school photos
Please see the attached document for information about School Photos. Please contact the office if you would like another envelope!
End of Term Morning Tea
There will be an End of Term Morning Tea for parents on the central decking area at 9:00am on Friday April 8. This is a great opportunity to catch up with other parents. Everyone is welcome!
Parkhill’s New School Values
With input from all Parkhill Primary School stakeholders – students, staff, and parents – it is my great pleasure to present Parkhill Primary School’s new school values: Care, Community, Courage and Curiosity.
Our old school values – Unity, Care, Honesty, Respect and Persistence – were brought into being over fifteen years ago and were in need of some growth to match the evolution of our school. We started this process by reflecting as a community on the sorts of words that describe what we call “The Parkhill Way”, and then grouped those words into synonyms. For example, our new value Community was the result of the words: diverse, relationships, small school, welcoming, inclusive, team, restorative, tight-knit, family-focused, student-focused, warm, friendly, togetherness and approachable. It was a great pleasure to work with the parents, students and teachers in the many discussions that took place throughout this lengthy process – a process that was in many ways an embodiment of the values that were chosen.
Our next steps will be to gradually introduce our students to our new school values with classroom learning in SEL and activities in school assembly led by our school captains.
Many thanks for the time, ideas and care shown from all contributors.
Alex Davies
Wellbeing Team Leader
Foundation at Parkhill in 2023
We held our Foundation at Parkhill in 2023 information session online yesterday. It was a lovely informal and intimate session. We shared a little about what school life looks like at Parkhill and heard from our attendees about their little ones. Parents had some great questions! I’d like to thank Marinda for her attendance and support, and our wonderful Foundation team for their positive and honest contributions.
We plan to hold more sessions next term with different themes in mind – watch this space!
Celebrating STEAM! – Extracting Strawberry DNA
36 Parkhill families participated in the online STEAM launch on Wednesday evening. Scientific investigation was the aim of the game as we set about following the procedure. Families made an extraction liquid, squished strawberries, filtered their solution and were finally rewarded with globs of strawberry DNA floating in an alcohol layer. How excited we all were to see scientific success for all. Thanks to all those budding scientists who participated and made the event interactive and engaging. I’m looking forward to hearing about all the other fruit you’ve tried to extract DNA from.
Stay tuned for a term 2 STEAM family evening – details will be available after the term break.
Andrea Crane
STEAM teacher
New Games Club Additions!
The money raised from the Second Hand Uniform stall has provided the F/Y1 area and Games Club with some new games which helps assist children to learn to take turns, play fairly and be a good friend. It is a great way to strengthen relationships, create laughter and have fun.
Kerry D’Arcy
Games Club Coordinator
Library News
Dear Parkhill Families,
We can’t believe we have reached the end of Term 1.
Kindly note that book orders from Issue 2 will be distributed after the term holidays.
Wishing you a wonderful term break and hoping the Easter bunny brings some sweet treats.
Working Bee Call Out – Library [Save the Date]
A library working bee group will be hosted on Wednesday 4 May from 9:00am to 12:00pm.
We are looking to give the library a tidy up, and mainly includes the sorting and shelving of books, and getting new books ready for borrowing if time permits.
Feel free to drop by and say hello or come spend the morning with us, we will love to see you!
Kindly RSVP at the office or simply email me if you can join us.
Angelita Williams
angelita.williams@education.vic.gov.au
Librarian
NAPLAN 2022 – Our Final Practice Test
Students in Y3 and Y5 sat their final practice test yesterday. We tried the omnibus practice test, which gives students a taste of all areas in the NAPLAN tests, excluding writing. It was similar to the demonstration site, but includes locked sections and student codes, giving students an experience akin to the actual tests in May.
I was impressed with how well the students concentrated and their maturity when in test conditions.
As always, the demonstration site is available online https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site. Please do contact your child’s class teacher or myself if you have any questions or concerns about your child sitting the NAPLAN tests in May.
Michelle Smith
Assistant Principal
PFA News
Executive Committee:
President: Zoë Littlewood
Vice President: Vacant
Treasurer: Chris Fagan
Secretary/Communications: Vacant
General Members: Elle Delmee, Sumi Sundram, Vanessa Cowley, Jo Argaet, Iona Tsykalo, Lih-Shan Yam, Emma Gullan, Trish King, Marinda Tanner, Alex Cilsby, Emily Meagher, Nadine Philips
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
https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/9r34937
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.
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
Lunch Orders
You can find the links to the lunch orders on the website under Quick Links.
FLEXISCHOOLS LUNCH ORDERS
https://www.flexischools.com.au/parents
Classroom Cuisine Lunch Orders
https://classroomcuisine.com.au/
community notices
