Issue 9, Friday 31st March 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
This morning I walked around with prospective families on school tours. Parkhill was giving good vibes: students were listening intently, dancing together (with their teacher) to a workout, researching with furrowed brows for their explanation posters, working in small groups on learning games. There was a calm manner about all classes and the only noise was productive classroom chatter. I was very proud of how settled the classes were and how the students were conducting themselves. Our teachers at Parkhill really are magical to create these environments so conducive to learning.
It was also great to see families out for our Walk for Water event, watching the students walk around the oval in their Care Groups. Most of the buckets of water survived the whole ordeal, but I heard one of them tipped right at the very end! Students had a glimpse into the difficulties some experience in accessing clean water every day. Thanks to the SRC and Mr Davies for organising this experience.
Camps – Information about our Y3/4 camp at Camp Weekaway went out this week. You can find a parent pack on your Compass newsfeed if you prefer the paper variety, or you can complete all requirements online through Compass Events. Call into the office if you’d like some help navigating the platform.
Elaine’s Farewell – As you know, Elaine will no longer be returning to the principal position at Parkhill. We would like to celebrate and acknowledge her time and dedication to Parkhill with a Farewell assembly and afternoon tea. This is planned for Thursday 27 April at 3:00pm, hopefully in the newly finished school hall. We warmly invite all members of our community to join us.
Building update – I have received an update that the hall flooring works should be finished by end of next week. It’s reassuring to get to the end of this process and we will have a nice new blue floor as well. No changes unfortunately with the handrail. We may have some building works during the holidays which should not be disruptive, including works to the plumbing out front of the hall, the railing at the top of the stairs behind the STEAM room, adding ventilation to the Science Kitchen, plumbing works in the junior building decking and hopefully the decking on the east side of the senior building.
Have a lovely weekend.
Michelle Smith
Acting Principal
Calendar of Curriculum Events
term 1 ends next Thursday, 6th April, at 2:30pm. It will be a free dress day. No Gold Coin donation required.
Student of the Week
The Term 1, Week 8 recipients were:
Foundation: Elliot K
1/2A: Ida T
1/2B: Yasmin L
Y3: Ruby-Lee R
4/5A: Aiden K
4/5B: Abigail L & Esther L
Y6: Mia T
Uniform Shop Update
We are excited to announce that our Heidelberg shop will be relocating to our head office shop at 133 Bakers Road in Coburg. This move is part of our ongoing efforts to provide the best possible products and services to our customers. This change will take place on the Monday 3rd April 2023 for your school.
We want to assure you that this move will not affect how your uniform is sold, whether online or in-store. Our team is committed to ensuring a seamless transition, and your orders will continue to be fulfilled on time and weekly deliveries will still be delivered on the same day they are now.
As you may be aware, the costs of production have been rising in recent months. To ensure that we can continue to offer our products at a low and competitive price, we have decided to move to a more cost-effective location. This will also allow us to take advantage of the benefits offered by the Coburg shop, including longer opening hours (please see below), more staff during busy times, and faster stock delivery from the warehouse located on-site.
We value your business and appreciate your continued support. We believe that this move will ultimately benefit both our customers and our business, and we look forward to continuing to serve you from our new location.
If you have any questions or concerns about this move, please do not hesitate to contact us. We are always here to help.
Shop Details
Location: 133 Bakers Road Coburg North
Phone Number: 9354 8345 Press 1 for the Shop
Email: shop@agsprints.com.au
Opening Hours: Monday to Thursday 9am to 5pm
Friday 9am to 3pm
Warmest Regards
A Plus Schoolwear Staff
Compass App
Please make sure you are regularly updating your Compass app. Some features are no longer available on outdated apps once a new update is released and you will not be able to access them if your app isn’t updated. If you are having issues with Compass or need help updating your app, please contact the office.
Foundation and Y6 Buddy fun
The Y6 students made some fantastic catapults out of icy pole sticks and masking tape. So on Thursday afternoon they tested them with their little buddies and a winner was declared. They will participate in the catapult grand final on Monday at assembly. We also walked around the oval with a big bucket of water to raise awareness of those who don’t have access to fresh water. Some Foundation students managed to walk five times around the oval which was an amazing effort.
Anne McGregor
Foundation Teacher
Foundation STEAM
I felt huge relief Thursday morning as I looked out the window and saw a breeze blowing. Wind was what the Foundation students needed to test their wind machines and to determine the windiest place at Parkhill. There predictions had us out testing on the soccer pitch, oval and playground. Together we found the soccer pitch was the windiest location. Student reasoning for this fact included, the number of trees surrounding the area, the holes in the mesh fencing and lastly because the soccer pitch sits on the top of a hill. We all decided being on the top of a hill may increase the wind reaching the area. What a great bunch of budding scientists our Foundation students are.
Andrea Crane
STEAM Teacher
Catapult Challenge
Wednesday morning was a blast for all who were involved in the Care Groups Catapult Challenge. Students worked harmoniously in multi-age groups to design and build a catapult. All supervising staff members reported that students were thoroughly absorbed by the task and that teamwork was plentiful. Thursday afternoon students tested their catapults, and a single catapult was selected to represent each Care Group. Come along and join us at Assembly Monday afternoon to see the final catapult competition and to find out which Care Group will have the 2023 bragging rights.
Andrea Crane
STEAM Teacher
School Council News
Last night the School Council met with Kerry Wood (Senior Education Improvement Leader) from the Department of Education. Kerry will be the Department’s representative throughout the process of appointing our new School Principal.
Kerry thoroughly explained the process to all council members which was exceptionally helpful. The job advertisement was posted (on DET website) and is now live, with applications to close on Thursday April 27th. Once applications close the process of identifying those to be shortlisted for interview will commence.
The School Council is keen to be inclusive and transparent throughout this process and will continue to seek feedback from our school community as to the attributes of a school Principal that would best serve our school.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to any council member with any questions, comments or feedback.
Melo Conti
School Council President
Lost Property
There is a Lost Property box allocated in the Y3/4/5 building which is sorted and, if named, returned to rightful owners. The Lost Property Monitors, Alicia and Sarah, are noticing A LOT of unnamed items. PLEASE ensure your hats, jackets and jumpers are clearly labelled for a seamless return.
Please see picture below and see if you are missing these items; helmet, purse, water bottle etc. If there are any issues with lost items, please leave a message at the office for Kerry D’Arcy.
Bread Bag Collection
Hi Parkhill, it’s that time of the year again when I am looking for lots of bread bags. Wonder has once again teamed up with 1500 Aussie schools to help collect bread bags and reduce soft plastic waste. As a registered school the more bread bags we collect the more points we accrue. We can then redeem these points on new sports equipment. Last year we filled 2 large boxes and Mr Sciacca received 6 soft balls to boost his dodgeball ball collection. This year lets aim for 3! So collect away, the more bread or wrap packets we collect the more equipment available to our students!
Andrea Crane
STEAM Teacher
PFA News
President: Zoë Littlewood
Treasurer: Chris Fagan
General Members: Adam Keens, Emma Gullan, Lih-Shan Yam, Marinda Tanner, Sarah Bakri, Trish King, Vanessa Cowley
EASTER RAFFLE – LAST CALLS
All tickets must be returned by Monday 3rd April. Draw will take place at the last of term assembly on Thursday 6th April.
SAVE THE DATE - MOTHER'S DAY MOVIE & MEAL
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Search for us using the name “Parkhill Primary School Community Page”.
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Lunch Orders
You can find the links to the lunch orders on the website under Quick Links.
FLEXISCHOOLS LUNCH ORDERS
