13 May 2015

Newsletter 8/2015

NEWSLETTER 8/2015

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

Dear Parents and Friends
I hope all of our mothers, step-mothers, grandmothers and special women who care for children, enjoyed a wonderful Mother's Day last weekend.
This week our Year 3 and Year 5 students sat the NAPLAN tests.  The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 across Australia.  It consist of 4 tests:  Language Conventions, Writing, Reading and Numeracy.  Reports are sent to schools towards the end of term 3.  Whilst the NAPLAN assessments provide us with some information on how a student is progressing, it is important to remember that this is just one measure in a range of assessments that we use to gauge your child’s overall progress. The NAPLAN test is a valuable tool that assesses student ability in the areas covered by the test on the day of the test.  However, sound assessment practices rely on a variety of assessment tools.  Teachers are best placed to fully understand your child’s learning outcomes from working with them every day over the course of the year, analysing their ongoing work and conducting a range of assessment activities over a period of time.  These results are then reported to parents in the twice-yearly school reports.
Remember, if you have any questions regarding your child’s progress at school, you can arrange a time with their class teacher to discuss this.  This can be arranged before or after school.  Please remember it is important to make a scheduled time, to enable teachers to give you the time and commitment necessary to have a full and robust discussion.

PASSIONATE PURSUITS

Passionate Pursuits has commenced again this term and the children and teachers are loving their Friday afternoon sessions.  There are a range of activities on offer, from cooking to gardening, chook shed to football, as well as "You're the Voice" and dancing.  This term I am excited to be working with 2 lovely mums, Julia and Maria, on delivering a yoga passionate pursuit program to some 3/4 students.  We also have Maria (not the same one!) working with Mrs Lough in the singing pursuit group and a professional dance teacher supporting Mrs Bon with our passionate dancers!  What a wonderful addition to our extra-curricular program to help us all connect and learn as a community!  If you have a passion that you would like to share, consider approaching your child's teacher to see if there is a chance of a partnership next term.




It has been bought to my attention that parking is again becoming an issue.  Can all parents please be mindful of student safety and follow parking signs.  Please be courteous of others, including our neighbours, when parking around the school.

Kendra Parker
PRINCIPAL

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S REPORT 

BULLY PREVENTION

Every year Mentone Park students are involved in a Bully Prevention program that encourages and reinforces the skills in dealing with bullying situations. We are all confronted with bullies and bullying situations, not just at school, and it is important to know how to deal with these situations when they arise.
Often at Mentone Park teachers only find out about bullying situations after a period of time, when the damage has already been done.  It is important for the whole school community to take a pro-active approach so that bullying is dealt with quickly and effectively.  It is the responsibility of students, teachers and parents, working together, to effectively handle and solve bullying issues.
Just as it is our responsibility at school to promote and develop the skills in students to enable them to handle bullying situations, it is also parents’ responsibility at home to reinforce and support this program.
BULLYING DOES NOT JUST HAPPEN AT SCHOOL!
Over the term students will be participating in the Bully Prevention program and information will be provided to parents in the school newsletter so that you will be able to reinforce what the students have learnt at home.
Sessions covered are:
1. Defining Bullying
2. Dealing with Bullies– standing up for yourself
3. Dealing with Bullies– saying ‘No’. Telling someone  to ‘STOP’
4. Seeking Support-Talking to an Adult
5. How to support a Victim
6. Cyberbullying Grade 3-6
7. Creating a Safe School Environment
8. What have you learnt? 

SCHOOL APP - TIQBIZ

A flyer is coming home today with information about our new school app! This will make communication between home and school very easy, quick and efficient and will also mean you have school news and information always at your fingertips!

Please download the tiqbiz app from the app store, it will work on any device. Once you have downloaded the app, search for Mentone Park Primary school and then tick the whole school box along with all other boxes that apply to your child. For example, if your child is in 1/2U, you would tick: whole school, 1/2U, Italian, P.E, Performing Arts and Art. Then you can go ahead and click on newsfeed in any of these areas, for the latest newsletters and information.

WORKING BEE THIS SUNDAY 9am to 12pm followed by a BBQ Lunch

A notice came home yesterday regarding our upcoming working bee this weekend. If you have not done so already, please return the slip at the bottom of the form, and don't forget to indicate if you will be bringing the family for the BBQ lunch!
Hope to see you there!!

IRLEN SYNDROME / SCOTOPIC SENSITIVITY SYNDROME (SSS)

Did you know the eyes transmit 70% of the information an individual receives? This information must then be interpreted correctly by the brain. Someone with Irlen Syndrome (SSS) suffers from a visual processing problem. This can make learning or reading difficult, regardless of a person having good reading skills or even being gifted or advanced. Irlen Syndrome can cause Print Distortions, Environmental Distortions and Sensory Overload, which are not attributed to a person's level of intelligence, but rather to a defect in one of the visual pathways that carry messages from the eye to the brain. 

Irlen Syndrome cannot be identified through standard psychological, educational, or optometric testing. Individuals with Irlen Syndrome will show one or more of the following:
  • Reading Difficulties
  • Poor Handwriting
  • Poor Depth Perception
  • Light Sensitivity
  • Underachievement
  • Headaches, Migraines and other Physical symptoms.
Once Irlen syndrome is diagnosed, coloured overlays or Irlen Spectral filtered lenses can assist in:
  • Improving reading speed, fluency, accuracy and comprehension
  • Tracking across the page more easily
  • Reading in ordinary light
  • Less strain and fatigue, so more willing to read
  • Reading for a longer period of time.
Because people with Irlen Syndrome may have never seen print correctly, they consider the way they see as "normal" and do not report difficulties. This is often the case with people suffering from many other Medical, Visual or Psychological Problems that can overlap with Irlen Syndrome.

As a Certified Irlen Screener, I have had the privilege of watching many children gain confidence and increase their levels of achievement, through the provision of coloured overlays or prescribed filtered lenses. These tools along with measures to improve their classroom environment, made it easier for these students to experience higher levels of success. 

Here is an excerpt from a letter I received from a year 7 student who I diagnosed and referred on to an Irlen Diagnostician for Irlen lenses:

.....I also think the glasses some how made me more smart because now I'm in a high math class and English class. Thank you so much because the glasses help me concentrate sooooo much.....

This student was an excellent reader and achieved average to high academic results, but she had some trouble concentrating for long periods of time without getting headaches or dizziness. She told me once that she couldn't walk into certain shops such as Smiggle, because the vibrant colours and artificial lighting would make her so dizzy that she would almost vomit. She had prescription glasses, but these helped her sight, not her perception of print on a page and the way her brain processed that information.

If you or your child's teacher suspect that Irlen Syndrome could be affecting his or her ability to read or learn efficiently, please contact me and I can arrange to screen them at school. You are more than welcome to come along and view the screening. I have coloured overlays available at school, to assist students both in the classroom and at home with their reading.

For more information, please click the links below.



Alison Lough
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL


UNIFORM SHOP

At the School Council this week, Council voted to outsource our uniform shop to Primary School Wear (PSW), who have their shop located in Mills Street in Cheltenham (just off Warrigal Rd).
This has many advantages for the school, one of which means that we no longer need to rely on parent volunteers to run the shop at school.
What this means for parents is that we will be closing our uniform shop on Friday 12th June and from the holidays you will be able to purchase directly from PSW, either at the shop or online.
More information will come explaining the change over the next few weeks.  Please note that we will not be re-stocking our shop from now on.  Any orders already placed will, of course, be honoured.

TERM 2 CALENDAR



 Here is the calendar of events for this term.  It will be updated fortnightly.



DISTRICT CROSS COUNTRY

The District Cross Country event will officially be held at Karkarook Park in Heatherton (just off Warrigal Rd, near Bunnings) on Friday 22nd May.  The link below is a map of the Cross Country course.  

JUMP ROPE FOR HEART


Don't forget to keep fundraising for Jump Rope for Heart on Thursday 21st May 9.15am to 10.40am.  Our goal is to raise at least $5 per student.  Our Grade 6 leaders will be running Jump Off Day with some fantastic and fun activities planned.
 

PREP COFFEE MORNING




SAVE THE DATE

The PFA are organising a
Parent Social Event - lock the date now into your calendars:

 Saturday 8th August
More details to come...


Tomorrow we have Prep M and 3/4O on the roster to help out at the Kids' Cafe' and next week it's 1O and 3/4S. Remember you can use the new online roster to register.
 
Use the link here http://vols.pt/TwbT6X and fill in your details for the time slot/slots that suit.
Please feel free to fill in as many spots as you like if you would like to help out more regularly than your rostered class day. This system will also send you reminders and allows you to swap spots

If you have any problems accessing volunteer spot please let me  know (0413009493 or lizpleasants@me.com) and I will try to help you out.




April


17th 2O & 5 / 6 S





24th 2R & 5D


May


1st 1 / 2 U & 6W





8th PS & 3/4 G





15th PM & 3 / 4 O





22nd 1O & 3 / 4 S





29th 1B & 3 / 4 H


June


5th 2O & 5 / 6 S





12th 2R & 5D





19th 1/2 U & 6W


Thurs


25th cleaning,
all welcome





26th closed,
last day of term


I look forward to seeing you in the Cafe'.
Liz & the Kids’ Café Team


COOK'N'CARE

Thank you to the families who have responded so far.  Next week we will be sending home a hard copy of the notice to volunteer, so look out for it in your child's school bag.


HEAD LICE

We have had several reported cases of Head Lice this term.  Please check your child/rens hair regularly.  Once treatment has commenced children can return to school.  Below are the links for our school Head Lice Policy and Government Health Department information on Head Lice, detection of and treatment of Head Lice.

MOTHERS' DAY THANK YOU


A big thank you to all the families who attended this year’s Mothers' Day Family Breakfast.  It was great to see the Dads attend also and our fantastic staff that came in early to help and allow the Mums and Grandmas to enjoy breakfast with their families.  The hall was buzzing and had a great atmosphere.
Thank you to Jodi, Fiona, Jane, Natalie, Sue, Anna B, Lilian and Anne who were involved in the lead up and preparations for our breakfast.  Also to our Grade 6 children who moved the Kids Café tables to the hall.
To Jodi, Noela, Anna W, Fiona, Sue, Anne, Martin, Scott and Cameron for their help during the morning of the breakfast - THANK YOU.  To everyone else that contributed (including the children) – THANK YOU.
Thank you to Louise and her helpers throughout the day for running the Mother’s Day Stall.  The children love being able to bring their money and choose something special to give Mum, Nana or Special Friend on the morning of Mothers' Day.  Thanks also to Siobhan for the kind donation of bags for the children to put their purchases in.
We hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers' Day.
Wendy Davis
PFA President

 

OSHC

This week at OSHC indoor activities and sport were needed to keep us warm. We are running to keep winter at bay. Some of the children are renewing their knitting and craft skills and coming up with some fancy creations of their own.
Winter is coming, so if your child needs to eat breakfast, feel free to send them with anything you want them to have.
Please remember to book in advance if you need to use the casual service.
A polite reminder to all parents about Curriculum Day on Monday 25th May.  We will be operating from 7.00am until 6.30pm.  If your child requires care on this day please book ASAP.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS & ADVERTISING

 The Department of Education & Early Childhood Development and Mentone Park Primary School do not endorse the products or services of any private advertiser. They accept no responsibility for accuracy of information contained in  advertisements or claims made by them.

 






























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