Newsletter - 4 August 2022

Issue 23


Principal's Report

In today’s Principal Report:

Appreciations 

  • Solar project appreciations

News

  • Compass issue
  • Prep swimming concludes tomorrow
  • Books and Boots update
  • Staff absences

Coming Events

  • Athletics Carnival
  • Camp information sessions
  • Science week
  • Shade Structure

Covid update

Appreciations and acknowledgements
Last Friday we hosted representatives from Envirogroup, the company that worked closely with us in the development and installation of our solar project at the beginning of the year.  Our school captains, Annamai and Fletcher represented our school confidently (see below).  A big appreciation to Jess Elliott, parent, member of our school council and mum to Owen in grade 3.  While due to work commitments, Jess was unable to attend last Friday, she did provide a detailed response to some of the questions that we discussed and will provide background for the information that will be provided on the Envirogroup website.  Jess was able to reflect on what our challenges were, what our range of solutions encompassed and why we are delighted with the final installation.  Our FWPS community owes a debt of gratitude to Jess!


ews

  • Compass issue - We learnt yesterday that many Compass users have received repeated posts and with this happening without apparent reason, it understandably is confusing.  We understand that many ‘Compass’ schools have been similarly affected by this glitch.  An sms was sent to our parent/carer phones yesterday alerting them to this issue.  Compass has just advised that this issue has now been resolved. Please see the link for further information. 

    https://www.compass.education/post/notification-issue-resolved

  • Prep swimming finishes tomorrow and going by how tired our little learners are, it is really long enough.  A huge appreciation for all who have supported the program. 
  • Books and Boots - There has been such excitement with students in grade 4 who have been supporting Dan Whiting in responding to our Books and Boots initiative.  As of today there have been 1261 books donated!  It’s not too late to check your shelves for pre-loved picture story books for children 0-8.  Bring them in and place them in the large drop box at reception.  The closing date for donations will be Friday August 26th.
  • Staff absences - While most weeks we have a small number of staff on Covid leave, staff absences may be much higher due firstly to the myriad of other illnesses and on days such as last Monday due to ongoing professional learning commitments.  We are currently engaged in training our team leaders as instructional leaders using the Professional Learning Community (PLC) model.  Therefore we had 7 senior teachers released on that day for this purpose.  This was the second day of a 7 day Professional learning program that will take place over terms 3 and 4.    

Coming up
Athletics Carnival
We are excited that our inaugural school Athletics Carnival for students in Years 4 to 6 will be held at Aberfeldie Park next Thursday, 11th August from 9.30 am to 3.00 pm.  This event was planned then cancelled last year during our Term 3 lockdown.  Families were sent booking details a few weeks ago and we are expecting students to attend as the Athletics program is part of our Physical Education curriculum. Each participant will compete in a minimum of three, and a maximum of four, events on the day. They include running, throwing and jumping events from which to choose. The results of these events will determine the selection of our school Athletics Team who will go on to compete in the District Athletics Carnival a fortnight later. All students are expected to wear the parts of the school uniform that will be appropriate for their activities and also will protect them from the elements whilst waiting to compete.  We will be travelling to and from the venue by bus which will depart at 9.30 am from school. Please ensure that all students are at school by 9.00am as we don't wish to have to leave without all participants.  Parents/Carers will be welcome to attend as spectators. 

Camp information sessions
This year both the 3/4 and 5/6 camp information sessions will be presented online via WebEx.  Families of students who are planning to attend camp will have received a Compass invitation to the relevant information session.  The grade 3 and 4 camp information session will be held next Wednesday, 10th August at 7.00 pm and the 5 and 6 camp information session will be held on Wednesday, 17th August, also at 7 pm.  Parents and carers who are attending as volunteers will be asked to remain in the meeting at the conclusion of the information session in order to discuss necessary legal requirements and protocols.

Smile Squad
Thanks to all families who have returned the Smile Squad permission forms that were sent home with each child on Tuesday of last week.  While this program is not mandatory, it is a great opportunity to have your child’s teeth assessed by dental professionals at no cost to you.  If you wish to take up this opportunity you will need to have returned the form by next Thursday, 11th August.

Science Week - Next week from August 8th-12th FWPS will be celebrating Science Week! https://www.scienceweek.net.au/  Due to other commitments, we have decided to celebrate Science Week a week earlier this year. The theme for National Science Week in 2022 is 'Glass - More than meets the eye.' However our Junior School Council decided to focus on practical science activities that are more suited to classrooms, teacher time and with easier access to resources. We will look forward to  showcasing some of the learning in the assembly video the following week.

Facilities update

  • Shade structure - I am sure that you will note that my prediction that we would have a shade structure in place this week has not come to fruition.  Unfortunately, late on Friday I was informed that one of the contractors was unable to meet their commitment within this time frame.  As we are keen to have the holes dug and poles in place at a time that is convenient for school operators and we expect this to occur on a weekend.  While hopeful that this will occur this weekend, we will have to wait and see.  
  • Close Circuit Television -  Installation of our external CCTV system started on Monday and will continue next week.  We are pleased that our security with managing theft and vandalism will be strengthened.
Covid update
Our next consignment of RAT packs will be provided Tuesday week (16th August).  Deliveries will continue this term at least, though less frequently than during the first semester.

New Covid cases this week …

Positive 

Household close contact

8 students 

2 staff members

4 students 

0 staff members

Please remember if your child tests positive there are two steps you must take:

  1. If staff or students receive a positive test result at any time, they must report this through the Department of Health system (Rapid antigen tests | Coronavirus Victoria) or via the coronavirus hotline at 1800 675 398.
  2. Parents must continue to report a positive Covid case for their children to our school, either through the Covid Test portal or by phone or in writing; this is so we can accurately record absences for the 7-day isolation period and inform the community of the number of Covid cases to encourage parents to remain vigilant.

If a staff member or student has recovered from COVID-19, they are not required to get tested or isolate/quarantine if re-exposed to a case within 4 weeks of ending their isolation period. Please note this is a change from the previous period of 12 weeks.

All students and staff who return a positive result from a rapid antigen test should also follow the latest advice at https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/rapid-antigen-tests.

Cheers,
Brendan



Coming Events

DATE

COMING EVENTS

Mon 8 Aug - Fri 12 AugPrep Nurse Visits (selected students)
Mon 8 Aug - Fri 12 AugFWPS Celebrates National Science Week
Wed 10 August5/6 Camp Final Payment Due
Wed 10 AugustGrade 3/4 Camp Information Night 7pm, Via Webex
Thur 11 AugustGrade 4-6 School Athletics Carnival - Aberfeldie Track
Fri 12 August

Milo's Birthday Surprise Party - Prep

Mon 15 August through to September

Smile Squad Dentist Check ups / treatment (selected students)

Wed 17 August

Grade 5/6 Camp Parent/Carer Information Night 7pm, via Webex. 

Thurs 18 AugustHenry the flying emu Science Incursion - Prep
Fri 19 August3/4 Camp Final Payment Due

Father’s Day Stall Wrapping session - 9:00am
Tue 23 AugustPrep Fire Education with Maribyrnong Fire Department
Fri 26 AugustBook Week Parade - 9am
Fri 26 August 2nd hand uniform shop open 8:45-9:15am
Tue 30 AugustFathers' Day Stall - 5 & 6s
Tue 30 AugustPrep Fire Education with Maribyrnong Fire Department
Wed 31 AugustTheirCare 2nd Hand Uniform Shop - 4:30-6:00pm
Wed 31 August to Fri 2 SeptGrade 5/6 Alexandra Adventure Camp
Fri 2 SeptFathers' Day Stall - Prep to Grade 4
Wed 7 Sept to Fri 9 SeptGrade 3/4 Lord Somers Camp
Fri 16 SeptLast day of Term 3 - early finish 2:30pm
Mon 3 OctoberFirst day of Term 4


Pupil of the Week

NAME

GRADE

APPRECIATION FOR:

Ada

PAC

Your enthusiasm and positive attitude towards learning. You always apply your personal best effort to produce excellent work. Well done! 

Cameron

PAK

Being an enthusiastic learner who applies personal best to all tasks. Well done!

John

PHS

Applying so much effort your writing and spelling. Excellent work.

Tilly

PKB

The effort you are putting into building your literacy and numeracy skills. Keep it up super star!

Lily

PKT

Her bravery and resilience during our swimming program. Well done, Lily!

Tobey

1CD

Demonstrating a positive growth mindset during writing by writing a narrative independently and taking time to edit it carefully. 

Angus

1CW

Being a phoneme detective! Well done! 

Malik

1LB

Making a continued effort to begin his work independently. Malik has worked hard to build and apply a growth mindset to all tasks, particularly during writing. Fantastic work Malik!

Aneta

1HP

Giving your personal best effort when decoding words and making good use of punctuation.

Theodore

1LL

Putting so much effort into decoding words when reading.

Partho

2BD

Showing a growth mindset and your personal best effort during guided reading sessions. Keep it up!

Yusuf

2JI

Applying his personal best effort to use creative word choices in his independent writing task. Terrific job Yusuf.

Levi

2LE

The great effort he is putting into class tasks. Well done. 

Coco

2TN

Working cooperatively with your group to complete the reading task. You also did a terrific job presenting your group work to the class.

Layla

3JS

Developing a meaningful response to a text and sharing it with her literature circle group.

Phoenix

3MK

Applying your personal best effort during our Literature Circle sessions.

Jack

3MP

Contributing more often in mathematical discussions. Keep it up!

Louis

3TM

Your positive attitude to learning and always trying your personal best. Well done Louis!

Jasmine

4AF

Taking on new challenges with her maths work. Well done Jasmine!

Skye

4BC

Consistently listening attentively to others and for regularly contributing to class discussions. Fantastic effort, Skye. Keep it up!

Alice

4DW

Her fantastic piece of persuasive writing. It was great to see you use all of your previous learning to create a convincing argument for getting a class pet. Watch this space...

Oliver S

4MS

The mutual respect he shows during every group-based learning activity. Wonderful efforts Oliver!  

Harley

5CG

Putting in immense effort and going above and beyond with his homework! Well done Harley!

Nicholas

5SM

The excellent effort you have been applying to your homework this term.

Lydia

5TH

For being a respectful and supportive classmate.

Leo

6LC

Consistently applying a personal best level of effort across all subjects. You are a wonderful role model to your peers!

Jack

6MP

Putting so much effort into your homework. Amazing work, Jack!

Ema

6MC

Having a growth mindset in Writing and working hard on your explanation text. Keep up the great work, Ema!

Meika Do

TheirCare

Her excellent packing up skills. She goes above and beyond to ensure the service is organized and ready for everyone to enjoy! She always has wonderful stories to share and a smile on her face!  



Grade 3 Update - Term 3

Welcome back to Term 3! The Grade Three team would love to extend a huge appreciation to all our students and their families for the positive start to the term, despite the ongoing challenges and absences we have been facing as a community due to COVID.

Reading:
This term, the Grade Three team is focusing on developing our love for Literature and reading! We have introduced Literature Circles during Reading sessions, which gives students the opportunity to talk about books and what they have read with their peers. These conversations are vital in order for students to build community, develop important speaking and listening skills, deepen their understanding of books and most importantly, recognise that reading is fun!

Spelling:
This term, we are beginning a new focus on spelling. Each week we will include engaging activities for students to learn about phonemes, syllables, spelling patterns and will provide students with various practical strategies that will help them spell unknown words when reading and writing.

Writing:
We will continue focusing on the 6+1 Traits of Writing and how to use these qualities to create a range of effective and engaging pieces of writing. Students started Term 3 by focusing on sentence fluency. They are learning about the musical quality of fluent sentences and how to write using varying rhythms and sentence length, ensuring the reader is interested and engaged. Students are choosing which text type they wish to write in order to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of sentence fluency. Many have chosen to concentrate on narratives, information reports or recounts.

Mathematics:
In Mathematics, students in Grade Three will learn about a range of topics, such as multiplication and division, collecting data and creating digital graphs, fractions and decimals, problem solving and coding.

Inquiry:
For Inquiry this term, students are already engrossed in our Biological Science topic all about the importance of increasing and maintaining biodiversity. Students will develop their understanding of living and non-living things, how living things are connected to each other, the role living things play in their environment and the importance of diversity in our ecosystems. As a part of this unit, students will design a habitat that aims to increase biodiversity in the local environment.

Homework:
Students in Grade Three are required to complete homework tasks each week. These include:

  • Reading at least five nights a week, recording each entry in their reading log
  • 3 Mathletics tasks assigned by the teacher

Reminders:

Camps and Excursions:
The Grade 3/4 Camp is fast approaching and will be held at the Lord Somers Camp on the Mornington Peninsula. The camp will run from Wednesday the 7th of September until Friday the 9th of September. Please keep an eye out on Compass for more camp information that will be released closer to the time of the event. If you have not already paid AND given consent for camp, please do so as soon as possible via Compass or the School Front Office.  All families attending camp are encouraged to attend the camp information session via webex next Wednesday, 10th August at 7.00 pm.  The link has been sent via Compass. 

Tissues:
We would greatly appreciate donations of tissue boxes for your child’s classroom due to the higher demand in winter months, as these are not provided by the school.

The Grade 3 Team
Medha, Jane, Michael and Tess



Premiers’ Reading Challenge 2022



Congratulations to all those students who have completed the challenge so far this year.

A reminder to all those students who are taking part in the Reading Challenge this year that the Premiers’ Reading Challenge ends Monday 29th August.  Please make sure you enter all your books online and mark them as finished by the end of that day.

If you have any problems please come and see me in the library.

Jodi
Library



Parents Association



TheirCare

Hi parents, guardians, staff, and friends! 

We continue to welcome all children and families to TheirCare this term and we are very excited to be getting more children each morning and afternoon and meeting more of the wonderful people in this beautiful FWPS community! 

This week is sea animal week! We have started creating sea creatures out of paper and playing octopus and other animal games in the gym! 

We would like to say a huge good luck and thank you to Luke who has been an incredible coordinator over the past few years here at Footscray West Primary! He has taken a new position as area manager, so he will be leaving the service. However, he will still be popping in to say hello regularly but will primarily be away at other services.  

Congratulations Luke on your new role and we know you will do an incredible job! 

This week’s Star of the Week for TheirCare is Meika Do for her excellent packing up skills. She goes above and beyond to ensure the service is organized and ready for everyone to enjoy! She always has wonderful stories to share and a smile on her face!  

We have begun to focus more of our attention towards supporting the ASRC through donations of food and activities for the rest of this term. If any families have any spare canned goods they would like to donate, our donation basket is under the sign in desk in the Emu corner.  

Our lost property basket has continued to grow, especially our collection of water bottles! So, if anyone has been missing a jumper or bottle, it may be with us here in the Emu corner.  

For all families if you have any questions about TheirCare and would like to come and have a chat please come visit us in Emu Corner in the morning or afternoon, alternatively you can contact us on the details provided and we will help you as best we can.

TheirCare Team: 
Louise, Daniel & Connie 
Contact Details: 
Service Phone: 0487004072 
Service Email: footscraywest@theircare.com.au 
Head Office: 1300 072 410 



The Lunchbox



Oh my Lasagne goodness!
Added to the menu from THIS week will be crispy topped bubbling béchamel, tomato and meat sauce layered pasta sheet cheesy goodness, YES, that's right LASAGNE is ON the menu!
Seriously good Fuel for School.



Community Notices

A community message from West Footscray Neighbourhood House

West Footscray Neighbourhood House are proud to announce a new partnership that will provide a free psychologist service to our community, on Mondays and Thursdays commencing on 22nd August.

The Community Collective Victoria/Support Pathways initiative is a no gap, confidential psychology service that is delivered by Provisional Psychologists in various locations across Victoria. Community psychology sessions are funded by NDIS referrals, and all Provisional Psychologists are required to be registered with AHPRA and have qualified supervisors.

Their services are available for all ages and include:

- Therapy, including CBT and CPT

- Cognitive assessments, including ADOS, WIAT, WIAS and WISC

- Psychometric screening and assessment (including ASD, ADHD, anxiety and depression

Telehealth services are also available on request.

For more information or to receive a referral form, please contact us via admin@wfnh.com.au.