Newsletter IMPORTANT DATES 2014 FEBRUARY 19 th Working Bee Prep Testing 3 School Council Elections begin 21 st Interschool Sport Bye 26 th Prep Testing 4 District Swimming 27 th School Council Nominations close 28 th Interschool Sport Mordialloc Away PCG Afternoon Tea MARCH 3 rd 123 Magic Parent session 9.30am 4 th PCG/BG/Ed 7.00pm 5 th Prep Testing 5 Footsteps 3-6 7 th Interschool Sport St Brigids Away 11 th Division Swimming Finance 6.30pm AGM 7.00pm School Council 7.30pm 12 th Footsteps Year 3-6 11.30-1.00pm 14 th Sport Mentone Park Away School Photos Edition 2 Wednesday February 19 th, 2014 Principal s Report Our Vision There is a prosperous path for every child. Each journey is theirs to lead. There is a place in which every child can shine. Our Mission Identify the talent, develop the confidence and create the leader. Parent Teacher Meetings Thank you to all the parents who came to the school yesterday to chat with their children s teachers. It was great to see so many parents sharing about their children, to assist the staff in getting to know the children in their classes better. Changes to Assembly On Monday morning the Grade 6 students led our assembly. They did a fantastic job. Each fortnight a different class will lead the assembly. They may sing a song or present reports or items of interest. We want every child to experience being on stage and sharing with the whole-school community. Every other fortnight the School Captains and I will lead assembly. 2014 School Captains Our School Captains are Reuben S and Kira O. Our School Vice-Captains are Bradley M and Ava C. Front Entrance and Office Upgrade This year we are aiming to modify the front and main entrance to the school. It is anticipated that the offices and hallways will be remodelled allowing for greater flow and a more efficient office facility including storage space. Helping Local Residents with After-School Sports Parking On Fridays and weekends cricket teams come to Parktone to play on our oval. As the football season begins, football teams will be using our grounds as well. We want our local residents in Robert Street to be able to drive without restriction along Robert Street and in and out of their driveways. It would be much appreciated if after-hours visitors/players would park in the school and church car parks off McSwain Street. Our aim is to have visitors parking on the school s side of Robert Street, rather than on both sides. Sport Tops We are still waiting for Primary School Wear to confirm when the sport tops will be available for purchase from PSW. We will inform you as soon as we have this information. Congratulations! We are happy to announce the arrival of, Peter McGettigan and his partner Melody s new daughter Lennox. Barbara Young Our Crossing Lady Last week Barbara fell and injured herself whilst on duty. We are so glad to hear that she is recovering at home. On behalf of the school community we sent flowers and our best wishes. Thank you to the parents who cared for Barbara and helped with crossing duty. Your kindness supported and reassured our treasured crossing lady at a time when it was needed most. Rubbish Free School Parktone Primary School is committed to a wholeschool approach to Environmental Education, of which, waste minimisation and rubbish free food, plays a vital role. This is a reminder that children are required to bring their food to school in reusable / sealable containers as no wrappers are to be taken outside. Food brought to school wrapped will need to be taken out of its wrapper and the rubbish will be taken back home in the student s lunchbox. We encourage snacks like muesli bars to be sent to school in a container without wrapping. At lunch, students who have not finished eating when the play bell goes, will unwrap remaining food and take it out with them in a separate container or their rubbish free lunch box. Please ensure all containers are clearly labelled with your child s name. Lunch/Recess tubs are placed outside each classroom at playtimes for your child to store their container after use. Any food consumed in the playground must be done so on the steps surrounding the basketball court. Children purchasing items from the canteen will go straight to this area and place any canteen litter into one of the four bins in each of the four corners of the court. Thank you with assisting us in keeping Parktone Primary s grounds litter free
School Council Elections Schedule 4: Notice of Election and Call for Nominations An election is to be conducted for members of the School Council of Parktone Primary. Nomination forms may be obtained from the office and must be lodged by 4 pm next Thursday February 27 th 2014. In the event that an election is required ballot papers will be sent out on Friday February 28 th. The ballot will close at 4 pm on Friday March 7 th 2014. Following the closing of nominations a list of the nominations received will be posted at the school. The terms of office, membership categories and number of positions in each membership category open for election are as follows: Membership category Parent member DEECD employee member Term of office From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll in 2014 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2016 From the day after the date of the declaration of the poll in 2014 to and inclusive of the date of the declaration of the poll in 2016 Number of positions 5 If the number of nominations is less than the number of vacancies, a notice to that effect and calling for further nominations will be posted in a prominent position at the school. Nomination forms are available at the office. Change to the School Camp Program This year the Grade 3 and 4 students will not be participating in the Camp Program. Our camps are booked two years in advance. In 2012 we did not foresee such an increase in student numbers and the Philip Island Camp that is booked for April this year could not accommodate our increased number of Grade 3 to 6 students. Up until 2009 the Parktone Primary School Camp Program was for the Grade 5 and 6 students. As student numbers decreased we were unable to book camps. As a result the School Council agreed at that time, to invite the Grade 3 and 4 students, to boost the numbers in order for us to secure camp bookings. In 2014 our student population is higher than it has ever been. After discussion, the School Council made the decision to support the return of a Grade 5 and 6 Camp Program. In this way the senior students participate in two camp experiences before they leave primary school. Toilets The student toilet facilities will be upgraded in early April. We currently fall within the student and staff-toilet ratios; however we will be replacing all units with new ones and installing two more units in each of the girls and boys blocks. Additional soap dispensers have been installed, and the daily cleaning is being monitored. Thank you for your patience in this matter. 2 Gratitude We are fortunate to have children at Parktone Primary School who are making a difference in our lives. Staff members regularly express to me how grateful they are to work with the Parktone Primary community. We all agree it is a bonus that we look forward to coming to work each day. The more we teach the more we are learning about ourselves and our students. It is a privilege to work in a school where the children ask us, How are you? I hope you have a great day. Quote of the Week I ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed. Michael Jordan Have a great week everyone. George Danson Principal Dear Parktone Primary School Families Change of venue for Before and After School Care Camp Australia in its partnership with Parktone Primary School is pleased to introduce St Aiden s Church Hall as the new Before and After School Care venue for Parktone Primary School. St Aiden s Church Hall is located across the street to Parktone Primary School at 64 Robert Street, Parkdale. The Parktone Primary School Before and After School Care program will continue to operate as usual; between 7.00am and 8.45am for Before School Care and 3.30pm and 6.00pm for After School Care each school day. For more information on the Parktone Primary Before and After School Care program or specific requirements contact Annette on 0422 008 223. For all other inquiries contact Camp Australia s friendly Customer Service Team on 1300 105 343. Yours sincerely, Jo Petraitis Regional Manager
I like the work and eating special snack and lunch - Brodie 1B I like being in Grade 1 because I like learning new Maths and playing with fabulous friends Millie 1A. I love everything about 1C. Everything is just even better Ben 1C
BPay is a payment option available at Parktone Primary School. Your Biller Code is unique to you and shows on your statement. You can use BPay for school charges, excursions, camps, swimming, i.e. any payments you make to the school. If you wish to know your BPay Biller Code, simply ring the school office. Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA): The Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) is provided by the Victorian Government to lower-income families to help with education-related costs. If you have a child under 16, and you hold a valid Health Care Card, Pension Card, or are a temporary foster parent, you may be eligible to receive the EMA. The Nadine Robinson Business Manager allowance is paid in two instalments, one in March and one in August. The payment is intended to assist with education-related costs such as; uniforms, excursions, textbooks, and stationery. You can elect to have your EMA paid in one of the following ways: Paid by direct deposit (Electronic Funds Transfer) into your own nominated bank account; or Paid to the school to be held as credit which you can use towards education expenses; or Paid by cheque which will be posted to the school for collection. In 2014, the annual EMA amount per student is: $200 for prep students $150 for students in years 1 6. How to Apply: Contact the school office to obtain an EMA application form. Closing Date: You need to obtain an EMA application form from the school office and return by Friday 28 February 2014. For more information about the EMA, visit http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/financial/ Pages/default.aspx
Parktone Community Group A big hello to all, The family picnic proved to be a hot but huge success. We hope all the parents and children enjoyed the night. The Parent committee (known as the PCG) meet on the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm in the staffroom. If you are interested in being part of the Parktone community spirit please feel free to pop into the meetings and see what it s all about. Our next Meeting will be on 4 th March at 7pm. If you would like to be part of the Parktone Community Group [PCG] and are not sure what it involves, or if you could help, please feel free to call me on 0423 095 677 (Peta). Regards from the PCG team.
AGCS - Aspendale Gardens Community Centre 103 105 Kearney Drive, Aspendale Gardens Ph 9587 5955 Fax 9587 5280 Tuesday to Friday, 9.00am to 3.00pm Email: enquiries@agcsinc.org.au OR visit us on Facebook OR our website www.agcsinc.org.au PRESCHOOL AND COMMUNITY CENTRE OPEN DAY: Sunday, 30th March - 10am to 1pm Come along and see what our Preschool and Community Centre have to offer. There will be fun activities for kids, including a jumping castle, face painting and a sausage sizzle for lunch. Hope to see you all there! ZUMBA FOR KIDS Starting Thursday, 27th February. Please contact Dani Bosnacic on either 0411 139 795 or email dbosancic@bigpond.com if your child would like to take part in this fun activity!! WOMEN S SOCIAL NETBALL Are you looking to keep fit and meet new people? The Aspendale Social Netball League is looking for new players and/or teams to join their competition in 2014. Games from 7.00pm on Mondays and Thursdays. Contact Gill 0419 881 615. HALL HIRE Looking for a venue for your next function/party that s close to home? We have fantastic facilities, including a full kitchen, indoor and outdoor areas and a BBQ available upon request. Call the Centre during business hours for further details.
MORDIALLOC NEIGHBOURHOOD HOUSE Mentone Girls Grammar School 2015 SCHOLARSHIPS Mentone Girls Grammar School is pleased to offer Academic, General Excellence and Music Scholarships for girls entering Year 7 in 2015. Applications close: Friday 21 February 2014. Apply online: www.mentonegirls.vic.edu.au Phone: 9581 1200 TERM 1 BELLY DANCING: TUESDAY 7:30 8:30pm Belly Dancing for beginners is a low impact, gentle workout that increases flexibility, tones your body and boosts your confidence. Why not try something different. It s also a lot of fun. TAI CHI: MONDAY 1:15 2:15 pm Tai Chi is famous for its health benefits. Students can soon experience better balance, co-ordination, flexibility, agility, increased strength, alertness and calmness. Tai Chi is gentle, peaceful and noncompetitive. Suitable for all ages. For further information or bookings, please phone the office on 9587 4534.