64 Kinross Drive
Kinross WA 6028
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15 June 2016
Principal’s Perspective
Welcome to our second last newsletter for
the term. It has been another busy fortnight
at Kinross PS. Teachers have been working
hard to write student reports and students
have been completing assessments and
tasks to assist teachers in making final
judgements on grades. Assessment is the
process of identifying, gathering and
interpreting information about students' learning. The central
purpose of assessment is to provide information on student
achievement and progress and set the direction for ongoing
teaching and learning. Reporting is the process of
communicating information about student achievement and
progress gained from the assessment process. The purpose of
reporting is to support teaching and learning by providing
feedback to students, parents and teachers. Please read your
child’s report carefully and discuss it with them. If you require
any further information after receiving your child’s report, do not
hesitate to make an appointment with the relevant classroom
teacher. Reports will be sent home with students on Thursday
30th June.
Teacher Versus Student Sports
Our wonderful Head Boy, Kofi Raffan and Head Girl, Alyssa
Froud, have organised a teacher versus student basketball
game at lunchtime on Friday 24th June. After the success of
the last teacher versus student t-ball game, we thought we
would try a different sport. The result of the teacher v student
t-ball game was 7 runs all. However, the teachers believe we
won, as the students only managed to get two of our team
out before they had their turn to bat! The spectators enjoyed
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 08 9305 6022
Fax: 08 9305 6219
cheering on the teachers and students and had a great laugh
watching the teachers hit the ball and run around the bases.
Unfortunately, I pulled my hamstring running to first base, which
reminded me of the importance of warming up! Mr Ewen was a
real champion, hitting a home run for the teacher team. Thank
you to the Year 6 students for displaying terrific sportsmanship
on the day. It was a fun experience for everyone.
AdoptASchool Program and Free Dress
Day
On Thursday 30th June (last week of school) there will be a
free dress day to raise money for a school in Bali. I will be
negotiating with the school how they would like the money
used. All students will be allowed to dress in their favourite
sport team jumper, uniform or colours. A gold coin donation is
requested. An interested parent has approached me in regards
to the AdoptASchool Program and a couple of teachers are
keen to be involved. A guest speaker will be speaking to the
staff early next term about our involvement in this project. Our
school we are adopting is called SD3 Cemagi. It’s located on
the west coast, near Seseh Beach and is 10 minutes from
Taneh Lot where you will find the beautiful temple...a major
tourist attraction. Down the track, Kinross families will be able
to visit the school if they wish while they are in Bali.
The aims of the AdoptASchool Program include:
1. To actively support the development of friendship
and cultural understanding between schools and
their communities in Bali and WA.
2. To provide opportunities to schools to work
collaboratively in ways which are mutually beneficial.
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3. To facilitate active engagement between member
schools to nurture the development of personalised
relationships which will build stronger partnerships.
4. To provide an avenue for students to practice active
citizenship.
5. To provide educational sponsorship for needy
students.
6. To actively support education of girls eg: through
scholarships and sponsorships.
7. To provide opportunities for the acquisition of English
language skills for Balinese students and educators.
8. To facilitate professional learning for Balinese
educators.
Our aims support the United Nations End Poverty by 2015
Millennium Development Goals, in particular their goal 2 to:
PIONEER DAY
The Pre-Primary students celebrated Pioneer Day with a dress
up day and their classes were transformed into an “olden days”
class! The students made damper, played olden days games
(like hopscotch) and enjoyed some old fashioned bush dancing.
A big thank you to staff for their planning and organisation of a
fun day! There was lots of learning occurring about the history
of WA. Parents went all out to ensure their students dressed up
to match the theme.
Achieve universal primary education - Ensuring that all boys
and girls complete a full course of primary education.
I am very excited for Kinross PS to be a part of this program
and will provide more information in the near future. If you would
like to read more about the program click on the link below.
http://adoptaschool.org.au/about-us/background
Have a lovely week.
OTHER NEWS
Mr Ewen and I have had training regarding NAPLAN online
testing. Kinross Primary School is very fortunate to be selected
to be one of schools undertaking the trial for Naplan online.
Next term the students will participate in some mock tests using
technology to collect data to help us to prepare for the Naplan
going on line in 2017. Some key points about Naplan online:
Therese Gorton
Principal
• NAPLAN online will provide better assessment, more
precise results and faster turnaround of information.
• NAPLAN online will mean that the tests better meet
the needs of all students, including those with a
disability.
“Put Yourself In my shoes” from Ms
Demiris
Nature Kitchen
An
exciting
new
addition to our Early
Childhood yard!! We
now have a nature
kitchen located in the
sandpit outside the 0-4
classroom! A huge thank you to Mrs Bell’s
husband and son, Stewart and Callum for their hard work and
creativity on a shoe string budget! Due to the inclement weather
the students have not had an opportunity to “roll their sleeves
up” and get cooking. Please watch this space – as soon as we
get a fine day I will be adding photos and hopefully a movie of
the kitchen in action!
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• NAPLAN online will use ‘tailored testing’ which gives
students questions better suited to their ability,
resulting in better assessment and more precise
results.
• The precision and improved timing of the results will
help teachers tailor their teaching more specifically to
student needs.
• The online national assessment platform is being built
and will be used to trial online assessment in 2016.
Laura and I have participated in the Generation Next
conference which gave us some interesting insight into many
social and emotional issues confronting some students such as
gaming addictions, gambling, drugs, anxiety and depression.
It was extremely informative and we hope that we never need
to call upon such knowledge however it is one of those cases
where forewarned is forearmed!
The Scoop from Mrs Alford
Walking on Mars Extension
afternoon tea
It was lovely to see so many parents attend
the Walking On Mars afternoon tea where
our students attending our extension
course showcased their final construction
of the space suits that they created as part
of the STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Mathematics) program they have taken part in
this semester. These events took place on Tuesday afternoon
for Year 5 and 6 students and on Thursday afternoon for year 3
and 4 students in the library. Students paraded their spacesuits
and gave a brief oral presentation about their suit. It’s fabulous
to see the enthusiasm and wonderful work that is being
produced by our students. Well done to these students and
thank you to Miss Rebecca Quirke for completion of this NASA
space task.
Take a look at the fabulous Power Point.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMZ8gnj8774
Guided Reading
At Kinross we are dedicated to ensuring all students become
proficient readers. Teachers recently have had a refresher
course on Guided Reading instruction. Guided reading is an
instructional approach that involves the teacher working with a
small group of students who demonstrate similar reading levels
and behaviours and can all read similar levels of texts. The
teacher supports the student to focus on developing meaning,
decoding words and to encourage independent readers.
entertainment of those with sight. Archery was much enjoyed
by all students except the one who had the apple on his head
while I had a turn. Surf life-saving was very pleasant during the
flag races and jogging but not so much when in the water.
The children were amazed at the many shades of blue they
were capable of turning. Despite the cold, raft-building really
captured the thirst for adventure and before I knew it my group
had made two 8 person rafts out of a few sticks and some
string. The race after was hotly contested, which helped warm
them up a little.
The children were treated to 6 eating opportunities a day and
I noticed that quite a few even went as far as to eat some
vegetables and fruit. Clearly they had not been warned by other
students of the perils of doing so. The caterers did a fine job
again this year and we thank them for that.
Evening activities consisted of a movie and ‘Escape from
Quarantine’. The movie was popular despite its lack of car
chases, robots, princesses, muppets and mindless violence. In
order to escape quarantine the students were grouped and had
to find objects in the dark while guards tried to catch them in
their torchlight. ‘Freezing’ in the light rendered them invisible
but, for many, running and screaming seemed a better option.
Kite making was very popular and I must say the designs were
good and they flew very well. Untying knots left right and centre
did remind me of my fishing ventures however. Ultimate sports
was a test of physical skills and the students’ willingness to
abandon their dignity.
We have photos of each group’s adventures and, if the
students bring in their thumbdrives, each group leader will be
happy to transfer the pictures for them. Please remember that
photos should not be shared online without the permission of
those in them.
Parents can play their part to help children learn to read. See
the website for 11 ways to help your children read.
I would like to once again thank the parents who organised the
fundraising ventures and those who participated in them.
http://www.readingrockets.org/blogs/shanahan-literacy/
11-ways-parents-can-help-their-children-read
Finally, I must give a huge thankyou to the staff who put in many
hours prior to the event to organise it, and then gave up their
own family life for the period of camp. Great job. We also owe
a big debt of gratitude to Amy who ‘volunteered’ to come on
camp at the last minute when a staff member became sick.
Clearly she has a big heart but a small IQ.
Year 6 Camp News from Mr Ewen
103 weary but excited year 6 students returned from camp
last Wednesday afternoon to the waiting arms of their adoring
families. They had worn themselves out after days of activities
and interactions. So had the staff!
We left in fine weather early Monday and enjoyed great weather
the whole time, far better than we ever expected. After arriving
on site the children went to their dormitories and settled in
(made a mess). Morning tea followed then on to the first activity.
Search and rescue involved two teams searching for objects in
a large bush area using maps and radios. If attacked by the
guards they grouped together for safety (ran and screamed).
Rock climbing was truly scary as the walls inside the cube were
very high. Quite a few scampered all the way to the top while
others decided the view was good enough from where they
were. Orienteering meant running with a map to find signs all
over the campsite (running soon gave way to walking, then
crawling, then dragging). Team building was an opportunity to
be blindfolded and bang into things or fall over them for the
Click on the link below to see a short movie of the fun had by
all!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUl_sJ1BOS4
Dr Chris Brown to visit SUPA IGA Kinross
Dr Chris Brown will be visiting SUPA IGA Kinross this week on
Friday 17th June from 10.15am-12pm. The Kinross P&C will be
running a sausage sizzle at this event to raise money for the
school. I encourage parents who are free to support the P&C
by buying a sausage sizzle and meeting Dr Chris Brown. The
Year 6 Head Boy, Head Girl and Student Councillors will attend
with Mrs Deb Greenwood and have a photo with Dr Chris! This
will be a wonderful way of thanking our councillors for their hard
work this semester and helping to support a local business. Dr
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Chris will be signing autographs and meeting with the public
during this time.
Student Safety: Stranger Danger
It is important to the whole Kinross PS
community that our students are kept safe.
One of the ways we can do this is by
teaching children about ‘stranger danger’.
Kids see strangers every day in stores, in the
park, and in their neighbourhoods. Most of
these strangers are nice, normal people, but a few may not be.
Parents can protect their children from dangerous strangers by
teaching them about strangers and suspicious behaviour, and
by taking a few precautions of their own.
Who is a stranger?
A stranger is anyone that your family doesn’t know well. It’s
common for children to think that “bad strangers” look scary,
like the villains in cartoons. This is not only not true, but it’s
dangerous for children to think this way. Pretty strangers can
be just as dangerous as the not-so-pretty ones. When you talk
to your children about strangers, explain that no one can tell if
strangers are nice or not nice just by looking at them and that
they should be careful around all strangers.
But don't make it seem like all strangers are bad. If children
need help--whether they’re lost, being threatened by a bully, or
being followed by a stranger--the safest thing for them to do in
many cases is to ask a stranger for help. You can make this
easier for them by showing them which strangers are okay to
trust.
Who are safe strangers?
Safe strangers are people children can ask for help when they
need it. Police officers and firefighters are two examples of very
recognizable safe strangers. Teachers, principals, and librarians
are adults children can trust too, and they are easy to recognize
when they’re at work. But make sure that you emphasize that
whenever possible, children should go to a public place to ask
for help. You can help your children recognize safe strangers by
pointing them out when you’re out in the neighbourhood. Also
show your children places they can go if they need help, such
as local stores and restaurants and the homes of family friends
where you live.
Recognizing and Handling Dangerous Situations
Perhaps the most important way parents can protect their
children is to teach them to be wary of potentially dangerous
situations – this will help them when dealing with strangers as
well as with known adults who may not have good intentions.
Help children recognize the warning signs of suspicious
behaviour, such as when an adult asks them to disobey their
parents or do something without permission, asks them to
keep a secret, asks children for help, or makes them feel
uncomfortable in any way. Also tell your children that an adult
should never ask a child for help, and if one does ask for their
help, teach them to find a trusted adult right away to tell what
happened.
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You should also talk to your children about how they should
handle dangerous situations. One way is to teach them “No,
Go, Yell, Tell.” If in a dangerous situations, kids should say no,
run away, yell as loud as they can, and tell a trusted adult what
happened right away. Make sure that your children know that it
is okay to say no to an adult in a dangerous situation and to yell
to keep themselves safe, even if they are indoors. It’s good to
practice this in different situations so that your children will feel
confident in knowing know what to do. Here are a few possible
scenarios:
• A nice-looking stranger approaches your child in the
park and asks for help finding the stranger's lost dog.
• A woman who lives in your neighbourhood but that
the child has never spoken to invites your child into
her house for a snack.
• A stranger asks if your child wants a ride home from
school.
• Your child thinks he or she is being followed.
• An adult your child knows says or does something
that makes him or her feel bad or uncomfortable.
• While your child is walking home from a friend’s
house, a car pulls over and a stranger asks for
directions.
What Else Parents Can Do
In addition to teaching children how to recognize and handle
dangerous situations and strangers, there are a few more
things parents can do to help their children stay safe and avoid
dangerous situations.
• Know where your children are at all times. Make it
a rule that your children must ask permission or
check in with you before going anywhere. Give your
children your work and cell phone numbers so they
can reach you at all times.
• Point out safe places. Show your children safe
places to play, safe roads and paths to take, and
safe places to go if there’s trouble.
• Teach children to trust their instincts. Explain that
if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable, they should
get away as fast as they can and tell an adult. Tell
them that sometimes adults they know may make
them feel uncomfortable, and they should still get
away as fast as possible and tell another adult what
happened. Reassure children that you will help them
when they need it.
• Teach your children to be assertive. Make sure
they know that it’s okay to say no to an adult and to
run away from adults in dangerous situations.
• Encourage your children to play with others.
There’s safety in numbers!
2017 Kindy Applications Now Open
If your child was born between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013
then they are eligible to attend Kindergarten in 2017. Families
who would like to enrol their child in Kindy next year will need
to submit an application to the school before 31 July 2016. An
application form is available below or from the school office
One Big Voice Festival, Friday August 12,
2016
Tickets are now on sale for the Perth Arena. Could any
outstanding Permission slips be returned as soon as possible
to Mrs Brierley to ensure a place for your child in the concert.
Emma Brierley, Music Teacher, Kinross Primary School.
Get involved in the School Banking
program
Kinross Primary School is excited to offer the Commonwealth
Bank School Banking program to all students.
The School Banking program provides children with an
opportunity to deposit money into their Commonwealth Bank
Youthsaver account at school each week. The program is
about how often your child makes deposits, not how much they
deposit.
To encourage regular savings behaviour the program offers an
exciting Rewards Program. Every deposit earns your child a
silver Dollarmites token, and once they’ve collected 10 tokens
they can redeem them for a reward.
BouncED
Kinross Primary School is an educational
hub for a website platform called BouncED.
Through BouncED our students have
access to a range of high quality
educational websites that can be accessed at school and at
home.
Current websites linked to BouncED platform are:
ZooWhiz
Study Ladder
Sunshine Online
Britannica School
Each student has a username and a password. If your child
is unsure of these details, please let your classroom teacher
know.
Trouble Shooting when logging on at home with
BouncED
BouncED works best on Personal computers and laptops, etc.
that support Adobe Flash Player. You can access BouncED
on Apple i-Pads and Tablets however, at this stage, Sunshine
Online is not accessible on these devices as Flash is not
supported on them.
IMPORTANT FOR FIRST LOG-INS
The rewards available during 2016 are:
Enabling Pop-ups.
Flying Snake Tail, Wildlife Writer Set, Mud Splat Handball,
Outback Pat Bag Tag, Backtrack Eraser Pen, Jump and Skip
Rope, Bush Fly Fan, Wriggly Glow Worm
When the students first click on the pin-up board activities that
send them to the programs like ZooWhiz etc. you will need
to allow for pop-ups. A warning will come up on your screen.
Click to ALWAYS ALLOW for this website. After that it will
automatically load every time and you won’t need to do this
again unless using a different computer.
School Banking is also a great fundraiser for our school. Our
school receives $5 when a student makes their first ever School
Banking deposit and 5% on every deposit made through the
school (to a maximum of $10 per individual deposit).
Getting involved in School Banking is easy!
All you need to get involved in the School Banking program
is a Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account. To open an
account for your child, you can visit your local branch. All
you need to bring is your current personal identification as
well as your child’s birth certificate. If you are an existing
Commonwealth Bank customer and have NetBank, you can
open an account for your child online.
If your child has an existing Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver
account they can start banking straight away. They just need to
bring their deposit in every week on School Banking day using
their Dollarmites deposit wallet.
School Banking day is Wednesday 8.10am – 8.45am in the
undercover area
If you would like to know more about the School Banking
program, please ask for a 2016 School Banking program
parent pack from the School Banking ladies in the undercover
area on a Wednesday.
iPad Trouble Shooting
On an i-Pad device you will need to enable pop-ups in Settings.
>Settings >Safari >General then switch off the Block Pop-ups
option.
‘Private Browsing” must also be switched off. “Private
Browsing” is on if the Safari browser bar appears black or dark
instead of white or light grey. To switch off, tap on the r icon
in the top, right hand corner of the Safari browser. The word
“Private” will appear in the top bar. Tap it to switch on or off.
Michelle Bell, Classroom Teacher
Update from the Chaplain
This term I have been running a small group program for
children who experience worries or anxiety. We're now halfway
through our six week program, and students have learnt about
what worries are, identified how they make their bodies feel,
how people often react to worries and are now learning a
number of strategies for making these worries less powerful. I'm
so proud of the students in these four groups - they're doing
a fabulous job and I can confidently say that they are taking
control of their worries! If you would like your child to participate
in a small group program such as this, please keep an eye
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out in the newsletter for what I'll be offering in term three and
contact me at the school on 9305 6022 (I am on site Thursdays
and Fridays) to let me know you'd like your child to participate.
Laura B, School Chaplain
Bottle Caps – Art of Recycling Help
Please help reduce waste by recycling your plastic. The Art
room needs plastic lids, bottle tops and ice cream tubs for
various Art activities. Please place your items in the bin outside
the Art room or bring them to the school office.
P&C News
Canteen Survey
Thank you to all who took the time to fill in this survey. The
Canteen team are always working towards improving our menu
and your input is vital! We received some interesting and widely
varied feedback and we will be taking it all on board when we
launch our canteen menu for semester 2.
Our canteen follows the traffic light system which guides us in
the choices we have available in the canteen.
GREEN FOOD AND DRINKS are good sources of nutrients
contain less saturated fat and/or sugar and/or salt and help to
avoid an intake of excess energy (kJ).
AMBER FOOD AND DRINKS have some nutritional value,
contain moderate levels of saturated fat and/or added sugar
and/or salt and can, in large serves, contribute to excess
energy (kJ).
RED FOOD AND DRINKS lack adequate nutritional value, are
high in saturated fat and/or added sugar and/or salt and can
contribute excess energy (kJ).
Canteen Tasting Day Monday 20th June
12.40pm
We will be holding a free tasting day in the undercover area
during lunch to show you some of the new items we will be
making and we encourage all students and parents to come
along and try something new or read our ingredients and vote
for your favourites!
We will have lots of free samples to try (this will be available after
students have eaten their lunch).
School Banking
Fantastic news for school banking! With thanks to Jean and the
team, now if you are unable to make banking on a Wednesday
you can place your child’s deposit book and money into the
P&C box in the office. It will be collected and processed along
with the remaining banking on Wednesday. The deposit book
will then be delivered back to your child’s classroom for them
to take home.
Sausage Sizzle with Dr Chris Brown Friday 17th
Come along to the Kinross IGA on Friday between 10am-12pm
to meet Dr Chris Brown (Bondi Vet). Kinross PS P&C will also be
doing a sausage sizzle from 10am, so come down and support
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Kinross Primary grab a hot dog for lunch for only $2! Bring a pic
of your pet and have it signed!
(Sorry, Kinross Central Management has advised that
strictly "No animals allowed inside the centre!")