Thursday 26th June 2014
Dear Parents and Friends,
END OF TERM
Firstly, a big thank-you to the whole school community for their support during this term which has not
only been very hectic but there have been a few added pressures. It is a testament to the culture of teamwork, integrity, excellence and respect we value at
Mentone Park. I am sure on Ms Parkers return at the
beginning of next term that she will be very appreciative of the support the community has given in a
number of ways.
I will be on Long Service Leave all of next term and
will be spending 3 months in the USA exploring.
STAFFING TERM 3
In term 3 I will be taking Long Service Leave. This will
require some staff restructure. We always consider
the impact it will have on students, staff and parents
and therefore attempt to re-organise so that students
are continually provided with a sequential, engaging
curriculum.
Mrs Grisdale will take on the role of the Acting Assistant Principal and work closely with Mrs Beer who
will take her grade for the term. Senora Lever will
take Italian for the term. Senora Lever has been replacing Senora Beer this year occasionally and is very
familiar with the Italian program.
TRIVIA NIGHT
Thank-you to everyone who supported the Trivia
Night. It was the best one I have run as everyone got
involved, dressed up and had a good time.
Thank-you to a great group of parents who helped
prepare for the evening and complete the big job of
cleaning up afterwards.
Teamwork
Integrity
ISSUE 18/2014
WHAT’S HAPPENING
JUNE
27th
Last Day Term 3
Kids’ Café counter sales only - No Lunch Orders
Interschool Sport Finals (TBA) - Level 4
Assembly 2pm
Early Finish 2.30pm
JULY
14th
Term 3 Begins
Assembly 2.45pm
15th
Family Life Parent Information Session - Level 4
16th
No School Banking this week
G.A.T.E.WAYS
17th
G.A.T.E.WAYS
21st
Camp Coolamatong departs - Grade 6
Assembly 2.45pm
22nd
Mini Concert by Junior Grades 2pm
23rd
District Girls Soccer
25th
Camp Coolamatong returns - Grade 6
30th
PFA Meeting 9 am
Fundraising Meeting 9.30 am
Basketball Clinic
31st
Melbourne Water Kids Teaching Kids’ Conference
Basketball Clinic
Education Committee Meeting 4.30pm
AUGUST
1st
Melbourne Water Kids Teaching Kids’ Conference
20th
School Concert
22nd
School Concert
27th
Camp Angahook departs - Grade 4
29th
Camp Angahook returns - Grade 4
Excellence
Respect
SPECIALIST IN THE SPOTLIGHT
ICT
Cyber bullying
Cyber–bullying is becoming very prevalent due to the easy
access to the internet and the increased skill of users.
Teachers have discussed this topic with the students in
class.
What you can do?
"Cyber bullying involves the use of information and communication technologies to support deliberate, repeated,
and hostile behaviour by an individual or group, that is intended to harm others." (Bill Belsey: ww.cyberbullying.org)
Sadly, bullying behaviour is nothing new. However, people
can and do use their phones and their computers to make
this problem so much bigger and so much worse.
Bullies can be people you know, but sometimes passers-by
can join in because they believe they’re anonymous and
can’t be traced. Wrong!
Every word, every action leaves a digital footprint that can
be tracked right to the bully’s virtual front door.
Bullies will be found out eventually.
This kind of bullying can happen in school, or out of it. It
can happen any hour of the day or night. It can leave
someone feeling unsafe, and horribly alone.
No one has the right to bully another person.
No one is expected to put up with it. At its most serious.
cyber bullying is illegal and can be investigated by the police. However, even when it’s teasing or a joke that’s got
out of hand, there are steps you can take to stop the bullies and take back control:
 ignore it: often this is enough to make the bully go
away
 block the bully
 tell someone: tell your Mum or Dad, or another adult
you trust. Or you can call a helpline (like the Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800)
 keep the evidence: this can be useful in tracking the
bully down
 report it:-To your school - they have policies in place about
bullying and cyber bullying
-To your ISP/phone provider – there are actions they
can take to help
- To the police – if there is a threat to your safety the
police will help.
iPads are a big hit all over the school and classes are using
them in a variety of ways such as Literacy and Numeracy
apps, multimedia, sport and art.
Students are very engaged using the technology which enables them to explore curriculum areas in new and exciting
ways.
OSHC
This week at OSHC we have been playing lots of group
games. We saw ourselves engage in dress ups to perform
our talent shows. Music and movement has been extremely exciting, games like musical chairs, musical bops, and
musical statues our some of our favourite ones.
We continue to enjoy our week. Friday the 27th of June is
the last day of term 1, however OSHC will still be operating
from 2.30pm till 6.30 pm. If your child requires care please
let us know ASAP.
Thank you!!
Reminder: Casual bookings are welcomed; however we
would highly appreciate if you let us know as soon as possible as we need to ensure that we have the right staff ratio.
The OSHC team
Teamwork
Integrity
Excellence
Respect
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR
CLASS HAPPENINGS
Prep
The students are to be commended for their wonderful achievements in this their first semester at
school. They love looking back at their work from
the beginning of the year, then looking at their
current work and seeing just how far they have
progressed. They are very proud.
The preps loved showing off their work to their
parents during the science afternoon. They were
particularly proud of their projects and their
writing. The students also enjoyed finding themselves in the photos in the reading well and sharing the experiences represented by the photos
with their parents.
We would like to thank everyone who has supported the prep program and school over the last
term. Your help is very much appreciated. We are
looking forward to another exciting term of working together to support the children in their learning. Thank you.
We hope you have a safe, wonderful and relaxing
holiday with your families.
Year 1 & 2
We had a great time showing off all of our projects and water information reports on Monday
during the Science Fair. We also had fun getting
our hands dirty doing the colour wheel experiment under the guidance of our super scientists;
Jemma and Eden. This term has been very productive and we thank you for your continued support
with our program. On behalf of the Level 2 teachers, have a safe and happy holidays- we want lots
of exciting and adventurous stories upon the children’s return. We look forward to seeing all the
kiddies baby photos at the start of next term (see
notice that has been sent home).
Year 3 & 4
What a fantastic term it has been in level 3. The
students have worked extremely hard as evident
in their inquiry based projects presented at the
Science Fair on Monday. As level teachers we
want to thank all parents for their support this
term. It has been a busy one with lots of fantastic
learning happening in the classrooms. We wish all
the level 3 students a safe and happy holiday.
Year 5 & 6
What a wonderful biodiversity celebration we had
on Monday as part of the science fair. The students and parents had a great time playing each
other's games, learning about different ecosystems and the animals that live within them. We
concluded our learning by creating environmental
slogans to spread the word about ways to care for
our biodiversity. Check out the level 4 blog for
more information and photos of the celebration
day. Year 6 students, please remember to return
all camp forms tomorrow. Enjoy the holidays. Be
safe and rest up for another exciting term ahead.
Teamwork
Integrity
CERTIFICATE OF MERIT WINNERS
Prep 1U
Sonny
Prep S
Maddie
1S
Maksim
1B
Ben
2O
Angie
2R
Euan
3G
Georgia
34O
Riley
4I
Ryan
5D
Grace
56W
Sara
6S
Monique
Prep M
Lambros
Visual Art
Bianca
Performing Arts
Not this week
LOTE
Fiona
Phys Ed
Not this week
Excellence
Respect
If you are interested please leave your
details at the School Office.