8 June 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

This term Grade 1 and 2 students have involved in a more structured play experience during their recess and lunch breaks in the little area. Kinder and Prep students are also enjoying the range of play items. Ms Larcombe and the early childhood teachers have been providing students with a range of play items to promote imaginary play. This has seen a positive improvement in social interactions and overall behaviour.

It has also been fantastic to see many of our grade 3 - 6 students participating in team activities such as football and soccer. As a result of these changes and the positive effort our students have shown in the area of respect, relationships and responsibility we have seen an overall decrease in behaviour issues. One area for our school community to improve on is swearing. This has been and continues to be a concern which at times triggers other inappropriate behaviours. We encourage all members of our community to consider the language we use when speaking.

Dogs on school grounds

This has been addressed in previous newsletters however we have recently seen dogs being bought onsite by parents and other members of the community. For health and safety reasons dogs are not permitted on school grounds between 8:00am and 3:30 pm. We ask that you support us in maintaining a safe school environment and leave your dogs at home when bringing or collecting your child from school.

Devonport Regional Soccer Competition

It is great to see seven students from West Ulverstone representing Ulverstone in the Devonport Regional Soccer competition. Congratulations to those students and to Jacqui Hall for her ongoing support with coaching. If you child has achieved success outside of school please let us know so we can acknowledge their achievements.

Staffing

Many of you may be aware that Mr Adam French will be leaving us on Friday 16th June to move to America with his young family to live. Whilst Mr French has only been with us for 18 months he has made a positive contribution to our school. We wish Adam and his family all the very best for their future in the USA.

We are working with Mr French to ensure a smooth transition for the students in his class. At this stage we are unable to confirm who the new 5/6 teacher will be however will notify parents as soon as possible.

Reporting and Parent/Student/Teacher meetings

Teachers are currently completing students mid-year reports which will be given and discussed at parent/student/teacher interviews that will be conducted from the 26th June through to the 28th June. We strongly encourage students to attend these meetings as the discussion is about their learning and supporting them to achieve to the best of their ability. Bookings for Parent/Student/Teacher meetings will be done online through Schoolzine. Information regarding this process will be forwarded to all families next week.

Attendance

We have seen an increase in absences this term with many bugs and illnesses taking hold. If your child has been absent it is your responsibility to contact the school if their child is absent. If your child is absent for more than five days a medical certificate may be requested.

Attending school every day all day is important to both academic achievement and also social and personal development. Parents are encouraged to make appointments for their child/ren outside of school time to minimise the impact of missed school. This year we are aiming for an average attendance rate of 93%. Our current attendance rate is 94%. Let’s make every day count!

Attendance per class as at 6th June 2017

Well done 3/4A who have increased their attendance this fortnight.

Magella Dudley
Principal

Feature Class News - 1/2A

In Grade 1/2A we have been very busy with our learning. Our class is focussing on our school value of being on task with our learning.

In Maths we have been learning to skip count. We are learning about patterns and counting on and counting back to do this. So far we have looked at counting by 2s, 5s and 10s, and some of us have continued onto other numbers. There are some different ways we have done this.

We have been looking at developing our thinking and creating through the use of different objects. Some of us have used one group of objects and some of us have used all three groups to construct. We have thought about what maths we need.

In Literacy time we have worked on different sentence starters and verbs to make our writing more interesting. Reading to a buddy from our book boxes has been a focus too. We have been sharing many books.

For Science have been creating dioramas and looking at different environments and learning about them. We have talked about why animals need to change to adapt to their environments and what they might need to survive in these environments. We have made some dioramas.

Mrs Jenni Redman
1/2A Teacher

Grade 5/6 Operation Resilience Program

All grade 5/6 students worked hard at practicing and refining their skills with the four key qualities of Leadership, Effective Communication, Co-operation and Team work in an indoor setting. Our sixth and final session was Phase 2 of the Operation Resilience Program. This was where we needed to transfer our skills learnt indoors to an outdoor setting.

Each week students have completed tasks in their booklet reflecting on the PCYC four key qualities and also how they link with our own school values of Respect, Relationships, Responsibility, Learning and Safety.

Here are some comments from students about their experience during Phase 2:

Brady said “I learnt that stepping out of your comfort zone can help you.”

Jayden added “To not stop when life is hard.”

Stacey thought “I had fun. I was a bit shy talking in my group but now I’m not. It was good because we worked as a team and we co-operated.”

Bailey said “I learnt how to find a solution if we got stuck.”

Madi said “At PCYC I learnt to never give up and sometimes I had to step out of my comfort zone when we were going in the mud and the little tunnel.”

Landon thought “I got better at leadership. When times got tough we just got up and persevered.”

While the course pushed everyone to their limit both physically and mentally each and every participant made it to the end. There were moments where some thought about giving up but they overcame the aching arms and legs and the obstacles with the heavy, wet and slippery log. It was a proud moment for all who worked together with others to achieve a common goal.

Well done to all students. You represented yourself and your school to an exceptionally high standard!

Kylie Mudford
Grade 5/6A Teacher

Thank You to Our PCYC Sponsors

We would like to thank Justine Keay MP and the Rotary Club of Ulverstone for their sponsorship of our PCYC Program. Without their kind support participation in this vital program for our grade 5/6 students would not have been possible.

Student Leader Profiles

Name: Landon Dobson
Leadership Position: Sports Leader
Family: Mum, Dad, Wyatt and Kendell
Pets: Sorren (dog) and Henry (cat)
Interests/Hobbies: Scooter riding and skate parks
Favourite Subjects: Maths and P.E.
A goal for me this year is: To become a good speller
I can help make West Ulverstone Primary a better place by: Being a good role model to others
Who inspires you: Claudius Vertesi (Scooter Rider)
When I leave school I want to: Become a professional stunt scooter rider

Name: Annie Davidson
Leadership Position: Library Leader
Family: Mum, Dad, Ash, Jess, Alex, Reece, Kenzie, Lily and Skylah.
Interests/Hobbies: Gymnastics, singing and dancing
Favourite Subjects: Art and drama
A goal for me this year is: To improve my singing
I can help make West Ulverstone Primary a better place by: Always being respectful
Who inspires you: My Mum
When I leave school I want to: Be a dance teacher

School Leader Report

Hi, my name is Gebriael Davis and I’m a School Leader.

I am writing this report about what’s been happening in the school.

I think the school’s been running well at the moment. The lunch time sports have started properly and there is a big game of soccer in the primary area at lunch time and recess.

The cross country/fun run was awesome and everyone who participated ran excellently. If you don’t have someone to play with at playtimes the Buddy seat is available and someone will come and take you to play.

Thank you for reading my School Leader report.

Values card recipients

Cara Daikin 5/6B – respect and relationships
Charli Hamill 3/4B – respect and relationships
Izayah Clark 3/4A – respect and learning
Madison Majcen 5/6A – respect and relationships
Ashley Paul 4/5A – relationships
Finlay Coote 1/2A – respect, responsibility and learning
Ashlee Davidson 1/2B – respect and learning
Rubie Arnold K/PA – respect
Korbie Turner K/PB – respect, responsibility, safety and learning

Canteen News

Our canteen has begun again offering an assortment of recess items on Wednesdays and Thursdays only. These items are only offered to supplement your child’s lunchbox and are available in limited supply only.

Items are made by our catering crew and cooking group in our Flexible Program and will be made fresh most weeks. Some items, e.g fruit cups, baked beans, corn on the cob are purchased externally to sell in our school canteen and will be available at all times.

Always available;

May be available;

Grade 2 – 6 English and Mathematics Competition

Does your child enjoy English and/or Maths and want to challenge themselves? If you said yes, then the (ICAS) National English Competition and/or the National Mathematics Competition could just be what they are looking for. Students compete against students their own age from across Australia.

Last year it was great to see our students’ success and participation in the National English and Maths competition and we strongly encourage students to test themselves and have a go again this year. This will be subject to the involvement of a minimum of fifteen students. Both competitions cost $9.90 (each) per student which covers the cost of the competition materials, Certificates of Participation/Achievement and an Individual Diagnostic Report.

The English Competition will be held on Tuesday 1st August and the Maths on Tuesday 15th August, during normal school hours and will be supervised by staff. If your child wishes to participate in either/both competitions, please contact the school office to collect and fill in a permission/payment form. Forms with payment need to be returned to the school office by Friday 9th June to ensure participation.

If you have any questions please contact Miss Green via the school office on 6425 2195.

Book Club

Book Club orders and money are due back to the office by Tuesday June 20th. Please make sure you put the correct money in your order as the school does not have change. Don't forget you can order and pay by credit card only at:

Sharon Guard
Book Co-ordinator

Maths with Murphy

Murphy knows that maths is everywhere! He knows that we all use maths many times every day, often without realising it. Each fortnight Murphy will share a new easy maths problem and a hard maths problem that parents and students can do and talk about together at home.

Don’t forget to put your answer (make sure it has your name and class on it) in the box at the office to be in the running for a fortnightly canteen voucher. We still have a lot of vouchers up for grabs!

Answers will be in the next newsletter.

When working on problems together, don’t forget to ask each other questions such as: how do you know?, what are you thinking about? and can you draw something to help you work it out?

Have fun!

This week’s Questions

Sally and Jake work at a pet farm. There are 6 sheep, 5 chickens, 3 fish and 9 cows. What is the total number of feet on the pet farm while Sally and Jake are working?

The sports club had a cupcake sale. They sold 2/3 of their cupcakes in the morning.

They sold 1/6 of their cupcakes in the afternoon. They sold 200 cupcakes altogether.

How many cupcakes were left to sell?

Reading with Riley

Riley knows that reading is fun and the more you read, the better you get! We read in order to do things such as follow directions and instructions, find information and interact with others through social media. We use strategies to help us make meaning and understand (comprehend) what we read. We encourage all students to read every day.

We want all students to be enthusiastic readers who read a range of texts for both pleasure and information. Please talk to your child’s teacher if you would like more information about reading.

Our feature strategy is: Visualising

Language we use when visualising:

• In my mind I can see _____
• I can imagine _____
• The picture/image I see in my head is _____

Brixhibition Lego Challenge 2017

The Tasmanian Brick Enthusiasts Inc. invites all Primary Schools and Primary School children in the West Coast and North West Tasmania area to compete in a Lego Competition running in the second term of 2017. Each Lego display to be no larger than 52cm x 52cm x 52cm, or no larger than four 32 x 32 lug Lego baseplates.

• Each Lego display must be an original or freelance design and not made from a Lego kit.
• The Lego Challenge is designed for individuals not teams.
• Some Adult help is allowed, but the Lego design should mainly be the child’s own design.

Age groups are Prep – Grade 2, Grade 3 - 4 and Grade 5 – 6.

This means the winner from each age group will receive a medallion instead of one winner for the whole school. The school will then pick one overall winner from the age group winners. The overall winner will win other prizes (TBA) and a free pass to Brixhibition in Ulverstone.

Lego entries must be completed and will be displayed at school no later than Monday 29th June.

Entry forms are available at the office.

Sports News

CUA Fun Run Report 2017

On Thursday 1st June we held our annual Fun Run/Cross-Country. The weather was perfect and the students were pumped to compete to the best of their ability. Participation was excellent with 88% of students taking part in the event. A special thank you to Ulverstone High School student house captain’s assistance on check-points and to all the spectators who cheered everyone on.

Final House Points

Mersey - 352
Forth - 300
Don - 243

Congratulations to the following students who have been selected to represent West Ulverstone Primary at the annual North-West Cross-Country Carnival to be held at the Ulverstone Football Ground on 21 June, 2017.

Other grade results include;

Students and parents are asked to finalise their sponsorship booklets, return their money to the school office by 8th June, order their prize choices online between 8th and 15th June.

Each child is rewarded for getting involved. They will receive a prize based on the total amount they’ve fundraised. Please either create, or log in to, your profile page via the school fun run link below. Once there, click the ‘Order My Prizes’ button and follow the prompts. Please note, all cash money needs to be returned to the school front office on or before Thursday 8th June. Student prizes will arrive shortly after.

For all sport enquiries please contact Mrs Milne-Viney, HPE Teacher.

Winter Holiday Camps

Riverbend School Winter Holiday Camps will be held in July. These camps are for Grade 3 – 5 and Grades 4- 7. Application forms and information is available at the office.

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