What a Splash! A spectacular puppet show was staged recently by North Fremantle Primary School on the banks of the Swan to celebrate the creatures of the local river. Performers and their puppets paraded across Gil Fraser Reserve at sunset, led by the unmistakable beats of the Wasamba drummers, to signal the start of the performance. Tales of the river were then woven together, expertly guided by artist-in- residence Sandy McKendrick. Dancing octopi, a seahorse and his babies, fishermen chasing a big catch, hungry hermit crabs, a lurking shark and a pelican looking for a fishy meal were stars of the s how. Grandparents performed alongside grandchildren, and teachers alongside students and parents. Even the Principal and Deputy Principal starred as ‘skippers’ of a hand-crafted balsa wood boat. ‘The three dimensional puppets were constructed with cane and wrapped Subscribe We invite parents of prospective students to subscribe to our fortnightly school e-newsletter to keep up-to-date with North Fremantle Primary. E: [email protected] Contact Us North Fremantle Primary School 30 John St, Nth Fremantle WA 6159 ph: (08) 9335 2743 www.northfremantleps.wa.edu.au North Fremantle Primary School Community News Summer 2011 A little school with big ideas in clingwrap, which caught the stage lighting and lit up the shapes,’ says art teacher Margie Campbell. ‘We used all kinds of recycled and found objects to make eyes, scales and other features for our puppets, adding colour and character. Strings of tiny LED lights were then attached to our puppets for extra sparkle.’ The achievements of the SPLASH project have extended well beyond this performance, according to Principal Fiona Kelly. ‘The purpose of the Artists in Schools program is to use the arts as a medium for all kinds of innovative teaching right across the curriculum, ’ she explains. ‘For example, the children have dissected fish in science classes, written invitations to the performance in literacy, learned about local history and environmental issues, and used new technology to record sounds and images for the performance. ‘We are so grateful to have had this opportunity in 2011 and would especially like to thank our art teacher Margie Campbell, grants coordinator Jenny Pavicic, ArtsEdge and of course artist-in- residence Sandy McKendrick for guiding us along this journey.’ According to many parents, the children have been so enthusiastic about this project because they have invented it themselves and done so much of their own investigation and exploration along the way. ‘The kids take away so much from the journey they have j ust completed. They have worked at the level of artist, not just rote performers... ’ says North Fremantle parent Francine Orr. ‘All year we have had a riverfull of fun, laughter and learning - we loved being a part of SPLASH ,’ adds fellow parent and performer Lowana Bibby. This Artist-In-Residence Grants Program project has been assisted by the Federal Government through the Australia Council for the Arts and the Western Australian State Government through the Department of Culture and the Arts and Department of Education. ‘My favourite bit was when we all popped out of the seahorse’s belly. I really liked it.’ Perry Kronberger, Yr 1. 2012 Enrolments Limited enrolments are still available for 2012. We encourage you to enrol as soon as possible to secure your child’s place at North Fremantle Primary School. The school will be closed from 16 December and reopens on January 27, 2012. NFPS Kindergarten runs over two full days per week (Tuesda y and Thursday) in Semester 1 and three full days (Tuesday , Wednesday and Thursday) in Semester 2. Look for the enrolment information on our website. Gumblossom Out-of-Schoo l Care Before and after school care is available onsite at North Fremantle Primary School by local childcare provider, Gumblossom. Vacation care is also on offer during the school holidays. Further information is available from Gumblossom on 08 9335 3001. For more information about our special events, school information or student enrolments, you can visit www.northfremantleps.wa.edu.au or contact the school on 08 9335 2743 Principal: Fiona Kelly Deputy Principal: Leanne Vinci School Registrar: Pauline Latsk ins Families enjoyed a picnic tea before the SPLASH performance. In the Freo Festival parade. All the performers on st age for the finale. Year 2-3 parade onto stage.