Principal’s Messageaspirips.wa.edu.au/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Issue-3_14-March-2… · Issue 3, Term 1 Friday 15 March 2019, 2019 . Harmony Day. Next Wednesday our school will

Principal’s Message

Hello and welcome to the latest edition of the Aspiri Primary School newsletter

School Board Elections.

As you may be aware, we have amended the School Board voting procedure to ensure greater accountability and security with the voting processes. You will have already received, via email, information on the background of most of the candidates who have nominated for the six Community / Parent positions on our Board. On Monday of next week you will receive an

envelope via your eldest (or only) child at school. This will contain information on how to vote, the updated Ballot paper and a yellow envelope for the return of your vote. The yellow envelope is used only to identify family markers to prevent accidental multiple voting by families and will not be used to identify voting preferences of any participant.

Please return your vote to the sealed Ballot Box in the Front Office, or to your classroom teacher by Friday of next week (22nd March).

Good luck to our 12 nominees.

Parents and Citizens Association (P&C)

A key part of community involvement in our school is our P&C Association. This is a team of dedicated and committed parents, staff and community members who give a small amount of time to help develop our school and support our students. The key roles of the P&C are in providing an opportunity for two-way communication between the school and our community and also fundraising. We endeavour to keep the time requirements to a minimum and to also have a large team in order to share the work and responsibility. I urge everyone to consider being a part of this fantastic team and supporting your child’s education and our school. Ms Evans and Mrs Snowden, our Associate Principals, will be overseeing the establishment of our formal P&C for 2019 and I urge you to get behind this very important part of our school.

Issue 3, Term 1 Friday 15 March 2019,

2019

Harmony Day.

Next Wednesday our school will celebrate Harmony Day for 2019 with a series of activities and a Harmony Day assembly on Wednesday March 20 at 8.55am. We are very excited and pleased to be a part of this wonderful celebration of diversity. See inside for more detail.

School Zone signage.

We have not seen much progress on the promised installation of school zone signage for Rossiter Avenue. To assist us in our quest to have it installed as soon as possible, I have enlisted the support of our local member Mr Yaz Mubarakai. Yaz has pledged to make enquiries at both Local Government and State Government Department levels in order to determine the reasons for the delays in installation. As advised earlier, the school has been notified that the street has been assessed and approved as appropriate for the installation of school zone signage.

Rossiter Avenue vehicle exit.

Some parents may have noticed that I have been observing traffic flow and pedestrian interaction with cars at our Rossiter Avenue driveway exit point over the last couple of weeks. I have been very impressed with the care and attention shown by most drivers at this critical interaction point.

I urge everyone driving cars past this point and exiting onto Rossiter Avenue to continue to exercise absolute care and attention to traffic and children. Many of our children are still learning the nuances of crossing roads and interacting with traffic safely.

Please also note that the exit is controlled by a “STOP” sign which means that you must come to a complete halt in your vehicle before exiting in either direction on to Rossiter Avenue. Police will do random patrols of these roads and exits and they take a very dim view of drivers not stopping at these signs. It is a hefty fine also….be warned!!

In Term Swimming.

Some parents have enquired as to whether the school will be participating in an In-Term Swimming program. The Administration team has considered this option across both 2018 and 2019 and believe that the issues in relation to logistics, time commitment required by participating classes, teachers and the school Administration and loss of quality class time indicate that we would be served better by maintaining a focus on our core business of meeting the necessary curriculum requirements. In addition, we are also aware of the opportunity for families to choose to participate in Vacation Swimming programs run during school holiday times which achieve similar outcomes.

We will provide further information on Vacation Swimming programs as it becomes available.

Provision of shade structures for our new playground equipment.

Parents have enquired as to the possibility of having shade installed over our new main playground equipment. This has been a consideration right from the outset of the planning process for this facility. To this end we are currently seeking quotations for the provision of structures designed to provide the required shade and, all things considered-particularly the cost, we hope to see the provision of shade before the end of term three in time for the next summer period. We will keep the community updated on the progress of this process.

See you at the gate.

Noel Morgan, Principal

Associate Principal’s Message Parents and Community Association

On Thursday 21 March, we will be holding an information session for parents who are interested in joining our Parents and Community Association (P & C). A school P & C is responsible for organising and promoting community and fundraising events for the school. They also play a role in promoting the school in the broader community and connecting families.

Please join us from 1.40pm to 2.40pm in the school library to hear more about P & C Associations and their role. Afternoon tea will be provided.

We will aim to hold an inaugural meeting Thursday 11 April at 10am to elect Office Bearers.

Positive Behaviour Rewards Scheme

At Aspiri Primary School, we reward students for working towards both behaviour and academic goals.

To support this approach, we have a tiered rewards system based on the school values H.E.A.R.T. The Acronym H.E.A.R.T stands for; Honesty, Effort, Attitude, Respect and Team Work.

Students receive a white H.E.A.R.T card when they are ‘caught’ demonstrating these values. Students are responsible for storing their H.E.A.R.T cards at home in a safe place. When they have accumulated 6 cards, they return them to school to receive a Blue Award at assembly. Throughout their schooling they will have the opportunity to continue receiving H.E.A.R.T cards, eventually earning a Gold Medal.

Bike safety tips

Riding a bike, scooter or skateboard to school is great fun and good exercise for children and teens. However, all schools have rules that students need to follow in order to ensure their safety and the safety of others. These rules include:

Students must wear a helmet.

Students must walk their bike, scooter or skateboard in school grounds.

Students arriving at school with a bike, scooter or skateboard should proceed straight to the bike racks to store their bike.

Students should only pick up their bike, scooter or skateboard at home time when they are leaving the school grounds.

It would be appreciated if you can also ensure that younger siblings follow the same rules as their school age brothers or sisters.

The leadership team will be keeping an eye out for students (and their siblings) who are following the school rules to receive H.E.A.R.T cards over the next couple of weeks.

Here are a few tips to keep your children safe

while cycling:

Always supervise children under 10 years of age.

Teach your child the rules of the road before they ride by themselves.

Riding in the driveway should not be encouraged – it is a common place for nasty accidents.

Make sure your child has a helmet that fits correctly. Helmets should be worn at all times when riding. Parents should set a good example by wearing a helmet themselves.

Make sure your child’s bike is in good condition.

Fit bikes with appropriate reflectors.

Make sure your child wears bright coloured clothing when riding.

Kindergarten and School Uniforms

All Kindergarten children should wear a school uniform. For most Kindergarten students, this will be an Aspiri Primary School uniform. Some students who are returning to Piara Waters Primary School or Harrisdale Primary School in 2020 may choose to wear a uniform from these schools.

As we move into colder weather, please ensure that you have purchased a school jacket and pants.

Play clothes are not permitted for Kindergarten and all items including hats, jackets, scarves and pants should be in school colours.

Jackets are available from our uniform supplier for $43. For more information http://aspirips.wa.edu.au/enrolments/dress-code/

Student Council Elections

This week our students are presenting their speeches for election for student council. We wish them all luck and look forward to working with our school leaders once they are elected.

School Entry Health Assessment

All children in Western Australia are offered a health assessment during their first year of primary school. This usually occurs in kindergarten.

A Community Health Nurse will check your child’s vision, hearing and general development. A form will be sent home with your child.

Parents, if you have received a Health Assessment Form, please complete and return the form to the school office or class teacher, as soon as possible. If you have not yet received a form, you will shortly.

For more information, or if you have any concerns, contact the local Community Health Nurse, Jess Wheatcroft on (08)9391 2235.

Loose Parts Incursion

Over the last two weeks our Kindergarten and Pre Primary students have been learning about Loose Parts Play.

Loose Parts are materials that can be moved, lined up, built on/with, carried, redesigned, taken apart and put back together in multiple ways. Loose Parts can be natural or synthetic (Let the children play, 2010).

How do we use Loose Parts in ECE?

It is helpful to think of Loose Parts as something that will inspire childrens’ imagination and creativity on their own terms and in their own unique way (Penn State Extension, n.d). Children won’t always use equipment the way the adult world expects them to, which is where the magic happens. It is important that we encourage children to explore, create and experiment with these parts to allow them to gain confidence in creative thinking, acceptable risk taking and trying new things. There is no right or wrong in Loose Parts Play!

Loose Parts can be adapted and manipulated in many ways and gives children opportunities in learning by building, measuring, creating, sharing, imagining, socialising and problem solving (Let the children play, 2010). Loose Parts play encourages open-ended learning and gives new life to old ‘junk’. (Children can use the same item is different ways).

Year 5 & 6 Student Leadership positions - Mr Kubicek, Year 5 teacher This week, on Thursday and Friday, the Year 5 and 6 aspiring student leaders gave speeches in front of the Year 4 - 6 cohort. The students were applying for positions in Aspiri's foundation Student Council and House Captains. Our Year 4 - 6 students then voted on who they wanted to have fill these positions.

Each student who spoke did an outstanding job. Students spoke clearly and highlighted how they demonstrate the H.E.A.R.T qualities of our school on a daily basis. The teachers are now busy counting all the votes and will present the student leaders with their positions in the coming week.

NEWS FROM THE ART ROOM – Mr Gazeas, Art Teacher Year 5 students were introduced to the Cubism movement, one of its founders, Pablo Picasso, and its style in his artwork. Then they selected from different photocopied images of peoples portraits and cut parts of them (eyes, nose, ears, etc.) to create a unique collage face that correlate with the Cubism style. They continued the project by drawing their collage and looking into different face and skin colours by creating their own colour pallets. At the end of the project, I photocopied the collage they made in the beginning and they then painted that image with acrylic colours.

I think the results are amazing and that the kids did a great job!

Aspiri Primary School will be celebrating Harmony on the Wednesday 20 March 2019. Harmony Day is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, and the successful integration of migrants into our community. It focuses on inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.

To celebrate Harmony Day this year, each class will be researching a country and designing a display including the areas traditional dress, foods and celebrations. Students will also be participating in a range of classroom based learning activities throughout the day.

Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Day and we encourage students to come dress in orange or wearing orange accessories on this day.

Music Lessons at Aspiri

From Term 2, music lessons will be offered to all students in Pre-primary to Year 6 during school hours. These lessons will run weekly and will be co-ordinated by Perth Music Agency. Please contact them directly if you wish to enrol your child or if you have any questions about their service. Enrolment forms can be collected from your child's class teacher or from the admin office.

ATTENTION YEAR 6 PARENTS