18 October 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents/Caregivers

I would like to extend a special welcome to all our new families to Somerly Primary School and welcome back all our current families and students.

Term 4 is always notoriously busy; please see below some dates that you may need to add to your calendar.

Protective Behaviours Parent Workshop

The Protective Behaviours Program provides children with strategies to keep themselves safe and cope with situations which threaten their wellbeing, specifically in areas of child abuse and bullying.

The program in essence empowers the individual with the right to feel safe and sets out ways in which they can gain appropriate help when they are not feeling safe.

A 2 hour parent workshop will be held in the staffroom on

Thursday 2nd November 2017 - 9:00am – 11:00am

RSVP by Tuesday 31st October 2017 by contacting the front office.

Somerly Primary Family Fun Day

Our wonderful P&C are holding a Family Fun Day on Saturday 18th November between 11:00am - 3.00pm.

Children will have unlimited access to 9 different rides for a cost of $30 per wristband (excluding pony rides). Wristbands can be purchased from the front office by cash or EFTPOS. Alternatively individual rides and pony rides can be purchased for $5:00 each.

The day will also provide the perfect opportunity for some Christmas shopping at the 45 market stalls. Food vendors will also be located throughout the school grounds.

Planning for 2018

We are continuing to plan for 2018 and need accurate numbers so we can make up classes and make sure we have enough staff for the beginning of the year. If you know that you will be leaving and haven’t yet advised that school office, please call in and let us know.

If you also know of children who will be attending Kindergarten please encourage the parents to come in to enrol.

Tracey Renton
Principal

Behaviour Focus

Our behaviour focus for Week 2 is:-

SAFETY;

ICT

• We make sure that there is no food or water around the equipment;
• We stay seated while using the equipment;
• We use the robots inside and on the floor;
• We stay cyber safe and on task when researching information.

SOMERLY STARS!

Kindy Enrolment for 2018

If you have a child born between 1 July 2013 and 30 June 2014 please come into the front office for an application form to enrol for Kindergarten in 2018.

As Kindy is non-compulsory, enrolments will be on a first in basis.

When applying we need a copy of your child’s birth certificate or passport, visa if applicable, current Medicare immunisation details and proof of address.

If you know someone who has a child due to start Kindergarten next year, please let them know that enrolments are open.

Students Late to School

If your child arrives late to school, they are missing critical morning routines and learning activities. The school day begins at 8:40am and students will be considered late if they do not arrive by this time. If your child arrives after 9:00am you are required to enter through the front office and provide us with a reason for the lateness. A late slip will be printed for you to give to the class teacher.

Not Feeling Well?

If your child is not feeling well before school, please keep them home and notify the office by phoning 9407 7142 or sending an SMS to 0437 480 486.

Late Collection of Students

Somerly Primary School has a student finish time of 2.45pm each day. If your child has not been picked up before 3pm, you will be required to come to the front office to sign them out.

Lost Property

We have a large amount of lost property located in the green buckets outside the medical room. If you have misplaced an item at school, please check the buckets.

Buildings Inspection

Learning Focus

Numeracy News

This week the Year 1 students have been learning to recognise, describe and sort 2 dimensional shapes & 3 dimensional objects. The children explored a range of shapes but focused on being able to describe circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, cubes and spheres. They have been investigating how to classify squares and rectangles and explaining how they are the same, but different. This process of reasoning and justifying is much more complex than just naming squares and rectangles. Give it a go!

When learning about Shape, children need to develop strong images in their minds about shapes and objects and the way they can be changed, put together or pulled apart. We also need to help children develop the language they need to describe shapes and objects, at this level it includes talking about faces, edges and corners. The Year 1 teachers created a range of hands–on activities that allowed the children to learn these concepts through experimentation, investigation and play.

Activities included testing if shapes could be rolled or stacked and learning the names of two-dimensional shapes and three-dimensional objects. We also encouraged the children to think and talk about the different shapes that make up the object. The children were shown different sized shapes and shapes in different positions including upside-down and on an angle. To help build their mental images of shapes and they were encouraged to draw, build and create the shapes. We also used a Frayer Model Thinkboard to help build mathematical reasoning. We talked about the characteristics, definitions and examples and non-examples of the shapes.

Here’s what you can do with your children at home…

• Read books to your child and talk about the shapes you can see within the pictures.
• Look for objects inside or outside the house that are shaped like a circle, triangle, rectangle or square. Look for different sized shapes and shapes in different positions. Get them to take photos to make their own shape book.
• Involve your child in craft activities such as making your own gift wrapping by printing painted shapes onto paper using corks, empty cotton reels or sponges.
• Fold paper to make a hat or boat and talk about the shapes made as you fold the paper.
• Make your own jigsaw by cutting a magazine picture into about four or five pieces and putting it back together again. Talk about how the edges of the pieces fit together.
• Play I Spy games and describe things by size and shape. I spy with my little eye something that is big and shaped like a square.
• Use boxes and containers of different sizes to play “stacking” games.
• Ask your child to help you put away the groceries and talk about which things will stack easily.
• Make biscuits using cookie cutters or make pretend biscuits from modelling dough. Talk about the shape of each biscuit.

Check out this ABC Splash Website for FREE interactive games & activities about shape.

Most of all have F.U.N!

Mrs Longthorn
Numeracy Coach & Level 3 teacher

P & C

We're Fundraising with The Entertainment Book

Order forms can be collected from the school office.

Alternatively, you can order your book or your Digital Membership securely online by visiting the link below:

20% from every membership sold contributes to supporting our fundraising.

Community Notices

Kurlangas Aboriginal Playgroup

Welcome to term 4. This term in playgroup our theme is shapes and continuing to learn our colours. We are making shape collages, painting different shapes, using shape sorters and playdough cutter shapes.

For our babies, there will be tummy time (to strengthen their back and neck muscles), push and pull toys, some wonderful books to look at and songs to sing.

As the weather is warming up please remember to bring a hat and drink bottle for your child.

Playgroup is FREE, and held every Wednesday at Somerly Primary School during term times between 12.30-2.30pm, for Aboriginal children up to 5yrs of age and their carers.

A morning tea of fresh fruit is provided for the children, and tea, coffee and biscuits for the adults. You do not need to have a child attending this school to attend.

Hope to see you there!

Aboriginal Early Years team