13 February 2019

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents/Caregivers

Welcome to the 2019 school year. We look forward to another great year at Somerly Primary School.

We are very fortunate to have a dedicated and supportive staff. Everyone from the Cleaners, Office Staff, Education Assistants and Teachers have worked incredibly hard before school commenced to ensure a smooth start for all students.

The new year has been very encouraging with students settling very quickly and staff establishing their routines, ensuring a positive start for all.

This year we have 2 new staff members at Somerly. I would like to extend a warm welcome to:

• Mrs Mona Louise-De Carvalho, who is tandem teaching with Mrs Christina Davies in Room 23, Year 1/2
• Mrs Julie Ixer who is tandem teaching with Ms Louise Lipman in Room 12, Year 3

Teacher Parent Note

Within the forthcoming week all teachers will send home a detailed note outlining their teaching programme, behaviour strategies and expectations. Should you have any queries in regards to the information provided, please contact the school on 6206 4200.

Pre Primary, Year One and Year Two On-entry Assessment Programs

Letters are coming home to parents with children in Pre Primary, Year 1 and Year 2 explaining the On-Entry Assessments that will occur between weeks 3 and 6. Please read these letters to gain a better understanding behind the programs. Once the assessments are complete a written report will be sent home to parents.

If you have any questions, please call the office on 6206 4200.

Voluntary Contributions

Voluntary Contributions play a significant role in providing resources for students in the classroom. The continuing partnership between the school and parents is vital to ensuring that all students receive a level of education sufficient to carry them forward in today’s society. Voluntary Contributions are utilized to purchase books, resources and equipment for classroom use and to support our school in the delivery of quality educational programmes. To enable the school to continue to deliver our excellent educational programmes, we urge you to consider paying your Voluntary Contribution at your earliest convenience.

Voluntary Contributions for 2019 is set at $60. However, if you pay before the end of Term 1, you will receive a discount of $10.

Would you like a night at the Joondalup Resort?

Thanks to the generosity of Mark Folkard MLA, Member for Burns Beach you could be checking in soon!

We have a voucher for a one night stay for two people with breakfast included on a date of your choice.

To be in the draw to win this fantastic prize, simply pay your Voluntary Contribution before the end of Term 1. If you have already paid, you are automatically in the draw.

Draw will take place week 1 of Term 2.

You can pay by cheque, cash or EFTPOS in the front office any day between 8:30am and 3:30pm. Alternatively, you can also pay by direct deposit to Commonwealth Bank – BSB 066 040 - Account No. 19902052. Please enter surname and room number in description field as a reference.

P&C Meeting

I would like to invite all parents to attend the P&C Annual General Meeting to be held in the staffroom on:

Monday 25th February 2019 at 9:00am

The AGM is the same as a general meeting with three special functions:

• The election of the P&C Office Bearers and Executive Members.
• The presentation of the Audited Financial Report.
• The President presents an Annual Report for activities from the previous year.

If you wish to nominate as an office bearer within the P&C, please visit the front office and complete a Nomination Form before 3:00pm on Friday 22nd February. Office Bearers consist of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Additional information on the roles and responsibilities of the Office Bearers can be collected from the front office.

Cost of financial membership for the P&C is $1:00 which needs to be paid at the AGM. Financial membership provides members with the opportunity to vote for Office Bearers.

Two meetings are generally held each term.

Light refreshments will be served at the meeting.

Leave

I wish announce that I have been asked by the Regional Executive Director for South Metropolitan District to take on the role of Principal of Piara Waters Primary School whilst the current Principal transitions into a promotional position within the Department. The appointment is for a 6-month period and will take place from 25th February. In my absence Mr Andrew Britton will be Acting Principal. I look forward to returning to Somerly mid Term Three.

Tracey Renton
Principal

Behaviour Focus

Our behaviour focus for Week 2 is:-

RESPECT;

WHOLE SCHOOL

• We always use our manners
• We look after our property and the property of others
• We follow staff instructions
• We use kind words
• We speak to others in the manner we wish to be spoken to

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 6206 4200, sending an SMS to 0437 480 486 or emailing somerly.ps@education.wa.edu.au.

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.

Student Leadership Team 2019

Congratulations to our new Student Leadership Team for 2019

Environmental Councillor – Hussna Husnain
Cultural Councillor – Franz Francisco
ICT Councillor – Philip Nguyen
Arts Councillor – Scarlet Ballon

Faction Captains and Vice-Captains

Daily Operations Team

Isaiah Abel
Laiken Bock
Ashlee Fawcett
Kaiden French
Chris Ranford
Ava Zakholy

Library

It has been great to see all the children borrowing books from the library after the holiday break. If your child is an avid reader and would like to swap their book before their next class library day, please feel free to call in to the library before or after school. You are welcome to browse and help your child find books that you think will engage them and keep them interested in reading.

We have a new friend in the library; it’s Bedtime Bear. Bedtime Bear can’t get to sleep unless he has a bedtime story, so he likes to go home with kind children who will put him to bed and read him a story every night. Your child may bring Bedtime Bear home along with his bag of 7 books, one for each night of the week. I hope parents can join in the reading experience and share the fun with their children. At the same time, you’ll be helping to develop reading and literacy skills, encouraging good bedtime routines, and nurturing a love of books.

Our Toddler Reading group meets in the library on Wednesday mornings from 8:45am. Parents and their young children are invited to come in and read some lovely picture books. We read a story together as a group at 9:00am and then have a small craft activity for those children who would like to join in. Your child may also like to borrow a book to take home for the week. Bringing along a library bag is good practice for kindy.

Looking forward to meeting you.

Natalie Hughes - Librarian

Reading Eggs

We are pleased to announce that Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress is now the school home reading program.

Students have now been introduced to our new Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress progam.

This research-based and motivating online program (which has been purchased at no cost to you) is accessible from devices at home and contains thousands of books, reading activities and lessons which actively support your child in becoming a confident reader. Please see your child’s teacher if you do not have the log-in details.

This program is an exciting and vital part of our Literacy curriculum; children will be expected to use the program at home for a minimum of 5 times per week. Teachers can set books, assignments and lessons for individual students at their reading level and will be able to monitor the activities, reading genre, time spent and progress for every student.

The program links to the Somerly Primary School reading focus of phonemic awareness, phonics, concepts of print, comprehension, vocabulary, repetition and fluency.

This program requires your involvement to help your child gain higher levels of attainment and importantly, to fully understand what they are reading.

I hope that you will be able to attend the Parent Information Session on Reading Eggs which will be on Tuesday 26 February 2019 at 9am in the library, to find out more about the program and how to best support your child in reading.

Chaplain’s Corner

Hello Everyone!

Firstly, I would like to wish each and every one of you a happy and a prosperous New Year! May 2019 be everything that you wish for.

I am really looking forward to this new school year and all the possibilities it might hold.

This year is already moving along very quickly and to keep up with this fast pace, from the Chaplain’s side, we will be focussing on different issues or focus points each term.

During the first term, we will be focussing on bullying as it is the National Day Against Bullying and Violence on the 15th of March. We will focus mainly on helping students to understand which various behaviours constitute physical, verbal or social bullying as well as helping students to understand and apply each of the strategies they can use if bullying happens. We also have a special guest that will visit the school on the 12th of March. More information will be given in the next newsletter.

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing information on the effects of bullying on our kids and what we as parents can do to help them if they are a victim of bullying or maybe even being a bully. Please feel free to share your ideas or strategies that have worked for you in the past.

If you need more information or you need some support in any way, please contact me at school or pop in for a chat any Tuesday or Friday.

Have a great week!!

Kind regards,
Marilize

Kurlangas Aboriginal Playgroup

Welcome to term 1!

This term at playgroup our theme is “All about me”. We will be making paper plate faces, hand and foot print painting and life size cut outs. We will also have our regular activities of easel painting, collage gluing, playdough and our mat session of a story and songs.

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, finger rhymes and songs to sing.

Playgroup is FREE and held every Wednesday at Somerly Primary School during term times between 9.30-11.30am, for Aboriginal children up to 5yrs of age and their carers.

There is no need to bring anything, as 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.

Learning Focus

First week of Pre-Primary – Room 2

The Pre-Primary’s had a fantastic first week of full time school! The students were very excited to be attending our new classes of Art, Music, PE, Science and Health. In class, we completed our first piece of writing about the holidays. Everyone tried their best to phonetically write independently and enjoyed talking about their holidays to their teachers and peers. Great work Pre-Primary’s!”

Room 1

Our first week and a half in Room 1 has been a very rewarding time. Children have completed their first full week of full time school and have coped very well. During our first week and a half of Pre-Primary, we have begun learning from our whole school approach to Numeracy using Origo Maths. We have enjoyed and been engaged in learning activities and games focusing on making and matching amounts up to 5 so far. We have also started our handwriting and learning our letters and sounds as well as our first Guided Reading lesson for Pre-Primary. It has been a very busy first week and a half and an exciting time in the classroom.

Art News

We have enjoyed sharing Art experiences from the holidays including galleries we visited, murals we have seen, art made for others, colours and patterns in nature and impressive animation in films. Students have considered personal academic, social and emotional goals they would like to achieve this year.

Students in some year groups are working collaboratively to design robots that meet set needs. We are starting with placemat activities in groups of 4 to brainstorm and decide on a focus. I have been impressed with the positive and conscientious approach students have shown when working in a group, and the innovative ideas they are developing. I am encouraging students to work in a way that is comfortable for them. Students are invited to work on the mat, on low-level desks, sitting at desks or standing, as long as they maintain a level of focus. We are looking forward to a great year!

Save the Date: Art Assembly will be in Term 3, 20th September.

Miss Bartley
Art Specialist

P & C

Year 6 Leaver’s Shirts

Order forms have been sent home with Year 6 students for Leaver’s shirts. Forms need to be returned by 20th February. The cost is $25 per shirt and students have been sized according to the sample shirts at school. If you have not received an order form, please call into the office to collect one.