12 February 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents/Caregivers

My name is Paul Eaglestone and I have been appointed Somerly Primary School Principal for Term 1. I have been a Principal in the Kimberley for several years and I am very proud and fortunate to lead a fine school such as Somerly Primary School. I have met many parents during the first week and I appreciate the warm welcome I have received. It has been exciting to see the ‘buzz’ around the school with our new Kindergarten students attending school for the first time.

We have had a great start to the term and the new staff have enjoyed their first week at Somerly Primary School. I would like to extend a warm welcome to:

Emma Solly – Room 20
Renae Mulder – Room 13
Jayde Stapleton - Kindergarten

I commend all our hard working staff who have worked tirelessly to ensure that the school/classes were ready for the start of Term 1.

School Board Meeting

Our first School Board Meeting is Wednesday 26th February at 9.00am. I look forward to meeting all the board members and discussing the directions for the school in 2020.

P & C Meeting

The P & C Annual General Meeting is to be held in the staffroom at 9.00am on Tuesday 3rd March 2020.

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 3.00 p.m. on Thursday 27th 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.

The 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.

Tell Them From Me (TTFM)Survey

As part of our continued focus on school effectiveness, Somerly Primary School will be participating in an online survey for students and parents – Tell Them From Me (TTFM). The surveys are an important part of our school evaluation and planning process. The survey also provides us valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. As we value the role of parents and carers within our school community we would greatly appreciate your feedback. As a result of last year’s survey we used the information we received to start the Parent Meetings which was a huge success.

The survey takes approximately 20-30 minutes to complete and measures such topics as emotional and social wellbeing, physical health and behaviours and attitudes linked to student success. The survey also allows students and parents to give their thoughts and feedback in open-ended question responses.

Students from Year 4-6 will complete the survey in the coming weeks during class time. You are able to access the parent survey on your computer or mobile device by using the URL below:

The survey will be accessible from Monday 10th February to Tuesday 3rd March 2020.

Parents can complete the survey at home or they can utilise our iPads in the library from 8.00 a.m. – 8.45 a.m. during Week 3 and 4 of this term.

Parent/Teacher Meetings

The Parent/Teacher Meetings will be held on Friday 27th March. The students will finish school at 11.45am and the meetings will commence from 12.00pm.

Further details will follow in upcoming newsletters.

Paul Eaglestone
Principal

Behaviour Focus

Our behaviour focus for Week 2 is:-

WHOLE SCHOOL

RESPECT

• We speak to others in the manner we wish to be spoken to
• We actively listen

Attendance at Somerly Primary School

Responsibilities of Parents and Caregivers

Somerly Primary School recognises that students should attend school on a regular basis to gain the maximum benefit from schooling in order to optimise their life opportunities. Research shows that for a maximum transfer of knowledge 95% attendance is necessary. Attendance rates lower than 95% will impact on academic standards. At Somerly Primary School there is an expectation that students will attend on a regular basis. It is our intent to support all families to develop positive attitudes towards school attendance.

Under Western Australian law (School Education Act 1999, School Education Regulations 2000) it is a requirement that students of compulsory school age, 5 years and 6 months to 17 years and 6 months must be enrolled and regularly attend a registered school. Under this legislation, parents and carers must:

• Ensure their child regularly attends school
• Notify the school as to the cause of any absence as soon as practicable and within three school days of non-attendance.

A student may be absent for a reasonable cause such as health, recognised religious or cultural ceremonies or any other reason considered acceptable by the Principal. The Principal may request notification in writing explaining a student’s absence e.g. letter or medical certificate. The School Education Act 1999 does not allow principals to give permission for families to take holidays during the school term. As students are required to attend school every day, time off for holidays is recorded as an absence.

Where a student’s attendance is below 90% or identified as a concern, strategies will be implemented to restore attendance through a case management approach. A supportive case management approach will be initiated where persistent unexplained absence continues after other attempts to restore attendance has failed. It is an individual approach for each child and family. If there are 3 days of unexplained absences contact will be made by the classroom teacher / administration asking for an explanation of the absences.

What should I do if my child is sick?

A student’s absence must be explained by the parent or caregiver only. This can be done by

1. SMS – Send an SMS to advise of your child’s absence and the reason to 0437 480 486 before 9am
2. Make a phone call to the front office advising staff of the reason for your child’s absence.
3. Telephone: 6206 4200
4. Send a note upon your child’s return
5. Verbally discuss the reasons with the teacher
6. Send an email to somerly.ps@education.wa.edu.au

If you are having problems getting your child to school for any reason please contact the classroom teacher and school administration as we are happy to help.

A REMINDER CLASSROOMS ARE OPEN AT 8:30AM

The learning session begins at 8:45am. By arriving at 8:30am students are welcome into the classroom to prepare for the day. During this time, students can organise their materials and speak with the teacher about the expectations of the day. We encourage you to get your child/children to school at 8:30am to give them time be organised.

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.

Road Safety

It has been brought to our attention that students are not using the dedicated crossing area on Connolly Drive when travelling to and from school. Connolly Drive is an extremely busy dual carriageway and our students’ safety is of paramount importance. Please take the time to discuss road safety with your children, especially crossing our roads, using the designated traffic wardens who are now available before and after school and keeping to footpaths when arriving at school.

The On-entry Assessment Program

Identifying the development of essential skills in literacy and/or numeracy

Making sure your child has the necessary skills and understandings for future literacy and numeracy development is crucial. During weeks 3 – 6 of Term 1 Somerly Primary has elected to participate in the Department of Education’s On-entry Assessment Program for Pre-primary to Year 2 students.

The main purpose of the program is to provide teachers with an opportunity, early in the year, to gather further information on the current literacy and/or numeracy skills and understandings of children in their class.

While some assessment tasks can be included in the daily teaching program, some will be carried out one-to-one, away from the classroom. This will provide your child and their teacher with valuable time together, as well as giving the teacher the opportunity to observe the behaviours and processes your child uses in responding to questions. Conducting this assessment early in the year ensures that your child’s teacher has information about the current skills and understandings of each child to assist in the planning and development of targeted learning programs that address the needs of each individual and identify children who may require early intervention or extension. This approach is supported by national and international research into the early identification of students’ literacy and numeracy skills.

Educational needs vary from child to child and may constantly change, with children bringing to school a wide range of experiences, skills and understandings. Through constant and ongoing observations, your child’s teacher is able to ensure that programs continue to meet the changing needs of each and every child.

Important: There is no pass or fail in this assessment.

On Entry assesses the literacy and numeracy skills and understandings considered critical to early and ongoing educational development. While the purpose of the On-entry Assessment Program is to assess literacy and numeracy skills, the one-to-one nature of the assessments provides the teacher with valuable opportunities to observe other domains.

All Pre-primary students in West Australian public schools complete the on entry assessment. At Somerly Primary School we also assess our Year 1 and Year 2 students to track student progress and identify and areas of continued support. Any exemptions or withdrawals should be discussed with the teacher and principal.

If you would like any further information, or to discuss your child’s participation, please contact your child’s teacher.

Further information can also be found by accessing the On-entry Assessment Program website and clicking on Information for Parents.

Zoe Stenhouse - Deputy Principal

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 2020 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 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.

GYMBAROO UNLOCKING POTENTIAL (UP) PROGRAM

ABOUT THE UNLOCKING POTENTIAL PROGRAM AT SOMERLY PRIMARY SCHOOL

Unlocking Potential is a unique sensorimotor movement program specifically designed for Australian primary schools. This program focuses on motor skill development and draws on the latest research to assist the stimulation of brain development important to learning, skill development and behaviour. At GymbaROO we firmly believe that all students need to be given the opportunity to lay the crucial neurological building blocks essential for learning and thus given the chance to reach their optimum level of both mental and physical function. This program proposes to unlock the potential for all children.

All our teachers have attended a comprehensive 2-day training program run by professionally qualified GymbaROO consultants allowing the school to run the daily program. Somerly Primary is in its 4th year of the program with fantastic results.

WHAT DO THE CHILDREN DO AS PART OF THE PROGRAM?

The UP Program is a 25 minute daily lesson of activities including:

• Fun warm up activities
• Specific developmental movement exercises
• Body awareness games, dance, group games
• Relaxation

The activities will be done every day as a block or split into shorter segments depending on the classroom teachers and daily routines.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF DOING THE PROGRAM?

On reflecting upon our 2019 data we were extremely pleased to see there continues to be a significant improvement in our results as a whole even though many of the older classes who have completed UP in the previous 2 years started at a higher level of ability.

Children doing the daily program have shown improvements in:

• Learning ability
• NAPLAN results
• Classroom and playground behaviour
• Concentration
• Handwriting
• Letter reversals
• Ability to follow instructions
• Coordination
• Fitness
• Overall happiness and enjoyment of school

It is important for children to enjoy the program and participate every day for the best results. If your child is not wanting to participate please speak to your teacher as activities can be adapted to suit.

Your teacher may send home “Movement Homework” in the form of the simple exercises. These will be explained to the children and instructions included for them to do at home. The more often children repeat these exercises the better their results.

Learning Focus

Art

This year in Art we are jumping into the term with projects based around the 2020 Science Week theme of 'Into the Deep...'

Projects will include elements of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics, and of course, critical and creative thinking!

We are looking forward to exploring ocean flora and fauna, features of ocean vessels, and our social and environmental responsibility to keep our oceans healthy.

Stay tuned for progress on clay and card creatures, recycled plastic art, clay boats, underwater acrylic paintings, STEAMpunk submarines and vessels, and screen-printed bags.

We have also spent time this week considering our personal and academic goals for 2020.

It's going to be a wonderful year!

Miss Bartley

Chaplain’s Corner

Dear Parents and caregivers,

Firstly, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful and prosperous New Year. May 2020 be everything that you wish for and more!!

I have to say it is wonderful to see all the familiar faces back at school as well as meeting some new ones. For all the new families, my name is Marilize Basson and I am the Chaplain at Somerly Primary School. I will be at the school every Tuesday and Friday. If there’s any way I can support your child/children, or yourself – please feel free to come and see me in the Chaplain’s Room (the demountable behind the Senior block) or give me a call on (08) 6206 4200 – I would love to meet you!

The Community Pantry will be open again starting next week Tuesday at 08:00am – 10.00am and then again from 14:00pm – 15:30pm. The same times will apply for the Friday as well. Even though the door might be closed, it will be unlocked. Please, feel free to go in and help yourself to any items you may need.

Have an amazing week!!

Kind regards
Marilize Basson (Chaplain)

School Rewards Promotion – Ocean Keys Shopping Centre

We have registered to participate in the School Rewards Promotion currently running at Ocean Keys Shopping Centre. Please click on the link below for details of the Promotion.

Register and submit your receipts at the Customer Service Desk located in Ocean Keys Shopping Centre or online at the link below and start earning points for our school.