26 August 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents/Caregivers

Recently, we have had some really exciting events and integrated curriculum at Somerly Primary School, with plenty more to come! Last week was Science Week and to launch this wonderful week of great Science, we had the Sci-tech Chemistry incursions. Across the school, classes participated in educational and innovative class lessons about the Ocean. Year 3 and 4 students also had the Digital Olympics. The students were engaged and collaborated to solve problems in the coding curriculum area. I would like to thank and congratulate all staff for their enthusiasm and work in facilitating and preparing these activities.

Book Week

Our Book Fair will run for students during lunch time. Parents may also drop in before and after school. Social distancing rules still need to be observed. On Friday we have our Book Week dress up for the theme Curious Creatures, Wild Minds at 2pm. I unfortunately will be at a meeting so look forward to seeing some photos of the students. All information is available on our SeeSaw app.

Faction Carnival

Our Faction Jumps and Throws competition will be held on Wednesday 2nd September and the Athletics Carnival on Friday 4th September. The teams have been practising as much as they can to get ready for these big events.

COVID Phase 4 rules still apply in WA. The safety of our students, staff and school community is a priority. For our Faction Carnival this means we need parents to practise good hygiene procedures and follow the 2m social distancing rules. The Sports Club toilets on our shared oval will be open for parent/adult family members to use. The P&C have kindly organised a coffee van for adults. More information on where families can watch the events will be posted on SeeSaw soon.

Father’s Day

Father’s Day is coming up. Our wonderful P&C have organised a gift stall. A note has been sent home with students to order a gift for their Dad, Step Dad, Grandparent or a close family role model. Some families order one gift to be from all the children. This of course is up to individual families. Please don’t feel any pressure.

Parent/Teacher Meetings

On Friday 11 September we have our Parent/Teacher Interviews. Information is included in this newsletter and on SeeSaw. This is a terrific opportunity to talk to your child’s teacher about their progress, learning celebrations and concerns.

Attendance

Somerly Primary School Attendance: Mid last term attendance at school became compulsory again for PP to Year 12 unless there was a medical certificate. Kindergarten attendance is very important as it sets patterns for PP onwards. Looking at the attendance data for this term, Somerly Primary School is at 91.8% average attendance. It is important for parents to let the school know the reason your child is absent. Please use text, telephone or call into the office, Seesaw message to teachers, or send a note with your child on their return. A text message goes out each day for unexplained absences. If you reply to this your reason is then recorded as an explained absence for the Education Department. Easy, quick and one less thing for busy parents/carers to remember to do.

New students

I would like to extend a warm welcome to Declan, Dakota and Latrell who recently commenced at Somerly Primary School.

Felicity Dear AM
Principal

Stars

Behaviour Focus

Our behaviour focus for Week 6 is:-

WHOLE SCHOOL

RESPONSIBILITY

• We place our rubbish in the bin
• We follow staff instructions

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.

School Parking Brochure – City of Wanneroo

Kindergarten Enrolments 2021 Filling Fast!

Our 2021 Kindergarten places are filling fast! If you have a child that was born between 1 July 2016 and 30 June 2017 please come into the front office as soon as possible for an application form or visit our website.

As Kindergarten 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 History Statement (Refer to paragraph below) and proof of address.

Kindergarten children must be up to date with all scheduled immunisations for their age to be able to enrol.

To enrol in Kindergarten, a child must have one of the following documents:

• an Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) Immunisation History Statement, no more than two months old with a status of 'up to date’
• an AIR Immunisation History Form, no more than six months old, if the child is on a catch up schedule
• a valid immunisation certificate issued or declared by the Chief Health Officer

If a child does not have an up to date Immunisation History Statement, exemptions because of particular family circumstances may apply. These exemptions are determined by the Principal.

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

Please click on the link below to access the Application for Enrolment for Kindergarten in 2021.

Parent/Teacher Meetings – 11th September 2020

Our Parent/Teacher meetings are scheduled for 11th September 2020 beginning at 12pm. Students will finish school on this day at 11.45am.

Bookings for the Parent/Teacher meetings will open at 5pm on Wednesday 26th August and close at 5pm on Wednesday 9th September. Please click on the link below to access the booking page.

VacSwim swimming lessons

Enrolments are now open for VacSwim swimming lessons during the October and December/January school holidays.

October is a great time to get your children ready for summer and January offers fun lessons at beach or pool locations during the long break.

Your children can start as young as five years old.

Enrol your children in VacSwim now at the link below.

Digital Olympics 2020

On Wednesday the 19th, the Year 3 and 4 students participated in Somerly Primary School Digital Olympics. Students were placed in multi-aged groups and given a ‘near to Australia’ country to represent. They then rotated through five unplugged or plugged coding activities, spending 20 minutes at each station.

Sphero Rotation: Students were tasked with coding a Sphero Robot with an iPad to navigate through a maze. They used the ‘edu Sphero’ application and dragged blocks to program the robots to move. This activity allowed them to design an effective algorithm that had accurate code.

Lego Unplugged: Students created an algorithm which they used to orally code their partner to build a given Lego structure using the manual. This activity allowed them to identify that algorithms and code need to be precise for the outcome to be successful.

Microbit Coding: Students were tasked to create an algorithm to code a Microbit to turn a LED light on and off. Working in pairs they constructed the circuit using alligator clips and LED Lights. This activity allowed them identify when algorithms and code are used in everyday life.

Feed the Mouse Unplugged: Students created an algorithm which they used to orally code their partner to navigate a toy mouse through a maze, collecting the food items along the way. This activity allowed them to create a successful algorithm, ‘debugging’ any problems along the way.

Edison Sumo Coding: Students were tasked to design and build a Sumo Wrestler on top of the Edison Robots using Lego. They then coded the Edison to sumo wrestle with another robot. This activity allowed them to evaluate the success of their design and ‘debugged’ any problems.

During the day, students earnt points for their use of manners, cooperation, transitioning and whether they were demonstrating the school’s values of Respect, Responsibility and Safety. Students also earnt points for their successful coding. The winning country of the day was Cambodia All students participated with consideration for others and excellent enthusiasm for coding.

Learning Focus

Have Sum Fun Online

Term 3 has seen selected Year 3 and Year 4 students join the Year 5 and Year 6 teams in Have Sum Fun Online. This collaborative team event has three rounds of competition across three weeks. Teams compete against schools across the whole of Australia to respond to NAPLAN type questions in a timed environment.

I’m excited that Somerly Primary provides extension opportunities to our students and that we have been able to subsidise the cost, so that all students are participating free of charge. I look forward to sharing the progress of the 6 teams.

Jodie Brown
Maths Lead Teacher

LOTE Assembly & Nunzio the Master Pizza Chef

Well done to the Year 6 students in Room 9 who spoke with enthusiasm and eloquence when highlighting the amazing ways that the Italian culture has influenced our Australian way of life.

The Year 3 students in Room 20 who despite nerves, performed an Italian song, Volevo Un Gatto (I Wanted a Black Cat). There were some little dancers who also enjoyed showing us some interesting dance moves. A good effort! Also, thanks to Miss Olsen in teaching the school community song in Italian.

All students from Years 3-6 had been eagerly awaiting the arrival of Nunzio, the Master Pizza Chef for weeks! With his expertise, speed, humour and charm, he made a vast range of delicious pizzas and entertained the students along the way. “It was well worth the wait!” said one Year 6 student. Grazie mille (many thanks) to Mrs Dear and Mrs Carroll who helped with supervising the hungry students.

P & C