4 November 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents/Caregivers

Last week at Somerly Primary School we focused on student and staff mental health. We ran art/craft activities during recess and lunch periods, some Falcon football players visited for skills training, and the Year 3 to 6 students had terrific fun in their hip hop classes. Teachers ran lessons to help students learn how to care for themselves and to be kind to others. Kindness tokens were given out during breaks and in class. Thank you Ms Pavlinovich, Mrs Basson and the team for organising and facilitating these activities.

Every day Somerly Primary School addresses these needs by teaching social skills, recognising and rewarding positive behaviours, supporting students in their learning and when they have issues and differentiating the curriculum. The emphasis is on behavioural and emotional strengths and ability to adapt and deal with daily challenges (resilience and coping skills). Good mental health and wellbeing is important to enable children to thrive across the early years and into adolescence and young adulthood. Investing in prevention and early intervention gives children the best opportunity for achieving this. The website below offers lots of tips and information for parents.

On 29th October the P&C held a Spooky disco after school for students. The students looked scary and spooky! It was hard to recognize some. Thank you to the dedicated group of parents that put this together. There was a lot of effort put into the preparation for this. The treats on the night, the music from Miss Olsen and the costumes made it a fun night for all.

Sun exposure in childhood and adolescence greatly increases the chances of developing skin cancer later in life. Children are often in school during the peak UV times during the day, making it essential for schools to not only have practices in place to protect the children in their care but also to educate and role model the importance of sun protection. Please make sure your child has a school hat to wear at breaks and during sport/outdoor activities. They can be purchased for $5 from the front office. PLEASE write their name on it so we can return lost hats to the correct owners.

We are very sorry that swimming was cancelled but it was out of our control. The Joondalup Aquatic is having pool renovations and they are behind schedule. Please contact the office if you have paid. There is a form to complete so Mrs Rose can refund your money.

We would also like to take this opportunity to remind parents about VacSwim. Please see the link below for further information

https://www.education.wa.edu.au/enrolling-in-vacswim?fbclid=IwAR3ggdR_u7TmaN19-GMoSD4SsbMCEYE39H0TZSARKgkn8IzYWqkVBAnA8Uk

VacSwim offers affordable swimming lessons across the State, giving children the opportunity to learn to swim in a safe and enjoyable environment.

Somerly PS are seeking two more parent School Board members. School Board members take part in: establishing and reviewing the school’s objectives, priorities and general policy directions; planning financial arrangements necessary to fund those objectives, priorities and directions; evaluating the school’s performance in achieving those objectives, priorities and directions; and formulating codes of conduct for students at the school. Have a look at the link below for more information and contact me, Felicity Dear, if you are interested. We meet twice a term.

New students

I would like to extend a warm welcome to Rebecca and Kayla who recently commenced at Somerly Primary School.

Felicity Dear AM
Principal

Merit Certificates

Room 1: Lucas, Jenna and Mariia; Room 2: Marupo, Sharleerah and Abel; Room 3: Charlotte and Rylan; Room 4: Lucas, Amali and Tyrese; Room 7: Mwila and Julio; Room 8: Levi; Room 9: Dalia, David and Samara; Room 10: Oliver and Lily; Room 11: Dakotah and Alexandra; Room 12: Kyle and Billie; Room 13: Aston, Sanaver and Lewis; Room 14: Jia and Dziah; Room 15: Reilly, Ivy and Aaliyah; Room 16: Michael and Ruby; Room 17: Kahn and Acacia-Mai; Room 18: Zain and Amir; Room 23: Aizayr, Noah and Kobe; LOTE: Dylan and Alia; Art: Kora and Noah.

Stars

Behaviour Focus

Our behaviour focus for Week 4 is:-

WHOLE SCHOOL

Safety

• Taking Turns
• Expressing Support

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.

Planning for 2021

We are continuing to plan for 2021 and need accurate numbers so we can make up classes and ensure we have enough staff for the beginning of the year. If you know that you will be leaving and haven’t yet advised the school office, please call in and let us know.

Pre-Primary Enrolment

All existing Kindergarten students are required to enrol for Pre Primary in 2021. To complete the enrolment process, it is necessary for you to come to the school office as soon as possible to sign your child’s enrolment card and update your child’s information, if you haven’t already done so.

This process will ensure your child’s placement in our Pre Primary Program for 2021.

If your child will not be returning to Somerly Primary School in 2021, please advise the school office as soon as possible.

Mayor’s Christmas Appeal

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.

Learning Focus

Gymbaroo

This term Year 1 and 2 students have been lucky enough to get some new equipment for Gymbaroo. Gymbaroo happens each day for students from K-2, students focus on neuro developmental activities and then they complete games, skills, dances and activities. The Year 1 and 2 students now have new equipment for obstacle courses - hoops, skipping ropes, mats, parachutes and tapping sticks. The students are really enjoying the new equipment especially the different obstacle courses set up. It has been fantastic to see the students having fun while improving skills such as balance, coordination, skipping and body control.

Toddler Reading – Step into School

Chaplain’s Corner

Good day parents and caregivers,

I hope that you are all doing well!

As you may know, we had our Mental Health week during week 2 of this term (19 -23 October). It was a fun-filled week with daily lunchtime activities planned for every play area. Although all activities were enjoyed, there were a few stand-out highlights. The stress-ball making on Tuesday was a big hit and it is wonderful to see how many of the students still use their stress balls as a coping strategy to calm themselves down when they feel angry, worried or upset.

On Thursday, we had the privilege of having some footy players from the Joondalup Falcons visiting our school during lunchtime kicking a few balls and teaching the students a few footy skills.

To finish off our wonderful Mental Health Week on Friday, the very talented dancers of One Mob Dance Studio taught our Year 3 - 6 students a few hip hop and breakdance moves. Great fun was had by all trying out these new moves and I am sure that you might have seen some of these new moves by now!

The theme of this year’s Mental Health Week was Strengthening and Connecting with Our Community. Due to COVID, we had to think a little bit outside the box to connect to our Community. Our wonderful Kindergarten students drew beautiful pictures for the elderly residing in Aegis Anchorage Nursing Home to brighten their day. We also decided to have a coin donation for the Salvation Army. By supporting their outreach programs, we are able connect or reach out to the Community. I am very proud of the students for making an effort to bring in coins and I would really like to thank you for supporting this project.

As always stay safe, stay connected, and remember that I am always ready to help in any way I can. I will be at the school every Tuesday and Friday. If there is any way I can support your child/children, or yourself – please feel free to give me a call on (08) 6206 4200.

Have a great week!

Kind regards,
Marilize Basson (Chaplain)

P & C

A big thank you to all students, parents and teachers who helped make our first disco of 2020 a success!

It was an amazing night with the kids having a blast!

Together, we were able to raise $2400 for the P&C.

Shout out to Miss Olsen, Ms Dear and the volunteer parents who came down and assisted in all levels of the night.