26 May 2021

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Dear Parents/Caregivers

OUR SCHOOL VISION IS TO SUPPORT STUDENTS IN BECOMING STRONG, THOUGHTFUL AND INDEPENDENT INDIVIDUALS WHO ASPIRE TO BE THE BEST THAT THEY CAN BE. OUR ETHOS OFFERS STUDENT CENTERED EDUCATION THAT IS FOCUSSED ON BOTH THE PRESENT AND DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS OF STUDENTS

Congratulations

I would like to start by congratulating all staff and students who were involved in NAPLAN over the last two weeks. I would also like to congratulate all of the Year 4 to 6 students who participated in the recent Interschool Cross Country.

Staffing

I would like to inform you of some staff changes due to leave coming into effect this term.

Mr James Stanton will replace Mrs Jodie Brown in Room 13 from Wednesday to Friday.

Miss Jo Avery will replace Mrs Charlynne Reyneke in Room 20 on Friday for the remainder of the year.

In Week 10 we welcome back Mrs Melinda Gane from maternity leave who will commence in Kindergarten Room 6 on Wednesdays and in Room 12 on Thursdays. Ms Jayde Stapleton will leave us to commence her maternity leave in Week 10 and we wish her the best of luck.

Tell Them From Me Parent Survey

TTFM Partners in Learning Parent Survey is based on a comprehensive questionnaire covering several aspects of parents’ perceptions of their children’s experiences at home and school. We want Somerly Primary School to be a successful school and successful schools foster greater communication with parents and encourage parental involvement. The survey also provides feedback about the extent to which parents feel the school supports learning and positive behaviour and promotes a safe and inclusive environment.

The 2020 Focus for improvement from the Parents Survey was ‘Parents are Informed.’ Through the use of our Parent Meetings and the Seesaw App, we have aimed to increase the connection to parents, including the provision of information regarding curriculum content being taught, progress, and activities undertaken during the school day. The Leadership Team will look at the full report in detail and will set further goals for 2021.

NAIDOC Excursion

We are excited to be able to offer a whole school excursion to Perth Hills Discovery Centre: Nearer to Nature, Mundaring. Classes (K-6) will attend on one of the allocated four days in Week 11 from Monday 28th June to Thursday 1st July 2021. Our initial cost for the excursion was $24 per child. We are now happy to announce our fundraising has reduced this cost to $22 per child. There will be a note coming home shortly with further details. Please contact the front office regarding payment options. We are looking forward to this educational experience as we recognise the cultural importance of NAIDOC and the nature that surrounds us. If you would like to see the venue, please go to the link below.

Uniforms

As the mornings are beginning to get colder, I remind you that the school sports jacket or black polar fleece jacket are available for purchase from Uniform Concepts in Clarkson. Alternatively, a plain black jumper is acceptable. We ask for no hoodies please.

WA Day

Just a reminder to all our families that WA Day is on Monday 7th June. It is held every year on the first Monday in June and is a public holiday for all people in Western Australia.

WA Day commemorates the founding of the Swan River Colony, which was settled as a free colony unlike other parts of Australia. The term WA Day was changed from Foundation Day to recognise the much longer history of the Aboriginal People on the land. I hope you enjoy your long weekend.

If you have any questions, please contact me.

Zoe Hadley (Stenhouse)
Principal

Stars

Behaviour Focus

Our behaviour focus for Week 6 is:-

BEFORE SCHOOL

RESPECT

• We arrive at school at 8.15am and wait at the undercover area
• We arrive to class at 8.30am
• We greet each other positively

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.

Cross Country

On Monday 17th May, Somerly Primary School held its try-outs for the Cross Country Team on the Riverlinks Park course. It was great to see so many students participate and complete the course and I would like to congratulate them on their efforts! The results were as follows:

On Friday the 21st of May students from Somerly Primary School went to Quinns Rocks where they participated in the Interschool Cross Country. Year 4's and 5's ran a 1.5km course and Year 6's ran a 2km course up lots of hills and through the bush. We are so proud of the way the Somerly Primary School students completed the difficult course and how they supported each other throughout the day. In each race there were 35 students from 7 different schools. Individual standouts were Zion who placed 4th for year 4 boys and Raffaele who placed 7th for year 5 boys. Overall Somerly Primary School finished in 6th place.

A big thank you goes to all the students for their wonderful behaviour and awesome efforts, to the support from the families who came to cheer on Somerly Primary School and a special thanks to Mrs Carroll and Mrs Kincart for all their help.

Belinda Ochieng
Sports Specialist

Kidsport

Aussie of the Month

Somerly Primary School is excited to be a part of the Aussie of the Month Initiative. Aussie of the Month is a primary school program that recognises personal endeavour, achievement and contribution to the community. This links very strongly to our school vision and our aspirations for students to be Successful Learners, Confident and Creative Individuals and Active and Informed citizens. This award will also link strongly to our school values of Respect, Responsibility and Safety.

The intention is that it aligns to the Values for Australian Schooling and Curriculum framework, recognises students for their effort outside of academic application or sporting achievement, and acknowledges students who demonstrate outstanding contributions within their community.

Key values we seek to amplify are:

Fair go – not just how we apply ourselves but also in providing opportunity for all
Mateship - a generosity of spirit and compassion for those in need
Respect – of self, of others, our community, and the environment
Inclusion – acceptance and respect of difference

Each month there will be a criteria focus and teachers will submit their nominations to a Committee for selection. Presentation of awards will be at school assemblies and will be presented by our School Board Chair or representative.

We ask that parents inform class teachers if they are aware of any Somerly student who is actively contributing to the school or community.

Toddler Group

Learning Focus

Literacy in Focus: Reading at Home Is Important! (Part 2)

“Oh but you’re lucky – you’re a teacher. You know how to teach them to read!”

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that from friends and family. Truth is though, one of the hardest things I have had to tackle as a parent was getting my eldest daughter to read. My wife or I would sit with her every night – at the dinner table, in bed, in the kitchen – and the tears would flow and the tantrums would follow. “I hate reading!” she would scream.

It took real patience and devotion. But it was worth it.

Fast forward to now. She is in Year 6 and loves to read – she’s actually quite exceptional at it! “How?” you may ask. Here are some helpful hints to use when teaching your child to read:

1. PATIENCE
   Easier said than done – I know. Take a break if either of you are getting too worked up.
2. SET A TIME AND PLACE
   Making reading practice routine will help your child become mentally prepared for the task at hand. Try not to spring it on them, especially if they are reluctant to read in the first place.
3. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER: Blending
   Just because you aren’t a teacher, doesn’t mean you can’t use some of the jargon that comes with teaching reading!
   Blending is the skill of combining letter sounds to make words. Take a look at two different approaches to blending below and try applying something like this when your child is stumped by a word!

Image Reference: https://www.phonicbooks.co.uk/advice-and-resources/free-teaching-resources/phonic-infographics/

As always, please encourage your child to attend our Reading Club each Thursday morning in the Library. We are there and ready to listen to your child read!

Daniel Gane
Somerly Primary School
English Lead Teacher

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 2021 is set at $60.

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 2. If you have already paid, you are automatically in the draw.

Draw will take place week 1 of Term 3.

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.

P & C