11 August 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.

It has been a very busy yet very productive start to Term Three and it has been fantastic to see how hard students are working in their classrooms.

Staffing

I would like to announce Ms Dee Ritchie will be taking on Room 4 for Miss Natalie Hobson while she takes some well-earned long service leave on Mondays for the remainder of the semester.

School Board

The School Board met again on Monday 9th August for our fifth meeting of the year. A copy of the school board minutes is available at the office for parents to read following each Board meeting.

Our next school Board meeting will be an open Board meeting at 9am on Monday 9th September. This is an opportunity for you to come along and see what being a member of the School Board is all about. At the meeting we will review our voluntary contributions, conduct a review of the Draft School Business Plan for 2022 – 2024 and look at our School Board effectiveness survey to plan for future Board improvement. Please email your interest in attendance for this Board meeting to Zoe.Hadley@education.wa.edu.au, morning tea will be provided.

Another reminder from the School Board is that voluntary contributions play a significant role in providing resources for students in the classroom. Voluntary contributions are utilised to purchase books, resources and equipment to support the learning programs. Voluntary contributions are set at $60 for the year and we encourage you to pay them at your earliest convenience, if you have not done so already. Payments can also be paid in instalments.

2022 Planning and Kindy, Pre Primary Enrolments

It is that time of year where we begin to start planning and preparation for the 2022 school year. If you are leaving the school at the end of the year, please inform the front office as soon as possible

A reminder to please ensure you enrol for Kindergarten and Pre Primary for next year.

Parent Information Sessions – Half Day Close

Just a reminder that our Term 3 Parent Meetings will be held on Friday 10th September commencing from 12pm. This means school will finish at 11.45am. Timeslots for the parent meetings will be available for bookings on 25th August at 5pm and will close on 8th September at 5pm.

Please note due to teacher absence – Room 9 Mrs Julie Donohue - Parent Interviews will be conducted on Thursday 9th September from 9am to 12pm.

New students

I would like to extend a warm welcome to Jasmine, Nicolas, Laurie, Mirriam, Ajmir, Benyamin and Abel who recently commenced at Somerly Primary School.

Zoe Hadley
Principal

Stars

Behaviour Focus

Our behaviour focus for Week 4 is:-

Whole School

Responsibility

• We place our rubbish in the bin
• We immediately follow all staff instructions inside and out-side the classroom

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.

The Fathering Project

The next Fathering Project event will be a Bluearth session focussed on circus and frisbee skills and will be held on Wednesday 18th August 2021, from 4.30pm. Light snacks will be provided. Bluearth provides students with the opportunity to develop their physical, social and emotional health. Each week our Year 3 – 6 students explore environments through movement and engagement in physical experiences. This improves their focus, self-awareness, resilience and self-esteem in order to work collaboratively in a team environment. Please see information below and RSVP to the front office for this event.

Road Safety

Just a reminder to please take the time to discuss road safety with your children, especially crossing our roads and using the designated traffic wardens who are available before and after school at the dedicated crossing area on Connolly Drive. Connolly Drive is an extremely busy dual carriageway.

Also, parents/carers and students should keep to footpaths when arriving and leaving school, avoiding cutting through car parks. Our car parks get extremely busy and congested and are not safe to cut through. Remember our students’ safety is of paramount importance.

Clarkson Challenge

Last Thursday 12 students from Year 5 and 6 went to Clarkson Senior High School to compete in the Clarkson Challenge.

Students formed three teams, which each competed in a STEM Task and an Esports competition. Students were challenged to design an alien species that could survive on a unique planet called Clarksonia. Each team had to use their understanding of adaptations to first design their species and then their creative abilities to sculpt their final product. Each team showed incredible team work, winning their Esport rounds.

Our teams then placed 5th, 2nd and 1st, bringing the trophy back to Somerly Primary School for 2021!

Congratulations to all students involved, in particular our winning team of Charlie, Temwani, Taj and Madi.

Learning Focus

Literacy

Literacy in Focus: Handwriting vs. Typing

There’s a bit of a debate in society around which skill is more important for children to learn when it comes to handwriting versus typing. On one hand, it seems that the argument for typing is heavily based on the idea that this current generation of primary aged students is increasingly moving towards a more digitally based future, with typed documents being the cornerstone of written communication between colleagues and co-workers. On the other hand, advocates of favouring handwriting spout, rightfully so, that the research shows that ‘Handwriting does matter and is more closely related to academic achievement than most educators realise (Cahill, 2009; Daffern, Mackenzie & Hemmings, 2017; Longcamp, Zerbato-Poudou & Velay, 2005; Medwell & Wray, 2007).’ They will also be quick to tell you that there just isn’t enough research to tell us what happens when handwriting is not taught!

At the end of the day, schools must teach both skills as dictated by the Western Australian Curriculum. So with that in mind, here are some hints and tips for you to use at home to encourage the practice of both skills:

Good luck giving these ideas a go!

Daniel Gane
Somerly Primary School
English Lead Teacher

Maths

It has been a very busy start of the term for Maths. We have participated in some competitions and started Ninja Maths.

Australian Maths Competition

The Australian Maths Competition was held on 4 August. 22 students from across Years 3-6 were invited to participate in this engaging problem competition against schools from across Australia, New Zealand and internationally. We were very fortunate to be able to fully fund students’ participation and next year we are looking to open this opportunity up for more students.

Have Sum Fun Online

Have Sum Fun Online has commenced. Somerly Primary School has entered four teams; one team from Years 3, 4, 5 and 6. The teams are competing weekly in three rounds of ten questions in a timed competition. It is exciting to once again provide extension and challenge for groups of students. I look forward to updating you on their progress throughout the term.

Ninja Maths

Students from Years 1-6 are also trialing a Maths fluency program, Ninja Maths, where they are spending three minutes, three times per week, practicing their recall of maths facts. They are working to beat their scores each week and achieve personal bests. The maths facts that are chosen for practice align to student need and the WA Curriculum. In Years 4, 5 and 6 students we are currently focusing on the quick recall of multiplication facts. If you would like to help your child develop their fluency, please contact their classroom teacher to find out the fluency focus.

Jodie Brown
Maths Lead Teacher

Community Pantry

Just a quick reminder about our Community Pantry located in the undercover area, right next to the canteen area.

The Community Pantry is accessible to all Parents or carers of students attending Somerly Primary School and is open every day. The door will be left unlocked so that any parent or carer can go and help themselves to food items they need. If you are visiting the school between the hours of 9.20am and 2.30pm, please call into the front office to sign in and out.

Arts Week – Mindarie Senior College

Dear parents, carers and students

The annual ARTS WEEK will be held in Week 8 of this term.

If you would like to secure your seat to any of the below events, tickets can be purchased via Trybookings now.

• Monday, 6 September @ 6PM - Drama Performance ($5.00) - https://www.trybooking.com/643717
• Tuesday, 7 September @ 6PM - Dance Performance ($10.00) - https://www.trybooking.com/643719
• Wednesday, 8 September @ 6PM - Music Performance ($10.00) – https://www.trybooking.com/643720
• Thursday, 9 September @ 6PM - Visual Arts - (free)
• Thursday, 9 September @ 7PM - Media and Photography (gold coin donation)

Why not organise a group of family and friends to support the MSC Arts students!

Please contact the College on 6207 5500 if you would like more information regarding these events or purchasing your tickets.

Regards
Mindarie Senior College Arts Department

P & C

P & C Member Profiles

Name: Rose Manson

P&C Title: Fundraiser

How many children of yours attend Somerly Primary School and what year/s are they?

2 - yr 4 and yr 6.

What do you like most about being part of the P&C?

The fact that we all care about our school and want to support, have fun, and have a laugh with other parents.

Is there something you'd like other parents to know about the P&C?

We are a fun and easy going group of parents. We want parents to approach us with ideas and even join us. We want to hear what other parents’ ideas are.

Name: Kathleen (Kat) Milner

P&C Title: Executive Member

How many children of yours attend Somerly Primary School and what year/s are they?

1 girl in year 2.

What do you like most about being part of the P&C?

I've always wanted to be a member, but my work hours didn't allow it. Now that my hours have changed, I decided to join and I love knowing that I'm helping and my daughter is so proud that I'm 'working' at the school.

Is there something you'd like other parents to know about the P&C?

To be honest, I was a bit hesitant to join, but there was absolutely nothing to be scared about. Only because I wasn't sure if I could contribute much, if anything at all. I absolutely love helping when I can and highly encourage other parents to come along to meetings and volunteer. It's a great way to also know what is happening at the school in advance. We are a very easy going bunch of people.