1 June 2022

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.

We hope all students enjoyed their long weekend last week for our School Development Day with the RUMA Network. The RUMA Network is a network of schools in our area that collaborate to improve teaching and learning across the community. All staff participated in the Flourish, Focus and Reset Professional Learning Day which ran at Optus Stadium in conjunction with the Shenton Network. This conference was originally scheduled back in 2020 and was postponed, then again postponed in 2021 and up until 4 weeks ago, postponed again. Luckily with changing restrictions, staff were able to participate in this Professional Learning Day, which was focused around getting back to our core business of supporting and connecting to our students. The day provided staff with a variety of strategies and tools to enable them to continue to grow and develop within this ever changing and very dynamic world. Staff have continually had to adjust at short notice over the last three years, they have had to learn new skills and be flexible in their approach to teaching. It was an opportunity to reset mindfully, collaborate with staff across the Network and listen to a variety of high-quality speakers within our system. I would like to publicly thank the Conference Organising Committee for their efforts and the staff for their active professionalism.

As we hopefully come out of the worst of this pandemic, the impacts of COVID are still hitting hard. We continue to have high amounts of students and staff impacted by isolation requirements. Sourcing relief staff is an ongoing challenge, and it has interrupted our business as usual approach with classes having to be collapsed on rare occasions. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of Somerly Primary School for their professionalism and flexibility this year. They have gone the extra mile to ensure student learning programs continue and the impact of COVID is minimised. I thank all the parents and carers for their support through what has been a challenging year so far. Please continue to monitor your children for symptoms, test if you are unsure and keep the school informed if you have any concerns or require support in anyway.

Last week was another eventful week with one of our blocks having to be shut down temporarily and classes relocated for the day for precautionary safety reasons. The severe weather event on Monday hit the school hard and caused more flooding across our grounds, preventing outdoor play. After the issues in 2020 we spent considerable time and effort on our drainage systems to prevent any reoccurrence. Unfortunately, due to the lay of the school and the amount of rain we received, this made little difference. We will continue to work through these issues, but hope that this is the end of any major weather events for the rest of the year.

Healthy Lunchbox Week

This week at school the students are participating in activities to recognise Healthy Lunch Box Week organised by our Health Committee. This was identified as an area of need through feedback as part of our Wellbeing and Engagement Survey and the Health Committee has organised several of these events throughout the year, linking to curriculum needs and school events. The teachers will also take the opportunity to review our Crunch and Sip program and the importance of drinking water. Our amazing Chaplain has organised for two extra boxes of fruit and veg to be delivered by OzHarvest to support this initiative.

Thank you to our Health Committee for their efforts.

World Environment Day

This week the Science Committee are also celebrating World Environment Day. This year's theme is #ONLY ONE EARTH. To recognise this the Committee has organised a COWABUNGA TO BE GREEN challenge, to see which block can pick up the most rubbish and help to keep our school environment clean. The winning block and class will receive a trophy.

Teachers will also do activities with students about the impact of waste on our waterways and how to keep them clean. Mrs Sanders is continuing the theme with challenging our students to bring in their recyclable containers to support the schools Containers for Change program.

Reconciliation Week

Last Thursday, 26th May marked the commemoration of National Sorry Day, to acknowledge and raise awareness of the history and continued effect of the forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from their families, communities and culture.

A focus for our school this year is to work on our Indigenous curriculum planning, supported by the Department of Education’s Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework in the development of our own Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This process will be a collaborative plan undertaken by our Administration team, the Committee and all staff.

Friday, 27th May recognised the commencement of National Reconciliation Week. I look forward to developing the school and communities plans and growth over the coming years in developing respectful relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

School Board

On Monday the School Board of Somerly Primary School held its second scheduled meeting of the year. The School Board welcomed our newest parent representative Kayleigh, and I look forward to introducing her in the coming weeks. We thank all the Board members for their commitment and contribution to supporting Somerly Primary School. The Board reviewed the school’s finances and noted the Funding Agreement. We have committed to completing the School Board Self Reflection Survey to support us in our continued improvement journey.

As an Independent Public School, we are governed by a School Board which plays an important role in ensuring that school resources are used efficiently, community expectations and that the school’s priorities reflect the needs of students. The Somerly Primary School Board is still seeking up to two more parent representatives. The School Board meets twice per term on a Monday morning, but times are subject to change dependent upon availability.

If you are interested in supporting your school through the School Board please email me. For more information, please see

Western Australia Day Public Holiday

Just a reminder that next Monday is WA Day so there is no school on 6th June.

On Friday at our Assembly we will have a special presentation by a former 2022 West Australian of the Year, Kendall Whyte.

This week students will also receive WA Day packs to complete throughout the week and some literacy activities based on the theme.

A big thank you to Ms Lipman and the HASS committee for their hard work.

New students

I would like to extend a warm welcome to Karma, Summer, Mikayla and Chloe who recently commenced at Somerly Primary School.

Zoe Hadley-Hawley
Principal

Stars

Behaviour Focus

Our behaviour focus for Week 6 is:-

WHOLE SCHOOL SAFETY

• Keep hands, feet and objects to self
• Say Stop

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.

INTERSCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY TIMETABLE 2022

Held at Quinns Rocks Primary School, Gumblossom Oval
FRIDAY 3rd of June 2022 - 9:30AM - 1:30PM

Learning Focus

Literacy in Focus: Selecting Books with Purpose

As a teacher and a parent, I know that the books I choose for my children to read (or the books I read to and with my students) will impact on how they relate to reading. Of course, the last thing in the world they want to hear/read is the biography of Ozzy Osbourne or Adam Hills (both of which I enjoyed thoroughly), but what do they want to hear/read?

1. Choose books that are relatable
   This can be tricky, because sometimes we want to force children to read the books that we loved as children. But, in the words of the great Bob Dylan, times are a changin’! The books we loved may not necessarily be relatable to your children so don’t feel hurt when they reject your beloved Enid Blyton box set! Select books that they can relate to by considering the characters and settings being used in the book.
2. Choose books that are developmentally appropriate
   In the early years, this is less tricky – picture books are your friend! Anything with a moral, or an interesting plot plus beautiful or interesting illustrations will draw them in. It is when your child is a fluent reader and is craving something more mature that you may come into difficulties. Personally, I found that my eldest daughter (who really is an excellent reader) outgrew Dork Diaries and Diary of a Wimpy Kid at an early age, but she was not yet ready for Tomorrow When the War Began. Steering her in a more appropriate direction, while still engaging her, became trickier. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was one solution to that problem!
3. The Librarian is your friend!
   Like many popular things these days, popular books will trend. Mrs Lawrence in our school library, or any number of librarians working across the City of Wanneroo, will be able to give you advice on the latest trends in primary age books. Take their sage wisdom on board when selecting a book for your child to read.
4. Lean on your child’s interests
   It seems obvious (because it is!) but the idea of simply letting them choose books, or choosing books for them based on their interests, works. If your child loves dinosaurs, use that interest to feed fiction and non-fiction desires. If your child loves baking, do the same!

At the end of the day, if you are actually choosing books for your child to read you are already on the right track. Read to them, let them see you reading and engage in conversations about the books you are both reading. If you foster a love of reading at an early age, they are more likely to become competent readers during and beyond their schooling life.

Warm Regards,

Mr Daniel Gane
English Lead Teacher

Step into School

Don’t forget to start their love of reading early and come and join our Step into School program every Wednesday morning at 8.45am in the Library with Mrs Lawrence. Students can borrow books, play games, listen to a story and do an activity based on the theme of the week. Please reach out to any community members with younger siblings.

Somerly Dental Therapy Centre

Somerly Dental Therapy Centre will be sending home dental forms for completion and return over the next week. Please complete and return these to either the school office, or the classroom teacher as soon as possible.

P & C