Principal's Report

Hello everyone,

The term is whizzing by very quickly! 

Next week is a very busy week. First of all, there is a curriculum day on Monday. No students are required at school on this day. Staff will be attending professional learning on ADHD. Time spent exploring ADHD is so important as approximately 9% of our students here at Newham experience it. We will be looking at a number of aspects including variations in its presentation in students, the complexities for students who present with multiple diagnoses such as ASD, dyslexia etc. on top of their ADHD as well as suitable tools and strategies for students to use with their ADHD.

On Tuesday 16th 456 A will have their Kitchen Garden session followed by 456 B the week after on the 23rd.

Then on Wednesday the big exciting, grand trip, where the whole school is going on an excursion together! The Triceratops at Melbourne Museum will be an adventure. It is wonderful that we were able to grab the opportunity provided by DET’s positive start program and offer it to our students. Don’t forget that the excursion buses will leave at 8.30am. Our school bus will not be running that morning. All students need to bring a comfortable backpack with snacks, lunch, and a water bottle. There is no opportunity or need for spending money. Masks on the bus and inside the museum are highly recommended. It’s a lovely way to celebrate science week and since the following week is book week, students will be able to write about the Triceratops then.

To finish off the week will be the Athletics day in Bendigo. Approximately 28 students will be representing Newham Primary School in track and field events. The bus to athletics will leave Newham at 8.45. Again, those coming via the school bus may find the margin for change from one bus to the other too small and would be better off getting to school themselves. On the day Newham will share the athletics bus with Hesket Primary School. Please check and be prepared for the weather, whatever it brings and pack, snacks, lunch, and plenty of water.

The Following Week its Book Week! There will be a variety of Literacy activities inviting students to create written pieces; stories and poems for sharing with the whole school. Reading some interesting stories together as buddies will be a highlight to be capped off at the end of the week with a dress up day on Friday 26th. Further information will follow via uEducateUs once SWWAAGers (Student wellbeing, work, and action group) have met this week for a discussion.

Enrol for 2023

Could parents who are yet to enrol their Prep students for 2023 please do so now. It may seem early, but it is only a couple of weeks away before we begin the process of preparing curriculum needs for each class in 2023.

Basketball

Well done to our students who gave it their all in the basketball earlier this week. Nine games were played for two wins and a draw. A huge thank you to parents who drove students to the venue in Sunbury and to Ms Cole & Ms Hanks for their organisation. From what I’ve heard everyone had a great day.

Things Left in the Yard

Every day there is something different being left in the yard by students. A lot of coats, jumpers and other pieces of clothing are picked up (sometimes not until the following day when it is discovered wet or frozen in the far corners of the yard). Some of the lovely jackets left behind surely must be missed.

Rubbish is another thing. Even though we eat inside, and students appear to leave the classrooms with nothing in their hands, there still ends up being rubbish spread around the yard. The thought is that students are not emptying their pockets before they leave the classrooms, and it is this rubbish that ends up in the yard. It also does get worse on lunch order days. It would be great if the number of wrappers on lunches could be minimized so that we can work with students on emptying their pockets before they go outside. Students still eating when the bell goes, are able to remain inside the main building so that they can sit and eat comfortably and get rid of their rubbish there.

Sports equipment is the last thing cluttering up the yard. We will continue to encourage students to bring back to the shed any and all equipment they see, even if they didn’t take it into the yard. 

It is so important that we all take responsibility for caring for the school by keeping it clean, by taking care of our equipment so that can be used again and by taking home excess clothes. 

Student Wellbeing

Recently we have been able to obtain funds for extra student wellbeing resources. We have concentrated on social and emotional support cards to support discussion, wobble stools and cushions for sensory support, and some beautiful large, weighted animals which are proving just the right thing for students looking to calm anxiety. 

French Day

This afternoon students have participated in French activities. Some activities have required students to use their French speaking skills and others have concentrated on an aspect of French culture. There has been dancing, art (Pointillism - Georges Seurat), a French café, petanque skills and a board game based on the Tour De France.  We had to adapt by moving completely indoors because of the rain but everyone has enjoyed the day. A huge thank you to Madame Lee for organising the activities.

Swimming

The first swimming lesson and the swimming orientation session is three weeks away. Please don’t forget to send swimming forms back to school.

Covid

The covid situation here at school appears to have mostly dissipated. Occasionally we are seeing one or two cases, but nothing like we had a few weeks ago. Please keep up your efforts to wear masks, hand sanitise and distance. It is working. A reminder also that students who are a close contact of a positive case are now able to attend school but must test daily and wear a mask.

Thank you to families who continue to inform the school of covid and covid like infections. Don’t forget that you can indicate a specific medical absence in the comments in uEducateUs. Sometimes students are still exhibiting some symptoms post isolation. If your decision is to keep them home for a little longer, please indicate that they are still showing signs of illness and provide an expected return date if known.

We are in the Midland Express

I would like to draw your attention to the article in the Midland Express this week starring our year 3s and their introduction to Petanque. The looks of concentration and the quick uptake of the skills saw our yr. 3s quickly figure out the need for strategy in the game. Cam O. was one student who really centred himself and focused on knocking out the boules belonging to the competition, and he did it too! Thank you to Woodend-Hanging Rock Petanque club and Ms Hanks for their support.

Newham Primary School a Case Study

Our school has been highlighted by Landcare as a case study in the development of a successful biodiversity learning hub. A link to the article has been placed on our Facebook page. Well done to all our students and parents who have supported the hub and a big thank you to our Sustainability group and Ms Fullard for all their hard work.

Have a lovely weekend.