Principal's Report

Simone Wood, Principal

Hello Everyone,

 

We are heading into a very busy time of the year.  Parents who are interested in helping at school during this period can find some activities below requiring support. End of year reports are not too far away. Reports will be available for parents in the last week of school.

 

Illnesses and COVID

Parents, please watch for the seasonal illnesses that this time of the year brings. There is gastro and Chicken Pox going around.                                                                                                   COVID is also still with us here at school. Please let the office know of any COVID infection.

 

Kyneton Show

It is wonderful to see some of our local events making their way back into the community.  Kyneton Show was last Friday, and Saturday and Newham Primary School put a display into the school section as well as individual entries into the writing and art sections. I understand that quite a number of Newham students visited the show. I hope they went and had a look at the entries put into the writing and art competitions as well. Congratulations to Miranda who achieved a 2nd prize for her poetry and Emmett who received a Highly commended for his drawing. Well done both of you! If there were other students I have missed we would love to celebrate with you in the newsletter next time.

 

Elastic Band Guns and Other Weapon-Style Toys 

This week there have been a number of elastic band guns appearing at school, as well as toy swords and other weapon-style show bag items from the Kyneton Show. Thank you to parents who have stepped in and insisted their children leave these items in the car or at home. They are not suitable toys for the school yard/classroom, either for show and tell or for playing with at recess. Could parents please continue to supervise their children's choices and ensure that these items do not come to school. Those already at school will remain in the office until home time, where students can pick them up.

 

2023

MoRE (Modelling Respectand Equality in Schools) Program 

In 2023 Newham Primary school will be undertaking the pilot for the MoRE program being rolled out by DET within our Region. (The MoRE program is run by the Jesuit Social Services who established The Men’s Project in 2017 to develop new ways of engaging boys and men to reduce violence and other harmful behaviours and support them to be their best selves). 

Our staff will be undertaking evidence-based workshops to promote healthier masculinities and identities. These workshops aim to address the impacts of gender norms, identify the benefits of healthier masculinities, and explore strategies that encourage students to consider healthier forms of masculinities. The evidence indicates that reducing adherence to stereotypical masculine norms, as well as addressing the underlying drivers of harmful behaviours will play a crucial role in addressing some of the key challenges facing our communities. 

Under this additional support from MoRE, Newham Primary School will continue to implement DET’s ‘Respectful Relationship’s for the whole school. Students will participate in examining the importance of social emotional learning and a strengths-based approach to allow students to problem-solve and identify healthier expressions. Student workshops will look at being an upstander and how to lead change of behaviours and attitudes in our school. 

 

Student Leaders

Our current year 5s interested in a leadership position in 2023 are very busy at the moment drafting their leadership application letters and preparing for their interview. It is expected that the leadership interviews will be held over the next 2 weeks (from next Monday) with the final decisions being made just in time to be announced at the last assembly on 16th December. Don’t forget year 5s, to get an adult to sign your application before handing it in. 

 

2023 Classes 

As mentioned in a previous newsletter, Newham Primary School will have 4 classrooms operating in 2023. The intention was that these would be P/1, 2/3, 4/5 & 5/6. With a few more enrolments in the junior years and a couple of last-minute exits taken into consideration this has now become P/1, 2/3, 3/4, & 5/6 . Should parents wish to discuss this further please call. More information will follow soon.

 

With the support of various forms of short term DET funding for Newham Primary School, Libby Fullard will be staying as our tutor/sustainability person for 2023. Narelle our current ES will be with us next year to support our general student population as well as individuals and small groups of students. With mental health support for students being funded once again in 2023, our allocation will be available to as many students as possible via a teacher working with small groups on wellbeing and self-confidence activities. 

 

Schools often experience last-minute unforeseen staffing changes.  

Alyssa Cole has been travelling up and down the Calder Freeway from Bendigo for quite a number of years now. All that time, she has attempted to crack the Bendigo teaching pool and find a position closer to home. This week, Alyssa has been able to do that with a 12-month position in a Bendigo school. Even though she loves teaching at Newham, it is an opportunity she is very excited to take. Congratulations Alyssa on your new opportunity.

Therefore, I am unable to confirm the teaching staff for each classroom for the moment. In order to have 4 fulltime staff for 2023 a DET advertisement has been placed and as soon as there is a result, families will be informed of the final classroom placings for all staff. 

 

Our best wishes also to

Samantha Dennett who will be leaving at the end of the year for an ongoing position with Red Rock Christian College in Sunbury. Congratulations Samantha, we wish you well.

Vicki Tootell (office admin) who also finishes up at the end of the year. Thank you, Vicki, for your support this year.

Kath Holford who was last with Newham Primary School in 2021, has taken an ongoing position with Trentham District Primary School. We wish Kath all the best.

 

Trivia Night

The Newham PS and Community Trivia night was a hugely successful event. Congratulations to the Parent & Friends on their fundraising. Thank you to all the Newham Primary School families and community members who attended. Thank you to Kerri and Dave for their MC work too. All up just over $6000 was raised.  This is very much appreciated.  Following later in the newsletter is further grateful recognition of all our participating sponsors and supporters. Please consider supporting these local businesses as they have supported us. After our next school council meeting, we will be able to inform our community of plans for the funds raised.

 

Preparing for Christmas

Could parents please support the school in ensuring lollies and various types of gum do not come to school. With Christmas just around the corner, if students are wanting to gift candy canes with Christmas cards, this is best done after school, at the end of the day. This much sugar is not suitable everyday food and is not necessary for class time (as canes are a food that students do not finish in a short space of time such as recess). Along with students handing out lollies/gum to their peer group recently both can cause division and upset between students, and it is best left for after school and weekends.

Of course, it is still quite okay for students to celebrate their birthday by bringing a packet of something to hand out. This is done with school approval and under the supervision of the classroom teacher (usually also given out toward the end of the day).

 

Inundation Resolution: The Final Result

The carpet has been reinstated!! Just in time for the school to be used for the election on Saturday. We are extremely happy to have the floor completely dry and carpeted once again. The new carpet looks like we have an extra mat on the floor. It matches the doorway strip mat beautifully.

 

Activities Ahead

There are still some things coming up this term where we are going to need parent help. 

 

Kitchen Garden: Tuesday 29th November

The last session of Kitchen Garden for the year, on 29th Nov, will be all our 456 students making an afternoon tea for the rest of the school. If there are parents interested in helping out, could they please see the 456 classroom teachers.  Parent volunteers must have a current working with children check and undertake a volunteer induction if they haven't already done so this year.  Please contact the school office regarding these requirements.

 

Christmas Windows

This year all the classes are going to make their own Christmas windows as a gift to our community. Think Myer windows but perhaps without the moving parts. Each class has come up with a theme and will decorate their allocated windows in the main building. We will need parent helpers! Could parents who are interested in helping please contact their classroom teachers. We have 3 weeks to design and make the decorations. On Monday 5th December each class will finish setting up their window display. Then for the last 2 weeks of school, families will be able to visit before and after school and in the evening to see the windows. We will take down the decorations on the last day of school.

 

Have a lovely weekend everyone.

 

Simone