A Message from David & Cam...

Cross Country

Last Tuesday, our cross country team travelled to Presidents Park in Werribee to compete in the Hobsons Bay and Wyndham Division Cross Country. The top 12 runners from each age category progress to the Western Metropolitan Cross Country competition at Brimbank Park.  I would like to congratulate all of the athletes that made it to this event and acknowledge the tremendous efforts that they all put in for their races. A special mention to Harriet (2nd), Jensen (1st), Bobbie (12th), Felix (12th) and Odin (9th) who will progress to the next stage!

Digital Safety

Keeping our students safe whilst using digital technologies is everyone's responsibility and a strong home-school partnership is critical in ensuring our students have the knowledge and skills to navigate the digital world and avoid harmful experiences online. 

The website of the eSafety Commissioner provides a number of useful resources and helpful information to support your child to safely use digital technologies. Please see guidance below for children aged 5-12 and the full page for more info and resources (https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/issues-and-advice/online-safety-basics) 

Kids 5-12 

As children start to navigate the online world and interact with others more independently, they are more likely to be exposed to risks of bullying or unwanted contact, accidentally coming across inappropriate content or racking up bills through in-app purchases.

Your guidance can help them be aware of the risks and understand what is expected of them. Let them know you are always there to support them. 

Advice for parents and carers 

• Keep the computer or device in an area of your home that can be supervised. And check in regularly with your child to see what they are viewing.
• Stay engaged with their online activity. If they agree, consider setting up your own accounts with the sites they use most so you can see how they work and understand the risks. 
• Explore the online world with them to help establish that this is not just a solitary activity. Play games with them. Do a creative project together.
• Think about social media readiness. Most social media sites require users to be at least 13 years of age before they can register, although some sites are created especially for children under 13. See are they old enough?
• Encourage respect and empathy. Teach them to avoid sharing or posting things that may upset others. See good habits start young.
• Start building resilience. Teach your child that there are ways they can deal with material that worries or frightens them. This includes immediately telling you or another trusted adult of any concerns or uncomfortable material. See good habits start young.
• Encourage them to learn about online safety by exploring the kids section of this site.

Review your rules as your child grows older

• Be clear about how much time they can spend online, the apps they can use, the websites they can visit and what they can share or post online. 
• Refer to our advice about screen time and online gaming if these are of concern.

Technology tips for parents of kids 5 to 12

• Ensure your own devices are protected by a password or pin, so your child cannot accidentally come across inappropriate content.
• If you are thinking about giving them their own tablet or smartphone, check out are they old enough?
• Use parental control tools appropriate for the age and experience of your child. Be upfront and get your child on board. Let them know that these can be reviewed and changed as they get older and they continue to demonstrate responsible behaviour. Consider installing a ‘child-friendly’ search engine that will allow them to explore a limited number of sites. See parental controls.
• Check out Raising Children Network's healthy screen time and quality media choices: 6-11 years.

Reports & Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences

Staff have been busy working on the student reports for Semester 1. They are currently being revised, edited and proofread and final assessment data is being collected.  The Semester 1 reports will include the level of achievement and progress that your child has made against the Victorian Curriculum in the subject areas taught and information about participation, effort, and behaviour. 

Reports go live on Monday 24th June and can be accessed via Compass. An opportunity to discuss your child's report will be provided during the Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences on Tuesday 25th and Wednesday 26th June . Further information about the conferences and how to book will be communicated via Compass in the near future.

Art

The art room has been very busy this term with a range of creative visual arts projects inspired by many artists. The corridor leading to the art room has a great display of some of these pieces but for those who cannot visit here is a sample of student artwork from this term:

• Year 4/5 Pete Cromer inspired animals:

• Year 2/3 water paint collage bowerbirds inspired by 'Bowerbird Blues' by Aura Parker:

• Year 6 Katsushika Hokusai inspired print making:

• Year 6 foam printing of Australian landmarks and animals:

• Year 2/3 clay turtle pinch pots & Year 4/5 clay gargoyles:

Assemblies

A highlight of our fortnight is always the class performance at our assemblies. Each assembly we are treated to a variety of different performances ranging from sharing snippets of student learning through to a full stage show! Last Friday, 6E were amazing as they performed their production of an original Lemony Snicket story. All the staff, students and family members in attendance loved it! Thanks to Eugene, Carly and all the students who made it all happen.

Maths Olympiad - Home Challenge

Our Mathematicians have been continuing to develop their capacity to explore more complex problems. This week in our lunchtime practice session we investigated a variety of problems and the rich discussions amongst the students was really pleasing The second Olympiad test is next Wednesday and I look forward to seeing the students challenge themselves once again. 

Have a go at this fortnight's Maths Olympiad questions!

1. What number multiplied by itself is equal to the product of 32 and 162? 
2. ABCD represents a four-digit number. The product of its digits is 70. What is the largest four-digit number that ABCD can represent? 

Kitchen Garden

Our Kitchen Garden program is something that all kids look forward to during the term and we are always impressed with the wonderful recipes that Trish comes up with to use our school-grown produce. Here are some of the recent recipes that the students have made during Kitchen sessions this term (get your kids to make you dinner!):

We hope you all have a great extra long weekend!

Take care,

David & Cam