Voice Referendum and Democracy Sausage Sizzle

Did you know that Northcote Primary School is a polling station for the Voice referendum on Saturday 14th of October? Thats tomorrow!

The School Council will be running a democracy sausage sizzle to raise funds for a new mural on the PE storage shed. If you can offer an hour between 10.30am and 2.30pm then please contact me (Jo Pitt) on 0439138865 or joanne.pitt@hotmail.co.uk .

We are also using the sausage sizzle as a recruitment drive, as we are currently seeking two short-term replacements for our school council. If you have ever considered being on the school council and wanted to ask some questions and know about what the commitments are, tomorrow is your chance. Come down, purchase a sausage, and talk to our current school council members about what it involves.

Trivia Night

Don't miss out on booking a ticket for our Trivia Night on Thursday the 26th of October at Welcome to Thornbury, with an exclusive performance from Northcote's very own Parent Band, The Nits.

Flying solo or don't have enough for a full table? Dont stress, let us know what year level your children are in and we can take care of the rest.

BYOD Information Session

Just a quick reminder that we will be holding a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program information session on Wednesday 18th October at 6:30pm.

The session will outline the rationale for the program, as well as purchasing options.

You will receive a link to the information session next week from Matt Atanasovski.

1/2 Mount Evelyn Camp

This week they Year 1/2 students went to Mt Evelyn for their first over night camp. From all accounts this was a resounding success. I am extremely proud of the all of the student accomplishments that range from tackling their fears on the Giant Swing, to being independent and getting themselves organised in the morning.

I would like to send a great big shout out to the teachers, parents and carers who worked tirelessly together to make sure that the students had such an incredible experience. We really appreciate your time, your commitment and support to making our camping program a success.

Yarning Conference

On Tuesday this week, Year 5 students attended this year's Darebin Council Yarning Conference. The students heard from Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung elders, planted indigenous plants and participated in a smoking ceremony. Take a look at some of the photos from the day featured later in this issue of the newsletter.

Mango Fundraiser

For those of you who need a reminder, I say that because they are selling fast, please be sure to get your mango orders in by 3pm on Monday 23rd October 2023.

To order go to Compass Canteen, via the Compass App and select the 23rd of October for the order date.

Middle Eastern Conflict

I am deeply saddened and concerned by the escalating unrest in Israel, Gaza and the Middle East. The reports in the media are disturbing and are a reminder that violence is never the right answer in resolving conflict. The attacks are affecting many people around the world, including students and families at our school.

Please get in contact if you, your children or someone you know needs support.

You may find some aspects of this resource helpful:

Helping my children after trauma: A guide for parents.

Support is also available through external services including:

headspace: 1800 650 890
Kids Helpline: 1800 551 800
Lifeline: 13 11 14
Beyond Blue: 1300 224 636.

Above all else, I would urge everyone, please, to treat all members of the school and community with kindness, care and respect at this very difficult time.

Respectful Behaviours within the School

It seems timely then to include a reminder about respectful behaviours within the school.

Everyone at school, particularly staff and parents/carers, play a role in making school a better place for learning and work. When we work together as one team, our students do better.

Every member of our school community has a right to feel safe and be protected.

The Department of Education and Training has released the Respectful Behaviours within the School Community Policy that describes the positive behaviour expected from parents, carers, and other adults in Victorian school communities. The policy sets clear standards of behaviour to create a safe, respectful, and inclusive learning environment for students, staff and adults.

For more information on how to engage positively with our school, please contact the office to make time to speak with me.

For more information, you can also visit our school website to read the Statement of Values and School Philosophy via the link below:

http://www.northcoteps.vic.edu.au/school-reports-policies/

Take care,

Shaun.

Prep 2024 Enrolments

Letters of offers went out to our future Prep families and we have had a few very excited email confirmations and even some in person confirmations! To support next years Preps, we have a number of special events planned for the remainder of the year to support their transition to school process and get them ready for life at Northcote Primary.

If you are still hoping to enrol your child in 2024, there is still time - please visit our school website, download and complete an enrolment form and send it in to the office as soon as possible. If you have any questions about enrolments, you can also give Donna a call on (03) 94810009.

School Council

Please be sure to check the page titled “School Council” to meet our Vice President Lucy Sinclair and read about important upcoming events, exciting proposals and information school council wish to share with families.

Parent Opinion Survey

Yes, that time of year has come around again. From Monday 7th August, through to Friday 8th September around 30% of our families will be randomly selected to participate in the 2023 Parent Opinion Survey. For those families who are randomly selected, we hope that you take the time to participate so that we are able to gain an understanding of our community’s views and help us shape decisions for the future. The survey does not take too long to complete and we would really appreciate if you could take the time to provide us with your feedback.

Movie Night

A group of parents got together last Tuesday evening to witness yet another reckoning of Mission Impossible from Tom Cruise, at the parent movie night. Whether a die hard fan or just out for a bit of escapism, a good night was had by all and the event raised money for the school. Thanks to Lucy and the Community sub-committee for the work put in to organise this event.

1/2 Swimming Program

Our 1/2 swimming program finished up yesterday, and parents and carers can breath a sigh of relief that you don't have to worry about trying to dry towels and bathers until Term 4 now (Prep and Year 5/6 parents and carers- this is meant for you!).

While it has been a busy four weeks, everyone has done such a great job to make swimming a real success. Thanks again to our army of parent volunteers who have helped make this possible and again to Dale and our classroom teachers for their organisation and smooth operation this year.

Don't forget the Prep and Year 5/6 swimming program is scheduled to commence in Term 4 and we will communicate further information as those dates get closer.

Term Overviews

We have decided to include the Term 3 overviews once again in this issue of our newsletter, just in case you didn't catch them in the last issue. Thanks you for those who passed on their feedback last fortnight, look out for Term 4 overviews in the first issue next term.

We have also updated our Specialist page with the Term 3 Italian overview and details about the very exciting Dante Alighieri poster competition. These pages are called "What's happening in..." be sure to click into those pages to see what our students will be learning about.

If you have any questions about how you can support your children at home, make sure

you speak with your child's classroom teacher.

Take Care,

Shaun.

Grade 5 Yarning Conference