Whole School News
Newport Lakes Races at the Victorian Model Solar Competition
On Sunday 20th October, ten students raced five solar powered model boats of their own design at the Victorian Model Solar Competition held at Parkhill Primary School.
The morning saw round-robin racing where we kept on learning and adapting the boats for the weather conditions and larger pool. Rumour has it we used three tubes of crazy glue for emergency repairs and quick modifications!
In the afternoon the forty teams from across Victoria raced to find the two fastest boats. Newport Lakes finished in the bracket of 5th-8th place, a very respectable showing.
However, this competition isn’t really about racing. It’s about facing a challenge: how do you build a boat that goes the fastest using only the power of the sun? Our teams spent twelve sessions over twelve Sunday mornings finding out.
Scrutineering - Checking the boats and posters before racing!
To start, each team built the same kit boat to learn about boats, what shape of boat most easily moves through the water, how solar panels and motors work, how they can be wired up for different sunlight conditions. Then, each team took what they learned and designed their own boats. Using copious quantities of foam, designs came to life, were tested, and often failed. All learned from what went wrong, improved their designs, and repeated this over and over until the final boats were ready.
This is the same process that engineers use today when figuring out how to land rockets, build better hospitals, reduce the environmental impact of our activities, and make tools that keep us safer online.
Are you a parent or carer that’s interested in competing in 2025?
The parents involved are finishing their journey at Newport Lakes this year. The school has all the equipment – including a test pool! Please email Martin Foster, David Child or the school office if you’re interested in taking over for future years.
Lost Property
Despite our many parent volunteers that come to help sort and return items on a regular basis, it has become unmanageable with the amount of lost items that remain unclaimed.
If you child has lost any item of clothing, drink bottles, lunch boxes or personal belongings we urge to please come in and look for them as soon as possible.
Some items have been there since last term and are without names, therefore cannot be returned to the owners. Any remaining items after 2-3 weeks that are unnamed will be either disposed of, donated/recycled or added to the second hand uniform stock.
Items clearly labelled with names, will be returned to that child's classroom. To assist us in being able to return belongings to their rightful owners, please ensure that all belongings brought to school are clearly labelled with your child's name (first and last). If your item is second hand and has the previous owners names on it, we kindly remind you to please remove this name. Please also check at the office for any smaller items such as watches, keys, phones, jewellery.
Thank you for your understanding and assistance.
Icy Pole Days - Term 4
Icy Pole days for Term 4 will start on Friday 18th October!
Students are able to purchase an ice block for 50 cents at the start of lunch time. These days will then run fortnightly on a Friday.
Friday 18th October
Friday 1st November
Friday 15th November
Friday 29th November
Friday 13th December
Crazy Hair/Hat Day - Friday 8th November
We are excited to announce that Friday 8th November will be a Crazy Hair/Crazy Hat Day at school! This fun-filled event allows students to come to school wearing their most creative and wacky hairstyles or hats. In support of our Year 6 Graduation Program, we kindly ask that students bring a gold coin donation. All funds raised will go directly towards ensuring a memorable graduation experience for our Year 6 students. We look forward to seeing all the wild and wonderful hair and hats on the day! Thank you for your support.
Parent Seminar: Moving Kids from Anxiety to Resilience
We are pleased to invite you to a special parent seminar focused on anxiety and wellbeing, presented by the esteemed Dr. Jodi Richardson. Dr. Richardson is a renowned expert in mental health and wellbeing, with a particular focus on helping children and families navigate the challenges of anxiety. This seminar will provide valuable insights and practical strategies to support our children's mental health, helping to move them from anxiety to resilience.
Event Details:
- Topic: Anxiety and Wellbeing - Moving Kids From Anxiety to Resilience
- Speaker: Dr. Jodi Richardson
- Location: Newport Lakes Primary School MPR (Multi-Purpose Room) 40 Elizabeth Street, Newport 3015
- Date: Wednesday 20th of November
- Time: 6:30-8:00pm
- Cost: $15.00 per ticket - Special Price of $10 for NLPS families! - check Compass for the discount code
- Book your tickets - HERE
Working Bee – Save the Date!
Saturday 23rd November – 10am to 2pm.
The NLPS School Council Facilities Committee shall hold a second working bee at Newport Lakes Primary School on Saturday 23rd November 2024 between 10am and 2pm. Saturday 30th November is the reserve day if we can’t go ahead on the 23rd.
Please consider whether you and your family can support this event – even for an hour or two – and note this event in your calendars. Your children are welcome to participate and use the School’s playground during this event. We are looking to build on the success and enthusiasm from the Working Bee held in June.
Our objective is to ensure our School looks its very best for the Family Picnic and Year 6 Graduation following.
Watch this space for more information!
