Reconciliation Week

This week I had the pleasure of joining a STEM lesson (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). The year 4 students were learning about the Long Walk. Mrs Salt-Watson and Mrs Delport very cleverly connected Reconciliation Week to the STEM curriculum and the students were fascinated as they discussed and worked out the distance to Canberra and how long it would take to walk there. Although they incorporated Mathematics, the focus for the lesson was on the Engineering aspects of the Victorian Curriculum. Read more on the 'Learning in STEM' page in this newsletter.

Attendance Update

At the end of term 1, I provided an update on our student attendance. I received a lot of positive feedback and thought it would be worthwhile providing an update. Below is a snapshot of student attendance up to the end of Week 5 - 24th May 2019. A huge congratulations to our 100 students who have not missed a day. They must be very healthy and motivated!

Attendance Rate	Number of Students
100%	100
90-99% 90% is one day per fortnight	516
80-89% 80% is one day per week	133
70-79% 3 days per fortnight	34
Less than 70%	21

I will keep you updated throughout the year.

Biggest Morning Tea

Yesterday our staff held a 'Biggest Morning Tea' to support the Cancer Council. This event is an annual tradition and a lovely way for the staff to give to a great charity that is working to support families touched be cancer. We know cancer has touched some of our Springs community and we are please to be able to support the Cancer Council to continue their work. Thanks to our host Amanda Parnall for your organisation.

Winter Clothing

As Winter arrives please make sure your children are well dressed for the conditions. If your child is prone to needing a change of clothes, please pop a spare set in their school bag. This would greatly support our admin staff and keep the children warm.

Oral Health Sessions

This week all our students participated in lessons about oral health. They heard lots of information about how to care for their teeth and tips on what to avoid eating and drinking. Students also received a toothbrush and teeth brushing incentive charts - I hope they made it home with your children to use at home.

Student Feedback

This year we have made a conscious effort to gain feedback from students about the school and how we can improve it. Renee Cotterell runs weekly focus groups with groups of students who often enlighten us with a different perspective and ideas adults would not think of!

One student, Kane from M19, recently wrote me a letter explaining how much he loves to read, but also let me know the library often runs out of books by his favourite author Dav Pilkey. This is something I would never have realised. I was able to meet with the library staff and they accommodated Kane's request and we have a new set of Captain Underpants books on the shelf. Thanks to Kane for taking the time to write me a letter - his persuasive writing skills paid off!

Student Insurance

Families are reminded and should consider that the Department of Education does not provide personal accident insurance or ambulance cover for students. In the unlikely event of injury, parents and carers of students who do not have student accident insurance/ambulance cover are responsible for paying the cost of medical treatment for injured students, including the cost of ambulance attendance or transport costs.

WOOLWORTHS EARN & LEARN is on again

We are collecting the Woolworths Earn & Learn stickers again. We have the sticker sheets available at the school Office or at Woolworths. We look forward to collecting as many as we can to earn some great prizes for our school!

Enrolments for 2020 students

We are currently in the process of planning for 2020. We are holding a Prep 2020 information night next Tuesday, 4th June commencing at 6.00pm. If you know of anyone who is considering enrolling at Pakenham Springs next year - either in Prep or other year levels, please ask them to contact the school office on 59457 400 and we can help them with any queries.

Designated Neighbourhood Boundary (DNB).

In order to accommodate our current students and manage enrolments, a school boundary exists for Pakenham Springs Primary School. Findmyschool.vic.gov.au hosts the most up-to-date information about Victorian school boundaries for 2020 onwards. To visit the site see: www.findmyschool.vic.gov.au

Don't Miss Out!!

Please make sure you keep an eye on the 'Upcoming Events' page of the newsletter for all the important dates, including Incursions/Excursions, Camps and our final Curriculum Day for 2019.

Kerryn Baillie

Principal

Community News

2019 July School Holiday Clinics

Pakenham Springs Children Centre