Huntingdale Primary School

Principal and Assistant Principal's Page

Principal Report

What an exciting two weeks since our last newsletter.  A sincere thank you to all of the staff that made our Japan Trip possible!  It was so lovely to see all of the updates come in through Tiqbiz across the weeks; it almost felt like we were there.  To hear the gratitude of the children and parents across the week and upon return for what is truly a most fitting celebration of the children’s learning across their schooling at Huntingdale was very special.   I am sure Ruth will cover the many highlights of the trip in the Assistant Principal’s report.

 

Trivia Night

I hope that you have all organised your babysitter, table or family to be in attendance Saturday night. I know we’ve been organising to have a teachers table for the night.   A big thank you to Brad and the Fundraising subcommittee for the tireless work they’ve done in organising the night.  The many donations, logistics and meetings have not gone unnoticed.  It’s lovely for us as a school community to be in a position to be able to delve into running the first parent led whole school event in many many years.  The support of our school community is so important to ensure we can continue to dapple with such events going forward. 

 

Class Placement 2016

As in previous years, parents are invited to write to me regarding class placements for children in the coming year. This information will be shared with the relevant teachers and the insights gained by your comments will be considered by staff when children are placed in their new groupings for 2016.  It should be noted that there is no provision to request teachers.  Please remember that class placement is taken most seriously by staff and consideration is given to the child’s intellectual, physical, emotional and social development as well as the cohort of children.  Information received from parents is considered in this context. Please ensure you write to me by Monday 2nd November as staff will begin working on class lists in the week following.

 

If you are planning on moving interstate, to another country or away from Huntingdale and are yet to notify the office please do so as soon as possible.  Numbers have a significant bearing on our planning and we appreciate early notification where possible.   

 

Notification re: Measles and Chickenpox Reminder

Each term there is a reminder in the newsletter regarding Measles and Chickenpox.  As you may or may not be aware, there are currently children in our school community who are receiving medical treatment.  The children participate in the normal school program without any major limitations.  A major concern, however, is if these students develop measles or chickenpox, they can become seriously ill.  I seek your cooperation in preventing this situation.  If your son/daughter has or may have measles or chickenpox, I request that you do not send them to school during this period and notify your class teacher and the office as soon as possible.  Thank you for your support in keeping our school a safe place for all of our children. 

 

Parent Opinion Survey

Thank you to the parents who were randomly selected to complete the Parent Opinion Survey earlier this year.  We have recently received the results and have been looking through the areas which we have been focussing on over the past few years and how this is reflected in the data and comments.  We have seen continued growth in the Student Engagement Area in relation to Connectedness to Peers, Student Motivation, Social Skills and School Connectedness.  Student Engagement growth is fabulous as we know that children who feel safe and secure learn best!

 

In particular this year we have also seen an increase in Student Behaviour which was a hope for us based on the work we have been doing with the children over the past two years.  This has been very pleasing and we are hoping that as a result of this focus ultimately School Climate will be enhanced.  Thank you for the honest feedback the comments were quite enlightening and affirming.  As with all of our evidence based practices, the data we receive informs decisions now and for our five year plans going forward. 

 

Legacy

Thank you to all children’s and families who donated to the Junior School Council legacy appeal.  We raised $332.30 and the cause were very grateful for our ongoing support.  Thank you to Mrs McAlpine for coordinating Junior School Council and our student leaders for manning the stall across the week.

 

Division Athletics

Congratulations to both Aila Burke and Lily Watts who both successfully competed at District Athletics and went on to represent Huntingdale Primary School and Monash Waverley District at Division competition.  Both Aila and Lily performed at their personal best in the 200m and Long Jump respectively.

 

Swimming

It is that time of year again!  It’s always such a lovely week down at the Clayton Aquatic Centre.  Apart from the obvious benefits of getting in the water and progressing their swimming skills the children also benefit from the independence and ability to demonstrate personal care for dressing and organising themselves.  Thank you to all of the parent helpers who have made themselves available to meet with the children down at the pool to provide instructions, particularly the younger children, in getting dressed sorted and ready.  The children and teachers are very appreciative. 

 

Have a lovely fortnight everyone.

 

Kate Gray

Principal

Assistant Principal's Report

On Tuesday 6th October, 20 of our gorgeous 5/6 students and 4 of our teachers embarked on our language and cultural trip to Japan. There were a few tears as we left for our big journey……….and what a trip it was!

 

We landed in Osaka and ventured into the beautiful city of Kobe. There students used their language to order their lunch in China Town before embarking on some sightseeing at Kawasaki World and climbing the Kobe Port Tower for great views of the city.

 

We then ventured to Kidzania, a career themed park where students choose a number of ‘careers’ they would like to participate in such as a surgeon, journalist, chef, train driver etc. Students then had to use their Japanese language to participate in training and experience that career. It certainly was a blast!

 

We then caught a number of trains to get us to our new destination- Nabari City. There the whole group met with the City Mayor as well as members of the Education Board. All of our students made a short speech to the Mayor using their Japanese language (He was most impressed!) and a number of other dignitaries and they then met their homestay families for the first time.

 

During the next 4 days the students experienced the education system at Kuramochi Primary School, living with a Japanese family and experiencing some of the local culture as well as visiting a number of attractions in the Mie Prefecture, where Kuramochi Primary School is located.

 

Participating in classes at Kuramochi Primary School gave our students a unique experience. Not only did it give them the opportunity to use, develop and improve their Japanese language, but also to compare and contrast the differences between the Japanese Education system and ours. Kuramochi Primary School certainly had some excellent facilities we could only dream of- a full scale hall with a full stage set up and a Science Lab. The school has three levels, so lots of stairs to climb, but a great opportunity to keep fit! Learning is far more text book orientated and students sat in rows with the ‘old style - wood lift top’ desk. The students participated in activities in a range of curriculum areas including Reading and Writing, Mathematics, Art (we made some fabulous fans) and Physical Education.   They even got homework to do! Our students also displayed our school value of courage to present to the whole Kuramochi School Community about icons of Australia- all in Japanese! A highlight was also having the traditional Japanese school lunch which was served by the students!

 

We bid a very tearful goodbye to the Kuramochi School Community. Many of the homestay families were very sad to see the children leave. Many gifts and pleasantries were exchanged and lifelong memories will remain. The Principal, staff and homestay families really put in a great deal of effort for our students so they could experience the Japanese lifestyle. They participated in a range of activities outside of school including participating in a local festival, martial arts class, family barbecues and lots of yummy culinary delights.

 

I think a highlight for students was all of our Ninja adventures. The Mie Prefecture is synonymous with Ninja culture. We visited Ueno Castle which had excellent displays of Ninja costumes, weapons and history. At the Ninja House we saw a fantastic Ninja performance as well as seeing a tour of Ninja House and seeing all the ‘tricks of the trade’. The students loved visiting the Ninja Experience. Here we got to dress up as Ninjas and participate in a Ninja training course. I have to say, we have some students who could try their hand in the Ninja trade! Another highlight was visiting Nara Park which has hundreds of deer roaming free. The students were also impressed and fascinated by the temples we visited- Todaiji, Kinkaku and Kiyomizu. These structures were built a long time ago and are both large and majestic. Of course there was some time to shop for souvenirs for loved ones and enjoy many of the delicious foods that Japan has to offer.

 

There are many people I wish to thank which made this trip possible. Thank you to:

 

·         The Department of Education, Principal Kate Gray and our School Council for supporting the reintroduction of this experience, which has enabled our students to further develop their language, intercultural and global understandings.

 

·         Naomi Mori-Hanazono and Karl Corkhill who as part of the Community Consultation/Japan Trip sub-committee were instrumental in organising the trip. Gill Penfold was also a major contributor in helping to arrange the trip doing a lot of the ‘behind the scenes’ organising.

 

·         Eiji Nishikubo, Brett Herskope and Tomoko Smith for attending the trip with our students and also putting in much time and effort before and after the trip to prepare students. Soo  Lee Tan also spent considerable time in preparing students even though she did not attend the trip, her efforts were much appreciated.

 

·         Our wonderful parents who have supported their children attending the Japan Trip. Much time, effort and preparation was needed and they were also very supportive in ensuring the students completed pre-departure activities.

 

·         Our wonderful students- Sayako, Aimee, Jennifer, Jenna, Amanda, Emma, Maddie, Damon, Jiei, David, Adam, James, Ted, Dyron, Luca, Remy, Kei, Akira, Sam and Evan. You were all a joy to take to Japan. You were courageous in pushing your boundaries in learning more Japanese language and presenting in front of many people, showed kindness towards others, tried your personal best in everything you did and were all well behaved. You were excellent ambassadors for Huntingdale Primary School, the state of Victoria and our country Australia.

 

It’s hard to put into a one page newsletter article the many wonderful experiences we had……..there were so many highlights!

 

We are having a share night about the Japan Trip and invite the whole school community to the Gill Penfold Hall from 6.00-7.00pm on Tuesday 27th October. We especially encourage Year 3 & 4 parents to come to this night as the next planned trip is in 2017. During this time students, parents and teachers will reflect on their experiences and of course share a lot of photos and stories! I have included some links to articles written about our Japan Trip in the local newspapers and have included some photos.

 

http://digital.asahi.com/articles/ASHB97V3JHB9ONFB01J.html?rm=292

 

http://www.iga-younet.co.jp/news1/2015/10/post-261.html

 

Grade 4 Rotary Scholarships

Each year the Rotary Club of Oakleigh donate a sum of money to the school to support our Student Leaders and potential student leaders.  The Grade 4 students are currently in the process of writing a letter to Principal Kate Gray to explain why they would be a fitting candidate for the scholarship.  Four students are selected from this pool by their current and past teachers as well as the Leadership Team.  The children are selected based on:

a.       Leadership demonstrated in current and previous year(s)

b.      Contribution to school community in current and previous year(s)

c.       Ability to represent the school displaying the four values of Kindness, Courage, Personal Best and Creativity

 

We look forward to being able to present these children with their awards in a few weeks.

 

Have a great fortnight and we’ll see you at the Japan Trip Share Night!

 

Cheers

Ruth Biddle

Assistant Principal