Hello Newlands Families!

It has been another fantastic week of learning at Newlands Primary School and we cannot believe there is only one week of Term 1 left! I would like to give a special shout out to Sonya for the excellent April Fool’s Joke she played on her class today.

School finishes at 2:30pm on Friday – Assembly at 1:30pm – We would love for you to attend!

Next week will be a very exciting first for Newlands, as our students learn entirely in Spanish as we celebrate the “The Carnaval of Barranquilla”. The teachers are very excited to share this significant Columbian cultural event with our students and we are inviting parents to a special End of Term Assembly on Friday starting at 1:30pm. Our students will be sharing all the learning that has taken place over the week.

All families will be invited to attend, this will be in place of our regular Monday afternoon Assembly.

Out of School Hours Care Changes

We would like to wish Rhonda all the best for her and Gareth’s upcoming arrival. Rhonda has been critical in ensuring that our Out of School Hours Program has been as exciting and engaging for all the students that use the services. We thank her for her years of tireless work and dedication to our students and families. Replacing Rhonda will be Bronia, who will take over the financial and organisational side of the program and Courtney will be the Lead Supervisor of the program. This will ensure that program will continue with minimal disruptions to operations as both are current staff members who have a strong understanding of the program. We are very excited to welcome Denise to our Administration staff team, she will begin at the start of Term 2.

Spanish Ambassador visiting Newlands next week

The school has some very exciting visitors attending the school next week. The Spanish Ambassador, The Spanish Consulate and Department of Education Languages unit will be sharing in our Spanish Cultural week celebrations. This is a fantastic opportunity to share our successful bilingual program.

Newlands Successful Applications

Newlands has been successful in gaining the ‘Queens Jubilee’ and ‘Shades Sale’ grants. Both of these grants will be incorporated into the school infrastructure rebuild. The Queen’s Jubilee grant will add trees and extra shaded space with our new project build and the Shades Sale grant will support the school in ensuring that we will have outdoor classrooms that coincides with our school’s pedagogical approach.

4/6 Camp – Success

Our 4/6s arrived back to school with a flurry of emotions including happiness, tiredness and complete exhaustion. Not only do we now have a few students wanting to take a board back to the beach to do some more ‘Hang Tens’, we also have a few students who have the potential to be world class snorkelists. A big thank you to all the staff that gave up their time away from their families to ensure that camp was a memorable experience for all of our students. A big congratulations to Jose for organising such a fantastic camp. We hope to return to Merricks Lodge again in a few years time.

A reminder to parents who have outstanding camp payments, Mandy is patiently waiting at the office.

The Newlands Spiral – Goals have been emailed to families

Our Individual writing goals were sent out last week to all of our families. The school has received such positive feedback about this as it is providing clarity of what specific goals their children is working on. Teachers have appreciated the families making contact about these goals and how they can further support at home. Families will receive Individual Maths goals next week, providing clarity on what the focus will be for the first four weeks in Term 2.

School Photo Day – Next Thursday April 7th

Next Thursday April 7th is our school photo day. Students were sent home with a payment form today. Students will bring these forms back to the teacher. If you’re after a sibling photo forms can be collected from the office.

*Please note all students will need to come to school in uniform.

Royal Children Hospital Appeal

Friday the 8th of April

We will be shaking a virtual tin to raise monies to support the amazing work undertaken by the RCH.

All students are invited to 'dress to impress' on the day and to bring along a donation which we will collect at the gates and then pass onto to the RCH appeal through our virtual tin.

Details for family donations can be found in the Wellbeing and Engagement page of this newsletter.

COVID-19 Testing Kits

Families needing RAT tests can collect their kits during school hours.

Please come to the school foyer and collect them.

Ross on Leave

Ross is very excited to have the return of his son and family back from Germany after 3 long years of waiting to see his grandchildren in the flesh. Ross will be taking a well-deserved break to spend time with his family and will return on Monday May the 2nd.

We hope you all have a fantastic weekend!

Thanks,

Luke Cripps (he/him)

Assistant Principal

“Through Relationships We Build Success”

I acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation, on whose lands I live and work. I pay respects to their elders who cared for these lands with deep respect and intricate knowledge for tens of thousands of years, and I am grateful to all First Nations people as they continue to share their knowledge with us and fight for a more just society. These lands were never ceded.

Wellbeing and engagement

We will be shaking a virtual tin on Friday 8th April for the Royal Children's HospitalPlease make donations to our tin using the link below.

School Holiday Activity

We will be shaking a virtual tin on Friday 8th April for the Royal Children's Hospital
Please make donations to our tin using the link below.