Principal's Report

The cold weather has started to set in! Please ensure your child has their Huntingdale jumper or jacked each day to wear. Please remember, as per our school Dress Code Policy that any accessories like jackets, need to be in navy blue. You can view the policy here:

E6 Dress Code Policy- https://huntingdaleps.vic.edu.au/parent-information/#policies

Don’t forget you can purchase a Huntingdale scarf and beanie at PSW in Ormond!

Reminder- Pupil Free Days

A reminder we have several student free days in the upcoming weeks:

9 June- Curriculum Day- Team Kids all day care available

12 June- King’s Birthday Public Holiday

21 June- Parent Teacher Interview Day- Team Kids all day care available

Year 6 Captains Excursion to the Shrine

Naomi and I had the pleasure of taking our Year 6 Captains to the Shrine of Remembrance in the city on 25 May. We thank the Monash Rotary Club for funding this experience for the students. We had a guided tour of the Shrine Museum, and there was a discussion with students about the leadership skills and bravery that the diggers showed during many wars. It was an interesting reflection for students that some of the diggers were not much older than them when they went to war.

For more information on the excursion, please read the report written by Hannah.

Mid-Year Semester Report and Parent Teacher Interviews

Recently, an Operoo notification was sent to parents to remind them to connect to GradeXpert so they can access their child’s report. This will be a new process for most of our foundation parents and if they need help in doing this, please go and see Gill at the office. Reports will be available on the portal from 16 June. It is essential that you access your child’s report before attending parent teacher interviews.

Parent Teacher Interviews- Book Now!

On Wednesday 21 June, teachers are conducting parent teacher interviews, starting at 12.40pm.

Foundation to Grade 5 English and Japanese teachers will have 10-minute interviews together.

Grade 6 English and Japanese teachers will have 10-minute interview slots separately.

If you have attended an IEP (Individual Education Plan) Meeting you may not wish to have an interview, but you can request one if you need to.

Parent teacher interviews will be done either face to face in your child’s classroom or on WebEx. The Parent-Teacher Interview booking system is now open.

Please choose either the "Face to Face” or "Video" option for your meeting when booking.

To book your appointment, please visit the following site or use the QR code below:

https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/code/xdtgn

We hope that you parent teacher interviews are a positive experience and help to build the partnership between home and school.

Cross Country Division Results

On 31 May 18 students went to Mirrabooka Reserve in Blackburn to compete in the division cross country. Accompanied by Mr Tolliday, the team consisting of Aditiya, Leo T, Joey, Taketo, Hideki,Alannah, Ruby, Leo R, Aiden I, Isaac, Monika, Marilyn, Viky, Emilee, Amelia I, Rhea, Aca and Kenny P had cool but good running conditions. All students tried their personal best. Alannah came 4th in her race and will move to the regional event. Well done!

The students represented our school well, cheering the runners on and displaying excellent behaviour and attitude.

Excursion to Myuna Farm

On 31 May our Foundation students went on their first excursion to Myuna Farm! It was a wonderful day and the students had lots of fun exploring the farm and seeing the different animals there. The staff at the farm complimented our children on their excellent behaviour. Thank you to the many parents who assisted on the day to help everything run smoothly. Here are some reflections of the day from the students:

Yesterday I went to the farm. I saw a bat. (Lachie)

Yesterday I went to the farm. I saw an alpaca. I saw rabbits and a guinea pig. (Kristy)

Yesterday I went to the farm. I saw a duck. It was cool (Ridhima)

When I went to the farm I saw an emu (Sarah)

Year 1 & 2 Zoo Excursion

On May 22, the Year 1 & 2’s embarked on an excursion to the zoo. Here are some reflections from students:

In the morning, 2B and 2A, 2C, 1C, 1B and 1A had to go to school a bit early. I was a bit sleepy, but I woke up and went to school just in time. The bus arrived to school and we found a spot to sit and clicked on our seat belts. We sat in there for an hour! Then we finally arrived at the zoo. First of all, we went to the reptile house and saw Fiji Crested Iguanas and snakes. We finished looking at the animals in there and went to see the stinky peccaries, but at least they were so cute! Later we went to see the kangaroos that were also cute. After lunch we saw a very long necked giraffe. There were three of them. Then we saw the big elephants. They were ginormous. At the end of the day, we went back on the bus. (Lulla)

Our Trip to the Zoo

In the morning we went on the bus. Once we arrived at the zoo, we went to the reptile house. Next, we saw the peccaries, then the tapir. After lunch we went to the butterfly house and then we went to see the elephants. Next, we saw the tigers and lions, then the seals. Last we saw the dingos and we went on the bus to go home. (Elvis)

Thank you to all the parents who assisted on the day to make it a great excursion for everyone.

Mabo Day- 3 June

Mabo Day is marked annually on 3 June. It commemorates Mer Island man Eddie Koiki Mabo and his successful efforts to overturn the legal fiction of terra nullis, or ‘land belonging to no-one’.

Short for Mabo and others v Queensland, the Mabo case, led by Eddie Koiki Mabo, an activist for the 1967 Referendum, fought the legal concept that Australia and the Torres Strait Islands were not owned by Indigenous peoples because they did not ‘use’ the land in ways Europeans believed constituted some kind of legal possession.

Even though Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples occupied the land, spoke their own languages and had their own laws and customs before the British arrived in 1788, ‘Terra nullis’ was an attempt to give ‘legitimacy’ for the British and Australian governments to allow the dispossession of all Indigenous peoples of their land.

The Mabo case was heard over ten years, starting in the Queensland Supreme Court and progressed through to the High Court of Australia.

Following the Mabo decision, Australia’s Federal Parliament passed the Native Title Act 1993 which established a legal framework for native title claims throughout Australia by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Sadly, Eddie Mabo died 5 months before the historic decision came on 3 June 1992 that ‘native title’ did exist and it was up to the people of Mer to determine who owned the land. Together with Reverend Dave Passi, Sam Passi (deceased), James Rice (deceased), Celuia Mapo Salee (deceased) and Barbara Hocking (deceased), he was posthumously awarded the Australian Human Rights Medal in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission Awards.

In 2015, 23 years after the decision, Eddie Mabo was honoured by the Sydney Observatory in a star naming ceremony, a fitting and culturally significant moment in our nation’s history.

Residing within the Sydney Southern Star Catalogue, The Mabo star not only recognises Eddie’s dedication, but pays tribute to the importance of astronomy to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

This information was found at https://www.reconciliation.org.au/commemorating-mabo-day/

Have a great fortnight! It’s not long until the end of the term.

Ruth Biddle

Principal

Assistant Principal's Report

I really enjoy being on yard duty in the mornings to meet up with families and walk around the school to greet students. I can feel the change of seasons and it is so beautiful to see the misty nature around the oval.

“Superjobs” Monash Tech School

Our Grade 5/6 students who have been selected for the extension program completed the online VCES modules that explore jobs and skills of the future.

Superjobs:

Delivered live by Monash Tech School educators and Tech Staff
Utilises technologies to generate student driven outcomes
Supports students to explore industry sectors, future technologies and jobs of the future

Our students completed the module of “Natural Solution Finder”. Students discovered ways in which nature helps us to solve human problems. They used this knowledge to then design and test whirlybirds in a series of experiments. Thank you for Mr Magart who ran the session with Monash Tech School and engaging the discussion with students.

Grade 1/2 Sandwich making

As part of Japanese inquiry learning this term, Grade 1 and 2 students made healthy sandwiches in class on Tuesday, June 6. They enjoyed making the healthy lunch and they considered carefully what they wanted to put into it to make it healthy. They are currently working on writing their opinion in Japanese.

Student Support Reminder

One of my main roles in the school is to coordinate the student support services in the school - academic, social and behaviour services. This includes programs we offer ‘in house’ as well as external services provided by the Department of Education and other external agencies.

Generally the process happens in the following way:

A teacher may have a concern with your child and will discuss it with you or you as a parent may have concerns about your child which you discuss with the teacher.
These concerns are then usually discussed with me so a decision can be made on which service can be accessed and is the most appropriate for your child. Permission forms are then signed.
Contact is made to the service provider who will then discuss the referral with parents and/or the teacher.
A decision will be made on what sort of support the child will need. This could be an assessment, therapy, home program, referral to another agency or in school support.

This process is confidential with only the key stakeholders- myself, the classroom teacher/s and service providers.

Often parents will show concerns about other children in the school. We as a school cannot discuss the educational, academic or social circumstances of other children who are not your own or detail support services they may be accessing. This is confidential. Please be assured that all efforts are made to support students in the school as much as possible.

School Chaplain

Susan is here on Monday and Wednesday. She is a counsellor herself. If you have any questions about this service, please feel free to come and see me.

Morning Tea Hang Out

Monday 19th of June

From 8:55am in the Hall

You are welcome to come along for a great time chatting.

Naomi Mori-Hanazono

Assistant Principal