Sports News

What a fantastic start to the year we have had in the PE / Sport space.

PE lessons, Sensory Motor Gym (SMG) lessons and Senior Sport Training are all under way!

Just a reminder:

2023 District Swimming: Year 3-6

District Swimming is our first major sporting event in Term 1 - Monday 27th February (week 5) so for those who may swim competitively outside of school or for anyone interested in heading to the pools can trial their favourite stoke!

Qualifying times are below - students are required to be able to swim 50m in their preferred stroke confidently.

Qualifying Times:

Stroke	All age groups
50m Freestyle	Under 55 secs
50m Backstroke	Under 60 secs
50m Breaststroke	Under 65 secs
50m Butterfly	Under 65 secs

If you would like to submit your time to me, please email laura.yorke@education.vic.gov.au to be considered for District Swimming.

Ride2School Day:

Friday 24th March (week 8)

National Ride2School Day is Australia’s biggest celebration of active travel and one of the best days on the school calendar. Let’s discover the joy of riding and kick-start healthy habits for the future.

Students can ride, scoot, skate or walk to school on this day. Further information about this event will follow in the coming weeks.

Laura Yorke 🙂

Library News

Welcome back, and to all those who have just joined our school community – welcome. We hope you all read some great books over the break.

Just a few reminders as we settle into the new school year. All children are expected to have a library bag before they can borrow from our library. It does not need to be anything fancy – a plastic bag is fine. If your child has a cloth library bag it is a good idea to put a plastic bag inside. Most of the damage done to our library books is caused by leaking drink bottles or squashed food (the natural enemies of the book). Students will begin borrowing this week so keep an eye out for Library books coming home.

We have a great selection of books in our library and we are constantly adding new titles to try and keep the library as exciting and fresh as possible. Relaxing with a good book, either reading it yourself, or reading to someone special, seems to be overlooked sometimes in our busy lives but with reading comes so many opportunities. For those of you with students in the Junior level – please remember that library books are meant to be shared – your child will probably not be able to read these books on their own. Remember that reading is more than being able to recognise the words on a page. Comprehension is vital! It is often a good idea to ask your child about the book they have just read or that you have just read to them. If they can’t tell you much about it the book may be above their level. If they enjoyed it, and was a book they read on their own, you may like to read it yourself! We have read some great books that were recommended by students! The reading books that the students in the lower levels take home from the classroom are aimed at their reading level. These children – and those in the Middle level (and higher) still enjoy having books read to them and this is an important part of learning to read and comprehend. It also has other proven benefits such as improving speech, grammar and vocabulary and providing shared times between children and adults; giving your child the gift of your time is the best gift they can receive.

Students get to borrow the books for two weeks; Seniors have four weeks. Overdue notices are first sent home when a book is overdue for 2 – 3 weeks. Follow up letters and emails are also sent home fortnightly after this. If you receive a notice and are sure that the book has been returned, please ask your child to see me in the library. A book is not considered returned until it is in the library. Sometimes books seem to get as far as the classroom and get stuck there. Please encourage your child to do a thorough check at home and in the classroom if they receive an overdue notice.

Please work with us to keep reading a priority in our children’s busy lives. This includes reading to them and discussing the books that they are reading.

If you notice that a book is damaged, please do not attempt to repair it yourself. We have better equipment here for repairs.

Also, please note that if your child had an overdue book at the end of last year and they have not yet returned it this year, it will still be out in their name – it does not magically disappear over the holidays. We still have 17 books out in students’ names from last year.

Happy reading.

Jess Ward & Sue Offer - Library Staff

Camps, Sports & Excursions Fund / CSEF

CSEF is available to parents who hold a valid Centrelink or Healthcare card and provides $125 per student (paid to the school) to use for payment for camps, incursions & excursions, sporting activities and other eligible school-based events.

Families who received CSEF in 2022 and whose card is still valid, will automatically roll into 2023, with any additional new siblings added.

New eligible parents should fill in an application form and return to the Office by February 24th.

From Sophie in Sickbay

Parents, please be aware that there are a number of children in our school community with severe allergies and we would ask all parents to be mindful of what is brought to school in lunch boxes. If your child is in a class with an at-risk student, you will have received the below letter, but I would ask all parents to take a look and be aware of the dangers of nuts and nut products in schools.

Anaphylaxis / High Risk to nuts

Anaphylaxis is a severe, rapidly progressive allergic reaction that is potentially life threatening. The most common allergens in school aged children are peanuts, eggs, tree nuts (e.g. cashews), cow’s milk, fish and shellfish, wheat, soy, sesame, latex, certain insect stings and medications.

The key to prevention of anaphylaxis in schools is knowledge of those students who are at risk, awareness of triggers (allergens) and prevention of exposure to these.

One of your child’s classmates has a severe nut allergy and other food allergy which can trigger an anaphylactic reaction. The allergy is so severe that even touching an item that has had contact with nuts or nut products can cause an anaphylactic reaction (even being touched by someone who has had contact with nuts or nut products).

In accordance with the Croydon Hills Anaphylaxis Policy, we are requesting that all children from this class refrain from bringing any food items that have nuts or traces of nuts to school in particular peanut butter and Nutella.

I am sure that all parents will consider this request and act accordingly. However, if your child does bring a peanut butter or Nutella sandwich etc, to school they will be requested to:

a) inform the teacher on the day for safety purposes.

b) wash their hands immediately after eating the product and to wipe down their table.

c) requested to eat their food at a distance from the anaphylactic child.

Please be advised that the child is aware of their condition and is well schooled in taking all necessary precautions as a matter of routine. Combined with the safeguards outlined above, we believe this to be the best course of action in dealing with anaphylaxis at our school.

If you have any concerns please contact me on 97251206.

Sunsmart at CHPS

Our Sunsmart policy dictates that all children wear wide-brimmed hats during Terms 1 and 4, and we also ask that parents apply sunscreen to exposed areas before school if UV levels are predicted to be high. Each classroom also has sunscreen for student use during high UV days: the brand we use is Ego Sunsense Performance, SPF50. If your child may be sensitive to this brand, please send him/her with a suitable alternative.

Sophie Turnham - First Aid Officer

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