From the Principal
Education Week in the State of Victoria is the 24th to the 28th of May.
ANAPHYLAXIS ALERT REMINDER - PLEASE DO NOT SEND FOOD WITH NUTS TO SCHOOL
Many of our students have allergies to peanuts and products with nuts in them so it is vitally important that these foods do not come to school. Peanut butter sandwiches etc are not to come to school. Please discourage your child from sharing food. Need to know more about Anaphylaxis? Check this link https://www.healthline.com/health/anaphylaxis
Welcome to IPS
Congratulations to all the students in Year 3 and Year 5 for sitting NAPLAN tests this week and thank you to all of the other students for being respectful and keeping the noise level down so there was less disruption. We had a visit from the NAPLAN auditor to make sure our processes were satisfactory in our administration of the tests.
Good news! We are getting closer to getting our outdoor basketball court back in service so we are looking for better than usual numbers at the next Working Bee.
See bottom of this page for details. Please diarise 9am to 12pm on May 23rd.
House Captains' Weekly - A student initiative
The House Captains are aiming to visit a level each week as roving reporters and coming up with a newsworthy report that stems from our school values. They began with the Foundation team this week. Mr Pearce says they’ve developed this completely by themselves and thinks it is a super initiative.
Check out House Captains Weekly in this issue of "Inside Ivanhoe".
Cross Country
Cross Country saw many of our students compete against students from other schools in wet and windy conditions. Well done to all competitors and thank you to Mr McKay and Ms O'Connor for running training sessions and extra special thanks to the parents who helped make this event a great success.
Max F, Andrew S, Jake V, Ivy E-S and Taylor D all made it through to the Division Cross Country Championship.They all placed in the top ten of their age group and will compete again on Thursday the 3rd of June at Banyule Flats Reserve.
See the special Cross Country report in this edition of "Inside Ivanhoe" for more details and pictures.
Social Emotional Learning
Some of the behaviour in the school yard has been less than satisfactory and I trust this will disapate as teachers and parents continue to reinforce the school's values, particularly respect and talk with children about the school rules.
In conjuction, as a component of IPS’s Social Emotional Learning (SEL) program, students in Years 1 to 6 are required to access their wellbeing journal throughout the week to complete personal learning activities. Reflecting on appropriate behaviours should also inform some of this work.
Talk to your child about what is appropriate behaviour looks like and strategies for managing emotions and conflict. While bullying is not a significant problem at IPS it is incumbent upon us all to teach our children and students how to recognise and deal with poor behaviour. We encourage you to talk to your child/children about the ideas and values outlined in the journal.
Please ensure your child has their wellbeing journal in their school bag or blue reader bag every day.
The School Disco - Friday 4th June
The School Disco is coming up on Friday 4th of June so please save that date.
It will be held in the hall and there will be two sessions.
Session 1 - 5.45pm - 7pm: Foundation to Grade 3
Session 2 - 7.15pm - 8.30pm: Grade 3 – Grade 6
*Grade 3 can choose either session (but not both)
All our PFA volunteers put in a lot of effort to give the kids a great night, and everyone attending (helpers and everyone just doing drop-off and pick-up) have a part to play in making it fun and stress-free for all.
There will be more details coming, but right now we need your help to run the night. Please read the School Disco page of this issue of "Inside Ivanhoe".
National Walk to School Day Friday 14th May
Well it’s that time of year again when our school seriously starts talking about walking! Walk Safely to School Day asks that we all consider our transport habits and try to incorporate more walking as part of a healthy, active way to get around. Although walking all the way to school isn’t realistic for many of us, it’s quite easy to figure out how you can build a walk into your family’s daily routine.
Helping in the F - 2 classrooms and other programs
Previously parents had to undertake a school provided parent training program to help in the classroom. Due to COVID-19 restrictions and changes to some of the ways in which our teaching practices are structured this program will not run in 2021.
We believe that parent assistance and shared expertise is very valuable so we are currently discussing how we might create and encourage these partnerships and have you involved in the school programs without risking health and safety.
Shortly an online / PowerPoint will replace the face-to-face training (for now) and will be made available once we have developed it. Stay tuned for updates.
This is an exciting development that we look forward to putting into place as soon as possible!
Education Week 24th - 28th May
Education Week is an opportunity for all primary and secondary schools, higher education, and early childhood services to showcase how they are building connections with the community around them.
Ivanhoe Primary School will be celebrating Education Week in a variety of ways and we will be opening our doors to the community on Wednesday the 26th from 9.30am to 11.30am concluding the morning with a short musical concert at 11am in the hall. Stay tuned for more information closer to the date.
The Principal will welcome prospective families prior to the performance.
It will be a requirement that all adults onsite register their attendance on arrival via the COVID 19 QR codes strategically placed around the school or sign in at the school office.
It is vital to everyone's health and safety that we follow the rules, wash our hands and most importantly do not attend if you are unwell or have flu like symptoms.
ICAS - International Competitions and Assessments for Schools
Ivanhoe Primary School will once again be participating in the world-renowned ICAS Assessments this year.
ICAS is designed to target students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science and Digital Technologies. At IPS, these four assessments will be offered in Years 3-6 only.
Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals and are invited to attend special award ceremonies to have their academic excellence publicly recognised.
Please read the ICAS page of this issue of "Inside Ivanhoe" for details on how to enrol.
Biggest Morning Tea - Thursday 27th of May.
This year we are raising money for Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea. Due to COVID -19 we are unable to sell food however, have decided to have a shared house lunch together on Thursday the 27th of May. Students can bring a gold coin donation and wear their house colours on this day. Thank you from Miss Mollie McCormick (organisor).
If you wish to donate to our cause you can do so via this link: https://www.biggestmorningtea.com.au/s/26861/31506
Our Wonderful Education Support Staff
Every day, education support staff work to keep our schools running, support our students to learn and our teachers to teach. On 16th May we celebrate hardworking Education Support Personnel. The focus of the international ESP Day is to let ES know how much they are appreciated and highlight the value of their work.
As ESP Day falls on a Sunday this year, we decided to celebrate our IPS ES staff during the week with a collection of thoughts about each of them.
National Simultaneous Storytime. "Give me some space!"
On May 19th at 11am we will join together for an intergalactic space adventure for National Simultaneous Storytime. "Give me some space!" written and illustrated by Philip Bunting will be read by an astronaut on board the International Space Station simultaneously across Australia and New Zealand.
Finally
Behind the scenes we have been lobbying to have the relocatable building that currently sits on our basketball court to be removed. I am hopeful that a decison will be reached soon by the Victorian School Building Authority on a date for this to occur.
Working Bee 23rd May / Reloc removal
In order to get the crane in and provide access for other equipment some landscaping will need attending to prior to any works commencing. There will be a Working Bee on Sunday the 23rd of May from 9am - 12pm and one of the tasks will be to move the big pile of mulch near the gates down by after OHSC to various locations.
Thank you for your support.
Mark Kent
Principal
