ASCOT VALE PRIMARY SCHOOL No. 2608

25th March, 2015 Volume 1, Issue 4

Website: www.avps.vic.edu.au Newsletters are available online

Ph: 9370 6507 Fax: 9370 5150

www.twitter.com/AscotValePS

We value: Multi-age learning, High Expectations for all, Diversity, Creativity & developing positive Relationships

2015 – Term 1 / 2 Key Dates DATE (& TIME) ACTIVITY (& LOCATION)

Thur 28/03 Cyber Safety for Parents – Hall 7:00pm

Fri 27/3 Last day of Term 1 – 2.30pm early dismissal Fri 01/05 Pupil Free Day

Mon 13/04 1st

Day Term 2 Whole School Assembly 3:00- 3:30 Hall

Mon 13/04 Unit 4/5 – Senior Swimming (until 24/4)

Mon 20/4 Unit 1 Assembly 3:00- 3:30 Hall

Mon 27/4 Unit 2 Assembly 3:00- 3:30 Hall

Fri 01/05 Pupil Free Day – Please make alternative arrangements for the care of your children

Wed 06/05 Prep 2016 Information Evening – Unit 4, 7:00pm

Fri 08/05 5/6 Interschool Sport Begins

Cultural Diversity Week - Enjoy these lovely snapshots on P 1, 2 & 9

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Meet the Staff

Joanna Wilkinson – Unit 3 – Year 2/3 Teacher Joanna has worked at Ascot Vale Primary since 2009, prior

to this she was working at a school in the Eastern suburbs.

At AVPS, Joanna has spent most of her time teaching with

Julie in Unit 1 across all grade levels. She values her

colleagues, multi-age learning and the strong school

community at AVPS.

This year Joanna returned to full-time work and has moved

to Unit 3 with Assunta and Marg, as she has completed

building a strawbale house with her husband Craig. Her

philosophy for teaching is, ‘Every student should have the

opportunity to learn to their full potential.’ Joanna is the

team leader for the Year 2/3/4 teachers.

Fiona Stewart – P/1 Teacher Unit 2 Fiona is one of the Prep One teachers and works in partnership with Amanda. She has been part of

the Ascot Vale team since the conclusion of her Master of Teaching degree in 2010. Fiona moved to

Australia from Scotland in 2006, after choosing to leave her former life as a belly dancer and

archaeologist. She completed her Masters of Archaeology at Edinburgh University, a city she dearly

misses.

Fiona organises the Peer Mediation and Pod Squad programs and is intensely passionate about all

things Science, Literary and Historical. She often complains about the excessive Australian heat,

especially that found in Unit 2!

Fiona also likes the colour purple, even numbers, cats, black pens and has a particular fondness for the number 8. Jude Wigley – Art Teacher

Jude Wigley is the Art teacher at Ascot Vale Primary School this year

and after a few years away from teaching art she is thoroughly

enjoying being back with paint, clay, glue and the general creative

“mess” that the art room brings.

As a practising artist, Jude brings a wealth of experience and

knowledge to this position. Her love of colour is reflected in the

works of the students at Ascot Vale P.S.

Jude lives in Coburg with her partner Tim, and two very bossy

Burmese cats. Her studio is her haven after school hours but

between tutoring students in Literacy and Numeracy in the evenings and a few piano students, at the

moment time in the studio is a luxury and quite often a dream.

Jude enjoys reading, cooking and attending music concerts, especially when Angela Hewitt is in town. She is often seen at the local pool on her non-teaching days and then afterwards enjoying a very long leisurely breakfast with a few friends. A trip to Europe is in her sights! So is a new car! I wonder what will come first?

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Ian Lumb – Unit 2 & PE Teacher

Ian started his teaching career here at AVPS three years ago. His two mains roles are sharing the Unit 2 year 3/4 class with Bev and running the Health and PE department. He really enjoys the split role as it allows him to spend time inside with his class but also getting to know every student in the school as he introduces them to new skills and sports out on the oval. When he is not organising the next sports carnival, you’ll find him and his new fiancé Erin driving down the beach to find waves. Much of his school holidays and weekends are spent in the surf or looking for surf. He has a passion for the outdoors, environment, living a healthy lifestyle and the Hawks, must be why Michael and Ian get along so well.

Jo Haar – Integration Aide

Jo has been at AVPS for around 9 months as an Integration Aide providing support to students funded under the Program for Students with a Disability. Prior to this, she was working in children's retail and often helped out in the classroom at her children’s school (Monique grade 5 & Alara grade 2). She enjoyed the parent helping and other roles at the school so much; she decided to enrol in a Student Support Course. Jo has always loved working with children and often finds herself being the king of the kids at most parties or gatherings. Jo is passionate about working with students to help them reach their goals, encouraging them to try their best and just have a go. With her family, Jo loves the outdoors (bike riding, playing tennis, picnics and playing in the park, swimming and running laps down at the Aberfeldie track) that's when she’s not doing the household chores of course. Another passion of Jo’s is craft, she loves creating children's decor from paper cuttings in 3D frames or on canvas boards to using wooden appliqués and creating name blocks, you name it. Jo enjoys her time at AVPS and looks forward to meeting more parents and members of the local community.

Student Birthdays (March 25-April 14)

Happy Birthday to: Mubarak U2, Oscar U5, Mikael U2, Julius U4, Olivia U3, Zoe U3,

Cara U3, Hamza U3, Kam U2, Sanyam U2, Lydia U1, Jackson U1, Isla U5, Junes U1,

Rebecca U1 & Christian U4.

From The Principal Team

Cultural Diversity Week It was indeed a great day for the Irish as well as the Indian (and sub-continent region) last Tuesday 17th March when a touch of ‘Bollywood’ came to AVPS. Staff, students and at least one parent got into the swing of the Bollywood theme in their dress and dance movements throughout the day. It certainly was an enjoyable way to celebrate culture in our school and to set the scene for a week of learning about the different cultures that contribute to our diverse community. Thank you to Amanda McClure for leading the team of staff who co-ordinated the Cultural Diversity Week activities. We hope you enjoy the photos capturing the colour and fun of the week’s activities on the previous pages. 2015 School Council Our new school council met for the first time on Monday night during which time seven new members were welcomed and office bearers elected. Congratulations to Martin Grubb, father of Callum Unit 2, who was elected to the very important role of School Council President. He will be supported by Kathy Hassan, mother of Aliyah Unit 5, elected to the Vice President position and Phil Empey, father of Leah Unit 5 and Cara Unit 3, our new Treasurer. The school is indeed fortunate to be led by such a supportive and diligent group of parents who are committed to making Ascot Vale PS the best it can possibly be. We look forward to a busy and productive year.

School Strategic Plan One of the most important tasks for our new school council on Monday night was to approve the AVPS 2015-2018 Strategic Plan. This is an important document that was developed following our self-evaluation and peer review process undertaken in 2014. It outlines our strategic direction for the next four years and is a culmination of much hard work and input from school community members and beyond. This document will be posted on our website in the coming days.

Staffing

Poppy White, classroom teacher in unit 1, is

planning on commencing her family leave on

Thursday 23rd April 2015. Frank Patti, who many of

you know as a past pre service teacher at Ascot

Vale Primary School will be replacing Poppy in

Unit 1 for the remainder of 2015. We wish Poppy

and Steve well as they await the arrival of their

first child.

Cross Country team Congratulations to our 17 students, pictured

below with Ian Lumb, who represented AVPS last

week at the district cross country carnival. Ian and

Sarah commented on how well they represented

their school on and off the track. Congratulations

to them all! A special mention to Riley (finished

8th), Banjo (2nd), Milla (4th), Luke (3rd), Andre (4th)

and Kara (2nd) who all finished within the top ten

in their respective events.

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Last day of Term A reminder that students will be dismissed at 2.30pm this Friday 27th March Term 2 begins on Monday 13th April at 9am

Term 2 Excursion Levy

Thank you to the many parents who have paid

their child’s excursion levy, either in full for the

year, or term 2 in advance. If you have yet to pay

term 2, please do so as soon as possible. You

cannot pay for activities or excursions individually.

As always, if you are having difficulty making

payments or you would like to discuss a payment

plan, please contact Sue or Michael.

Prep for Parents – Who said Science can’t be fun?

Main points:

Science builds investigation and observation skills.

Most children love science because it's fun for them to look at the world differently.

There are many activities you can do at home to utilise and develop your child's curiosity.

Children are born scientists Children are naturally curious. They look at the

world around them and develop their own ideas

based on what they see and hear every day.

Keeping that sense of amazement, curiosity and

discovery is what we want every child – and every

adult – to experience throughout their life.

What’s happening at school?

Encouraging your child to come up with ideas

about why things happen, testing these ideas and

looking for answers to questions from a variety of

sources – experts, teachers, other adults, books or

online – is what this first year of school is all

about.

And that curiosity is essential when it comes to

science. It also helps your child in many other

areas – it gives them skills in observation, problem

solving, and independent research. All of these

skills go hand in hand with other subjects, like

maths, English, art, and helps your child to learn.

Your child’s teacher will assist your child to

observe, identify and describe things that are

similar using things like size, shape, colour and

weight. They’ll ask them to sort things into

categories. Your child’s teacher will also explain

that things don’t always work out the way we

expect them to and that often science generates

even more questions than it answers. Conducting

simple experiments to test theories also forms

part of the learning your child will do in school.

So what more can you do?

Most children embrace science because it’s

practical and it’s fun. You don’t need to know a lot

about science to help your child discover, explore

and expand their imagination.

Here are some tips and activities you can do with

your child at home:

The seasons

Science investigates the world around us. With all

the autumn leaves lying on the ground, now is a

good time to discuss the seasons. Who doesn’t

love collecting different coloured leaves or

romping through huge piles of leaves scattering

them everywhere!

Ask your child to collect different types of leaves

and then sort them according to their shape. Are

they all the same? What is different? How are

they the same? Are they all the same colour? Are

they the same size?

While your child is having fun sorting and

describing what they’ve found you can explain

that we have four seasons during the year –

autumn, winter, spring and summer. Talk about

the changes that happen during each season –

winter is usually cold, summer is warm and when

we swim, spring has lots of rain and that’s when

flowers grow.

What’s alive? What’s not?

Science divides the world into living and the non-

living things.

Ask your child to collect three living things and

three non-living things from your backyard or

nearby park. Your child may not immediately

recognise the difference between a living and a

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non-living thing. Some characteristics of living

things are growth, movement, the need for air,

food and water, reproduction. But what about

talking and breathing? It might seem they are

essential for living things, but are they?

Ask your child questions about the things around

them. Are rocks alive? Do pebbles live? What

about shells? Pots? Bricks? How about the family

pet? Reward your child for their collecting efforts.

Help them to sort their stash into either category

‘living’ or ‘non-living’. Be warned, your child may

come back with insects or even spiders, so

depending on your ability to cope with these you

may need to give this activity some thought.

Sorting and classifying:

Science builds up knowledge of the world by

classifying things.

Ask your child to help you sort your groceries into

things that are the same colour, size, shape or

weight. Make this fun and discuss how things can

be described differently depending on the

category you choose. Items that are the same

weight may have different colours, size and or

shape. Items that are the same size may have

different shapes or weight.

Ask your child to collect five soft or five hard

things from around your home. Encourage them

to use all their senses to find these –to see, hear

and feel them to work out if they are soft or hard.

Once they’ve collected their five things get them

to sort them according to size, colour or weight.

Talk to them about how the things they collected

were in one category – hard or soft – but also

belong in other categories like their size or colour

or weight. Then help them to stick their objects

onto a large card or draw the objects according to

how they have ‘classified’ them.

Measuring:

Science is based on careful and accurate

measurement.

Make a space in your home where your child can

make as much mess as they like.

Using things like sand, rice, pebbles, pegs, sugar,

water – anything really – ask your child to

measure quantities into different shaped

containers.

Help them observe how the same amount looks

different in a variety of shapes and sizes. This

activity goes hand in hand with their developing

mathematical skills.

Observation

Science is based on observing things and making

guesses about what is happening. This also

develops your child’s patience as they’ll have to

wait for things to happen – sometimes for a long

time.

Ask your child to sit quietly, to look around them,

to listen and observe where they are.

Talk about the number of things you can see or

hear. Can you hear many different bird calls? Can

you see different trees, leaves or plants? Does one

tree trunk or leaf feel the same as the other?

You could even conduct a light-hearted

competition that your whole family enters,

awarding prizes for the most items heard or seen.

You can also contribute your discoveries to the

knowledge bank of things in our environment by

recording what you’ve found in the Atlas of Living

Australia. This allows you to see the plants and

animals that are in your area; it also allows you to

record your own sightings and this adds to

Australia’s biodiversity knowledge.

Related links

CSIRO’s Do-it-yourself science – Mix some slime,

build a rocket, make sultanas dance and more,

using everyday equipment from around the house

in these exciting experiments and activities from

CSIRO's Double Helix Science Club

http://www.csiro.au/Portals/Education/Programs

/Do-it-yourself-science.aspx

Kid’s Spot’s Fun Zone Experiments to Do At Home

- Science experiments that you can do at home

are a fun way of introducing your kids to the world

they live in. Wow them with easy science

experiments they can learn from

http://www.kidspot.com.au/omofunzone/subsect

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ion+570+OMO-fun-zone-

Experiment.htm?gclid=CLzenaPzg7ACFYY3pAodgC

nnjw

Scienceworks – virtual visit to Victoria's interactive

museum of science and technology

http://museumvictoria.com.au/scienceworks/

Melbourne Museum – Museum Victoria cares for

the state's scientific and cultural collection

http://museumvictoria.com.au/melbournemuseu

m/

Melbourne Zoo – See our animals and find out

more about them

http://www.zoo.org.au/MelbourneZoo

ABC Science – ask an expert, kids science, photos,

star stuff podcasts and the latest science news

http://www.abc.net.au/science/

Cool science – sharing the facts and fun about

science for all ages http://hhmi.org./coolscience

How stuff works – the award-winning source of

credible, unbiased, and easy-to-understand

explanations of how the world actually works

http://howstuffworks.com/

Please note, AVPS is holding a FREE parenting course in May – see Page 12 for details. We suggest you book your place ASAP as these typically book out quickly. Have a safe and enjoyable break Sue & Michael Principal Team

Uniform Shop Our uniform is supplied by PSW Quality Apparel. The uniform Shop will be open next month on Tuesday 5th May, 2015 in the School Hall between 3pm and 4pm. Alternatively, to order online, use the PSW website, www.psw.com.au and follow the prompts. The PSW shop in Deer Park is located at 58 Westwood Drive, Deer Park. Telephone: 9363 8458. Opening Hours are 8.30am – 5.00pm Monday to Friday and 9.00am – 5.00pm Saturday. Closed on Sunday

Second Hand Uniform Second hand uniform is available through the school. Carolyn Martin (mother of Lochie U 5 & Ashley U1) co-ordinates this. Please inquire at the office if you are interested in second hand uniform and our staff will put you in contact with Carolyn.

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Ascot Vale Primary School

Out of School Hours Care (OSHC)

OSHC phone: 0423 795 247 Coordinator: Dee Seneviratne REMINDERS

How to get started before using our programs you must register online for an account. Registering is quick and easy. Visit our website to begin www.campaustralia.com.au. Once registered you can make bookings and cancellations, view your statements and manage your details anytime of the day online. Keep in mind we are able to take bookings at short notice to help busy families. Save on Care You can save 50% or more on Before and After School Care fees with the non-means tested Child Care Rebate. Almost all families are eligible. To find out more call our Customer Service Team on 1300 105 343 Monday to Friday.

AVPS -Cultural Diversity Week cont.

OSHC NEWS It seems like just yesterday that the new school

year started and we met all our preps and their

parents and all our other OSHC children were back

from holidays, and now we’ve reached the end of

the first term and ready for Easter Holidays. We’ve

had a wonderful Term indulging in great many

activities, making many new friends, having heaps

of fun and above all we have been very safe with

minimal injuries and so on. I thank all the OSHC

staff for their constant dedication and hard work,

as without their combined effort OSHC wouldn’t

be what it is.

We are going to celebrate Easter and our end of

Term party is going to be held on Thursday. There

is going to be many party games, party food and

of course an Easter Egg Hunt. So it would be great

if you could donate a few eggs to OSHC for our

massive Egg Hunt. We have decided to have our

party on Thursday as it gives us staff some time to

clean up the room and the kitchen and have it

neat and tidy for Term 2. So if your child is

attending on Thursday, we would be grateful for

any eggs you could donate. It does not matter if

they are big or small or just a few or many.

The children have been doing some simple Easter

craft activities so far and this week we would be

doing some more interesting Easter craft which

they could take home and we would encourage all

the children to do these activities.

This Friday, the last day of Term 1 will be an early

start for OSHC as school finishes early. We will

start 2:30 PM and go on until 6:00 PM. There will

no changes to the before school care times.

Finally OSHC wishes everyone happy and safe

holidays.

Dee and the OSHC Team

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Writing @ AVPS Janda & Gilby from unit 3 are our authors this week. The new writing bible followed by teachers at AVPS, 'The Six Traits of Writing' is a fabulous resource which offers many interesting and effective ways of eliciting memorable writing from our students. The 'trait' being explored in these pieces is IDEAS. Poppy provided her students with a variety of unusual pictures, then asked them to respond in writing. Here are two of the end products.

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SECONDARY SCHOOL EXPO Once again Moonee Ponds West Primary School will be hosting the annual Secondary

School Expo. The Expo is an opportunity for you, along with your child, to meet and hear

from representatives from our neighbouring schools.

The invited schools are:

Mt. Alexander College -9376 1622 - http://www.mountalexandercollege.vic.edu.au/

Marybyrnong College - 9091 8100 - http://www.maribsc.vic.edu.au/ Princess Hill SC - 9389 0600 - http://www.phsc.vic.edu.au/ Footscray City College - 8387 1500 - http://www.footscray.vic.edu.au/ Pasco Vale Girls College - 9306 2544 - http://www.pvgc.vic.edu.au/ Buckley Park SC - 9331 9999 - http://www.buckleyparkco.vic.edu.au/ Rosehill SC - 9337 2488 - http://www.rosehillsc.vic.edu.au/ Strathmore SC - 9379 7999 - http://www.strathmore.vic.edu.au/ Essendon Keilor College - 8331 0100 http://www.ekc.vic.edu.au/

The Expo will be held on the 30 April from 4.00 – 7.00 p.m. in the Moonee Ponds West PS gym which is located on the right hand side as you enter the gate at 150 Athol Street, Moonee Ponds. If you have any questions prior to the afternoon don’t hesitate to contact me.

We look forward to you attending the Expo.

Randal Symons, Assistant Principal, Moonee Ponds West Primary School

OPEN DAY 19 April 11 am – 1 pm

Principal’s Address 11 am

Tours every Wednesday 9 am ph: 9376 1622

www.mountalexandercollege.vic.edu.au

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2015 AVPS STAFF & PROGRAM ARRANGEMENTS CLASSROOM UNIT TEACHER/S DAYS YEAR LEVEL

Unit 1 Poppy Thorrowgood Mon-Fri 2/3/4

Julie Clarke Mon-Fri 2/3/4

Unit 2 Amanda McClure Mon-Fri Prep /1

Fiona Stewart Mon-Fri Prep /1

Bev Loft

Ian Lumb

Every 2nd

Wed, Thur & Fri 3/4 Mon, Tue & Every 2

nd

Wed

Unit 3 Assunta Righi

Marg Blair Gannon

Mon, Wed, Thurs, Fri Prep / 1

Tuesday

Joanna Wilkinson Mon-Fri 2/3

Unit 4 Sarah Bergin Mon-Fri 5/6

Annie Cuthbert Mon-Fri P/1

Unit 5 Ellen Waters Mon-Fri 4/5/6

Rebecca Green

Marg Blair-Gannon

Mon, Tue, Wed, Fri Prep/1

Thursday

SPECIALIST SUBJECTS SUBJECT TEACHER DAYS YEAR LEVELS

Italian Assunta Righi Tuesdays P-6

Physical Education Ian Lumb Every 2nd

Wednesday,

Thursdays & Fridays

P-6

Art Jude Wigley Wednesdays, Thursdays

& every 2nd

Friday

P-6

Literacy Support &

Coaching

Marg Blair-Gannon Mon, Wed, Fri Various

Music Katherine Anderson Friday P-1

SCHOOL SUPPORT STAFF STAFF MEMBER ROLE DAYS

Tina Kountouri Library/Literacy Support Mon, Tue, Wed & Thu

Susie Charlton Integration Aide Every 2nd Wed, Thu & Fri

Kerry Kinniburgh Integration Aide Tue, every 2nd Wed & Thu

Joanne Haar Integration Aide Mon, Tue & Wed

Jackson Clarke Integration Aide Mon, Thu & Fri

ADMINISTRATION Sue Osborne Principal Mon-Fri

Michael Downing Assistant Principal Mon-Fri

Janet Coward Business Manager Mon-Fri

Christina Micucci Administration Monday, Wednesday, Friday

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2015 AVPS STAFF & PROGRAM ARRANGEMENTS – cont.

MAINTENANCE / TECHNICAL SUPPORT STAFF MEMBER ROLE DAYS

Steve Evangelou ICT Technician Friday afternoons

Alan McCarthy Maintenance Thursday mornings

Robert Odisho School Cleaner Mon-Fri afternoons

OPTIONAL PROGRAMS / EXTRA CURRICULAR The following programs incur an additional fee:

SUBJECT TEACHER DAYS YEAR LEVEL /

ARRANGEMENTS

MVIMP Moonee Vale

Instrumental Music

Program

This program has been

operating for 30+ years

and is managed in

conjunction with:

Ascot Vale PS

Ascot Vale West PS

Moonee Ponds PS

Moonee Ponds West PS

Anthony Baker - Percussion Monday Year 3-6 fee paying students

only

By arrangement with AVPS

MVIMP co-ordinator Bev Loft

loft.beverley.r@edumail.vic.gov.au

Katherine Anderson –

Woodwind (flute) Tuesday

Simon Fisenden - Bass Tuesday

Katherine Anderson - Woodwind (saxophone & clarinet)

Wednesday

Les Gyori -Violin and Viola Wednesday Caitlin Taylor - Brass Wednesday Lex Tier - Band Thursday Janet Butler - Cello Thursday

Guitar Linden Lester Thursday 1:30-2:30

By arrangement with Linden Lester : 0409 320 435 lindenlester79@gmail.com

Piano *

*Currently full –

accepting names for

waiting list

Belinda Sun Michelle Lam

Tuesday

Thursday

Friday

P-6 by arrangement with Joshua Cowie: 0413 884 067 cowie@iprimus.com.au

Mini Moves John Tate Jodi Fitzgerald –Tate

Tuesday

3:35-4:35

P-6 by arrangement with: John- 0409 466 822 Jodi – 0408 082 353 bodybrilliant@live.com.au

Dance Theatre Raelene Brady

Tuesday: 5-8pm

Saturday:

9am- 12midday

P-6 by arrangement with: Raelene or Bruno: 0423 089 981 or 0421 859 540 dancetheatre@gmail.com

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PLEASE SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS AND LOCAL COMMUNITY

ORGANISATIONS:

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NORTH MELBOURNE AUSKICK

Conducted at Arden St by Flemington Junior Football Club NTH MELB AUSKICK STARTS SOON – REGISTER NOW

HOW TO REGISTER: On line now at http://www.aflauskick.com.au/ enter post code 3051 START UP DATE: Saturday 18th April 9:00am -10:15am MORE INFO: Rob Green 0404 602 604 FEATURES: All GIRLS GROUP – run by female PE teacher Children grouped by grade prep - grade6

Arden St -Best Auskick ground in Melbourne Visits by North Melb Players Canteen with real coffee & muffins

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