Volume 22 Issue 40 Thursday 15 December 2016

A Special Thank You to our Parent Helpers! Last Thursday, we held our annual Parent Helpers

Thank You Morning Tea. The occasion afforded the staff at Brentwood Park the opportunity to officially extend their thanks for all the support parents have provided throughout the course of the year. Parents are an integral part of many of our programs and assist in a multitude of ways; assisting with reading, general assistance in the classrooms, attending excursions, attending camps, marshalling at sporting activities and fundraising to name a few! At Brentwood Park Primary School, we are committed to the partnership between school and home and recognise that the children are the beneficiaries of our combined efforts!

www.brentwoodparkps.vic.edu.au

TERM DATES 2016 TERM 3 11 JULY - 16 SEPT. TERM 4 03 OCT. - 20 DEC.

TERM DATES 2017 TERM 1 30 JAN. - 31 MARCH TERM 2 18 APRIL - 30 JUNE

20 DEC LAST DAY TERM 4 (2:30PM FINISH) 08 JAN FIRST DAY STUDENT BANKING 2017 03 FEB FIRST CANTEEN DAY 2017

JIM BELL, PRINCIPAL JENNY REID, ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL

DATES TO REMEMBER DATES TO REMEMBER

S chool Captain Elections 2017 Although the school year for 2016 is winding down, preparations are already well underway for

2017! As such, our elections for school captains 2017 were held on Monday. Our gymnasium proved to be a most appropriate facility for the occasion with candidates being given the opportunity to present themselves to their “electorate” of Years 3, 4 and 5 students. All thirty candidates, twelve boys and eighteen girls, made their election speeches to a very attentive audience and staff present were suitably impressed with the confidence and public speaking skills demonstrated by all of the contenders!

Next, it was off to the polling booths for the casting of the votes into the ballot box! The outcome will be conveyed at this week’s final assembly!

T hank you to all the families of BPPS for the support given to our fundraising events this year. These funds are being

committed to the purchase and installation of air-conditioning in the performing arts centre, the gymnasium and hopefully for shade structures over the play equipment. Fundraising efforts alone, however, cannot finance all the projects planned for our school. Payment of curriculum contributions greatly assists and we gratefully acknowledge those families who have made payment.. Our final fundraiser for the year was the Annual Christmas Raffle and we sincerely thank our families for supporting us through the donation of a Christmas item and the purchasing of raffle tickets! An excess of fifty hampers were made up for the raffle which correlated with an excess of fifty very happy and excited recipients!

The major fundraiser for 2017 is yet to be finalised, however, we hope it will be as equally well supported as our 2016 efforts! In the meantime, thank you all once more.

We wish all the families a safe and happy Christmas. BPPS Fundraising Team

Y ear 6 Graduation 2016 On Wednesday evening, 14 December, the Year 6

Graduation Dinner and Graduation Ceremony were conducted at the Cardinia Cultural Centre. Dressed in attire suited to the occasion, the students enjoyed a celebratory dinner with staff and took advantage of the opportunity to have individual, group and family photographs taken by professional photographer, Kathy Watson. Within the auditorium, the official part of the ceremony commenced for the parents with the viewing of a DVD which was compiled to provide all present with a snapshot of Year 6 in 2016. It illustrated admirably, the productive and enjoyable year experienced by both students and teachers.

Y ear 6 Graduation 2016 With the curtains closed, the auditorium was filled with the sound of a solitary piper. The

curtain opened to reveal the piper as the students proceeded down the aisles to take a seat on stage! Following the opening address and accompanying speeches, students were presented with their graduation certificates, class awards, specialist awards and community awards. In conclusion, the graduates performed their “graduation song”! The evening proved to be both a rewarding and memorable occasion for all in attendance.

F oundation— Year 2 Christmas Concert Well done to our Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 performers! On Thursday and Friday, we had the

opportunity to hold the annual Junior School Christmas Concert in our performing arts centre. The concert was a combination of popular and traditional Christmas songs. It gave the junior students the opportunity to perform on stage and to show what they have learnt in performing art classes. The concert concluded once again singing Feliz Navidad and a visit from Santa. Thanks once again to Jenny Reid who, as always, was resplendent in her Christmas attire and for being a wonderful hostess for the concert. Thanks also to the F – 2 teachers, sound and stage crew (elves), sugarplum fairies and the many students who helped set up and pack up. Thank you to performing arts teacher, Linda Moore, and thanks to Mandy Scarlett and for taking videos photographs. Please see the collages in the newsletter which has captured, in part, the festivities of the day!

S taff Welcome Six new staff members will be joining us in 2017. A sincere welcome is extended to Jessica

Ferguson, Natasha Cooper, Melissa Forkgen, Melissa Butcher, Julia Groves and Sarah Ierfone. Five of these new staff visited the school on Thursday to take part in a new staff induction day and to take part in our Classroom Orientation 2017 session. This also provided opportunity to introduce themselves to the students they’ll be teaching. I’m confident our new staff will find being part of Brentwood Park a rewarding and professionally satisfying experience.

Melissa Melissa Sarah Jessica Natasha [Tash]

S tudent Orientation for 2017 On Thursday, the children had the opportunity to go to next

year’s classrooms with their 2017 teachers. This orientation assists in their transition and makes the first day of school next year that little bit smoother. A full staffing list for 2017 is presented in this week’s newsletter for your reference.

S tudent Reports 2017 Student reports were distributed today and I trust parents will take the time to celebrate their

children’s achievements. In addition to their reports, twelve students were also awarded an Attendance Certificate acknowledging 100% attendance at school as at 5 December 2016. Congratulations are extended to Mauryan A, Mikail F, Peyton M, Hanying L, Amelia S, Sarah S, Olivia T, Rachel K, Will J, Shameera T, Stella K and Cooper T.

C asey No Interest Loan Scheme Do you need a bit of help covering the cost of books,

uniforms and camps? You may be eligible for The Casey No Interest Loan Scheme which is managed by Casey North Community Information and Support Service located in Narre Warren. The No Interest Loan Scheme (NILS) is committed to providing a safe, fair and affordable credit option for the purchase of essential household items, education expenses and other essential items where other financial assistance is unavailable or inaccessible. Eligible education expenses include books, uniforms, school camps and even tablets and laptops. NILS is a good option for families on a low income who might really be struggling to pay for school expenses. The loan is repaid over the whole year thus spreading the financial burden into manageable payments. To be eligible for this loan all that is required is that you:

Live on a low income/have a health care card Have lived at your current address for at least three

months Are able to demonstrate an ability to repay the loan

Should you wish to apply for the loan or simply find out more information please feel free to contact Casey North Community Information and Support Service on 9705 6699, or via email: nils@caseynorthciss.com.au. Lauren Scrivener, Coordinator Microfinance NILS CNCISS

F inally … At the close of our twenty-second year, I once again say

a very sincere thank you. Thank you to all those parents and community members who have supported the school’s programs and children’s learning in so many ways. Thank you to all the staff, both teaching and non teaching for all the “extra” they have done throughout the year. Farewell to the families who are moving on, our very best wishes go with you, and to those who remain, we look forward to our continued association. However, to all, I wish you a safe and relaxing holiday! Personally, I hope the opportunity for a well earned break provides a chance to recharge the batteries and re-visit that often forgotten concept of leisure!! Jim Bell, principal

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Term 4 Week ending 9th December 2016

FBM Rani For his awesome reading skills. Well done, Rani!  FBV Mahrosh For completing excellent reading and using her reading strategies. Well done! FLP Musawar For working hard to solve plus sums. Well done, Musawar! FSM FSM For a wonderful year of learning. Best wishes for 2017! FTL Ruby For your super confident reading. You read beautifully, Ruby! Well done! 1/2R Fatima For her use of all the VCOP strategies in her story writing. You are amazing! Rohan For your fantastic reading & comprehension improvement this term. You are a superstar! 1HG Ayesha For being so brave at swimming. Well done for giving everything a go! 1MB Bailey For his helpful attitude and caring nature to all his classmates. 1MC Warisha For creating a lovely memories booklet this week. Well done! 2AD Angus For settling well at your new school. We love having you here! 2CM Luke For the thoughtfulness you always show to everyone. You have great getting along skills. 2DK Julieta For her hard work in maths and writing. Keep up the super effort! 3CH 3CH For being super special students who always try their best. I will miss you! 3LM 3LM For an awesome, amazing and terrific year. 3SH 3SH For a fantastic year, full of laughter and learning. I’ll miss being your teacher! 4CP Jessica For consistently trying her best in class. Well done! 4CV Katie For being a kind, caring and respectful student. Absolute superstar! 4VK Birin For being a fabulous coding teacher to his buddy, Manuga. Dinidu For being a fabulous coding teacher to his buddy, Angus. 5/6T Riley For reading Graduation speeches in a clear, projected voice during our rehearsals. Hilary For her improvement in her test scores this term. 5LF 5LF For an amazing term’s work. Well done! 5SM Stevie For being a cheerful, positive, friendly class member at all times. 6JA Caitlyn For working hard on her memories book and doing a great job.

Term 4 Week ending 9th December 2016

‘SPECIALIST’ Stars of the Week

6JA Lucas For writing an excellent reading journal. 6JD 6JD For being an amazing and adorable grade, and my darlings. I wish you all the best for the future! 6JP Lauren For your positive attitude to learning. Work is consistently completed to a high standard. Health & P.E. 1MB For a fantastic game of ‘Postman’. Visual Arts 5SM For their great distorted face art. 1MC For their wonderful Christmas trees! Performing Arts 4VK For their mannequin challenge. LOTE 5SM For your engagement and a great attitude to learning when doing paper- cutting and folding activities.

P LEASE DIRECT MONEY FOR EXCURSIONS, ETC TO YOUR CLASSROOM TEACHER - NOT TO THE OFFICE. Please hand money and permission slip in sealed envelopes to classroom teacher first thing in the morning. By following this process teachers are aware that your child will be attending the excursion and mark them

off their lists. Money is collected by office staff and processed each morning and a receipt given back to teachers along with permission slips. All money is tallied and banked daily – no money is left on the premises. If you wish to pay by credit card, a proforma is available from the office. This can be filled out with details and placed in a sealed envelope and handed to your classroom teacher

Please deliver cash in a sealed envelope with your child’s name and grade on the front by 9.30 a.m. If you have a number of children attending an excursion you can place all money and permission slips in the one envelope with children’s names and grades on the front and deliver to one of the children’s teachers. The office staff will be able to allocate money to the children’s particular items and distribute permission slips and receipts back to teachers. Enve-lopes are available at the office. If you have a large amount to be paid or need to process an EFTPOS transaction through a savings account you can make arrangements to pay at the office. We also have a new Qkr payment system on our Skoolbag app. If you download our Skoolbag app and Qkr payment app you can now pay for your child’s excursion on line.

All change will be delivered to the children in the afternoon. Re-imbursements will only be made under certain circumstances – they will be made by cheque (no cash transactions are made).

Notices are sent out with a final collection time – please adhere to this time. All money and permission slips are re-quired to be sent back by this date – otherwise your child will not be able to attend. This enables us to confirm book-ings and numbers with bus companies and organisations we are visiting. Also we need to send details to the Depart-ment of Education Emergency Management for all excursions, camps, etc. We also need to accommodate students who will not be attending.

We would appreciate it if parents could please follow these processes.