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PEN
Newsletter
13th May 2015
57 Birdwood Street
Box Hill South 3128
Telephone: 9890 2372
Facsimile: 9899 5490
www.robmacps.vic.edu.au
value:
13th We
November,
2013
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL CLASS TEAM
Thank you to all of the families who attended the Maths Games
Night last Thursday evening. We had over one hundred people
in the hall involved in a number of activities and have had some
excellent feedback following the event. Many thanks to Cheryl
Ryan for organising the event and to the staff who attended.
Creativity
Endeavour
Respect
Trust
Honesty
Friendliness
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Another date to put in your diary is Wednesday June 10 .
Adam Voigt from Real Schools will be presenting a parent
information session at 6.00pm in the school hall. Adam will be
sharing some of the work that he undertook with the RMPS
staff around becoming a restorative school on the Curriculum
Day in March and also explaining how parents can support this
at home. A flyer will be going home and a video clip about the
session will be available on the school’s website very soon.
Adam is an engaging speaker and I know you will enjoy the
session.
This week our Year 3 and 5 students are undertaking the
NAPLAN assessments. Tuesday was Language Conventions
and Writing, Wednesday was Reading and Thursday is
Numeracy. The school and parents will receive the results of
the assessments over the next couple of months.
Next week is Education Week in Victoria. We will have an
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open morning on Tuesday May 19 from 9.15 – 11.00am. Our
school House Captains will be conducting tours for prospective
families during this time. On Wednesday at 2.30pm the school’s
Leadership Team is inviting parents to the Staffroom to have
afternoon tea and a chat and on Friday there will be an open
Buddy session where families can come along and engage in a
buddy maths activity.
Our first Communication Committee meeting for 2015 will be
held next Wednesday evening at 7.00pm in the staffroom. The
meeting will follow the Education Committee meeting that will
begin at 6.00pm. Jo Cook a new member of School Council this
year will be the convenor and is keen for parents to come along
to support the school and the new committee. Information
about the agenda for the meeting is contained within the
newsletter.
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On Wednesday, June 3 at 7:00pm, the Annual School Council
Reporting Meeting will be held. The school’s Annual Report will
be presented and the community is welcome to attend.
Marg Pickburn – Principal
RMPS Leadership Team &
Community Afternoon Tea
Where: RMPS Staffroom
When: Wednesday, May 20th at
2.30pm
Come along for a cuppa and a chat
DATES TO REMEMBER
Friday, 15 May
 Triple R Information Session for Parents of Triple R students
ONLY 12:30 – 1:30pm
Tuesday, 19 May
 Open Morning from 9:30 – 11:00am – Tours at 9:15, 9:45 and
10:15am – no bookings required
Friday, 22 May
 Free Dress Day – Gold Coin Donation – Proceeds go to
World Vision ‘The Problems in Nepal’
 Year 6-7 Transition Forms Due Back
 Triple R Resilience Session– ALL Parents Welcome 9:15am
Monday, 25 May
 Stepping Up – No Assembly – 9:05 – 9:40am
 3-6’s District Cross Country
 Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) Morning Tea –
9:00 – 10:30pm in the Staffroom
Friday, 29 May
 PFA’s Women’s Night in School Hall – 7:30pm
Wednesday, 3 June
 School Council Meeting in the Staffroom 7:00pm
Friday, 5 June
 School Tour 9:30am – meet in the School Foyer
Tuesday, 9 June
 3/4 area Free Footsteps Session 1 hour in the Hall
Thursday, 11 June
 PFA Lunch Time Sausage Sizzle – Buddy Day
Friday, 12 June
 5/6 Winter Round Robin Sports Day
Friday, 19 June
 School Tour 9:30am – meet in the School Foyer
Sunday, 21 June
 Vision Portraits Photography
Monday, 22 June
 Program for Students with Disabilities (PSD) Morning Tea –
9:00 – 10:30pm in the Staffroom
Notices sent home last week
To: All Children
Years 3-5’s
J4S
5/6’s
3/4L
Eldest Child
*
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Special Religious Instruction Notice
NAPLAN Notice
Head Lice Letter dated 7 May 2015
Walk to Artist in Residence Studio Notice
Head Lice Letter dated 8 May 2015
Women’s Night Notice
Please note – items marked in BOLD require parent response.
For your convenience, this notice can be printed from the school’s
website. Click on Practicalities tab on the Home page, then 2012
Permission Forms and Information Forms.
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Friday 15th May 12.30-1.30: PLEASE NOTE- This
Triple R Information session is for parents of
Triple R students ONLY
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Friday 22nd May at 9.15am: Resilience, ALL
Parents welcome
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Friday 28th August at 9.15am: School
Transition, ALL parents welcome
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Friday 16th October: 9.15am Mindfulness, ALL
parents welcome
More information to follow. Please look out for REPLY FORMS in
the newsletter
Changes to phone numbers, addresses or email
addresses still need to be changed on the school’s student
administration computer program. When changing details
on Compass, an email is generated advising of changes
enabling the student records to be updated.
Please make sure you are providing details for the correct
person. If you are logging on for the first time, the mobile
number required is the Primary Carer, usually the child’s
mother. The first email address is also for the Primary
carer and the ‘Secondary’ email address is for the other
parent/carer, usually the child’s father.
Please take care when changing any details so we have
current and correct contact details for each Parent/Carer.
Sarah Kelly – Office Administration
SPECIALISTs’ Spot
Jump Rope for Heart
Our Jump Off day was a great success. The conditions were perfect with a sunny May day. Students skipped, jumped
and leaped their way through various activities to celebrate their successes in fundraising a whopping $11,152.74!
Considering our goal was $6,000 I am amazed and proud of the efforts of the Roberts McCubbin community.
Thank you so much to all who fundraised for such an important cause.
With the 50% rebate from the Heart Foundation we have ordered our high jump mat which the students are looking
forward to using.
School House Cross Country
Last Thursday all Years 3 to 6’s participated in our school’s House Cross Country. The weather was on our side and
we managed to get through all races before the rain came! Thank you to all parents who come to support and help
with the running of our day. Congratulations to Blue House on getting the most points for the day.
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Congratulations to our place getters who move on to represent our school at District level on Monday, 25 May. At this
stage we still need to have a run off involving the top 13 from the girls and boys 8, 9 and 10 year old groups as there
is only 10 year old races at District level. As we explained to the students, we organize our school races this way to
ensure safety due to large numbers.
Training for our Cross Country team are on Monday and Wednesday mornings at 8:15am (weather permitting).
Entertainment Books are now
available at the office - enjoy
over 14 months of value for $65
Selling for $65 each, the new
Entertainment™ Membership is valid up
until 1 June 2016. You can choose the
Membership that suits you: the printed
Entertainment™ Book -OREntertainment™ Digital Membership for
your smartphone. Digital membership is
only available when purchased online.
LATE ARRIVAL AND EARLY PASSES
The introduction of Compass School Manager for student absences does not mean that you no longer need to
complete Late Arrival and Early Leave Passes. As well as recording children arriving late and leaving early, these
passes form part of our Evacuation, or Lockdown procedures in the case of an emergency, enabling us to account for
all the children at that time.
If your child arrives at school after 9.00am, the person bringing the child to school is required to complete a Late
Arrival Pass at the school office, then take the white copy of the pass and the child to the classroom to make sure they
arrive there safely. It is also a good idea to check with the office as to where the child’s class is located at the time of
arrival if you are not sure if the class is in the classroom.
Any child leaving between 9.00am and 3.30pm is required to have an Early Leave Pass completed at the office by
whoever is picking them up.
ABSENCES ON COMPASS
Thankyou to all the parents who have logged on to Compass School Manager and also to those who have already
entered information and absences.
The absences and or approvals of absences to be entered on Compass by parents are those relating to a
whole morning, whole afternoon or whole day only.
If you are wanting to collect your child during the course of the school day to attend an appointment and will be
returning them to school afterwards, you should still use the process currently in place by completing an Early Leave
Pass at the office and then recording on the yellow copy of the pass, that they have returned and the time.
Thankyou for your assistance in correctly recording your child’s absences from school.
COMPASS SCHOOL MANAGER
Included above is a Parent Guide from Compass School Manager to help you make entries in Compass in relation to
your child’s absences.
This guide will help you enter a current absence for your child, as well as entering one for a future absence. This can
be done if you are going on a family holiday for instance and know the dates your child will be absent.
All absences for children must now be entered on Compass only.
absences.
Skoolbag is not to be used any longer for
Sarah Kelly
Administrative Assistant
PFA
President:
Co-Vice Presidents:
Treasurer:
Assistant Treasurer:
Co-Secretaries:
Matoula Romeo
Robin Fripp & Arash Pouyanfar
Lisa Hanna
Jo Townsend
Ellen Swansson & Andrea Belmonte
Mother’s Day Pendants
Were you surprised Mum?
We hope you were! The PFA and all the children did try to keep it a surprise for as long as we could…and
boy what a nice surprise! There are some magnificent and beautiful pendants out there worn proudly by our
Robbie Mac mums and carers.
To all our children, thank you for your beautiful artwork and designs, some were made into pendants while
others were taken home to be turned into a card or framed! They are all precious and will be treasured!
It’s amazing what can be achieved when a group of mums get together and brainstorm a great idea, so a
huge thank you to Melanie Eagelson who steered us in the right direction and sourced the perfect pendant
settings and said “I know how we can do this!”
And to all our helpers who came along and helped the PFA put these unique gifts together – I know it
wasn’t a small process but boy, it was worth it at the end! Thank you to all!
Women’s Night
Friday 29th May
7.30 to 11.30 in the School hall
$15 per person
Canapés and Drinks Provided
Mini Pamper Sessions at $15ea
‘New To You’ Clothes/Book Swap Corner
RSVP: Monday 25th May
BOOK IT IN! - All mums/carers, teachers/staff and friends all invited to come along and celebrate all that we
are and enjoy an ambient and indulgent night out amongst friends.
YOU DESERVE IT!
Join us for a night out without the kids and mingle with friends, partake in the delicious food, perhaps book
yourself in for a well-deserved pamper session or two and/or participate in the ‘New to You’ Swap - the
choice is yours!
Pamper sessions are for 10min ea:
* Tarot Card Reading * Mini Massage * Mini Manicure
‘New To You’ Swap Corner to include:
* Clothing * Accessories * Books
If you wish to participate in the “New to You” Swap please bring good quality items that you once loved
and are still lovely (and clean!) enough for someone else to take home as treasure! You will then be given a
token to go 'shopping’ with!
Food Preparation.
We need your help! We are asking all our foodies in our community to help with the food preparation for the
evening with some finger food / canapés etc. Martine Woodmason will be organising the foodies this year
and we hope you can help with your “culinary delights”. Please contact Martine via text to 0419 425 475 or
email martine.w@optusnet.com.au
Any queries please contact the PFA at: rmps.pfa@gmail.com
PFA Up-Coming Events
MAY/JUNE School Photo Album – Do you need somewhere safe and special to put all those beautiful school
photos, awards and other special school items? Parents will have the opportunity to purchase a Photo
Album with our school logo on it this year. More information will come home soon.
JUNE – Thursday 11th June - Buddy Day lunch time Sausage Sizzle
This will be held at school during lunchtime to celebrate being a great buddy.
JUNE – Vision Portraits Sunday 21st of June - yes they are back again this year to be held at the school on
Sunday 21st June.
Helping Hands
The PFA Helping Hands is a service that provides help in the form of school lunches and dinners to families
who are experiencing difficult circumstances.
Often family and friends help out but sometimes that is not always possible. What many may not realise is
that these difficult circumstances may be that; a family member is in hospital, the family may be coping
with a major illness, a death in the family, or bedbound family member. Even a major change in family
circumstances can be difficult for some families.
Do you need Help? If you need or know of a family that needs assistance please contact the PFA. We will
organise someone to provide a helping hand, these helpers do not know who it is they are giving a helping
hand to. Please do not hesitate to ask - as there is no need for you or other families at our school to struggle
when we have a supportive community of parents willing to lend a hand.
Can you Help? If you are willing and able to lend a hand by making dinners or school lunches for our
families in need, please email the PFA your details so we can place you on our list. We will contact you
should the need arise with all details needed to make the food and if you CAN help we will place you on a
roster - you support and help is appreciated by all.
Craft
Hand Made Gift Cards and Wheat bags
There is a lovely range of hand-made gift cards for sale in the school office foyer for $2.50ea for all
occasions.
Sales from the Gift Cards and Wheat Bags goes towards school fundraising.
Can you sew?
Are you handy with the sewing machine? Rachael needs some helpers to make art smocks. You can do this
in your own time at home, all material would be provided. Please contact Rachael on 0429 409 920 or email
rhibbins@icloud.com for details.
Thought for the Week
“We shall never know all the good a simple smile can do” – Mother Teresa.
The PFA Team
Muddy Children
The first Aid Room has limited facilities to
clean up muddy children, if your child is
excessively muddy, we will need to contact
you to collect them and take them home to
clean and change.
Uniform Shop News
Uniform Shop Hours are:
Tuesday 3:00 – 4:00pm and
Thursday 8:30 – 9:30am
Sue Truscott & Jo Townsend
ADVERTISEMENTS
COMMUNITY NEWS
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The DEECD and RMPS do not endorse the products or services of any private
advertiser.
No responsibility is accepted by DEECD and RMPS for accuracy of information in
advertisements or claims made by them.