1. education
2. school

17
30th of Oct 2014
BIKE ED
INSIDE...
.............................................
*Health Centre
Reminders
*Hair Lice
*Mobile Phone Donations
*Uniform
*Parent Link
*Library News
*Cyber Safety
*Grade Prep
Swimming
*Grade 4 CERES
*Prep Swimming
*School Banking
Competition
*Seals Swimming
Vacancies
*Community News
*Returning to P.G 2015
This term the Grade 4’s have been participating in the Bike Ed
Program. The program develops the students understanding with not
only the skills required to be a competent cyclists but the necessary
rules and safest options whilst cycling on the paths and roads.
Students are learning how to approach and use different
intersections such as roundabouts and how to signal to let other
drivers know the direction that they are heading. Scanning is the skill
that the students are really focussing on during the Bike Ed program.
This involves listening and looking in all directions to see if there are
any changes ahead such as oncoming vehicles, pedestrians, road
signs or possible hazards. They are learning that while they may
have right of way while riding on the footpath or the road they must
make that eye contact with others to ensure that they know they are
being seen. While some of the grade 4s have been on their local
footpath and road ride, others are fairly excited about doing this in a
group with their peers.
Make sure you look out for the Grade 4s riding on the roads!
Melissa Pizzul
PAGE 2-3
Walk to School
Month
PAGE 4-6
Click competition
DATES TO REMEMBER
Thurs 30th Oct - Grade 1 camp night
Fri 31st Oct - First Prep Transition
Mon 3rd Nov - Curriculum Day, Student Free
Tues 4th Nov - Melbourne Cup Day - Student Free
Thurs 6th Nov - Grade 2 Sleepover
Fri 7th Nov - Grade 1 spit the pip incursion - 1CF, 1KU, 1BA
Tues 11th Nov - Grade 1 spit the pip incursion - 1RC, 1KC,1SC
Mon 17th Nov - Grade 6 Graduation ticket payment due
Tues 18th Nov - Grade 1 spit the pip incursion - 1FL, 1JB, 1KE
Mon 24th Nov - Grade Prep ACMI Excursion PBR, PCL, PJV
Tues 25th Nov - Grade Prep ACMI Excursion PAH, PCC,PEC
Wed 26th Nov - Grade Prep ACMI Excursion PMM, PJA, PSK
Wed 10th Dec - Christmas Concert
Tues 17 Dec - Grade 6 Graduation
Dear Parents, and Friends of Parkwood
Green PS,
At the moment we are half way through the preps having their
first swimming experience with our school. I watch as they
move to the pool fully dressed with their Parkwood Green
gold swim caps proudly perched on their heads. Parents
your children are doing so well in the water you should feel
very proud of their independence, confidence and willingness
to try what might be a new skill. Learning to swim is
life-saving so congratulations for choosing to have your child
involved. If you want their skill to continue to improve then
private lessons will assist.
Our Somers Campers
This year we have participated in our first Somers Camping
experience. The camp takes children from schools within our
local Network of schools. Our children are mixed with others
who are attending, and they are away for eight days.
Sunday was the Visitors Day for the families and it can be a
difficult day for children. But if they can manage the goodbye
then it is not long before they are home and this is such an
important separation lesson. The camp offers a variety of
activities focussed on water-leisure skills, adventure
activities and development of personal qualities. We have
two teachers accompanying the children and they are in
daily contact with me. I am very proud of the children and
teachers attending.
They again have been able to
demonstrate why Parkwood Green is an excellent school.
Enrolments for 2015
The coming year sees the benefits of our school’s enrolment
policy introduced in 2013. In 2015 we will be ‘pulling’ our
enrolment numbers back to the mid 1200’s. So whilst we
still will be the biggest primary school in Victoria we will be
more manageable at this new figure. As a result of this
policy, children will be seeking enrolment at our
neighbouring schools, which will possibly be their local
school. Parent choice for enrolment will continue to be
acknowledged, as it has been in the past at Parkwood
Green Primary School. If you haven’t enrolled your prep yet,
better get onto it!
Transition sessions start this Friday, October 31st.
Play on the Oval
During the breaks children often like to play soccer on the
oval. Whilst this is a great physical and social activity
sometimes the children play as if it is the last competition they
will ever be involved in. Competitive spirit, don’t get me wrong
we all need this, but here at school we need to moderate this
type of win at all costs playing. I am asking teachers to
actively intervene if children are playing too competitively or
in an unfair manner. Could I ask that you speak with your
children about play that is appropriate in a school yard given
there are many other children to consider.
Bike Ed for Year 4 students
Over the last weeks the Year 4 students have been involved
in Bike Ed. I have been on the footpath ride with the groups
twice and I must say I am impressed with their skill and
attention to safety. Riding outside of the school requires that
students are vigilant, attentive to the road and oncoming
traffic as well as a responsible member of the group giving
instructions to those behind them. As a result of the training
they will receive their ‘Bike Licence’ which signals that they
have had some training in the fundamentals of safe riding
without an adult. Year 4 is a great age for Bike Ed as their
peripheral vision is developing and they are able to take on
the responsibility of riding within the general rules of safety.
Look for the Licence when it comes home!
Curriculum Day November 3rd
Just a reminder that this coming MONDAY is a Curriculum
Day for Parkwood Green PS. No students are to attend on
this day. Teachers will be working offsite on this day. Mr
Allibon the Senior Sub-School Principal will be at school, as I
am on a school review at an inner city school.
Well that’s about it from me. Until we meet in person,
Yours sincerely
Kerri J Simpson
Your Principal
HEALTH CENTRE REMINDERS
To our Parkwood Green community,
Just a couple of reminders from the Health Centre for Term
4.

Hayfever has already begun, if your child suffers from
this, ensure that the Health Centre has been given
the student’s own supply of antihistamine with a
signed medication authority form please.

Sunsmart term - a HAT is required to play outside. Sunscreen is in every classroom if you forget at
home.

WATER is so important for the student’s - Please
ensure your child has their own drink bottle everyday
filled with fresh water. The students are very active
in their school day and de-hydrate very quickly.
Walk to School October
It has been very pleasing to see many more children and
parents walking, riding and scooting to school. Let’s hope all
those children are getting their raffle tickets ready for the
draw for the bikes on Friday. To go along with the Walk to
School October celebration we offered fresh fruit to all
students on Tuesday of this week. Keep up the good walking
everyone; 10,000 steps a day is the fitness goal I believe.
Excellence & Opportunity
Cont next page..
| PAGE 2
RE- Hair Lice
UNIFORM SALE
Just a reminder about checking your children’s hair - we are
trying to provide classroom hair checks as often as possible.
This occurs when we have been notified of hair lice in the
class. If you could routinely check the hair at home at least
once a week it will help eradicate this problem. Also it would
help to keep the students at school. If students are found to
have live lice, they are sent home.
The school will be holding a second-hand uniform sale on
Friday, 31st October, 2014 at 2:45pm until 3:20pm.
This will be held outside the Learning Centre. If it is raining it
will be held in the Learning Centre.
Items to be sold include second-hand clothes (various sizes).
All second-hand clothing items - $5.00
ALL ITEMS WILL BE SOLD AS CASH ONLY
Regards,
Jocelyn, your school nurse
PARKWOOD GREEN PARENT LINK
A group for parents/guardians of
students with special needs.
MOBILE PHONE DONATIONS
By donating your old mobile phones you are helping
Melbourne zoo raise money that directly helps wild
gorillas. One of the biggest threats to gorillas is the illegal
mining of coltan, a mineral used in mobile phones. The mining
of coltan within the Congo River Basin is contributing to the
rate of poaching of mountain gorillas at an alarmingly fast
rate. Whilst efforts are being made to tackle this issue, the
majority of the world's known coltan reserves are found within
Africa, and mining within gorilla habitat continues. Recycling
lessens the demand for coltan and each phone you donate
supports rangers in the Democratic Republic of Congo who
risk their lives to protect wild gorillas.
PLEASE CONTINUE TO
COLLECT AND DONATE
AS MANY PHONES AS
POSSIBLE.
The Library Team
WALK TO SCHOOL MONTH
The Walk To School initiative encourages students and their
families to walk to and from school, building healthy habits for
life. On Tuesday the 28th of October, all students were offered
a piece of fresh fruit at Parkwood Green Primary School to
encourage our students to build their own healthy habits for
life.
Are you a parent or guardian of a
child with special needs?
You are invited to join us in sharing
some experiences, strategies, ideas, links and information in a
positive group environment. On Thursdays at 2:30pm
(session 6).
Meeting held in Room 36.
If you are not able to attend this meeting and are interested in
being involved please email Jenny Valenzuela on
valenzuela.jenny.i@edumail.vic.gov.au
LIBRARY NEWS
Book Fair Wrap Up
Towards the end of last term, we ran a very successful
Lamont Book Fair. Thanks to the generosity of our school
community, $12, 549 worth of books were purchased. As we
receive 30% commission, we will now have $3,764 to spend
on beautiful new books for the Library.
Thank-you for your continued support,
The Library Team
Happy Reading!
CYBER SAFETY
Cyber safety is an important issue for young children. At
primary school age and in many cases before they come to
school they are already able to access their favourite
websites, play games and use some social media or apps
with parent permission.
The winners of the two bicycles will be announced at the
Whole School Assembly this Friday.
At Parkwood Green we value the importance of Cyber
safety very highly. We have access to many forms of
electronic devices including IPads and Netbooks. This
week we were lucky to receive over 400 cyber-smart/
cyberbullying showbags from local Labor MP Natalie
Hutchins to help further educate our students.
Thank you Natalie.
HAPPY LAST WEEK OF OUR WALK TO SCHOOL MONTH!
Wellbeing Officer,
Walk To School Month ends this week - Well done to all who
participated!
Craig Thompson
Administration Officer,
Madison Jackson
parkwoodgreen.com
| PAGE 3
GRADE 4 CERES EXCURSION
CLICK COMPETITION
rd
On the 23 of October, the Grade 4s went to CERES. CERES
is a place where they recycle and try to reduce the amount of
waste going into landfill. Some activities that we did were
Waste Timeline, ‘In the Bin’, Food Waste and Organic
Gardening.
In the Waste Timeline activity, we learnt how long it took for
different waste products to break down. Like a glass bottle took
10,000 years to break down! In the Food Waste activity, we
learnt that many people don’t realize how much food they put
in the waste bin every week. We were very shocked by the
result! Our next activity was the Energy Efficient Housing,
where we learnt about different ways we could use energy
around the house. Something interesting that we learnt was
that instead of using the air conditioner or heater, we could
open the windows, wear appropriate clothing or use a fan to
keep cool. To keep the heat in, we could have a
double-glassed window, have these things under the door or
window so that cold air does not come in or wear more
clothing. Next was the Organic Gardening. We went into a
garden full of plants, and were given an activity to investigate.
There was also a worm farm where we learnt a lot of facts
about how worms help the gardens. We were taught many
different facts about things around the garden. Something
interesting we learnt was that the small pieces of wood or
plants on the ground acted as a sponge, which absorbs the
water in the soil.
Overall we had an awesome day at CERES and we hope we
can come again some day!
Written by Sarah Law 4IB and Amelia Walker 4DA
The theme for the Photography Competition was:
Culture and Family
The guidelines for this competition were:
•Students could submit no more than one piece of work
for the topic.
•All work had to be original and photographed in 2014.
•The Entrant’s name had to be placed on the back of the
work.
•The final date for the submission was on Wednesday
September 10th 2014.
•Work submitted had to be as a digital file (jpeg) and
printed on A4 photographic paper to a box in the
General Office.
The winners of the competition are:
1st Place - Abigail T, 5AP
2nd Place - Tahlia J, 5AP
3rd Place - Imarsha P, 5NW
Congratulations to these people who showed
outstanding photography skills. Prizes will be
awarded at the next Whole School Assembly
on the 14th of November.
GRADE PREP SWIMMING
During weeks 3 and 4, Prep students were involved in
swimming lessons. All of the children were excited to wear
their new swimming caps.
The students learnt new swimming techniques, which is a
crucial life skill that we would want all of our children to
become confident in.
The children demonstrated great independence in their ability
to get dressed and take care of their belongings. Well done to
all students that participated in the swimming program.
Sarah Kennedy
The Winning Image:
By Abigail T, 5AP
parkwoodgreen.com
| PAGE 4
The Day The Gorilla Came Looking For Mobile Phones At Our Assembly
SEALS SWIMMING VACANCIES…
9/10yr
11yr
12yr
Girls Born 2005/6
Boys Born 2004
Girls Born 2003
We currently have vacancies in the above age groups in the
Seals Early Morning Swimming Program.
Seals Early Morning Swimming is held on Thursday
mornings from 7:30am to 8:30am.
Please collect an expression of interest form from the front
office if you are interested and fill it out. All forms are to be
returned to Kellie Neil.
(This is not a learn to swim program)
parkwoodgreen.com
| PAGE 5
parkwoodgreen.com
| PAGE 6
COMMUNITY NEWS!
WORLD 4 KIDS
Dear Parents,
World4kids will be offering a curriculum day care program
on Monday 3rd of November for the families that need this
assistance.
Please contact world4kids Out School Care on 0426 211
213 if you need more information regarding this day.
Kind regards,
Rosa Smit | Centre Manager
GREENAID
Dear Parents,
Just a reminder that 116 boxes remain outstanding for the
Greenaid fundraiser.
Potentially we are liable for $8352.00. Please return any
unsold boxes and/or money immediately.
Administration Officer,
SCHOOL COUNCIL REPORT
October Meeting 2014.
Hello everyone,
It is that time again to update you with what’s happening at
School Council. Last Monday evening we had another great
meeting, only 2 more to take place for 2014!
In the Principal’s report Kerri shared with us the results of the
Parent Survey for 2014 with councillors. Focus groups to be
run by Kellie Neil (Community Liaison Officer) will provide
additional feedback. The Principal also spoke about gave us
an trialling a Learning Expo to report to parents in Term 4.
here. This could take place in week 9 in Term 4. Further
information will be forwarded in the coming weeks.
Planning and budgeting for 2015 is about to take place.
Parents and teachers were invited to participate in an Online
Survey for community input into the school directions.
Curriculum Action teams have commenced discussions about
Cont next column...
Excellence & Opportunity
what worked well this year, along with changes. Our school
will be up for a School Review in 2015. From this there will
be a new Strategic Plan developed and this will provide the
school with a clear direction for a further 3 years. Kerri also
informed us about the new program called ‘Catching on
Early‘. Craig Thompson, our Student Wellbeing Officer, and
our Social Worker, Natasha Divine, will be running Parent
information sessions about this.
Finance is always kept busy, with Josie absent we heard
from our Business Manager Dianne Swan. Book lists were a
hot topic for 2015. Dianne was able to show us an example
pack for each year level. A new provider will be providing
Booklist items for Parkwood Green in 2015. It’s full steam
ahead to have lists printed and ready to hand out to the PG
community in the next few weeks.
Thanks to the many families who purchased books from the
Book Fair. It’s really pleasing to hear how successful the
Fair was, I saw many excited students very happy with their
books. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this a
success! Our school now has over $4000.00 to spend on
more library books for you all to enjoy!
Education Committee, with David Allibon, leading have been
looking at our Student’s Dress Code. Other areas the
committee will be working on is Assessment and Reporting,
Working Bees, Communication and Transition from one
grade to another.
As leader of Community Links I gave a report on the areas
we have been attending too. At our last meeting we
sought feedback regarding the 10 Year Anniversary held
last month at the Luxor. We discussed the food, slide show,
preparation and general comments from the night. This
feedback will be important for any future milestones we
have here at PG! Most of the School Council Members that
attended agreed that it was a great night to catch up with
past staff and friends. School uniforms were discussed and
along with the Education committee will be looking at
different aspects in 2015. However there are NO changes to
the uniform. Our Parent/ Volunteer Morning Tea is only
around the corner too. Please pencil in the date in your
diaries now , as we would love to see you there. This is to
be Monday 8th December 11.00am (date is also on the
parent calendar). I will be looking forward to this as it’s a
great opportunity to thank many of you for your help
throughout the year.
Simon Parker reported the Kitchen Garden is still to be
developed. It will include a five Kitchen workspaces and
open shelving. I can’t wait to see this finished, I think it will
be fantastic !
The bulb planting was a huge success and the bulbs are
coming up. Won’t be long till we see some colour around
soon. The next working bee is Friday November 14th
4-6pm. Another date to add to your diaries. The Grounds
team are looking at drip systems in gardens around our
great school too.
Another great meeting with fellow School Councillors.
Next Meeting: Monday 17th November @ 7pm.
All welcome !
Fiona Hyett
School Council President.
| PAGE 7
PAH - Zane Mckenzie
PBR - Aarya Sholapurkar
PCC - Taliah Baker
PCL - Yumin Jayasinghe, Aiden Roberston & Zain
Ahmed.
PEC - Sarah Tadday
PJA - Alexander Vetere
PJV - Sienna Moore & Xavier Psaila
PMM - Fizza Syeda
PSK - Lesha Smith
1CF - Jordan Cesar
1FL - Sienna Izak
1JB - Isaiah Lee Wen
1KC - Angelina Pacheco & Xavier Pardillo
1KE - Eden Aualli
1KU - Oliver Gray
1SC - Izaiah Timu
2AH - Brianna Sant
2BC - Luke LaRocca
2FC - Leyla Bozok & Aaron Spaseski
2JM - Riley Cassar
2SP - Charlie Mcfarlane
2TK - Koray Cagla
2TM - Kavian Rahmani
2YL - Ava Nicolle
3AP - Tayissa Hermence, Samuel Saad & Caysha
O'Brien
3BM - Meagan Mostert
3BZ - Cain Lawless
3HD - Ragav Bramendran
3KH - Riley Willis
3MB - Chanel Calleja and Gary Barbaro
3MG - Michael Larizza & Xavier Bennett
4CT - Nathan Cassidy-Natano & Jaksen Luhm
4DA - Max Talia
4IB - Shaun Stockman
4JM - Dante Pisani & Katie Fyssarakis
4KL - Brodie Lee
4MP - Anwar Elissa & Jorja Novak
4SS - Mason Bosevski & Emily Hughes
4TL - Elijah Mares & Bhargav Venu Shastry
5GD - Emily Young & Brendon Mifsud
5JP - Sarah Wood
5KC - Chanelle Baldevia & Indiana Grant
5LC - Nathan Branagan
5NW - Emily Kerbage
5SB - Gideon Lopez
6CL - Priya Nalavade
6JS - Odin Agatanovic
6KJ - Athan Christopher
6KW - Omkar Bhavsar & Amanda Phillips
6ML - Emily Orevic & Alexis Schembri
6RM - Fahmi Adem
6ST - Tina Kogioumtzis
Music - 3BZ, 1CF & 1KE
Art - 4SS, 3AP & 3BZ
Library Bookworm - 1JB, PAH, 3BM, 5AP & 6ML
PE- 5JP & 5LC