IMPORTANT DATES COMING UP

December Wednesday 20th – Concert – 7.00pm Thursday – Triathlon – Note change of date Friday 22nd – Last day of Term 4 – Pool Party – Dismissal – 2.30pm January Wednesday 31st – 1st day Term 1 for students

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End of Year Thank You As we draw to the end of yet another great year of learning at Avenel Primary School, I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone who has played their part in creating a dynamic school environment for our children. As an old maxim states: “feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it” so it is with genuine gratitude and appreciation I would like to thank the following people. Thank you to our wonderful band of teachers (Sarah, Kahlia, Lisa, Anne, Travis, Jania, Carrye, Kate, Lucy, Rosie and Kerrie) for the incredible dedication they have shown over year. A big thank you to Sue, Fiona and Ruby for the invaluable contribution they make in their role as integration aides. Lorraine and Dee work wonders behind the scenes and I thank them for their work and the support they provide to students, parents and teachers. Best of luck in 2018 to Travis, Lorraine and Sue whose faces we will no longer see at Avenel Primary School – I wish them the very best with their respective plans and thank them for their efforts. We have an incredibly committed band of School Councillors and I would like to thank them for the dedication they bring to their role. Finally, a warm thank you to all those members of our Parents & Friends committee and parent helpers who sweated and toiled to raise funds over the year. An outstanding team effort that resulted in another great year for our students and families. Christmas Concert: Tonight at 7pm Tonight at 7pm, we will be hosting our end of year Christmas concert. This concert is an opportunity for us to recognize academic achievement, personal qualities and social skills through an award ceremony. Each grade level will also perform a Christmas related item on the night and the highlight of the night is, of course, the arrival of Santa on our oval. Over the years we have always had a great turn out on the night and seating is often at a premium; if you have a camp chair, it is probably a good idea to bring it along. I look forward to a great night and I cannot wait to see our students have their moment in the spotlight. End of Year Pool Party, Prep Swimming Sports and End of Year Assembly: On Friday, we will be holding our Prep Swimming Sports at our local pool commencing at 11am. Mrs Evans and Ms Ternes have organised a number of fun events to give our Prep students the opportunity to splash and dash! Following the conclusion of our Prep swimming sports, we will hold an end of year pool party – please note that rash shirts are compulsory. We will return to school at approximately 1pm, then conclude our school year with an Assembly commencing at 2.15pm. Grade 3 to 6 Triathlon: Tomorrow we will be holding our Grade 3 to 6 triathlon. Our triathlon is a wonderful opportunity for our students to get an experience of the triathlon format in a supportive team environment. 36 of our students have nominated to take part in the event, which is a great credit to the “can do” attitude of our students. If you can spare an hour of your time to assist with supervision, please contact the office to register your help – the event will run from 11am to 12pm approximately. There will be a Parent Helper briefing in the staffroom at 10.30am. Valedictory Last Thursday night, we said farewell to our Grade 6 students during our Grade 6 Valedictory. The night was a fitting way to say goodbye to a group of students who have made a great contribution to our school and who had a big impact on our school culture. We wish them all the best on their future paths. Of course we couldn't sign off on the Valedictory without mentioning how inviting the room looked on the night and how delicious the food tasted - thank you to the Grade 5 parents who staged and catered for the event and made sure that our Grade 6 students had a night to remember. Business Manager Position 2018 I am pleased to announce that Linda Williams will be fulfilling the role of Business Manager at Avenel Primary School in 2018. Linda is an experienced Business Manager who has a broad range of experience in school and industry settings. On behalf of the Avenel Primary School community, I would like to welcome Linda aboard the team and wish a great start to her working life at Avenel Primary School in 2018. Congratulations Amy Manson It was with great delight that I received the news that one of our past students Amy Manson received a VCE score of 98.95 and was dux of Euroa Secondary College. Amy has been has been remarkably dedicated to the pursuit of academic excellence

throughout her education and aspires to undertake a Bachelor of Animation at Melbourne University. I would like to wish her all the very best with the next stage of her studies. Finally, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful family time over the holiday period. I look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and reinvigorated on January 31st. All the best, Neil

OTHER THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ….

SUBJECT CONTRIBUTION – Thank you to those families who have made payment, either in part or in full, of this year’s Subject Contribution. We remind those who have opted to pay by instalment that $42.50 per student is due by the end of term. The subject contribution payment covers the cost of subject expenses and class materials which have been purchased by the school

to be distributed to students throughout the year. Payments can be made either by cash or direct deposit to the school account BSB 063 545 Account No 10076513. Please insert ‘sub cont’ and family name in the reference field. LOST PROPERTY – The number of lost items in the ‘lost property’ tub is on the increase

again. Please make the effort to come in and have a look to see if any belong to your child. If they are not claimed by the end of the year they will be given to charity. OFFICE HOURS PRIOR TO SCHOOL RECOMMENCING – The office will be open between

9.30am – 11.00am on the 29thJanuary for those who wish to purchase uniforms prior to school recommencing. LEXILE & TAKE HOME READERS - Could parents please check your child’s favourite reading spots to see if there are any of our ‘take home readers’ or ‘lexile’ books hidden away. It would be appreciated if these could be returned before the end of term so that we can have our reading shelves up and running right from the start of term 1. FOR YOUR INFORMATION- Term dates for 2018 Term 1 - Wednesday, January 31 2018 - Thursday, 29 March 2018 Term 2 - Monday, 16 April 2018 - Friday, 29 June 2018 Term 3 - Monday, 16 July 2018 - Friday, 21 September 2018 Term 4 - Monday, 8 October 2018 - Friday, 21 December 2018

and Public Holidays during the school year. Friday 30 March –Good Friday Sunday 1 April - Easter Sunday Monday 2 April - Easter Monday Wednesday 25 April - Anzac Day Monday 11 June - Queen's Birthday Fri day 28 September - AFL Grand Final Friday Tuesday 6 November - Melbourne Cup

AROUND THE ROOMS To – Wren Thornton Micah Padgett, Olivia Nash, Lane Cocks, Sophie Cahir, Holly Williams, Natasha Harding and Levi Thomson.

STUDENTS OF THE WEEK ….. Congratulations to Camilla Bull – for creativity when planning a narrative. Angie Hurlock – for her responsibility of her belongings and ensuring she was ready for swimming. Natasha Harding – for her active listening and participation in group discussions. Mylee Bankier – for listening to others and sharing her ideas during small group discussions. Ben Morgan– for setting an excellent example through sustained reading during silent reading. Melissa Toy – for her thoughtful consideration of language choices and content when creating a picture story book.. Sebastian Kanters – for consistently giving all learning tasks his best effort.

Josie Perry- for showing a positive attitude towards her learning by participating in class performances. Willow Harper - for showing our school values when working as part of a team. Nat Miniken – for sharing her knowledge to help others during Personal Passions. James Wall – for his care and attention in assisting his buddy on Transition Day.

AVENEL PRIMARY SCHOOL

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

MONTH

DATE

EVENT December Wednesday 20th Concert – 7.00pm (BYO Cair)

Thursday21st Gr 3 – 6 Triathlon Note change of date

Friday 22nd Last day of Term 4

January Wednesday 31st 1st day Term 1

COMMUNITY CORNER

SHOWING AT THE EUROA CINEMA OVER THE NEXT WEEKS See flyer below.

Tickets $10 – Preschool children free. Ice-creams, popcorn etc available from the Kiosk. Screening times: 8.00pm Friday; 8.00pm Saturday and 4.00pm Sunday AVENEL TENNIS CLUB – CHRISTMAS RAFFLE

VicSwim will run at the Avenel Pool across the 3 weeks commencing 2nd January from 9.00am-

12.40pm

AVENEL GOLF CLUB TWILIGHT GOLF

Come along to Avenel Golf Club Friday evenings and join us for

9 holes of golf - $5.00. No handicap necessary.

BBQ following – sausages from

Avenel Meats.

Tennis coaching will recommence again from Tuesday 6th February in the New Year.

Make a Difference at Cancer Council’s Seymour Relay For Life

2018

You’re invited to take part in Seymour Relay For Life to be held at Avenel Recreation Reserve, Anderson St, Avenel on Saturday 14 –

Sunday 15 April 2018. It is Seymour Relay For Life’s 10th Birthday

and we would love you to join us in celebrating this milestone.

What is Relay For Life? - Relay For Life is a community fundraising

festival, which brings together teams who camp overnight and walk

relay-style throughout the event to symbolise the cancer fight and

raise vital funds for Cancer Council Victoria’s research, prevention and

support services. Whether you stay for one hour or 18 hours, come

along with your friends, family or colleagues and enjoy a night of fun,

all while supporting a cause close to many.

You can expect to enjoy local live entertainment, food, activities, and

special ceremonies throughout the duration of the event. Each Relay

commences with a special Survivors and Carers Lap to celebrate

cancer Survivors and their Carers. A Candlelight Ceremony held at

dusk is a chance to reflect and honour loved ones lost to cancer and

to celebrate our courageous survivors.

Saturday 3pm: Opening Ceremony Saturday 8pm: Candlelight Ceremony

Sunday 10am: Closing Ceremony

Over the 10 years, Seymour Relay For Life has raised over $645,000

for Cancer Council Victoria. This year, we aim to raise another

$50,000 to support all of the mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters,

cousins, aunts, uncles, friends and colleagues affected by cancer in

your community.

Supporting Relay For Life is easy! There are a number of ways you can get involved with Seymour Relay

For Life:

Create a team or join an existing team and fundraise

Donate to an individual or team

Sponsorship of cash, goods or services

Throughout our online early-bird period, registration is $20 per

person, which includes a Relay For Life T-shirt, access to the event

including all activities, food and entertainment, and your team will be allocated a campsite to set up, decorate and get comfortable!

Visit http://fundraising.cancer.org.au/Seymour for further information

and to register a team. If you have any questions please don’t

hesitate to contact me on the below.

Kitty Howard

Relay For Life Event Coordinator

Cancer Council Victoria M: 0477 346 810

E: kitty.howard@cancervic.org.au

Game On! Summer Reading Club.

Supercharge your reading this summer with Goulburn Valley Libraries and the Summer Reading Club. Registrations open from 1st December 2017 and the program runs until 31st January 2018. Registration is FREE for children of all ages. When participants register they receive a Summer Reading Club pack for a Pre-school, Primary or Secondary aged child. As children read they collect fun rewards, and for every book read children receive a token to enter into their branch draw to win a fantastic prize. Every child who registers with Goulburn Valley Libraries, and reads just one book can enter to win! National prizes are also up for grabs for those who participate in the online activities. Last year more than 400 children registered to participate at a GV Library. This is the seventh year as a national program, and we are hoping to make it bigger than ever. The theme for the 2017 Summer Reading Club is GAME ON. Readers will be encouraged to play, solve, participate and read in celebration of sports, games, technology and spirit. Go to www.gvlibraries.com.au for more information, or the Summer Reading Club website at www.summerreadingclub.org.au.

For bookings or more information:

Emma Kennedy, Children’s & Youth Services Librarian,

Goulburn Valley Libraries

Tel: 03 5832 1620 or 1300 374 765

Email: emmak@gvrlc.vic.gov.au