P O Box 334 Bacchus Marsh 3340 www.bacchusmarshps.vic.edu.au

Email bacchus.marsh.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au Phone 03 5367 2745 Fax 03 5367 5757

Principal Ms Melinda Williams

NEWSLETTER Newsletter 11

Friday September 22nd, 2017

FROM THE PRINCIPAL TEAM Following an extremely action packed term where our students had many opportunities to shine academically, socially and personally we wish all families and staff a well-deserved,

happy, and safe break. Thank-you to all in our community who assist in so many ways to support the development

of our students.

PLEASE ADD MONDAY NOVEMBER 6 TO YOUR CALENDAR AS THIS WILL BE A PUPIL FREE DAY

GRADE 6 PRODUCTION Our 2017 production Hollywood Heroes was a HUGE HIT.

Congratulations to all of our performers and our team of ‘superb’ staff lead by Alison Thompson and Lisa Hurst.

Watching all of our students shine was a highlight of our term. BRAVO!

Trivia Night- PUZZLES @SUNSET We are very much looking forward to our Trivia night this Saturday at the Bacchus Marsh

Hall. We are raising funds for the refurbishment of our synthetic basketball courts. We take this opportunity to thank the fundraising team for their ongoing commitment and

hardwork.

DADS NIGHT Thanks to all of our families who were able to come along to our footy night last Thursday. These informal opportunities to mingle, meet, catch up with other families and enjoy time

together are highly valued.

PREP OUTDOOR INVESTIGATION AREA

A big thankyou to our Prep staff and parents for planning and facilitating the working bee that transformed an unused space into an engaging outdoor learning area.

“Alone we do a little, together we do a lot”

SAND TOYS We would really love any pre loved sand toys that are in good condition. Tip Trucks, old kitchen items for sifting sand etc. Please drop to the office

CHILD SAFETY STANDARDS

To again draw attention to the Child Safety Standards that came into effect from August 1st 2017 we take another opportunity in this newsletter to reinforce our commitment to the

safety and wellbeing of all children and young people in our care. Bacchus Marsh Primary School has zero tolerance for child abuse.

Please visit http://www.bacchusmarshps.vic.edu.au, Student Welfare, Child Safety for further documentation and note the inclusion of our Mandatory Reporting Policy and

Procedure, and Child Safety Officer, purpose and responsibilities. .

2018 PLANNING CONFIRMATION LETTERS FOR 2018 PREP FAMILIES HAVE BEEN SENT OUT THIS WEEK

As previously mentioned in our newsletter please let the office know if you are planning to transfer out of the area at the end of the year or if you know of new families looking to

enrol at BMPS in 2018. This information is invaluable in assisting us to plan for next year in the best interests of all children.

CHURCH CARPARK Parents, please note that BMPS parents are NOT permitted to park in the church carpark.

We have received correspondence this week asking us to ensure parents are aware of this.

DROP OFF ZONE A reminder that our drop off zone is not a parking area. Please do not leave cars parked unattended in this area.

Melinda, Leanne and Pam and Chris

SPARE CLOTHES We are running very low on large sized school polo tops and windcheaters (especially size 14-16), if you have any that you no longer need, we would

appreciate them for our spare clothes cupboard. Thank you.

LABELLING SCHOOL UNIFORM

Please ensure that uniform items are clearly labelled as this makes it easier to identify items in the lost property basket.

KITCHEN VOLUNTEERS Can you help?

Mrs Zanon would love to hear from any parents interested in supporting the kitchen program.

Volunteer support is at the CORE of our wonderful program and we would be thrilled to welcome new faces. Please contact the office if you would like to get involved.

THANK YOU

Darley bakery thank you for bread donation for Dad’s Night – Crystal (Cooper Walls 2U)

NEWSLETTER PE and SPORT

SPORTING SCHOOLS

We have had visits from Netball Victoria and Cricket Australia this term for our Grade Three and Five students. Both year levels have been involved in several sessions

learning about each of the sports and the skills involved. A free Cricket session for all children from Grade One to Grade Four will take place in

the first two weeks of Term Four.

GOLF Next Term the Grade Five and Six students will be involved in Golf lessons. Grade Six students will also compete in our annual BMPS Golf tournament

on November 10th at the Bacchus Marsh West Golf Course. Information regarding lessons and the tournament will be sent via Flexibuzz as soon as details are finalised.

ATHLETICS

On Wednesday the Division Athletics were held at Werribee. Congratulations to the 23 children who represented the district from BMPS. Thank you to parents and relatives for supporting the children throughout the day and to Mr Nelson for looking after the

team. We have several children through to the next level and we look forward to hearing about their achievements next term.

GRADE ONE FMS

Throughout Term Two and Three the Grade One children have been participating in a 20 minute Fundamental Motor Skills program with their teacher and PE staff on

Fridays. The program is designed to increase the children's exposure to the basic skills and

movement patterns required for activities/sports they may want to pursue in the future.

Evidence suggests that if children don't develop the Fundamental Movements required in their junior years, they will be less likely to engage purposefully in

activities later in life. In a society that already spends too much time at a screen or sitting, this is not something we want to see happen to our children.

The children have enjoyed their time being active and challenging themselves at the various activities.

PREP SWIMMING

A reminder that Prep swimming commences on Monday 30th October, fourth week of Term Four. Children will swim every day for the week. Forms will be sent home on the

first week of Term Four. The cost is $55.00 for the five lessons. This includes bus travel to and from the venue.

PE Team

Lisa, Yvonne, Alli

Student Writing

In Grade 5, our students’ Inquiry Unit has focussed partially on life on the Ballarat Goldfields. Here is one example of an excellent historical recount by Lauren McLean in Grade 5J written from the perspective of a Chinese miner.

Grade 1 students have been writing some terrific descriptions and here in one

sample from Loretta Johnson in Grade 1C – all about Apples.

Learning at Home Are you looking for practical ideas to involve your child in learning at home in a way that is fun and purposeful? You want to help your child develop their literacy and numeracy skills, but working out how can be tricky. How do you find activities that reinforce and build on the concepts and skills your child will encounter in the classroom? Research indicates that ongoing parental involvement in children’s learning reaps benefits in many ways, including shaping positive attitudes to learning and supporting student achievement. Learning Potential Resources can help. This parent-friendly website is free to access and provides a range of literacy and numeracy activities designed to support the Australian Curriculum for primary school children. Visit the Learning Potential Resources website www.learningpotential.edu.au on desktop, tablet or mobile devices. Browse by year level band and discover:

Everyday ideas – simple activities for home and out and about

Practise together – offline activities to reinforce literacy and numeracy skills

Practise online – interactive games and videos.

TERM 4 IMPORTANT DATES

September 22 Last Day Of Term 3

September 23 Puzzles @ Sunset

October 9 TERM 4

October 16 Grade 6 Canberra Camp

Grade 4 Camp – 4O, 4N & 4H

October 18 Grade 4 Camp – 4Y, 4R & 4H

October 30 Prep Swimming

November 10 Grade 6 Golf Tournament

PREP 2018 TRANSITION PROGRAM

1. Wednesday 18th October, 2017 9.30am – 10.30am Your child is invited to participate in Prep classroom activities

2. Wednesday 15th November, 2017

9.30am – 10.30am Your child is invited to participate in Prep classroom activities

3. Thursday 30th November, 2017

6.30pm An Information Evening for parents of 2018 Prep children will be held at BMPS at 6.30pm

4. Wednesday 6th December, 2017

9.30am – 10.30am Your child is invited to meet their new class teacher for 2018

SPORTS REWARDS PROGRAM FOR BMPS

One of our local businesses –SportsFirst, has kindly set up a rewards program for our school

families who purchase items from their store. Families are offered a 5 per cent discount off

the price of an item and a further 5 percent of the cost of the goods purchased will be

donated to BMPS as part of a school fundraiser. Just let the staff know you are from BMPS!

The store is located in the Village shopping centre and stocks a wide range of goods and

clothing for the whole family, including shoes. We thank SportFirst for their support.

ADVERTISING Bacchus Marsh Primary School is a community school and we are happy to distribute

information from community groups. Please be aware that these forms of communication/information are not endorsements from our school.