18th October, 2018

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

TECOMA TIMES Tecoma Primary School Newsletter

1536 Burwood Highway,

Tecoma VIC 3160

Tel: 9754 2354 Fax: 9754 2049

Email: tecoma.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

Website: www.tecomaps.vic.edu.au

Principal : Rohan Thompson

Assistant Principal: Di Double

DATES TO REMEMBER

OCTOBER

Friday 19th Whole School Swimming

Tuesday 23rd

JAPANESE DAY

Friday 26th Whole School Swimming

MOVIE NIGHT Cybersafety for Parents

Info Session

Saturday 27th PFA Social/Trivia Night

Wednesday 31st STEP INTO PREP

BUDDIES

NOVEMBER

Friday 2nd Curriculum Day NO STUDENTS

Tuesday 6th

MELBOURNE CUP PUBLIC HOLIDAY

MOVIE NIGHT/ CYBERSAFETY PARENT EVENING Please don’t miss the opportunity to come along to the Cybersafety Parent Evening starting at 7pm in the hall on Friday October 26. You can come along to this, as your children can come to the movies at our school at the same time. We recommend you coming along to hear about what you can do to support your children as they move into the ever expanding but challenging space. Being a neanderthal, I’ve had to come to terms with the fact that children and young adults (including my own) communicate this way and we need to not hide away from it but we need to know more about it. We also need to know the strategies to protect, to coach and to support our children as they move into this cyber maze. We hope this evening provides you with this information. The movie for your children starts at 6.45pm, giving you enough time to head down to the hall. All notices are due back by 4PM next Wednesday, both for the movie night and your attendance at the Cybersafety presentation. We really would like to see as many parents as we can here, especially, those with children in the younger years. The earlier we catch parents, the better! PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE This Monday, we will be handing out certificates for the Premier’s Reading Challenge. We had 43 who met the challenge this year. If you can make it along to assembly on Monday, we would love to see you here. CLASS PLACEMENT 2019 Thank you to the parents who have taken the time to write to me regarding information or concerns they may have over their child’s class placement for 2019. A reminder, the final date to send a letter to me on this issue is Thursday November 1. 2019 NUMBERS Our enrolment as of October 17th is 409 students. Our numbers consist of 199 boys and 210 girls. We are conservatively working on the figure of 425 (1 less than what we expected) children for our budgets for 2019.

Our numbers for next year are as follows: Prep 71 children Grade 1 67 children Grade 2 61 children Grade 3 61 children Grade 4 58 children Grade 5 56 children Grade 6 52 children Total: 426 We are now finalising what we can afford for 2019 so if you are doing a sea change, chasing warmer weather, getting away from Melbourne’s traffic or moving to more traffic and an inner city life, can you let us know in writing as soon as possible. PARENT SOCIAL NIGHT/TRIVIA NIGHT Tables are filling for the School trivia night, our parent social night for the year. If you want to be part of it, can you please let the office know and we will simply place your name on a table. Alternatively, you can also place your name on the list of tables just near the office window. The theme for this year is Halloween which is an easy one to get costumes and accessories for at that time of year with Arthur Daleys, The Reject Shop and Aldi always coming out with their range of items. Date and time: Saturday 27th October @ 7pm TABLES OF 10 - $20 PER TICKET PUPIL FREE DAY A reminder, as talking to some parents in the yard last week and they weren’t aware despite it being in the newsletter since before the holidays……Last term at School Council, it was passed that Friday November 2, the Friday prior to the Melbourne Cup public holiday Tuesday will be a pupil free day. No children will be at school that day as staff will be working on their ICT skills through a literacy lens. Please lock this date in your calendar and I will constantly remind the community through the newsletter. TERM 4 IS A SUN SMART TERM Parents and children are reminded that this term children must wear school sun smart hats every day during recess and lunch breaks and on school excursions. GRADE SIX GRADUATION Preparations have begun for our Grade six Graduation on December 19. This will be the third year we are holding the graduation ceremony at Burrinja before we head to the Upwey/Belgrave RSL for a meal. Information will be sent home on a regular basis and your children will be kept informed of developments as they occur. The year six students are also preparing for the next phase of their education. It is an exciting time for them with many changes occurring as they progress through to Secondary College. Discuss the transition with your child in a positive way to ensure that the transition is a smooth one. Should you have any concerns please speak to your child’s teacher at the school.

IS YOUR CHILD STARTING SECONDARY SCHOOL NEXT YEAR? Parents of our grade 6 students will tell you that it doesn’t seem that long ago that their child was starting school. The primary years seem to fly by and our grade sixes are already two weeks into their final term of primary school. Secondary school can be a daunting thought for not only our students but parents as well. There are many questions, which I’m sure you have, which are not fully answered at information nights and orientation days. The Department of Education and Training have developed an informative site, which provides hints and tips on how to support your child through the transition to secondary school. The site is https://www.education.vic.gov.au/parents/Pages/default.aspx THIS WEEK AT ASSEMBLY WE:

handed out some fantastic Student of the Week awards

thanked everyone for their start to the swimming program last Friday

asked all the children not to play on the new equipment while we get it repaired and also not to make bases or cubby houses in the shrubs near the recycle and waste bins

reminded students that hats must be worn in term 4

Heard some wonderful weekend achievements

See you around the school Rohan Thompson Principal

Second hand books

Grade 3M are collecting second hand books for Tecoma Primary School’s Fete in Term 4. We would love donations of children’s storybooks and novels,

adolescent or adult novels, both fiction and non-fiction. If you are cleaning out a bookshelf or child’s room at home, we would love to receive your

preloved books.

Please drop books off at Mrs Griffiths’ classroom or at the Office.

Thank you!

MUSIC LESSONS AT TECOMA P.S. PRIVATE TUTORS

Drums/Singing/Other Instruments Violin Jordan Scotney 0408 881 395 Lore Burns 0431 224 262 Guitar Juan Aravena 0402 688 836 Piano Amanda Collins 0478 166 709

OFFICE NEWS

SWIMMING - Our whole school swimming is on again tomorrow. Students need to bring along their bathers, goggles, towel & a plastic bag for their wet things! LEVIES - Please note that the Term 4 levies are going out this week. Keep a look out in your child/ren’s bags. ABSENCES - If your child is not well or going to be absent, please notify the school via FlexiBuzz by 10.30am on the day of their absence. Many thanks, Karin, Heather & Anthea The Office Gals

UNIFORM SHOP

Please note that the Uniform Shop is open on the following days:

Tuesday Morning 8:45am to 9:15am

Wednesday Afternoon 3:15pm to 3:45pm

READING ROOM HELPERS NEEDED We are in need of 2 Reading Room helpers, one for Thursday morning & one for Friday morning (9am to 11am). If you are

available, please contact the office as we would love your help! Thanks in advance.

Words from Mrs Double

FORMATION OF CLASSES POLICY As Rohan has mentioned, the forming of our 2019 classes will be taking place this term. To ensure that everyone is fully aware of the entire process which the Tecoma School Council has put in place, I have included a copy of the Formation of Classes Policy below. This policy provides very clear guidelines as to how the classes at Tecoma Primary School will be formed.

POLICY STATEMENT

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this policy is to provide clear guidelines as to how classes will be formed.

OBJECTIVES:

To enhance every students’ learning opportunity through the placement of students in classes with a variety of educational and social needs.

To create specific guidelines which teaching staff can refer to when placing students in classes.

To ensure that all student’s and parent’s needs are treated fairly and equitably.

To inform parents, if requested, of the process that is in place at Tecoma Primary School which is used to determine the grade structure throughout the school and student grade placements.

GUIDELINES FOR IMPLEMENTATION:

Where possible, the school will provide smaller numbers in the Early Years classes (Foundation (Prep) – 2), as required by Departmental guidelines, and in particular in Preparatory grades.

Classes are structured to make maximum use of available rooms and staff and to form the most suitable teacher-pupil ratios.

Advice is sought from the relevant Pre-schools when grouping children for Prep classes.

The choice between Victorian Curriculum level (one year level classes), composite classes, gender specific or mixed ability classes will depend on what is considered to be in the best interest of the children and the school.

When classes are formed the process involves the consideration of written parent requests, student friendship choices and input from current class teachers, ensuring there is a balance of academic abilities and behavioural attributes.

Written parent requests must be based on the educational needs of their child and must be addressed to the school principal. These submissions will be treated with the strictest confidentiality. Parent requests are called for during the first week of term 4, each year and must be submitted no later than the first Friday in November. No requests will be accepted after the due date.

Final decisions regarding class structure and composition rests with the Principal. Requests for particular teachers will not be considered under any circumstance.

FORMATION OF CLASSES

Grade allocations are announced to children and class lists are sent home to advise all parents of their child’s classmates and their classroom teacher on Orientation Day, in early December each year. In the event that a grade allocation changes over the holiday break, every effort will be made to notify parents concerned of this change.

EVALUATION:

Evaluation of this policy will be carried out as part of the Education Committee’s cyclic review process, in five years’ time, or beforehand, if a significant issue arises.

BULLYSTOPPERS & CYBERBULLYING

Students achieve their best at school in safe and supportive environments, where they are free from bullying and disruptive behaviour.

We put a huge emphasis on making sure we provide a great environment for our students – one that promotes tolerance and is inclusive, harmonious and free from bullying.

We can work towards this goal through education in the classroom, intervention in the playground and a focus on promoting positive behaviours.

However, with the rise of social media, bullying now occurs online, as well as in person. Cyberbullying is just as harmful as face-to-face bullying, and it can occur at any time of the day.

Cyberbullying is an increasing issue in the wider community – and the best way to tackle it is for schools, students and parents to work in partnership.

Here, at Tecoma Primary School, we support the Victorian Government’s Bully Stoppers campaign – which has just launched a new series of tools and resources for parents and students to support students in preventing cyberbullying.

These resources, called Bully Stoppers: Speak Up Against Cyberbullying, are available on the Bully Stoppers website, at www.education.vic.gov.au/bullystoppers - please visit the site to find out more.

Have a lovely week and we hope to see you all at the Cybersafety presentation next Friday 26

th October (while your children are at the Tecoma Movie night).

Cheers! Di Double Quotes of the week: “All our dreams can come true – if we have the courage to pursue them.’ Walt Disney

FRIDAY LUNCH ORDERS

If your child/ren are swimming on Fridays, we suggest that you do not place a lunch order. Unfortunately, due to the swimming

timetable students are eating at odd times and hot food would not be very appetizing after sitting out for a while.

Apologies for the inconvenience.

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

GRADE NAME REASON Prep C Emily J Emily is such a focussed and dedicated learner. She tries her personal

best in everything she does, for example, she has been working on spelling ‘because’. Emily practised both at home and school and has

achieved her goal. Well done Emily!

Prep K Jepi S I absolutely loved your drawing of a good and bad Fairy Tale scene last week Jepi. You used so much detail and certainly did your personal

best to ensure your bad scene was as scary as possible! What a wonderful effort Jepi :-)

Prep W Samuel B Samuel is so encouraging of other people in the Prep classroom. He’s the first to say “Good job”, when someone else has done the right thing and is always so positive and helpful. Fantastic work Samuel!

Prep Y All of Prep Y I am awarding student of the week to all students in Prep Y, as you have all entered into Term Four with an amazing attitude to your continued learning for your final term of Prep. You support one

another in your learning, and show kindness, compassion and friendship in the ways in which you engage with each other. You make

me so proud to be your teacher!

1P Abby C Abby made use of the Show Don’t Tell strategy in her writing to describe how a character was feeling without directly stating it. She

explained appearance, movement and sound to help the reader know that the character was feeling happy. Fantastic Effort Abby!

1R Alayna A Alayna is a valued member of the 1R community. Not only does she help keep our classroom clean but she goes above and beyond to help

everyone in our room, showing kindness and understanding for others. She has exceptional organisation skills and is always one of the first

people ready on the floor or packed up at the end of the day. Thank you Alayna!

1V Josie W For challenging yourself during our weekly Spelling Test, to attempt all 18 words. Josie, you are achieving very high results by using the

skills you have learnt in SMART Spelling. Keep up the wonderful work!

1V Daniel W For your excellent progress in Reading, so far this year. Daniel, your dedication to reading every night, as well as your hard work at school, has enabled you to have progressed from Level 6 in

Term 1, to Level 18! What a wonderful achievement! Keep up the great reading!

2M Akira G Akira has made a fantastic start to Term Four. He is asking questions of what he needs to do and is giving his best efforts in all learning areas.

Well done Akira.

3GN Alfie W Alfie made an enthusiastic and independent start on his Writing Genre Project about Beavers

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

GRADE NAME REASON 3M Caleb Y Caleb has made such amazing progress in reading this year. He is

always ready to tackle a new book and his effective sounding out strategies help him to decipher tricky words. You are a

reading star, Caleb

3W Fin J Fin has been excited about our Writing Genre Project and made a great start collecting facts about his chosen topic, the Bugatti Chiron. He has organised these under sub-headings and found important information. Well done Fin – I am looking forward to reading it at the end of term.

4D Callan B For always trying his personal best in all areas of his learning. Callan is also a very fair and responsible person when umpiring a game of soccer.

He strives to make the right calls 100% of the time. Congratulations Callan.

4D Archer M For being a good and responsible friend to everyone in our class. Archer is always willing to lend assistance to anyone who asks him for help. He also tries his personal best and will take on board suggestions

willingly. Congratulations Archer.

4V Evie O For always putting in her best effort, no matter what the task. Evie, you consistently present your work in a neat and tidy way, showing

you take pride in your work. You are always trying your best and striving to learn more. Fantastic effort, Evie :)

4V Dane S For stepping out of his comfort zone. Dane, you had a go at trying new food that you did not want to try during our food discovery

session in Integrated. You should be proud of yourself for having a go! Keep challenging yourself Dane :)

5G Ashley O Ashley showed great sportsmanship during 5/6 Interschool Sports this week. She enthusiastically played with her volleyball team and was

extremely encouraging towards them when they did well. Ashley was resilient and never let up her spirit during any of the games. Her skills

in volleyball have improved immensely and I’m so proud of her motivated attitude towards volleyball since term one.

Well done Ashley! 5R Amali K Well done Amali, for the wonderful sportsmanship you showed to all

other students during Volleyball at Interschool Sports. You were kind to everyone and showed the excellent qualities we are looking for in

our leaders for next year. Excellent effort!

6F Sasha G Sasha has been working so hard all year in Quick Smart. She has shown real determination and focus, intent on completing the program and

improving her mathematical skills and bringing her knowledge back to the classroom to utilise in our lessons. Sasha, I am so proud of you for

completing the Quick Smart program—you achieved your goal!

JAPANESE Samuel C Well done Samuel-kun (Mr. Samuel) for working out the Japanese Day date in Kanji characters by referring to the

Japanese room displays!

Congratulations to our Divisional Athletics Competitors

Well done to our 19 athletes who all competed in the SSV (School Sports Victoria) Divisional Athletics on Wednesday 10th October at the Knox Athletics Track.

I am very proud to say that all of our competitors did an amazing job representing our school on a rather windy athletics day.

Here are the results. The following students who have placed either first or second progress through to the Regional Finals today at the Bill Sewart Athletics Track in Nunawading:

Indi H 3rd Girls 10 1500m Tia M 3rd Girls 11 1500m Heath JB 1st Boys 12 1500m (half the race with only one shoe on!) 2nd 800m Zoe P 2nd Girls 12 Hurdles, 1st Long Jump Lucinda V 2nd Girls 10 Discus Ronan C 1st Boys 11 Triple jump, 1st Boys 11 High Jump Elle D 2nd Girls 12 High Jump Shelby G 4th Girls 11 Discus Hugh V 1st Boys 11 Discus Ashley G 2nd Boys 12 Shot Put Billie G Girls 10 200m Allegra C 4th Girls 12 Discus Charlotte C 4th Girls 11 800m Evie O 3rd Girls 10 800m Shelby H 2nd Girls 12 800m Shelby H, Allegra C, Merinda F & Zoe P – 1st 4 x 100m relay, girls 12 Neassa C, Evie O, Indi H & Billie G – 3rd 4 x 100m relay, girls 10 Heath JB, Joel S, Kyle M & Ashley P – 4th 4 x 100m relay, boys 12 A huge thank-you to our parents who assisted with driving students to and from the venue on the day.

Good Luck to Ronan, Heath, Lucinda, Elle, Zoe, Ashley G, Hugh, Allegra, Merinda and Shelby today at the Eastern Regional Finals.

Go Tecoma!