17 November 2016

Newsletter Articles

A Note from the Principal

We are already half way through Term 4 and our senior students are looking forward to participating in the Interm swimming lessons that begin next week. It is a great opportunity for them to learn their swimming, water safety and lifesaving skills with their friends.

Miss Jurgowiak, our Music Specialist teacher is busy organising a movie night on Friday, 2 December a note has gone out this week. The movie night will help the school to further fundraise for the senior students to see the musical, ‘Matilda‘, in 2017. Tickets for the movie night need to be pre-booked. For $6.00 you can buy a movie ticket, a sausage sizzle, juice/water and a bag of popcorn. It is suggested that you bring your own seating which may be in the form of a pillow, low rise chair or beanbag. We encourage parents to buy a ticket and come along with their children for a great family bonding evening! The movie begins at 6.00pm and entry will commence at 5.30pm. The movie is PG rated and is called, Kubo and the Two Strings. Tickets are still available to be purchased up until Friday, 25 November. Thank you to Miss Jurgowiak and our dedicated teachers and hard working parent helpers. I am looking forward to seeing our wonderful families enjoying this movie night!

At our staff meeting this week, teaching staff will be presented information about Best Programs for Kids, Little Highway Heroes and Highway Heroes. The teaching program is a series of social and emotional lessons that assist to build student’s emotional intelligence and resilience. The professional learning will be presented by our talented teachers, Mr Mark Williams and Mrs Erica de La Motte, who are keen to include the program into our Health programs for 2017.

In the previous newsletter, parents were encouraged to complete the parent opinion survey about Butler Primary School. The survey closes at the end of this week. I am looking forward to examining the data we receive so that I can put in place actions for school improvement. I would like to sincerely thank all of our parents who found the time to complete this important survey.

Mrs Julie Woodhouse
Principal

Late to School

Many students are arriving late to school. If your child is late for some unforseen reason, they are required to report to the Administration Block and request a ‘late’ note before attending class. Every time a child is late to school it is recorded on our system. Unfortunately, we have many students who are consistently late. This not only impacts on their learning as they miss the introduction and goal setting for the lesson, it also disrupts the lesson for the entire class, students and the teacher.

Missing a few minutes a day may not seem like a big deal, but your child may be missing more than you realise if he or she is continually late. Current research shows that mornings are the most productive time of the day for student learning.

We request that parents / guardians endeavour to get their children to school prior to the commencement of the school day and we look forward to your cooperation.

Year 4 -6 Interm Swimming Lesson Times

Year 4-6 students will commence their swimming lesson fortnight at Joondalup Arena on Monday, 21 November. Please note some changed session times in the table below.

Butler Primary School Parent Opinion Survey

The staff at Butler Primary School highly values the opinions of our parents and caregivers. Recently, the school emailed to parents a request to complete the online parent opinion survey about our school. The survey is anonymous and the information collected assists the school to review its practices and procedures in order to plan effectively. The survey closes at the end of Week 6 this term. If you missed the email and would like to complete the short online survey, you can access the survey by clicking on the following link:

Alternatively, paper copies of the parent survey are available at the school office.

Absentee Messaging Service

Sending a text message to Butler Primary School to notify of your children’s absence is now available with many families embracing the ease of this service.

A reminder to families to please send absentee messages through to 0419 091 075 with all of the following details so that we can correctly update student records:

• Full name of your child/children
• Reason for absence
• Date of absence

When messaging please do not use emoji’s or symbols as our system does not recognise them and delivers the message without any content. Absences can still be phoned through to 9562 1804.

As per Department of Education policy, it is the parent’s responsibility to notify the school of the reason for your child’s absence/s within three days of the absence. Failure to do this will mean that the absence will be marked as “unacceptable reason” affecting your child’s education.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PARENTS

Students not Returning 2017

If your child will not be returning to Butler Primary School in 2017, please advise the school office as soon as possible.

Update Student Contact Information

If you have recently changed mobile numbers or moved address, it is important you update your contact information with the office. Please also advise if there is a change to any of your emergency contact information.

Butler College Enrolments

Please collect an enrolment application from the College or from our website. Over the next few weeks we will be organising timetables in readiness for 2017 and would appreciate your support with information about your child’s enrolment. If you have received a letter of acceptance from the College confirming a place for 2017 could you please sign and return as soon as possible. Thank you.

Please contact Butler Administration on 9561 4200 if you have any questions.

Butler College office will be closed as of Thursday, 15 December and reopen on Wednesday, 25 January.

Cake Raffle for Matilda

Thank you to everyone who purchased raffle tickets for the cake raffle last week. Money raised from the week 5 cake raffle will be used to send the senior students to see a performance of Matilda next year. You helped us fundraise $19.35 this time! A massive thank you goes out to Mrs Richards for making the marvellous giant cupcake and congratulations to Jorja in Year 6 for winning it!

Miss Jurgowiak
Music Teacher

Information for Parents of Year 5 students.

Department of Education Gifted and Talented Secondary Selective Entrance Program.

The Department of Education will be holding an information presentation relating to the Department of Education Gifted and Talented Secondary Selective Entrance Programs for students entering Year 7 in 2018. The evening will cover all programs including Academic, Arts and Languages and will be held at Balcatta Senior High School on Thursday, 2 February 2017 at 6.00pm.

If you believe Gifted and Talented Programs are suitable for your child, click on the information below to find out more information.

Merit Certificates

Term 4, Week 4 Merit Certificate recipients:

Term 4, Week 5 Merit Certificate recipients:

Room 7 Assembly

Growth Mindset

Students of Room 7 performed their ‘Growth Mindset’ themed assembly on Thursday, 3 November. Room 7 has been learning about Growth Mindset all year. Growth mindset is based on the idea that your brain is like a muscle and it gets stronger the more that you use it. The students of Room 7 acted out a play about how two Dojo characters grew their brains by tackling challenges and never giving up. They then showed off their singing and dancing skills by performing ‘Best Day of My Life’. All the students did a brilliant job and set a fantastic example of how to have a Growth Mindset!

Mrs Chalmers

Room 15 Antarctic Experiments!

The Year 3 students in Room 15 are working in collaboration with Dr Ben Galton-Fenzi, Australian Antarctic Division Glaciologist, who at the moment is at Casey Station waiting to perform experiments on the Totten Glacier. The Year 3s designed two experiments for Dr Galton-Fenzi to perform while on the glacier. He will also be carrying out his own experiments about glacier melt and the impact on rising oceans. Before he left the Year 3 students designed and made a flag for him to take.

Ms Galton-Fenzi

Buckingham House

This year the Year 2 students have been learning about the past and how things have changed over time. The students of D3, D4 and D5 have been on an excursion to Buckingham House to experience the way people used to live. The students were very excited and arrived dressed in their pioneer clothes eager to experience what it would have been like to live in the past. Throughout the day, they worked with many volunteers inside the house to bake scones, churn their own butter and sew their initials into hessian. Outside, students washed clothes by hand, milked a cow and played olden day games including quoits, hop scotch, tug-o-war, hula-hoops, giant dominoes and naughts and crosses. The highlight of the day was visiting the old school house where they sat in wooden desks with inkpots and wrote on slates. The remaining Year 2 classes are looking forward to their trip to Buckingham House!

Miss Z Botma and Mrs L Romano

Little Big Ideas Competition – teacher prizes

Mrs Pierce, Mrs Stravens and Mrs Hutchings were lucky recipients of a prize in the ‘Little Big Ideas Competition’. The teachers won a Sphero SPRK robot-ball and ramp kits, as their classes were recognised as having ideas full of imagination, innovation and creativity. The award recognised the role that teachers play in helping young people refine and realise their ideas for the competition. The teachers’ classes have had a great time learning how to code the robots and show off their digital technology skills.

PP5 - Loose Parts Creations

PP5 children have been exploring the “Loose Parts” in the playground on Wednesday afternoons. Loose parts are natural and man-made items that can be moved around, used to create dramatic play props, changed and shared with others. Creating with them encourages cooperation, language, imaginative play and writing for a purpose while giving hands on practise with maths and science concepts of space, balance, length, weight, gravity, energy and force.

Mrs Johnston

Butler Primary School Christmas Toy Appeal 2016

The ‘Christmas Toy Appeal’ begins week 7 Monday (21/11/16) and ends Friday (25/11/16).

Butler Primary School would like to invite all students to become involved in our very special 2016 ‘Christmas Toy Appeal’. This event encourages the values of kindness, helpfulness and compassion within each child as they become aware that there are other children in some families who are less fortunate than themselves.

It is very important that the toy your child donates to the appeal, is one that they have loved and are now willing to pass on, to another child who is less fortunate than themselves. Please ensure that the toy not be a newly bought item.

We hope that you will have lots of enjoyment in choosing this special toy with your child.

Yours gratefully,
Kindy and Pre-Primary Staff
Butler Primary School

2017 Kindy Applications

If you are looking for a place in Kindergarten for 2017 for your child, please contact the school office on 9562 1804 to discuss as we are accepting late applications. If your child was born between 1 July 2012 and 30 June 2013 then they are eligible to attend Kindergarten in 2017. An application form is available below or from the school office.

When submitting your application we are required to sight your child’s birth certificate, immunisation details, proof of residence in Butler and any visas the child may have.

VacSwim 2016-17

Enrol now for VacSwim summer school holiday swimming lessons

It is important for every child to learn to swim properly and develop essential water safety skills. VacSwim December/January school holiday swimming lessons are run by instructors who teach children the skills to be confident swimmers and safe in the water. To enrol or find out more visit education.wa.edu.au/swimming.

VacSwim provides children from five to 17 years old with opportunities to learn vital swimming and water safety skills.

Enrolments close on Monday, 28 November for the earlier programs and Monday, 5 December for the second January program.

From the Library

Just a friendly reminder to everyone that this is the last week of borrowing books from the library. Therefore ALL books need to be returned next week. Parents it would be greatly appreciated if all overdue books could be returned this time as well.

Issue 8 of Scholastic Book Club has been delivered to all classrooms. All orders are to be in by Wednesday, 23rd November 2016. No late orders will be processed.

Thank you
Mrs Dowrick

Chaplain’s Corner

HELLO Everyone,

I hope you are well and enjoying the warmer weather, although we have had a few cool, rainy ones in between. It’s Week 6, bringing us to past the halfway mark of the term. Keep up all the great work everyone!

Our VALUES for Term 4 are: Sensitivity, Charity & Compassion.

“Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” – Leo F. Buscaglia

In our busy lives, let’s try to be aware of those around us, and what they might be going through, and show them compassion.

Look after yourselves, look after one another and keep a smile on your mind. Look at “Smiling Mind” – a free app for mindfulness exercises. Suitable for most ages - children, teens and adults. Mindfulness can significantly improve stress levels, mental health and overall wellbeing.

Have a fantastic fortnight everyone.

Mrs Hunter
School Chaplain

Canteen Corner

NEW SUMMER MENU OUT NOW!

Have you tried out our online ordering system?

Please make sure all orders are in by 8.35am for to ensure students receive their lunch that day.

The canteen staff love to see orders appearing through the online system! Ordering online also assists the canteen in streamlining their operations including stock management.

Also, a reminder to parents using online ordering to check that your child’s room number is correct for this year.

Kindy students are also able to order their lunch from the canteen.

Mrs Siakia
Canteen Manager

P&C News

School Disco Friday November 25th - Christmas Themed

Fancy Dress, DJ, Prizes

Kindy/PP 4.00 – 4.45 $3
Year 1-4 5.00 – 6.30 $6
Year 5-6 7.00 – 8.30 $6

Showbags, drinks, lollies available.

Volunteers required, please contact the canteen or Facebook page

Andrea Brennan
P&C President

BUTLER OUT OF HOURS SCHOOL CARE

Butler’s YMCA provides affordable care before and after school, every Monday to Friday.

Parent Parking

Parents are reminded that parking is not permitted on grassed kerbside areas around the Pre-primary car park and along Tollesbury Avenue, as well as the bricked median strip in Cambourne Parkway or across any footpaths. Please consider the safety of all other road users and pedestrians when parking and leaving schools grounds.

All usual road and parking rules apply around the school and parking fines are issued by rangers (who visit frequently) to those not adhering to the road rules. Please download the map below for parent parking information.

It is great to see that more families are walking their children to and from school or parking in the community centre car park and walking their children from there, helping to ease traffic congestion around the school.

Community Events

A1 LEARNING ACADEMY – Learning Holiday Progam

Once again, the annual A1 Learning Holiday Program will be up and running in the last two weeks of January, providing a boost into the new school year.

Programs include help for students who are struggling with literacy or numeracy skill development, a general academic boost for all students, transition to Pre Primary and Year 7, self-esteem boosting, NAPLAN and GATE preparation and extension for gifted and talented students.

Students are given a variety of stimulating activities by highly qualified, experienced Teachers within a small group setting of up to 6 students or individually.

JANUARY HOLIDAY PROGRAMS

Make a huge difference in 2017

• Pre Primary to Year 10
• Reading, writing, spelling, phonics, grammar & editing
• Mathematics
• Preparation for 2017 (all years)
• Extension & help for struggling students
• NAPLAN, GATE, OLNA & scholarship preparation
• Study Skills
• Self-esteem boosting (lots of bribery & rewards)
• Programs based on Australian Curricula requirements

Julia Gilmore (M.Ed.,B.Ed.,Dip.Tch) - 0411 420 218

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