9 February 2017

Newsletter Articles

A Note from the Principal

Welcome back to everyone.

Here’s hoping your holiday was absolutely fantastic, and that you are all recharged by rest, relaxation, family time and many moments of laughter.

During the holidays I had the opportunity to work with a number of educators across our system and the general feeling amongst my colleagues was that we are noticing more and more children with anxiety, whether it be a generalised form, or specific anxieties about events, situations or future events.

At Butler Primary School we do a number of things at school to help with this, including our Values, Highway Heroes and the Zones of Regulation programs. In addition in 2017, we are introducing mindfulness activities during class to deal with the challenges the students might be experiencing.

As a parent, caregiver or concerned neighbour, you may be asking yourself what you can do to help a child who’s feeling anxious? Here are some of my thoughts, and a few strategies to support children with anxiety, borrowed from Carmen Carter, Registered Clinical Counsellor in Nelson, B.C.

1. Help the child focus on their breath, slowly in through their nose and out the mouth. Many traditions around the world use this as a technique to focus, which then helps you become present and focus less on those things which may cause anxiety.
2. Help a child develop regular routines, including baths, stories, mealtimes, and relaxation before bedtime. Particularly for a young child, a routine is a comforting pattern they can count on which provides stability and regularity in what can seem a chaotic world. How many of us can remember the weekly meal at grandma’s house, and how that provided the anchor in your week which made all the difference.
3. Help the child change their thinking from negative to positive. Sometimes this is as simple as helping them see the glass as half full, or recognising there may be something positive in a situation that they are seeing as only negative. When we “beat the drum” of what is, it prevents us from seeing what might be. As Richard Bach said in Johnathon Livingston Seagull, “inside every problem is a gift”.
4. Get your child active. Do something fun, get outside, play a game, fresh air and exercise do a world of good for the body and mind. How often when we are in a bit of a grumpy mood do we get outside and exercise, only to come in and realise we are in a far better mindset than before we went out? This is a gift you can give a child.
5. Acknowledge your child’s feelings. An adult can help a child work through their challenges; “I can see you are worried about that - would you like to talk about it?” usually supports the child to talk about their feelings, and is the first step in them moving on.
6. Be a healthy role model for children by taking care of yourself, and acknowledging your own emotions when you are feeling anxious or fearful. They will watch how your handle your own stressors, and that becomes their inner voice when it’s their turn to do the same.

Hopefully there are a few things in here you have found useful.

I look forward to a productive and enjoyable 2017 school year.

Mrs Julie Woodhouse
Principal

2017 Parent Information Booket

Please find following the Parent Information Booklet for general information relevant to the school this year.

2017 School Interm Swimming Program at Yanchep Lagoon

Term 1 Interm swimming lessons for the students from Pre-Primary to Year 6 will commence on Monday, 13 March and conclude on Friday, 24 March.

Swimming lessons will take place at the beach at Yanchep Lagoon. The school supports all students in learning to swim and in gaining beach/water safety skills and we encourage all parents to take advantage of this opportunity to have their children taught by experienced instructors. Parents wishing to observe lessons are most welcome. The swimming program is an important part of our PE program and it is expected that students participate.

The cost of swimming is reduced to $40.00. Letters went out to parents on Thursday, 9 February and all letters and forms are now able to be downloaded on the link below. Please return both of the consent forms to the classroom teacher by Monday 27 February. This is the date on which we confirm the number of seats we require with the bus company. It is therefore essential that we have final swimming numbers at this point in time.

Payment is required by Monday, 27 February and may either be made by direct deposit (see details in parent letters below) or cash/cheque placed in school payment boxes. Butler Primary School now also has EFTPOS facilities located at the front reception desk. Please inform the school if there are any issues with providing payment by this date.

Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress Rollover for 2017

Once again our Year K-3 students will be participating in Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress for ready students. Year K-2 students work through the Reading Eggs Maps. Ready students and Year 2-3 students will then move onto Reading Eggspress maps. Some Year 2-3 students may need more consolidation on Reading Eggs before they develop the confidence to read in Reading Eggspress. It is encouraged for students to progress through the maps at home and they will also have the opportunity at school.

This year our Year 4-6 students will have the opportunity to access the program during class or home time to complement their reading program, Teachers will be able to access some brilliant reading resources to strengthen the delivery of their reading lessons.

During the rollover process students will not be able to access the program. Letters to parents with login information will be sent home in the next week.

Butler PS Five Core Values

On returning to school this year, you may have noticed the five giant pencils at the front of the school office. These pencils display the core values that were identified by our staff and endorsed by the Butler PS Board. The values nominated are Aspire, Community, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility. These positive values relating to education, self, others and civic responsibilities are reinforced from Kindy to Year 6 throughout all daily activities. Such values reflect those attitudes held within our school community. Each classroom and specialist area will create expectations based around our values.

A key emphasis is trying to get everybody to speak a common language. Please have a chat to your child/ren about their understanding of our revitalised values.

The Zones of Regulation

The staff at Butler Primary school are committed in supporting the positive wellbeing and health of all students and staff. A self-regulation program has been introduced and will be fully implemented across the school. The program teaches students to recognise changes in their emotions and how to alter those feelings and get themselves to a better place.

The Zones of Regulation

• Red Zone: extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions. Mad, angry, terrified, yelling, hitting, elated, out of control
• Yellow Zone: a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions. Frustrated, worried, silly, excited, some loss of control
• Green Zone: a calm state of alertness. Happy, calm, focused, ready to learn
• Blue Zone: low states of alertness and down feelings. Sad, sick, tired, bored

Students are taught strategies and some are given a ‘visual toolbox’ to help them to self-regulate. Please talk to your child about this program and support them by encouraging the use of consistent language.

2017 On-Entry Assessment Program: Information to Parents

During Term 1, Weeks 4-6, all Pre-primary students will be involved in the Department of Education’s state wide On-Entry assessment program.

The main purpose of the program is to provide teachers with the opportunity to collect information on essential literacy and numeracy skills of each child as well as collecting school data for school improvement purposes. The information collected will assist teachers in developing informed and intentional teaching f programs, reflective of student needs.

While we would like each child to be involved, exemptions and withdrawals are available. If you wish to have your child exempted or withdrawn please contact your child’s class teacher. If you require further information, please contact Cecilia Smith, Deputy Principal.

New Payment Option available – EFTPOS!

Butler Primary School now has Eftpos facilities available in the front office!

Payment methods for charges and contributions can now be made via:

• Eftpos
• Cash or Cheque (please use the school money envelopes and place the sealed envelope in the black letter boxes. The boxes are located in the wet areas of each of the blocks and the office)
• Direct Deposit (reference student name and payment description.)

BSB: 016 338
Acc: 110391487

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 the 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

Absences are still able to 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.

Students Arriving Late

Any student arriving late to school, after the siren sounds at 8.35am, will need to enter the school through the front office to collect a late note which is to be given to their class Teacher.

Three Year Old Pre-Kindy for 2017

After receiving resoundingly positive feedback from our school community, parents will be excited to know that Butler Primary School Three Year Old Pre-kindy will be running again this year and parents may register and pay for Term One 2017 now. Places are still available.

The Three Year old Kindy is for children who will start Kindy in the following year of 2018. One of our wonderful and talented early childhood teachers, Mrs Alison Johnston, will be running the group for another exciting year. A parent stays with their child for the 9:30-11:30 session, assists with the activities and models listening and speaking behaviours to their child. The program includes number, pre- reading and writing activities, music and movement, painting, play dough and construction fun. Mrs Johnston delights in organising some very special animal visitors, creating very unique memories for both the children and parents.

Babies are welcome to accompany their parent and pre-kindy child to the playgroup but crawling siblings will require alternative care as it is important that the pre-kindy children are the focus of the program. The program has proven to greatly assist with the transition to Kindy the following year.

The Pre-kindy group will run slightly differently in this year. The group will run on each second Wednesday (even weeks) of each term. On the alternate weeks (odd weeks) our Pre-kindy families will be welcome to come to Butler Primary School to play in the outside Kindy and Pre-primary playground and visit the school library to read and borrow a book during the normal session time.

As places are strictly limited, it is advisable to book, make payment and complete registration forms for your child at the school office as soon as possible. The fees are $60 a term and include registration with Playgroup WA.

Siren Times

Please note the change in time for recess and lunch this year. The start and finish times for school remain the same.

2017 Siren Times

Donating Uniforms

Butler Primary School is seeking donations of uniforms, including polo shirts, dresses and suitable navy bottoms, especially in sizes 8-12. If you are able to assist please drop the clean clothing into the front office.

From the Library

Welcome to 2017! We are so excited for another wonderful year in the Butler Primary School Library. We have lots of new books to start the year off and new books will be arriving throughout the year.

Opening Hours

We will be open for borrowing from Monday, 13 February 2017. Years 4 to 6 will be able to borrow Lexile books during their class Library lesson, as well before school from 8:20am to 8:35am Monday to Friday, and after school from 2:45pm to 3:00pm Monday to Thursday.

There is timetable on the Library door.

Book Club

The first Scholastic Book Club catalogue has been distributed and all orders must be in by Monday 13, February 2017. The most efficient way to order Book Club books is via LOOP orders on the scholastic website below. Orders take approximately one week to arrive at school, from the day of closing (eg 13 February 2017). Orders will be delivered to your child’s classroom. If your order from the Book Club is to be a gift, please let us know and we will keep your order for your collection.

Library Bags

Please remember NO LIBRARY BAG, NO BORROWING, NO EXCEPTIONS. A Library bag can be an old pillow slip, a plastic shopping bag or a plastic reading folder. So long as the book/s can fit into the bag, it will be protected.

Lost or damaged library books

If your child loses his or her library book we ask that you pay the replacement cost. The replacement cost will vary depending on the book. Year 6 students must return all their library books before the end of the year. If your Year 6 child doesn’t return his or her book/s, you will be asked to pay the replacement cost.

We look forward to your child borrowing from the Library and enjoying the many books we have on our shelves.

Mrs Pengelly and Mrs Dowrick

Chaplain’s Corner

Hello and welcome to our new school year of 2017!

I hope you enjoyed your summer holidays and are feeling energised for the coming term.

To all our new families who have joined us, I would like to extend a very warm welcome. And hope you will be happy with us.

One of our core Values for this year is Aspire.

Aspire – Direct one’s hopes or ambitions towards achieving something.

I feel this is a great value to reflect on, particularly at the start of the year when we might be setting ourselves goals for the months ahead.

I am hoping to get our Breakfast Club up and running again soon. I will keep you updated on the details for this.

Have a fantastic fortnight everyone!

Kind regards,
Ms Hunter
School Chaplain
Thursdays and Fridays

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.

Canteen Corner

SUMMER MENU OUT NOW!

Online ordering is available for the Canteen via the link below.

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

Could all parents and guardians using the online ordering system please update your child’s record with their new room number.

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.

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

Mrs Siakia
Canteen Manager

P&C News

The next Butler Primary School P&C AGM is next Wednesday 15th February 6.30pm in the staff room, we look forward to seeing lots of new faces there.

School Banking is back again this year and still on Thursdays. If you wish to join in then simply click the link below to open an account today.

If you have any questions regarding opening an online account please read the following FAQ:

The new Online Account Opening process seems to be going very well so far with lots of parents embracing this easy process. We thought we would send you some answers to questions that we have had this week which may help you with some enquiries you may receive.

• When a parent opens their child an account online, they will be sent a pack in the mail (to their home address). This should take 6-10 working days to arrive.
• This pack contains a Yellow wallet and Deposit Book, Terms & Conditions and a voucher for them to collect a Platy Money Box from their local branch.
• If a parent or child’s identification is not accepted through the online application, they will be directed to visit their local branch to provide these details. Without the identification process being completed, the child CAN still commence School Banking and will still receive their deposit book. They just won’t be able to withdraw from the account until both the child and parent have been identified.
• Some children would like to start banking before their book arrives. You are more than welcome to give them a book from your stock. You can order more books if you need through the School Banking portal.
• When the books arrive, parents need to write the account details onto the deposit book. Sometimes this step is being missed and either the whole number or part of the number isn’t being included.
• The BSB for the online accounts is usually 062948. The 06 means Commonwealth Bank so when you enter them as a new student, leave off the 06. The entire number needs to be entered with BSB and account number with no spaces. The number entered needs to have 12 digits in total.
• If the number is left off or is partially completed, you are welcome to call the Help Desk for their assistance. Please have as much information as possible, as if the child’s name is fairly common, without a date of birth or postcode for the child it can be difficult to find. The Help Desk’s contact number is 1800 674 496.
• The online account opening process at this stage, is only for children under 14 years of age and can only be opened by the child’s parent or legal guardian.
• Grandparents can only use the online account opening process if they are their grandchild’s legal guardian. If they aren’t please refer them to their local branch to review their options.
• Please DO NOT hand out or accept paper based applications anymore. Either direct the parents to our online application or to your local branch.
• We encourage you to keep our website details repeated in your newsletter or facebook page as it does take some parents a bit of time to get organised with their Back to School activities.

We hope that helps in answering some of your questions around the Online Account Opening process, but as always, if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us.

Don’t forget to join our facebook page to keep up to date with school info, find us at

Butler Primary School P&C Association (can we link this directly to our page?)

Thanks and hope you had a great break.

Andrea Brennan
P&C President

BUTLER OUT OF HOURS SCHOOL CARE

Flyers available at the schools administration.

Please feel free to drop into the centre or contact us on 0403 347 952 or butler.oshc@ymcawaa.org.au for any queries.

What is your Child’s Challenging Behaviour trying to tell you?

To view this resource see attached PDF or go online to the link below.

A plain text version of this resource is available on request.

Developmental Disability WA
City West Lotteries House
2 Delhi Street West Perth WA 6005
08 9420 7203 main
www.ddc.org.au

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

Belridge Secondary College – Cricket Skills Testing Day

The trial for this Specialist Program (endorsed by the Department of Education and the WACA) is being held on Monday 4 April 2016 – testing venue the WACA.

Closing date for applications 31 March 2017

Please direct any enquiries to Scott Ogilvie, Cricket Coordinator on 9408 8000 or email scott.ogilvie@education.wa.edu.au.

Full information and an application form is attached or available to download from our school website via the link below.

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