4 May 2017

Newsletter Articles

A Note from the Principal

The other day I caught myself giving a lengthy speech about the importance of kids doing their chores and respecting their parents. Unfortunately, the speech was not to a group of people at a Love and Logic event. It was to my six-year-old grandaughter in response to her eye-rolling and huffing about having to clean up her room.

I used to be a parenting expert. That is…until I had kids and now grandchildren.

Parenting is tough because we love our children. Since highly effective teachers also love their students, they struggle with the same temptations. We want the best for them. We worry that they’ll become irresponsible. We sometimes feel panicked because they don’t seem to be turning out the way we hoped. Lots of intense feelings can muddy our minds and leave us forgetting that we can’t talk tykes…or teens…into being respectful, responsible and self-controlled. In fact, the more extensive our vocabularies become, the less effective we become.

The more words we use when things are going poorly, the less effective we become.

Many excellent and loving parents and educators are faltering. Not because they lack skills. No. It’s because they talk too much while they’re using their good skills.

Run an experiment: see what happens if you simply use fewer words when things are going poorly. The odds are high that you’ll be glad you did.

Thank you to our marvelous Staff

Teaching is a challenging profession that involves building and making relationships with their students and managing the relationships that they have between each other. It is the profession that creates all other professions, and our teachers are doing it really well. Our teachers continually provide fantastic opportunities for our students. Last week Mrs Gaston coordinated our Anzac Day Ceremony and Miss Jurgowiak took charge of our Matilda excursion and both events were performed superbly. A big thank you to all staff for working collaboratively to ensure fantastic outcomes for our students.

Mrs Julie Woodhouse
Principal

Term 1, Week 10 Merit Certificate recipients:

ANZAC SERVICE

On Monday the 24th of April Butler Primary School held its 2017 ANZAC Day Service. Prior to the service the students, planted purple and red poppies as a tribute to the human and animal lives lost in war. There was also a tribute from school families in the form of the ANZAC Memories Display. Head boy and girl Kyah Nichols and Grayson Burkin-Povey did a fantastic job hosting the service. Student councillors, Tayla Nichols, Alex Potts, Hannah Leggett, Jaiden Williams, Amelia Weston, Jessica Rooker, Connor Munro, Samantha Edwards McCallan and Anika Reyneke were a credit to our school as speakers during the service. Special guest speakers were Mr Tom Bourke and Mr Travis Zomer who both spoke of the meaning of ANZAC Day. Mr Bourke also played his bagpipes as a tribute. Wreaths were laid by Mrs Woodhouse with Lucas Allen and Amy Elias and the student councillors. As the flag was raised as the Reville was played by Mr Greg McMurdo.

The students of Butler Primary School are to be commended on the way they conducted themselves during the service. They displayed great respect. After the service the students participated in a 10th Light Horse incursion conducted by Mr Phillip Sullivan. This included a life sized horse and light horse man in full authentic uniform, photos and memorabilia. The students also participated in a drawing competition where they drew a war animal. Two drawings selected from each class will be sent to the Australian War Animals Memorial Organisation.

It certainly was a memorable day.

Mrs R. Gaston
HASS Curriculum Leader

WHAT’S ON IN…………

PP2

In Pre-Primary we have been implementing a program called ‘Little Highway Heroes’. It is a Health and Wellbeing program that focuses on developing social skills such as encouraging active listening and emotional responses people have for example, happy, sad etc.

To understand what a Highway is PP2 created a Highway Collage in Art. We discussed that sometimes the classroom and playground can be like a highway, where different cars buzz around some busy, some slow, some calmly and some bossily. We also learnt that there can be bumps on our life highway and that we need to learn when it is a small bump, middle-sized bump and a big bump. Later in the term we will look at what we can do when we experience a bump.

The photos below show our fabulous artwork that we created.

Ms Irving

PP3

In Terms 1 and 2, learning letter names and sounds is an important part of our English program. The students learn to recognise letters and say their sound. They learn to write each letter and match sounds to pictures. They also participate in sensory, craft and cooking activities based on the letter of the week. A few of the activities the students have enjoyed are slimy spaghetti play, monster soup, herb exploration, messy mud, digging for diamonds and chocolate spiders.

Mrs de la Motte

NAPLAN 2017 Information to Parents

The National Assessment Program- Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national assessment of all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. All students are expected to participate in the testing. They will be assessed in language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation), writing, reading and numeracy.

The test results provide a snapshot of a student’s achievement in comparison to all students of the same year level across the country. The results assist teachers to better identify students who require additional support or enrichment. The tests allow the progress of each student to be monitored over time.

The results support schools to identify strengths and weaknesses in teaching programs. State and territory departments of education gain valuable information to help them evaluate programs and allocate resources.

Although some schools will be participating in online NAPLAN tests in 2017, Butler PS will be using pencil and paper as in previous years. Butler PS will move to online testing in the future. Below is a table of dates for the NAPLAN tests.

2017 Dates for NAPLAN Testing:

Please click on the link for more details about NAPLAN 2017

Parent Parking

To help ease congestion around the school during peak times we encourage families to walk their children to and from school wherever possible, especially in fine weather or park at the community centre car park and walk your children across the oval.

All Staff park at the front of the school. This will free up all bays in the public car park off Cambourne Way.

Families 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. Parking is also not permitted in bus bays. Please consider the safety of all other road users and pedestrians when parking and leaving schools grounds.

Please also give consideration and respect to owners of properties surrounding the school.

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.

School Payment Options Available

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

Due to the ease of this service, the sending of a text message to Butler Primary School to notify us of your child/ren’s absence has been embraced by many families.

Please send absentee messages through to 0419 091 075 with all of the following details so we can correctly update student records:

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

Absences can also 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 and attendance record.

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.

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.

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

The position of Library Monitor is a vital role in the operation of the Butler Primary School Library. Library monitors are open to Year 6 students. We are excited to announce the Library Monitors for 2017: from Room 5 - Joice, Jake, Hugo and Areta-Dawn; Room 6 - Morgan; Room 7 – Zainab; Room 8 – Declan, Jesse, Molly and Concy.

Please help your child remember his or her library book and bag.

Mrs Pengelly and Mrs Dowrick

Chaplain’s Corner

HELLO Everyone,

WELCOME to Term 2! I hope you have enjoyed your break and are feeling relaxed, refreshed and ready for another term.

We began our term with a beautiful and heartfelt ANZAC Ceremony. Remembering and honouring all the men and women who laid down their lives to keep our country safe and give us the freedom we enjoy today. May we never forget their sacrifice, and may we live lives of integrity and in the spirit of the ANZACS always be looking out for one another: Mateship.

As we embark on Term 2, I would like to encourage each and every one of you to keep trying, and to keep working towards your goals. Encourage those around you, build one another up and if things get tough, reach out and ask for help. I wish you all a happy and successful term.

Our Butler CORE VALUES are: Integrity, Community, Respect, Responsibility & Aspire. Take a moment to reflect on these and their meanings.

Kind regards,
Ms Hunter
School Chaplain
Thursdays and Fridays

Canteen Corner

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

Recess and 2nd bell lunch treats and snacks are still available through the canteen hatch.

Mrs Siakia
Canteen Manager

P&C News

The P&C will be holding a Mother’s Day Stall before school and at recess from Wednesday, 10th May to Friday, 12th May (or until sold out). There will be a range of gifts for students to choose from such as mugs, photo frames, prints, candles and stationery items with prices starting from $2. There will also be some Mother’s Day raffles on display and tickets can be purchased at the stall. A note will be sent home with further details.

We are seeking volunteers to help at the Mother’s Day Stall so if you are able to spare 20 mins before school or at recess break, please contact us via email butlerps.pandc@gmail.com or our Facebook page.

The next P&C meeting is on Wednesday, 10th May at 6 pm in D8. If you have an idea or issue you would like to raise at a meeting, please email butlerps.pandc@gmail.com to have it added to the agenda.

School Banking

School Banking is on Thursdays. Please remember to put your child’s deposit book and money into their classroom banking bag and remind their teacher to send the bag up to the canteen with the class lunch basket. For anyone wanting to sign their child up to school banking you can do it online now at the link below:

For further information contact the P&C via email at butlerps.pandc@gmail.com or through the P&C Facebook page “BPS P&C Association” – please see details above.

Canteen Helpers

If you or anyone you know would like to volunteer to help in the canteen for an hour or so please see Shelly in the canteen, email her at butlerpscanteen@gmail.com, call the school or send us a message on the P&C Facebook page.

Many thanks from your P&C Committee:

President- Kellie Holland
Vice President: Becci Young
Secretary: Clare Marashlian
Treasurer: Emily Batchelor

BUTLER OUT OF HOURS SCHOOL CARE

Please feel free to drop into the centre or contact us on 0403 347 952 or butler.oshc@ymcawaa.org.au for any queries. Information is also available at the school office.

Kind regards,

YCMA

Community Events

Positive Parenting Program

FREE PARENTING SEMINARS

You are invited to attend the Triple P Seminar Series. You will learn practical, positive and effective ways to deal with common behavioural problems and ways to help your child achieve their best at school and in the future.

Choose how to add this event to your calendar:

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