50 Main Rd GEMBROOK 3783 Ph: 03 5968 1313 Fax: 03 5968 1548 email: gembrook.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

www.gembrookps.vic.edu.au

Gembrook Primary School

Diary Dates

A view to the future

21-23 November

RACV Energy Breakthrough Maryborough Gilwell Park Leadership (5-6) $45

24 November Fun Run with Thomas

25 November Curriculum Day-no students at school

27 November St John’s First Aid in Schools Program (all grades-no cost)

School Council 7pm

28 November My Bus visit (Grade 6-no cost)

3 December Produce Market 2B

4 December 5/6 Swimming ($100 per child)

5 December Enterprise Market Garden Awards (some Eco-Warriors)

6 December 5/6 Swimming

9 December 5/6 Swimming

11 December 5/6 Swimming Excel Music Open Lesson Day

12 December Christmas Concert

13 December 5/6 Swimming

16 December 5/6 Swimming

18 December Grade 6 Graduation

19 December Grade 6 Big Day Out

20 December LAST DAY OF TERM 4: 1PM FINISH

Notes that have gone home

Gilwell Student Leadership (SLC)

Head lice (MLC)

Slap Cheek (JLC)

All notes that have gone home are available on the school website: www.gembrookps.vic.edu.au

Extra Curricular Activities for this week HPV Maryborough Kinder transition program Gilwell Park Leadership Program (senior students)

Gembrook Primary School is a welcoming and

respectful community that provides modern, flexible

learning spaces that support a personalised, engaging and

challenging learning program so that students will achieve

the social, emotional, academic and physical growth to

succeed in a global society.

20 November 2013

Fun Run with Thomas

Sunday 24 November

10-1pm

Great family day out!

Gembrook Primary School

run the car park for the fun

run on the school oval as a fundraiser for the

school.

Volunteers are needed to help run the

parking lot. Let the office know if you have

an hour or two to spare between 9am-1pm.

Many thanks!

There will be no assembly this Friday

22 November

&

There is a Curriculum Day next

Monday 25 November

(No students at school)

Daisy & Tyrone lay a wreath at the RSL

Memorial Service on Remembrance Day

A VIEW TO THE FUTURE

Kym’s Comment

Dear Families and Friends

Later this week two teams of fantastic senior students will go to the country town of Maryborough and compete in the RACV HPV (Human Powered Vehicle) Challenge. The students have been preparing for this event for some time with the support of their teachers- Tina Alsop and Christian Fraser and the wonderful support of their parents. The students will be required to take their cart to the judges for scrutineering to make sure that it is safe. At this time students will be asked about the cart and how it is energy efficient. The next part of the event is a formal presentation and the teachers and the students have created a great display of the learning and teaching about sustainable energy. The last part of the event is the physical challenge of an endurance race competition against other primary schools. This is truly a team event with parents, students and teachers working together. We wish the two teams – ‘Thin Air’ and ‘Fast and Furious’ the very best of luck!

PFA - Trivia Night and Silent Auction

What a fantastic night! Thank you to our terrific PFA team – Angel, Pippa, Gaylene, Kath and Judi for organising such an enjoyable evening! We had a crowd – ten tables having fun. Thank you to all sponsors. The evening was a most successful fundraising event and just over $2000 was raised. Money will be used for upgrading the playground.

Run Gembrook

Thank you once again to the Run Gembrook team – Sam, Ka-ren, Mel, Jen, and Alison. The final amount raised from this event was just over $1000. A Fantastic effort! Again, money raised from this event will contribute to the upgrading of the playground.

Congratulations to all our students who par-ticipated in the 2013 Premier’s Reading Chal-lenge. The online hon-our board is available on the Premiers’ Read-

ing Challenge website: www.education.vic.gov.au/prc

Fire Action Week 2013 – Victoria's annual bushfire awareness week from 17 to 24 November - signals the start of the Sum-mer Fire Campaign.

This year, the campaign encourages Victorians to plan and prepare for fire and know when to leave. Victorians will be receiving information on bushfire and grassfire safety in sever-al different ways.

Over the summer months, Victorians will see televi-sion, radio, print and online advertisements urging peo-ple to be prepared to leave early in the event of a fire.

Partnerships with Cricket Victoria, the Melbourne Renegades, Melbourne Heart, the AFL Players Asso-ciation and Coles Super-markets will also help get the word out about fire safety through sports clinics in schools and other events.

During Fire Action Week, Victorian emergency services will be promoting fire awareness messages through events including CFA Sunday (24 November), when brigades across the state will open their doors to communities to discuss local risk and how to get prepared.

For more information on planning and preparing for fire this summer, visit the CFA website or call the Victorian Bushfire Information Line on 1800 240 667.

Get bushfire information at your fingertips, access up-to-date bushfire warnings and advice when you are out and about by downloading the FireReady app

Fiona, from CFA will be at the school gate next Wednesday after school to pass out information and talk about any matters that are of a concern . No question too small.

At Gembrook Primary School we have just reviewed our Emer-gency Management Plans, including plans in the event of a bushfire. Gembrook Primary School is considered to be in a high fire risk area; however the school site is considered low. The school has four practices each year for various emergency situations.

Kym

Principal

A VIEW TO THE FUTURE

Kym’s Comment cont...

Primary Mathematics and Science Specialists Program

Gembrook has been fortunate to have receive additional fund-ing and support to be part of the 2013-2015 Primary Mathe-matics and Science Specialist program.

This initiative is designed to empower and place up to 200 pri-mary school maths and science specialists in more than 100 primary schools across the state, in clusters of self-identified partner schools. The teacher specialists train their colleagues to make the teaching of maths and science more engaging and effective for their students. Gembrook and The Patch Primary School are working together in this program. Christian Fraser and Jude Everett are presently undertaking training as part of this program. As part of the introduction of the national curricu-lum ( AusVels), Science is a priority area.

VicHealth’s Walk to School encourages Victorian children and their families to walk to and from school during November, building healthy habits for life. At Gembrook the SRC (Student Representative Council) have been promoting Go November – come to school actively.

Typhoon Haiyan

The SRC team have also asked each grade to bring along coins for a coin trail. The grades have measured these and there is a competition for the longest coin trail. All money collected will be sent to World Vision to support victims of the Typhoon

Haiyan in the Philippines.

Monday November 25 Curriculum Day

This day will be spent reviewing and planning the future direc-tions of the mathematics program. In the afternoon all staff will undertake a first aid update. Students are not required at school on Monday 25 November.

Enjoy your week.

Staff Professional Development First Aide Mathematics

Congratulations

Jazmin Dewar has won the raffle

prize of a scooter and helmut for Ac-

tive November. Well done Jazzy!

Scholastic Book Club

Orders are due back by

27 November

Trivia Night - Thank you The PFA would like to thank all those families/ friends and teachers who were able to attend the trivia night/silent auction. It was a fun night for everyone and raised just over $2000. Congratulations to the Milnes table who won 1st in the trivia comp. Congratulations to all the winners of the raffle, games and the silent auction items. We would also like to say a huge thank you to all the sponsors for their kind support and generous donations. Especially to those wonderful families at GPS for their donations. Thank you to Tabitha for all your work on the trivia, on and before the night and many thanks to Brian for being a fantastic MC.

thegeneralfoodstore.com.au 377 Belgrave-Gembrook Rd., Emerald VIC 3782 03 5968 3580

Gembrook Primary School is a

SunSmart School

School hats must be worn for all out-

door activities. No hat means play in the

shade only.

Hats are available for sale ($10)

from the school office

Family Maths Work as a family to solve the weekly maths puzzle and you could be rewarded with a Computer Pass to be used

in your classroom. Put your entry in the box in the foyer near the office.

Have fun! MATHS IS MAVELLOUS!!

Birthdays!!

November

22 Kimberley

24 Charlotte Mc, Danni G

Education Maintenance Allowance 2014 EMA application forms for 2014 are available at the school office for parents and guardians who are holders of a Health Care Card or Veterans Affairs Gold Card, and for temporary foster par-ents.

Applications must be returned to the school of-fice no later than 28 February 2014

1. Sam, tell us something about yourself My husband and I have 3 children, Kait-lin in Grade 6, Tom in Grade 4 and Jessie in kindergarten. We have lived in Gem-brook for 7 years, and love the small community and being out of the suburbs!

2. How long have you been involved with GPS ? Since Kaitlin started school in 2007. I have been involved with Run Gembrook for the past 2 years.

3. What makes GPS special to you ? I love the fact that my children are growing up with a sense of community, and often play with kids at different age levels/grades. It’s great being part of GPS. I especially love being in a small school where you see families and friends kids at every event – eg. At the Footsteps Concert this year there were friend’s children in every year level to admire.

4. Describe your role in GPS Council I am a parent member, currently reviewing policies for the Out of Hours School Care program.

Sam Alabaster

The enrolment forms are available on the school website

www.gembrookps.vic.edu.au

Places for each after school activity are limited so enrol early to avoid

disappointment

Please return to your child’s teacher on their return to school

ABSENCE NOTE

Date/s of Absence

Students Name Grade

Reason for absence

Parent /Guardian Signature Date

Fitness Class for Parents

When: Wednesday morning 9.30-10.30

Where: Gembrook Primary School multi purpose room

Cost: $8 per session

What does it involve: a mixture of fat burning

cardio work, strength and toning work, core strength

as well as stretching and strengthening to enhance

healthy posture.

Qualified instructor: Certified in many fields of

fitness including advanced resistance training, personal

training, group fitness, cycle and zumba. (And 1st aid,

of course)

Experience: 20 years gym, aerobics, group fitness,

personal training and 15 years fitness club owner /

operator.

How fit do you need to be: come as you are. I

encourage everyone to work at a safe level for them-

selves and I will guide you all the way.

What to bring: a drink of water, wear runners, bring

a bath sized towel and….. yourself.!

Further enquiries: Natasha, phone: 0412183329

Food and Blanket Bank If you or someone you know need help managing a challenging life event and could do with a meal, regard-less of the reason, call either Tim Dewar or Pippa Goodie and we will arrange delivery of the meal to the family who needs it. We can all contribute meals to the bank or access meals when the need arises for us or someone else in our Gembrook community. St Luke's Anglican Church in Cockatoo is happy to sup-port us in this effort as part of their community program. If you want to know more, help, give or collect, please call either Pippa (0408 541 658) or Tim (0400994975). Thanks to everyone who has been able to donate their time and food.

Enthusiastic

runners at Run

Gembrook

Modern Celebrations from the Heart

Carol Tokley Registered Marriage Celebrant

Please phone for a no obligation chat 03 59682910 or 0427 682910

Contact Details

Please notify the school office if there are any changes to

your contact details: email, mobile phone numbers, land-

lines, address, emergency contacts.

It is essential for parents/carers to be easily contacted in

case of illness / emergencies.