Page 1

From the Principal’s Desk

HAPPY EASTER

I would like to start my newsletter by thanking the people who attended the Principal’s morning tea last week. It was a

nice opportunity to sit down and have an informal chat about the direction in which the school is going, our new focus on

curriculum as well as other programs. We spoke about how good it is to have clubs after school on Thursdays, Compass,

the new online canteen ordering system. We also discussed swimming and other special events and activities coming up

in the near future. I enjoyed the conversation and it was good to talk about the work we are doing at DPS and our vision

for the future as we work towards the best possible outcomes for our students. I have already pencilled in my next

morning tea, which is scheduled for May 17th, next term. Therefore, if you could not make it this time I invite you to come

along on the 17th.

PLANNING DAYS

Throughout this week your children may have told you that they had a relief teacher in their room for the day. This is

because the department of education announced late last year that all teachers were to have one extra day for planning

per term. This is on top of curriculum days. We have engaged the services of some relief teachers this week to release

teachers in their levels so they can plan together for the term ahead. They have been analysing data and other aspects of

the curriculum. As well as these planning days, teachers meet every Tuesday night after school in PLC’s, Professional

Learning Communities. Each teacher belongs to a PLC such as Numeracy, Literacy, STEM or Well being. In their PLC’s

teachers look at what is being planned and taught across the school in these areas as we work towards consistency of

practice across the school. On Wednesdays, teachers meet after school to participate in a range of professional

development workshops focussing on the principles of teaching and learning. Teachers share ideas and resources during

this time and on occasions we invite external presenters in to work with us. We also have a lot of expertise right here at

DPS and staff are asked to share their knowledge by presenting to the whole staff on any given aspect of educational

issues.

Jim Hill I would like to wish everyone a HAPPY and SAFE EASTER holiday.

Principal

UPCOMING EVENTS

March

THURSDAY 29th -Easter Bonnet Parade

LAST DAY TERM 1 DISMISSAL 2.30pm

APRIL

MONDAY 16th April – Term 2 Begins

MONDAY 16th April - SCHOOL PHOTOS

WEDNESDAY 18th April - School Cross Country

FRIDAY 19th April -ANZAC Day Assembly

MONDAY 23rd April – Grade 6 Canberra Camp

WEDNESDAY 25th April – ANZAC Day Holiday

MAY

Tuesday 1st-9th – Somers Camp

DONCASTER PRIMARY NEWSLETTER

28th March 2018 ISSUE 5

Page 2

SCHOOL COUNCIL

Each year school council elections take place in Term one and the process must be completed by March 31st.

On March 13th the School Council Annual General Meeting was held. Prior to the AGM nominations were called for to fill

four vacancies. Following the process, the following make up the school council for the year ahead;

Jim Hill, Sandra Bishop, Larissa Vesdrevanis, Dominic Monea (DET Representatives), Joel Deane, Rani Lamba, Carol Heath,

Nadiah Smith, Kylie Crompton, Katherine Zingiris, Jeff Fang (President) and Carl Michael (Vice President).

School council has particular functions in setting and monitoring the school's direction. The school council are required to

work with the principal and the school community in a partnership that assists the school council in performing its

functions, powers and roles.

School council participate in the development, monitoring and endorsement of the School Strategic Plan and Annual

Implementation Plan, they approve the annual budget and monitoring expenditure while developing, reviewing or

updating school policies as required by law or DET policy.

Understanding the functional split between school council and the principal is critical for the effective functioning of the

council. The school council has a governance role and the principal manages the school and is responsible for ensuring

the delivery of a comprehensive education program to all students.

I would like to acknowledge and thank Cathy Tsonis, Vicky Bee and John Koutras for their support of DPS in previous

years and their time on council.

S.C. PRESIDENT’S REPORT:

Doncaster Primary School continues in its mission to give every child every opportunity to ‘Aim High’ in all they do and to

aim higher in excelling.

Over the past year, I have seen the commitment and willingness of the School Leadership team and teachers in making

concerted efforts to strengthen the school curriculum and pedagogical delivery to improve student outcomes.

The school’s financial accounts are also in good health with strong support from the school business finance and

administration team.

I would like to thank Principal Jim Hill, Assistant Principal Sandra Bishop and all the teachers and staff at Doncaster

Primary School for their professionalism, tireless work and dedication over the past year.

I am also grateful to my fellow school councillors for standing in unity and always focused on ensuring the well-being of

the students in Doncaster Primary School.

I look forward to another great year ahead.

Jeff Fang

Prep Enrolments -2019

We are now accepting enrolments for 2019 and particularly ask current families with a student due to begin school

next year to complete an enrolment form, and drop it into the office as soon as possible. Thank you for your help

with this matter.

If you have friends or neighbours who have Prep students for 2019 they should telephone the office and book into a

school tour and also complete an enrolment form, available from the office.

School tours will be held each Thursday morning. Each tour will commence at 9.30am from the school office and will

conclude by approximately10.30am.

Page 3

SCHOOL WEBSITE

We have received feedback telling us that our website isn’t particularly tablet or mobile phone friendly. We are

investigating some options that will improve access to the website and make it easier to use and access

information. We are hoping to make a decision early next term so we can make changes to a more user

friendly website. This will include all the relevant information, photos, policies etc. So watch this space for more

information.

SCHOOL PHOTOS

Please remember, school photos are on the first

day of term 2!!

Hello from the PFA.

Thank you to the following parents for assisting with the Grandparent's Day Morning Tea. Fong, Liz, Andrea, Kylie,

Megan, Nadia, Karusha, Joy and our hardworking PFA Grandmother, Vicky Bee.

The Entertainment Book is now live and ready to order online. A flyer came home this week with all the details, More

information is available on the display in the Office. $13 from every book/digital membership sold, goes to helping DPS

reach our fundraising goals.

Our Mother's Day Stall team, consisting of Lynda, Kah Yee, Sharon and Jenny, have been working hard behind the

scenes, carefully choosing lovely gifts to sell at the stall, on Friday 4th May.

If you would like to volunteer to help on the stall, then let us know what time slot you are available, and your mobile

phone number for confirmation.

8.30am-9.00am (Setting up), 9.00am-10.00am, 10.00am-11.00am, 11.30am-12.30pm, 12.30pm-1.30pm, 1.30pm-

2.30pm(pack up)

We are looking forward to another successful fundraising event and your help is very much appreciated.

Our next PFA meeting will be held on Wednesday, 2nd May at 9am in the Staff Room. All welcome.

And finally, a big congratulations to Mal and her boys, who welcomed a

beautiful baby girl into their family last week. We can't wait to meet her!

Kind Regards, PFA Co-ordinators Gabby 3H/5M and Mal 1K/4G

dpspfa@gmail.com

This term we have offered a number of clubs including Origami, Zumba, Homework and STEM. These take place on Thursdays after school from 3.45 until 4.30pm. Many students have enjoyed participating in these clubs and are very keen to sign up for more next term. To be fair to everyone, we are asking that students bring a note from home indicating their desire to participate in a club for term two, and it is a case of first in best dressed. Most clubs have a cut off at 20 students, so get in quick. The note is to be given to the organising teacher as follows; STEM –---------------- Mrs. Long Room 21 Origami/Crochet - Mrs. Quinonero Room 32 Zumba –-------------- Mrs. Hooi Room 19 Homework –-------- Mrs. Baker Room 6 Indonesian ----------Mrs. Webster Room 27

Page 4

Page 5

Stars of Level 3

Zack 3H – For taking initiative during turn and talk time; and working well in pairs with his friends during Maths.

Amy 3H – For being a good friend to her classmates when they are feeling upset and sharing ideas during writing.

Ricky 3B - For writing an excellent 'hook' to begin his narrative.

Layla 3L- For using her manners and completing her homework on time neatly.

Stars of Prep

Ezekiel PW - For excellent focus and effort when counting sounds in words and creating patterns in Mathematics.

Mia PL – For settling into the school day so

quickly. Keep it up Mia!

Stars of Level 2

Anita 2F - For always contributing your ideas

to our group and whole class discussions.

Thank you!

Lilyanna 2P - For doing her best in class this week and doing everything with a big smile!

Stars of Level 5

Matthew 5G - For producing an extremely impressive persuasive piece with detailed arguments and expressive language.

Bruce 5M - For always having a go and trying your best when faced with new challenges.

Daniel 5B - For you positive attitude towards Mathematics this week.

Specialist Awards Senior PE - Sam 5G. For the awesome encouragement he gave his partner in the fitness testing during PE.

Middle PE - Rachel 4WS. For really pushing herself to complete the fitness assessments to the best of her ability.

Junior PE - Isabella Jiang 2P. For trying hard to

improve her catching skills in PE.

Stars of Level 6

Kyra 6F - For her informative health project which

included an inspirational video on cooking dinner.

Kyra presented her project confidently in front of

an audience which included her loving

grandfather.

HOUSE POINTS

Phillip 7 Flinders 6 Lawson 5 Monash 4

Stars of Level 1

Hana 1P- For participating in class discussions and for working hard.

Stars of Level 4

Kevin 4WS - For being a kind member of the class who uses his initiative to help others. Thank you Kevin!

Joanne 4WS - For being a hard working member of 4WS who always strives to complete 5-Star quality work. Keep it up!

Ruby 4G - For always listening hard during whole

class instruction and doing her best on all set activities. Well done Ruby!

Page 6

Page 7

Page 8

Wednesday 21st of March saw us share

Grandparents’ Day with HARMONY Day. The

cultural diversity of Doncaster Primary School is one

of our greatest strengths, and this was the perfect

opportunity for us to celebrate our differences and

shared values. Have a look at some of the different

activities we got to do over the course of the day.

Messages of what Harmony

Day means to us – Level 3

Self-portraits with flags of

where we are from – Level 2

Instagram posts with

messages of hope and

diversity – Level 5

Page 9

Bullying. NO WAY! On Friday 16th March 2018, Doncaster Primary School took part in the eighth National Day of Action

against Bullying and Violence (NDA). The National Day of Action is Australia’s key anti-bullying event

for schools and in 2018, schools are called to imagine a world free from bullying and share their BIG

IDEAS. All year levels took part in class activities.

Below are some comments and work that students completed on the day.

Some comments form Level 2 students after they completed their activity.

Aaron T - If someone is bullying you, you could say "Stop it I don't like it”. Then you should walk away and tell the teacher. Daniel and Ranveer - If someone is mean to you once, you could try to smile at them and maybe you'll make their day better and they'll be happier. You could say to them "That's hurting my feelings, could you please stop that". Sophia - If someone's mean to you, DON'T be mean back! Joshua - Bullying is never ending. You have to say STOP IT to break the chain. Leon - Be a buddy, not a bully.

Grade 4: When to report bullying activity.

Page 10

Grade 5: Students watched Wonder and then completed an activity that related to the movie.

Olivia, Shanshan and Angelina displaying their wonderful work.

Thank you to all teachers and

students for participating.

Page 11

Level 6 students attended a Youth Summit organised by Manningham YMCA on Tuesday 27 March. The intention of the

Youth Summit was to show young people that they have power and to foster the understanding that one voice can

make a difference. Through music and narrative, the students were taken on a journey of inspiration, of truth and of

belief in oneself. Joining other students from local primary and secondary schools, issues relevant to youth in the

Manningham community were explored. Manningham Council, who are the alliance partners of MYMCA Youth Services,

will assist future young leaders to drive the outcomes from this session and assist with delivery to our community.

All children were focussed, enthused and enjoyed the experience that

included workshops, surveys, morning tea, lunch and a show bag of

goodies.

STUDENT VOICE The learnings children took away.

We have the power to change the world, to shape the future. We have a voice that deserves to be heard. - Kaelyn

You shouldn't be afraid to say what's on your mind. Stand up for what you believe in. - Georgie

Be confident and be yourself, not someone or something you want to be. #BEHEARD - Sophie

Learn to stand up for what you believe and don't have fear. #BEHEARD - Braden

It's ok to be different. Be yourself and don't let others change who you really are. - Evelyn

Don't be afraid to say what you think and have your voice heard. - Amelia

Your voice can be heard and will be heard if you speak up! You can make a change. Just believe. - Stephanie

As long as everyone believes they can belong and if they behave, the community will be a better place. - Manna

Young people are the future and we can change the world to a safer and happier environment. - Jasmine

Children can help the world to be a better place and can help people to be better. - Andrew

We have a voice and we should use it for good. We deserve to be heard. - Ijzia

I learned how to support other people. - Jessica

Kids have lots of power and it's important to listen to them. - Arya

Children can change the world. - Rami

Everyone has a voice and everyone has something to say. - Apple

I learnt there are places in Manningham where I can go. - Kyra

Everyone has a voice and deserves to be heard. - Sophia

Everyone can be heard. #BEHEARD - Chloe

We all have a voice and we can do anything! - Rozanna

Children have a voice and a chance to make a difference in Manningham. - Caitlan

I learnt to stand up for myself and say what I am thinking. - Johnathan

Page 12

CURRICULUM CORNER By Larissa Vesdrevanis

As part of our continued drive for improvement, Mrs. Vanessa Keen our DATA Leader, conducted a professional learning session for our teaching staff on understanding and analysing our School Performance Report Data which includes Naplan. Mrs Keen provided staff with the opportunity to examine, analyse and discuss key data sets represented in

varying forms. Staff took time to work in groups to analyse the 2017 Naplan Data from an item analysis point of view to pin point any patterns in student responses. This type of work ensures that teachers are reflecting on the clarity of their

lessons and can make adjustments to lesson sequences to improve student understanding. Teachers can also use the data to ensure that students are familiar with the more non- standard type questions used in Naplan and other testing situations where the application of surface knowledge to deep knowledge is required. It was a productive and valuable

session. As educational professionals our ability to evaluate and diagnose data informs teaching and learning improvement across the school.

FISO (Framework for Improving Student Outcomes)

Page 13

Page 14

Please go to PWS Kew located at 12 Strathalbyn St, Kew East 3102 03 9768 0381 www.psw.com.au Trading Hours Tue to Fri: 9:00am – 5:00pm Sat: 10:am – 1:00pm If you need House coloured t-shirt, they sell for $19.95 and come in sizes 4 - 16 (even sizes only). Now available for purchase as part of our uniform range.

Page 15

Page 16

Page 17

Page 18

QUICK GUIDE FOR USING COMPASS ON YOUR PERSONAL DEVICES

To Consent and Pay for events on Compass on your devices, open the App in browser mode. Open the App (enter your username and password – if needed). Click on the three horizontal lines in the top left hand corner – choose: Open in Browser. Scroll over to the top, right hand side of the screen and look for the sections highlighted in yellow. Click on these

links and follow the prompts.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPASS APP

If you don’t already have the Compass App on your phone, here is how you go about it: Go to your App store. Type “Compass School Manager” into the search area. Get / Download / Install onto your Device. Allow Push Notifications? – YES (a thousand times YES!!!) A great way to know if something important has been post in Compass Type in your username and password. To use, click on the three horizontal lines in the top left hand corner – choose: Open in Browser.

TURN ON PUSH NOTIFICATIONS FOR COMPASS

Your Compass App has PUSH NOTIFICATIONS. Please enable this option on the App as we use this option to notify you of important events.

This is how you can enable push notifications on most devices: Please go to SETTINGS

Scroll down to the COMPASS APP icon Click on NOTIFICATIONS

ALLOW Notifications (needs to be green)

COMPASS: ABSENCES, LATE ARRIVALS & EARLY DEPARTURES

Absences Parents are responsible for keeping up-to-date approvals for their children’s absences on Compass. When you logon onto your parent welcome page a short message will appear above the newsfeed on the top right hand side of the screen. You will then need to click on the link ‘Click here for more information’ where you will then see a list of times that your child was absent from school. By first clicking on the box of the dates needing your approval, then the “man” with the green tick on his shoulder, you will be able to approve your child’s absences. A detailed explanation of this process can be found in the ‘School Documentation’ section within the

Community dropdown menu on the parent welcome page. If you require any other help please do not hesitate to contact the school office.

Late Arrivals and Early Departures Students who arrive ‘LATE to’ or ‘LEAVE EARLY from’ the school must also have “approvals” logged by parents. Please note that these can only be recorded after the fact as they are “time stamped” by Compass. All students who arrive late to school must report to the office to ensure they are not marked as absent for the first

session; parents do not need to accompany the students on these occasions. However, students must always be signed

out by a parent or carer that is listed as a student contact. If your child is being signed out by someone who is not

authorised to do so, that adult must bring a letter of authority with them.

Please contact the Office 98481122, Rebecca Compass Officer

Page 19

2018 International Competition and Assessments for Schools

(ICAS)

The ICAS Competitions are an initiative of the Educational Testing Centre of the University of New South Wales. The competitions involve independent, skills-based assessments which recognize and reward student achievement. Competitions will be held before school on the following dates:

Digital Technologies Tuesday, 8 May 2018 7.50am

Science Tuesday, 29 May 2018 7.30am

Spelling Wednesday, 13 June 2018 7.45am

Writing Thursday, 14 June 2018 7.50am

English Tuesday, 31 July 2018 7.30am

Mathematics Tuesday, 14 August 2018 7.30am

School Banking

Are you part of the School Banking Program? Did you know $5 for every new account opened

and 5% of every deposit made is contributed to our school.

You can now open an account online; it takes just a few minutes. Visit

www.commbank.com.au/schoolbanking. Alternatively take your child’s birth certificate and

your licence to any branch.

Support your school.

Entertainment Book now ready to order.

Simply visit the Entertainment Membership:

www.entbook.com.au/93p5463

Page 20

Dear Parents/Guardians,

The Yogafun Club students have learnt lots of new yoga postures, relaxation and mindfulness techniques throughout this term.

What we learnt: This term we learnt about ‘Coping with Challenges’ where each

student shared their daily challenges & we learnt yoga techniques to help, below are some of the comments:

“Maths when teacher is talking for a long time - use calming breaths” “Homework - use yogafun sun dance or slow down breathing”

“Making friends - remind myself “I can do it” “Learning times tables - take a few deep breaths to learn easier”

"Remind myself I can do it, even when I feel overwhelmed!”

** Please ignore below if you have already enrolled your child for next term. ** Confirm your child’s place: If you have not confirmed your child’s place yet, please find below the registration details:

HOW TO CONFIRM: 1. Book using Credit card via Yogafun booking system OR: 2. EFT Direct Deposit & scan/return paper Enrolment forms to Attn: Yogafun, PO Box 3004, Mentone East. Accnt: Yogafun BSB: 033-371 Account: 264-655 Reference: DPS_child’s name

Amt: Choose from the following Membership Options:

Earlybird Pricing - valid until Friday 30th March [& regular prices after this date, which are subject to availability]

Single Term* (1 Term): $175 [regular price: $195.50] 6mth Membership* (2 Terms): $281 [regular price: $311.85] 9mth Membership* (3 Terms): $421 [regular price: $467.78] Annual Membership* (4 Terms): $538 [regular price: $598.40] *All Fees are GST inclusive & non-refundable. ** Earlybird Prices ONLY available if enrolled before the end of current term. Payment plans are available.

The Club details & reminders will be sent to you via email, upon receipt of your booking.

Thanks very much. We look forward to teaching your child/children Yogafun next term! :) Warm regards,

Connie Mah

Director | Senior Teacher Trainer

Accredited Trainer & Mentor - Yoga Australia Lvl 2 Member

Nominee of the Australian Sports Commission Community Coach Award

1300 YOGAFUN (9642-386) | info@yogafun.com.au | yogafun.com.au

Page 21

Page 22

Friday Afterschool Badminton Coaching Classes

Our school lunch time badminton program is now well underway with over 40 students participating every Thursday lunch

time.

In addition to our lunch time program, the coaches are beginning a private coaching session every Friday after school

between 4 and 6pm for those students and families wanting additional tutoring. This program is tailored to help identify students weaknesses and help correct their skills in the game of badminton.

Students are expected to provide their own racquets and wear appropriate sports clothing and shoes. The coaching program will be held in the school gymnasium and incur a cost of $20 per student, per week. This will cover

the cost of the coaches for 2 hours and hire of the gym. Classes will be limited to 24 students per term and will be

commencing early March. For more information or to express an interest in participating, please contact Simon Gan or 0403 004 756 or

simong@optusnet.com.au Brochures can also be obtained from Ms Newton in the PE office (P-2 Building)

Page 23