Week 5 Term 3

Merimbula Public School – School Of Mini Olympians!!! Dear Parents, Carers and Grandparents,

Congratulations to our wonderful Kindergarten students (and their dedicated

teachers, Year 6 helpers, support staff, parents and caregivers) for holding such a fantastic Mini Olympics yesterday. It was

great to see all of the students try their best and demonstrate our school values of

‘Respect, Responsibility, Care and Fairness’ while competing.

Road Safety Message: Two serious matters have been brought to the school’s attention:

1. Some cars have not been slowing down in the School Zone or stopping at the School Crossings during School Zone Hours. The Merimbula Police are aware of this matter and have been completing additional patrols in the area. Please ensure that you drive at the correct 40km per hour speed between 8am – 9.30am and 2.30pm – 4.00pm and that you stop for pedestrians at the flags / crossings during these times.

2. Students attending the bus stop at Merimbula Drive and Sapphire Crescent have been observed playing ball games and other activities near the busy roads. Please ensure that you talk to your children about waiting safely at bus stops, away from the curb and not playing with balls and other equipment whilst waiting for the bus.

Thank you for helping us ensure our school remains a safe and happy place. If you see any behaviours of concern, please contact the school so we can alert parents and talk to the students about their safety.

Principal’s Awards: Congratulations to the following students for receiving 5 Merit Awards: Ayla, Aaron, Lily, Jacob, Charlee, Phoebe, Lochlann, Arabella (x2), Charlie, Sean, Bailey, Patrick, Ethan, Nathaniel and Bailey. They will all receive Principal’s Awards at the next school Assembly in the Hall at 1.40pm on Sept 10. Unfortunately we were not able to hold our assembly this Monday due to Festival Of Instrumental Music rehearsals taking place in the hall. We look forward to presenting students with awards at the next assembly though.

PBS Awards: Congratulations to the following students who have completed all areas of their values Matrix Chart: Hannah, Dakota, Logan, Mie, Tasha, Izabella, Abbi-Lee and Jackson. They will be receiving an award at the next assembly (August 27).

UNSW Science Champions: Congratulations to Bailey who received a Distinction and Angus who received a Credit in the University Of NSW Science Competition recently. They will receive their certificates, and all participants will receive their participation certificates, at the next School Assembly on Sept 10 at 1.40pm.

Zone Athletics Carnival: Good luck to all competitors representing Merimbula Public School at this Friday’s Zone Athletics Carnival in Bega (weather permitting). I am sure that you will once again make our school very proud!

Kindergarten Enrolments for 2013: We have started to collect names of students who will be enrolling in 2013. We have held many parent tours and have been given names from local preschools. To assist us in finalising our Transition Program, if you know of any 2013 enrolments (Kindergarten or otherwise) please contact the Administration Office on (02) 6495 1266. Thank you for your assistance.

School Photos Save The Date: This year’s School Photos will take place on Wednesday, September 5. Order forms will be sent home in the coming weeks. I hope that you enjoy reading more about our wonderful school within this newsletter. Regards,

Michelle Hulme - Principal

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School News Voluntary Contributions: It’s not too late! Thank you to those families that have paid their contributions. Payment of these contributions help to purchase much needed classroom supplies and resources to enhance each child’s learning journey. Please send payment to school as soon as possible. Many thanks. Class Attendance: While most children arrive at school before classes start, a number of students are consistently late at the start of the day. It is important to be on time every day as those students are missing out on vital things such as lesson introductions, instructions, home reading and pre-tests for spelling. Please attempt to have your child here on time so that they don’t have to attempt to “catch up” as soon as they arrive. Change of details: In the case of an emergency we need to have CURRENT contact information including work and mobile phone numbers. Please remember to update this information throughout the year. REMINDER: Kidsartworks Fundraiser Calendars/Greeting Cards/iPhone covers/Mouse Mats: We are once again running our very popular artwork fundraiser. Calendars/Cards etc showing a child’s own art work are practical yet very personal, so make perfect Christmas presents for family and friends. Each child requires their own order form. Order forms are available from the school office. Please send order forms and money to school by Friday Aug 24. Zone Athletics: Due to the inclement weather last week the Zone Athletics Carnival will be held this Friday Aug 17 at Bega Valley Public School sports fields. The first events will begin at 9am. In the instance of bad weather, announcements will be made on local radio. Students need to organise their own transport to and from this event. Please contact Mr Hughes if you require any further information. Mrs Green and Mrs Ross will be directing the team on the day. Please check in with them when you arrive on the day. PBS Awards: The PBS Committee have been very impressed with the number of children achieving their first large PBS certificate for having completed each value on their matrix. Congratualtions to: Abbi-Lee, Dakota, Logan, Mie, Tasha, Jackson, Hannah and Izabella. These children will be presented with their awards during the next PBS assembly.

Athletics Age Champion Presentation: Presentations for age champions will take place next Monday (August 20th) in the Jackson Hall. The assembly will begin at 12.45pm.

The Fathers Day Stall will be held on Thursday August 30 from 2.10-3pm and Friday August 31 from 8.30-9.00am. School Photos: Will be taken on Wednesday September 5 (Week 8). Payment envelopes will be sent home with next week’s newsletter. Kinder News What great athletes we have in Kindergarten. Lots of gold, silver and bronze medals were won at out Mini Olympics yesterday. Thanks very much to Stage 3 students for your help. It was great to see lots of parents come and cheer for the children. The children are making great progress with their literacy skills. When they are reading they are using their knowledge of sounds to try and work out unfamiliar words. The pictures are also important in helping them gain meaning from the story. Please listen to your child read every day and change readers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We are getting very clever making ‘groups of’ and ‘sharing’ in Maths. Practice counting forwards and backwards as well as saying the number before and after is valuable. Parents are welcome to attend their child’s class assembly. The KW assembly will be next Tuesday, August 21, KH on September 4 and KD on September 18. Assemblies are held in the KH/KB classrooms, commencing at 2.10 pm. Stage 1 News Musica Viva -Sounds Baroque proved to be a well polished entertaining group of actors/musicians and for many students it may have been the first time they have seen a harpsichord in full swing. Stage One students were able to join in and sing the chorus to a Baroque rap so well that we had an encore performance. The practice we had at Stage assemblies paid off. Well done Stage One for being such a good audience. Stage 1 Olympic Day: The real Olympics may be coming to an end but with the Stage One Olympic Day still a few weeks away, we are busy practising our skills, including marching for the Opening Ceremony. I feel the competition will be on with the five classes/countries battling it out for Olympic glory! (Go the Kiwi’s – just quietly) We are hoping all the students will get behind their adopted countries and have fun! 1L Philippines (Yellow) 1F France (Blue) 1-2M New Zealand (Black) 2J Wales (Green) 2S China (Red) We are very pleased to have Ann Cooper for the next three weeks teaching 2J as Jennie Smith is on leave.

Stage 2 News As part of Maths this term, we will be learning about the mass and weight of objects. To help us complete practical activities we would appreciate it if you could have a look around at home for the following items and send them to your child's teacher: bottle tops, bolts, corks, pebbles, sawdust, foam, small plastic bags, margarine containers, small soft drink bottles with lids, jars and corks. Many year 4 children are now achieving their pen licences. These children will require a blue and red biro to use in class. Other children are coming to school without lead pencils. Could you please ensure your child has the correct equipment to start the day as this helps them get settled and into the day more easily.

Stage 3 News Murder under the Microscope: Stage 3 students are undertaking a scientific investigation relating to catchment health. In this project, students have been presented with a mystery, an environmental ‘crime’ and within class teams students have been researching possible issues and associated crime sites. To compliment student learning, Doug Reckord from Bournda Environmental Education Centre (BEEC), enlightened Stage 3 students on their own catchments and the importance of keeping all parts of a catchment healthy. Thanks to Doug’s knowledge and Google Earth, students walked away with a greater awareness of how catchments are separated and how they function. Thanks Doug! Good luck to all Stage 3 classes in identifying the victim, villain and crime site. Dates to remember………

Wed Aug 15 Fast Forword Parent Information Night 5-6-pm Thurs Aug 23 Paul Kelly Cup State AFL Final Thurs Aug 30 Recorder group performing @ Sydney Opera

House Thurs Aug 31 Father’s Day Stall Fri Aug 31 Father’s Day Stall Wed Sept 5 School Photos

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