18 May 2017

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

It is hard to believe that it is week 4 already and were nearly half way through the second term. Thank you to all the families who have paid their school fees so far. All families who had paid their total fees for the year were put in a draw for a family movie pass and congratulations to the Granger Family on winning the pass.

Walk Safely to School Day - Friday 19 May

Tomorrow we encourage all students to walk to school. This is a great opportunity for children to see whom they can buddy up with to walk to school. With the increase in traffic and limited parking around the school we need to be looking at alternative ways to come to school so as to limit traffic congestion. Please make an effort to walk tomorrow and discuss with neighbours and friends how you can make this a regular practice. Children who walk to school tomorrow will receive a sticker on arrival for their efforts. PSSA teams will walk up from David Thomas after training.

School Cross Country

All students who are 8 years and over participated in our annual School Cross Country carnival. The rain held off and we were able to run all age groups. Congratulations to all students who participated on the day. The first 6 place getters will go off to compete in the Manly Zone carnival on Wednesday 24 May. Thank you to Mr Dylan and Ms Fisk for their organisation of the day and to all the parents who came down to cheer on the students.

Mother’s Day Breakfast

Last Friday the P&C had their first fundraiser for the year. The Mother’s Day breakfast was a great success and thank you to everyone who supported this event by buying bacon & egg rolls, coffee and Manly Vale Public School cups. Thank you to Penny Dixon and Inessa Jackson and their helpers for the organisation of this event and to Peta Morris for the lovely photo booth. A special mention to the school choir led by Mrs McManus and Mrs Lucey who sang 2 beautiful songs to all the mums during breakfast. It was a great start to our fundraising. More about this event features later in the newsletter.

NAPLAN

Last week all students in Years 3 & 5 completed the Language Conventions, Writing, Reading and Numeracy national tests. Results for these tests will be sent to parents later in the year and are a good way to assess how your child is performing in these areas. These tests are only one test on one day and your child’s class teacher throughout the year does ongoing assessment in all areas of the curriculum. Our half yearly reports will be sent home at the end of this term, which will give you a summary of your child’s performance in all areas of the curriculum.

School Council AGM

Last Monday night we had our AGM for School Council. We had many nominations and the positions were voted on by the outgoing members. Thank you to Georgina Sawyer our community representative for the past 12 months who stood down last night. The positions are as follows:

This year the School Council will be looking into traffic and parking concerns around the school, the implementation of the anti-bullying procedures and preparing for the School Validation process in 2018 based on the School Excellence Framework. The new School Plan for 2018 will be written in consultation with the School Council.

OC Applications - closed last Friday 12 May

Last Friday was the final day for submissions of applications from our year 4 students for the Opportunity Class (OC). The site is now closed and assessments are now being conducted to rank these students for selection purposes.

Band Workshops

Last Monday and Tuesday the senior and junior bands had an early start to their days with some intensive workshops with their conductors and tutors. These workshops were in preparation for their upcoming concerts and performances. This Friday at our school assembly our senior band will entertain us. The band program is growing and it is exciting to see our new musicians improving as the weeks roll on.

Our Band Committee met last week and have decided to extend the time students remain in the junior band. All band students from next year onwards will stay in the Junior Band program for 2 years to consolidate their foundation musical knowledge. Some students who demonstrate musical knowledge and expertise at the senior band standard may be asked to audition for the senior band earlier than the 2 year tenure. This is to allow for our senior band members to further extend their abilities and improve the overall standard of the senior band program.

Our next Junior Band performance is at the Manly Vale Kindergarten on Tuesday 6 June.

ICAS - Digital Technologies Tuesday 23 May (after school)

Only the English and Numeracy ICAS test will be run during school hours this year and all other ICAS competition tests will be conducted after school. Mrs Lee and Ms Phillips will supervise the first ICAS test after school in 5J and 5F classrooms, on 23 May. A separate note has been sent home with students who are participating in these competitions. No catch up afternoons will be offered for students who miss these afternoons so please make sure that you child is at school on the dates stated.

Simultaneous Story telling - next Monday 22 May

Our K-2 students will participate in a simultaneous story telling event. Mrs Poole has organised the text “The Cow Tripped Over The Moon” to be performed by the teachers and shared with the students at 10.30am on this day. This is another fun initiative organised by Mrs Poole our teacher librarian to further support and encourage the love of reading amongst our students!

Debating

Our year 5 students Dakota Birch, Poppy Pickering, Ben Meredith and Ophelia Shapter are participating in some friendly debates this year in preparation for The Premier’s Debating Challenge next year. Our Year 6 debating team of Ella McAvoy, Ingrid Harding, Ben Crowe and Nora Gado will have their first competitive debate against Balgowlah Heights Public School next Tuesday 23 May. Both teams will participate in a training day on Monday 22 May at Mowbray Public School. They have been busily preparing for their debates with the support and assistance of Mrs Fraser and Ms Caruso. Good luck to both teams next week in their first debates for the year.

PSSA Winter Competition

Last Friday we had our first games of the PSSA winter competition. We have 4 boys soccer teams (coached by Mrs Cash and Ms Sussanna), 4 girls soccer teams (coached by Ms Kemp and Ms Caruso), 2 girls netball teams (coached by Mrs Humphreys) a Netta team (coached by Mrs Te Pania) and 2 rugby league teams (coached by Mr Guzman) This is the first time Manly Vale Public School have entered a rugby league team in the PSSA competition. Good luck to all our competitors and coaches this Friday. Our home sport program will be a rotation on basketball, netball, newcombeball and field events (in preparation for our Athletics Carnival). Please ensure your child has the correct PSSA uniform and protective gear for the games on Friday. Football socks are being restocked in the uniform shop at the moment so please just allow your child to wear their club football socks or buy plain red socks from a retail outlet. The uniform shop will be getting more socks in as soon as possible.

All PSSA code of conduct notes should be signed and returned to coaches by now. Any breaches to this code can lead to players being kept at school and missing games.

Chess Club

Last Friday afternoon our chess teams coordinated by Mr Bennett played each other in their first competition match for the year. All players seemed to enjoy the afternoon and Mr Bennett is very pleased with their enthusiasm for their Friday afternoon matches. Good luck to both teams. Thank you to all the parents who have offered to drive the players to their various competition events on a Friday afternoon and to Mr Bennett for allowing our students to have this opportunity. Good luck on Friday!

Dance Concert - Tuesday 27 June

Preparations for our annual Dance Concert are now in full swing. By now you should have received a note from your class teacher regarding the costume requirements. If you have any concerns about costuming please contact your class coordinator or class teacher and discuss.

There will be 2 concerts a K-2 concert and a 3-6 concert with the School Dance Ensembles performing at both concerts. Details of times will come home later this term when final rehearsals are conducted. Please keep the morning of 27 June free to come and watch. Front row seats for this event will be auctioned at the school Trivia Night on Saturday 17 June. At this stage we have no one to film the concert this year so please contact the office if you know of anyone who is available.

Kindergarten 2018 Open Day

On Tuesday 30 May we welcome all interested students for Kindergarten 2018. Our school band, choir and dance groups will perform on this day while our school leaders will conduct tours of the school.

Lost Property

Many parents have called the school looking for lost hats and jackets all of which have names on them. Please check the labels on all your child’s uniform pieces to see that they have brought home the right jacket/hat. Always return items of uniform to school that do not belong to you so they can be returned to the rightful owners.

Parking Concerns

We have had parents parking over driveways and in the school entrance way and car park. Please park away from the school in pick up and drop off times. Traffic congestion and parking can be alleviated around the school’s entrance by just parking that bit further away and enjoying a walk to school.

Remember to always put your children in the car from the curb side. Car doors should not be opened on the road side as car doors can be damaged and children can be injured when they are on the road.

Tina Lee - Principal

Assistant Principal’s Report

ICAS Competitions

On Tuesday a note was sent home outlining the details for the Digital Technologies ICAS UNSW Competition which is taking place on Tuesday 23 May straight after school. If you paid for your child to sit the competition they would have received the note. Please provide them with afternoon tea and remind them that they are doing the competition in 5F (year 4) and 5J (years 3, 5 & 6) after school. The primary teachers also have a list and will remind students before the bell that they are to go to the designated classrooms.

The Science ICAS UNSW Competition will be the following Tuesday 30 May and a separate note with the details will be sent home next week.

75th Commemorative Service

Next Friday, 26 May, our School Captains Sienna Kelly and Sonny Harper and our School Vice Captains Grace Nairne and Ben Crowe, accompanied by Miss Phillips, will attend the 75th Commemorative Service at the Defence of Sydney Monument at North Head with Tony Abbott. Since 1995 an annual commemoration service has been conducted at the monument to mark the momentous occasion of the night war came to Sydney. Our leaders will present a book at the monument as a part of the service.

Student Representative Council (SRC)

Every three weeks our School Leaders run an SRC meeting. Classes present student suggestions of ways the school could be improved. This is a fantastic forum for students to take part in decision making and have real life experience of democracy in action. Thank you to the parents who have attended our SRC meetings and created an ‘audience’. The next meeting is in week 6, Friday 2 June at 11:20am in the hall. Classes KD, 2GC, 4K and 6O’G will be presenting suggestions and all are welcome.

Miss Phillips - Assistant Principal

Gifted and Talented Program - HOT (Higher Order Thinking) Committee

It is hard to believe that it is already week 4 of Term 2! They are correct when they say ‘time flies when you are having fun’.

Our years 1 and 2 students enjoyed mathematics extension so much that we have decided to continue with it this term as well. Four year 5 and thirteen year 6 students qualified for the Australasian Problem Solving Maths Olympiad competition and are practising their skills once a week. We hope that they will relish the challenge and give their best on competition days.

Our year 1 writers are engaged in creative story writing and are enjoying composing interesting pieces of work. Mrs Speight is coordinating the year 2 writing group and we are looking forward to reading their stories. Over 20 students from years 3 to 6 have accepted the challenge to enter the Multicultural Perspective Public Speaking competition and are currently writing their speeches and practising the art of impromptu speaking.

ToM (Tournament of Minds) club is a busy place on Friday mornings. During term 1 the students were exploring spontaneous challenges requiring them to think creatively and quickly on their feet to present solutions to their intricate problems. This term, students will spend more time on developing a presentation on a specific long-term challenge. Selecting the final team to compete at the ToM will be Mrs Banham’s challenge.

We are looking forward to yet another busy term.

Mrs Banham - HOT Coordinator

Manly Vale Public School Art Enrichment Program 2017

This year marks the introduction of ART SHACK: An initiative from our Gifted and Talented Committee (HOT Higher Order Thinking), Art Shack is an art enrichment program designed for students at Manly Vale Public School.

This differentiated art enrichment program offers participants exposure to collaborative studio workshops that provide a stimulating and supportive environment for the gifted and talented student.

Students nominated by their teacher will have the opportunity to work with a variety of different artistic mediums and techniques that are not always practical in the classroom setting.

Students will also benefit from having the opportunity to partake in community art projects and competitions that arise throughout the year.

This program will culminate with an Art Exhibition that will showcase ART SHACK creations alongside outstanding art work from classrooms throughout the year.

Visual arts is a wonderful curriculum springboard for children to express themselves creatively, celebrate their own uniqueness, and explore their many talents.

Art Shack Overview 2017

Mrs Speight is coordinating the Art Shack program with the help of Mrs Banham (HOT Coordinator). Workshops will take place during lunch time sessions.

Mrs Speight - Art Shack Coordinator

Dates for Your Diary

Stewart House 2017 Donation Drive

Donation envelopes are due back at school by tomorrow Friday 19 May 2017. No late envelopes accepted.

Library News

Sydney Writer’s Festival 22-28 May 2017

New stories, ideas, thoughts, authors for everyone!

Sunday 28 May Family Day – many events one FREE but bookings (max 4 tickets) are essential, see website. Festival highlights – Authors Lauren Child, Andy Griffiths, Richard Roxburgh, Katie Di Camillo.

Walk Safely to School Day – Friday 19 May 2017

Please join us at Manly Vale Public School and WALK to school on Friday morning!

Join together with a group of friends and/or parents and leave the car at home!

Benefits of walking include:

• reduced levels of air pollution
• increased health benefits - create a good habit!
• improved awareness of road crossing skills
• reduced traffic congestion and car dependency
• it's FUN!!

If you are PSSA training at David Thomas oval before school you can walk to school with your coaches.

Thank you for your support and participation.

Ms Cash

Chess News

In round 2 of the NSW Junior Chess League, Manly Vale A competed against Manly Vale B.

Manly Vale A (Rory Edgerton, Tom Stevens, Sean Meredith & Oliver Sherlock) defeated Manly Vale B (Alex Matheson, Cooper Dixon, Max Mako & Milo Wolf-Daffy) 2.5 - 1.5 with Rory and Oliver winning their games.

After a bye for both teams in the first round, it was a great start to the season. Go Manly Vale!

Andy Bennett

Cross Country Carnival

On Monday 15 May students in years 3-6 along with those turning 8 from year 2 walked down to David Thomas Reserve for the school cross country carnival. It was wonderful to see the energy and enthusiasm of all students as they ran, skipped or walked their way around the course. A big thank you to all the parents who offered their support.

The zone cross country carnival will be held on Wednesday 24 May 2017 at John Fisher Park, Curl Curl. All students who placed in the top 6 have qualified for this carnival. Permission notes will be sent home later this week. School cross country ribbons will be presented to students during Friday’s line assembly on 26 May 2017.

Sally Fisk

2017 Cross Country Results

P&C Mother’s Day Breakfast

Thank you to the hundreds of Manly Vale Public School families who came last Friday to our school Mother's Day breakfast. Our team of volunteers—and everyone who attended—allowed us to host a wonderful community event. We hope you enjoyed the morning.

We would like to give a special thankyou to the team of parent volunteers who came to school in the early hours of the morning to set up and start cooking. There were so many wonderful moments during the morning when our parent volunteers embodied the 'caring and sharing' motto of our school: supporting other volunteers, jumping in where they may not have been rostered on and packing up in record time at the end. Our creative team excelled themselves (once again!) and the kitchen crew ran a smooth operation all morning.

We're pleased to announce—while we don’t have final figures yet for what we raised for our kids—we kicked a few big goals:

• 370 bacon & egg rolls ordered via our new website – no food wastage at all
• Over 180 coffees
• 70 keep cups sold and distributed, more on sale from the uniform shop or online
• And most importantly: happy kids and parents.

We'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the breakfast via our super-short survey:

Thank you again and we look forward to seeing you all at our next school fundraising event: Trivia Night! Saturday 17 June.

PSSA Draws and Venues

Café Owl Volunteers Needed

We need a parent/grandparent to help out every fortnight, as well as helpers we can call at short notice to fill in when one of our team is sick. Working at Café Owl is a great way to help raise funds for our beloved bushland school. Please contact Justine at jneditorial@gmail.com.au or 0406 451 098.

Canteen Volunteers Roster Term 2, 2017

Community Notices

Lifeline Northern Beaches Giant Book Fair

Friday 19 May 4.00-9.00pm, Saturday 20 May 9.00am-5.00pm & Sunday 21 May 9.00am-2.00pm, St Augustine’s College, Cnr Federal Parade West & Alfred St, Brookvale (next to Brookvale Oval). Thousands of good quality books, at bargain prices, in many categories, including a wide range of children’s books suited to all ages. Visa, Mastercard & Eftpos facilities available. (Entry by gold coin donation very much appreciated).

Run for Royal Far West

Manly Fun Run on Sunday 21 May, 2km, 5km, 10km courses and lots of fun for the whole family! Money raised goes directly to providing a country child with health services they could otherwise not access, in many cases this could be life changing. To register and run for Royal Far West visit the website below or call 8966 8597.

Raising Your Child in a Digital World (8-16yrs) FREE Talk – What modern parents need to know!

Wednesday 24 May 2017, 6.30-8.00pm, Freshwater High School Auditorium. Bookings essential visit the link below. Would you like to know how to raise your child/teen in a digital world? Dr Kristy Goodwin is an expert when it comes to the impact of technology on children’s/teen’s development. Kristy arms parents with facts, not fears, about the impact of screens on kids’ learning, health and development.

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