12 March 2020

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Our school leaders Mackenzie Jeffs, Oliver Solberger, Phoebe Crowe, Adam Turner, Morgan Andrews, Jethro Hansen, Pipi Te Pania and Daniel Andrews attended a Leadership Camp along with another 100 school leaders from neighbouring primary schools, at the Sydney Sports Academy in Narrabeen.

They worked with other school leaders to develop their leadership capacity and enjoyed establishing links with other schools. Thank you to Mr Dylan and Mrs Blackband who organised this experience for them and attended the camp to help out with supervision. This was a great way to begin their leadership training for the year.

Selective High School Test

Today some of our Year 6 students sat the Selective High School Placement tests. These tests are of an extremely high standard. The test results are used for 50% of the assessment placement for a Selective High School place for next year. Congratulations to all the students who completed these tests today.

Zone Swimming Carnival tomorrow

Good luck to all our swimmers as they compete in the Zone Swimming Carnival. Thank you to Mrs Ward and Mrs Birrell for accompanying the students to this event. We look forward to hearing how you all go!

School Fees

School fees will be sent out this week. Please note that programs such as gym and dance have now started and prompt payment would be appreciated. All students now have their textbooks. Please feel free to pay for items when they are due and pay the whole amount. If you are having difficulty with payment please make an appointment with Mrs Lee to discuss your circumstances.

P & C Meeting - Tuesday 10 March

Thank you to all the parents who attended last Tuesday’s P & C meeting. There were some very important discussion points including the need for more volunteers to run the canteen.

Canteen - we are looking at modifying the menu and perhaps closing counter service on some of the canteen days as we simply cannot get enough volunteers to prepare food and serve at the counter. If you are able to help out with counter service please email the Kerry or Robyn at manlyvalepscanteen@gmail.com

Uniform shop - presented some alternative uniform choices during the meeting and further discussion this year will take place in workshops and community forums to discuss a uniform update.

Class Coordinators - Class Coordinators are busily relaying communication to their class parents. The first fundraiser will be the Mothers’ day stall on Friday 8 May. Kindergarten have been allocated this fundraiser to organise. If you are able to become a part of that committee please contact your class coordinator. A meeting in the next few weeks at Café Owl will start the organisation for this event.

Barefoot Bowls Night - (Friday 27 March) - Although many parents have indicated that they are coming to the night there hasn’t been a lot of tickets sold. Please purchase your tickets asap. The teachers have a strong team this year and are ready to take on the parents for this evening of fun.

Coronavirus

The latest notification was sent out to the Class Coordinators over the weekend. We are looking at 14 days of isolation for anyone travelling from China, South Korea, and Iran. Anyone who has been in direct contact with the virus is to stay at home for the 14 days. We have cancelled our Junior Band visit to the Nursing Home at the end of this term. We will reschedule later in the year. We do have soap in the toilets, and both hand sanitisers and soap in the breakout spaces. Handwashing is encouraged in all classrooms by all teachers.

Tell Them from Me Surveys

These surveys will come out towards the end of term. Please take time to complete the survey.

Parent Teacher Interviews - Week 9 & 10

Monday 23 March through to Friday 3 April you will have the opportunity to meet with your child’s class teacher. These interviews are a great way to touch base and share concerns you may have. We then have a formal written report at the end of term 2 and 4. Interviews with teachers can be arranged throughout the year by sending an email to the school requesting an interview.

Online NAPLAN - 11-22 May

We have a 10-day window in which to conduct our NAPLAN assessments. All students in years 3 and 5 sit National tests on Reading, Writing, Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy. Online testing allows students to perform above stage standard bands as the test differentiates according to how the students answers the questions.

Tumbarumba Public School - “Adopt a School Project”

Tumbarumba is a small school between Wagga and Albury that has been badly affected by the fires. We have adopted the school for the year to assist with funding and support of the students, teachers and families connected to the school. At the moment they hoping that we can raise money to fund excursions for the students, as many families are unable to pay for anything extra this year. We will put forward some fundraising initiatives to the community and the SRC throughout the year.

Tina Lee – Principal

Tell Them From Me student feedback survey (Term 1, 2020)

I am delighted that this term, our school, like many other public schools in the state, will participate in a Department of Education initiative: the Tell Them From Me student feedback survey. The survey measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices.

More information about the survey is available at the link below.

The survey is a great opportunity for our students to provide us with valuable and quick feedback on what they think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. More than 6,300 schools in Australia and around the world have used Tell Them From Me to survey 5.4 million students. Capturing the voices of our students will help improve how we do things at our school.

I want to assure you that the survey is confidential. The survey is conducted online and will typically take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours between 9 March and 8 May. Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary.

A consent form and FAQs for parents/carers about the survey is attached to this newsletter. If you do not want your child or children to participate, please print off the attached form and return it to your child’s class teacher by Thursday 19 March.

Please click on the link below to access the form at the link below.

If you would like further information regarding the survey and a detailed parent FAQ at the link below.

Dates for Your Diary

Waste Free Wednesday

Surf Education Excursion Manly Beach

Have a look at these wonderful photos of years five and six on their super day at Manly Beach! Our stage three students and teachers had a fun and interesting time learning about surf safety, rescues, surfing and boarding skills and how to identify rip currents. It was a beautiful day and the conditions were perfect. Stay safe in the water!

Lisa Cash

Manly Vale Public School’s Native Bee Hive

Last Thursday our M.V.P.S became a home for a newly split hive of native bees. The hive is a small wooden box located along the back fence of the school. These bees do not require a lot of maintenance and are not kept for their honey supply. They prefer not to be in extremely hot sun and do not like their hive moved at all. Rather it is an opportunity to play a small part in the protection of these tiny insects and the huge job they play in pollinating plants and trees in our environment.

These bees are called Tetragonula Carbonaria and are a stingless bee, which means they are incapable of stinging anyone. They are black and about 3 to 4mm long. The original hive was located at Wheeler Heights Public School and was split into two after two years when it reached capacity. We hope to be able to pass a healthy hive on to another school in another few years. Thank you very much to the Narrabeen Coastal Environment Centre for making this possible for our school.

Pat Dylan

Harmony Week

This year Manly Vale Public School will be recognising Harmony Week on Wednesday 18 March. Students can participate by wearing a touch of orange with their school uniform or bringing in an artefact of cultural significance to them to share with their class on the day. Orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Week. Traditionally, orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations. It also relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect.

Harmony Day promotes cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home – from the traditional owners of this land to those who have come from many countries around the world. By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians from diverse backgrounds equally belong to this nation and enrich it. Harmony Week includes the 21 March, which is the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

For more information go to the link below.

Cadence Abrahams

Calling all auditors in our school community!

The financial accounts of the P&C Association are required to be audited annually. Are you available to help? Please contact manlyvaleprimaryschoolpc@gmail.com

Manly Vale P&C's financial accounts are prepared on a cash basis using Xero. The audit process is not complicated, with Xero reconciling to the bank accounts and electronic documents supporting all transactions across the bank accounts.

Background: The auditor must possess appropriate skills and experience in auditing and financial record management together with an appreciation of the issues of probity as they relate to the role of association auditor. The auditor must not have or appear to have any conflict of interest arising, for example, from a personal or business relationship with an Officer of the association and must be prepared to swear that the records are a true and correct statement of the information provided by the Treasurer.

Many thanks
Karen – P&C Treasurer

Canteen News

URGENT HELP NEEDED IN THE CANTEEN TOMORROW (FRIDAY) All shifts

Monday 16 March 9.00-10.30am and 12.00-1.30pm
Tuesday 17 March 9.00-11.30am and 12.00-1.30pm
Wednesday 18 March 9.00-11.30am and 9.00-10.30am
Thursday 19 March 9.00-11.30am and 11.30- 1.30pm
Friday 20 March 11.30am, 11.30-1.30pm and 12.00-1.30pm

If you are able to help for any of these shifts please go to the following link and sign up

Sausage Sizzle

We are having a Sausage Sizzle Day on Wednesday 8 April, $5 for a sausage sandwich, juice popper and quelch stick. Order now via Flexischools or over the counter. Please note that we will not be serving sushi or any other hot food on that day but sandwiches will be available for those not wanting a sausage.

Kerry, Robyn & Becky - Canteen Supervisors

Book Club

Ordering this year can be done online at the link below or by downloading the LOOP app.

Please be aware cash orders will not be accepted.

Issue 2 orders are due by Monday 23 March 2020.

If you wish to purchase items as a gift and do not want them to be distributed directly to your child, please select GIFT ORDER when ordering online.

Barefoot Bowls

Café Owl Now Open Friday’s

We’d love to see you this Friday at our popular Café Owl breakfast club.

We’re also in need of volunteers to help us out once a month. For more info, please email Justine Northcott jneditorial@gmail.com

Where: Old canteen building in the top playground, carpark entrance
When: 8.00 – 9.00am
What’s on the menu: Bacon & egg rolls, hash browns, hot drinks, flavoured milk & juices
Who’s invited: Children, parents, grandparents, friends
Why come: Meet up with friends for a community breakfast, where all money raised goes back to the school. Check out the newly opened outdoor space.

PS: Cash orders only but credit card coming

Community Notices

Rob Lowe – (father of Savannah and Rafferty) – Marathon Des Sables

One of our dads at Manly Vale Public School, Rob Lowe father of Rafferty and Savannah, will run in a 250km 7 day foot race across the Sahara Desert. He is raising funds for the Sony Foundation’s work with children with special needs. Rob's fundraising video.

He is trying to raise $15K for a Sony Camp event. Please feel free to donate to this wonderful cause using then link. The donation page