21 July 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome back, we hope you all have had a lovely holiday break. The weather was kind for a few days at least but now it seems to be back to more rain!

Raincoats and Pick Ups

With the drenching rain right at pick up every day it is advisable that all students have a raincoat. They are available at the uniform shop for $25 and fit neatly in the school backpack. Umbrellas are not safe with so many students around so please consider packing a raincoat daily for this weather. Uniforms | Mvpspc

On Your Soap Box Finals- Friday 22 July

Tomorrow will be the finals of the Stage 2 & 3 On your Soap Box competition. The finals will take place in the hall. Stage 2 will start the finals promptly at 9.00am and stage 3 will follow at 10.00am. Parents of finalists are welcome to attend. Good luck to all our finalists.

Welcome back Ms Stacey and Mrs Young

Two of our teachers are returning from maternity leave this week. Ms Kate Stacey will now work on 6B class on a Tuesday and Mrs Madi Young is relieving for Mrs Carol Speight while she is on Long Service leave. It is great to have them back after their year’s leave.

Child Protection Lessons- Term 3

All classes from Kindergarten to Year 6 will take part in child protection lessons this term. These lessons are designed to teach children safe behaviours around adults

This subject prepares and supports students to lead, and contribute to, healthy, safe and meaningful lives which promote respect, responsibility, enjoyment, inclusion and social justice for self and others.

Our school’s PDHPE program covers a wide range of educational matter, including relationships, drug use, human sexuality, child protection, fundamental movement skill development, safety and physical activity. Some of the content of the program deals with sensitive issues. The school recognises this by teaching about these issues within the context of a developmentally appropriate program and by providing information to you about the program.

The school program will be implemented in a manner that supports the role of parents and caregivers and reflects the ethos of the school community.

For more information on PDHPE go to the link below. The school program aims to encourage students to make informed decisions about their lifestyle considering the values of the family, culture and religion to which they belong. A more detailed description of the content is attached to this newsletter. If you have any concerns or enquiries, please email the school or contact your class teacher.

NAIDOC Week- Get Up! Stand Up! Show up!

This week most classes have been able to learn about our First Nation’s histories and cultures and recognise the culture and achievements of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Our assemblies this week have focussed on the different flags that are flow on our flag poles.

Good Luck to our School Drama Group

Our school drama group will perform next week as part of the Arts Alive Drama festival at Chatswood Concourse. Congratulations to all our actors and we wish them all the best for their performance next week. Thank you to Miss Hebe Webster and Mrs Elaine McManus for their organisation and preparation of our cast for next week.

OC Placement Test- Thursday 28 July

Some of our Year 4 students will be sitting the Opportunity Class Placement test next Thursday 28 July at school. Students involved should have an early night the night before to come fresh and ready for these three very difficult exams. The OC tests cover Reading, Thinking Skills and Mathematical Reasoning. More information can be found on the link provided. The tests will be supervised by Mrs Catherine Nelson on the day and take place in a spare classroom within the school.

Athletics Carnival- Tuesday 2 August

Our annual athletics carnival will take place during Education week on Tuesday 2 August. The carnival will take place at David Thomas oval for years 2-6. Our year 2 students who are turning 8 will compete at the carnival at David Thomas however the year 2 students that are 7 years will stay at school with the kindergarten and year 1 students to compete in the fun carnival (non-competitive).

The K-2 carnival will remain at school this year due to the state of the grounds and unpredictable weather. Parents are invited to attend either or both carnivals to watch. The K-2 carnival will start after recess at 11.30am whereas the competitive carnival will begin promptly at 9.30am down at David Thomas. If it is raining a wet weather date has been booked for Tuesday 16 August for the competitive carnival.

The canteen will not be available for those students who are attending the competitive carnival down at David Thomas, however canteen will have a limited menu for the students at school (Kindergarten, year 1 & 7 year old year 2 students). A cake stall run by the P & C will be available for the students at David Thomas. Students will be able to purchase cakes, ice-creams and drinks at the oval, but no lunch orders so please pack lunch.

More information to be advised.

Education week- Open Day Wednesday 3 August

To celebrate Education Week this year we have organised an Open day. Performances from our band, choir and drama groups, along with a picnic lunch for parents, school tours and classroom visits will all be held starting approximately 11.30am. Please see flyer as below.

Tina Lee – Principal

Dates for your Diary

PSSA Venues – Term 3

NAIDOC Week Flag Information

Our National Flags – written by 6B

The Australian Flag

Edmund Barton was elected as the first Australian Prime Minister in 1902 he held a flag designing competition. The winner of the competition was 14-year-old Ivor William Evans. He included three significant parts of his design. The Union Jack in the upper left corner represents Australia’s links to British colonisation. The Commonwealth Star in the lower left corner symbolises the states and territories of Australia and the five smaller stars are the Southern Cross constellation, visible in our night sky.

The Aboriginal Flag

The Aboriginal Flag was designed on 9 July 1971, by artist Harold Thomas. The flag is divided horizontally with the Aboriginal people represented by the black top half, the red lower half symbolises the land and the yellow sun in the centre, the constant renewer of life. The Australian government adopted the Aboriginal flag on 4 July 1995. The first local council to fly the Aboriginal flag was Newcastle City Council in 1977.

The Torres Strait Islander Flag

The Torres Strait Islander flag was presented to the people of the Torres Strait on the 29 May 1992 the flag was a winner of a competition designed by Bernard Namok. The colours are green, black, white and blue. These colours represent the Torres Strait Islander people’s connection to the land, sky and sea. The black lines act as the people while the green shows the land and blue is the sea. The dancers head dress (dhari) in the centre shows the Torres Strait Island people’s culture. The five-pointed star represents the five major islands and peace. The flag is so significant because it symbolises the unity and identity of the Torres Strait Islanders. In 1995 the Torres Strait Islander flag was recognised by the Australian government as an official Australian flag.

On Your Soapbox

‘On Your Soapbox’ Public Speaking Competition

Congratulations to all students at Manly Vale Public School for presenting a speech to their peers and teachers. It is such a great opportunity to improve in those skills needed to be effective and confident communicators.

Two class representatives from each class in Stage 2 & 3 have now been chosen to present their speeches at our Stage finals this Friday 22 July. Congratulations to the children below who were chosen for their outstanding speeches.

A note has been sent home with students above with further information regarding the special assembly happening on Friday morning.

Our adjudicators will be choosing one student from each stage to represent our school at the Bear Pit Public Speaking inter-school competition being held in Week 3 on Friday 5 August at Sydney Parliament House.

Good luck to all speakers!

Sarah Birrell – Classroom Teacher

Maths Problem Solving Challenge

This semester we have decided to hold an optional maths problem solving challenge for the entire school that will be delivered via the Bush Telegraph each week. How it will work is students who wish to participate can choose from either of the three provided problem-solving challenges suitable to their ability and hand in their responses to the school library by the following Tuesday. Submissions will be marked, and successful responses will be published in the next week’s newsletter along with the answers to each question. Just click on the link to find the template that you can print (either template is fine to use, pick one that suits your style)

This is a fantastic way for students and parents to come together to be maths champions and for parents to support their child’s problem-solving skills at home.

For every student who achieves 5 or more correct submissions, they will be able to attend a special morning tea to celebrate their mathematical brains.

This is an optional activity, but we encourage all students to find a question that challenges them, use the provided templates to complete their solutions, and hand them into the library when finished.

Further information about the process of this challenge will be given at the Parent Information session during Education Week in Week 3. Keep an eye out for the flyer promoting it. We would love for as many parents to come along as possible to engage as a community in being the best mathematicians we can be.

Sarah Birrell – Classroom Teacher

Manly Vale’s Great Book Swap – raising funds for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation

We are holding a Great Book Swap to support the Indigenous Literacy Foundation (ILF) to provide books and learning resources to children living in remote Communities across Australia.

The Great Book Swap is a fantastic way to celebrate reading locally, learn more about Indigenous languages and culture, and raise funds for a great cause. This year the ILF are aiming raise $150,000 to gift 15,000 new books to remote Communities. Manly Vale have set a goal of $500 in support of this cause.

In preparation for our event, we ask that you bring in a book from home that you would like to swap. We will be collecting books until week 3 and holding our Great Book Swap on Wednesday 3 August, during Education Week Open Day. On the day you can bring in a gold coin donation and swap your book.

You can also show your support by donating to our Great Book Swap page and sharing it with your friends, family and community.

Thank you!

Karen Lucey – Classroom Teacher

Canteen News

The canteen had a power outage during the holiday break. Thank you for your understanding while we restock. There may be some temporary shortages in your favourite items while we restock.

The canteen relies on volunteers to open for counter service at lunch. Please sign up below for term 3.

The Canteen is open at lunch only for frozen treats and snacks. We still encourage you to order as much as possible through Flexischools to reduce crowding at the canteen.

Please remind your children if you order lunch or recess so that they know to pick up their food.

Emergency Lunch Payments

If you have been advised that your child has received an emergency lunch from the canteen, please pay for it as soon as possible. You can make payment via Flexischools using the IOU option.

PSSA Lunch Orders

If your child is participating in PSSA sports on Fridays, please remember to select the PSSA option when ordering so that we have their lunch ready for them at the earlier time.

Do not forget to order any drinks or snacks as there is not time to purchase food before leaving. We do not recommend ice blocks due to the limited time they have to eat.

Remember no hot foods are to be ordered

Robyn Lambley & Becky McGowan - Canteen Managers

Community Notices

Eye Heart Science – Term 3

School Information