18 August 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

This week will be the final week for the Road Safety Review from Northern Beaches Council for the area around our school. Please take the time to respond to the community Input link below to highlight your safety and traffic concerns around our school during pick up and drop off times. The council rangers have been observing the streets around the school over the past few weeks to try and address the ongoing problems we are having with double parking, unsafe crossing of students and congestion and dangerous parking in the carpark.

This is our chance as a community to discuss the ongoing traffic and road safety issues we are having around the school and to come up with some safe solutions.

Road Safety Review

Northern Beaches Council has developed a schools road safety and active travel project to identify issues and concerns around schools and to encourage more active and safe journeys to and from schools. Manly Vale Public School has been selected as one of the schools we are reviewing this year.

As part of our review, we are providing a self-reporting opportunity for the school community to give us feedback using an interactive map.

We invite Manly Vale Public School parents, students and the wider school community to participate in the self-reporting opportunity using Social Pinpoint.

This allows you to tell us exactly where concerns and issues are for parking, speeding, walking, bike/skate/scooting, pedestrian safety and general issues, related to your school.

The link is below.

We would appreciate feedback by Sunday 21 August 2022.

Good luck PSSA Soccer teams

This Friday Mrs Cash’s junior and senior boys’ soccer teams will play in the grand final. We wish them all the best for a great game. Congratulations to all the PSSA winter teams and their coaches Mrs Blackband and Mr Dylan (Girls Soccer), Mrs McManus and Ms Cash (Boys Soccer), Miss Stoddart (Netball) and Mrs Ward (Rugby). Although it was a very wet season it has certainly been a wonderful end to have so many of our teams make the semi-finals last week and now the grand final Friday. Go Manly Vale!

Zone Athletics- Wednesday 24 & Thursday 25 August

Next week we have 50 students over two days competing in various track and field events representing our school at Narrabeen Sports Academy. We want to wish them all the best for their competition next week. Mr Dylan and Mrs Birrell will accompany the teams on the day. We are unable to secure buses for the day so we will be relying on parents to drive students to and from the carnival both days. Please return the permission note to school by tomorrow and if you can drive additional students to the carnival, it would be truly appreciated.

Buses and drivers are extremely difficult to secure for school events now due to the impact of Covid and influenza impacting the health of bus drivers. Our summer PSSA sports will now be starting half an hour earlier in term 4 so that drivers are back for the afternoon runs. PSSA next term will require a 12.30pm (pick up) and a 2.30pm drop off back at school, to assist with availability of buses.

Science Week

This week all students have been participating in some fun activities to celebrate science week 2022. Our dedicated science teachers Mrs Jackie Holman (K-2), Mrs Tanya Coleman (years 3 & 4) and Mrs Jessica Legg (years 5 & 6) spend many hours preparing hands on lessons for all our students. We are very lucky at Manly Vale Public School to have such a dedicated team, of teachers to deliver interesting and fun programs for the students.

Our new Bush Tucker and vegetable gardens will be built in the K-2 area at the back of the school. Thank you to Sustainable OSCH for their contribution of $2000 to go towards this project. Students will enjoy leaning how to take care of plants in our school as part of their science lessons. Sustainable OSCH will also look after the gardens when we are on holidays. Thank you to Mrs Holman for all her research and commitment to this project.

Band Meeting

Last Monday15 August we had our Band meeting for the term. All our year 4, 5 & 6 students are preparing for their Band Tour to the Bathurst and Blue Mountains area from Monday 17 October to Wednesday 19 October. The band tour occurs every 3 years and it always a great way to reward our dedicate band members for their commitment to the program. Miss Taylor and Mrs Johnston will be attending the band tour along with Mrs Lee. Permission notes will come out this week.

Junior Band will also be having a workshop morning on Tuesday 6 September in place of the usual Band Camp. This workshop morning will be an extension of their morning rehearsal time with some hands-on tutorials and workshops, concluding with a performance for our year 2 & 3 students. After the performance year 2 & 3 students who wish to join the band for 2023 will be given an Expression of Interest form to be taken home to parents.

We have a few more performances for the year next term so please keep an eye out for permission notes and communication from the Band Committee.

Bushlink

Last Thursday we had a visit from the Bushlink team. The team worked with our year 1 & 2 students to weed the front gardens and learn about the plants around our school. Thank you to all the students who brought in gloves and trowels to help with the weeding. It was certainly fun for all, and the gardens look amazing! Thank you, Ms Pembroke, for your organisation of the day.

K-2 Assembly- Friday 11.30am

This week it is a K-2 assembly in the school hall at 11.30am principal awards will be given out during this assembly by Mrs Oscroft. The assembly will be hosted by 2H.

Dancesport Year 5 School Expo- Monday 22 August 2.15pm

Next Monday all our year 5 students will perform the samba, tango, salsa and jive in front of all their parents and visitors outside the school hall. This event will conclude the Dancesport Ballroom dancing program for the year. Not only is this a dance program but a well-being program teaching resilience, perseverance and the necessary social and emotional skills required for leadership next year. Our top 40 dancers will go on to compete at the Dancesport Gala Event at Homebush on Monday 29 August.

Thank you to the year 5 teachers Miss Taylor, Mrs McManus, Mrs Birrell and Ms Cash for their commitment to the program and to our wonderful dance teacher Jason Gauci for his expertise in teaching these very difficult dances. Good luck to all of Year 5 next week. All students will be required to bring to wear black pants, shirts and shoes next Monday. The skirts for the girls will be supplied on the day.

Parking for the Dancesport Gala Event at Homebush- Monday 29 August

For the parents and visitors of the 40 top couples attending the Dancesport Gala event at Homebush on Monday 29 August, there will be parking in the Quay Centre and P3 carpark. A special rate of $18.00 has been secured for all patrons attending the evening. All tickets must be purchased online before 11.59pm on Sunday 28 August to get this rate.

Please see information below:

Banner Assembly Term 3- Friday 16 September

The Banner assembly for term 3 will be on Friday 16 September at 9.00am under the K-2 COLA. Parents will receive an invitation to this assembly if their child is receiving a banner this term. The final day for students to hand in principal awards to the office to go towards this day will be Monday 5 September.

P & C Meeting Last Tuesday

Thank you to all the parents who attended the meeting. The following items were discussed:

• Education Week Open day and athletics carnival cake stall - thank you to all the parents who volunteered on the day. The Book Swap for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation raised $347.00
• Electronic notes - please ensure you check your junk mail and “other” folder for notes that are being sent home from school each week. Permission notes are now being sent electronically.
• Father’s Day Breakfast- Friday 2 September at 7.30am at school. All orders are being collected through Flexischools. No orders can be purchased on the day. Senior Band and the choir will be performing at the breakfast.
• Trivia Night- Major fundraiser for the year. Saturday 22 October. We need a coordinator. This event is traditionally run by the year 3 & 4 parents. We currently have 15 volunteers but do not have a coordinator for this event. If you are interested, please email Kristen Te Pania. kikiwilliam@gmail.com
• Spending priorities- Playground upgrade will occur in the end of year school holidays $75,000. Thank you for the new science equipment, $4,000 commitment to the Band program, $35,000 support for the employment of additional Learning and Support staff.
• Bus and Bus driver shortages- There is currently a bus driver shortage, and the companies are asking all schools to move their PSSA finish times to 2pm so that buses are back in the depot before 3pm to do afternoon runs. Drivers and buses are under constant demand now. PSSA next term will start at 1.00pm to be finished by 2.00pm and all student representatives will return to school for 2.30pm. We were unable to secure buses for the Zone athletics carnival next week so parents will be required to transport students to and from this event. A note was sent home this week that needs to be returned by Friday.
• School fees - These fees supplement the approximate $250.00 per student allocated for resources in public school. The Department of Education supply all teaching and administration staff, maintenance and utilities, equity loadings for Learning and Support, EALD, disability and Aboriginal support, and money for administration of the school. The $250.00 (per student) for resources does not cover the quality programs students access at Manly Vale including dance programs, gym, excursions, PSSA, buses, well-resourced classrooms and library, technology including maintenance and upgrades, textbooks and technology licences etc. All these costs are sent home as part of the fee package. The $90.00 Voluntary contribution on the school fees goes directly to maintaining a 1 day a week technology support person and pays for the upgrade of computers and systems within the school. Please support the running of these additional programs by paying the school fees as these events occur. Thank you to the P & C fundraising team who have provided the wonderful extras this year and in past years. Without fundraising an upgrade of playground equipment would not have occurred.

Tina Lee – Principal

Dates for your Diary

PSSA Venues – Term 3

Café Owl

Father’s Day Breakfast – Friday 2 September

Orders can now be purchased on Flexischools, cut off for orders is Tuesday 30 August. There will be no over the counter orders on the day.

Parents can bring cash donations for, have a photo with dad and raffle tickets.

Tea and coffee will also be a gold coin donation on the day.

3 – 6 Athletics Carnival Field Events

Bushlink – Stage 1

On Thursday 11 August Bushlink came to visit Stage 1 at Manly Vale Public School. Bushlink is an inclusive program to support people with a disability, helping them to hold real jobs, develop self-respect and a high degree of personal pride and sense of self-worth. The Bushlink team came and worked with the Year 1 & 2 students to maintain our amazing bushland gardens and teach the children ways to care for our unique and special environment.

Stage 1 students thoroughly enjoyed the visit from the Bushlink volunteers and cannot wait to do it again next year.

National Science Week

National Science Week is an annual public festival, celebrating science and innovation. The theme for 2022 is Glass: More Than Meets the Eye.

Kindergarten and Stage 1

Students in Kindergarten and Years 1 & 2 have made pygmy possum boxes to learn about the importance of protecting this endangered species. They learned the pygmy possum is the only marsupial who hibernates. This meant glass would not be suitable to re-create a suitable habitat. With great excitement students got to make their own playdough pygmy possum to live in the boxes.

Stage 2 and Stage 3

Students in Years 3-6 have been working together to complete a Science based escape room challenge. Stile’s Escape room: Breaking Glass is an immersive, hands-on experience requiring teamwork, problem solving and moving around the classroom. Students had 45 minutes to crack open the safe by completing 10 challenges related to the science, history and applications of glass.

Congratulations to the first and second place winners of each class who walked away with a super owl.

We encourage you to join in the science fun at home by exploring some Science Week activities at your local library or click the link for home experiment ideas and to find out about more events in our region.

Happy Science Week!

Manly Vale Public School Science Committee

Great Book Swap

Congratulations and Thank you Manly Vale! The Great Book Swap for the Indigenous Literacy Foundation was a great success. Together we raised $347.00 for the ILF. This will contribute to the provision of high-quality literacy resources to remote communities all around Australia. Thank you everyone for your generous donations of wonderful second handbooks and your gold coin donations to a very worthy cause.

Karen Lucey – Classroom Teacher

Maths Problem Solving Challenge

Week 4 Solutions & Successful Mathematicians

Week 5 Questions

Maths Problem Solving Challenge

Library News

Book Week Celebrations

Do not forget Book Week is next week! It will be a fabulous week at school celebrating our love of books and reading.

Author Visits

Andrew McDonald is the author of the bestselling Real Pigeons junior fiction series who will be here to meet K-6 students on Thursday 25 August. Students have really enjoyed reading books from the shortlisted books for 2022 in the weeks leading up to Book Week.

Book Week Dress Up Day

Book Week Dress Up Day will be held on Wednesday 24 August. Students are encouraged to dress up as a character from a book to celebrate their love of reading. Costumes can be from any style of book, or they could link to the theme ‘Dreaming with your eyes open’. We are looking forward to seeing all the creative costumes.

Lisa Morrison and Sue Yardley– Teacher Librarians

Canteen News

Fresh Kids- Eat Fresh & Win

This month the canteen is participating in the fresh kids’ competition. When students purchase a fresh fruit or vegetable option, they will earn an entry to win great prizes. Completed entry forms can be returned to the canteen Monday - Thursday at the second half of lunch only. You will earn a fun sticker and get an entry card to redeem online.

Please make sure your details are written neatly so that you can be contacted if you win a prize.

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.

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

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.

Recess and Lunch Orders

Please remember that you need to place separate recess and lunch orders if you want your child to have both recess and lunch. The canteen has had several children presenting to the canteen to collect recess but with no recess order, only a large lunch order.

Birthday Treats

Please order your child's birthday treat by 1pm the day before to allow time for us to order and prepare them.

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.

Pidgeon’s and Crows occasionally like to steal lunches. If this has happened the school will provide a sandwich but please remember to pay for it via Flexischools. We advise all children to use sturdy lunch boxes and to not leave them out in the open.

Robyn Lambley & Becky McGowan - Canteen Managers

Community Notices

Northern Beaches Council Vacation Care

Rotary Charity Golf Day – Friday 9 September

School Information