May 29...........Pupil Free Day (TBC)
June 2............Education Policy sub-committee (on-line)
June 8............Queens Birthday Holiday
June 9............School Council 6.30pm (on-line)
June 26 Term 2 ends 1.30pm
A Message From Our Principal
Welcome to week 4 of term 2. The fine weather has allowed for the beginning of landscaping works between our gymnasium and the double-storey classroom block, another exciting development for our students and our school.
I must again thank our student leadership team for their contributions to our newsletter today and more broadly for their support of our community. This week we have a selection of great ideas for Mother’s Day from Winnie, Sam, April and Lucas. Additionally, Will has provided us with strategies for keeping fit and healthy in his role as Sports Captain, whilst our Arts Captain, Jesse, has provided us with some Mother’s Day related craft activities.
Our flexible and remote learning program continues to evolve. We are now seeing:
All students utilising Google Classroom as their online learning platform.
Teachers using pre-recorded video to demonstrate lessons.
The curriculum being delivered with consistency and balance.
We are continuing to trial the use of ‘Google Meets’ as a live video conferencing platform to increase the interactivity of lessons. Many students in the middle and senior school areas will have been involved in trials this week and we will build more ‘Meets’ across the whole school next week.
The use of live video conferencing builds complexity in the way we work together. Led by our Learning Specialist in ICT, Darren Crawcour, we have developed a set of protocols and guidelines for our students, families and staff. These will be sent to you in the coming days and we expect our families to engage in discussion with their children, ensuring our online activity is safe and protected.
We are currently working with our before and after school care provider, Team Kids, to try to extend the availability of this program for all students at our school. If we are able to do so, we are hoping to make this service available in both the before school block, 7:00am – 9:00am and after school, 3:30pm – 6:15pm. We will provide further direction regarding this as soon as we can.
This coming Sunday is Mother’s Day. Whilst I won’t get to spend it with my mum, I know the girls and I will find a special way to connect with her. The twins and I will make sure Amy has a special day too, and I’m hoping to be able to talk to my Grandma via ‘FaceTime’, though the technology is quite the challenge for her! Thank you to all of our mums out there, I know you will be celebrated and deservedly spoilt.
Thank you again for your ongoing support through this period. Best wishes for the week ahead and keep doing your best.
Rohan.
A Message From Our Council President
I noted this week some commentary in the media about concerns that vulnerable students may be disproportionately impacted by the move to on-line learning. It has also been a concern of the school and I am proud of the way that the school approached this issue from the start.
The school was extremely proactive in approaching the families of students which the school considered fell within the Department’s guidance and worked with those families to help them manage on-line learning – whether that was encouraging the students to attend in person or helping out with school technology. As I mentioned previously, the school also delivered some care packs to local students which were put together by some parents and teachers.
A lot of this was driven by Amelia Ingram and Peter Martin. Amelia is a very important member of the PMPS staff and one a lot of people may not be fully aware of. Amelia is the school youth worker and does a lot of great work within the school and local community. Amelia is only funded by the government for about a quarter of the week and we need to raise funds (through the PFA and Dad’s Footy competition) to ensure that Amelia can work with us on a full-time basis. From what I have seen, Amelia has been invaluable and it is one of the best uses of our fundraising. It has been especially important to have her during this crisis, so that the school can really focus on the welfare of our vulnerable students and ensure that they are not adversely impacted.
I also wanted to give a shout out to one of the unheralded members of our community who has volunteered many hours to develop a resource that has proved vital as we have moved to on-line learning. I’ve spent a lot of time recently utilising the parent portal on the school website. It’s been a life saver at times – a one-stop shop where I can find everything about the school and which has streamlined the payment channels, but most importantly sets out in one place all of the key information needed for the on-line learning. It has been developed by mum Danielle Button (Alicia Year 4 and Jake Year 2) who has volunteered a significant amount of her personal time to not only get the site up and running, but to continuously maintain and update it. Again, it’s been invaluable to families during the crisis and a professional and best practice resource not many other schools will have available.
Hi everyone,
We hope all of you have been well and are staying safe. These are some good ideas for your Mum on Mother’s Day:
Make breakfast for her (with parent permission and supervision)
Spend time with her (e.g bike ride or board game)
Buy some chocolates
Buy a plant
Help your parents make dinner
Make a cake
Give your mum flowers
Other things you could do for your mother include: to not spend as much time on your iPad and be more helpful around the house.
We hope you guys find this helpful! We hope you enjoy the rest of the week.
Kind Regards,
Your School Captains
Winnie Roberts, Sam Johnson, April Kirkham and Lucas MacDonald
Sports Report
Hi all,
I know you're all loving staying at home but you also have to stay fit, strong and healthy. To do so you have to keep active by going outside and even going for a walk. Here are some things that you can do to occupy your time...
Go for a run
Go kick the footy, or shoot some hoops
Eat healthy (fruit and veggies)
Go for a walk
If you want to brave the cold go to the beach for a swim
Do a workout
Do some sprints up and down your street
It's best to make a schedule on what you're doing each day so you don't forget things and you can keep your brain sharp. So keep fit and active and have a good day.
(Make sure you finish school first 😏).
From,
Your Sports Captain
Will Sharpin
Art Report
Hi Families and Staff of PMPS,
I’m Jesse, one of this year's arts captains. Mother’s Day is coming up and you may want to make your mum a gift. Here are a few ideas to help you when creating your gift.
Jar of shells
Collect some shells and decorate a jar by filling it up or gluing them on the outside.
I hope these ideas have helped you create wonderful gifts for Mother’s Day with materials that you can easily obtain. While you are at home there is plenty of time to do some art so start thinking about what you’re going to make next.
Keep up the art,
Your Art captain,
Jesse Wright
The Resilience Project @ Home
The next installment of TRP @ Home is ready and available for you!
This section will focus on Emotional Literacy. This is our ability to label our emotions as we experience them. It is a critical skill in helping manage our emotions. Labelling our emotions and why we feel that way helps us to better understand and change our behaviours.
To view the Emotional Literacy Activities - Click Here
Resilience Project Online Challenge
‘DISMOMENT’ Challenge:
Remember last year when Hugh from the Resilience Project came and spoke to us about Gratitude, Empathy and Mindfulness. Hugh spoke a lot about a small child named, Stunzin from India and how he would walk around pointing at things he was grateful for by saying ‘dis’. Now we have the term DIS.
As a school community we would like to make a ‘DISMOMENT’ video with you. What you need to do:
Gather your family or yourself and think of something that you are grateful for.
Take a photo holding up a sheet of paper stating the thing you are grateful for with #dis underneath. (See Miss Annah’s example).
The photos will be made into a video and distributed across the school and on social media and may be used by the Resilience Project.
Teachers are going to get involved as well, so we can have the whole PMPS community showing gratitude even in difficult times. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask Miss Annah via email.
See Skipton Primary Schools video as an example Watch Video. (Please note we are only doing pictures).
Wellbeing Resources for Families
Welcome to Week 4 of Term 2!
As we continue navigating and adjusting to life during quarantine, it can be helpful to be aware of local supports and information resources that are available to you. Please do not hesitate to contact the school if you have any concerns about your wellbeing during these difficult times, and remember: we are all in this together!
Tips from DHHS regarding health and safety:
In terms of your physical health, the most important thing you can do is maintain basic hygiene, particularly frequently washing your hands with soap or using hand sanitiser. For your mental wellbeing, there are a number of things you can do:
Maintain a healthy diet, exercise and sleep regime.
Talk to loved ones about worries and concerns.
Engage in hobbies and enjoyable activities.
Be prepared – ensure you have enough food, supplies and medication on hand. Ask for help collecting these items where possible.
Avoid or reduce your use of alcohol and tobacco.
You may feel stressed listening to the news, so make sure you receive information through trusted and credible sources, rather than social media. Make sure one of those sources is specific to your state. This will help you feel more in control. If you can’t access the internet, get a friend or family member to read to you or show you the most up-to-date information from credible sources.
Tips from DHHS regarding conversations with children and young people:
Ask children what they have heard about coronavirus (COVID-19).
The way parents behave can have a significant effect on children. Keep conversations calm and focused on the facts. Emphasise efforts that are being taken to contain the virus.
Model health-promoting behaviours for your children. For example, teach them to wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds.
Educate the entire family about good health habits. Talk about what each family member can do to help others outside of the immediate family.
Include children in family discussions and plans, in an age appropriate way.
Address any misconceptions children may have that could result in stigmatising people or groups of people in the community.
Local Support Resources: City of Port Phillip Family Services-0434 685 032 (Mon-Fri, 9-5) The Orange Door-1800 319 353 (Mon-Fri, 9-5) ParentLine- 13 22 89 (24/7) LifeLine-13 11 14 (24/7 crisis support) Kids Helpline-1800 55 1800 (24/7)
Amelia Ingram PMPS Youth Worker
Premiers' Reading Challenge
The Premiers Reading Challenge is well underway for 2020 and it will conclude on the 4th of September. Students have 121 days left to read and log books in order to be rewarded with a certificate signed by our premier Mr. Dan Andrews at the end of the year. Bright Bookworms in years P-2 need to read 30 books to complete the challenge and avid booklovers in years 3-6 must read 15 books to receive their certificate later in the year. This challenge should be easy to achieve under the current circumstances.
The Premiers Reading Challenge provides a list of quality books students can choose to read, however students may also select a portion of their books themselves. In P-2, 10 of the 30 books can be books that are not on the list and in 3-6, 5 of the 15 books can be own choice books. A link to each of the lists is here; https://vprc.eduweb.vic.gov.au/home
Congratulations to our PMPS bright book worms who have been using some of their time at home to read and log books for the Premiers’ Reading Challenge! Fantastic effort! If you haven’t started it’s not too late! Log in the Premiers’ Reading Challenge @ PMPS Google Classroom for story links or any questions you have about the challenge. The classroom is being updated all the time, so login to see what’s new! Access Code: 6bpx5ba
Click here to read of all the brilliant results so far.
If you haven’t begun the challenge, it is definitely not too late. If you need help logging in or sourcing books, please contact me. Keep up the spectacular reading everyone and I hope to be able to announce more students joining our bookworms in the coming weeks!
Book Club provides families with an affordable and convenient way to bring the best in children’s literature into their homes. With numerous studies finding that reading at home is a key factor in a child’s lifelong success, Book Club provides a fun and easy way of bringing books into a child’s home.
Scholastic operates on a unique model, proudly partnering with Australian schools and educators for over 50 years. As well as bridging the important class-to-home reading gap, Book Club also benefits Australian schools—for every Book Club order placed, Scholastic gives back 20% of the order spend to schools to purchase valuable educational resources via its Scholastic Rewards program.
Book Club continues to operate throughout Term Two. The latest catalogue can be viewed online, with orders sent directly to your door. You can view the catalogue online at: scholastic.com.au/book-club/virtual-catalogue-1/
During this period of working and learning from home, Port Melbourne Primary School continues to support students with opportunities to engage with quality literature.
In addition to the five weekly Reading lessons prepared by teachers for their students on Google Classroom, families also have access at home to the following resources:
Storybox Library - which has 299 stories read aloud by some favourite storytellers, and activity ideas.
EPIC – 40,000 digital books, learning videos, quizzes and more.
Teachers have emailed parents regarding the registration process. Each class has a code which students need to enter. Please email your child’s teacher if you have questions regarding this. https://www.getepic.com/
In last week’s newsletter, Miss Kym shared some information about the Premier’s Reading Challenge. If your child is participating in the Premier’s Reading Challenge, Miss Kym has created a separate Google Classroom which has story links and answers any questions you may have. The access code is: 6bpx5ba Alternatively, you may email Miss Kym directly: smith.kym.m@edumail.vic.gov.au
Additional activity ideas and resources may also be found in the year level Learning Grids.
Miss Candice
Learning Specialist - Literacy
skinner.candice.j@edumail.vic.gov.au
Visual Arts Update
We have been blown away by the creativity of students at home in the last couple of weeks. Students have created Poppy displays to celebrate ANZAC Day, made amazing things out of toilet rolls, 3D bird mobiles out of cereal boxes & have also created origami houses. Keep up the wonderful creativity, we are loving seeing all of your work!
Miss Emily & Miss Bianca
Year 6 – 7 Transition Information Update
Year 6 – 7 Transition Application Form
Earlier this month, our school provided you with a copy of the Year 6 to Year 7 Transition Information Pack, which included the Application for Year 7 Placement 2021 Form (the Application Form). The guidance in this Pack instructed you to return the Application Form to our school by Friday 15 May.
Due to impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and remote and flexible learning arrangements that are currently in place, slight adjustments to the Year 6-7 transition timeline have been made. These changes give you more time to return your Application Form to us.
Application Forms are now due by Friday 29 May 2020. You should complete all sections of the Application form and sign it and return it to us by this date. We will notify you of your child’s Year 7 placement offer for 2021 on Wednesday 19 August 2020.
For further information (including Albert Park College SEAL entry) please refer to your Year 6 Classroom page on the Parent Portal.
Weekly Staff Profiles
This week, we profile Melissa Hermans and Sophie Gero of 5AB.
After obtaining her teaching qualifications at the Warrnambool campus of Deakin University, Melissa, our Year 5 Team Leader, spent some time working as a camp counsellor in America before commencing her teaching career in Hamilton, about 100km from the ‘Bool, at Grey St PS, where she taught Year 1 and Year 5. She then moved to London where she taught Year 3 for eighteen months in Fulham, as well as exploring as much of Europe as she could. On her return from Europe, Grey St were keen for her to return to her old position there, but the attractions of the “big smoke” brought her to Melbourne and, of course, to PMPS in 2018.
Melissa believes that it is important to understand and recognise different cultures due to our ever-increasing multicultural country. She experienced another culture first hand during her own school days when she was part of a student exchange program in Japan. Outside school, her hobbies include participating in her local Parkrun, going to musicals and starting craft projects.
Sophie grew up on NSW’s Central Coast, and after finishing school, moved to Newcastle to study sociology. After graduating, she worked as a disability support worker, working in group homes, and day programs with young to older adults with mild to severe physical and intellectual disabilities.
In 2008 she travelled overseas with her partner Jonno, travelling and working across Europe for 14 months. After returning to Australia Sophie worked as a youth worker, and a gym membership consultant, before deciding to study teaching. She graduated from the University of Newcastle with a Master of Teaching in 2011 and then taught in Newcastle, before moving to Melbourne and joining our staff where she has taught Prep, Year 2 and Year 3 before joining the Year 5 team this year.
When she isn’t working, Sophie enjoys camping, going to F45, seeing live music, reading, watching films and walking her dog Maybie with her husband, Jonno.
CSEF Update
If due to COVID-19 your financial circumstances have changed and you are now a current Health Care Card holder, you may be eligible for CSEF (Camps Sports and Excursions Fund). Please contact Jane via email to discuss.
Hello everyone
In "normal" times we would be enjoying the Mothers Days Lunch this week. A lovely afternoon of good food, good company and the odd drop of bubbles! Sadly the event cant run at the moment but I did want to thank Jaimie and her team, for the time and energy given to this event so far. They have found a venue for us and negotiated a great deal. Rest assured we will run a similar event when we can!
I would like to wish everyone a lovely mothers day weekend and hope you all enjoy time with your loved ones all be it via Zoom!
Look out for the parent portal update this weekend with more lock down survival tips. If you have any ideas to share let us know.
All the best
The PFA
port.melbourne.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au
Our mailing address is:
415 Graham Street, Port Melbourne 3207
