At our whole school assembly on Friday we acknowledged our student leaders and present them with their badges. This was a very special moment in time and we thank all of our families and friends who were able to join us - despite the heat! 

Most of our leadership positions are for the entire year but we share the opportunity for Student Representative Council in the junior primary classes (Reception to Year 2). At the end of Term 2, these classes will nominate two new representatives for Terms 3 and 4 and they will be presented with their badges at another whole school assembly at the beginning of Term 3.

Congratulations to all students who nominated for a position of leadership.  If you were not successful this time, continue to look for opportunities in the future and use the process as part of your learning journey.  Albert Einstein was once quoted as saying "You never fail until you stop trying."  To embrace a challenge, persist through obstacles and take inspiration from the success of others; are indicators of a growth mindset, and this is something we encourage and foster in all our students.  

There are a few photos included in this newsletter which were taken on the day, by our Events Assistants. We cannot publish all our photos due to media permissions so some have been cropped.  

A reminder that it is the first of our a Student Free Days, this Friday 8 March, 2019. The office will still be open for any telephone queries and to accept forms and payments. 

The first of three sessions will be conducted at Reynella Primary School, starting on 12 March 2019. Please see the attached flyer for more details.

Media release March 01 2019

It is very concerning when young people have been exposed to any content that scares them or plays on their emotions, like those reported via the Momo Challenge. Unfortunately, the Momo Challenge is not the first, nor will it be the last, harmful online “challenge” or phenomenon to target our children.

The Governing Council members for 2019 are:

Chairperson:           Johann MVF

Vice Chairpoerson:  Rick M

Treasurer:               Jade G

Minute Secretary:    Barb W

Members: Penny Wilde, Belinda Finlay-Smith, Christine MacLean, Jo Power, Johann MVF,  Adrienne K,  Rick M,  Jade G, Christine B, Alex B,  Sarah P, Anna B, Danni B and Emma H.

Teacher Representatives: Jo Power and Christine MacLean.

We need volunteers for a number of Governing Council sub-committees, so if you would like to be involved in any of the following sub-committees, please advise Front Office staff:

• Fundraising Committee
• Nature Play Committee
• Sports Committee
• Canteen Committee
• Quiz Night Committee

Tuesday 19 March, 2019. Please see the attached flyer for details.

SCHOOL PHOTOS

School photos have been scheduled for Wednesday, 6th March, by “Kidzpics”. 

 Payment envelopes have been sent home.  Blank envelopes  have been provided so please mak sure you fill in all the details.  

 Every student is photographed whether they are purchasing a photo or not.   

Sibling envelopes are available from the Front Office.  Please do not put your sibling envelope inside of the individual student envelope or vice versa.

 School photos are taken by a private company so you are paying them directly. Payment options are listed on the envelope. Please make sure you put correct money in the envelope, or pre-purchase on line before-hand, and bring the envelope on photo day.   

We will need parent helpers to ensure the students are neat and tidy for their photos.  If you have 45 minutes free on photo day and would like to help, please let the Front Office staff know.  (Please note: you must have a current DCSI clearance and have completed the RAN-EC training).

This term our school will be participating in the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure’s (DPTI’s) Way2Go Bike Ed program. It is a practical program for students from year 4-5 delivered by qualified instructors.

Each Tuesday for the rest of the term our students will participate in a one hour session.

Through participating in Way2Go Bike Ed students:

• build their knowledge and understanding of the road laws and traffic environments
• develop bike handling and maintenance skills
• develop decision making skills for off and on-road bike riding.

On Tuesday, 19th March 2019, students from the Year 1/2 classes will be attending a Bugs’n’Slugs Workshop on site, presented by Kristen from Bugs’n’Slugs. The incursion will provide engaging activities and experiences to complement our learning in biological Science this term.

Bugs’n’Slugs have conducted programs in schools, botanic gardens, museums, national parks and for nearly every major festival, science organisation and event. They have the most extensive range of captive bred and ethically sourced invertebrates in South Australia and their presenters are trained ecology specialists who truly understand the detailed taxonomy and life histories of our animals and the context in which they fit within the natural world.

There cost of the incursion is $7.50 per student. Payment is due by Tuesday 12^th March, 2019.

Bugs_n_slugs_Incursion.pdf

Our Year 6/7 camp is in Term 1 this year, from Monday, 1^st – Wednesday, 3rd April 2019 at Wirraway Homestead. Camp provides students and staff opportunities to work together on team building activities and strengthen relationships, which is one of the reasons for holding camp early in the year.  Other activities include a climbing wall, archery, low ropes course, mini golf, a swimming pool, trampolines, bush survival initiatives, sheep herding and many other indoor and outdoor activities.

Notes have been sent home to families with these details and there will be more information sent out in the coming week.

The total cost for the camp is $280 per student. You can make cash or EFT payments at the Finance Window between 8.30 – 9.15 am or via the phone from 9.15 – 3pm. Payments can now also be paid through the Qkr! App which will also include any consent forms that will need to be filled out.  A reminder that you can organise a payment plan at the Finance Office prior to camp commencing. A deposit of 50 % will need to be paid for your child to attend.

This is a fully catered camp, with activities and catering provided by the Wirraway Homestead staff. Please advise of any specific health related dietary requirements. School medications and Health Care Plans will be used. However, if additional medication is required please ensure there is a Health Care Plan for this extra medication. The form for extra medications is available at the School Office. All medication needs to be labelled with clear instructions. If prescription medication is required, a doctor’s signature is needed on the form.

On Wednesday, 13th March there will be a special lunch consisting of a Gourmet Hot Dog, donut (chocolate or cinnamon) and a fruit box for just $7.50 as Option 1.

If you order Option 2 you receive the same lunch but with a Cooler Bag (valued at $12)  for just $16.00.   This special lunch deal gives you a saving of $3.50 off the cost of the Cooler Bag.

Order forms have been sent home.  Forms and payment are due by Wednesday, 6th March, 2019.

We volunteers to help run this special lunch so if you are available to help please let the Front Office know.  All help is greatly appreciated.

We invite all parents/ caregivers of students wishing to participate in team sports - basketball, netball and soccer to attend a short meeting on Thursday, 14th March at 5:30pm in the Library.

This meeting is to determine if we will have enough coaches and team managers to run the team sports this year.

If you would like to coach or be a team manager, you will need to have a current DHS clearance to work with children (formerly DCSI) and have undertaken RAN-EC (Responding to Abuse and Neglect - Education Care) training.  This is available on-line on the Education Department website.

Pimpala Primary School offers a number of opportunities for our students to be involved in team sports (outside of normal school hours), including Basketball, Netball and Soccer.   

We would like to organise our school sports teams early to ensure we have enough coaches / team managers, coordinators and players. The season for each sport is run over Terms 2 and 3.

Basketball       Years 2-7 students. Games are played on Mondays (Year 6/7), Tuesdays (Year 2/3), and Wednesdays (Year 4/5) after school. (Practice days and times will be organised by individual coaches). Players are required to wear navy shorts with Basketball shirts supplied by the school.

Netball            Years 3-7 students. (Year 2s can play if turning 8 in 2018). Boys can play if they are 11 years or under in 2018. Games are played on Tuesday after school.  Practice days and times will be organised by individual coaches. Players are required to wear their school polo and navy shorts / skirt.

Soccer             Reception – Year 7 students. Games are played on Saturday mornings in a “home and away” format. Practice days and times will be organised by individual coaches. The school will supply students with soccer shirts for matches – players are required to wear red shorts and red socks for matches. All players must wear shin pads and footy boots for both practice and matches.  Mouth guards are optional.

Please Note: the number of teams that we can field will be determined by the number of parents who volunteer to be coaches and team managers. If you are available and willing to be a coach or team manager, please complete the attached form - Team Sports 2019 – Volunteer Availability Form and return it by this Friday, 9^th March, 2018.

If your child is interested in playing team sports this season, please complete the Team Sports 2019 – Student Registration Form for each sport that your child wishes to play by Friday, 8^th March, 2019.   These forms were sent out two weeks and additional forms are available from the Front Office.

A huge thank you to Credit Union SA for their School Community Rewards cheque, presented to the school in assembly on Friday. The money will go to good use in revamping our 6/7 Senior Hub.
Thank you also to all of our families and community members for your support through Credit Union SA and the School Community Rewards program. Together we make great opportunities for our students.

These are due back to school by Friday 22nd March.  Payment can be made through the Finance Window or through Loop on the Scholastic website.

An information session will be conducted on Tuesday 2 April, 2019 by TAFE SA on Certificate II in Vocational Preparation for Women [10738NAT].

Please see the attached flyer for more information and registration details.

Our feature classes in this newsletter are Reception Lang and Ryles/Idzkowski.