Newsletter Week 3 - Kulin District High School

Kulin District High School
NEWSLETTER
6th May 2015
PO Box 19 KULIN WA 6365
Phone: 9880 1264
Fax: 9880 1013
Email: kulin.dhs@education.wa.edu.au Website: www.kulindhs.wa.edu.au
Dear Parents and Community Members
From the Principal
Welcome to our Week 3 newsletter. No sooner have we launched into May and the freezing weather has arrived. I missed the first
burst on Monday as I was at a meeting in Perth however it was great to be able to bask in the sun for a while this morning! Rather than
seeing tractors and air seeders in action at the moment, you can follow their progress by the dust clouds in the distance. My fingers are
crossed for rain for all of those who need it.
Amongst other things, inside today’s edition, you will be able to read about the wonderful things happening in Mrs Noble’s Performing
Arts program, information about this term’s Bookfair and an advertisement for a seminar being held at Narembeen DHS on 24th May.
Titled From the Sandpit to Adulthood: Helping today’s children to thrive, this free event will be presented by the inspirational Maggie
Dent. I encourage you to consider attending.
Anzac Day
Since our last newsletter, our school and community joined with almost every other across Australia to commemorate the 100th
anniversary of the landings at Anzac Cove. I enjoyed the chance to spend a session with our Year 5/6 students last week talking about
the experiences of some in my family and the opportunities that they have to research further into their family trees to find out the
incredibly brave things relatives may have undertaken.
I would like to show my appreciation for the fantastic effort our student councillors made in hosting our service on 24th April. A large
group of parents and community members joined us in the cold wind to hear some very moving readings including a number of
biographies of ordinary Australians who fought for their country. The one which still sticks in my mind was the young Queenslander
who survived all that the Western Front could throw at him, only to be in an accident as he jumped off the train upon reaching his
hometown. Incredibly sadly, he died in his mother’s arms.
Director General meeting
On Monday I joined a group of Independent Public School principals in a meeting with the Department of Education’s Director General,
Ms Sharyn O’Neill. These semi-regular meetings give principals the chance to hear the latest policies and directions of the department
and ask questions which may be affecting their school community. Particular areas of focus Ms O’Neill talked about included finances
in the current political and economic climate, teacher quality, students with a disability and ICT in our schools.
A very interesting discussion was held around the likely introduction of NAPLAN online from 2018. At the moment, students in Years 3,
5, 7 and 9 complete written copies of the tests. Our Minister of Education and the Director General have given in-principle support for it
to be online however there are significant issues to be overcome before any formal agreement is made. These include the ability for
our computer system to handle it, teacher competency and the fact that the Writing test would be done using a keyboard. This is
obviously a huge issue, particularly for Year 3 students and in the years before! Some students could clearly be advantaged (and
disadvantaged) by the change to online testing. This is certainly a “watch this space” issue.
NAPLAN testing
Continuing with the NAPLAN theme, it has fast approached that time of year again when our Year 3, 5, 7 and 9 students will complete
the tests in Writing, Reading, Language Conventions (Spelling and Punctuation and Grammar) and Numeracy. The test days will be on
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday so it will be important that students come to school prepared to do their best. These tests do give
us information on achievement compared to students right across Australia and also indicate progress being made over time. We
would greatly appreciate parents’ support in making sure students have a good night’s sleep and healthy breakfast each morning. If
students happen to miss any of the tests, the chance to catch up will be on Friday only.
Painting and upgrades
Paint has been ordered and workers have been sighted today as preparations are made to paint our administration building. This is the
first of a large number of improvements we are planning for the school grounds this year. Our wishlist includes painting the remainder
of the school, improving our school’s front entrance and refurbishing the old D&T classroom. A tender process will be advertised very
shortly with a large quantity of surplus tools and machines from inside the D&T room.
Best wishes
Damian Lloyd
Principal
From The Deputy’s Desk
It is good to see most students in school uniform; however we still have students wearing different coloured jumpers,
beanies, hats and tights to school. We encourage all students to wear the correct Kulin DHS uniforms and appreciate the
efforts from all parents and carers in supporting the school. If your child requires any uniform clothing please make contact
with the front office staff as we have a surplus of second hand uniforms available, especially jumpers. The Kulin Hardware
has new uniforms available for sale especially in the larger sizes for secondary students.
Once again I would like to remind parents & carers about the “Winter Blues”. As the winter months approach and the
weather is getting cooler, the number of children coming to school with colds has begun to increase. As you can imagine,
schools are the ideal place for colds to spread very quickly, which is why we ask that if your child/children are displaying flu
like symptoms that you keep them at home until they have fully recovered. At school we continue teaching preventative
measures to try and minimise the number of students getting sick. These include;
 Wash your hands regularly
 Contain your cough (encouraging children to cough into their arm)
 Cover your sneeze and dispose of tissues hygienically.
If any students come to school with flu like symptoms please be aware that you may be contacted to come and collect your
child. If we all work together on this then hopefully we will have a much healthier winter.
Today a letter regarding the Faction Cross Country will be coming home. Permission slips for the Faction Cross Country
need to be sent in to the front office by Friday 22nd May. The event will be held on Thursday 28th May at the Macrocarpa
Trail, if the conditions are unfavourable on day the event will be changed to a later date. All parents are welcome to attend
and if you are able to assist at the carnival please let me know. The Interschool Cross Country is on Friday 5th June in
Bruce Rock, more information will follow for those students who will be selected.
Kind regards
Donna Spurgeon
Deputy Principal
School News
Bookfair
DATES TO REMEMBER
MAY
Mon 11th NAPLAN Week
Thurs 21st Lorin Nichols Incursion
The Bookfair will be held during
Week 6 on Wednesday 27th and
Thursday 28th of May in the Library.
Michelle Stone is asking for some
volunteers to help with the setting up
and the running of the fair. If you are
able to help please phone or call into
the office. Any help would be greatly
appreciated.
Fri 22nd Dumbleyung Festival
Wed 27th Bookfair
Thurs 28th Bookfair
Faction Cross Coun-
WINTER UNIFORM: There is an abundance of
good second-hand winter uniform stock. If you
are needing jumpers or jackets please come into
the front office to peruse. The cost is a gold-coin
donation.
,
PERFORMING ARTS
In Performing Arts this term, the students continue to develop their confidence,
communication skills, creativity, cooperation skills and coordination by playing
group games, learning dance routines and participating in drama activities
involving role-play, improvisation and mime.
In Week 5, selected Year 5, 6 and 7 students will travel to Dumbleyung to
perform poetry recitals and mimes at the 2015 Lakes, Speech, Drama and Art
Festival. We wish the chosen students the best of luck with their performances!
Drama
Students can develop many skills through drama activities, including creativity, teamwork, leadership, problem-solving and risk-taking. Drama stimulates
the imagination and promotes self-esteem, providing students with a sense of
achievement. Drama is about social skills, communications skills and having fun!
Community News
From the Sandpit to Adulthood
Helping today’s children to thrive
With Maggie Dent
Every parent wants their children to thrive — to grow up happy, healthy, strong, kind and
capable of realising their full potential. In this seminar, parenting author and educator
Maggie Dent explores the 10 keys to parenting that support this goal. She acknowledges
there is no “perfect” and that challenge, adversity and failure can actually help our kids grow
stronger and smarter.
Venue: Narembeen District High School Library
Date: 24th May 2015
Time: 7.30pm to 9.30pm
Cost: This is a community event so there is no cost.
RSVP: 4th May to Jo Duncan or Amy Hardham on 90647286
www.maggiedent.com