ISSUE 13
Things to Know
Important Dates:
24- 28 August KPS Science Week
24- 26 August Shell Questacon Science Circus Training Tour
28 August Team Colours Day Fundraiser
Save the Dates:
19-23 October Book Week- More information coming soon
26 October School Photos- Notes will be sent home next week
27 October- 3 November Book Fair- More information coming soon
Chris Shaddock
Principal
Dear Kaleen Community,
We have hit the midway point of Term 3 and we are firing on all cylinders. It’s been a busy couple of weeks with lots of fabulous learning opportunities and events.
Winter Walk to School and VIP Visit
Last Wednesday we celebrated Winter Walk to School Week with the Minister for Education, Yvette Berry. It was a fabulous opportunity for parents, teachers and students to rug up and reconnect with other members of our Kaleen community. Minister Berry and I joined a group of students at one of our drop off points and we all walked to school together. We then stationed ourselves at the front of school, handing out fruit and stickers to all participating students. A big thanks to Al Cachino's Cappuccinos coffee van for helping our parent walkers to warm up with a hot and tasty beverage on arrival. Thanks to all members of our community who were able to participate and thanks also to Krissy McCombe for organising and leading this magnificent event.
New Breakfast Club
The Covid19 pandemic has put additional financial pressure on several of our families and our P&C have responded by supporting the school to provide students with breakfast 5 days a week. The Breakfast Club launched last Monday and is open for any children who would benefit from a first or second breakfast. The Breakfast Club runs out of the school canteen and toast, spreads, fruit and milk are all on the menu. It has been extremely popular, especially on some of our cold and wet mornings. A big thank you to the P&C for identifying this need and for supporting the school to make it happen.
Boost Tutors
Next week, we are launching our new “Boost” peer tutoring program, where our senior students will run targeted activities with our junior school students (Kinder, Year 1 and Year 2). This will increase the number of students who we are able to offer additional support to and be a fabulous leadership opportunity for our senior students. After receiving training, our senior Boost leaders will deliver a structured program using reading strategies and number games designed by our teachers. We are measuring student improvements in engagement, word recognition, reading level and understanding of number concepts. Thank you to Mrs Northey, Mrs Turner and our student leaders for organising and running this fantastic initiative.
Please read on to hear more about our Science Week activities and other key events happening in and around the school.
Bye for now,
Chris Shaddock
Principal
ICAS (International Competitions and Assessments for Schools) Term 4
ICAS notes went home today. This year the parent payment system will not be available. All orders and payments will be processed by the school. This is an optional opportunity and if you would like your child to participate, please complete the forms correctly as these details will be used to order the required assessment tasks. The assessment tasks will be completed online during the school day between October 12 2020 - October 23 2020. Details are still to be confirmed and will be communicated closer to the date.
2020 School Satisfaction & Climate Survey
Last week you should have received an email from the EDU Surveys team with a unique link to complete the 2020 Satisfaction Survey for our school. If you haven’t received yours, please check your spam and junk mail inbox and if you can’t find it, email the team at EDUSurveys@act.gov.au . As of today we have only received 135 responses. This year, our incentive is a Sports Fun Rotation for the cohort that has the most responses completed. Each student in the cohort will be able to come dressed in sports clothes (favourite sportsperson, sports team or team colours). They will also be able to have lots of fun participating in a sports rotation. So come on parents...let’s get our surveys done!!!! The current cohorts in the lead are Year 3 and Year 1!
Virtual Assemblies
Science Week
Kaleen’s Science Week
Yay Science! Today officially kicks off Kaleen Primary’s Science Week.
You would have received a message through Seesaw with a link to our Science Week site with science activities for you to do at home. We know you'll have lots of fun completing the activities with your family. You can do one, two or all of the activities. It's up to you and your family. You can complete the activities any time from Friday 21 August to Thursday 27 August 2020 Click the following link to access our Science Week site: https://sites.google.com/ed.act.edu.au/kaleenprimaryschoolscienceweek/home
We’re also excited to have Questacon visiting our school to perform some great hands-on science shows. Our STEM and Sustainability building has been transformed into a Science hub of experiments with students’ Science Fair experiments will be on display for the week. Here’s to a great week of learning and science fun.
Sustainability Section
A huge thank you to Dr Christine Allen from Greening Australia for a generous donation of 30 native Australian plants for our school. Last Friday students from Year 3, Year 6 and the Green Team leaders joined with Mrs Reeves on National Tree Day to Plant these wonderful frog loving plants. Thanks particularly to Mr Roch and Lee for their heavy lifting and digging. We hope frogs will feel warmly invited to come and enjoy our new wetlands space at school.
A Community project with Floriade
Last week students from Year 6, Year 5 Year 4, Year 2 and our Green Team had an opportunity to plant English Daisies with the head gardener of Floriade. Students learned about looking after seedlings and were able to take a pot of English Daisies home. Senior school students designed and planted out our two Aboriginal Garden boxes. In 3-4 weeks time we will be able to see their designs in colourful flowers.
Floriade Re-Imaged
Our Floriade display at the front of our school is continuing to bloom. Take a moment to see how many bulbs are popping up in our pot plants. There’s a bit of a competition going on between the classes with the Kindergarten and Year 1 students keeping a close eye on what is unfolding.
In further Floriade news our K/1 students are creating Floriade art that will be displayed in the Canberra Centre as part of the coming Floriade Re-Imaged 2020 display. We hope you are able to visit this display and see our wonderful creations.
Japanese Corner
Are you looking for support to assist with Japanese Learning from home?
Check out these easy to follow books.
A message from the Minister for Education and Early Childhood Development
In the ACT there are 88 public schools, over 49,000 public school students and around 3,800 educators. But of course, I understand that for each of us as parents, the most important school is the school our children go to. That’s why I want to make sure that every public school is a great school.
The ACT Government is upgrading and expanding public schools to make sure that learning environments are accessible and sustainable.
The government is committed to ensuring that every public school has the infrastructure to support high-quality education and that’s why the government has been investing more than $115 million to upgrade public schools right across the Territory.
Here at Kaleen Primary School the government has provided:
- an upgrade of the phone system to a modern digital network, including new phones, servers and an uninterruptable power supply for emergencies;
- a new cooling system in the sickbay for greater thermal comfort;
- upgrades to the student toilets; and
- a new playground with a Softfall surface plus a new multipurpose building with two more classrooms for student learning, both co-funded in partnership with the School Board and P&C.
Kaleen Primary School has also had concrete trip hazards addressed and received two new shade sail structures and additional seating as part of the ACT Government’s $35 million fast track stimulus program to support local businesses and keep Canberrans employed.
Every child and family has a place in ACT public schools regardless of their background or life circumstances. That’s why this investment into public school infrastructure goes beyond just the basic things that allow learning and teaching to take place. The ACT Government invests in public schools to make sure that every student has what they need to be included, and to learn and develop their interests, passions and life skills.
The ACT Government has upgraded heating and cooling systems, reducing polluting emissions and making temperatures comfortable and conducive to learning in over 40 older public schools across Canberra.
The government also provided 4,000 Chromebooks to schools at the beginning of this school year and a further 3,000 Chromebooks and 500 iPads were purchased for use during the COVID-19 pandemic to assist with remote learning.
Schools have seen upgraded classrooms, toilets, libraries, canteens and bike shelters, as well as gardens, landscaping and playground areas in schools to make sure that these spaces are positive and accommodating.
As Canberra grows, the government is making sure that schools grow with it. Every child has the right to access education and the ACT Government is making sure that this right is equally ensured for every young person.
Yvette Berry MLA
Heroes Corner
If you would like to have your child’s achievements acknowledged here, please email a short blurb to KaleenPSAdmin@ed.act.edu.au.
Community
Kaleen Connections
Do you have a business you would like to promote? Do you find yourself seeking trades and services and you would like to support local?
We would like to share KPS family business information in the form of a Yellow Pages section in our newsletters called “Kaleen Connections”.
If you would like your business to be included, email the following information to christina.mccombe@ed.act.edu.au.
Business name, Your name, A brief description of your services, Contact details, A small logo image (If you have one).
Kaleen Connections good - Copy.pdfBuy-Nothing-flyer.pdf
