Week 5, Term 1

We had a fantastic FR meeting today - thank you to those who were able to come along.  We have leads in place for most of our events this year, and we have a fantastic Parent Social night in the works - more details to come!  In the meantime, keep your eyes on this section of the newsletter for upcoming events and callouts for helpers!

As you know, my time fraction at CNPS has increased this year to incorporate a new role of leading the ‘Mental Health in Primary School’ initiative (MHiPS) at our school. The following information, from Melbourne University, provides some background of the initiative.   

We know that around 14% percent of children aged 4-11 years have a diagnosed mental health disorder, and 20 percent of children experience mental health difficulties that inhibit their daily functioning (Lawrence, et.al., 2015). Mental health and wellbeing in primary school-aged children is particularly complex, as it can be difficult to differentiate behaviours and emotions that are developmentally appropriate from those that require additional support. For those who do require additional support, it can be difficult for teachers and parents to understand how and where to access help. 

Teachers and school leaders have reported feeling deep concern for the mental health difficulties experienced by Victorian primary school students. Teachers and school leaders have indicated they are overwhelmed by the increasing prevalence and severity of mental health issues in the classroom and have concerns about their skills for accurately identifying and supporting children who need extra support for their mental health and wellbeing. 

In 2019, the Victorian Royal Commission into Mental Health explored and analysed how Victoria’s mental health system can effectively prevent mental illness and deliver treatment, care, and support so all Victorians can experience optimal mental health, now and into the future. A strong theme emerging from the Royal Commission interim report, released in November 2019, was that schools represent a key location for promoting good mental health, identifying signs and symptoms for those at risk of poor mental health, and supporting external referrals to community services for those students who require extra support. 

In response to these needs, the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Education (FoE), Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) and the Victorian Department of Education partnered to develop an initiative aimed at building the capacity of Victorian primary schools to support the mental health and wellbeing of their students. This initiative is funded by the Ian Potter Foundation, Ross Trust, and the Victorian Department of Education. 

Sam Chapman and I began our MHiPS training last week and will be sharing more about the initiative and my role with you in the future so stay tuned! 

Nicole Wagstaff 

 Hello from the Prep Rooms! 

This week in Literacy we met Milo’s friend Izzy Insect and learned the sound ‘i’. Now that we know the first 8 sounds, we have been practising blending them together to read words such as ‘map’ and ‘sit’ and we were introduced to our first decodable books. It was fantastic to see everyone reading their FIRST BOOK by sounding out the letters then blending them together. Next week we are excited to begin bringing books home to practise our daily reading. We have continued to learn new nursery rhymes including Hickory, Dickory, Dock’ and ‘Little, Bo Peep.’ It has been fun to say the different rhymes and present them to the class. In Maths our focus has been on numbers 0-10. We have been learning how to write the numbers, counting out aloud, pointing to objects as we count them and matching the number symbol with pictures. In our wellbeing program, we focused on our Play is the Way concept: Pursue our Personal Best- no matter who you work with. We discussed how we come to school each day, not to compare ourselves to others, but to always try our best as we learn to work with others. Working in small groups we practised working with our peers collaboratively whilst we completed puzzles. 

Next week in Literacy, we will begin bringing home books as part of our daily reading program. There will be more information sent home to families next week when books go home. We will meet two more of Milo’s friends and learn our last two nursery rhymes. In Maths, we will continue focusing on numbers 0-10. 

Thank you to families who have already emailed their class teachers to let them know if they will be attending the Prep Literacy Information Session next week on Monday 3rd March. The Information session will be going ahead. If you would still like to come, please let your classroom teacher know. 

Have a lovely weekend,  

Nicole and Miss Else 

It was a wild week in the Golden Wattle building as we delved into the classic story, Where The Wild Things Are. As part of our Big Question, ‘What is the power of a story?’, we unpacked some of the many concepts in the book including the power of imagination, managing big emotions and the importance of apologising when you’ve made a mistake. We also put on our designer’s and engineer’s hats and designed our own islands as part of our STEAM Challenge. Working in small groups, we focused on the learning assets of ‘Listening and communicating respectfully with others’ and ‘Persisting with our learning even when it is challenging’. 

We loved sharing our ‘Wild Thing’ puppets and islands with our family members on Wednesday during our mini expo. It was wonderful to see so many visitors and it was a great experience for students to develop their presenting skills too. 

In Maths we have continued to develop our place value knowledge, this week using hundreds charts and number lines to consolidate our understanding. We have compared, ordered and partitioned 2-digit numbers, and put on our detective hats to solve missing number puzzles! 

In our Spelling Groups, the Grade 1 students have focused on words ending in ‘y’ that make the long ‘e’ sound (e.g. baby, happy). The Grade 2 students have been revising Silent Final E Job 1 – this is where the silent ‘e’ jumps over the consonant to make the vowel say its long sound (e.g. kite, athlete). 

 Next week we are looking forward to exploring our new Big Question, ‘How are we connected to other living things?’ We will continue working on place value in Maths, moving from 2-digit numbers to 3-digits, while in Literacy we will be focusing on statements and questions. 

We hope you have a great weekend, 

Wendy, Laura, Claire, Sarah and Andrew 

Welcome to the Silver Banksia!    

This week, our students have continued their journey through The Last Bear by Hannah Gold, as we follow along with the blossoming friendship between and the polar bear in the Arctic Circle. It has been the basis for our writing, as we have been crafting persuasive pieces. We have been focussing on incorporating higher-level connectives such as nevertheless, furthermore, and in addition, helping students create more cohesive and convincing arguments. A key challenge has been incorporating factual information from our non-fiction reading into our own writing—a skill that strengthens both comprehension and persuasive techniques. 

For word study we have been investigating the morphemes of “fix” and “terra”. Some students accepted the extra challenge of writing a nonsense paragraph with as many “terr/terra” words as they could. Read this one below: 

Terr/Terra Paragraph 

A long, long time ago, in the Mediterranean Sea, a wise, wise man called Sid roamed the earth, claiming all the land he could get his hands on. He was travelling terraqueous across the ocean, in his cruise ship, having a couple cokes on the terrace with his territorial servant, Orlando. Sid was patting his terrier, Johnny, when all of a sudden, he heard a yell from the front of the ship, “Land Ahoy!” The extraterrestrial alien Lochie, yelled out to Sid and Orlando, “Great, let’s claim it Terra nullius!” Sid said with a roar, pumping his sunburnt chest. By Remy 

In Maths, we have been exploring patterns and the rules of divisibility, developing strategies to recognize and apply these concepts in different contexts. A problem-solving task imagining a giant Licorice Factory involved a lot of respectful discussions around whether a number such as 71 was a prime number. Meanwhile, during Big Question Time, we have continued to investigate the power of stories—how they shape our understanding, connect us to others, and influence the way we see the world. 

Bec, Nicci, Mr Higgins, Jay, Ben and Carly.

 We are mid-way through Term One and most classes have now started working on a self-portrait.  

Preps are working towards their portrait and have been learning about line and colour. This week we looked at some paintings by Emily Kame Kngwarreye of ‘Yam Dreaming’. Some of the responses to her paintings were that they looked like worms, or spider webs and spaghetti! Our task was to pushed a counter around the page to create a spontaneous line drawing. Some of the drawings represented creatures or things, others were filled with colour and pattern.  

1/2 have completed a drawing inspired by Ken Done’s beach paintings of Sydney. Focusing on the loose way he painted figures and played with scale and space, students drew scenes from their imagination of a day at the beach. To finish we painted a wash of yellow ink to represent the sand.  

3/4 have completed their bilateral drawing task by simplifying their drawings into a collage design, the results are striking. They are now working of a self-portrait inspired by Frida Kahlo. We have chosen to learn about Kahlo because artifacts from the Frida Kahlo Museum in Mexico are coming to the Bendigo Art Gallery in a traveling exhibition starting next month. Additionally, the Castlemaine Fringe Festival is running a ‘Fringe and Frida’ exhibition at the Market Building which will be fun to visit later in the term. 

Grades 5/6 are exploring ways they can express themselves in their self-portrait this year. They might do this in a subtle way through colour or facial expression. Or they might include objects that represent who they are. They have some freedom with this task, choosing the materials they would like to use and exploring their own ideas. I look forward to what they come up with!    

Hannah V

 House Swimming Carnival Gr3-6 Outdoor Pool 

Apologies that I neglected to mention the band of parent helpers who turned up to help set up before our carnival. From putting up umbrellas to sweeping duck poo, we’ve never had (nor perhaps needed!) so many helpers before... thank you! We also had a fantastic group of parent timekeepers and place judges to help the event run smoothly.  

Goldfields Division Swimming (select team) 

It was today! Report and photos next week. 

Bendigo Braves Basketball Home Game Experience for Grade 5/6 

We have an opportunity to participate in the Bendigo Braves Basketball Schools Cup at the Bendigo Braves NBL1 match on Sunday 6th April (please note that this date was incorrect last week and is the first weekend of the school holidays). Our school selects 10 students from Grade 5/6 to compete against other schools using the fundamental skills of basketball, rather than a match. Selected students would need their families to arrange their own transport to and supervision at this event. You will also receive a ticket for you and your student to the game. We’ve had eight students sign up so there are a couple of spots still available. If you are interested in this opportunity (and not committed to school holiday plans), please contact carly.mcginniskin@education.vic.gov.au 

The Bendigo Braves will also visit our school for two sessions of Gr5/6 clinics on Friday 7th March. 

Footy Clinics in PE 

AFL Central Victoria and Castlemaine Junior Football Club visited our school for footy clinics in PE on Tuesday 25th February.  The students in various age levels enjoyed the day. See photos below. 

I’m making a call out to any handy helpers out there who may be able to have a look at our stilts and do some maintenance. The stilts are incredibly popular but unfortunately, we have a couple of pairs out of action that need some simple mending.  

If you think you may be able to assist us to get them back up and running (or rather walking) please see me, Nicci, in the Performing Arts room Tuesday – Thursday mornings before school or after school or email me nicole.simirenko@education.vic.gov.au  

Prep E

Freddie F - for trying hard and persisting every single day!

Hugo B - for looking out for your classmates to help them succeed when playing "Islands".

Prep N

Percy CB - for the kind and thoughtful way you supported your classmate during a game of "Islands".

Clancy H - for your excitement and enthusiasm when meeting Milo's friends.

1/2 L

Digby F - for using your fabulous Place Value knowledge and understanding of 100s charts in Maths.

Olivia D - for the beautiful way you praised everyone's island designs.

1/2 CS

Edith K - for the eager way you love to take on challenges in Maths.

Nash E - for the brave way you persevered with your writing and bounced back after a challenge.

1/2 WA

Dallas E - for working carefully on your BQT island and creating an amazing environment for your Wild Thing.

Georgie N - for your kindness in taking the time to clean up after our STEAM lesson.  Thank you!

William C - for helping us with our presentation.  We couldn't have done it without you!

Zoe S - for your kindness and thoughtfulness when helping our class with their origami.

3/4 PS

Eliza S - for the thoughtful way you participate in discussions and share your work.

Oden R - for your passion and engagement during Maths subtraction lessons.

3/4 L

Mason C - for always asking questions and seeking understanding.

Viv R - for working through challenges.

3/4 S

Azia D - for the thoughtful way you support your teacher and classmates by offering helpful advice.

Frances B - for the brave way you ask clarifying questions in Maths.

3/4 H

Nancy S - for always trying your best in Maths - well done!

Caitlyn Y - for your beautifully written response in Literacy - well done!

5/6 H

Atticus H - for generously offering your stationery to another student.

Jasmine R - for your dedication to mastering cursive handwriting.

5/6 J

Louis H - for the respectful way you highlighted a mistake that your teacher made.

Chris PS - for showing initiative to keep the classroom clean.

5/6 BC

Frederick CB - for your willingness to help anyone and everyone at any possible opportunity.

Lilah C - for your determination and perseverance during Maths lessons this week.

5/6 BN

Sidney C - for thoughtfully taking on feedback to improve your persuasive writing about polar bears.

Remy V - for continually accepting challenges and always striving for your personal best.  

Indonesian

Henry S - for the impressive way you have shown leadership in the classroom so far this term.  Bagus!

Performing Arts

Lani M - for the way you thoughtfully considered the sounds of your "Unusual Sounds" song.

Stilt Licence: Congratulations to Mary C and Avelline C

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