ACMI/ Eureka Skydeck 88 Excursion

Last week, the 3/4 neighbourhoods had a fantastic experience during two days of excursions! On Tuesday, we went to ACMI where we were treated to screenings of short films followed by a tour of the Screen Worlds exhibition. On Wednesday, we went up 88 floors in 38 seconds to see a panoramic view of Melbourne at the Eureka Skydeck 88. It was wonderful to get out of the school and out into the city, and we were very lucky with the weather too!

Here are some photos for you to enjoy (please view on the website if you receive this as an email)

Recycling Centre

A group of teachers, the environments committee, is responsible for implementing the consistent use of spaces across the schools. One of our initiatives has been to set up a Recycling Room. This is where we store reusable items that the children use in their neighbourhoods in art and craft activities. We encourage our community to add to our collection by bringing in clean, unbranded items they think we can use. Examples include bread clips, wrapping paper, ribbon and plain cardboard boxes. These may include beautiful perfume boxes and interesting shaped boxes. We are also looking for industrial offcuts from manufacturing processes which are non toxic. If you are unsure whether something is suitable or not, please send me an e-mail (a photo attached would be great). Please leave all suitable items at the office for collection.

Thanks,

Shana Upiter
upiter.shana.s@edumail.vic.gov.au

Parent Helpers for Camp

Thank you very much for all your responses to our request for parent helpers for the 3/4 camp this year. We had more responses than we can cater for at this time, and we will now consult with our team members to see who will come to camp with us this year. We are provided with limited spaces for adults by the camp organisers. This includes the teachers, Educational Support Officers, student teachers as well as parents. Among our considerations will be gender balance, availability of parents for all three days and equal number of parents from both neighbourhoods.

Booktalk

Because of our Education ceek Celebration Excursions unfortunately Book Talk is cancelled this week.
See you all next week.

Camp Notices

This is a reminder to all parents that ALL camp notices with the deposit of $100 must be handed in to the teachers by Friday 24th May at the latest. We also ask parents to inform teachers if your child is not going to camp as soon as possible.

We are still looking for more parent volunteers for the camp. Parents will need to be with the students throughout the camp and help the teachers in the organisation of all students. Please fill in the  parent helper section of the camp notice if you would like to be considered for this role. If you would like more information regarding this or any other matter regarding camp, please see either Tomo or Kerri.

Education Week Excursion

To celebrate Education week (and the end of NAPLAN) we decided to take the opportunity to visit ACMI and Eureka Skydeck.

We will be leaving school on both days at 9.30.

Wednesday 22nd May, we will visit ACMI to see the Screen Worlds exhibition and “Imagination & Adventure” focusing on telling stories. The film screenings explore the importance of storytelling in helping us learn more about our world and ourselves. The programs will provide a stimulating opportunity to explore themes associated with storytelling and the value of telling stories using film. “Imagination and Adventure” is a collection of short films that explore the world of the imagination.

On Thursday 23rd May at Eureka Skydeck we will tour the Skydeck and investigate the many different landmarks the magnificent city of Melbourne has to offer. After a short introductory talk on the ground level, students will head to the 88th floor to be amazed by the breathtaking views of the city.

We ask the students to come to school on time and to bring lunches in a disposable bag for both of these days.

Science Rotaions - Plant Biology and Gardening

On Friday afternoons in our Plant Biology and Gardening group we have been organising and planning our garden. We have been cleaning out the garden beds, turning the soil and adding potting mix and straw to hold the moisture in. Last week we planted carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, Bok Choy and Snowpeas. The students will be observing and collecting data on the growth of the plants for the next few weeks. We have a planting schedule for the year and will be sowing and reaping the benefits throughout the year. All the students will have an opportunity to take part in the Plant Biology and Gardening group throughout the year.

Mother's Day Stall

Just a reminder that Mother's Day Stall will be held tomorrow in the gymnasium. The students will be taken to the stalls by home-groups by a teacher. Please make sure that the students bring their money in an envelope with their name and home-group on it and hand it to the teacher so that it does not get lost. There are items available for sale from $1.00 to $15.00. Please allow children to bring the amount that works for your family.

2013 NAPLAN tests: 14-16 May

The National Assessment Program (NAPLAN) will be held for Year 3 students on Tuesday 14th May, Wednesday 15th May and Thursday 16th May.

The test administration process is followed uniformly across the country which means that tests have a strict timeframe. The tests will be held in the mornings. We begin on Tuesday with Language Conventions (40 minutes) then followed by Writing (40 minutes) Reading is on the Wednesday (45 minutes) and Numeracy is on Thursday (45 minutes).

It is important that children are here on time in the morning otherwise we need to withdraw them from the test and provide a catch-up test later in the day, which is not the ideal.

If you have any queries regarding NAPLAN testing, please feel free to contact your neighbourhood teachers. A pamphlet issued by the Victorian State Government gives their perspective on the testing program.
For further information
www.nap.edu.au