DOOKIE PRIMARY School

‘ f r o m l i t t l e t h i n g s . . . b i g t h i n g s g r o w ! ’

I n f o r m a t i o n

b o o k l e t 2 018

DOOKIE PRIMARY

School

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PROFILE

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

STAFF

TERM DATES AND SCHOOL TIMES

CURRICULUM

LITERACY BLOCK

NUMERACY BLOCK

SPECIALIST PROGRAM

PREPARING YOUR CHILD FOR SCHOOL

FURTHER INFORMATION

LUNCH ORDERS

PARENT HELPERS

NEWSLETTERS

SCHOOL UNIFORM

COMMUNICATION

ABSENCES

SCHOOL COUNCIL

FUNDRAISING AND PARENTS FORUM

DIRECTORY

T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s

D O O K I E P R I M A R Y S C H O O L

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Is situated in the township of Dookie 30 kilometres from Shepparton and 43 kilometres from Benalla. Dookie is a rich agricultural area and the school serves the town community as well as the Cosgrove, Boxwood and Yabba North farming communities. One third of our current enrolment of 49 students travel to school by bus.

The school buildings are modern and comfortable as well as being well equipped. The school has extensive asphalt and grassy playing areas complete with two adventure playgrounds.

We have a strong focus on developing Literacy skills using CAFÉ

and The Daily Five reading programs as well as VCOP Big Write

to drive our writing.

Students participate in daily Numeracy sessions that focus on the

develop of Number and Algebra, Probability and Statistics and

Measurement and Geometry.

Protection from the heat or wet weather is provided by two large

undercover areas. We are extremely proud of our well established

Stephanie Alexander kitchen and garden.

Dookie Primary School has a fortnightly lesson from a specialist

art teacher, and library teacher. Our students and staff join with

the Shepparton Small School Cluster for regular extra curricular

activities.

The school is strongly supported by the School Council and the

Parents Forum, who assist with grounds upgrading and upkeep,

along with fundraising events run in our community. The volun-

teer base ensures the delivery of our curriculum program and ex-

tra curricular activities.

Dookie Primary School aims to develop socially well balanced

students who perform to the best of their ability in their academic

studies in a friendly, safe and caring environment.

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D O O K I E P R I M A R Y S c h o o l

P r i n c i p a l ’ s M e s s a g e

As Principal I would like to welcome you to Dookie Primary School and extend and invitation to you and your family to take an active role in our school community.

We are very proud of our school at Dookie and pride ourselves on continually promoting the growth of all our students, parents and staff. Dookie PS has a strong focus on excellence in academic achievement while balancing this with the nurturing qualities that a small country school uniquely brings to a community.

Our School Strategic Plan emphasizes learning activities in accordance with Victorian Curriculum which has a focus on the inclusion of STEM and Critical Thinking which will complement our dedication to the excellent Literacy and Numeracy that we already provide.

Your active interest in your child’s education and your co -operation with the school are requested to make effective the team effort of school and home.

We look forward to your child and family being part of our great school and invite you to participate in the many activities that the school has to offer. We hope your association with our school will be a long and happy one, as we work together to achieve the best possible education for your child.

Mr Troy Woolley

Phoebe Johnston and Aydan Carey 2017 School Captains

“Welcome to Dookie Primary School. The best qualities of

our school are; everyone gets along with each other, we have

brilliant teachers and great learning programs including

C.A.F.E., STEM which includes coding robotics and sci-

ence, Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden and VCOP

writing. The teachers individualise programs for every student

and we have a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities.

Personally we love the support we get from our teachers and

fellow pupils.”

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S TA F F

C L A S S R O O M T E A C H E R S :

P r e p - G r a d e 1 :

M r s K e r r i C o m e r

G r a d e 2 - 3 :

M i s s H e l m o r e

G r a d e 4 — 6 :

M r s C i n d y L a t e s s a

L i b r a r y ( M A R C ) :

K a t r i n a C a m p b e l l

A r t ( M A C C ) :

M r s G w e n H a c k

M u s i c T e a c h e r : M r s H e l e n R a n k i n

A D M I N I S T R A T I O N :

B u s i n e s s M a n a g e r :

M r s C h e r y l M o r r o w

Principal : Mr Troy Woolley

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C U R R I C U L U M

2 0 1 8 S c h o o l T e r m D a t e s

S e m e s t e r 1

T e r m 1

T u e s d a y , 3 0 t h J a n u a r y

T h u r s d a y , 2 9 t h M a r c h

T e r m 2

M o n d a y , 1 6 t h A p r i l

F r i d a y , 2 9 t h J u n e

S e m e s t e r 2

T e r m 3

M o n d a y , 1 6 t h J u l y

F r i d a y , 2 1 s t S e p t e m b e r

T e r m 4

M o n d a y , 8 t h O c t o b e r

T u e s d a y , 2 1 s t D e c e m b e r

P r e p s — S c h o o l a t t e n d a n c e

D u r i n g F e b r u a r y , P r e p c h i l d r e n w i l l a t t e n d s c h o o l o n M o n d a y ,

T u e s d a y s , T h u r s d a y s a n d F r i d a y s d u r i n g n o r m a l s c h o o l h o u r s .

T h i s a l l o w s W e d n e s d a y a s a “ r e s t ” d a y f o r t h e f i r s t m o n t h .

S c h o o l T i m e t a b l e

8 : 4 5 a m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D a i l y 5 r e a d i n g w i t h p a r e n t s

9 : 0 0 a m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ F i r s t S e s s i o n ( L i t e r a c y B l o c k )

1 1 : 0 0 a m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ B r e a k

1 1 : 3 0 a m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ L u n c h

1 1 : 4 0 a m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S e c o n d S e s s i o n ( N u m e r a c y B l o c k )

1 : 4 0 p m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ B r e a k

2 : 0 5 p m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ S n a c k

2 : 1 5 p m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ T h i r d S e s s i o n ( I n q u i r y )

3 : 1 5 p m _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ D i s m i s s a l

Literacy Block

Dookie Primary School prides it’s self on delivering quality educational

programs that are tailored to the individual needs of every student.

The literacy block consists of 3 sections. Starting at 8:45am we have

Community Reading which supports our Daily 5 which focus’s on every child being listened to read and

being read to on a daily basis. During these sessions parent’s and grandparents are able to visit the class

and read with their child or participate in teacher led sessions.

Reading block starts at 9am and parents from community reading will leave to allow the teacher to start

the formal instruction of the session. Reading blocks consist of teacher prepared activities that are de-

signed for your child to work on skills that are at their next point of need. Students are Dookie PS are

always required to work at their zone of proximal development to allow them to develop their skills at

an effective and appropriate pace. A strong focus is placed on the CAFÉ approach to reading

(Comprehension, Accuracy, Fluency and Expanding Vocabulary) these skills have been identified as the

key understandings that underpin successful reading development.

Writing block starts at 10am. During writing sessions students will work in a range of groups that are

designed to increase each individual students writing ability. Our approach to writing at Dookie PS is

supported by VCOP Big Write which centres around students being able to actively talk about what

they want to write as a basis for writing success. “If you can’t talk it, you can’t write it” Families will

play an active role in this process through ‘Big Talk Homework’ where students will discuss their ideas

with their families before the writing session.

Students develop their writing over time focusing on the VCOP process (vocabulary, connectives, open-

ers and punctuation. Are range of games and fun activities are designed by the teachers to make the

writing process interactive and enjoyable.

The M100W (Magic 100 Words) are the 100 frequently occurring words that make up, on average, half the words found in reading. Learning these words makes learning to read much easier. There are seven levels of words: Gold, Blue, Red, Green, Orange, Indigo and Violet. Your child will be provided with a word list that we ask you to practise each night at home after you listen to their reader. When you child has learnt these words, they will be tested and moved onto the next set of words. Initially you will need to read these words to your child and begin with a small number of words. Flash cards and games such as memory can be a fun way of learning to read the words.

Home readers—as part of reading development it is beneficial for children to read regularly. Home readers are designed as a homework task and are sent home daily. All books are levelled and studies have shown that students who participate in reading regularly have significantly higher rates of development in their reading accuracy and fluency as well as their ability to comprehend Information from text a great levels than students who do not read as frequently. Reading Eggs as a computer based program that students can work with at home Each child will be provided with a login and password when they start school.

Numeracy Block

Dookie Primary School prides itself on our approach to numeracy. The students

from Dookie PS won the National Mathletics Competition for 2017 which was a

result of every student’s participation and confidence in their mathematical ability.

At Dookie PS we rely on accurately tracking each individual students progress.

Our classes for numeracy understanding give all of our students to extend their

understanding and progress at their own pace. Sessions allow for fluid grouping

of students with like abilities to work with a range of teachers to develop and re-

fine their understanding of mathematical concepts.

We focus on using a range of hands on techniques such as using concrete materi-

als, teacher guided learning, digital programs such as Mathletics and open ended

tasks to allow our students to reach their full potential.

Classroom teachers develop their individual programs that focus on all of the

other stands of mathematics within their own classrooms. These subjects lend

themselves to being hands on and fun. Topics such as 3D shapes often are taught

in kitchen sessions where children can cross section and further develop their

knowledge.

The staff at Dookie PS regularly have visiting

teachers from a range of schools in NE Victoria

visit our classrooms to further develop their un-

derstanding of quality mathematical approaches to

teaching and learning. We believe that by sharing

our teaching methods we can impact the learning

beyond our own school and improve educational

outcomes for a broader range of students.

SPECIALIST PROGRAMS

STEM (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS)

At Dookie PS we run a specialist STEM program which focusses on the development of students critical

thinking skills via the teaching of coding and robotics, development of their mathematical skills through

projects such as Bridge Engineering and Forces that Make Things Go.

Students are able to develop their ability to plan and predict outcomes, develop their range of thinking

skills and work within teams to achieve outcomes. This program is complemented by 1:1 iPads and a

range of new computers such as Microsoft Surface Pro 4. Dookie PS has a dedicated robotics program

which has Lego EV3, WeDo 2 and Edison technology. The students at Dookie PS are able to access

21st Centaury learning with our growing focus on this subject.

Physical Education

All students participate in weekly Physical Education at DPS. Recently we have utilised the Sporting

Schools grant scheme to provide our students with a wide variety of professionally coached programs

such as golf, 10 pin bowling,, swimming, athletics, orienteering, cricket, football, netball, hockey, tennis

and lawn bowls. This program has provided our school with $21000 of new sporting equipment which

our students are able to use on a daily basis.

Art

Dookie PS works as part of a cluster of schools in the Greater Shepparton region. As part of this cluster

we are able to access a visiting art specialist that operates via a van to supply our students with materials

to participate in art sessions on a fortnightly basis.

Library

As part of the cluster arrangement we are also able to access a visiting librarian. Students are able to bor-

row books to take home and participate in library sessions on a fortnightly basis.

Kitchen

The students at Dookie PS participate in weekly Stephanie Alexander Kitchen sessions. During these

sessions students develop their understanding of preparing food for a range of dishes. A majority of the

food prepared is sourced from our extensive garden which the children have developed and cared for

during garden sessions.

Garden

A noticeable feature of the Dookie PS site is its extensive fruit and vegetable garden which is comple-

mented by the addition of live chickens. The students are involved in weekly sessions where they grow

plants from seed, plant out, take care of and harvest their own fruit and vegetables. There are a range of

different gardens that the students work in and often students are able to eat directly from the gardens

they have produced. We hold weekly produce stalls where the students well fresh produce to raise mon-

ey for future projects.

School Council

The School Council of Dookie Primary School consists of eleven members. Eight positions are held by

parents, two positions are held by employees of the Department of Education and Training (D.E.T) and

the Principal holds an Ex-Officio position. With the exception of the principal, members hold office for a

term of two years. Five members retire one year and the remaining five the following year. Retiring mem-

bers are eligible for re-election.

Elections are conducted in March each year.

Meetings are open to all parents to attend as observers.

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is held in April when election of office bearers take place. The new

council takes office after this meeting.

The School Council is responsible for many facets of school operations.

Among these duties are:

To determine and continually upgrade policies.

To ensure that the grounds and buildings are kept in good order and condition.

To recommend to the DET any building replacements or ground improvements.

To ensure that all money, both government and local, are accounted for and expended properly.

To stimulate community interest in Dookie Primary School.

The employment of non DET staff.

The above responsibilities outline the major duties of council.

Fund Raising Committee and Parents Forum

Dookie PS has a very active parents forum and fund raising committee. These groups are run by volunteer

parents and are always open to new ideas and new participates to join these groups. The focus of both of

these groups is to assist the school inn providing a better education and range of experiences for the chil-

dren.

If you think you might like to be involved in these groups please speak to the principal or any of the mem-

bers of the PF or FRC for further information.

Preparing your child for school

The start of school is an important part of your child’s life. Children’s first experiences are most im-

portant as they influence children’s attitudes for years to come.

At school in the beginning children are confronted with a whole new set of experiences. Each child will

need to make many adjustments and you can help your child through this challenging period by making

sensible, methodical preparations.

The responsibility for your child’s pre-school development is largely yours. However, once school life

begins both parents and teachers share the responsibility for the child’s continuing development and

must co-operate in many ways to make the child’s school days secure, happy and full of interest.

The information in this booklet is designed to assist your preparation for your child’s entry into school

life. Our aim is to ensure that the challenges and problems which confront all beginners are met and

overcome with a minimum of stress and a maximum sense of achievement.

Preparing your child

The school’s program will help to develop habits in your child. However, for his/her safety, and for the

welfare of others, you should give him/her the following preparatory training.

A) Know full name, address and if possible, phone number.

B) Take trips with your child to school and ensure that they know how to enter the school safely eg.

How to cross the road to a waiting car, waiting for the bus in a safe position.

C) Remember not to bring any articles to school which may cause harm to others.

D) Make sure that your child is accustomed to spending time away from mother and/or father, other-

wise this sudden separation may be a problem.

E) Have several school lunches with your child at home. Children need practice in handling a lunch-

box successfully and how to tidy up afterwards.

F) Develop your child’s self management with dressing and preferably send them in shoes that they can

do up and undo themselves.

G) Ensure your child’s confident self management at the toilets.

H) Stress the importance of listening carefully, speaking clearly and politely and obeying promptly.

I) Teach him/her to be courteous and considerate of others.

J) Ensure that all your child’s school clothing and possessions are clearly labelled with his/her name.

K) It is wise not to bring to school articles of value or toys that can be easily damaged.

L) Have a reasonable, regular bed time for your child so that he/she is ready for school the next day.

M) Be up early enough to give him/her a calm ordered start to the day. A good breakfast is essential to

staying power and concentration through the morning. Being on time is an organised way to start

the day.

School for first time parents:

School is and exciting and at sometimes daunting time for families that are starting for the first time.

Please recognise that there are lots of people to help answer your questions and assist you with things

that are unknown or difficult. Please speak to staff or other parents if you are unsure there is always

people at Dookie PS that are more than willing to assist you.

We hope that your journey into primary school with

your child will be one filled with fond memories and a

time to watch your child grow and develop during this

next phase of their life.

It is often difficult to watch your chid grow with their

new found independence and develop a range of skills

that parents have previously been responsible for. Try

to embrace your child’s development during the time

that they are at primary school.

Further Information

Lunches

Children eat lunch daily at 11:25am—11:40am seated in the covered area or in the cen-

tral grass area while being supervised by staff. Snack/fruit break is taken at the end of the second break

which occurs at 2:05pm—2:15pm.

School lunches are available throughout the year on Wednesdays. Lunch orders will be sent home with

students on Thursday with our newsletter and need to be returned by the following Wednesday. This

program is run by Parents Fundraising Group.

Lunches may also be ordered on a daily basis from the Dookie General Store—orders should be placed

and paid for directly with the store.

Breakfast Club

On Tuesday and Thursday morning we run Breakfast Club in our school kitchen. Breakfast is served

from 8:20am—8:45am. This program is free for school children and younger siblings. A range of food

is served during the year with offerings such as cereal, eggs, bacon, jaffles and fruit being on the regular

menu and occasional foods such as pancakes and hot chocolate during the colder months.

Hot Lunch Tuesday

On Tuesdays during Term 2 and 3 we allow students to bring food from home that can be warmed up

in the oven for lunch. Lunches are dropped off to the kitchen in the morning at Breakfast Club. Stu-

dents will need to have their name clearly displayed on their food and ensure that it is placed in some-

thing suitable to be heated in the oven. Aluminium Foil Trays or wrapping in foil are good options.

Parent Helpers

The school is very grateful to the many parents who assist us on a regular basis. Parent’s are encour-

aged to play an active role in their child’s school live either academic or extra curricular. Parents are

welcome to listen to reading in the morning, volunteer in our kitchen garden program or help out

around the school if they are available. There are many jobs to complete at school’s and we always wel-

come any help you are willing to offer. Please see the principal or teachers if you are interested in vol-

unteering.

Volunteers working in schools are required to hold Working with Children Checks. If you currently

have one of these please see our office staff to take a copy for us to keep on file. If you need any help

gaining a WCC please speak to our office staff for assistance.

Newsletters

The newsletter is published and either sent to families via Flexibuzz or sent home with the eldest child

in the family each week every Friday. Our newsletter can also be accessed via our website. If you have

any material you would like included in the newsletter please email it to our office in either a JPG or

Word document before Wednesday morning.

The school’s email address is dookie.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

Assembly

Weekly assemblies are held on Monday morning starting at 8:45am. Assembly is where we celebrate

student achievements, inform parents and students about upcoming events and to pass on any important

information that is happening at school. All visitors are welcome to attend.

Aprons

Students are required to wear aprons for kitchen sessions. Aprons can be purchased through the office

and are embroidered with the SAKG logo and your child's name. Aprons are priced at $10. It is im-

portant to remember to pack aprons weekly as students will occasionally cook after a garden session and

this will assist in protecting food becoming contaminated from any dirt on clothes.

Lost Property

We have a lost property basket in our office area. We endeavour to return all clothing to students on a

weekly basis. Items of clothing that are clearly named have a greater chance of being returned to owners

and it is recommended that items of clothing such as hats and jumpers that students would be likely to

remove during the day be named with permanent marker on a tag or somewhere on the clothing that is

not visible while the child is wearing the item.

Signing students in and out

We understand that there are a range of reasons that students may be late to school or need to leave early

or for part of a day. It is important that students be signed in and out accordingly at the front office.

We have 2 books that are located at the ledge outside the front office. One book is for students to be

signed in and out by a parent or guardian that other is for visitors to sign in. Please see previous example

in the book for examples of how to fill this in.

Returning money and notes to school.

There will be a range of times during the school year that notes and money will need to be filled in and

returned to school. At Dookie PS we have a lockable letterbox located on the left hand wall near the

sliding glass windows in the office. We ask that all money and notes be placed in this box for security.

School Uniform

The official school uniform of Dookie Primary School is as follows:

Boys Summer Navy shorts with school polo shirt + logo

Winter Navy tracksuit/drill pants with pale or navy

blue skivvy/school polo shirt and navy polar fleece jumper/vest + logo.

Girls Summer Navy and white checked dress with white trim.

Navy shorts or skorts with school polo shirt

+ logo.

Winter Sames as for boys or navy skirt with navy tights.

All Students

Hats Summer—Navy, drawstring bucket hat

Winter—Navy polar fleece beanie + logo

Socks Navy blue or white

Shoes Black shoes or runners ( no extreme colours)

All shoes must have covered in toes.

Uniform Orders

All school uniforms can be ordered and purchased directly from The Uniform Shop in Corio St, Shep-

parton. All orders are completed on the 10th of each month and paid directly through the shop.

Communication

We use a range of methods to communicate with families. While we still use traditional methods such as

phone calls, notices and newsletters we also communicate via our school website

(http://www.dookieps.schoolwebsites.com.au/) and Flexibuzz which is a application platform which com-

municates via phones and tablet

devices. Our school has an individual account and this service is

Free for families to download.

Absences

Dookie Primary School has a policy “It’s Not Okay To Be Away”.

Non attendance disrupts learning and relationships. There is strong research to

Support a correlation between student academic improvement and attending school regularly. The Depart-

ment of Education requires us to keep accurate records of student absences and the reasons for being absent.

DOOKIE PR IMARY School

F o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n o r t o

a r r a n g e a t o u r p l e a s e c a l l …

T r o y w o o l l e y

Dookie Primary School

Baldock st Dookie Victoria 3646

T:03 58 28 6585 fx:03 58 28 6382

E: dookie.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

W: www.dookieps.vic.edu.au

“Dookie PS is an amazing school because at Dookie you feel part of a group and you

fit in really well. Also at Dookie there is outstanding education.” Ellee Grade 5

“I love Dookie Primary School because there are no bullies. Also you have lots of ac-

tivities like, coding, garden, kitchen and in garden you can look after the chooks.”

Owen grade 3