CALENDAR DATES

Term 3 11

th September School Council Meeting – 7.30 p.m.

13th

September State Schools Spectacular 16

th September Immigration Museum – Yr 6

19th

September Last day of Term 3 – 2.30 p.m. finish

Term 4 6

th October Term 4 commences

16th

October Prep 2015 – Transition 2 16

th October Media Fun Day – Year 5

21st

October Healesville – Year 1 23

rd October Maths Talent Quest –Award Ceremony

31st

October Showcase 2014 –Robert Blackwood Hall 13

th November Prep 2015 – Transition 3

15th

November Trivia Night - PFA 18

th November Information Eve. - Prep 2015 parents

19th

November Edendale Farm – Prep 4

th December Prep 2015 Orientation Day

9th

December Yr 6 Orientation Day at Sec School. 12

th December Yr 6 Graduation Ceremony

19th

December Last day for 2014 – 1.30 p.m. finish

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Essex Heights PS – Badminton State Champions! On Tuesday our 6 member Badminton Squad travelled to MSAC to compete in the Li-Ning All Schools Badminton Championships. The team was thrilled to take out the title and are seen here with the Premiership Cup and their medals. We are so proud to have yet another State title for the trophy cabinet (after softball last year) and are also very proud of the team and the way they competed and represented Essex Heights. Our thanks also go to Ricky & Angela Yu (Jack & Angela’s parents) for their excellent preparation and coaching of the team. It does help that Ricky’s other job is Coach of the Australian National Badminton Team Thanks also to Ben Wooster for his support of the children in this competition, and the other parents who came on the day. Well done to; Angela, Frederick, Riley, James, Jack and Margaret.

State Schools’ Spectacular – Saturday September 13th Earlier this year, students in Years 5 and 6 were invited to audition to perform as part of the Essex Heights contribution to the massed choir in this year’s State Schools’ Spectacular at Hisense Arena. This state wide event, which will be broadcast by Channel 7 in October, is designed to showcase the best of Victorian Government School students from both Primary and Secondary schools. In 2011, 2012 & 2013 Essex Heights participated with great success, and again this year, we have a group of students representing our school. Rehearsals have been taking place regularly since the beginning of Term 2, including the students joining together today and tomorrow with other students from across Victoria for a full-cast rehearsal of what they have all been working on. We also have two Yr 6 students with lead roles, Viktoriia playing her saxophone in the combined band, and Anastasia who is in a specialist choir. Saturday’s performance will be a sensational show and our students will be rewarded for the hours of preparation that they have exerted. As well as congratulating the children involved, I’d like to thank Music teacher Tanya Dolence for her energy and efforts to prepare the choir. Thanks also to Anne Scerri, Joan Scott and Sarah Trebilcock who have supported Tanya and the children throughout this event. We look forward to rave reviews following the show on Saturday!

ISSUE 27

11th September,

2014

Traffic and Safety Issues I noted with interest an article in the Herald Sun on Tuesday about traffic safety around schools in the City of Monash. The Mayor, Cr Geoff Lake, was talking about expanding their cars with dashboard cameras as a means of enforcing safe driving and parking practices, around schools especially. Apparently since their introduction they have issued 940 infringements to parents in local schools, possibly some at Essex Heights? I have contacted the Council and asked them to patrol here as often as possible, as there are still examples of dangerous driving and parking almost every day. I would strongly encourage parents to avoid the times close to 8:50am and 3:30pm as much as possible, coming a little earlier or later if that suits. Also, avoiding the Essex Rd drop off area and utilising the back two gates may also help relieve the congestion at the front of the school. However, it is vital that all parents observe road rules, and parking restrictions in the interests of the children’s safety.

Trivia Night – November 15th A reminder to parents to put November 15

th in your diaries, and start training for the PFA Trivia Night, which is a big

event on the school calendar. Last year the Staff Team performed very strongly, so the challenge is out there for the parents to come along and try to challenge what will be a very strong team again!

Early Holiday I am taking leave for the last week of Term and heading to Port Douglas with my wife for some sun and relaxation. I’d like to wish everyone a safe and relaxing holiday and look forward to an exciting final Term for 2014.

Developing Literacy and Numeracy Skills at Home As the holidays approach it’s an opportune time to think about the ways you, as parents, can give your children real life experiences with Literacy and Numeracy. Findings from a growing body of research supports the premise that parental involvement in children’s learning can be positively related to educational achievement. Research also shows that the benefits are often increased incrementally the earlier in a child's educational process parent involvement begins and in instances where parents are more intensely and actively involved. Opportunities to practise skills in literacy and numeracy help to enhance a child’s knowledge and comprehension. Around the home Meal time Describe the food you’re eating together: the colour, shape, taste, and texture. Read recipes together and cook the food: quantity, volume, adding ingredients in order. Measure quantities: teaspoon, tablespoon, cup or weight measured on kitchen scales. Encourage your child to read out the ingredients while you mix or vice versa. Set the table, counting out knives, forks, spoons, and plates. Teach an older child how to use a kitchen timer or microwave. Wash, dry, and put dishes away sorting by size, type, colour, and shape. Experiment with drawing up a menu, recipe cards, orders for kitchen take-away. Bath time Experiment with water measurement using different sized plastic containers. Wash half or quarter of the body or one of two legs, or arms, or ears, or alternate toes. Count off fingers and toes as you wash and dry between them. Move water using hands or feet and describing words: splash, wave, flow, gurgle, bubble, or drops.

Provide a bottle of bubble liquid and count each bubble either before, or as it bursts. Guess which letter by drawing soapy letters on your child’s back. Talk about water temperature: hot/cold/warm/warmer. Use this time to explain about taps, water levels, and safety. Make up silly rhymes about swimming, floating, washing, and drying. Anytime Count clothes in the laundry basket. Count socks, buttons on clothing, steps to the letter box or the total number of chairs in your home. Play guessing games, rhyming games, ball games, board games, and charades. Have fun with a dictionary or thesaurus. Read out a word, try to guess what it might mean. Read quietly or read aloud – individually, together, as a family.

In the car Toddlers and preschoolers: Use describing words for speed and direction, fast, slow, rapid, turning, slowing down. Use your voice to reflect speed, and try new words such as accelerating and reversing. Count the number of red cars, green cars, and yellow cars. Count trucks and buses. Look for street signs that begin with a particular letter. Listen to story tapes or CDs. Ask children to spot familiar landmarks and tell you something about them. Sing aloud in the car, encourage hand movements, clap, and beat time. Recognise symbols, traffic signs, and numbers on number plates. Early primary: Challenge your child to spell their name by spotting a number plate or street sign that has the first letter, then the second and so on, until they have all the letters required for their name. Keep familiar picture books for long travel and ask children to read or tell you about the story. Spot something beginning with a letter of the alphabet. After five successful spots, change the letter. Count bus stops, train stations, traffic lights. Catch public transport so that you can discuss timetables and routes, and estimate times to reach your destination. In the supermarket Toddlers and preschoolers: Use size words such as many, few, bigger, less, heavier. Use describing words such as ripe, tinned, packet, frozen, or words such as delicious, fresh, healthy, junk, filling, sweet, sour or spicy. Write down the items needed and encourage your child to copy the letters from your list to their list. Count how many bottles, tins, and packets in the trolley. Count items by colour. Count pieces of fruit and total how many in the bag. Encourage children to help you carefully place items on the checkout counter and name each item as they do so. Ask your child to tell you which aisle number you are currently in. Talk about volume and which containers hold more. Early primary: Involve your child in making a list, or in writing the list for you. Let your child carry the list as you shop and read out as many product names as possible, ignoring pronunciation. Hand items to children before they are put in the trolley, and ask them to check the use by date. Ask your child to help you read the labels, for instance low-fat, polyunsaturated, high fibre, and take these opportunities to explain about healthy eating and nutrition information. Count fruit and match fruit to price signs. Involve your child in unpacking groceries and checking off items on the docket. Get your child to help you calculate items, for example, ask your child how many bananas they think you might need if everyone in the family ate one banana a day for a week. For further ideas: http://www.literacyandnumeracy.gov.au/ See you in Term 4, Andrew Crossett Principal

BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL CARE (B.A.S.C.)

Enrolments for the Vacation Care Program commenced on Monday 8th

September. Please see me to arrange bookings. 9807 2615. Thank You Paul Davis, Co-Ordinator

PARENTS & FRIENDS ‘NEWS’

Father’s Day Breakfast Last Thursday the PFA held their 4

th Father’s day breakfast. It was a great success and we were so happy to see so

many dads, grandfathers and special friends come and celebrate Father’s day with the children. With the generosity of donations and prizes it made the morning extra special, so thank you to Glenn Buckley, David Thomas and No Name Restaurant in Oakleigh. Also to Bakers delight in Burwood one, Chadstone and Brumby’s in Mount Waverley. And Steph and Stuart Wendler Canning and Nicola Sounas also for their donations. This event could not take place without the generous help of the following parents:

Megan Rogers, Andrea Fyfe, Suzannah Hawtin, Jan Mattrow, Tara Hickcox (Kai and Ava for the raffle tickets) Penny Fleming, Karin Nevasolo, Heather Pham, Anna Ascar, Helen Giakoumatos, Andrea Jordan, Jen Hill, Nicola Sounas, Andriana Anevlavis, Robyn Perkin, Morwenna Griffiths, Ying Chen, Wendy Yu, Maria Skouteris

Special thanks to Martha Kotsifas and Darren and Sonia Mattingley. At the end there were a few children who stayed back and helped clean up and we appreciate and thank them for their assistance. As every year the day following the breakfast is the Father’s day stall, I would like to say Thankyou to Andrea Fyfe for all her hard work in co-ordinating this event which was another great success. Congratulations to the winners of the Raffle: 1

st Prize Lachlan S Aleks G

2nd

Prize Paul T. Ruby M 3

rd Prize Alex G Mike S.

4th

Prize Luke G. Father’s Day Stall THANK-YOU very much to Jen Hill, Katy Smith, Mina La’Forgue, Andrea Jordan, Malinda Zhu, Jan Mattrow, Magdalene Lim, Polly Chiu, Betty Ciorciari, Maren Chan, Cindy Yeo, Sharon Leong, Fiona Materia and Tara Hickcox who all helped with the Fathers’ Day Stall last Friday. We raised over $1400 for future PFA/School projects and it would not have been such a success without you! I hope everybody had a great Fathers’ Day and that all the Dads enjoyed their gifts. Thank you again and we look forward to your continued support at future events. Enjoy your weekend Betty Ciorciari

ESSEX HEIGHTS PRIMARY SCHOOL

7.00 pm Saturday 15th November

Book your babysitter now

WALK TO SCHOOL OCTOBER 2014

Essex Heights Primary has registered for Walk to School October 2014. Walk to School encourages primary school children to walk to and from school every day in October, to highlight the ways walking improves children’s health and wellbeing. Walking to School can help students learn healthy habits and achieve the 60 minutes of physical activity recommended for children each day. Walking to school can also help reduce traffic congestion, parking difficulties and the associated environmental impacts. All classes will be given a chart to display in their rooms in order to record how many times each child walks to and from school.

All participating schools will receive student certificates and stIckers to celebrate their students’ achievements and will be in the running for regional prizes provided by VicHealth. Happy walking Maria Capsalis, Renae Simpson and the Junior School Council

SHOWCASE 2014

All students have been busy preparing for their items for Showcase, which will be held on 31st

Ocober this year. Please keep in mind that this is the Friday before the Melbourne Cup public holiday. This is a wonderful opportunity for all students to be involved in a spectacular display of musical talents, so please mark it in your calendar now. We look forward to seeing you all on the night.

The Showcase Team

DON’T FORGET – Please report to Front Office to sign the Visitor’s Book and get a Visitor’s

Label before proceeding to the Canteen. FRIDAY 12th September

10.00 a.m. Katie Smith, Pooja Kelkar, Anusha Chander

MONDAY 15th September 11.00 a.m.

Sonia Mattingley, Tara Hickcox

WEDNESDAY 17th September 10.15 a.m.

Catriona Corben, Mina Wang, Maria Akritidis

FRIDAY 19th September 10.00 a.m.

Penny Fleming, Andrea Jordan, Leigh Sherpa

Prep Transition 2

Thursday 16th October, 2014 11.45 a.m. – 1.30 p.m.

Numeracy - Children will participate in fun mathematics in the

Prep Rooms. On this day we ask you to

bring your child to the School Hall again.

Children should bring a named, filled

water bottle.

Parent Session – School Readiness

Prep Transition 3

Thursday 13th November, 2014 11.45 a.m. – 1.30 p.m.

Literacy – Book your child in for fun with Literacy in the Prep

rooms. This session will be run by the Prep Teachers.

Bring your child to the School Hall to find out which classroom

your child will visit today. Children should bring a named, filled

water bottle.

Parent Session – Meet School community representatives, PFA

and School Council.

Parent Information

Evening - Prep 2015

Tuesday 18th November, 2014 7.00 p.m. – 8.30 p.m.

For parents of children ENROLLED for Essex Heights Primary

School who will be commencing Prep in 2015. This will be an

opportunity for the 2015 Prep team to inform parents about:

Start of year procedures

What your child needs to bring to school

A typical Prep day.

Child care available.

Please R.S.V.P. by 14th November, 2014

Orientation Day

Thursday 4th December, 2014 9.30 a.m. – 1.00 p.m.

Children are to bring playlunch and lunch today as well as a

drink and hat. Session will include playtime with Year 5

buddies. Children can be dropped off ready for a 9.30 a.m.

start and parents will then collect them at 1.00 p.m. An

opportunity for last minute shopping!

Bookings are requested for ALL sessions. To register your attendance, please ring the school Office

on 9807 4944 or email the school

essex.heights.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au

FATHER’S DAY STALL

SCHOOL TRANSITION SESSIONS

Essex Road, Mount Waverley. Vic. 3149 Phone: 9807 4944

Email: essex.heights.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au Web: www.essexheightsps.vic.edu.au

ESSEX HEIGHTS PRIMARY SCHOOL

SEPTEMBER 2014

Mulgrave Dist. Aths

Carnival

Prep 2015 Trans 1 Preps – Zoo Exc

Yr 1 – Mini Beasts

Father’s Day Bkfast Father’s Day Stall

School Council State Schools

Spectacular

Imm. Museum Yr 6 Last day Term 3

2.30 finish

OCTOBER 2014

Tm 4 commences

Prep 2015 Trans 2

Media Fun Day Yr 5

Healesville – Yr 1 PFA meeting2 Maths Talent Quest

Ceremony

Music Count Us In Showcase 2014

NOVEMBER 2014

Prep 2015 Trans 3 Trivia Night

Info Eve Prep 2015

Edendale Farm

Prep

DECEMBER 2014

Prep Orientaton

Day

Yr 6 Orientation at

Sec school

Prep 2015 Trans 3

PRODUCTS & SERVICES ADVERTISED IN ‘CONTACT’ ARE PLACED ON A PAID BASIS AND ARE NOT NECESSARILY BEING PROMOTED BY ESSEX HEIGHTS PRIMARY SCHOOL