NEWSLETTER

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE 27.2.2015 Opening of the 2015 School Year

Our Official Opening of the 2015 School Year ceremony was held this week as all leadership

roles were recognised with certificates and badges. The presentations went smoothly with our

special guests Mr Chad Abersteiner, Year 7 Team Leader at Upwey High school, and 2014

School Captain, Caitlin S & Jimmy H, assisting. All our School Captains/Vice-Captain, House

Captains/Vice-Captains and Junior School Council representatives were officially invested.

15 Darling Avenue, Upwey 3158 Vic Ph: (03) 9754 2369 Fax: (03) 9754 8148

Email: upwey.ps@edumail.vic.gov.au Website: www.upweyps.vic.edu.au

Calendar Friday 27th February 2015

Friday 27th February Homework Club commences, 3.30 - 4.30pm in the library

Monday 2nd March School Council AGM 7pm

Friday 13th March Twilight working bee and Sausage Sizzle, 4pm - 7pm

Tuesday 17th March PA Annual General Meeting, 2pm, Everybody welcome!

P/1C

Cierra

For showing more

confidence in class-

room activities.

2E

Seamus

For displaying resil-

ience and a great

attitude to all tasks.

2E

Sandy

For persistence in

completing tasks..

3E

Ella

For outstanding ef-

fort in helping other

students to complete

a Maths activity.

P/1C P.E. Award

Cierra

For cheerful partic-

ipation in games

and ball handling

activities.

3E P.E. Award

Violet

For working con-

sistently well with

her partner during

throwing and catch-

ing activities.

3/4W P.E. Award

Jacob

For excellent accu-

racy in skill work

with bouncing,

throwing and catch-

ing activities.

3/4W P.E. Award

Josh

For demonstrating

excellent catching

skills in the ball

handling activities.

5/6W

Araya

For working

consistently during

class.

Keep it up!

5/6W

Lydia

For a fabulous start

to the year!

Keep working hard

and well done!

3/4W

Jai

For setting a great

example and

demonstrating Mu-

tual Respect.

Well done Jai!

5/6W P.E. Award

Amahle

For excellent accu-

racy in skill work in

throwing, catching

and bouncing activ-

ities.

District Swimming Sports Congratulations to our small, young but enthusiastic School Swimming Team who competed so well at

the District Sports last Friday. Under beautiful sunny conditions they competed so well and supported

each other superbly. As a result of such great effort the team won the Handicap Shield which is the pro-

portional shield comparing results according to enrolment size. Congratulations also go to Hayden W

who gained a 1st place in the 10Y Boys backstroke and butterfly and 2nd in the 10Y Boys freestyle, quite an

amazing effort; and Laura G gained 3rd place in the 10 Y girls breaststroke. Hayden will represent the

Sherbrooke District at the Division Swimming Sports on Tuesday 3rd March and we wish him all the very

best with this competition.

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS 2015 LEADERS Our School Captains & Vice-Captain, House Captains & House Vice-Captains as well as Junior School Coun-cillors have been officially invested and completed their certificates which have now been laminated for the children to keep. The children should always be wearing their badges proudly. We look forward to them completing their responsibilities and displaying their capabilities in leading the school throughout the year.

The official list of leadership positions is:

2015 SCHOOL CAPTAINS/VICE CAPTAINS

2015 HOUSE CAPTAINS/VICE CAPTAINS

2015 JUNIOR SCHOOL COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES Prep Zephyr Paul Year 1 Britney Krsyzkowski Year 2 Sicelo Huaraka Year 3 Violet Oakes Year 4 Laura Gannon Year 5 Ryan Anderson School Vice-Captain Jeremy Nathan School Captain Micaela Daniell School Captain Imogen Moseley

SCHOOL COUNCIL MEETINGS 2015 The first School Council Meeting for 2015 will be held on: Monday 2

nd March.

School Council AGM 7:00 pm & normal School Council Meeting from 7:30 pm in the School Staffroom. All par-ents are welcome to attend.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION HOMEWORK Our first formal Homework was distributed last week for all grades and was due this week. The next formal home-work will be distributed today and is due next Thursday. (All grades will have homework distributed on Fridays and due on Thursdays unless otherwise notified by the class teach-er. Homework will feature consolidation of school work.) Please support your children with these activities and con-tact the classroom teacher if you have any specific con-cerns.

HOMEWORK CLUB - Extracurricular Program For parents who would like to take advantage of a very gen-erous offer there will be a Homework Club continuing for this year on a Friday afternoons from 3:30 to 4:30 pm in the Library with Danielle Q. This may help your child to get started on their homework commitments on the day it is dis-tributed.

LUNCHTIME ACTIVITIES PROGRAM - Extracurricular Program We are currently running three Lunchtime Activities Pro-grams on Mondays and Wednesdays for children who wish to be involved. Gardening Club in the Vegie Garden is of-fered by Sue on Mondays from 1:35. Lego Building is of-fered by Mrs Eeles on Wednesdays from 1:35 and Art/Felt work for Year 1 children will be offered on Wednesdays from 1:35 for the next 4 weeks. Thanks to our committed staff who are providing extra options for children during lunch recess.

School Captains – Imogen M & Micaela D

School Vice-Captain – Jeremy N

Bogong (Blue) Capt. – Hannah B

Vice Capt. – Caitlin J

Corella (Red) Capt. – Tyson MF

Vice Capt. – Kurtis H

Lowan (Yellow) Capt. – Sienna Q

Vice Capt. – Sam M

Moonah (Green)

Capt. – Holly H

Vice Capt. – Ryan A

TOTB (Thinking Outside The Box) – Extracurricular Program The TOTB program offered to gifted and talented children in local schools is being held at Upwey PS in the Technol-ogy Room (next to Grade P/1 C Classroom) during Term 1. We will host the program and be welcoming Rhonda Ooi (teacher) and Suzanne Alphonso (teacher) for the continuation of the 4 or 5 -week program on Tuesdays.

TWILIGHT WORKING BEE & SAUSAGE SIZZLE – FRIDAY 13TH MARCH We will be holding our first Twilight Working Bee for the year on Friday 13

th March from 4:00 to 7:00 pm. I en-

courage all families available to come along and help out for an hour or two (or more) during the evening. We have quite a bit of work to be done to tidy the grounds and re-pair facilities for the children. Particular work is required on attaching our 2014 Year 6 Paling People to the fence, mowing/brushcutting, pruning/gardening, girls toilet door repairs (including fitting new locks and trimming doors to make them close properly), paint-ing pickets and timber playground repairs. Quite a list really! Any help with any of these tasks would be much appreciated. We will hold a free Sausage Sizzle BBQ at the conclusion of the evening at about 6:30 pm for those who attend.

NEW OUT OF SCHOOL HOURS CARE CO-ORDINATOR It was great to have our new Out of School Hours Care Program (BASC) Co-ordinator Matilda start this week. Her enthusiastic start to the job has been much appreciated. Please make Matilda feel welcome as a staff member at Upwey PS. Also, a big thank you to Kim who was reliev-ing during the time that we were advertising for the posi-tion. I appreciate you valuable contribution and commit-ment.

SPORT

DISTRICT SWIMMING SPORTS The District Swimming Sports were held last Friday at Belgrave Pool. We sent a small but very enthusiastic team and they swim up to their Personal Best. They were a credit to themselves and the school. Thanks to Ms Wood and Sue for managing the team so well and to Kelly W, Danielle G & Nolene D for assisting with timing and transporting equipment. This help was vital to the success of the day and much appreciated. Other top 6 place getters at the sports were: Micaela D – 4

th 12+ Y girls butterfly & 6

th 12+ Y girls

breaststroke Sam M – 5

th 11 Y boys freestyle

Hayden W – 5th 10 Y boys breaststroke

Amahle H – 6th 11 Y girls breaststroke

Liam G – 6th 10 Y boys butterfly

Belgrave Heights CC was the overall winner of the District Competition for 2015.

SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT PARENTS’ AUXILIARY/FUNDRAISING COMMITTEE For parents interested in grassroots involvement in the school I can recommend the PA/Fundraising Committee. This group has done an amazing job in raising an enor-mous amount of money for the school and is such a vital part of supporting our children. Monthly meetings are held at the school and ideas for fundraising and providing fun events for the children are discussed. The most important AGM Meeting will be held in the staf-froom on Tuesday 17th March from 2:00 until 3:30 pm. Please come along and contribute/find out the plans for 2015.

REMINDERS UPDATED PERSONAL INFORMATION Student Information forms were sent out last week and may need to be updated. If changes have been made/not made please return forms to the office as soon as possible. It is important that contact details are current so please com-plete this task immediately.

ANDREW FULLER’S HANDY HINTS FOR

IMPROVING LEARNING

The following handy hints for improving learning are ex-

tracted from Andrew Fuller’s book “Help Your Child Suc-

ceed At School”

How much sleep does my child need to succeed at school? A good night’s sleep (at least 8 hours) is essential for

optimal brain functioning at school. Memory consolidation

occurs during sleep especially during dream (or REM)

sleep. During the normal 8-9 hours of sleep, five dream

(REM) cycles occur. Adolescents getting only 5-6 hours

of sleep lose out on the last two REM cycles and thereby

reduce the amount of time the brain has to consolidate

information.

Teenagers need as much sleep as children, partly be-

cause their brains are doing so much development.

Always remember there is no such thing as a sleep bank.

So just because you slept 10 hours one night doesn’t

mean you can get away with only sleeping six hours the

next night.

Students who don’t get enough sleep have to work much

harder to do well at school. FOCUS AREA- MUTUAL RESPECT Grades will continue focusing on Mutual Respect. This is one of Our 7 Agreements and is such a vital area for chil-dren to be applying themselves to all aspects of academic, sporting, behavioural and social development as part of our Tribes Learning Community approach in the school. Please support the school by also highlighting this focus area after school hours.

HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS

HEADLICE A reminder to keep checking your children’s hair to en-sure the vigilant approach for the start of the year. Tying back long hair is recommended to help avoid contracting headlice.

COMMUNITY EVENTS UTCRASH PHOTO SHOOT On Sunday 1

st March at the Upwey Recreation Re-

serve/football ground in Chosen Ave, Upwey, the UT-CRASH group (of which we are members) are endeavour-ing to gather as many people as possible to participate in a group photo shoot to promote the project to build a new Sporting and Recreational Hub! The target is for in excess of 500 people being present, and the group will be photographed by camera and via a drone from above, for a different perspective! It is intended for the photo to be used for the UTCRASH website, on the Australian Sports Foundation fund-raising website, and will obviously be made available to the local press! Please invite other family members or friends to help swell our numbers. We are asking everyone to be there sharp at 10.55, to be out on the ground and ready by 11.00, so that we are all gone by 11.10! If you are available just 15 minutes of your time would be required.

UPWEY HIGH SCHOOL ARTS FESTIVAL Upwey High will be holding an Arts Festival featuring an Streeton Art Show and Art Competition which will coincide with their Open Evening. Children and adults are invited to provide entries in the Art Competition in the following 3 categories: Lower Primary School (Open Theme) – People’s Choice Award & Judges’ Award Upper Primary School (Open Theme) – People’s Choice Award & Judges’ Award Secondary School (Open Theme) – People’s Choice Award & Judges’ Award Open Category (Open Theme) – People’s Choice Award & Judges’ Award The dates are from Saturday 14

th March until Wednes-

day 18th

March. Entry forms are available at the school office for anyone interested in entering an exhibit.

ASSISTANCE

FREE FEED FRIDAY Thanks to the wonderful volunteers who assist in provid-ing our Free Feed Breakfast on Friday mornings from 8:30 am. Gavin, Linda and Gabby do a terrific job and they invite all our children to come along and enjoy a healthy breakfast in the hall. Please show respect and appreciation for their work. Malcolm Aspinall Principal

OUR 7 AGREEMENTS Appreciation – showing empathy and thanks to

others

Attentive Listening

– using your mind, eyes, ears and heart

Integrity – display truth, honesty, respon-sibility, loyalty and courage

Mutual Respect – show respect, fairness, strength, consideration and sin-cerity

Right to Pass/Participate

– have time to think and become involved; Inclusiveness

Resilience – develop courage, initiative, flex-ibility, humour and bounce back

Personal Best - striving for personal excellence

27th Feb - 7TH mar

LILA

Term 1, 2015- Upwey Primary School

Week 8 16th March 17th March 18th March 19th March 20th March

HOMEWORK

CLUB

TERM 1 Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Week 6 2nd March 3rd March 4th March 5th March 6th March

PREPS START

FULL TIME

SCHOOL

COUNCIL AGM

Craft and catch up

At UPS 9am

HOMEWORK

CLUB

ASSEMBLY 3PM

Our annual Easter raffle is coming up fast.

We ask that all families please donate an Easter item for this great fundraiser. Lets try and make it bigger

than ever. We have decided to start holding a monthly craft get

together. This will be on the first Friday of every month and be held in the BASC room. Bring along any crafting project you like, including sewing ma-

chines. Kids are welcome and toys are available for them to play with!

First craft meet will be on Friday 6th March from 9am – 12pm.

We would also like to start up a book swap where all parents will be able to swap or borrow books. If you

have some good old reads, send them up to the office so we can get started! Before we go and buy a new

book shelf, we thought we would ask our community if anyone has one they don’t need anymore. We were

after a medium size as this doesn’t take up too much room.

Our next meeting will be the AGM, so we are asking

all members to please attend and any new mem-bers are always welcome.

Next meeting (AGM): TUESDAY 17TH MARCH 2:00 – 3:30PM

BOOKCLUB DUE BACK : MONDAY 16TH MARCH

Week 7 9th March 10th March 11th March 12th March 13th March

LABOUR DAY

Craft and catch up

At UPS 9am

PUBLIC HOLIDAY

HOMEWORK

CLUB

TWILIGHT

WORKING BEE

BEFORE & AFTER

SCHOOL CARE

We have great pleasure in wel-

coming our new BASC co-

ordinator Mat ilda.

Mat ilda comes wit h a great deal

of exper ience in af ter school

care.

We look for ward t o seeing Ma-

t ilda set t ling in and becoming a

part of our school communit y.

Please make her feel

welcome when you see her. A

huge t hank you t o Kym who did

a wonderf ul j ob for t he past

few weeks t oo.

UPPER

FERNTREE

GULLY

JUNIOR

FOOTBALL

CLUB

Players Wanted for Season

2015

Under 8 – Born 2007

Under 9 – Born 2006

Under 10 – Born 2005

Under 12 – Born 2003

Under 13 – Born 2002

Register for Auskick at

Upper Ferntree Gully and

your Auskick Rego will be

refunded, when you sign

up to play with us.

Email upperferntreegul-

CONRATULATIONS TO OUR 2015 DISTRICT SWIMMING TEAM WHO WON THE 2015 HANDICAP SHIELD!

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