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BALCATTA PRIMARY SCHOOL Telephone: 9254 4900

NEWSLETTER

Number: 5 9 April 2020

PRINCIPAL’S PATTER

Hello Everyone

With Term one (1) coming to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to

thank everyone (parents, staff, students and committee members) for their

wonderful support and patience during these extremely challenging times that

the Coronavirus (Covid19) continues to impact on all our lives.

The new phase of Learning from Home has certainly been a challenge to all,

but with good teamwork & co-operation we are all learning many new skills as

required, for online learning. I am very proud of my staff who have worked

very hard to provide work packages (whether online and/or paper based)

etc. for students to work from at home and I am also in awe of our parents and

grandparents (in many cases) who have had to help and support their

children and grandchildren at home – very much appreciated.

With regards next term, all public schools will continue to remain ‘open’ with

staff ‘on site’. Parents are encouraged to keep their children at home. Those

who need to send their children to school to maintain employment, children of

essential workers and those who require schools to support them overcome

particular vulnerabilities, however, may choose to do so.

Term 2 begins on Wednesday April 29 (for students). Work packages etc. will

be available for distribution for students staying at home from Wednesday 29

onwards. More information regarding this will be sent out to everyone at the

beginning of next term.

In conclusion, my very best wishes to all our students & staff for a very safe and

happy holiday and a very happy Easter to you all.

Keep safe and well

Peter Gates

Principal

WAVE-A-THON - At Balcatta Primary School, we are missing seeing all of your children's

smiling faces every day. Therefore, we organised an "Easter Drive-

through Wave-A-Thon". It was wonderful to see your best Easter waves

from the safety of your cars.

TIP: Place your puzzle on a lightweight board or roll mat so you can move it away when needed

BRAIN BOOSTERS & BOREDOM BUSTERS

1 Complete a jigsaw

Jigsaws are great to have on the

go as you can keep coming back to

them whenever you have a few spare minutes, or hours!

2 Get out the board games or playing cards Dust off

your favourite board games – you’ll find lots to try online.

3 Family book club Organise a family book club, where

you all read the same book and discuss the different characters

and what you enjoyed the most.

4 Write a letter

Rather than texting or emailing someone to stay in touch, why not

write a letter or card instead?

5 Make Playdough

Kids love playdough. It’s great for developing their motor skills & imagination

– and it’s easy to make yourself.

Playdough recipe 1/2 cup salt 1 cup plain flour 2tbs cream of tartar 1 cup water 1 tbs oil 3-4 drops food colouring Place everything in a saucepan over medium heat & stir until it comes together. Turn out onto a benchtop & knead for a few minutes until it loses it stickiness. Store in an air tight container or plastic bag.

6 Make a time capsule

Find a suitable container (e.g. biscuit tin) and fill it with anything you like. You

could add drawings, a toy, a magazine, photos and finish with a hand written

letter. Find a place to hide it for someone to discover in the future, or

imagine opening yourself many years in the future.

7 Unleash your inner artist

There’s an artist in everyone, get

creative with your artworks, colouring in

or paint by numbers.

SOME IDEAS: *Create a comic book with your children *Make cards with personalised designs *Start a sketchbook journal

Term 2 begins Wednesday 29 April (for students)