IMPORTANT DATES 2014
DECEMBER
9th School Council
11th Basketball
Clinics
Xmas Stall
Carols Night 6-8.00pm
16th Big Day Out Xtreme Air
17th Graduation
Lunch
7.00-8.30pm Ceremony
18th Term 4 Ends
Free Dress Day 1.30pm
dismissal
Xmas raffle
19th Curriculum Day No Students at
School
2015 JANUARY
30th
First day Term 1 for students
Principal’s Report Our School Vision
There is a prosperous path for every child. Each
journey is theirs to lead. There is a place in which
every child can shine. Our School Mission
Identify the talent, develop the confidence and
create the leader. New Staff
Our workforce plan is now complete for 2015.
With the additional enrolments we have recruited
a second Assistant Principal, Caleb Peterson.
Caleb will join our leadership team and bring high
level skill sets in Literacy, Numeracy and Data
Analysis. Last Monday Brooke McLean, Emily
Southward and Brett Sargent met their 2015
grades as they participated in our Up Day
orientation session. These new teachers are
dynamic and ready to give to the Parktone
Primary School Community. Our returning
teachers, Courtney Voss and Bree Jones also
enjoyed meeting their new Grade 2 children on
the day. Carols
This Thursday 11th 6-8pm we are getting together
with the school community to enjoy the children
singing a few carols. Teachers will be selling
drinks and ice-poles so the parents have the night
off to enjoy. Bring a picnic and something to sit
on. The children will begin singing at 7pm. In the
event of inclement weather a cancellation notice
will be posted on the school’s website and on the
Parktone Facebook page at 5pm. End-of-year Reports
The student’s end-of-year reports have been
written, read and signed off. It was rewarding to
see how significantly so many students have
developed in just twelve months. The Reports will
be sent home this Friday 12th.
Big Day Out
Next Tuesday is the children’s annual end-of-year
celebration. Rather than having grade parties,
we go offsite to participate in team building
activities. This year the children are going to
Extreme Air and are sure to have a lot of fun.
Newsletter Edition 21 Wednesday December 10th, 2014
Grade 6 Graduation
Next Wednesday 17th the Grade 6 children will
enjoy a special luncheon followed by a formal
graduation ceremony beginning at 7:30pm at
the Parkdale Secondary College auditorium. It is
always a sad time when we have to say
goodbye to our Grade 6 children. At the same
time it is exciting, because secondary school
education has so much to offer, and it is the
beginning of a new chapter in the children’s
lives. We will say goodbye as a whole school
next Thursday at our final assembly, by having
them walk through the students’ guard of
honour, which is a Parktone Primary School
tradition.
Last Day
As usual next Thursday 18th will be a free dress
day no gold coin donation required. We will
have our final assembly for the year at 1:15-
1:30pm.
Term 1:
The leadership team and Grade leaders
resume on Tuesday January 27th
Teachers resume on Wednesday 28th for
two days of professional learning and
preparation
Students return on Friday 30th (Preps go
home at 1pm Grades 1-6 will be
dismissed at 3:30pm)
The family picnic will be on Friday February
6th 6-8pm
Thought of the Week
With the abundance mentality, we realise that
giving a positive reflection to others in no way
diminishes us. It increases us because it
increases the opportunities for effective
interaction with other proactive people. Habit 7:
Sharpen the Saw Thank you Parktone children, teachers and
parents for another amazing year. We are
creating a welcoming and vibrant school culture
that fosters a strong sense of connectedness
and purpose. I am looking forward to an even
bigger and better 2015 with like-minded people
on a mission to identify the children’s talents,
develop their confidence and to create leaders.
Have a wonderful festive season and enjoy
being with those you love.
George Danson
PSG News
The Christmas Stall is tomorrow, Thursday 11th. Your child has the opportunity to buy a
Christmas gift or two.
Please send them along with a shopping bag to carry their gifts home in. The stall will also be operating on Friday after school. Penny and Amanda would still appreciate some help if you have some time free on Thursday or Friday afternoon.
The Christmas raffle prizes are on display in the main entrance hallway. The hampers look great and could be a real bonus this time of year. Remember to get your ticket stubs and money back to school by Tuesday, 16th December. The raffle is to be drawn at the final assembly on the last day of school, Thursday, 18th December.
Another Parktone year is drawing to a close, a big 'Thank You' goes out to all those who helped the PSG in their many and varied ways. Without you all the PSG wouldn’t function. The life of our school community is richer because of you all.
To those who have children moving on to high school or a new school next year, good luck with the next step in your child's schooling. Remember Parktone fondly and take time to enjoy the ride as they’ll be in Year 12 before you know it!
Merry Christmas everyone!
PSG
Safety Tips over the holidays
Burglary
Almost 29,000 cases of residential burglary were reported to police in the 2013 / 2014 financial year. The most alarming aspect of these reports is that in nearly half the cases there were no
signs of forced entry.
We know that moist burglaries are opportunistic and occur during the day when most residents are not home. This is particularly relevant as we plan to take a vacation and leave
our homes unoccupied for an extended period.
To avoid be a victim yourself, there some very
simple steps you can take:
Install good quality locks on doors and
windows.
Lock all windows and doors, even when you
are at home.
Make you house look occupied at all times.
Ask you neighbour to bring in your mail if
absent
Please report suspicious activity to police via
000.
Further information and advice sheets can be accessed on the Victoria Police website
www.police.vic.gov.au
THERMOMIX
Wondering what everyone is talking about? Yes, It can really knead, beat, sauté, stew, mill, grind, mix, emulsify in a matter of SECONDS.
If you are curious about all the fuss over this amazing machine, Kirsten (mum from 2b) can help. A demonstration consists of Kirsten cooking you a 5 course meal in 2.5 hours. No obligation to buy, she just wants to show off this magical machine! Give her a buzz on 0419513996, to find out more.”
Homestay Hosts Needed
Mentone Girls’ Secondary College
Our International Student Program is looking for
families in our local area to host international students.
The students are from China, female and between
14 and 17 years of age. The students’ family pay a
weekly fee to the host family to cover costs.
If you and your family are interested in learning about another culture and enjoy sharing our Australian way of life with others, please contact Doanvy Roberts, International Student Coordinator on 0419 334 305 or by email at :- [email protected].
Art Smart
The kids at ArtSmart have done an amazing job
this year and worked in such a huge variety of
mediums. A huge congratulations to them all!
They’ve painted, drawn, worked with clay, made
the most amazing socks, created paper-mache
sculptures, made gorgeous vases with tissue
paper, created beautiful Christmas balls, thrown
sponges at Mr Anderson to make art, made snow
to create snowmen….and more!
They are also having an online art exhibition that will be up at the end of term which will be judged by Raeline Sharp, winner of the Packing Room Prize for the Archibald!! You will be able to view this at www.artsmartforkids.com Art Smart runs in the art room on Wednesdays
and if you have any queries about it please con-
tact
Jacqui - 0438013005
The Parktone staff wish their
students and families a very
Merry Christmas and a Happy
New Year.
We look forward to seeing you
back at school in Term 1 and
hearing about your holiday
adventures!
Press release: Ray White shines a light on giving this festive season
Ray White has partnered with Rotary to deliver an inspiring Christmas campaign for disadvantaged children who may need a little extra light in their festive season.
The Little Ray of Giving campaign will launch across Australia and New Zealand from 1 December 2014 with Australians being asked to dig deep to put smiles on the faces of some special children in their community.
The gift drive was a simple way to help put a smile on the face of children and families who may need some extra cheer at this time of year.
All you need to do is wrap up your present and drop it under the tree in your local Ray White office. Tell the Ray White team if the gift is for a boy or girl, nominate an age group and your gift will be delivered by the team at Rotary to a child who will appreciate the lift to their festive season. Ray White Mordialloc located at 521 Main Street, Mordialloc have a special giving tree in their front window to collect gifts for children and families who will be doing it tough this festive season.
It’s a really simple way to put a smile on the face of a young child who might otherwise go without this Christmas.
“Sometimes just a small gift can make the biggest difference to families who are struggling at an expensive time of year.”
Ray White has run this initiative across Australia and New Zealand each December since 2012. Last year alone almost 3000 gifts were donated across 55 offices and delivered to children in need across Australia. END
Lily O’Connell
Business Coordinator
03 9586 7555
*Gifts collected during a Little Ray of Giving campaign are donated to Rotary in Australia and Ronald McDonald House Charities in New Zealand.