Newsletter 4 - 18 March 2021

It has been a very busy at South Ballajura.  Students and staff across the campus have been working hard in all areas of the curriculum and on developing good behaviour and social skills.

This week we are celebrating Harmony Week.  It is great to see our campus community working together in HARMONY, which is very much our focus at South Ballajura.  We have so much rich diversity to celebrate.

Congratulations and thank you to our wonderful performers and co-ordinators at our Clubs Assembly this week.  The assembly was full of joy and it gave our students an opportunity to showcase their talents in a range of ways with the use of rhythm through Drumming, inclusive communication through Signing and movement through Jump Jam.  In addition, at last week’s assembly, our students showcased their musical ability through a wonderful choir performance. A huge thank you to all of the Clubs coordinators who have work with the students to enable their performances. Mrs N Harney, Mrs M Rowe, Mrs J Quigley, Mrs A Guise, Mrs L Bolton and music specialist Mrs H Southerland have all done an amazing job working with our students. Thank you also to all the other staff who have supported students and performances behind the scenes.

The key message is that everyone has special skills and abilities.  At South Ballajura we all work together to get along and that everyone belongs in our community.  Regardless of where we are born we all need to be inclusive, respectful and have a sense of belonging.

South Ballajura is a place where everyone is welcome and we all work together for a brighter future, Learning Together and Growing Together.

The Year 6 students are all really excited about camp which is coming up in Week 9 of this term.  This is a great opportunity for them to work together in an environment away from the school.  On camp they will push their personal comfort zones and achieve things they have not done before, be it tackling a high ropes course, climbing a rock wall, sleeping away from home or undertaking an orientation course.  School camp is a highlight for our students and memories are made which last a lifetime!

Our Year 6 students have also designed their Leavers shirts for the first time.  We had a sneak peek this week and they look fabulous.  The students have chosen a final design and the shirts should arrive early nest term. 

As the term draws closer to a close, please remember that school for Term 2 recommences for students on Monday 19 April. As it is an 11-week term we have a School Development Day, where students will not attend school on Friday 4 June which then leads into the long weekend.  This will give students a longer break in the middle of what is a long term.

Thank you again for your support of our schools, we are looking forward to seeing a good many of you at the P&C BBQ afternoon on Thursday 25 March.

What an awesome turn out for the first Clubs Assembly of 2021.  Sixty wonderful Drummers, Signers and Jump Jammers took centre stage to shine.  Students from Year 1 to Year 6, Education Support and Primary, from diverse multicultural backgrounds performed a selection of songs reflecting inclusion and harmony.

It is a new requirement for schools to seek parent consent when using a range of apps and services.  The Education Department and school have many processes in place to keep your child safe when using these services. Please note that students are supervised when using electronic devices at school. 

The apps and services used are very important and valuable learning and teaching tools that are used on a daily basis at school.   Where possible we try to use the services with non-identifying information.  If you would like further clarification or need assistance, please contact one of the Deputy Principals to discuss before completing your form.

Please note the following;

•  One form must be completed per child in your family.
•  Students who do not have a completed online form will not be able to access these services/apps/technology at school.

Please click here to complete your child’s permission form. 

OR

You can scan this QR code to go directly to the form.

Families with more than one child will click on the emailed link or scan the QR code for each child and complete details for each student individually.

Remember, if you have any issues or questions about the form, please see one of the Deputies or email southballajura.ps@education.wa.edu.au

This week our Year 1 students have planted real beanstalks and are eagerly watching them grow.  Our classes have been working hard to create solutions to help Jack get down from the beanstalk safely.   This STEM task aims to encourage our students to develop their enterprise skills such as creativity, teamwork, problem solving and critical thinking.  These skills are vital for jobs of the future.

Here are some photos of some Year 1 and 2 students. 

Year 3 and 5 students will sit online NAPLAN tests next term.  Parents of these children should have received a flyer with further information. If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to see your class teacher.

CONGRATULATIONS!  Luok from TA19 was recently awarded her bronze badge for earning 300 Faction tokens!  This badge is a prestigious award that recognises students who demonstrate our 5 keys to success and show exemplary behaviour around the school.  We look forward to seeing more badges being earnt as the year progresses.

On Tuesday 30 March, before and after the assembly, we will have some students STEM work on display for you to view.  Please take a few minutes to check this out.

South Ballajura Campus were lucky enough to have a visit from RugbyWA development coach Blake, on Tuesday 16 March. Phys Ed lessons had a taste of rugby on this day with various engaging activities that covered concepts of the game. Students had so much fun! Our local clubs would include Ellenbrook, Wanneroo and Bayswater. There are junior programs and all girl programs available with some starting in the school holidays. Follow the link below to enrol in a program near you.

https://www.rugbyroos.com/enrol/#

Learning a new language nurtures curiosity and openness in children making them aware of new cultures and developing a greater understanding and appreciation of other people and customs. -  Dept. of Education WA

The students have been working well and have been communicating with each other using previous language learnt, at the start of each lesson.

• Year 3 students are learning to reply to the question" How are you?' and " Where do you live?"  through listening, speaking, and completing activities in their portfolios.
• Year 4 students are continuing to learn about animals focusing on pets. They are learning to say what their pet animal is and what it eats.
• Year 5's are learning names of food and drinks through flash cards and will be naming items they would have for lunch and the costs of the chosen items in Indonesian currency. ( rupiah)
• Year 6's will be working on activities from Language Learning Space entitled ' The Golden Headdress' focusing on Clothes. They will be completing activities in their portfolios.

Happy Learning! Selamat Belajar!

Salam

Ibu Francis

Hospital Incursion

The ESC continued this term’s Community Access Health and Safety Awareness programs with a visit from the Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital on Friday 26 February.  TA16 and TA17 had a lot of doctors “in the house”.  Dr Erik ‘cured’ the Corona virus with electric shock treatment.  Dr Darcy said Mrs Bolton was the best wheelchair driver.  The wheelchair experience was very popular with the majority of students.

Community Access Co-ordinator

Mrs N Harney

Board Box

It was a pleasure to welcome on board our new parent representative Ms Maria Santana, at our first meeting last week.

We appreciate the time and dedication of our team members. After closing the AGM and reviewing roles and responsibilities, very productive discussions were held to finalise school planning documents and embard on 2021 Board business.

Sports Integration TA16 & TA29

Phys Ed teacher Ms Hamid has been extremely pleased with how TA16 and TA29 have been working so collaboratively during recent Phys Ed lessons playing cricket together and having fun. While in groups, YCDI keys were in action by many of the children including 'getting along' and 'confidence'. Well done team! Here is what some of them had to say: 

Joel  - I batted with Baneen and we scored 6 runs together. I enjoyed playing cricket with my buddies from TA29. It was fun! 

Irum - I hit the ball with my bat and I enjoyed batting with my friends. 

Tyler - I bowled and batted by myself for my team. I feel proud! 

Kenny - When I was playing cricket, I bowled well. I am happy. 

Kim - I played cricket in all girls’ team. I really really liked it! 

Well done everyone!

Thank you to parents who have already shown interest. We are planning to run a parent introductory session on Tuesday 30 March. Everyone is welcome. Please RSVP by Tuesday 23 March.

These April school holidays METRONET will have a full-scale model on display at Yagan Square, giving people an early opportunity to see inside Perth’s new C-Series trains.

METRONET would like to invite you to share this information with your school families, to attend the free family-friendly event from Saturday, 3 April to Sunday, 18 April between 9am and 5pm.

Visitors can walk through the carriage and along with the railcar, there is a 1:50 scale model on display, and kids can get involved with a scavenger hunt.

Thursday mornings between 9am-10am are reserved for Quiet Hour, where the display will be low sensory to cater for those who prefer to experience the train in this environment.

Walk-ins will be welcome and families wanting to skip the queue will be able to register for free VIP tickets at www.metronet.wa.gov.au/all-aboard. 

If you need any further information on the event, or could share some promotional materials, please just let us know by return email or at 9326 3666. 

As the biggest railcar order in the state’s history, the METRONET Railcar Program will deliver 246 new C-series railcars to Perth’s rail network. 

The trains will service an increased demand from METRONET projects and replace the A-series trains that currently operate on the Armadale/Thornlie, Fremantle and Midland lines.

Find out more about the Railcar Program and METRONET at www.metronet.wa.gov.au.

Staff Development Days:-

• Friday 4 June 2021
• Monday 19 July 2021
• Monday 11 October 2021