Newsletter 7 - 13 May 2021
Dear Parents/Carers,
It is great to see most of the COVID-19 restrictions lifted for the commencement of this week. We’d like to thank the whole community for pulling together, following the directions of the Department of Health, being understanding with school events such as assemblies, and getting through the last couple of weeks. Staff are no longer required to wear masks at school.
The latest COVID-19 update was just in time for Mother’s Day on Sunday- We hope all of the mother’s in our South Ballajura community had a fantastic day!
This week, our year 3 and 5 students have been completing their NAPLAN testing and this will continue next week. We wish all of the participating students the best during this time.
It has been a busy few weeks at the South Ballajura campus and is looking like the fun is continuing for the rest of the term!
This week we have had a visit from Rick the Rock (West Coast Eagles mascot), as well as West Coast Eagles players Mark Hutchings and Zac Langdon. We have also had the Life Education van return to the school for this week.
On Friday 14th May, our campus is participating in National Walk Safely to School Day. The students will be met by school staff at four designates areas around our campus and then we will be walking to school together. A note went home to families, please contact the school office for further information if required.
National Simultaneous Story Time is next week! This year’s book is Give me some space! Written and illustrated by Philip Bunting. You may see the space theme in classrooms and around the campus throughout this term!
In week 6, South Ballajura campus will be celebrating Go Blue for Autism Day- Stay tuned for more information on this, and updates on our upcoming campus events!
We’d just like to remind the school community that on the 4th June, all campus staff are attending our Ballandjarra network conference. No students are at school on that day. It is the Friday before the Western Australia Day public holiday, so families can enjoy an extra long, long weekend.
It has felt like a West Coast Eagles week this week! The campus had a visit from Rick the Rock on Monday morning- Rick and Bradd spoke about persisting with goals and working to the best of your ability (a very good message for those who are doing NAPLAN tests this week!).
Mark Hutchings and Zac Langdon (West Coast Eagles players) then visited on Wednesday morning- they spoke about their careers in the AFL, kicked the footy with our students at the bike track, and even signed some equipment for their fans! A big thank you to Mark and Zac for coming in, and to Bradd Dalziel (Schools & Community Development Officer) for organising our two incursions.
Go Blue for Autism Day – Tuesday 25 May 2021
South Ballajura community continues to raise awareness about Autism. Leading up to this day, students will be learning more about Autism and how to be inclusive, while participating in class based activities.
Activities on the Assembly day (Tuesday 25 May):
- Blue Dress up: Staff and students are encouraged to dress in blue
- Awareness session at the assembly
- Hands-on integration activities after assembly
- Look out for blue food at the canteen
We are looking forward to celebrating our students as Autism now affects 1 in 68 children and as an inclusive community. Go Blue for Autism celebrates everybody’s uniqueness.
A Big Thank You
I wish to thank Mr Simon Hume, assisted by Mrs Yolande Williams, and Mrs Lee-anne Green, for their leadership and ensuring the smooth running of South Ballajura Education Support Centre in my absence during Weeks 2 and 3, especially with unexpected COVID restrictions to manage. As usual, staff were prepared for the changing scenarios as they unfolded.
Initially I was only going to be on leave for 5 days, however, Perth going back into Lockdown and becoming the only 'Red Zone' in Australia complicated my necessary interstate travel plans.
I now have first hand experience of how challenging it is for families trying to cross interstate and international borders! We found circumstances constantly changing, and each state has it's own restrictions and requirements.
It is a relief to be back in Perth with a green zone rating as of Tuesday.
Please keep up our COVID-safe practices.
Mrs Cheryl Lennox
Education Support North Network (ESNN)
South Ballajura ESC staff attended the Education Support North Network Conference at Perth Convention Centre on Friday 23rd April. Some highlights of the day included Keynote speaker Dr Andrew Whitehouse from the Telethon Kids Institute speaking about Autism research relating to diagnoses, early signs and cutting edge evidence based interventions. Staff also received some useful strategies on educating, understanding and managing boys, anxiety, Mathematics, trauma, de-escalation strategies, and looking after their own and others’ mental health through the brain ambulance sessions. A number of useful tools were taken away and reflected upon, to be used back at school!
Perth Reptile Company Incursion
Over 160 Education Support Centre and Mainstream Primary school students participated in a hands on reptile incursion on Friday 7 May. And, wow! What an experience it was! Nearly all the students either touched or held Sunshine the Bobtail or Sammy the Woma python, or both. Sammy was one of the most chilled out snakes you are ever likely to meet. He probably had more fun than the students. Every time the door was opened to a new session group, the reptiles were greeted with the sounds of, “This is so cool!” My favourite comment of the day was, “This is the best day of my whole school life.”
Meet the Board
Hello, my name is Debbie, and I am Chair of the ESC Board.
Prior to having a family, I worked in the Banking & Finance sector for several years. Since returning to the workforce after having my five sons, I have worked in Administration and Event roles as well as at State and Federal elections.
As a volunteer with Scouts WA, I have several roles including Group Leader (Leader of Adults) at Ballajura Scout Group; managing and administrating Social Media platforms for Scouts WA and assisting with organising and facilitating their major events.
In my spare time I love spending time with my family and friends; volunteering with Scouts WA to organise events and activities; researching different social media platforms and ways to effectively promote organisations and increase engagement; camping, reading; craft; going to the movies; watching tv (favourite shows drama, crime and medical) and attending council workshops as a way to meet other people in the community and build on my skills.
By utilising free workshops that are organised by local councils I have developed a broad range of skills including Board Governance and Management, Successful Development and Management of a Community Group (including workshops on Writing Business Plans and Strategic Plans, Budgets and Financial Management, Volunteer Management, Building Inclusive Groups and Building Stronger Connected Groups), Evaluating Projects and Plans, Event Management, Social Media Administration & Management. These skills have proven valuable in both my paid work as well as in my volunteer roles.
As an active member of the community, I believe that volunteering is a great way to help and support others as well as a way for me to be a positive example for my children. Giving time to help others brings me great joy and satisfaction and it is rewarding to see youth and adults working together to build better communities, increase youth resilience and leadership, and see our young people grow and develop into valuable community members. I love seeing how much they enjoy camps and activities that I organise and enjoy sharing the knowledge that I have in different areas.
Taking on the role of Board Chair was a step outside my comfort zone, and I am enjoying learning more about the daily operations and management of schools and how to effectively support the school as a Board member.
ESC Chaplain’s Corner
Recycling bread bags during Term 2
As a campus, we have been doing very well so far with collecting bread tags and bottle caps. During this term ESC classes are going to add to BREAD BAGS, too.
All types of bread bags are welcome. A collection box and its location will be provided next week.
The bread bags will earn our school credit towards school play equipment and there is a chance for our school to win 1 of 5 exercise circuits made from recycled plastic we collect. Donations from all of our community members are welcome.
Thank you for your support and helping the environment.
Enrolments for 2022 Kindergarten are now open.
If you or if you know of any families with children eligible for Kindy next year, (born between 01/07/17 and 30/06/18), who are interested in applying to enrol at South Ballajura PS or South Ballajura ESC for 2022, please let them know to apply now.
Application forms for both schools are available from the front office or on the school website.
https://southballajuraps.wa.edu.au/documents
Please submit application with the following:
- Birth Certificate
- Medicare Immunisation History Statement
- Proof of current address
- Proof of Australian Citizenship
- Family Court Orders (if applicable)
Medicare Immunisation History Statements can be obtained using your Medicare online account through myGov or the Express Plus Medicare mobile app. Alternatively, you can call the AIR on 1800 653 809 to request a copy. These must be no older than 2 months.
Pre-primary 2022 (current Kindy)
2022 Pre-primary enrolments are now open.
Students already attending Kindergarten at South Ballajura Primary School or South Ballajura ESC this year are required to apply for Pre-primary 2022. Application forms for these students have been sent home. Parents can return application forms to the class teacher.
Year 1—6 2022 (current PP to Year 5)
Current students from Pre-primary to Year 5 are automatically enrolled in each subsequent year and therefore it is not necessary to complete another application. If you know any families who want to enrol at South Ballajura for next year, encourage them to call us now.
All applications for enrolment are due by Friday 23 July, 2021
Please note that an Application for Enrolment can only be made at one public School.
Primary School applicants will be advised in writing next term of their success in obtaining a place for 2022.
Education Support Centre applications may take longer to process due to verification of diagnosis to meet Department of Education eligibility criteria.
Let's Chat About Sunscreen
What's the difference between SPF30+ and SPF50+?
Even though the season is changing and the temperatures are dropping it is still very important that we protect our skin from damaging UV rays and continue to use sun cream protection.
SPF30+ versus SPF50+
The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of a sunscreen is a measure of how well it protects the skin from sunburn. SPF30 sunscreen admits 1/30th of the ambient UV, SPF50 admits 1/50th and so on. Sunscreens need to be applied liberally to achieve the SPF protection claimed on the label.
We recommend using any sunscreen that is labelled broad spectrum, water-resistant and SPF30 or above.
Interestingly, SPF50+ offers only marginally better protection from Ultra Violet (UV) radiation than SPF30+ filtering out 98 per cent of UV radiation compared to 96.7 per cent blocked by SPF30.
SPF50+ sunscreen still needs to be applied as liberally, re-applied every two hours (or after swimming, exercising and towel drying) and used in combination with other sun protection measures including sun protective hats, protective clothing, sunglasses and shade.
What do all the sunscreen terms mean?
- SPF: The SPF (Sun Protection Factor) of a sunscreen is a measure of how well it protects the skin from sunburn. Sunscreens need to be applied liberally to achieve the SPF protection claimed on the label.
- Water resistant: Does not come off the skin during swimming or exercise, provided it is not wiped off. While a label may state a sunscreen is 'four hours water resistant', sunscreen still needs to be applied every two hours to maintain the same level of protection.
- Broad-spectrum: Broad-spectrum sunscreens filter both UVA and UVB rays. UVB is the principal cause of sunburn and UVA is the main cause of wrinkles, thickened and blotchy skin. Both UVA and UVB contribute to increased skin cancer risk.
- The '+' sign: The plus sign means 'more than'. SPF50+ sunscreen must provide at least SPF60 in testing. This is because the same batch of sunscreen will test slightly differently in different laboratories with different methodology. By testing at SPF60, it removes any margin for error. In the previous 1998 standard, some sunscreens labelled SPF30+ actually provided much higher protection but were not allowed to be labelled any higher than 30+. In the new standard, sunscreens can be labelled higher than SPF30+, so the '+' sign after SPF30 is redundant.
*Think UV, not heat
Many people mistakenly believe they only need sun protection on hot, sunny days. However, it is Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, not heat, hat is the major cause of sunburn, premature ageing, eye damage and skin damage leading to skin cancer.
UV can't be seen or felt. Because of this, it can be damaging without us knowing it at the time. The UV index tells us the strength of UV radiation each day. Sun protection is recommended when the UV index is three or higher. Often, the UV can be high on cool, cloudy days. A great way to keep track of the UV index where you are is via our free SunSmart app or by checking our myUV website.