Our School Newsletter

25 February 2022


Principal's report

Dear Craigieburn PS Community,

We want to thank parents and students for the great job they have done in keeping our school as safe as possible by following important COVIDSafe measures such as mask wearing, physical distancing, ventilation, getting vaccinated and rapid antigen testing.

This has meant that our school has remained open and our students in class. This is a fantastic outcome and a testament to the hard work of parents, carers, students and school staff.

Rapid antigen tests

To keep schools as safe as possible, the Victorian Government has extended the COVIDSafe measures, this includes extending the availability of free rapid antigen tests (RAT) for screening until the end of term 1. It is anticipated an additional 24 million Rapid Antigen Tests will be provided to schools and early childhood settings to continue to support early detection and prevent infection, for use at home.

This is great news and will mean we’re able to continue identifying COVID-19 cases as early as possible, reducing the impact on our school and individuals.

Please remember to monitor for symptoms (many parents are reporting that their child/ren feel unwell, have a headache or a temperature prior to testing positive), keep unwell children at home, isolate for 7 days if you are a household contact (all siblings must isolate as well), conduct twice weekly Rapid Antigen Testing and if your child tests positive, please notify the school as soon as possible, as this information needs to be recorded for the Department of Education & Training.

We do hope that anyone who has tested positive makes a speedy recovery, and we are sending you our very best wishes.

‘Meet the Techer’ discussions will be held on Wednesday 9 March with 10-minute bookings available from 12.30pm – 7:00pm. Information on how to book your individual time with your child’s classroom teacher will be sent home shortly. These discussions are a valuable opportunity to meet individually with your child’s classroom teacher early in the new school year and further supports the home/school partnership by sharing information pertinent to your child.

 

How can I support my child to be an active and involved learner?

You are your child’s first and most important teacher. Your child learns first through relationships with you and others in the family. The opportunities and experiences that you give your child are therefore critical. The questions you ask your child when they come home from school each day are really important. Ask them questions that enable them to talk to you about the learning experiences they have had at school. Including their successes and things that challenged them. You might consider asking the following questions to assist you engage with your child’s learning:

1. What did you learn today?

2. How did you go?

3. What did you do if you didn’t understand?

 4. How can you improve on your learning?

5. What are you most proud of?


UNAUTHORISED ENTRY


Unfortunately, on the weekend there were reports of unauthorised people on our school grounds. There was damage caused to school property including broken windows to one of our classrooms. This is highly unacceptable, we have had the broken glass panels replaced. I would much rather spend school funds on equipment and books for students than having to pay for repairs to destruction of the school building.  I urge all our community to call the police if you see anyone on our school premises after school hours.


SCHOOL PHOTO REMINDER

This year our school photos will be held on Tuesday 15 March. All students received an envelope this week. If you are ordering online, you can use the online ordering code 5GQ 894 3AQ. If you did not receive an envelope or need a sibling order envelope, these are available from the front office. Sibling orders must be done online no later than Monday 14th March.



School Council Elections

A reminder that nominations for school council close today at 4pm.  If you would like more information, please call the school on 9308 1228.


Be your best each and every day

Bernadette Pizaro

Curriculum News

The last two weeks have helped our children settle into their new learning routines and environments.

By following the School’s Covid-19 Safety Plan, the Department of Education Guidelines, such as air filters, RAT testing, social distancing and increased hygiene, the staff, students and families of CPS have helped education at CPS flourish with minimal interruptions.

On Monday 28 February our Grade 5/6 students will depart for camp. They will return on Wednesday 2 March. They will be staying at The Portsea Camp, in Portsea. For more information see The Portsea Camp website.

All staff are hopeful that conditions remain favourable for our camp to proceed. But we live in uncertain times, we know that situations can change rapidly, and events may need to be cancelled. Should the situation remain stable, we will have the staff needed to run our camp. If it were to be cancelled or postponed, we will inform the school community as soon as possible.

Activities that may be included on the Camp (depending on the weather or conditions) are the Giant Swing, Kayaking, Survivor Skills, Beach Activities, Orienteering and Team Building activities. The Grade 5/6 teachers on camp will be taking photos to share with you.

Children attending camp will need to be at school by 8.20am on Monday 28 February. 

If your child has any medication to take on camp, it needs to be in a clearly named container with information about when your child needs the medicine and what dosage is required.  Please meet a staff member in the Office Foyer, near the Uniform Shop, to ‘sign in’ medications. At the conclusion of the camp an adult will need to ‘sign out’ the medication. 

The buses will arrive back at the school between 2.45 and 3.15pm on the final day of the camp, Wednesday 2 March.


Last week our Curriculum Term Outlines were posted on Compass to Parents, Carers and Students. Our school is working to improve the information provided to our community. If you have any feedback to share on ways to improve the Curriculum Term Outlines, please email the school on craigieburn.ps@education.vic.gov.au


Our Parent Teacher Interviews will be held this term on Wednesday 9 March, please keep an eye on Compass for additional details and bookings. This first meeting with the teacher is a wonderful opportunity to share information between the school and home environments, providing support for your child’s learning and social development.

Student Support Group (SSG) meetings are another Parent Teacher Interview to support students with additional learning needs, both for students needing support or extension. These meetings are organised in Week 9 and 10 and parents needing an SSG meeting will be contacted by the school.

If you have any questions concerning Curriculum, please contact your area Assistant Principal.


Amanda Lee
Assistant Principal Prep to Grade 2









Simon Rennick
Assistant Principal Grade 3 to 6

2022 Student Leadership

Congratulations to the 2022 Student Leadership Team

School Captains

Vice Captains

Sarah D

Henry E

Leah S

Harnoor S

House Captains
Meet our House Captains

Blue House

 

Simarjot K

Tanveer S

Larina A

Gurseerat K

Gold House

 

Omer K

Simar K

Isabella D

TBC

Green House

 

Sara M

Manreet K

Siddiqa P

Aalyiah C

Red House

 

Salma S

Yenuka R

Elly S

Diab S

White House

 

Romy O'G

Allegra G

Jayde P

Aashika Y




 



Grade 2 Safer Internet Day



Safer Internet Day was held on Tuesday 8 February. Grade 2 students learnt how to play it safe and fair online. We listened to a story about eSafety sugar glider twins Swoosh and Glide and how they learn about being safe online with their family. Students then made a possum mask and wrote an eSafety rule to remember to use at home and in the classroom.

The Grade 2 Team




Prep Assessments


Throughout February on a Wednesday the Prep teachers have been conducting mandatory assessments in literacy and numeracy for all the children.





These have been progressing well and the Prep teachers have enjoyed using this time as an opportunity to get to know their students on an individual level as well as gaining an insight into their academic ability.


Once all assessments have been completed, the teachers will use the results to plan lessons based on the needs of the students.












The Prep teachers would like to thank the parents for their support in attending these very important sessions.










The students will begin attending school five days a week once the assessment period is over which will be next week, commencing Monday 28 February 2022.
                     

The Prep Team




Grade 5 News


The grade 5 students have all had a positive start to the year. We have been working on getting to know each other and working together as a team in our new classes.





Our focus has been on building our reading stamina and the introduction of the Reader / Writer’s Workshop.

The children are learning how to effectively use notebooks in class, coming up with ideas and thinking about what they’re reading.

We promote a Growth Mindset in Grade 5. Grades have discussed how positive thinking can affect our ability to take on new learning.

The Grade 5 Team       

Meet the Wellbeing Team at CPS

Craigieburn Primary has a student wellbeing team comprising of a Student Wellbeing Coordinator (Wendy Alway) and a Mental Health Wellbeing Coordinator (Peta Coulthard-Clarke). The wellbeing team is available to all students and families, and work closely with teachers to support the wellbeing of Craigieburn Primary students.

The Wellbeing team commit to the emotional and social wellbeing of our children as it is pivotal to their success at school.  When children are happy, engaged and supported they are more likely to be able to competently and positively navigate life’s challenges

Our Wellbeing room is a space where our Wellbeing Coordinator, Mental Health Wellbeing Coordinator, Chaplain and our OnPsych Psychologist can provide children with the necessary support they require to increase resilience, improve social skills and develop independence.


Student Wellbeing Coordinator

My role is to take small group sessions on a needs basis, everything from Friendship to Managing Stress. Programs such as Smiling Mind, CASEA, Zones or Regulation, Berry Street and Respectful Relationships are used to teach children how to cope with their strong emotions, bounce back from problems, and develop positive relationships—all essential life skills. My aim is to implement preventative and early intervention strategies to support positive behaviours and utilise our school data to help to identify students requiring this additional support.

 

Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator or MHWC role will be implemented at Craigieburn Primary for 11 months (February - December 2022). My role is part of a research project to trial the MHWC model within schools across Victoria.  Over the next 11 months I will be participating in MHWC training, completing online modules, and attending communities of practice with schools within the Hume Council to collaborate and build professional knowledge.

Part of my role of Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator (MHWC) is also to build whole-school capability around child mental health and wellbeing (CMH&W) and Social and Emotional Learning. Following some training online I will be increasing available support for teachers to address the mental health needs of students as well as building confidence and skills in this area. This will also include further enhancing Student Voice and Agency with regards to student welfare and support plans.

I will also be helping some families whose students may need extra care in their journey through primary school. It may be simply checking in, building relationships and being around if needed.

Finally, my role involves a research component. The pilot program is run by the Melbourne Graduate School of Education (MGSE) at the University of Melbourne and the Department of Education and Training.  Evaluation of the pilot is being conducted by the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI).  The pilot is called Mental Health in Primary Schools (MHiPS). One very important thing I did find out during my last online learning session is that my title of Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator is shortened to M-HAWC.

 

Thank-you for all your continued support,

Wendy Alway

Student Wellbeing Coordinator

and

Peta Coulthard-Clarke

Mental Health and Wellbeing Coordinator



Social and Emotional Learning

This term in the classroom, children will learn problem-solving skills, to develop empathy, support their own wellbeing and build healthy relationships with others.

When children build positive relationships with their teachers and peers they feel safer and happier at school, are more resilient and have positive social attitudes. Positive relationships also increase a child’s sense of social connectedness and belonging which can result in better health and academic outcomes.

Term 1 we will be covering the following two topics – Emotion Literacy and Personal Strengths.  The follow pictures are of children in Prep – 2 completing their Emotional Literacy activity.

Emotional Literacy

Emotional literacy’ is described as the ability to understand ourselves and other people, and in particular to be aware of, understand, and use information about the emotional states of ourselves and others with competence.

It includes the ability to understand, express and manage our own emotions and respond appropriately to the emotions of others.

Personal Strengths

Research shows that wellbeing, positive behaviour and achievement are more likely to occur when pupils are aware of their cognitive and character strengths and have opportunities to demonstrate and further develop them at school. When individuals engage their strengths, they tend to learn more readily, perform at a higher level, are more motivated and confident, and have a stronger sense of confidence and satisfaction.

These are some pictures of our children working on their Emotional Literacy component of our RRRR.





School Photo Day

If you have any questions regarding your photos, or if you would like to order a photo package, please call Advanced Life Photography on 9852 1133. Photo Day was held on Tuesday 15 March

If you forgot to order your child's photos and would still like to click on the information below

Ordering School Photos after photo day.





Breakfast Club

Craigieburn Primary would like to invite students to
Breakfast Club every


Monday and Thursday 

from 8:30am to 8:50am It is absolutely vital for our students to have breakfast prior to the test so that they can maintain sufficient energy levels for the required time. It is a fantastic opportunity for them to socialise with their peers and ensure they have eaten prior to the assessment.

Breakfast Club will run on a Monday and Thursday at 8.30am in the conference room.