Hi everyone,

The last two weeks have been very busy with Wellbeing matters and events. Our students in Years 4-6 have taken part in the Wellbeing and Engagement Collection (WEC) survey.  The purpose of the survey is to seek students’ views about their wellbeing and their engagement with school. The information collected will help the education system and broader community to support young people’s health and wellbeing.

 The survey asks students about their social and emotional wellbeing, school relationships and engagement and learning in school, physical health and wellbeing, and after school activities. Students’ personal information and identity will remain anonymous. Survey responses are confidential and no one (including school staff) can use the results to identify individual students.

 In addition to this, students have also taken part in learning around the National Day of Action Against Bullying (NDAB) and Harmony Day. The focus for the NDAB in 2022 is kindness and Harmony Day acknowledges the positive contributions all cultures make to society.  Make sure you read the articles further on in the newsletter showcasing some of our student learning and activities around this day. There is also a great display in the Library that all students have visited.

 With the COVID-19 presence in our school we have a number of students that are isolating at home. Students who wish to access learning at home can access the Our Learning SA website. This is a resource for families to use for ideas and learning if unable to attend school for extended periods. There are activities for each year level and subject area. Have a browse sometime, lots of the ideas look really fun. This is the link to Our Learning SA.

https://www.education.sa.gov.au/our-learning-sa

One of the great privileges of my role as Student Wellbeing Leader is that I get the opportunity to interact with parents too! Last week I had a parent share with me the importance of people knowing their own self-worth. The importance of understanding that they have immeasurable value that remains the same regardless of their life circumstances or the behaviour they choose.  The parent spoke of a video that featured a $20 note and how it is still worth the same amount regardless of whether it looks pristine or is crumpled and dirty. A lovely analogy for our children to understand their inherent value. Knowing our own self-worth allows us to be resilient and recover from life’s set-backs. I could not find the video the parent spoke of, but I did find this one which is the same idea.

https://www.happify.com/hd/even-the-most-crumpled-and-torn-dollar-has-worth-you-do-too/

 Lastly, please support our school by keeping your child at home if they are unwell. Any child who presents at school as unwell will be sent home. Can you please ensure that your contact details are up-to-date at school and OSHC. It would be helpful if you can have an arrangement in place to ensure an adult is available to collect children if unwell. They can deteriorate rapidly and need to be collected in a timely manner and access proper care at home. Please ensure your child has a RAT or PCR test if displaying any symptoms of COVID-19.

 Please keep checking Seesaw, emails and the Schoolzine App to ensure you are fully aware of important information and school happenings.

Regards

Christine MacLean

Student Wellbeing Leader

Let's celebrate Game Day for the Show Down on Friday, 1st April with DONUTS!  YUM!

Crows or Power?  You can't sit on the fence for this fundraiser! Unless you buy both!

Donuts will be available to order in both Adelaide Crows and Port Power colours and will arrive fresh on the day.  They will cost $3.00 each.

Please feel free to order any number of donuts you like!  Orders must be placed by Tuesday, 29 March at 9:00am.

Please note: if your child is not at school on Friday, the donuts will be frozen for collection at a later date.

Thank you to those of you who have generously donated to our Easter Raffle.  We really appreciate it.  However, we need more items of Easter goodies to make up the baskets as raffle prizes.  Can you please help with an Easter goodie donation and bring it to the Administration Office.  

The annual Easter Raffle is one of our major fundraisers for the year.  To make this a huge success can you please send donations of Easter Eggs or any other Easter goodies to the school by Friday, 1 April 2022 .  Your donations will be turned into Easter Raffle prizes.

 The raffle will be drawn on Wednesday, 13 April 2022 and prizes will be sent home with the students.  Other winners will be notified by phone.  Good luck everyone!

It was fabulous to see the enthusiasm and joy on faces of the children who attended the first session of Jumpstart at Pimpala for 2022 on Friday, 25 March, 2022.  It was a COVID friendly session so it was held outside, while adults observed the social distancing requirements and wore masks.  

Everyone had fun joining in for our "Jump" dance, lots of acitivities, chalk drawings, making kites, listening to a story about kites, flying kites near the front gate and then  flying our kites on the oval!  Then at the end of the busy session the children all got to borrow books from the Library!

Jumpstart at Pimpala is a free playgroup program for children 3-5 years and their caregivers which is run by a Reception teacher and school staff and is held Fridays  from 9:00am - 10:30am during term time.   Please see our website calendar for dates. Younger siblings can come along too.  

Jumpstart At Pimpala sessions will be COVID friendly (outdoors) for the next two sessions.  We can't wait to see you on Friday!

If you would like more information, please contact the school on 83260900.

Thank you to everyone who has returned their Sports Registration form. 

Soccer teams have been organised and basketball and netball are close to being finalised.  More information will be provided soon.

The Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 classes will be participating in the Kitchen Garden Program in Term 2, weeks, and days to be advised (Covid-19 restrictions permitting).

We will be needing lots of helpers! 

If you would like to volunteer for kitchen or garden lessons, you will need:

1. To be double vaccinated or have a medical exemption

1. Have completed the NEW RRHAN-EC online training for volunteers

3. Have a current DHS Working with Children Check

Before volunteering all credentials will need to be emailed or sighted by Administration Office staff.

If you would like to obtain a DHS Working with Children Check or check your validity, please see the Administration Office staff.

The Department for Education is now offering the NEW online RRHAN-EC training for volunteers, please see the Department for Education website for the link or speak to the Administration Office staff for more information.

We cannot run the program without the valuable assistance of volunteers. You do not need to be a green thumb or master chef, just enjoy working with children.

If you have any questions at all regarding the program, please don't hesitate to contact me or pop in and see me in either the Stephanie Alexander kitchen or school vegetable garden.

Michele Smith

Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program Co-ordinator

Pimpala Primary School

24 Vanstone Ave, Morphett Vale SA  5162

Tel 8326 0900 | Mob 0408 637 850

Each fortnight teachers identify students who have demonstrated the school values of Responsibility, Respect and Resilience to a high standard and nominate them to receive an award - usually at the Assembly.  Due to current COVID-19 restrictions we have not had an assembly yet.  

Awards are only awarded when the values are observed and deserved so some weeks there may be more and some weeks less awards.

Congratulations to the students who were presented with an award on Friday, 25 March, 2022. Great work!

Rachel Pullman - Reception - to be advised
Lauren Whitbread - Reception/Year 1 - to be advised
Lauren Stanley - Year 1/2 - Hollie S, Jemma T
Emma Shillum - Year 1/2 - Chloe N, Ari Baker
Nicole Currer - Year 2/3 - Aysha C-H, Ethan S
Holly Fisher/Emily Mooney-Doe - Year 3/4 - Mason E, Aria J
Mel Scott - Year 3/4 -  Serenity L, Chayse H
Jo Power - Year 4/5 - Isabelle C, Wyatt L
Syed Janud - Year 4/5 - to be advised
Chris Burns/Rose Knight - Year 5/6 - to be be advised
Nigel Branson - Year 5/6 - Jada W, Mark D 

Congratulations to the following student leaders.

Student Executives

Vanessa M

Jada W

Mia Z

Sophie P

Sports Captains

Bain - Captain - Axel L

Bain - Captain - Chelsea W

Bain - Vice Captain - Rory B

Anderson - Captain - Noah W

Anderson -  Captain - Nicholas F

Anderson -  Vice Captain - Jayden M

O'Sullivan - Captain - Grace B

O'Sullivan - Captain - James B

O'Sullivan -  Vice Captain - Jenna F

Morphett - Captain - Tobi R

Morphett - Captain - Aiden R

Morphett -  Vice Captain - Elyssa M

STUDENT REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL

Rec -  Pullman  - to be advised

R/1 - Whitbread - Beau R, Lilly H

1/2 - Shillum - Chloe N, Noah M

1/2 - Stanley - Max S, Ruby L

2/3 - Currer - Dominick H, Lilianna W

2/3 - Fisher/Mooney-Doe - Selina M, Mason E

3/4 - Scott -  Kaley R, Ruby E

4/5 - Power - Owen R, Isabelle C

4/5 - Janud - Luka T, Dakota B

5/6 - Branson - Vanessa M, Jada W, Mia Z, Sophie P (student executives).

5/6 - Burns - Madison B, Oscar T

CANTEEN MONITORS

Hunter B

Ella P

Austin C

Vaughan H

Arie S

Xzander L-W

Nykaya M

Emmanuella O

FLAG MONITORS

Yangzom Y

Michael C

Azaleah S

Alicia D

EVENTS ASSISTANTS

Saoirse S

Catie W

Meakylah 

Saadullah K

Zachary R

Amelia T

LIBRARY LEADERS

Ava M

Jamison P

Mark D

CHOIR CAPTAIN

Ellaa L

Pimpala will be hosting Principal Tours from the beginning of next term for anyone interested in enrolling at our school.  The tours will be held on the following dates:

Monday 9 May, 2022 - 10:00 am and 4:30 pm

Monday 30 May, 2022 - 10:00 am and 4:30 pm

Saturday 18 June, 2022 - 10:30 am

Monday 4 July, 2022 - 10:00 am and 4:30 pm

Please ring the school on 8326 0900 to book in for one of the tours.  We look forward to meeting you.

Please note:  the tours are subject to change/cancellation due to COVID restrictions at the time.

Congratulations to the following Governing Council members for 2022

Chairperson:  Rick Mart

Vice Chairperson: Alex Baker

Treasurer:  TBA

Secretary:  Sarah Powell

OSHC Committee:  Anna Bren

Fundraising Committee:  Emma Hassam, Nina Smith

Sports Committee:  Graham Miles

Adam Roberst

Darryl Baker

Courtney Hollingworth

Lenneke Ellis

In Week 2 of Term 2 the Year 3 and 5  students will participate in the National Literacy and Numeracy tests.  It is expected that all students will participate, however, if you have any concerns about this can you please see Belinda Finlay-Smith as soon as possible. 

Wow! We are busily getting ready for Sports Day.  Which team will you be cheering for on Sports Day, Friday, 20 May, 2022?  Anderson (Blue), Bain (Green), Morphett (Red) or O’Sullivan (Yellow)? 

We have planned some great events for all classes to participate in with students required to be in class at 8.50 am, and then assembling under the COLA at 8:55 am ready for all the events to begin.

The activities are programmed to continue until the end of the school day at 3:10 pm. We are optimisitic that parents,caregivers will be able to come and watch, however, we are still waiting for confirmation that this can happen.  Fingers crossed.  We will let you know as soon as possible.

Please note:  all school based activities are subject to COVID restrictions.

In Term 2 we are planning to introduce Children's University to help develop free-thinking and inquisitive children who enjoy leanring and have a "can do" attitude towards future opportunities.  We will be embracing this for students in Years 3-6.  However, students already participating, and those with younger siblings who have also been exposed to the program can participate at this time.  In the longer term we plan to incorporate the junior primary students as part of the program across the school. 

Children's University is an innovative program hosted by the University of Adelaide which aims to increase the liklihood of educational achievement and reward children for taking their learning into their own hands.

Children's University is child-directed, meaning each individual voluntarily chooses how to be involved and what they would like to participate in.  Children are encouraged to explore and discover new ideas, concepts and experiences via Public and restricted Learning Destinations.

Learning Destinations can be local educational and learning activity providers such as sports clubs, museums, galleriers and school clubs.  All activities are practical and fun-based, but they must have alink some some way to higher learning. Learning destinations must be registered.

Each participating student is issued with a Passport to Learning where the hours of each activity are recorded. These hours are accoumulated and when the hours needed to graduate are reached, children are awareded with certificates at a formal graduation ceremony.

Children's University believes that celebrations of achievement plays a key part in raising the aspirations of all children and provide a great opportunity for family and friends to share this experience at the graduation ceremony. (Subject to COVID restrictions at the time).

Why is Pimpala Primary School planning to implement Children's University for our students?

We can see many benefits for our students to become involved in this so we are keen to provide this opportunity.  We believe that for children to develop resilience, optimism and confidence, the opportunity for self directed learning beyond the classroom is key.  Children's University fosters wellbeing by promoting "free range learning", encouraging children to try out new activities, discover new passions, visit new places and, most importantly, to have fun!

More information will be provided in the next newsletter.

Thank you to everyone who came to vote at Pimpala and bought a sausage or egg and bacon sandwich to help us fundraise.  We really appreciate your support.

We are pleased to advise that we raised $800.

On Friday, 18 March our school community celebrated the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence by wearing orange and undertaking fun activities celebrating and writing messages of kindness.  

Each class was allocated an area of bitumen to write chalk messages of kindness and each student was asked to think about what kindness is and to draw and write their thoughts.  Some of these thoughts have been put on display in our Library.

This was a great way to bring  the issues of kindness, bullying and violence to the forefront and for students to consider the impact kindness has on everything and everyone.

“We are sharing this information on behalf of our friends at Credit Union SA as part of our School Community Rewards program. This offer is available to all members of our school community, if you would like to learn more, please reach out to Credit Union SA.”

Download your free colouring sheet, print it off and let the colours fly!  When you're finished, take a photo of your beautiful artwork, share it on the Facebook page link when you open the page, and you will go into the draw to win a Razor Crazy Cart Shift (worth over $349).

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