MUNDULLA PRIMARY SCHOOL

Phone: 87534064 87534164

Fax: 87534191

E-mail: mundulla@mundullaps.sa.edu.au

News from the Principal's Desk

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

Congratulations to Jake and Sam, who have been selected for the USE Hockey team.

Zach and Luella were absent last week, competing in SAPSASA football and netball. Both country and city teams played in this mixed competition. The girls’ netball team did extremely well, winning all of their games. Footy boys also played well, winning 5 of their games. Well done, both!

Tomorrow 7 students will be travelling with their parents to Adelaide to compete in cross country at the state level. Our best wishes to :

Maisie

William

Mitchell

Heyson

Jess

Luella

Tilley

On Friday June 12, students from Reception to Year 5 have been invited to the Bordertown Library to take part in the “Great Big Science Read”. This fun activity will focus on “the body” and should be very informative. We’ve been asked to talk to students about internal organs prior to the visit!

Another big outing will be on Wednesday June 17 th when students from Years 3 to 7 will travel to Padthaway to participate in the Questacon Maths demonstration and workshops. It will be a full day beginning with a show for everyone at 10.00 followed by two workshops – one for the Year 3-5s and another for the older students.

NEWSLETTER NO. 9 May 28 th , 2009

National Simultaneous Storytime took place on Wednesday, May 27 th and involved all students R to 3. At 11.00 am, across Australia, students in schools and at local libraries listened to a reading of the 2009 NSS book, Pete The Sheep. National Simultaneous Storytime is aimed at highlighting the importance of reading and literacy for children, and demonstrates how this can be a fun experience.

Staff Activities

Last Friday and Saturday, Jenny and Barb attended the bi-annual SSO Conference in Mt Gambier. Besides thoroughly enjoying themselves – did you see Barb on TV? – both have brought back new ideas and thoughts on how to improve the way we work here at Mundulla School. Barb said the spelling program we developed here at Mundulla got a big rap from one of the presenters, too.

Kathy and I will be attending an afternoon session for Occupational Health, Safety & Welfare. The topic is Risk Assessment. This is an increasingly important aspect of OHS&W, as we take active steps to ensure that everyone who enters our grounds or takes part in school activities remains safe at all times.

Swine Influenza

As you will know, two circulars from our department’s Chief Executive have already been sent home to parents, providing updated information about the progress of swine flu in our state. A copy of the latest information (as of May 24) is attached to this letter. This latest letter states the requirement that all students or staff returning from overseas from affected countries (refer to letter) MUST stay home for 7 days, whether they are ill or not.

As Mr Robinson has previously stressed, universal precautions against infection are our best defence:

• regular washing of hands,
• refraining from touching hands to face, especially mouth, when in public places,
• covering mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing.

Most importantly, keeping your children home when they are sick. The evidence is clear that, when ill students remain away from school until they are fully well, there is a dramatic reduction in the amount of illness sweeping through classes. When students come to school ill, they really don’t focus well on learning. Often a day or two makes the critical difference. Not only does it reduce the spread of illness, it shortens the time the individual is ill, too.

I will continue to keep parents informed of measures being taken by our education department as the information comes to hand.

Governing Council & Active Parents

Have you seen our new veggie garden? It’s on the Kennedy St boundary if you want to take a peek. A great big thanks to the parents who came to last week’s working bee for Active Parents and helped get the beds ready for students to do the planting. What excitement there was!

Thanks to Moore’s Hardware for their sponsorship grant for tools and materials, and to Bordertown Growmaster nursery for donation of the seedlings and fruit trees. Now, students are eagerly awaiting some produce to eat.

Thanks, too, to the dads who came in for a Council working bee that same weekend. Removal of the aviary has really opened up our yard and the pergola looks even more great (if that’s possible). There is some tidying of the site to do (but we’re onto it!) before we put in bark chips and create a quiet seating area for students.

Cyber Bullying Information for Parents

Choice Magazine has conducted research on the effectiveness of Internet filtering programs that are available to parents to protect their children from cyber bullying. While viewing the full results of the test requires paid access to Choice online (http://www.choice.com.au/), the following points in summary were made available free:

• Net filtering can help prevent children from accessing undesirable web content.
• Net filters aren’t foolproof and may not block all types of content.
• They can mistakenly filter out 'safe' content and sites.
• They’re not a substitute for proper parental supervision.
• Some free software can perform as well as commercial programs.

Cyber bullying, either through email or via phones, is an increasing issue and one that needs to be taken seriously as the negative effects on victims can be as great or greater than physical bullying.

The information provided by Choice merely reinforces what most of us already knew: that no software package can take the place of ongoing supervision and conversation between parents and their children. This is the most effective way of bullying proofing we have.

Absence From School

There has been lots of media focus lately on absenteeism in schools. While our school has an excellent overall attendance record, there is always room for improvement.

STOP PRESS !

Soup will not be available on Wednesday, June 17 th (Week 8) due to Questacon Maths Excursion

Notes from the Front Office

Hot dog orders are due back on Friday,. May 29 th. Don’t miss out!

Also, a reminder that there will not be soup on Wednesday next week – it’s HOT DOG DAY.

Uniforms – a reminder that we have a small number of second hand uniforms, if anyone is interested. Please contact Jenny at the Front Office.

Recycling of used printer cartridges – we have entered into a new arrangement with Environmental Fundraising for recycling our used cartridges (see ad later in this newsletter). Although the “cash rewards” are likely to be very small, it is an easy way of safely disposing of our cast-offs. If anyone would like to contribute to this as a (minor) fundraising activity, please just drop off your used cartridges at the front office. We have a recycling box there.

Regular early pick up is as disruptive to student learning as late arrival – possibly more, in fact – and should also be avoided. If you must on the odd occasion pick up your child early from class, please notify the class teacher before hand with a note or phone call. If the teacher and your child are aware that the student will be leaving early, there will be no need for you to come into the class or call out from the door, which really does disrupt the smooth functioning of the class at the busy end of the day. Students will need to be signed out at the office and could wait for you there if that has been arranged.

Dates To Remember

• KinderGym – each Wednesday afternoon – Week 3 to Week 7, Week 9

• Queen’s Birthday and Volunteers’ Day holiday – Monday, June 8

• Great Big Science Read – Friday, June 12 at the Bordertown Library – R to 5 students

• Governing Council Meeting – Monday, June 15 @ 8.00 pm

• Financial Advisory Committee Meeting – Monday, June 15 @ 7.00 pm

• Questacon – Wednesday, June 17 @ Padthaway

• Active Parents Group Meeting – Wednesday, June 24 @ 7.00 pm – Bordertown Chinese Restaurant for tea

• School Photos – June 25 or 26 – to be confirmed

Message Books

Teachers will be having a focus on message books / chronicles during the rest of this term.

While they regularly call for and look at message books for notes from parents, it does help if your child is aware when a note has been written and that they are to show this to the teacher first thing in the morning.

This double check will help us ensure that important messages are not overlooked.

School & Community Notices

SOUP / Special Food ROSTER

Thank you to all the people who have volunteered to help out.

Special Food – we still need helpers to heat & serve – we will do pre-orders

Soup – there are still vacancies for a number of weeks

Remember those helping for the first time; please bring in your soup hot (about 3-4L) with your own ladle at about 10 minutes before lunchtime into the activity area. Children bring their own cup and $2. Bread is provided.

If you are unable to come in at lunchtime on your rostered day, please make arrangements for someone else to serve your soup. Thank you.

Once again thank you for your valuable support to the school, without your assistance days like this would not be possible.