Dear Parents, Carers, and Students,

Next Tuesday is Footy Day and we’re lucky enough to have three-time premiership player Kane Lambert from the Richmond footy club joining us at lunch time. He will be setting the mark for longest kick competition. He will also be doing a little Q&A with some selected students.

Kane’s mum Mandy is a long-time staff member at Reservoir West – the Leader of our wonderful Education Support team. I hope Kane won’t mind me wearing my Brisbane Lions colours.

VOLUNTARY PARENT CONTRIBUTIONS

We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support and active involvement in the Reservoir West Primary School community. 

Your partnership is essential to the ongoing success and growth of our school.  50% of families have contributed this year.

All contributions to the school are entirely voluntary and we understand that every family’s situation is different, and we respect your decisions regarding financial contributions.

For those who have already made contributions, we extend our gratitude.  We were pleasantly surprised to have some contributions processed this week. Your generosity enables us to enhance our resources.

If you have not yet had the opportunity to contribute and are in a position to do so, we invite you to consider making a voluntary contribution. Contributions can be made via Compass.

Thank you once again for being an integral part of Reservoir West Primary School community.  Your commitment helps us crate a learning environment where students can reach their full potential.

APPLICATION FOR FUNDING FOR MURAL ON GYM WALL

This week I have been madly working on an application for funding to have a large-scale mural on the big dark grey wall that faces the playgrounds along the side of the Gym/Spanish/Music Room. If successful, the funding will come through the Creative Learning Partnerships 2024 program from the government-funded Creative Victoria initiative.

An artist recently sent out an email to schools that showcased his previous artwork. His gallery was most impressive and I forwarded his email to a number of staff members saying, "How good would one of these look at RWPS?" but thought that it was out of our budget at this stage.

A few weeks later I connected with Hayden Dewar at his daughter's first transition session  at RWPS where he introduced himself and we spoke about the possibility of creating a mural at the school. Hayden's daughter is commencing at our school in 2025. Having seen his work and knowing that Hayden and his family were going to be a part of the school community, I was very excited. Hayden informed me of the Creative Learning Partnerships Program and when we realised that it closed tomorrow, we have both been very busy putting together this rather exhaustive application.

Hayden is a professional mural artist who specialises in large-scale public art projects. He works on both privately-commissioned and council murals and his work is well-known throughout Victoria and particularly in the Northern suburbs of Melbourne and Darebin LGA, in which our school is located. I’m keeping my fingers crossed, as this mural will be a centrepiece of the school.

Check out Hayden’s work here: https://www.haydendewar.com/

Imagine something like that here:

You can see why I'm very excited!

BIRTHDAY TREATS
On occasion, some parents like to provide a gift for the class when it is their child’s birthday. A gift is not expected to be provided by parents when it is a child’s birthday, in fact a majority of parents do not do this.

Should parents choose to supply a gift, we ask parents to consider non-food options due to food allergies. Such items as a small trinket or gadget, such as stickers, eraser, pencil etc. are always well received and don’t cost a lot.

If on the rare occasion a food option is chosen, we ask that they are commercially purchased and are not home-made, items need to be individually packaged and ingredients listed, such as Freddo, Lollipop or a packet of rice wheels. However, we highly encourage the non-food option to avoid any issues with food allergies.

If you are a parent with a child with food allergies, it may be an idea to speak with your child’s teacher to arrange a container of food treats for your child to have, in case on the rare occasion food options are supplied.

Anything sent along to be given to the class for a birthday, will be handed out at the end of the day so that teachers can ask children to take them home. This allows parents of other students to make decisions about what they allow their child to have.

If you are thinking about sending gifts for the class for your child’s birthday (prior to your child’s birthday), please email your child’s teacher to liaise with them about this. They can provide you with more detail, advice and then they will know what to expect and when.

COMPETITION TIME!

Alfie has been selected as a finalist in the Wild at Art- threatened species art competition.

He is one of the 100 selected from 5000 entries.

Alfie chose to represent the Gang Gang Cockatoo in his art along with a short-written component about them.

“The Gang Gang Cockatoo is special to me because it is part of my Aboriginal culture. They have soft feathers that I love to collect and feel.

I love to hear the sounds they make, that’s when I know they are around. I think they are so special, we have to look after them!!”

EXITING STUDENTS

We have already been notified that a couple of our students will not be returning to Reservoir West in 2025. If there are any others that will be moving schools, please let us know as soon as possible. Email Jo Blom in the office or me.

PARENT OPINION SURVEY – EXTENSION UNTIL THE END OF TERM – HOW EXCITING!

We currently have 183 out of 456 families complete the survey, which is 40%. I think that we could hit 50% seeing that the survey open until Friday 20^th September, the end of next week. Come on!

To complete the survey, go to the current Newsfeed for login details.

BREAKFAST CLUB

Breakfast Club will continue as usual this Fridays As has happened previously, the will be no Breakfast Club on the first and last Friday of every term.

Term 3

Week 9           Friday 13^th September          8.10 until 8.40 am (sharp)

Week 10         Friday 20^th September          Not happening

Term 4

Week 1           Friday 11^th October              Not happening

Week 2           Friday 18^th October              8.10 until 8.40 am (sharp)

Regards,

Bruce

Principal

Term 3, Week 9

NO Assembly this week.

• 3.15pm: 5MoF
• Golden Ticket Draw – Village 3
• 3.25: SOTW and Golden Ticket Draw photos at the stage area

Congratulations to all of the students that are receiving a Student of the Week award!

Group photo of last week's SOTW recipients!

WELLBEING CURRICULUM

We have almost finished our comprehensive sexuality education program across the school that aims to provide students with accurate information, promote healthy relationships, and empower them to make informed decisions. I have had the opportunity to facilitate the lessons in the Year 4 cohort and am proud of our students’ caring and thoughtful responses to content that can be a little uncomfortable but important all the same.

This is your monthly reminder to educate yourself and keep up the conversations with your children. You can access the Talking The Talk Virtual Classroom parent platform using our school’s Initial sign-up link: [ PARENT LINK ]

This month’s free resource link(s):

Diversity and Language resources 

• https://www.vic.gov.au/inclusive-language-guide
• https://vanessa-afdf.mykajabi.com/Links-for-LGBTIQ+

Purple Play Space Workshops
There was a buzz in the Wellbeing Hub for the last three weeks. Year 1 students participated in three highly engaging and energetic workshops. They explored embodiments of the Zone of Emotional Regulation and how to Stop, Opt and Go! You would have received information with your child explaining how they learned to notice and name their own feelings, how to move between zones and how to understand empathy. The Year 2 student commence their first workshop Wednesday, 11 September.

R U OK?Day is the National Day of Action and recognised on Thursday, 12 September. R U OK? is a national suicide prevention charity and registered public health promotion that encourages people to stay connected and have conversations that can help others through difficult times.

The Year 6 Wellbeing Leaders have planned two lunch time events in support of connections and conversations. The event's theme is all about FRIENDSHIP. The activities organised will help students learn how they can support each other and be good friends. Some of the activities will be led by the Year 6 Leaders and others will be independent tasks. These will be held in the Wellbeing Hub and in the grassy space outside of the Wellbeing Hub.
Wednesday 11 September: Foundation - Year 2

• Recognising kindness
• Learning how to ask if someone is ok
• Cup Filling
• Good Friend recipe
• And more...

Thursday 12 September: Year 3 - Year 6

• Friendships
• Asking R U OK? your way
• And more...

So whilst R U OK?Day on Thursday September 12 is our National Day of Action, we encourage you to Ask R U OK? Any Day of the year because a conversation could change a life.

Please let your child know, and also let them know that the Hub will not be available to hang out on Wednesday and Thursday due to these fun activities planned.

Here is a link to a free interactive video invites primary school students to ‘choose their own journey’ while navigating feelings and choices during R U OK? conversations.

Wellbeing T3 W9

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Dear RWPS community,

Dear Parents and Carers,

From Years 3 to 6, students have the opportunity to participate in a 1:1 Smart Classrooms program using Chromebooks running Google’s ChromeOS. We have had great success with this program, with over 90% of families opting in.

Reservoir West has chosen to create technologically inclusive learning environments to inspire hands-on learning, promote creativity, provide personalised learning and education in a variety of subject areas, and develop students 21st Century learning skills. Through increased access to digital technologies, students can benefit from enhanced learning that is interactive, collaborative, personalised and engaging.

Attached below is further information from both RWPS and our supplier, EduNet for those who would like some more information around the program.

The portal for purchasing Chromebooks for 2025 is now open.

Visit the Edunet Parent Portal at: http://reservoirwestps.technologyportal.com.au 

Please note the following cut off dates: 

1. To receive order prior to Christmas, order must be placed and paid for by 28th November 2024*.

1. To receive order for Week 1 Term 1, order must be placed and paid for by 5th January 2025*. 

1. All orders will be sent to the school and then distributed to families

* Cut off dates are only for devices listed on the portal as in stock. If a device is out of stock we can’t promise a Christmas or Week 1, Term 1 delivery.

In addition, some families have asked if other devices from home can be used at school. Unfortunately, this is not an option at RWPS. Chromebooks are exclusively used from Years 3-6 and they must be purchased via EduNet to be configured to our network. If you believe you have a device from an older sibling that may be able to be used, please see the criteria in the attached handout or email Jen Barnes.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to email:
Jen (Digital Technologies Co-ordinator) Jen.Barnes@education.vic.gov.au
Bruce (Principal) Bruce.Kearney@education.vic.gov.au
Edunet (Supplier) portal@edunet.com.au

Kind regards,

Jen Barnes
Digital Technologies Co-ordinator

2025_RWPS_Smart_Classroom_Presentation
RWPS BYOD 2025 Parent Doc

As part of our Global Studies curriculum, we are learning about the important concept of sustainability and how it impacts our daily lives. To put this learning into action, we are excited to announce a special Free Dress Day.

Details:

• Date:  Thursday 12^th September
• Event: Free Dress Day
• Donation: Gold coin donation

On this day, students are encouraged to wear casual clothes in exchange for a gold coin donation. All proceeds from the day will be donated to the Royal Melbourne Zoo, supporting their efforts to protect and conserve endangered animals.

This event not only helps reinforce the lessons we're learning about sustainability but also gives students a chance to make a positive impact on the world around them.

We appreciate your support in helping our students understand the importance of sustainability and encouraging them to take action for a better world.

The Year 3/4s

LIBRARY
The Year 5/6 students are currently in the process of researching and writing author studies as part of this term’s library program. This project involves researching a favourite author, exploring their life, writing style, and notable works. Through this, students will gain a deeper appreciation for literature and develop their research skills.

SCIENCE
This term we have been exploring all things Chemical Sciences in the STEAM room.

The Prep students have been exploring materials, developing their vocabulary for describing materials and their properties.

The Year 1 students have been experimenting with making changes to materials, such as stretching, bending, scrunching and tearing. They have learnt also been doing comparisons, learning about materials that can be changed in different or similar ways.

The Year 2 students have been investigating mixtures; liquids, solids, combining and separating. It has been messy ! They have developed their understanding of the different types of mixtures in our homes and all their uses.

The Year 3 students have been learning all about heating and cooling different materials. It has been a busy term of lots of hands-on investigations about changing materials, from their original state into another and back again.

The Year 4 students have been exploring different materials, their properties and uses, and their potential impact on the environment. They have looked at the strength and stretch of materials, biodegradable materials, plastics and how to select the appropriate materials for certain scenarios.

The Years 5 and 6 students have been looking at chemical versus physical changes and investigated several different scenarios where changes or chemical reactions occur. In one lesson, they had the opportunity to design their own experiments, using their skills and a small collection of tools to melt an ice cube in the quickest amount of time. We saw very creative methods being developed and lots of amazing teamwork.

We are looking forward to our units on Physical Sciences in Term 4!


P.E.
It has been a fabulous and very busy Term for the P.E team! We have had District Athletics day, Hoop Time tournament, Darebin Division Soccer Finals and have had Hockey Victoria run a six week clinic with some of our senior school students. It has been wonderful to see our students represent our school in such a positive way at a range of community events! We are very proud of what they have all achieved this Term and look forward to a big Term 4, hopefully with lots of sunshine!

DigiTech
F-2
The Students in Foundation, Year 1 and Year 2 have been using Seesaw to collect and represent data using graphs. They’ve shown their understanding of their graphs by recording their voice explaining the data. Students have enjoyed using digital spinners to collect data as well as surveying their classmates.

3/4
The students in grade 3 and 4 have been gathering data about the Olympics from trusted websites. They have had to think about what to include in their keyword searches to make sure they get the information they are looking for. They have been creating a Slides presentation about the Olympics which has included a range of different information sources such as timelines, tables, images, GIFs, animations and videos. It has been really interesting learning about the Olympics and Paralympics and presenting our information in a range of different ways.

5/6
In Term 3, the students in Year 5 and 6 have worked on a project based on the 2024 Paris Olympic games. They selected 4 different countries and researched their population and median age. They then collected the Olympic medal data for those countries and compared them, discussing the population and average age of those countries and if that had impacted the chances of those countries winning medals. Finally, students looked up the 2021 Tokyo Olympic data to see which Olympics was more successful for each of their countries. Students used Google Sheets to record their data and explored the graphs available to them in the ‘charts’ section. They then displayed their data and observations in Google Slides.

Specialists T3 W9

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This term, our Preps have been learning all about sustainability in Global Studies. They’ve been getting their hands dirty by planting sunflower seeds in our newly revamped STEAM garden. We’re excited to see how these sunflowers will grow, bringing more life to the school and attracting beneficial bugs, with the potential to even seed them in the future!

A huge thank you to our environmental leaders, Ilyah, Zoe, and Olivia, alongside Bianca, who helped organise and transform the garden space to make this possible. We’d also like to acknowledge Violet, Izzy, and Igby, who provided great support on the planting day. Additionally, a big shout-out to Rob, one of our fantastic parent helpers, for his continued support in gardening and maintenance around the school.

The Preps had a fantastic time, and we’re all eagerly awaiting the sunflowers to bring a splash of color to the school!

Foundation T3 W9

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I would like to let you all know that if your children are booked into after care this coming Friday, they will not be able to attend Hang Around Friday. We will be functioning out of the gym, art room and the main OSCH room. The children will be going outside after the event finishes. 

We are happy to bring the children out in small groups if they have money for a sausage. They will have Theircare bibs on with an educator at all times.

Thank you,
Jaymee. 

Hang Around Friday - Friday 13th September

This has become a school community favourite. We will serve BBQ sausages and veggie burgers in the school yard from 330pm. Students will be able to play with their peers while parents/guardians are able to socialize. All sausages are beef and halal. This event is CASH ONLY. No card facilities will be available. If you would like to volunteer for this event please use this link https://signup.zone/rwps-pfa-events 

We are proud to announce that this Hang Around Friday is being sponsored by the wonderful team at TheirCare - thank you for your sponsorship!

SECOND HAND UNIFORM SALE
We will be holding a Second Hand Uniform Sale (gold coin donation) on Friday 13th September from 3-4pm. During this week, please bring in any uniform that you would like to pass on, as well as any that are rag material. We are specifically looking for sizes 8 -12. It would be appreciated if you could label each bag by size or ‘rags’ and drop them at the office. No schoolbags or worn shoes please!


Thank you for following along and your ongoing support! 

Warmest regards

Zayna and the PFA team