A team of our teachers has attended NAPLAN training, to learn more about the new NAPLAN proficiency levels and reports. They recently presented our 2023 results to our staff. This meeting was a celebration of excellent results for our Year 3 and 5 students, yet again.

Unfortunately, we cannot compare these results to previous years, and no longer receive the reports previously available. This means that 2023 data will be the new benchmark for all schools.

The percentages below are provided to each school to indicate the percentage of students who achieved 'Exceeding or Strong' for each NAPLAN area:

• Year 3 Reading 82% 
• Year 3 Spelling 70% 
• Year 3 Numeracy 85% 
• Year 3 Writing 90% 
• Year 3 Grammar and Punctuation 68% 
  
  
• Year 5 Reading 90% 
• Year 5 Spelling 85% 
• Year 5 Numeracy 91%
• Year 5 Writing 93% 
• Year 5 Grammar and Punctuation 87% 

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Hi all,

Hope this finds you all well as we head towards the back end of term 3 – spring has arrived!

We wanted to start this school council update with a few words about the recent event hosted at the school where we heard from The Fathering Project. If you have not heard about it, The Fathering Project aims to “...educate, connect, and mobilise fathers and families with the goal of creating brighter futures for children.” It is such a great mission statement.

I arrived a bit early and sat up the front of the room as the room was already filling up fast. About 10 minutes into the presentation, I turned around and was completely blown away by the amount of people in the room – it was standing room only. As it turned out, we had around 140 carers attend and many times more children down in the library making paper planes. It was such a fantastic community event, and our heartfelt thanks go out to Mr Marikar, Mr Dwyer, and Mrs Verbi for organising such a great evening. There is another Fathering Project event planned for early October (Lego Bricks and Muffins) so make sure you RSVP early for that one.

While we are on the topic of organising great community events, our Parents Group continues to put in the hard yards and this term we have just held another highly successful Father's Day breakfast. It was a bit of a damp morning but again, it was great to see so many of our community braving the weather and enjoying a breakfast while the kids ran around and had fun.

Coming up soon will be the annual Footy Pie Day and we are also a polling booth for the upcoming Australian Indigenous Voice referendum, so keep an eye out on the Parents Group page in the newsletter or from your class reps for more details on those.

At school council there is quite a bit to discuss as along with our normal business, we have our schools two big building and grounds projects currently going to tender.

A couple of weeks ago, our Education subcommittee hosted a community morning tea down at the school where we looked over the building plans and had a chat about the major works program. It is not too long now before we will start to see some of the older buildings being removed, others being moved, and the site being prepared which is exciting. 

At the other end of the school, the Junior School playground is also moving to tender, and it will be great to see this one come to life at the same time. Looking at the plans, it is easy to see how this will transform that end of our school and provide a really fun and engaging space for our kids. (These plans are still on the wall outside the Sick Bay).

In other news, the Parent/Caregiver/Guardian Survey has recently gone out to a randomised sample of our community. We really appreciate your feedback from these surveys and the excellent response we had last year was able to be incorporated directly into our planning. Thank you in advance for those that made time to respond to this survey and we are looking forward to seeing the results.

It was also excellent to see our school recently named as one of our state’s “Top 50 primary schools”, along with around 20 other government schools. Our sincere thanks and congratulations go out to all our staff and students on the news, and you should feel very proud.

Chat soon,

Matt

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

On a recent episode of 'A Current Affair', one of Australia's top child protection investigators, Jon Rouse, reported that, "Any app or game with a chat function can be exploited by criminals to target children". "Don't  rely on big tech...to protect your kids. It's up to you as the parents because you're giving them the actual handheld device that's got technology on it". Parents can watch this video here.

Please make sure to access our Technologies page where you will find a number of resources and advice to help you make an informed decision about the vast array of websites, applications and online games that are within easy access of our children.

Parents have the opportunity to register for an online Parent Digital Safety and Wellbeing Workshop scheduled for Term 4. This registration will determine the sizing of our session/s and a link will be shared closer to the date. The parent session coincides with the onsite student sessions scheduled for next term, both being facilitated by Evolve Education. Please register your interest here.

Some of you may have attended a parent information session at LPS with Susan McLean a few years back. Susan McLean is an expert in the area of cybersafety. Videos, resources and fact sheets from Susan McLean can be accessed here.

It is our responsibility as parents/carers to be open to, and make use of, the abundant resources available to best support our children as they navigate their way through a world with technologies.

It's ok to say no.

As per our Mobile Phone Policy students are required to hand their mobile phones into the school administration office, to be placed in a lockable cupboard whenever the device is brought to school. It has been brought to our attention that some students are not following this procedure and we ask that you remind your child/children of this requirement. This also includes the wearing of smartwatches that have a camera or messaging function.

Thankyou to those families who have already done so. 

As per our Sun Protection Policy, please ensure your child has a named LPS sunsmart protective hat (broad-rimmed, legionnaire or bucket). All students must wear a sun protective hat that shades the face, neck and ears for all outdoor activities. See below.         

Save the date: 
On Friday 17 November, we are celebrating "Cultural Day" at LPS.

This event is organised by a group of Year 6 students, who encourage all students to wear clothes that represent their culture. They may be traditional clothes, clothes that represent the colours of a flag, or something to show where your family comes from.

We will be celebrating "Cultural Day" at that week's school assembly. All parents/carers are welcome. 

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

An important message for everyone in the school community:

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Year 1

This term the Year 1s have been learning what stress is and how their body and mind might feel when they are stressed. The students brainstormed ideas of things they can do to calm down or cheer up when they feel this way. Some examples discussed were reading a book, playing with friends, patting a family pet and talking to someone about how they are feeling and why. The students learnt relaxation techniques, such as pretending they are a floating cloud, melting like a piece of ice and doing deep breathing, as other ways to destress.

Another way to manage stress is to exercise. And the Year 1s have certainly had plenty of that during the two-week swimming program! They have been learning how to be safe in the water by working on different swimming strokes, floating on their backs and experiencing what if feels like to be in the water with shorts and t-shirts on. The last swimming session was a ‘fun day’ where the students played games like ‘What’s the time Mr Wolf?’ and threw coloured balls into a basket.

Year 2

In Reading, students have been learning how to use non-fiction features such as maps, headings and diagrams to identify what the author wants us to learn, as well as how information is organised. This helps students to have a better understanding of the text.

During Book Week Dress Up Day we shared our favourite book with a buddy.

In our inquiry unit, ‘Light and Sound’, students created their own instruments by experimenting with different materials to make different sounds. They also explored how computers can make melodies. Students investigated sources of light and how shadows move during the day. These experiences are being used to create a puppet production based on a chosen story. In teams, students will make their own puppet theatre, shadow puppets and sounds to perform for their peers.

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

This session provides parents with guidance on supporting their child, not only for the duration of the Interrelate 'Moving into the Teen Years' program, but also as their child moves through puberty. This is for adults (parents and carers) only, so please ensure that you have access to headphones.  There will be an opportunity for questions during this session.

Please register here by Friday 8 September and you will be forwarded the link on Monday 11 September.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Year 3

Over the last two weeks, the Year 3s have been using the school values of resilience and curiosity while we have been learning about water safety and swimming as part of the Just Swim Swimming program.  

The swimming teachers taught us about different swimming techniques, how to breathe correctly under water, how to swim to the bottom of the pool and ways we can keep safe around water.                                                           
  

On Wednesday 30 August we participated in a Water Safety Day, where we practised swimming in our normal clothing. We began our lesson by looking at different water safety signs and discussed what each sign means. We learnt different strategies to use if we see someone who is in trouble while they are in water. We discussed what the red and yellow flag means and identified lifeguards as trusted adults if we need help. We identified water places where we might get into trouble and we practised raising our arm and shouting out help if we were in danger.                                                        
  We had so much fun during our swimming program, here are some of our favourite parts!  

Year 4

The Year 4 students have been engrossed in an exciting and hands-on project that has blended science with the students own creativity. Armed with cardboard, tape, scissors, glue and a wealth of curiosity, their mission was to design and build their very own cardboard arcade games, all while focussing on the idea of forces in Science.

The project began with an introduction to the concept of forces – those invisible influences that shape the motion and interactions of objects around us. The students learned about different types of forces, such as pushing, pulling, friction and gravity. They looked at how these forces can affect the way things move.
        

Working in small groups, the students brainstormed unique game ideas that would not only be entertaining but also embody the forces they had just learned about. Each group designed their cardboard game, considering how forces would come into play within the mechanics of the game. Some games involved launching small balls to hit targets, showcasing the force of propulsion and gravity. Others explored the idea of balance, where careful weight distribution was necessary to keep a rolling object on course.           

                         

The cardboard arcade project provided the Year 4 students with an enriching experience that merged scientific exploration, imagination and creativity.

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

2023 BDPSSA District Athletics Carnival

On Friday 1 September, our annual BDPSSA (Blackburn District Primary School Sports Association) Athletics Carnival took place at Bill Sewart Athletics Track in Burwood. We took 57 students competing in the following events: Shot Put, Discus, Triple Jump, Long Jump, 100m sprint, 200m sprint 800m and 1500m races as well as the 4x100m Relay.

Our students, as always displayed excellent sportsmanship and pride during the day, being respectful to their opponents and to the judges. It was a fantastic day by the school to show our school values.

A big congratulations to all the students who were part of this year’s District team and well done to all the students who have progressed to the Whitehorse Division Athletics Carnival which will be held on 11 October.

Finally, thank you to all the parents and teachers who helped on the day and for all their support.

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

Parents Group News

Father’s Day Breakfast Wrap Up

So great to see so many Dads / Grandfathers / Father Figures enjoying the breakfast last Friday, it’s always such a wonderful community event! We even raised a small profit this year, which will go towards the junior school playground upgrade that is commencing soon.

Big thank you to all the volunteers who were at school at the crack of dawn, to Francois from Bonjour de France for working tirelessly to provide the danishes, and to Nadia H and Liz H for putting on such a yummy gourmet breakfast!

AFL Gala Day Lunch Orders – Thursday 14^th of September
Last chance to place a lunch order for AFL Gala Day! Orders must be in by Friday 8^th of September!

What is AFL Gala Day?
Students can wear their favourite sports jersey or house colours and the day will include students taking part in a range of AFL themed activities out on the oval and on the basketball court.

Footy Pie Lunch Orders
Lunch orders are available on the AFL Gala Day for all LPS students. Each lunch order costs $6 and includes a food item and a drink. Please see the flyer with more information on the lunch orders available.




Please use the QR Code or link below to place your order for your child/children by Friday 8 September 2023. 
https://www.trybooking.com/CKPXH
                                   

Parent helpers needed!

We are also looking for parent volunteers to help pack the lunches on the day. If you are available for a couple of hours, please sign up here: https://signup.com/go/nLydKoj

Referendum Cake Stall – Saturday 14th of October

Laburnum Primary School will be a polling station for the Voice to Parliament referendum on Saturday October 14th and Parents Group will once again run our infamous cake stall!                                                 

This is a great opportunity to fundraise for the school, so we will be asking the LPS community to Bake! Bake! Bake!

More details coming soon!              

Community Giveback Program
                          
The Athlete’s Foot continues to offer a school rewards program. For EVERY pair of shoes you or a family member purchase, $5 is donated back to our school. Simply nominate Laburnum Primary School at the time of purchase at The Athlete’s Foot Forest Hill Chase store.

LABURNUM PRIMARY SCHOOL
SECOND-HAND UNIFORM SHOP

Click on these links  below for Community News or information:                  

Click on the OSHClub logo (left) to read this week's OSHClub news. OSHClub - please register your child - it's free to register and you'll always have that option for childcare, even in unexpected circumstances.

Please click here to view information and registration for Digimaker.

Please click on image for Chess Club registration

Places still available for 3 & 4yo Kinder - please click here for more information.

Please click here to view information about OGPS Fete

Please click here for East Box Hill Cricket Club

Please click here for Australian Sports Camps

Please click here to view information about Girl Guides

Please click here for Laburnum Cricket Club

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

It's time to register to join our first official
Fathering Project event - Bricks & Muffins!

   

Thursday 5 October
8.00am in the
Staff Community Centre.

Dads and father-figures, come along and enjoy quality time with your child building with Lego while enjoying a muffin on us! 

Remember, bring your Lego along! 
 
RSVP: Register by Tuesday 3 October (to help us with catering)

 

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

The Parenting Revolution now.


AUTHOR: Dr Justin Coulson
Dr Justin Coulson is a dad to 6 daughters. He is the parenting expert and co host of Channel Nine’s Parental Guidance, and he and his wife host Australia’s #1 podcast for parents and family: The Happy Families Podcast. He has written 6 books about families and parenting. 

Curiosity  •  Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience