As mentioned in our previous eNews, we invite parents/carers to share some classroom and specialist events with us during Education Week.  These are staggered across the week of 13 - 17 May and all link to this year's theme, Spotlight on STEM. 

A schedule of events can be found on the What's happening page of this eNews. We hope that parents/carers can join us for some of these opportunities during Education Week. 

Next week, our students will start this year's Evolve Digital Safety and Wellbeing program. We can't stress enough how essential it is for students and their families to be informed, respectful and cautious online.

Unfortunately, we continue to deal with some damaging online experiences for LPS children, happening in their own homes whilst having unsupervised access to inappropriate platforms. As all our students are children, their safety and wellbeing is dependent on adults setting clear boundaries for online use, and monitoring these.

Our school is providing eSafety education for our students to safely use the opportunities technology presents, and we need parents to reinforce these important messages. We have offered Parent eSafety sessions for the last two years, but unfortunately cancelled these due to a lack of interest. Although it seems that parents think they know what's happening on their child's devices, our staff continue to be shocked by what the children are actually accessing. 

Making decisions about programs your child can access is not about trusting your child. There are age limits in place that reflect the developmental maturity of children, as well as some legal requirements around personal information. Registration for social media platforms requires acknowledgment that the user has reached these ages, usually 13+, with the USA currently considering increasing this to 16+. For sound reasons.

Importantly, as we've learned from our Evolve Educators, even apps such as Roblox can have entirely inappropriate adult content, that has been uploaded by strangers and may easily be accessed by users. Given that this app has a recommended age of 16+ (according to the Australian Council on Children and the Media), we wonder why our primary school students are 'playing' it unsupervised with friends or strangers. 

We encourage parents to refer to the useful links on our Technologies page for further information about online apps, programs and platforms. Additionally, the Office of the eSafety Commissioner offers a useful App Checklist for parents, as well as some informative, free Parent Webinars.

As preventing online incidents is preferable, and much simpler than dealing with them, please take advantage of these resources.

Finally, thank you to our Parents Group who have swung into action to organise their popular Mother's Day stall on 9 May. Our warmest wishes are sent to all LPS mums for a very happy Mother's Day celebration on Sunday 12 May.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Education Week is an annual celebration of education in Victoria. This year’s theme, Spotlight on STEM, highlights the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in our everyday lives, in the classroom and beyond.

We look forward to welcoming families to this year's Education Week. Copies of the schedule below will also be displayed around the main school entry points. If you want to plan where you are going, our School Map can be found on the Sentral Parent Portal. 

Entry to the school during Education Week activities will be via Janet St only. On arrival, as per our Visitors in School Policy,  please make your way to the school foyer to sign in on the sheets provided. We also ask that you return to the school foyer to sign out before you leave. 

Monday 13 May

8.45am - 8.57am Library open. Come and read a story with your child.

Prep
Come and join in a Library session at the following times:

12.00-12.30pm Prep W
12.30-1.00pm Prep P
1.00-1.30pm Prep R
1.30-2.00pm Prep H

Year 5
12.00-1.00pm Art room 
Year 5B will be working on construction, creating recycled sculptures.

2.30 - 3.30pm Year 5 classrooms
In Biological Science, the Year 5s are focusing on Animal Adaptations. The students are exploring different animals and how they adapt to varying landscapes. During Education Week, students will be introducing Penny the Polar bear, adapting its living conditions to survive in Australia. 

Tuesday 14 May

8.45am - 8.57am Library open. Come and read a story with your child.

12.00-1.00pm Art room
Prep P will be cutting and pasting Autumn leaf collages and cutting snowflakes.

Year 4
2.30-3.30pm in Year 4 classrooms
Year 4 students will be showcasing Science experiments as part of their 'Beneath our Feet' inquiry. There will be hands-on exploration of rocks and soil using microscopes and magnifying glasses. Students will observe and document the characteristics of different samples, using technical terms to describe what they see. 


Year 6
2.30-3.30pm in Year 6 classrooms
As part of 'Museums in Motion' Inquiry, Year 6 will be presenting their use of technology and engineering by sharing dioramas related to the events that have shaped Australia.

Wednesday 15 May

8.45am - 8.57am Library open. Come and read a story with your child.

Prep
2.45-3.15pm in Prep classrooms
Preps have been exploring 'things that change'. They will be completing an autumn leaf activity followed by Maths games.

Year 1
Come in and see a Music class in action

10.00am 1M Music in the PAC
12.00pm 1C Music in the PAC
1.00pm 1D Music in the PAC
2.30pm 1F Music in the PAC

Year 2
12.00-2.00pm Art Room
Year 2 will be drawing bugs using ink and calligraphy brushes:
12.00pm 2G
1.00pm 2K

Year 2
2.45-3.30pm in Year 2 classrooms
Year 2 will be learning how different materials can be changed or combined to make objects that we use in our lives. Students will be creating bubble wands and using a mixture to blow bubbles.

Thursday 16 May

8.45am - 8.57am Library open. Come and read a story with your child.

Year 3
P.E. in the Hall
9.00-10.00am 3S & 3C P.E. 
10.00-11.00am 3P & 3M P.E. 

2.30-3.30pm in Year 3 classrooms
As part of the inquiry topic 'Into the Unknown', Year 3 students will be designing and making a 'sextant' to use to measure the angle of the sun.

Year 1
2.45 - 3.30pm in Year 1 classrooms
Year 1’s will be putting on their scientist hats to investigate 'how things change' during a class experiment.

Friday 17 May

8.45am - 8.57am Library open. Come and read a story with your child.

Prep
10.00am-2.00pm Art Room
Cutting and pasting Autumn leaf collages and cutting snowflakes:
10.00am Prep R
12.00pm Prep H
1.00pm Prep W

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute 

This term, Evolve Education is delivering digital safety and wellbeing workshops to all students from Prep to Year 6. The information below is provided by Bec and Steve, Evolve Educators.

Students are learning to improve their digital well-being, protect their privacy, and respect others online.

We have included information below on the Beacon App for parents. This free Australian resource is designed to help parents and carers learn about emerging online safety risks and report online harms like cyberbullying. As parents and former teachers ourselves, we believe it is one of the best resources currently available in

Thank you for your ongoing support in keeping our students safe online.

Foundation - It’s Private In this session, students explore the importance of keeping their personal information safe. Students will investigate the following key themes and topics throughout the workshop: ● Staying safe when using connected devices ● Keeping personal information private ● Password safety ● Trusted adults and asking for help

Year 1 & 2- My Connected World In this session, students explore how to stay safe when accessing connected devices. Students will investigate the following key themes and topics throughout the workshop:   The internet connects us ● The connected world ● Ask permission ● Pesky pop-ups ● Trust your gut ● Unsafe feelings ● Connected world ● Trusted adults

Year 3 & 4 – Being Kind Online In this session, students investigate ways to be kind online and how to protect themselves from online meanness. Students will investigate the following key themes and topics throughout the workshop:   Online meanness ● What does online meanness look like? ● Dealing with digital drama ● Bouncing back       ● Upstander, bystander ● Trusted adults and help-seeking ● Be an upstander

Year 5 & 6 – Risks and Rewards In this session, students explore the importance of keeping their personal information safe. Students will investigate the following key themes and topics throughout the workshop:   My digital footprint ● Places we go ● Information we share ● Protecting our privacy       ● People who help us ● Asking permission ● Trusted adults

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Year 1
The Year 1s have been revising Reading expectations to ensure they are successful, active readers. They have discussed what Independent Reading sessions look, sound and feel like. For example, they look like students reading their books, they sound like students turning pages and reading quietly into their whisper phones, and they feel peaceful. 

The students have discussed how and why they treat their book boxes with respect. They also made sure that their texts are in order from smallest to largest so they can easily see what books they have in their boxes.       

The Year 1s have excitedly begun using iPads during some Reading sessions. The students have discussed the class iPad expectations and have practised carrying them carefully back to their tables. They have successfully logged on to different Reading programs to read and listen to a variety of texts.

The Year 1 students have also been learning to make sure that what they read makes sense. If meaning is lost, they have been rereading and self-correcting. This is important to ensure they understand what they are reading about, and they are monitoring their reading accuracy.

After reading their books, students have been retelling important details in their own words. They have identified the main characters, setting, beginning, problem, solution and ending. By doing this, students demonstrate their comprehension of what has happened in the story.

Encourage your child at home to retell their take home books to you after reading.

Year 2
In our Inquiry unit, ‘Stimulating Science’, students are learning how our physical world changes and how these changes help us in our daily lives. Students worked collaboratively to form a volcano from play dough. They made predictions and described changes that happened when bicarb soda, dishwashing liquid and vinegar were mixed together. The ‘volcano eruption’ proved to be lots of messy fun!   

In Wellbeing, students are learning problem-solving skills in group activities. One task was to pass a hoop around a circle of students without letting go of each other’s hands. Another task was to pass spoonfuls of water between team mates into a cup, with the aim of having the most water in your team’s cup at the end. The skills of listening to others, focusing and encouragement were discussed as behaviours that were helpful to solve problems.
 

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

It has been wonderful to observe and feel the energy that our 2024 JSC Representatives have brought to our meetings. Their willingness to represent their classes and report back on our important business has been a highlight.

To conclude Term 1, JSC hosted a lunchtime event with Pablo one of our private guitar instructors at LPS. Many students came during lunchtime to listen to Pablo play Spanish music and educate us about the many styles that can be played on the acoustic guitar. A small group chose to stay back for special requests, which included Taylor Swift hits and Waltzing Matilda sing alongs. Thank you to Pablo for giving his time to share his expertise and talent with our students.

So far this term, JSC Representatives in Years 5 and 6 have been visiting classes selling ANZAC Day badges, pens and bracelets for the Blackburn RSL. An important organisation to support, the reps have been reliable and trustworthy in fulfilling this task.

A current focus for JSC is the repair and rejuvenation of the boat in the Janet St playground. Reps have been conducting a vote, inviting their class mates to suggest possible colour schemes. These will be brought to our next meeting for a final decision to be made. Watch this space for developments!

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

In Year 3 we have been playing different fluency games at the beginning of our Maths lessons. Fluency games allow us to practise Maths strategies and warm up our mathematicians' brains for the session ahead.

Some of our favourite Maths fluency games are:

"My favourite Maths fluency game is ‘Go Fish Friends of 10’ because it teaches me my friends of 10 like 7 and 3."
Jayden C

"My favourite game is ‘100 Laughs’ because I get to use strategies to skip count."
Jarvis B

"I enjoy playing ‘Battleships’ because I learn how to use coordinates like B3 and F7 to sink ships."
Neve L

"My favourite fluency game is ‘Choc-Chip Cookies’ because I get to problem solve using addition and multiplication."
Twisha B

"I liked playing ‘Greedy Pig’ because I enjoy the suspense of the game and adding all my numbers at the end."
Ethan S
   

Year 4
Term 2 has started well with a focus on swimming and water safety. We have spent the last two weeks ferrying the students to and from the pool to participate in their swimming lessons. As swimming is an important life skill, it has been good to see the students strengthening their swimming skills and practising how to be safe in and around the water.
                

                                                     

Year 4s have begun a Maths unit exploring measurement. The students were engaged in creating and flying paper planes, before measuring the distance using a trundle wheel. The activity garnered rich discussion about length and students made connections with their learning about forces from last term.

Another highlight over the last two weeks has been the Deakin Pre-service teacher visits on Wednesdays to deliver Science lessons. The topics covered have been forces, food chains and animals. There were plenty of hands-on activities from flying paper planes to investigating the living things that exist in the school playground.

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

Our students enjoyed sharing their learning with parents/carers during our Term 1 Inquiry School Expo. Your support not only strengthens the bond between home and school, but also demonstrates collaboration in nurturing our students' growth and development.

The Expos provided a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase the incredible work and achievements of our students. We hope that you found the Expos informative and inspiring.

Inquiry Term 2

This term, all year levels are investigating the concept of 'Change'. 

Preps – The Changing World
Preps will consider change through the lens of Science, Geography and History. They will explore how their community has changed over time, how the seasons change, and how living things change in order to survive.

Years 1 & 2 – Stimulating Science
Years 1 and 2 will consider change that we experience in our lives through the lenses of biology, earth and space science, chemistry and physics. They will make predictions and scientific observations throughout the unit. The students will demonstrate what they have learnt by identifying ‘Science’ in their classroom and record their understanding of each branch of Science.

Years 3 & 4 – Into the Unknown
Years 3 and 4 will learn about changes over time and how those changes affect our lives. They will consider changes in their community as they explore historic buildings in the local area. Students will learn about people who shaped our interconnected world as they research the life and legacy of an explorer from the ‘Age of Exploration’. They will also learn about the significance of celebrations and symbols in Australia and around the world.

Years 5 & 6 – Museum in Motion
Years 5 and 6 will learn about the concept of change through the lens of Australian History. They will explore the causes of, and the reasons why, people migrated to Australian from Europe and Asia. Students will learn about the events and people that have shaped our country as they work towards opening the ‘Museum in Motion’.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

 



It's never too late to join The Fathering Project!

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute

Mother’s Day Stall 2024

The annual Mother’s Day Stall is back! It will be held on Thursday May 9th in the Science Lab. 

Items are on display in the school office and prices range from $2.50 - $6.00 (please see flyer below for details).

On the day we strongly suggest that children bring along their money in a purse or zip locked bag.

Parents if you could spare an hour, especially the Dads, to help out at the stall?  

Please sign up here:

https://www.trybooking.com/CRHDF

(please note you must have a valid working with children’s check (WWCC) to volunteer at school)

Any questions please contact Kate: 0412 714 366

Lunch Orders – Parent Helpers Needed in Term 2

If you can spare about 1 hour on a Wednesday or a Friday (from 11.15am) to help pack the lunch orders this term, please sign up here: https://signup.com/go/CNbQDJF

Please note you must have a valid working with children’s check (WWCC) to volunteer at school.

LPS Umbrellas for Sale!

With Winter only a few weeks away, there’s never been a better time to invest in an LPS umbrella. They are large and sturdy and great value for money. Priced at $25 each, they can be purchased at the office.

LABURNUM PRIMARY SCHOOL SECOND-HAND UNIFORM SHOP

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

Welcome to Term 2 in the Art Room

Year 6 students are continuing to develop painting skills and completing their skateboard designs for the first part of the term. Later they will be working on their collaborative pieces for their Graduation Artwork. Year 5 are excited to begin a construction unit, making a sculpture out of recycled materials from home. They will be looking for interesting clean rubbish at home for their specific purposes.

Year 4 are exploring ceramic bells and will create their own bell from clay. Year 3 are learning about Op Art, screen printing and positive and negative space.

Year 2 are investigating the world of insects and Year 1 will be making prints related to the Ocean as a theme. Preps are working with cutting, collage and clay.

We hope to see you in the Art Room for Education Week and have timetabled specific lessons that you are invited to attend.

We are grateful for donations of clean recycling and non-food related small packaging for the Year 5 sculpture unit. We are currently needing cardboard cylinders from cling wrap and aluminium packaging. Science, Gardening and Home Decorating magazines are also appreciated, as well as ribbon for weaving projects.

Thank you to those parents who have already provided their children with Art Smocks for this year. Please clearly label your child’s smock with their name and class. All students will require a smock for Art lessons and you may find these at your local uniform shop.
                                  
  

Curiosity  •   Respect  •  Integrity  •  Resilience

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute 

Click on these links  below for Community News or information:               

Click on the OSHClub logo to read this week's OSHClub news. OSHClub Registration - 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 the Chess Club image for registration.

Our Vision:    Learn   •   Thrive  •   Contribute