Newsletter - Issue No.113

Mrs Gallagher-Simeons – Principal

Dear Families,

We have had a tremendously busy start to the term with a smooth transition into Term 3.

We have had many events this term including Interschool Cross Country, Swimming, School Photos, Worm Shed Incursions and the Science Excursion to Butler College. Thank you parents and to all the staff for their efforts in making these events possible and such a success.

Next week we look forward to seeing you at the Open Night on Tuesday 20th August from 4:30pm to 6:30pm in line with Book Week where we will also have our Book Fair in the Library before and after school. We will end the week with a book character parade and look forward to seeing everyone in their costumes.

We are a Positive Behaviour School (PBS) and students are learning in-depth our values, expectations and thriving with acknowledgement of their gains through tweets. Please praise your child when they receive these special awards.

We have met with the School Board and P&C this term and shared our information about PBS and our School Business Plan. We always seek feedback and act on the information. One of these is sharing how we deal with incidents and support your child. Please keep an eye out on Connect which is our main form of communication detailing our reflection and notification sheets as well as the policies and processes we use.

More events to look forward and be excited about this term include the Room 8 Assembly on Wednesday, 21st August and the Pre-Primary Assembly on Wednesday, 4^th September.  We also have our Faction Carnival on Friday 6th September.

Wendy Gallagher-Simeons
Principal

Deputy Principal

 We would like to say a Big Thank You to Water Ponyz Swim School Merriwa for all the amazing Swimming lessons delivered to our students during the first four weeks of this term.  

We would also like to congratulate our students for their exemplary behaviour. Water Ponyz commented that our students were very respectful and kind.  Thank you to the parents and teachers for supporting the children during the 4 weeks of swimming lessons.

In addition, we have received our preliminary allocation of swimming dates for 2025. 

2025 TERM 2 WEEKS 1 THROUGH 4

Once we have more information, we will let you know.

Michael Williams
Deputy Principal

Manager Corporate Services

2024 Contributions

Thank you to all the families that have paid their 2024 Contributions, it is greatly appreciated as the funds received so far have supported your child’s education by enabling the school to purchase extra materials, services, and resources. 

Although the school receives funding for the curriculum, it does not cover the extra learning materials which are sometimes funded by the teaching staff.

All voluntary contributions received are directed straight back into the classroom, further enriching your child’s educational opportunities.  The more contributions we receive, the more we can offer the children – so every penny counts.   It equates to $1.15 per week throughout the year.

Payments can be made via

• EFT
• Cash, or
• Directly deposited into the School Bank Account.

Account Name:         East Butler Primary School
BSB:                           066 058
Account No.:             10024364

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries regarding your contributions or other needs of your child.

Jae Halden
Manager Corporate Services

Dates to Note:

School Development Days in 2024  

Monday 7^th October 2024

Special News:

Open Night

On Tuesday, 20th August we will have an Open Night where classes are open from 4.30pm-6.30pm and parents are welcome to view their child's work and have a brief chat with the teacher.

Book Week

Monday 19th August will be the start of our Book Week celebrations for 2024.  

We will have our popular Scholastic Book Fair, where children will come and look at the collection with wish list in hand.  Children will be able to purchase straight from the shop using cash or the payment slip on the back of their wish lists. The Book Fair will be open from Tuesday 20th August between 8.00am-8.15am and 2.30pm-3.00pm until Friday, 23rd August.  

The Book Fair will also be open from 4.30-6.30pm on Open Night so that you can come in and help your child choose their books. EFTPOS facilities will be available. 

Book Character Dress Up Parade

On Friday 23rd August we will be having a dress as your Favourite Book Character Day.  We will have a morning parade on Friday morning at 9.00am in the undercover area, which families are invited to attend.

Interschool Cross-Country

On Friday 26 July, East Butler entered teams into the Interschool cross-country carnival held at Kingsbridge Park next to Butler Primary School.

I am very proud of our students for their very good behaviour.  There was a bit of rain throughout the day, but the students kept up their high spirits. It was great to see our students cheering for their classmates and the other participants.

Congratulations to our East Butler students for winning the Meritorious Shield. This shield is given to the school that has lower student numbers and the highest average of points based on student numbers. We finished Third Overall.  Thank you all for putting forth a great effort on the day.

A big Thank You to Mr. Fry and all of our wonderful parent volunteers for your support during the day.  The rain made things difficult, but we persevered through it and we had an amazing day.

Science Excursion to Butler College

Earlier this week, our Year 5 and 6 students had an amazing opportunity to visit Butler College as part of National Science Week. The staff and students at Butler College warmly welcomed us to their school where they had planned exciting activities for our students.

Our Year 5 and 6 students first took part in physical activities relating to how the body works. Later, they were treated to an exciting science show where hydrogen, liquid nitrogen and dry ice were used in impressive ways.

The students thoroughly enjoyed their time at Butler College and were able to learn in a fun and engaging environment.

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Kindy Storytime Session

Our Kindy students enjoyed a “Storytime Session” by Shandra O’ Connor from Clarkson Library. The students had some stories read to them and sang a few songs together. Each student received a gift bag filled with some information about the library and a book for each child. This fun filled afternoon inspired the children and made them excited about reading.

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Worm Shed Incursion

On Tuesday, 30^th July, students in Room 6, 8 and 10 were lucky enough to take part in an incursion run by two super ladies from The Worm Shed.  Students learnt about the life of a worm and got to make their own mini worm farms to take home.  The students had a super informative session and fun was had by all.  The Worm Shed ladies deserve a special mention as they spent the morning re-vamping the 8 EBPS worm farms which will be fed the fruit and veggie scraps from the small bins found at each classroom by our Waste Warriors.   

Sustainability

The sustainability Team at East Butler Primary School have been busy working hard to setup our Worm Farm, thank you to The Worm Shed for their helpful hints and tips.

Our team have also been busy delivering our brand-new paper recycling bins to classrooms. These were received as a result of a grant from Waste Sorted.  We are updating our bin infrastructure to match the Australian Standard Bin Colours. Please look out for our new signage, some of which were designed by our students!

Breakfast Club

We would like to say a big thank you to Professionals Leading Edge Clarkson for their generous donation to our Breakfast Club! We truly appreciate your support!

Breakfast Club is available to all students every Tuesday and Friday from 8.00 am until 8.20 am in the Undercover Area next to the Canteen.

All students are welcome to come along, and we look forward to seeing you there.

ACT, Belong, Commit

Your Move

Your Move school – benefits of Your Move

We are a member of the Your Move Schools program.

Your Move encourages students and their families to get active by walking, scooting and riding to school. Making a small behavioural change a few times a week can result in huge benefits for your child and the community, including:

• Reduced congestion, travel times and parking problems around schools;
• Improved safety for everyone at drop-off and pick-up times;
• Reduced carbon dioxide emissions around the school;
• Lifelong improved health and emotional well-being due to instilling positive exercise habits at a young age;
• Improved concentration and academic performance;
• More sustainable and cost-effective transport outcomes, such as reducing the need for investment in parking that may only be utilised for a short period each day, and reduced road infrastructure maintenance costs.

We earn Your Move points by posting stories and photos of our active transport adventures on the website; these can translate into grants to fund active transport facilities and activities for the school and other rewards. If you’re interested in volunteering to be part of our school’s Your Move program, get in touch with our Your Move Champion Mrs Utley

OFFICE NEWS

Voluntary Contributions

Thank you to those parents who have already paid their voluntary contributions through the booklist and other methods– this certainly helps the school to ensure that resources are made available to the various year groups for this school year. Please remember that you are always welcome to enter into a Payment Plan with the school.

Online Payments to the school

Online payments are our preferred method of payment.  If you would like to make an online payment to the school (for contributions, excursions, etc), please use the following bank details:

Can you please ensure you provide the student’s name and what the payment is for when you make any payments.  More information is below regarding paying money to the school.

Daily Absences

If your child is absent from School, can you please advise your child’s name, room number and reason for absence.  This number is accessible 24 hours and we would be grateful if you could please notify us as early as possible of any absence or lateness.

Late for School?

If you have students who arrive late for school please sign them in at the office on the Ipad and ensure they collect a late slip to hand to their teacher.  This will update the system and ensure that you do not receive a text message advising that they are absent from school.

Connect

Connect is a fantastic tool for the school to keep in touch with families of East Butler Primary School.  If you are not receiving Connect messages please contact the front office and we will be happy to help.

In-term Leave

For any in-term leave, a form is required to be submitted to the school.  This form is available for printing below or in hard copy from the front office.  If you are taking your child/ren on holiday during school, the absences will be marked as “unauthorised vacation”.  This is a Department of Education directive.

Lost Property

The lost property box can be found in the Administration block.    The P&C have kindly offered to go through the lost items every week and return any named items to the students’ classrooms.  At the end of every term any items still remaining in the box will be donated to charity.

SCHOOL DATES 2024

MEDICAL PLANS

If your child has a medical condition which requires a medical plan, we would like to refer you to the documents below.  Please complete the relevant plan for your child’s medical requirements. 

If your child is taking medication on a permanent basis, please complete the Form 2 Generic Health care plan. Should your child require short-term medication (i.e. antibiotics, Panadol) please come to the office to fill out an “authority to administer form”.  All medication is to be kept at the office.

If your child requires a long term plan, this will need to be signed by their doctor prior to bringing it into the school.  Once we have the information we will then draw up a plan and circulate this information amongst the staff at East Butler Primary School to ensure that the medical needs of the student are met in accordance with their personal plan and Department of Education Policy.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Triple P Parenting Program

Triple P is the parenting program that helps make raising kids easier. It gives you tips and ideas to help raise happy and confident kids; see more of the behaviors you like and less of the ones you don’t; and have better relationships with your family.

The Triple P – Positive Parenting Program is available to parents and carers of children in Western Australia, thanks to the Department of Education, Child and Adolescent Health Service, WA Country Health Service, and the Department of Communities. Private providers also deliver Triple P.

Free Triple P Seminars are being offered in various locations. Other Triple P programs may be available in selected regions, with more to come in the future. Most providers offer free sessions. Some sessions may be offered in a virtual/video conference format.  Please follow the links below to Triple P courses available near you.

Saver Plus Community Program

What is Saver Plus?

Saver Plus is a free online community money skills program funded by ANZ and the Australian Government, and delivered by The Smith Family in WA:

• helping people to hit their savings goals,
• develop life-long savings habits, and
• receive up to $500 in matched savings from ANZ to assist with school expenses.

The Saver Plus community program has helped over 55,000 Australians take the stress out of back to school time. It’s free for eligible people to join.

At Saver Plus, we pair you with a savings coach while you budget and save over the next 10 months. You attend online workshops to learn tips, tricks and information to grow your budgeting and savings skills. Once you reach your agreed savings goal, ANZ matches your savings dollar-for-dollar, up to $500. You can use that money towards education costs such as uniforms, text books, laptops or extra-curricular activities such as sport or music.

You could be eligible to join Saver Plus if you:

• have a Centrelink Health Care Card or Pensioner Concession Card
• are at least 18 years old
  
• have some regular income from work (you or your partner) including casual, part-time, full-time or seasonal (we also accept child support and carer’s payment as income)
• have a child at school or attend vocational education yourself.

If you’re eligible, start now and we’ll help take the stress out of next year’s back to school.

To find out more, or to apply, go to www.saverplus.org.au or call  1300 610 355 

Cyberbullying

Cyberbullying: what is it and how to get help

Cyberbullying is bullying that is done through the use of technology. For example, using the Internet, a mobile phone or a camera to hurt or embarrass someone is considered cyberbullying. 

What does cyberbullying look like?

A cyberbully can be someone you know, or a stranger. They might send mean or hurtful text messages through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, or through sites where people can ask / answer questions.

Cyberbullying can also involve people sending photos and videos of you to others to try and embarrass or hurt you.

People spreading rumours about you via emails or social networking sites or text messages.

People trying to stop you from communicating with others.

People setting up fake profiles pretending to be you, or posting messages or status updates from your accounts.

How you can be safe from bullies online

Do not share private information like passwords, name and address, phone numbers with people you don’t know. This can also include sharing of photos of yourself, your friends and your family

Do not respond to messages when you are angry or hurt. Log out and stop messaging if you feel you are being harassed.

You can block, delete and report anyone who is harassing you online and on your mobile.

Find out how to report bullying and harassment on each of the different social networks that you use.

Keep a record of calls, messages, posts and emails that may be hurtful or harmful to you.

Set up the privacy options on your social networking sites like Facebook in a way you are comfortable with

Get help

Lawstuff provides legal information to children and young people in Australia. 

You can also go to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) Cybersmart Program

If you have been bullied or witnessed others been bullied and need help, you can contact Kids Help Line (1800 55 1800), which is a free and confidential, telephone counseling service for 5 to 25 year olds in Australia.

Lifeline (13 11 14) is a free and confidential service staffed by trained telephone counsellors. 

The Australian Human Rights Commission (1300 656 419) has a complaint handling service that may investigate complaints of discrimination, harassment and bullying

OSH Club

Achievers Club WA

Installing the Schoolzine App

Our Newsletter is available through the Schoolzine App on your Apple or Android device.  This is a great way to keep in touch with everything going on at East Butler Primary School and we encourage you to download the app.  The details for downloading are as follows: