18 August 2023
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Mrs Gallagher – Principal
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Deputy Principal
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Manager Corporate Services
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Dates to Note
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Special News
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P&C News
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BOOK WEEK
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Breakfast Club
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ACT, Belong, Commit
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Your Move
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SunSmart
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Too Sick For School?
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OFFICE NEWS
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KINDY ENROLMENTS 2024
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SCHOOL DATES 2023
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MEDICAL PLANS
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COMMUNITY NEWS
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Cyberbullying
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OSH Club
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Achievers Club WA
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Installing the Schoolzine App
Mrs Gallagher – Principal
Dear Families
We are halfway through Term 3 and with being such a busy school, time really flies. You may have noticed that the sports program has not run as planned this term. We have been lucky to find specialised relief staff and I am pleased to share with you that we now have found qualified sport teachers who will be starting with us next week for the rest of the year. I am excited about the prospects of what they will do with regards to the Physical Education program and leading our children with the up-and-coming events.
We are lucky to have a trained Kindy teacher Mrs B who has taken over the role of class teacher in our Kindy 1 class and we thank her for this. Mrs Mulgrew left at the end of last term to pursue an opportunity in the Pilbara and Mrs Potgieter has stepped up into the Pre Primary 2 role. Thank you to everyone for their help especially the Deputy Principals for their assistance and patience in finding staff.
Sickness
We have a number of children arriving at school saying they are sick. If your children are feeling poorly, they just want to go and lay down and get warm. Please keep unwell children at home. Please ensure the contacts you have listed for your children are current. Please come in and review them with our lovely office ladies and add other carers if you need to.
Swimming
I am so proud of all our swimmers in the last few weeks. Thank you for your understanding at the changing of some dates as we were notified during the holidays of the change of venue to accommodate our school swimming. Our children were well prepared for swimming (thank you parents for organising daily towels and bathers), travelled on the bus using their East Butler manners and did us proud by following instructions in the pool. They then returned to the school, changed their clothes and went to class and got on with their work. That was an absolutely STIRLING effort considering the weather was so cold.
Lost Property
I was looking in the lost property storage chest and the clothes hanging on the rack and there are some very expensive little garments there. As we are in hard times, I suggest the next time you are at the school, that you have a look to see if your child’s garments are there. This may save you some money next season.
Open Night and Book Week
Next week is Book Week and Open Night is on Thursday the 24 August. The school will be open from 5pm to 7pm. You can come anytime in those hours and enjoy visiting the library, purchase a book for home and view your child's work in the classrooms. Whilst it is a busy evening, you may get a chance to talk with the teacher. There will be an opportunity to fill out a survey by way of feedback to inform us the areas where the school could improve. We appreciate you completing this.
The P&C are supporting the Open Night by running a Father’s Day raffle and holding a sausage sizzle for those feeling a bit peckish.
All in all, it always turns out to be a fun night where the community catches up with other parents and actually get to see the level of their children’s work.
On Friday, 25 August, 2023 there will be a Book Parade where the children can dress up in their favourite character costume from their favourite book.
All the staff are looking forward to seeing you there.
Connect
Most of the information going out of the school is put on Connect. Sometimes there are multiple messages in one day. If you are not on Connect, please contact the school so you can stay well informed.
Safety Drill
On Monday 21 August, 2023 there will be a practice drill of Code Crocodile. This drill includes all children in class, all doors locked and all children on the floor laying like Crocodiles because they need to be below window level and not seen. All classrooms have covered their windows and doors so the children can remain out of sight.
Thank you.
Wendy Gallagher-Simeons
Principal
Deputy Principal
Pocket Forest
It is wonderful to see our Pocket Forest progressing at our school. It is very exciting and will be a wonderful place to relax and enjoy in the near future. On the first day of term, all the students had the opportunity to plant a tree and we are very thankful to Murdoch University, Harry Butler Institute and Carbon Positive Australia for enabling this initiative and funding this wonderful project for East Butler Primary School.
Achievers WA
Our tutoring program run by volunteers has commenced and it is wonderful to see the students engaged and enjoying their learning on a Saturday. They have been doing some team building activities in the first few weeks including making slime and creating electrical circuits. We acknowledge this a popular program and we have many keen students on our waitlist. All students who received an invitation and indicated they are keen to be involved are on the waitlist until a formal letter of acceptance is given. There are a number of new mentors joining the Butler Chapter which will continue to grow and enable more of our students to be involved in the near future with this wonderful initiative. The school will notify parents directly as the places become available. We thank the mentors and Achievers WA for their amazing contribution to help our children.
Michelle Head
Deputy Principal
Manager Corporate Services
2023 Contributions
Thank you to all the families that have paid their 2023 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.
We are able to offer an “Instalment Agreement” for those families who wish to pay their contributions through a payment plan.
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.
Our office hours are: Monday – Friday 8.00am to 3.30pm.
Phone Number: 9561 7777
Please remember to sign-in children who are late to school and sign students back in after appointments, thank you.
Kind regards
Suzanne Goulding
Manager Corporate Services
Dates to Note
School Development Days in 2023
The remaining school development days during the year will be held on
Monday, 9 October 2023
Friday 15 December 2023
Special News
Constable Care Incursion
On Thursday 29 June, the last week of Term 2, our school was very lucky to have a visit from Constable Care. Our year 1-3's were entertained by a puppet show that focused on safely getting to school. We looked at all the different ways that students come to school and the safest way to do so in all scenarios.
Our year 4-6 students were treated to a show titled, Trending. This show focused on social media and issues facing our young people today. We looked at what was safe to share online and being a responsible digital citizen. All the students had a wonderful time and we learnt so much from the show.
Kindy 1 News
I have had a lovely start to the term with a beautiful class in Kindy 1. Our theme is transport and we have been looking at all sorts of ways of getting to places. Last week, we clapped out the syllables in each of our names and made a name train.
Each week Melon our class bear goes home for adventures with one child. He has had so much fun, he’s even been to see the Barbie Movie!!
Three children daily are chosen to be the Kings/ Queens of our classroom, they get to sit on special thrones and wear a crown and cape. They are the special Handy Helpers for the day.
We have been looking at the concept of ‘Pushing”. How is something pushed? Air, muscles, wind?
Our class is a happy place and we love learning together as a team.
Here are some of our class photos.
Warm regards,
Mrs B
Room 6 Reading Comprehension
In Room 6, we have been working hard at whole class reading comprehension and looking at different text types. Last week, we were learning about procedures and if you do things out of order they didn’t work, but if you follow the step (method) carefully then good things happen. Just like our experiment with vinegar and bicarbonate of soda.
Mrs Barter
NAIDOC
Kaya!
We started off Term 3 by celebrating NAIDOC Week 2023. This year’s theme was ‘For our Elders’.
I was fortunate enough to meet with respected Noongar Elder Cheryl Martin of Djurandi Dreaming, who shared her culture, life experience and knowledge with me.
I used this wonderful personal insight from Cheryl to create authentic learning experiences for students at East Butler Primary. Here’s what each year group got up to:
Pre-Primary students learnt about Bush Tucker! Students shared outback stories and then had time to create some beautiful Bush Tucker artworks to represent their learning.
Year 1 and 2 students learnt about tracks and hunting. Students had time to study tracks made by various animals, they also got the opportunity to practice some hunting hand signals.
Year 3 and 4 students learnt about Connecting to country through studies on two children’s books, ‘Back on Country’ and ‘Somebody’s Land’. Students then had the opportunity to share their thoughts through writing.
Year 5 and 6 student learning stretched a little further afield, as they studied the significance of Uluru to Australia’s first people. Students got into groups and took part in a debate highlighting the pros and cons of Uluru being used as a tourist destination.
It was such a positive and insightful week in HASS, thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Many Thanks to Cheryl for sharing with us!
Ms. Budding
P&C News
The P&C would like to say a huge thank you to all those who helped out at the Bake Stall this term, whether it was providing us with delicious bakes and cakes, helping on the stall or simply purchasing the goods to help raise funds for the school.
We made a total profit of $638 which is a fantastic effort.
These funds will go towards our upcoming P&C events in the works for later in the year.
Kind regards
P&C
BOOK WEEK
Monday 21 August will be the start of our Book Week celebrations for 2023.
This year we are having our popular Scholastic bookshop, 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. We will be open on 'Open Night' so you can come in and help your child choose their books, we will have EFTPOS facilities available.
On Friday 25 August we will be having a dress as your Favourite Book Character Day and a parade at school in the undercover area first thing on Friday morning.
We are also having a Decorate a Door competition where each class has the opportunity to win $100 worth of books from the Book Fair for their classroom. This year's theme for Book Week is Read, Grow, Inspire. You might want to look at your child's classroom display, they are starting to look wonderful already.
Breakfast Club
Breakfast Club will be on every Tuesday and Friday until Week 9. All students are welcome to come along. Tuesday is toasties and Friday is spaghetti on toast. The gates open at 7.45am and last food is served at 8.05am. The students go to classes at 8.15am when the rest of the school gates open!
ACT, Belong, Commit
Mentally Healthy
Act Belong Commit
Don’t forget this month is Active August!!! Please join the Act Belong Commit Facebook page for some fantastic ideas and tips to help you and your family become active this month!
Contact with nature—whether through parks, natural bush, pets or farm animals, helps us recover from stress and mental fatigue, helps us relax and puts us in a good frame of mind. Next time you are feeling blue, ‘act green’. Do some gardening, take a walk around the park or head down to the water for some time out. Act-Belong-Commit actbelongcommit.org.au
Remember, to find local clubs, groups or sporting event, use the activity finder below.
Move Forward
This month, Move Forward and Act Belong Commit have joined together!!! As it’s Active August, East Butler would like as many families to join in with us and ‘Walk to School Wednesdays’.
Thank you for your support in this.
R U OK Day
Thursday the 14 September is R U OK Day! Please remember to wear yellow and check in with friends to ask R U OK?
For more information follow the link:
Your Move
Your Move Schools is a community-focused program that supports schools and students to use active and sustainable transport options to and from school more often. Your Move offers teaching resources, expert advice and access to funding and rewards to encourage the school community to use bikes, walking, public transport and scooters to get to school safely.
At East Butler Primary, we have been a part of the Your Move initiative this year. We have been holding many events throughout the year to encourage active travel and it has been great to see so many families get involved.
As a mentally healthy school, we have joined up with the ‘Act, Belong, Commit’ team and are looking forward to launching our Walk to School Wednesday in the month of August, coinciding with ‘Active August’. Put it in your calendars and dust off your walking shoes. Stay tuned for more information to come!
SunSmart
Too Sick For School?
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:
BSB – 066 058 | Account Number – 10024364 |
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
SMS Absence Line | 0417 962 399 |
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.
KINDY ENROLMENTS 2024
If you have not yet enrolled your child for Kindy in 2024, or have friends or family in our local area, please come along to East Butler to complete an application form. You will need to bring up-to-date Immunisation records available from MyGov, two forms of proof of address and a Birth Certificate. Your application will then be considered and a full enrolment form given to complete once your child has been accepted. For further enquiries please contact the front office on 9561 7777.
SCHOOL DATES 2023
Term 1 | Wednesday 1 February to Thursday 6 April |
Term 2 | Monday 24 April to Friday 30 June |
Term 3 | Monday 17 July (Students return on 18th) to Friday 22 September |
Term 4 | Monday 9 October (Students return on 10th) to Thursday 14 December |
School Development Days Friday 15 December 2023 |
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
City of Wanneroo
Women’s Health Week Community Day – Friday 1 September
Join Clarkson Library in celebrating Women's Health Week on Friday 1 September at the Women's Health Week Community Day.
Drop into Clarkson Library on Friday 1 September from 10am - 2pm and chat to a range of providers supporting women's health.
From self-care to exercise physiology, Breast Screen WA to Ishar Multicultural Women's Health Services, there's plenty to get you inspired for the new season.
During the event we will be offering 4 free bookable sessions at the following times -
- 10.30am - Fitness Testing by ECU exercise physiology students.
- 11am - Exercise demonstration by ECU exercise physiology students.
- 12pm - meditation with Carmel
- 1pm - meditation with Carmel
You only need to book if you are attending a session, no booking is required to visit the stall providers.
These bookings can be made via the link below.
All visitors welcome.
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: