17 November 2023
Mrs Gallagher – Principal
Hello families,
Over the past 5 weeks of Term 4, there are many good events that have happened.
Your Move
The Your Move strategy is initiated by the Department of Transport. It is an initiative to allow schools a chance to apply for funding to develop their bike and scooter parking area. Our wonderful Mrs Utley, who is a trained bike instructor made an application to the grants section of the Transport Department and won $20000.00 for the school. This money will be sufficient to develop the bike and scooter area to lock up stage.
We need to do the biggest shout out for Mrs Utley. There will be more exciting developments to come about bike education in 2024.
Pocket Forest
The school has a partnership with Murdoch University as part of our sustainability program.
The University came out to visit us and found the best site for a little forest area and built up the area using school made compost. Trees and small shrubs were carefully planted by the students and the forest is underway. We are very excited to watch our forest grow over the next few years.
Canteen
Due the decline in school numbers, the canteen has moved to another school location. Fortunately, our Canteen lady Mrs Curry has decided to still take lunch orders and deliver them on the existing canteen days. If you need to order your child’s lunch, you can do so using www.quickcliq.com.au. The food menus are located in the front office.
OSH Club
OSH CLUB is still operating on our campus, and they offer a very reasonable service. If you are registered with them and for any reason you can’t pick your children up on time after school, you can notify OSH and your children can go there. They are also ideal for your children to have play dates with adult supervision, before or after school child minding, and they serve very reasonable meals now, not snacks. The rates have been reviewed by the government and now very reasonable if you need to work late, or do your shopping, or help a member of the family or a friend. If you want to know more, the staff are always there from early morning to 6pm in the evening, and they will be only too pleased to answer your questions.
School Reports
There have been a number of parents coming into school asking for school reports from the past. When your children’s reports are sent to you via email, the understanding is that you will print them out as they only last online for two weeks. Please make sure you keep a copy of your child’s report as there will be a cost to print out previous reports.
Mayors Christmas Appeal
As it closer to Christmas, the Mayor wants to provide relief for some families at Christmas. There is a red bin provided to the school which we hope to fill. To celebrate the privilege of giving, we will be dressing up in summer wear and donating to the Christmas bin. The items accepted are the non-perishable items such as:
Crisps, biscuits, dry needles, nuts, Christmas lollies, cans of fruit, cans of vegetables, cereal, spices, bottles of cordial, cans of cool drink, cans of tuna or salmon, flour, salt, sugar, icing sugar, baking soda and the list goes on.
There are only 5 weeks left of Term 4. Have a wonderful and safe lead up to Christmas.
Wendy Gallagher-Simeons
Principal
Deputy Principal
Butler College Transition Day for Year 6 Students
Butler College is hosting a Transition Day for current Year 6 students between 8.50 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday, 30th November 2023 at Butler College. This is for students to familiarise themselves with the layout of the College, meet staff and fellow peers and develop a sense of belonging to the College. Students from our partner primary schools (Merriwa, East Butler, Quinns Beach and Butler), as well as students who are not in one of these schools, are invited to attend on this date.
If you would like your Year 6 student to attend please complete a Permission Form and return it to Butler College or the school office as soon as possible.
Gifted and Talented Program at Alkimos College
Applications for Gifted and Talented programs are now open for parents of students in Year 5 in 2023 who will be entering Year 7 in 2025.
Alkimos College has created a Gifted and Talented Flyer to give parents more information about the program at Alkimos College. It also explains the opportunities and enrichment the Gifted and Talented program can offer their child as well as endorsements of the program from parents whose child is currently in a Gifted and Talented class.
Manager Corporate Services
2023 Contributions
Not too late to pay your 2023 Contributions!
Thank you for all the families that have paid their 2023 Contributions. Your children have benefitted from paying this as funds have gone back into the classroom.
If you haven’t paid yet, it’s not too late as we still have another Term coming up and the children will still benefit from your payments this year.
Please note that we are able to offer “Payment Plans” for those families who wish to pay their balance throughout Term 4.
Please contact me if you wish to discuss payment of your child’s contributions.
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
Kind regards
Suzanne Goulding
Manager Corporate Services
Dates to Note
School Development Days in 2023
The remaining school development day during the year will be held on
Friday 15 December 2023
Students do not attend school on this day.
Special News
Happy World Teachers' Day!
Thank you to our teachers for the lasting difference you make in the lives of your students, your colleagues, and your community. Thank you for your dedication and for continually going above and beyond to provide a top-notch education!
The phrase "hats off" has its origins in the tradition of removing one's hat as a sign of respect and courtesy. Let's all give a heartfelt "HATS OFF" to East Butler Primary School and the teachers who have made a difference in our lives.
Interschool Carnival
On Wednesday 18th October, our students participated in the Interschool Carnival. A huge congratulations to our Interschool Athletics Team for your outstanding performance which resulted in 2nd place! EBPS was also awarded the Meritorious Award.
Students should be so proud of the way they competed showcasing their athleticism with determination and school spirit.
There were many outstanding performances, but the following individuals should be recognised for their overall results:
Cannian - Runner up Champion Boy Year 4
Dempsey - Runner up Champion Boy Year 5
Sienna - Runner up Champion Girl Year 5
Amani - Runner up Champion Girl Year 6
Maronga - Runner up Champion Boy Year 6
Well done EBPS!
St John Ambulance
This week the students participated in the St John Ambulance Incursion. They learned about keeping safe and how to assist others when they are injured or hurt. Please talk to your child about the things they have learned in the incursion, it may just save a life!
Changes to School Canteen - East Butler Snack Shack
Our Canteen operations have changed this term due to their relocation.
Lunches will be delivered 3 days a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Please note – Recess snacks are no longer available and all orders must be submitted through Quickcliq before 9.00am. No cash orders can be received. All Sushi orders must be ordered by 9.00am the day before. Ie. for Wednesday sushi must be ordered before 9.00am on the Tuesday and for Friday sushi orders, this must be ordered before 9.00am on Thursday.
Sustainability Leaders
East Butler Primary School is a part of the ‘Waste Sorted Schools’ program which encourages students to reduce, reuse and recycle waste and develop skills for long-term change. The sustainability leaders have been busy recycling paper and cardboard and using the students’ fruit scraps for the worm farms. It has been great to see the students taking on this responsibility and becoming eco-conscious.
Community Garden
As the weather has improved this Term, we have seen classes back in the Community Garden. The community members have been very eager to see students learning about growing their own food and have been sharing their knowledge with students.
ACT, Belong, Commit
Mentally Healthy
In week 1 it was WA Mental Health Week!
Please see the attached flyers with facts and information to assist in your mental health.
Act Belong Commit
Did you know there are things you can and should do to protect and promote your mental health? Just in the same way you should eat healthy food, exercise, drink alcohol moderately and quit smoking, there are activities that can boost your mental wellbeing.
Act-Belong-Commit actbelongcommit.org.au
Tip # 10
Get a good night’s sleep!
Getting a good night’s sleep is known to help nurture mental and emotional resilience while irregular sleep can pave the way to negative thinking and emotional instability. Maintain a regular sleep cycle, increase light exposure during the day, keep your bedroom quiet and dark, avoiding large meals and caffeine before sleep and exercise regularly. Before you go to bed do something that will help you wind-down, like reading a book, taking a warm bath, listening to soft music or an audio book. All these things will help you sleep better at night.
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
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: