AXEDALE PRIMARY SCHOOL
“Excellence Through Endeavour”
High Street, Axedale 3551
Ph. (03) 5439 7232 Fax. (03) 5439 7575
Principal – Lex Johnstone
Email:
NEWSLETTER No. 5 March 1st 2012
Important dates:
March / 5th – START IN NEW SCHOOL5th - Active After School Communities (AASC) sport continues – school
6th - AASC continues – Axedale Golf Club
7th – Gym Program – Preps attend
8th – Crazy Hair Day / March
April / 9th – Curriculum Day (no students)
12th – Labour Day Public Holiday
23rd – Ride to School Day
29th – School photos 9am
30th – Last Day of Term 1
16th – First Day of Term 2
AWARD WINNERS
Last week’s classroom award winners were:-
P/1 – Skyla – For being responsible and helping the Preps to settle in.
2/3/4 – Rachael – For hard work in Maths and always trying her best.
5/6 – Alex- Completing homework to a five star standard.
PRINCIPAL’S REPORT
IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING
We are very excited to announce that next Monday (drum roll) ..... we are moving into our new building! As of 9.00 next Monday, students will be having their first classes in their new classrooms. Students will be moving their tubs, book boxes etc over on Friday, ready for the new start. Removalists will be coming in on Saturday morning to do some of the heavy lifting and setting up. Over the next week or so, further equipment will be moved from current classrooms to the new classrooms.
We would like to encourage parents, where possible, to be a part of this new beginning. Parents are welcome to come in with their children and have a look around the new facility. We will have our normal Monday School Assembly, but will do this at 9.05 and then students will head off for reading time. The kettle will be on and the bikkies on the table, so please feel free to stay, have a cuppa and a chat and enjoy the spacious new staffroom and classrooms.
We are planning an Official Opening to be held in Term Two as part of Education Week. This will allow time for the grounds and landscaping to be completed, the engraved brick path to be completed and the classrooms to be up and functioning and have student work on display.
As we move to our new facility, many parents will be dropping students off at the front of the new school. As part of OH&S regulations, we will be developing a Traffic Management Plan for this area over the next month, but in the short term, please take note of the following points:-
The front of the new school faces onto Raglan St.
· Raglan St. is a 40km/h zone.
· The road is dirt, so please be mindful of the dust that it causes for our neighbours.
· Angle parking is provided in front of the new school. Please park only on the school side of the road to pick up/drop off. Students shouldn’t be crossing the road to get to cars.
· After dropping off or picking up, cars are not permitted to do a u-turn. We would like traffic to travel west, away from the school and then turn left into Shadforth St. to return to the highway.
· Staff will be parking on the opposite side of Raglan St..
· The bus pick up point for 3.30 will remain on McIvor Highway in the COGB designated bus area.
· The highway crossing will still remain a supervised crossing.
We thank you for your support in following these guidelines.
WORKING BEE
We had a fantastic roll up to our Working Bee on Sunday where the whole school had a major clean up and tidy. We are very appreciative of the time families gave up to help out. The area around the new school was made ready for next week. Thank you to the Gunn, Aurisch-McGrath, Hermens, Higgins, Bathurst, Cameron, Harrington and Liersch families for their support.
We aim to have one general Working Bee each term so if every family can aim to come to one each year, it would be a great team effort to keep our school looking great.
We will be having a number of extra Working Bees over the next couple of months, with a specific focus for each. Major tasks to be completed around the new building include construction of a front fence and entrance, building of a raised deck area under our shady gum tree next to the building and installation of instant turf to the area between the toilet block and the new school. Any help people can contribute would be much appreciated.
A $5000 amount has been provided to the school to cover landscaping costs which will only stretch so far.
DISRUPTION
We may be some time without a phone and internet over the next few days. If you need to contact the school and the landline is not available, please ring or text me on 0408 138 836.
SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTIONS
At the close of nominations for School Council vacancies, we had three parent applicants to fill three positions, hence there was no need for an election.
I would like to congratulate Kellie White, Martin Cushen and Michael Hermens on their election to School Council for 2012 and 2013.
Congratulations to Lucy Dickson who has been elected to fill the empty Staff Representative position on School Council.
The Annual General Meeting of School Council is on March 20th at 6.00pm and will be followed immediately by the March School Council Meeting. All school community members are welcome to attend the AGM.
FRESH FRUIT FRIDAY
We had a yummy start to Fresh Fruit Friday last week. A large amount of fruit & veg was provided including apples, pears, nectarines, watermelon, carrots, bananas, beans, tomatoes, cauliflower and rock melon. At the end only 6 carrot sticks and half a banana were left! Thanks to Jocelyn for cutting up the fruit. If you can help out with cutting up the fruit anytime between 8.30 and 11.00 on a Friday, please contact the school.
SCHOOL PHOTOS
School photos are on Thursday 29th March. Attached to the newsletter today is the photo order envelope for each child. Each child must return their own order envelope with correct money to the school on or prior to Thursday 29th March (am).
PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS
Thank you to the parents who came up to the school for meetings with the teachers this week. We hope the meetings were of benefit to parents and students and that it is the start of a great year for your children at our school. For families who were unable to come to the school this week, please contact your child’s teacher to make a date and time
ENGRAVED BRICK PROJECT
We currently have orders for 66 bricks.
The Engraved Brick Project gives current school students and families, past students and families, and community members the opportunity to purchase a brick with family name or individual names digitally engraved. Bricks are available for $35 and will be used as part of the landscaping of the new front entrance area.
Last orders must be in by next Monday – order form on the last page of newsletter.
CURRICULUM DAY
Just a reminder that next Friday, March the 9th, is a Curriculum Day. There will be no school for the students. Staff will be at Eppalock PS with teachers from other schools working on Spelling Programs, the Ultranet and Interactive Numeracy and Literacy programs.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
Character, like good soup, is made at home. Wilson McCaskill
CLASSROOM
CRAZY HAIR DAY
Next Thursday is Crazy Hair Day. Students are welcome to come to school with their crazy hair already ‘in place’ or can wait until they get to school where we will have some colours and decorations that we can assist them to create crazy hair.
School will provide a BBQ lunch for Crazy Hair Day. We ask that students bring a gold coin donation for the BBQ lunch and a gold coin donation for Crazy Hair Day. All funds raised will go to the Leukaemia Foundation.
PREP/1 GINGERBREAD MEN
The Prep/1 students enjoyed making and eating gingerbreads this week.
VEGGIE PATCH
The Grade 5/6 students spent time digging over our veggie patch during Earth Science class yesterday.
PREMIERS’ READING CHALLENGE 2012
The Premier’s Reading Challenge is on again this year. An information letter and consent form was attached to last week’s newsletter. Children are encouraged to participate. Once your details have been registered you will be given a Username and password for access to the website where you can keep track of the books you are reading. Students will be given a record card and books that have been read will need to be listed on this. The record card will need to be handed into Mrs Baldwin in the office on a regular basis so the books can be verified as read.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY
Next Thursday is International Women’s Day. Our School Choir will be performing at an Axedale Ladies function at 11.30am.
After the Choir has returned to school, all students will spend the rest of the day working in two groups, a girls group and a boys group.
Special activities are being planned for these same sex groups to promote bonding, friendship and team work across P-6 students.
GUITAR LESSONS
Guitar lessons with Jo Woodward started Friday 10th February. For enquiries please phone Jo on 5439 5264 or 0417 374 834 or email
BENDIGO INTERSCHOOL EQUESTRIAN TEAM CHALLENGE
On the 14th and 15th April, Katya Bathurst will be riding in the Bendigo Interschool Equestrian Team Challenge at the Bendigo Showgrounds. We are looking to enter a team to represent the Axedale Primary School if possible, so if there are other young riders out there who want to participate, please contact us. For further information or queries about the event, contact Lara Bathurst on 0429860671
PORTSEA CAMP
During January I got to go to the Portsea Camp. I was pretty excited to be going but I didn’t really know what to expect. We caught a double decker bus from Bendigo with about 50 other kids who were going. The bus took us all the way to Portsea it took about four hours. The bus trip was a good way to get to know some other kids.
There were about 15 people in each dorm. I was in the Nepean Dorm with Christian, Tim and Liam.
Some of the best things we did were giant swings, scooters and a flying fox. If you got up early you could do things like early bird fishing . The food was alright, my favourite meal was probably the lasagne on the first night.
I would give the camp a score of 7/10. I really enjoyed it but I got a bit home sick towards the end.
By Zac
COMMUNITY
WANTED TO BUY
6 x 4 metal trailer in good condition. Up to $250. Phone 5439 1249.
WORKERS WANTED!
Brian from Bendigo Wine Estate (Axedale -Goornong Rd. - 4km from Axedale) is seeking casual workers to help with the grape harvest and a tractor driver for the chaser bin. Work will begin in approximately one week, with flexibility around days and hours worked – hence the desire to offer the work to locals. Might be a great way to earn a few dollars between school drop off and pick up.
If interested, call Brian on 0407 508 343