23 June: Week 8 - Term 2

Kaurna acknowledgement

Niina Marni. As we feel the earth beneath us, the wind around us and the sun above us, we acknowledge the Kaurna people, the traditional owners of this land. We pay our respects to past Elders and will work with present and emerging Elders to protect and care for this unique land of ours. We also extend this respect to other First Nations peoples.

Principal's report

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Sharing our learning

We have almost reached the halfway point of the academic year, and it is time for us to provide written reports on your child's learning progress and achievements. These reports are based upon the Australian Curriculum, which our school is required to adhere to, particularly for the necessary literacy and numeracy benchmarks. However, our school implements the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, an inquiry-based learning approach that extends beyond the Australian Curriculum.

Our reports will include a description of your child's overall academic achievements so far, and they will give you an excellent indication of your child's progress across a range of learning areas. The report will include grades ranging from A-E in various learning areas, with a greater emphasis upon the learning dispositions that have been developed during the year.

Please bear in mind, we invite our students to delve into their knowledge and conceptual understanding of the world, by critically reflecting on their learning with an open and inquisitive mind. As we implement a transdisciplinary learning approach, students will be aware that some of their work falls outside the Australian Curriculum. Therefore, reports will also indicate any inquiry experiences, which we hope, will be shared with enthusiasm by your child when you explore their Learning Journals.   We are looking forward to sharing these reports with you.

Before and after school supervision

A reminder that supervision starts before school from 8:35am; we are noticing that children are arriving as early as 7:40am and waiting on school grounds. To ensure that students are safe, early arrival will be directed to OSHC and families will be billed accordingly. Staffing at the beginning of the school day is directed at the crossings on Hay and Highfield and the entrance areas e.g Early Years and Middle Years Yard. Similarly at the day’s end the supervision is directed to support students to safely exit the school as they begin their journey home. The yard is not supervised for play, e.g higher ratios as we do for recess and lunch.  All playgrounds are closed during end of day procedures to ensure we can account for all children as they leave. Students are expected to leave as soon as they are collected or make their way home if walking or cycling.  We appreciate your support in this matter to keep your children safe and accounted for.

Building & Library Funds

Our thanks to all those families who have contributed to our Building and Library Funds. The school is always looking to build our students love of literature through the exciting offerings in the library as well. The Building Fund is critical to maintaining our facilities and  keeping the learning environments looking fresh and inviting for our learners. This year we will be rejuvenating the Early and Middle Years courts and the EY playground rubber surfacing to a cost of $470 000.

The good news is that the Building and Library Fund donations are tax deductable so for those who have already contributed;, don’t forget to claim, and for those who are wishing to another incentive!

Eary Years Assembly Awards:  23 June 2023

Congratulations to all the students listed below, who demonstrated the Learner Profile Attributes this past fortnight in R -6.

Fiona Voigt, Principal

Numeracy news

Dear Families,

After discussing the importance of challenging mathematical tasks for students and providing an example aimed at Year 1s and 2s about money, I would like to highlight the importance of the transition between additive thinking and multiplicative thinking that begins around Year 3 or 4 for most students. Please read the following from the Growing Mathematically-Multiplicative Thinking Teacher Manual (Draft) – by Dianne Siemon, January 2020:

What is Multiplicative Thinking?

Multiplicative thinking involves recognising and working with relationships between quantities. Although some aspects of multiplicative thinking are available to young children, multiplicative thinking is substantially more complex than additive thinking and may take many years to achieve (Lamon, 2012; Vergnaud, 1983). This is because multiplicative thinking is concerned with processes such as replicating, shrinking, enlarging, and exponentiating that are fundamentally more complex than the more obvious processes of aggregation and disaggregation associated with additive thinking and the use of whole numbers (Siemon, Beswick, Brady, Clark, Faragher & Warren, 2015).

Multiplicative thinking is qualitatively different to additive thinking. It is evident when students:

• work flexibly and confidently with an extended range of numbers (i.e. larger whole numbers, fractions decimals, per cent, and ratios);
• solve problems involving multiplication and division, including direct and indirect proportion using strategies appropriate to the task; and
• explain and communicate their reasoning in a variety of ways (e.g. words, diagrams, symbolic expressions, and written algorithms. (Siemon, Breed, & Virgona, 2005).

In short, where additive thinking involves the aggregation or disaggregation of collections (e.g., $634 + $478 or finding the difference between 82 kg and 67 kg), multiplicative thinking involves reasoning with relationships between quantities, for example,

• 3 bags of wool per sheep, 5 sheep, how many bags of wool?,
• At an average speed of 85 km/hour, how long will it take to travel 367 km?

Additive problems generally involve one measure space (e.g., dollars or kilograms) while multiplicative problems generally involve working with two (or more) measure spaces (e.g. bags of wool, number of sheep) and a relationship between the two (i.e., 3 bags of wool per sheep).

Because simple multiplicative problems such as ‘24 strawberry plants per row, 17 rows, how many strawberry plants?’ can be solved additively using repeated addition or by using a learnt algorithm and known facts, it can be difficult to determine whether or not a student is thinking multiplicatively. Where this becomes apparent is where the problems involve larger whole numbers, fractions, decimals, per cent or ratios, and/or more complex relationships between quantities.

Why is Multiplicative Thinking important?

Multiplicative thinking is crucial to success in school mathematics. It underpins nearly all of the topics considered in the middle years and beyond (see Siemon, 2013) and it is fundamental to careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Multiplicative thinking is needed to support efficient solutions to more difficult problems involving multiplication and division, fractions, decimal fractions, ratio, rates and percentage, and to solve proportional reasoning problems as they arise in algebra, geometry, measurement, statistics, and probability.

However, Australian research suggests that at least 25% and up to 55% of students in Year 8 do not have access to this critical capacity (Siemon, Breed, Dole, Izard, & Virgona, 2006; Siemon, 2013, 2016, 2019; Siemon, Banks, & Prasad, 2018).

I would like to reiterate the importance of a true understanding of multiplicative thinking, where using repeated addition or memorized 'Time Table' facts or rote learning the process of an algorithm like vertical multiplication sums, simply does not cut it.

Having said that, I’d like to leave you with the following problem:

• A muffin recipe requires 2/3 of a cup of milk.
• Each recipe makes 12 muffins.
• How many muffins can be made using 6 cups of milk?

Josh McGuire, Numeracy Coordinator

Wellbeing news

Student Action Committee (SAC)

The SAC are continuing to develop whole-school anti-bullying strategies based on the results from our bullying survey earlier this term.

Using the data, the Year 6 Student Wellbeing Leaders have enlisted the help of some younger SAC representatives to create videos portraying common bullying scenarios.

The SAC hopes to share these videos with the broader LPPS community, promoting different strategies students may use to stop bullying and promote being an upstander. 

Interoception

In the Week 6 Newsletter, our Pastoral Care Worker, Tegan Jolly, explained that interoception is noticing and responding to our body’s physical and emotional state. Interoception can help us understand our bodies and strategies to help regulate our emotions in a safe way. 

Have a go yourself! 

Squeezing hands:-

1. Hold your hands in a fist.
2. Squeeze tightly for five seconds. 
3.  Relax your hands.

What do you notice?  Are your hands relaxed?  Do they feel different? 

Casual clothes day 

On Friday,  7 July (week 10), LPPS will host a casual clothes day, with proceeds going to Motor Neurone Disease Australia (MND).

What is MND?

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a term used to describe a group of diseases that affect nerve cells called “motor neurones.”  Motor neurones normally carry messages from the brain to the muscles via the spinal cord. The messages allow people to make voluntary movements like walking, swallowing, talking and breathing. With MND, however, the nerves become damaged and start to die so muscles gradually get weaker and waste away. Currently, there is no cure for MND and it is life shortening.  https://www.mndaustralia.org.au/mnd-connect/what-is-mnd/what-is-motor-neurone-disease-mnd

On the last day of term, please encourage your child to bring a gold coin donation and wear the colour blue! 

Why blue?

The Motor Neurone Disease Association chose the colour blue because of the blue cornflower. The cornflower is a symbol of hope for MND around the world because of its fragile appearance but hardy nature. Like the cornflower, people living with MND show remarkable strength in coping with this devastating disease.

Jane Angove, Student Wellbeing Leader (Acting)

Cybersafety: Parent Information Session

On Wednesday,  14 June, Susan McLean presented 'Growing up Online' at Unley Primary School. 

Susan provided practical advice on how to navigate children's access to electronic devices, online gaming, group chats and social media.

It was fantastic to have so many families from LPPS and the broader school partnership community attend, including families from Black Forest Primary School, Goodwood Primary School, Highgate Primary School, Parkside Primary School and Unley Primary School.

Jane Angove, Student Wellbeing Leader (Acting)

Sports news

Year 5/6 School Sport SA - Soccer

SouthOur Year 5/6 School Sport SA (SAPSASA) Knockout Soccer team played their first round matches against Stradbroke Primary and Prospect Primary on Thursday 15^th June (Week 7, Term 2).

The boys have been busy preparing for their first round matches, training once a week since the beginning of Term 2 during recess time on a Friday. The team travelled to Stradbroke Primary School and did a tremendous job winning both of their matches 8-1. Coach Mr Rob Moss was very pleased with how his team performed and said they played a good team game with an even spread of goal scorers.

Linden Park Primary will now await other results to find out their next match-ups in the second round of the knockout competition.  Well done boys!

South Australia 12 & Under Golf Qualifier : Adelaide South East & East Adelaide

On Friday 16^th June, Linden Park Primary School had 6 students who participated in the South Australia 12 & Under School Golf Qualifier held at the Mount Osmond Golf Club.

It was a miserable day for golf with some strong winds that made it difficult to navigate the tough course.

Congratulations to Luke P & Neil I (Year 6), Thomas D, Ken B & Aayan K (Year 5) and Edward R (Year 4) for performing well in tough conditions. A special mention Luke P who qualified and made it through to the State Final on Sept 7 & 8 at West Beach Parks Golf.

LPPS represent the Adelaide South East District at State Carnivals

During Week 8 of Term 2, Linden Park Primary have had students represent the Adelaide South East District in both Hockey and Netball in State Carnivals.

Akira (Year 6) represented ASE in the School Sport SA State Hockey Carnival on 21-23 June. Linden Park Primary’s very own, teacher Geoff Mills (Early Years PE teacher) coached the district team.

Jiorjana, Ava and Mia (Year 6) also represented ASE at the School Sport SA State Netball carnival in Week 8 of Term 2. The girls attended weeks of trials and impressed selectors with their skill level.

Congratulations to all students on representing the Adelaide South East District at the State Carnivals!

Harry Slee, Sports Coordinator

Student news

From:  Louie K (Room 26) .......

My name is Louie K. from Room 26. I am a South Australian Fishing Ambassador. My job is to teach and help children how to fish. There are six ambassadors in South Australia who come from different areas like Adelaide, Port Lincoln, Murray River, Coorong, and Yorke Peninsula.  Fishing Ambassadors travel to all different destinations. The last place we taught children how to fish was at Happy Valley Reservoir. When my crew and I arrived at the Reservoir, we had to set up large tents for different fishing stations.       Stations included how to check fish measurements to make sure you can keep the catch or to throw them back if too small, another station taught children how to cast out your line and hit casting targets.  If you were to hit a casting target you would get a prize. Another station was all about how to look after water ways and marine life. It taught us which fish are in danger, which fish are pests, and which fish are native to Australia. A big pest fish in South Australia is the European Carp because they produce too many babies, and they mess up the freshwater ways. If you catch a Carp in South Australia, you are not allowed to throw it back into the water.

The last station was the best station, it was real fishing! Yep, that’s right we got to go fishing for real. There were so many fishing rods set up with hooks and sinkers ready to go fishing. We went around giving out small prawns for bait and showed them how to put the bait on the hooks.  It took a little while, but suddenly a boy got a big bite and caught a really nice Murray Cod. When you catch a Murray Cod in the Reservoir you are not allowed to take it out of the water. You have to take the hook out when it is in the water so it can stay alive. 5-10 minutes later FISH ON, a little girl now had hooked another beautiful Murray Cod. The girl was so surprised that she couldn’t even look at her catch. A short time later another FISH ON, this time it was my new friend Charlie’s rod that bent over with yet another nice sized Murray Cod. The best thing is that not one pest Carp was caught.  After the fishing station, there was a really nice barbeque lunch with yummy sausages. There were also lots of soft drinks for all the kids. What a great day!  After lunch there were some politicians that came to the Reservoir to talk to the community about fishing and water ways. The government had organised lots of tiny fingerling Silver Perch to be put into the reservoir. Everyone had a go taking a small net and scooping out some Perch and putting them carefully into the Reservoir.  What a day! That is what I get to do as a Fishing Ambassador, and it is so much fun. Maybe one day you can come to a fishing event and catch a big Murray Cod. Maybe you can even see me there and I can tell you all about fish.

Early dismissal - last day of Term 2

Reminder: On the last day of Term 2, Friday 7 July 2023 school will finish early @ 2.10pm.

Codecamp

Dear Parents/Caregivers,

Please be advised I will be teaching this after school programme for our Year 1 and Year 2 students (see info below):-

• Commences: Week 2 - Term 3
• Where: LPPS Library
• Time:   3:30pm - 4.45pm

Thank you, Rob Moss, Teacher

OSHC - July Vacation Care