21 June 2024: Term 2 Week 8

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 Families,

Spotlight on Learning – a Year 1 Maths Learning Routine

The Room 7 Mathematicians have developed strong capabilities in algebra and problem solving. During a class visit I observed Miss Brooke asking questions at a rapid rate and students were not only quick to respond with their answers, they could also describe the strategies they were using. Ellie explained that she used subitising to support her reasoning. Jason was able to explain a different way to record his thinking using multiplicative thinking. All of the students were able to answer and explain a range of Mathematical strategies.

This daily routine assists students to develop a positive attitude towards Maths as well as strategise about effective approaches to solving challenges.

Student use of Mobile Phones and Personal Devices at LPPS (extract from the LPPS policy)

A reminder of the schools’ policy pertaining to Mobile Phones and Smart Watches has been provided to all students in Years 4-6.

Personal Devices at School 

Students are permitted to bring personal devices to school:-

• As a measure to ensure their safety while travelling to and from school.
• So they can be contacted about a person under their own care, where applicable.
• To be used during school hours in line with an exemption that has been approved by the school under this policy. While students are at school, or attending school activities, they must comply with any reasonable directions given by school staff in line with this policy regarding their personal devices.

The Department for Education’s policy requires all students at all department schools to keep personal devices ‘off and away’ between the start and end of each school day. Students will not be able to access their personal devices at any time during school hours, unless they have received an approved exemption from the school to use the device for a specific, agreed reason. This means both physical access and remote access (e.g. connecting with the personal device via hotspot or using paired headphones)

As we know, we often become complacent with our actions and students are no different. A timely direction to hand phones to teachers and have Smart watches in ‘School mode’ during the day has been accompanied with a reminder that to failure to comply with this expectation will result in the phone being handed into a member of the Leadership Team and families contacted. This policy is successful in its implementation when parents inform us of the devices their children have at the start of the year and students are trustworthy in following these expectations.

Student Reports & Learning Portfolios

Staff are busily assessing students’ achievement and progress in preparing reports for families. The report will accompany Learning Portfolios that provide evidence of the work that students have been creating this term.

Teachers share a balance of work that is at ‘draft’ stage or without teacher correction, as well as polished pieces. Work samples that are at ‘draft stage’ value and encourage students to take risks with the task, rather than focusing on presenting their work perfectly.  Families can grasp accurately what a child is capable of before they receive feedback and editing.  Often families become concerned as they wonder why a teacher hasn’t corrected spelling or edited grammar and punctuation.

Teacher’s have clear assessment criteria for each of the work-samples that student’s select for their Learning Portfolios. As a staff we are developing task descriptions to share what the learning focus is. 

The ‘Parent Reflection’ is opportunity for parents to provide feedback to their children about the learning shared, celebrating their achievement and progress.

Waste Warriors

Integral to being a LPPS student is the opportunity and encouragement to respond to issues at local, national and global levels. Our Year 3 students from Room 20 are taking the initiative and tackling the waste issue head-on during their recess and lunchtime.

Fiona Voigt, Principal 

Staffing News

Please welcome ...

Dean Felis has started this week as our new Groundsman working with Enzo.

We wish Dean all the best and welcome him to Linden Park Primary School community. 

Assembly Student Awards

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

Wellbeing News

Areas of Impact Student Forum

This week our Student Wellbeing Leaders, Student Ambassadors and Inquiry Ambassadors attended on online forum presented by Martin Westwell, CEO of the Department for Education, which focused on the key areas of Wellbeing, Learner Agency, Equity and Excellence and Effective Learners.

The forum is a Department of Education initiative where students have an opportunity to provide feedback and ideas in how their learning can be shaped to better meet their needs.

Over 700 schools participated and our students engaged in team building activities and were able to work together to decide how well our school is focusing on these key areas by sorting and displaying Area of Impact Action cards.

Student Action Committee (SAC)

The SAC Reps have again been busy. Over the last few weeks they have been working on questions that will lead to class discussions such as:

 Ideas to improve playtimes at Mariner Oval.

Creating a list from each class of the sporting equipment they would like at Mariner Oval.

Discussing how rubbish can be reduced? Nude Food is one idea that has been introduced by the Student Ambassadors.

Casual Clothes Day

The last day of this term will again be a Casual Clothes Day. Students are looking to raise money for new sports equipment.

Did you know?

Too much screen time on digital devices can negatively impact young people’s development.

Studies show that children can become less physically activity and this inactivity can lead to obesity.

Children can develop poor sleeping patterns and routines, poor posture and deteriorating eyesight.

They can also develop poor diets and unhealthy snacking habits, poor social skills, difficulty making friends, reduced motivation and self-esteem, poor attention and challenges with problem solving.

While computers and TV can be valuable for education and learning, the health benefits, skills and enjoyment that kids and teens get from being physically active are just as important.

So how much screen time should my child have?

Experts recommend the following:

Pre-schoolers (2 to 5 years old): No more than one hour of screen time in total throughout the day, including watching TV or looking at a computer or phone.

Evidence suggests that long periods of screen time are connected with slower development of language skills and carries an increased risk of being above a healthy weight. Young children will benefit more from talking, singing, reading or playing with other kids.

Children and young people (5-17 years): No more than two hours of recreational screen time including watching TV or looking at a computer or phone.

The less time spent inactive in front of a screen, the better their health will be. Break up long periods of sitting as often as possible with playing games outside, doing chores or playing with other kids.

Children’s Health Queensland © The State of Queensland (Children’s Health Queensland) 2019.

David Molloy, Student Wellbeing Leader and Autism Inclusion Teacher

Interschool Debating – Debating SA

Linden Park Primary School has made a remarkable impression in Term 2 of South Australia’s Premier Schools’ Debating Competition. This annual inter-school contest, which runs from May to September, features our 9 dedicated teams who debate every three weeks at Pulteney Grammar School on Tuesday evenings.

With nearly 50 enthusiastic students from Year 5 and Year 6 participating, the program has been robust. These students have been rigorously attending weekly training and practice sessions since the middle of Term 1. Upon receiving their debate topics, they have three weeks to prepare their arguments, either in favour of or against the given propositions.

Year 5 students tackled engaging and thought-provoking topics such as:

• That cats are better than dogs.
• That homework should be banned in primary schools.
• That it is better to be an only child.

Meanwhile, Year 6 students delved into contemporary issues including:

• That self-serve at supermarkets is a good idea.
• That schools should provide free lunches for students.
• That schools should adopt a four-day week.

The dedication and hard work of our students have paid off, with several teams achieving top 10 rankings in the state. Additionally, individual accolades have been awarded, with some students being recognised as 'Debater of the Night'.

The success in Term 2 is just the beginning. We eagerly anticipate further accomplishments and development of our students' debating skills in Term 3.

Harry Slee, Sports Coordinator         

Music News

This week, the Receptions, Year 1s, Year 3s  and Year 5s were treated to an indigenous dance and singing incursion. Majeda Beatty dazzled the audience with her high energy songs and dance from her Aboriginal and Torres Strait culture of Queensland. It was an interactive performance and she had the children highly engaged with singing and dancing and showing them traditional costumes and body painting.

The children thoroughly enjoyed it and learnt some new Aboriginal words.

Alice Combe, Music Teacher 

Inquiry Ambassadors

Our Inquiry Ambassadors are continuing with their work on student voice and agency. They have now worked with the Year 2 and Year 5 SAC representatives to reflect on their most recent units of inquiry.

The Inquiry Ambassadors asked the Year 2 students some open-ended questions to help them reflect on their learning in the most recent unit on ‘How we organise ourselves’. The central idea for this unit was ‘Systems are created so that materials can be changed to suit the needs of people’.

The Inquiry Ambassadors met with the Year 5 SAC representatives to discuss their unit on 'Where we are in place and time'. The big idea around the learning for this unit was 'People and their experiences shape a nation'. The Year 5 students expressed that they thought this unit was an important one to learn about as they learnt what happened to other generations and throughout history.  They enjoyed learning about the 1800's and how the past can affect the present.  An area of interest was around learning how to read and create timelines.

The students learnt about how materials are formed, the function of materials and the causation that producing and wasting materials has on the Earth.  The Year 2 students communicated to the Inquiry Ambassadors that they enjoyed learning best through the hands-on activities and the visual activities of watching information videos to research their material of choice. The students also talked about how the teachers used feedback to help them in their next steps of learning and how the use of explicit instruction helped to support them.

The Inquiry Ambassadors met with the Year 5 SAC representatives to discuss their unit on ‘Where we are in place and time’. The big idea around the learning for this unit was ‘People and their experiences shape a nation’. The Year 5 students expressed that they thought this unit was an important one to learn about as they learnt what happened to other generations and throughout history. They enjoyed learning about 1800s and how the past can affect the present. An area of interest was around learning how to read and create timelines.

Many of the students talked about how they found writing information reports challenging. The Inquiry Ambassadors look forward to working with other year levels in the future.

Nicole Scrivener, Deputy Principal: Innovation and Inquiry

School Sport SA

Year 5/6 Statewide Knockout Soccer – Year 5/6 Boys

On Tuesday 18 June, Linden Park Primary School proudly fielded a boys' knockout soccer team at the School Sport SA Statewide Year 5/6 Soccer Carnival, held at Barrett Reserve, West Beach, during Week 8 of Term 2.

After weeks of trials and training sessions, 12 talented players were selected to represent Linden Park Primary School in this eagerly anticipated event. The day was filled with excitement as the team engaged in spirited competition, playing five games against primary schools from across Adelaide.

The boys' team demonstrated excellent teamwork and coordination, competing admirably across all five matches against strong opponents. Their dedication and effort were evident in their cohesive gameplay and sportsmanship.

Thank you to the students for their efforts at the carnival. I would also like to say a big thank you to the parents who volunteered to assist with transport. The boys would not have been able to participate in the carnival without your support.

Harry Slee, Sports Coordinator

School Sport SA

Year 5/6 Statewide Knockout Girls Netball

On Friday 14 June, Linden Park Primary School faced off against Mercedes College in the second round of the School Sport SA Statewide Year 5/6 Girls Netball Knockout Competition. Both teams had topped their respective groups at the carnival held during Week 2 of Term 2, making this match crucial for advancing to the State Finals.

Mercedes College hosted the event in their brand new indoor Sports Centre, much to the delight of our students, as the weather forecast had predicted heavy rain for Friday afternoon. The match was structured with four 10-minute quarters, differing from the earlier carnival format.

The host side surged ahead early on, energised by their home crowd, making it challenging for Linden Park to halt their momentum. Despite a determined effort, Linden Park ultimately fell short, with a final score of 27-9.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to all the students for their dedication and hard work throughout the trials, training sessions, and matches over the past few months. The girls displayed remarkable sportsmanship, supporting each other at every step. Special appreciation is extended to the parents who volunteered for transport and enthusiastically cheered the team on during the match.

Additionally, a big thank you to Year 6 teacher, Kate Low, for her invaluable role in coaching the team. We look forward to seeing the girls continue to develop their netball skills in the future.

Harry Slee, Sports Coordinator

Cake Stall

Early dismissal

Community News

PlayStart Soccer Classes at Linden Park Primary School

Term 3 2024 After School

PlayStart Soccer classes are all about FUN! Our afterschool sessions will be held on Mariner Oval on

• Receptions - Year 3's - Tuesday's starting from 23 July (Week 1, Term 3 2024)
• Receptions - Year 3's - Wednesday's starting from 24 July (Week 1, Term 3 2024)

Time: 3:30 - 4:20pm on Mariner Oval

Enrolments can be done here: https://playstart.com.au/afterschool-programs/

PlayStart Soccer’s program is for Reception – Year 3 children looking to learn new and improve existing skills. Whether your child is wanting to get a start in soccer or just stay active for 50 mins afterschool, this is a great way to tick those boxes!

A great chance to have a kick around after school with your mates! Our Afterschool classes are here to help your child gain the basic skill set and show the confidence to get ready for the next part of their soccer journey…whatever that is! Your child will gain such skills as evasive dribbling, kick timing and what part of the foot to kick with and when. Playing PlayStart’s ‘The Match’ weekly, will result in basic understanding of match rules and basic player positioning.

Got an SA Government Sports Voucher? Why not use your Sports Voucher on a PlayStart Soccer program? To do this, simply click here, download the form and return it completed to soccer@playstart.com.au. We will then send you a personal code to use when enrolling to receive your discount

Our 7 week program can be booked easily online at https://playstart.com.au/afterschool-programs/

If any further info is needed, please call Andrew on 0401 410 465 or email soccer@playstart.com.au