25 November 2022: Week 6 - Term 4

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

Cause for Celebration

With a full house, the Instrumental Music Concert celebrated the talents of our musicians and teachers, well supported by our parents and community.

Our Year 6 Festival of Music Choir, conducted by Vanessa Buttery opened the night with solo performances by Lori and Amelia. We were then treated to a full concert of strings, percussion and band performances by both our beginner and experienced musicians.

2022 LPPS Parent Volunteer Award

Volunteers are a significant resource in helping create a supportive and welcoming environment at school. We thank all our parents who have contributed their time helping to supervise on the many excursions and camps and our very hard working library helpers.  This year has been a challenge for some classes to secure volunteers for excursions and sports events such as swimming, so we appreciate those who have able to support even more.  This is evident in the number of parents nominated for Volunteer of the Year, with ten nominations. Voting is now open via the https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/7R83VS5

Class Placement and Student Reports

Staff are currently writing reports and organising 2023 class placements.  Students will find out the 2023 class placement in week 9 (w/e 16/12/22). As previously mentioned, requests for specific teachers or classes are not entertained as this would create unbalanced learning environments across the school.

Student Academic Reports for Semester 2, 2022 will be available on the Parent Portal for parents to login and view their child’s / children’s progress by end of day Wednesday,  14 December 2022. Should you experience difficulties please do not hesitate to contact the front office for assistance via dl.0647.info@schools.sa.edu.au 

Material & Services Fees 2023

Following approval of the parent poll, our Materials and Services Charge for 2023 has been set at $470 and is a legally recoverable sum.  The results of the poll are: 524 votes received with,  Yes: 447 No: 52 and 25 non-applicable.

Transition days 2022

Over the last two weeks, we have welcomed our new 130 Reception 2023 students for a couple of morning orientation visits to get an understanding of the layout of our Early Years Building and playground facilities.  We look forward to welcoming them all next year.

Our new Year 1 – Year 6 students will be visiting for their transition visits in week 8 during what will be a very busy week as our current Year 6 students visit their new high schools.

Fiona Voigt, Principal

Public Schools Student Forum

From:  Charlotte (Room 31), Jonathan (Room 31) & Rachel  (Student Wellbeing Leader)

On Tuesday, 8 November we went to the Public Schools Student Forum. We went with Rachel in a cab to the Adelaide Convention Centre. Two students from every public school in South Australia were invited so there were hundreds of students. The students were in years 5-11.

The CEO of the Department for Education, Martin Westwell spoke to us, as well as the Minister for Education, Blair Boyer. The purpose of the forum was to find out from the students what they are happy with and what they would like to change in schools to make learning more engaging.

We were asked lots of questions that we needed to respond to online but the biggest question was, "What do we want teachers to start doing (to engage kids in learning) and what do we want teachers to stop doing (so that kids become more engaged)".  Below are the photos of us at the forum answering this question.  

Last week at school Rachel asked us to come to the SAC committee meeting. We told the SAC about our time at the Student Forum and we decided to ask the SAC the same question. “What do we want teachers at Linden Park Primary School to start doing (to engage students in learning) and what do we want teachers to stop doing (so that kids become more engaged)". The photos are below. Rachel  collected all of the responses and is going to present them to staff in preparation for 2023.

It was good to go to the forum and have a say in what we want to happen in our school.

From:  Charlotte (Room 31), Jonathan (Room 31) & Rachel Pontifex (Student Wellbeing Leader)

NAIDOC WEEK

June 2022 : Get up! Stand up! Show up!, 

This year, NAIDOC Week was celebrated with the theme, Get Up! StandUp! Show Up!  in recognition of many in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community, who have driven and led change and have championed for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. 

At Linden Park Primary School, students engaged in a variety of learning activities and initiatives, aimed at providing them with a greater understanding of the rich history and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as well as the importance of friendship and cultural diversity. This included some students entering the NAIDOC Week colouring and poetry writing competitions which were adjudicated by a panel including Uncle Henry Atkinson (who was honoured with the 2022 Patron/Elder Award), Aboriginal Elders, and NAIDOC Delegates. 

CONGRATULATIONS to Ivy B from Room 26, on being selected as a recipient of the 'NAIDOC Medal of Excellence' (one of 25 awarded across the state). Ivy was presented with her medal at the last Primary Years assembly, where she confidently shared her winning poem.

Well done Ivy!

Heidi Rohrig, Deputy Principal: Inclusion (on behalf of Tina Farmassonis)

Wellbeing Action Committee

What does well-being mean to me? 

Wellbeing is a wholistic approach to mind, body and soul. We are complicated beings and looking after ourselves not just physically is important. When we have strong minds we can conquer anything that life throws our way. 

What do I do to support my own wellbeing? 

I like to listen to music, it helps me feel calm and can sometimes distract me from my worries. I also have special people in my life that I can talk to when I need help or just want to have a chat about things that are own my mind. 

How can we encourage others' wellbeing? 

I think that it is important to show kindness to others especially when they are struggling. Failure does not define us, and when we are caring friends we can celebrate the uniqueness of each individual. Friendships can be one of our biggest support systems in life. 

Tegan Jolly (Administration/PCW) 

Library News

Reminder:  All students are to return their library books to the library by the end of this week (week 6). Please encourage your child to locate and return any school library books that they have at home.

Unfortunately, previous years have shown that there are a great deal of 'missing books' (books that have not been borrowed). These missing books equate to thousands of dollars. We would like to see the 'missing books' for 2022 returned to the shelves! 

If your child cannot locate their overdue books, please speak to a library team member. Invoices will be sent home for any overdue books.  

Students will be able to continue to borrow take home reading texts (readers) until the beginning of week 8. 

Weeks 8 and 9 will see a stocktake of the take home reading texts and library books.  

Andrea Kipperman & Russell Hanson, LPPS Teacher Librarians

Library news 'cont'

Receptions - How we express ourselves

Term four has seen the reception students investigating the unit of inquiry 'How we express ourselves'. During their collaborative guided inquiry time with Mr. Hanson the students learnt how authors and illustrators express themselves (and share their ideas) through their books. 

Last Thursday saw Mr. Hanson and Mr. Farmer share with all of the reception students their book 'Maths is Scary'. 

Mr. Hanson and Mr. Farmer were able to discuss with the students the creation of the book, from the initial idea to the text and the illustrations and to how the book becomes published. 

The session was warmly received, and the students even suggested a few ideas for Mr. Hanson's next book!

Andrea Kipperman & Russell Hanson, LPPS Teacher Librarians

ICAS Medal Winners 2022

Congratulations to our 2022 International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) Medal winners! We would like to congratulate the outstanding achievements of the 2022 ICAS medal winners and recognise the teachers, families and community who have supported them thought their education thus far. Being awarded an ICAS medal is a significant accomplishment. Students with the highest score in each year level, in each subject, are awarded an ICAS medal and a medal winner’s certificate.

This year, Linden Park Primary had four students who have collected ICAS Medals. This is an outstanding achievement!

We would like to congratulate the students below on their exceptional academic accomplishment:

• Danny Gong – Year 4 Science
• Linda Wang – Year 4 English
• Mason Li – Year 5 Mathematics
• Courtney Fu– Year 5 Mathematics

Harry Slee, ICAS Coordinator

Australian Mathematics Competition –

PRIZE Winners

In Week 2 of Term 3, students at Linden Park Primary School competed in the Australian Maths Competition.

The AMC is an engaging 30-problem competition that demonstrates the importance and relevance of mathematics in students’ everyday lives; it is open to students in years 4-6 at Linden Park Primary School. Australia’s leading educators and academics, with a deep understanding of our national curriculum standards, actively design the unique AMC problems each year. The Australian Mathematics Competition is designed to test mathematical thinking. The problems get more difficult through the competition. Students of all standards will make progress through the problems and also be challenged along the way.

Linden Park had 156 students compete and were awarded the following certificates:

• 13 High Distinction
• 55 Distinction
• 57 Credit
• 27 Proficiency
• 2 Participation

Linden Park Primary School also had two students who were awarded a Prize. A Prize certificate is awarded to students who score in the top 0.3% in each state/territory for their year level.

We would like to congratulate Danny Gong (Year 4) and Mehrad Rezaee Yousefi (Year 6) on their incredible results! Mehrad (Year 6) was also awarded the ‘Best in School’ Certificate for his great performance in the competition.

Harry Slee, AMC Coordinator 

Instrumental & Choral Music Night

On Thursday 10^th November, students in the instrumental program at Linden Park Primary School performed in our Instrumental and Choral Music Night. The night began with our wonderful Year 6 Festival Choir, conducted by Vanessa Buttery. The Festival Choir have been working hard all year in preparation for the Festival of Music at the Adelaide Festival Theatre in September. At our music night, the choir performed When Galaxies Collide and the uplifting I Got the Music. Soloists included Matilda, Indira, Amelia and Lori. Beginner Strings were next with Campfire Glow, Mary Rocks and Stew Pot Hop. These students are all in Year 3 and have only been playing since the beginning of the year. Next was the String Ensemble which consists of students in Years 4-6 who all have more than one year’s experience on their instrument. On this occasion, they played Cockletrain Polka, Chinese Street Festival and Far and Away. Both string ensembles were conducted by Margie Hopgood. After the strings, we were treated to the bands with the Beginner Band playing A La Rueda, Itsy Bitsy Spider, London Bridge and Jingle Bells and the Continuing Band playing Geronimo, Dragon Dance and Popcorn Prelude. Both bands also combined for the exciting Tyrannosaurus Rocks. Our band students are all in Year 5 and 6 and are directed by Sarah Butler, Ruth Woerner and Percussion Teacher, Peter Matzick, with special help from Betula Labradorite in Ruth’s absence on this night.

We would like to thank our wonderful student comperes from Year 6, Ekin Truong and Indira Sorich who ran the evening so smoothly and entertained us with some amusing musical jokes!

A huge thank you to all our dedicated instrumental music teachers who come every week to work with our students in strings, brass, woodwind and percussion.

Thank you also to all the students for their hard work and weekly practice and to you, their families who support them. They couldn’t do it without you!

Alice Combe & Vanessa Buttery

School Sport SA - Adelaide South East Cricket

Congratulations to Year 6 student, Imeth R. who was selected to represent the Adelaide South East District in the School Sport SA State Cricket Carnival. The carnival was held in Week 3, Term 4.

Imeth played three games in three days, winning two of them and performed really well in each match.

Congratulations Imeth from everyone at Linden Park Primary School.

Harry Slee, Sports Coordinator

Year 1 Incursion: Artist in Residence

As part of our Unit of Inquiry 'Sharing the Planet' and ‘How we express ourselves' we organised a week of art incursions with Karen Genoff, Professional artitst and PYP arts Educator.  www.katengenoff.com.au

Over five days, commencing on 21 November, classes worked through a number of facilitated workshops including:

• Imaginary Animals – Recycled cardboard and oil pastel
• Crazy faces – Recycled cardboard and oil pastel
• Barrier Reef Clay Fish
• Imaginery Animals – stick mount
• Cacti Project

Year 5 Junior Robotics - Paper Crinkler Challenge

As part of the Year 5 Digital Technologies curriculum, Bricks4kids -  www.adelaidebricks4kidz.com.au  delivered a three hour junior robotics workshop, introducing  the concept of robotics and automation and the difference it can make in even a simple task like crinkling paper.  The interplay between the mechatronic and coding aspects to control robots, linear programming concepts using WeDo.

The course outlined:-

• Introduction and chat about safety, respect and responsibility.
• Opening presentation and instructions to discuss robotics.
• Build Session 1: Kids made a paper crinkler machine with Lego Technics, motor etc.   Some used remote control to speed control and practiced making half-crinkled paper.
• Challenge: 5 mins to make as many half-crinkled papers.
• Presentation about coding.
• Build Session 2: Kids used the WeDo kits to control and program their model to do half-crinkled paper.
• Challenge 2: 5 mins to make as many half-crinkled papers.
• Conclusion: Chatted to compare and contract the success, pros and cons, lessons learnt.

Year 6 Aquatics excursion

Year 6 Classes visited West Lakes Aquatics Centre between 14-16 November for a day of water based activities on the lake and at the beach which are part of school Health and PE and water safety in general.     

The students:

• Planned and practised strategies to promote health, safety and wellbeing.
• Investigated community resources and ways to seek help about health, safety and wellbeing. 
• Explored how participation in outdoor activities supports personal and community health and wellbeing and creates connections to natural and built environments.
• Practised specialised movement skills and applied them in a variety of movement sequences and situations. 
• Proposed and applied movement concepts and strategies with and without equipment.
• Participated in physical activities designed to enhance fitness, and discuss the impact regular participation can have on health and wellbeing 
  

Year 6 Teachers

Year 4 - Adelaide Museum excursion

On 14 amd 15 November, as part Unit of Inquiry 'Where we are in place and time' and the Humanities and Social Sciences curriculum, the Year 3 students participated in an excursion to the Adelaide Museum to view the Pacific Cultures Gallery, as part of our Unit of Inquiry on Australia’s Near Neighbours.  The students had lots of opportunities to compare and contrast our lives with the lives of Pacific Islander people.

SAC end of term casual day

From:  The Odd Bods ......

Last week Charlie Lean from LPPS OSHC came and spoke to the Odd Bods SAC about a charity he is passionate about. Charlie told us about the Hutt Street Centre and the 65 years they have been supporting disadvantaged people. Charlie told us that there are about 6,000 people in Adelaide who are currently homeless. Charlie asked if we could use our casual day money to donate to the Hutt Street Centre as  aiming to spread awareness across the LPPS community to help change the mindsets and take action against victim blaming.

During lunchtime on the 16 December Charlie will be shaving his hair to help raise awareness and he will also have raffle tickets available to make a coin donation in the front office.  The tickets cost $2.00. You could win a hair care pack valued at over $150 from Franks Garage Haircuts.

• When: Friday, 16 December (last day of school)
• Charity: Hutt Street Centre (https://www.huttstcentre.org.au/)
• Donations: Gold coin to classroom teacher
• Clothes: Casual neat clothing

Cybersafety session for parents

Cybersafety Parent Session

protection.outlook.com

Rachel Pontifex, Student Wellbeing Leader

End of year celebrations