Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome Back

Welcome to the 2019 academic school year. I would like to welcome all the new students and their families to Joondalup Primary School. The new students have come from Western Australia, other parts of Australia and overseas. I am sure that our new students’ time at Joondalup will be rewarding, fun and they will learn many new concepts and skills. The year has started very smoothly with all students from Kindy to year 6 straight into work on day one. It was great to see the three year old Play and Learn children borrowing books from the library with Mrs Reddicliffe and their parents on Thursday. The teachers and education assistants spent many hours planning throughout the summer break in readiness for a great start this year, this was evident when I have visited all the classes. I have been very impressed with the students’ positive and constructive attitude towards their work and their confidence to have a go.

One of our major focuses for this year is respect. I want students to display a high level of respect when working individually, in groups and/or as a class. I want students to display a high level of respect in the playground and be responsible for their behaviour and what they say at all times.

Retirement

Last week I emailed out a letter regarding my retirement. Once again I would like to sincerely thank everyone that has helped and assisted me and the school over the last 10 years. Please click on the link to view the letter.

Retirement letter _pdf 685.59 KB

Working Together to Achieve Targets

Academic targets have been set for all classes and specialist areas. Staff have been working with their students setting personal and academic goals for this year. The staff want all students to have high expectations and give 100% in everything they attempt, never give up and always have a go. When your child gets home in the afternoon ask them what they have learnt during the day. Your encouragement and praise will assist your children to achieve their goals and reach their potential. The education of a student is a three-way partnership between parents the school and the student. If everyone works together the student will be on the road to success and working towards reaching their potential.

Lateness

The teachers are targeting students arriving late to school (late is arriving after 8.50am). Did you know that 44 students have been late so far this year? That is 11% of the school population. If your child arrives late 5 or more times in a term, you will be contacted by the school. Arriving to school on time sets up positive habits for the future schooling and part time jobs when they are high school.

The benefits of students arriving on time include:

• Being organised at the start of the day.
• Being calmer and more receptive to learning.
• Maintaining better relationships with peers and teachers.
• Accessing the full curriculum through continuity of learning.

The doors are open from 8.35am so that your child can unpack their bag, participate in activities and get organised for the day.

Code of Conduct

Our Code of Conduct works very successfully for the majority of the student population and a very high percentage of students are very well behaved. Our Code of Conduct is very simple to follow. The expectation is that all students will be, safe, respectful and responsible at all times.

Voluntary Contributions

At the beginning of each school year we ask families to pay their Voluntary Contribution. The amount is only $60 per student, this equates to only $1.50 per week for a great education at Joondalup PS. The Voluntary Contribution pays for numeracy and literacy equipment, reading and library books, sporting equipment, laptops and iPads etc.

You can pay by credit card at the office or cash from Monday to Friday or direct deposit at any time, details are:

BSB: 016338 Account No: 340952796 (remember to put your child’s name and email the school on Joondalup.ps@education.wa.edu.au when you have made a payment.

The School Board is seeking 3 parents to be School Board members. Some of the item that you may learn about are the

• School governance
• 2019 school budgeting process and analysis
• Business Plan writing and review
• Independent Public School Review
• School programs
• Staffing

If you are interested in being part of a high function School Board please contact contact Russell Hahn or Tammy Hanrahan on 9233 5800 or Russell.hahn@education.wa.edu.au or tammy.hanrahan@education.wa.edu.au

Cambodian Sister School-Angkor Project

During the Summer break I volunteered to visit 9 of the 24 Angkor Project Sister Schools to conduct an audit of funds spent during 2018. The audit found that all fund raising money that was spent followed the strict expenditure guidelines set down by the Department of Education and the Cambodian Government. You can view what our sister looks like by searching for the Angkor Project on Facebook, just search for the Angkor Project with this logo. You can then sit down with your children and discuss the school.

Joondalup Primary School has been supporting our sister school Srang Primary School in Cambodia for ten years. During that time staff have visited and taught in the school and we have raised money for teaching and learning equipment, playground equipment, reading books, mathematics equipment, connected electricity to the school, built a basketball court and have hired an English teacher to teach English to the students. These are just a few of the projects that fund raising money has enabled.

Did you know?

• The annual salary of an English teacher in Cambodia is $1200 per year?
• The amount of money the Cambodian Government gives the school annually to run the school is approx $1000.

Our 2018 fundraising has purchased Early Childhood equipment, furniture, a laptop and printer and domestic lawn mower to mow the soccer pitch. Every year teachers from Western Australian schools participate in a study tour to Cambodia. They visit and teach in some of the 24 schools in the Angkor Project. The project has the full backing of the Department of Education.

Kiss and Drive

I would encourage parents to use the Kiss and Drive to drop off and pick up and not park there to wait for your child. A number of parents are dropping off children in the staff carpark. This is a very dangerous practise because at the beginning or end of the day there are cars, buses, trucks and work vehicles driving through the carpark. Please do the right thing and keep your child safe.