ELC Weekly Bulletin - Term 2 Week 1
A MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF PRIMARY
Welcome back to term two. I trust that all families had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday together. I am sure I will hear many stories this coming week about adventures and travels that the students undertook from Busselton to Bali and beyond. These shared activities create great experiences for families to share together.
During the holidays I happened to have lunch with an old friend who now has university aged children, and he was lamenting that despite the extensive travels that his children enjoyed whilst they were at school, his children now could not remember anything at all about the family trips. He could recall all the details but the memories were very vague to his children. This reminded me of something that I only see every few years now but has a great impact on this.
Like most adults who grew up in the film camera age, I can remember as a child we had family photo albums that were not just filled with pictures from when I was young but also black and white photos from my father in his youth. These photos now appear genuinely ancient, bound in thick photo albums and displayed on a white card backing with a transparent plastic covering. I am sure many parents may remember these. An unappreciated part of that antiquated photo album was that it had a space below each picture that was there to be able to write a description, a date and a location of the image. I can look at the picture of my grandparents and their children, black and white of course, but know that it was taken at the Longreach stock sales in 1958.
It has occurred to me that although we take many more photographs than in years gone by, the majority of these are left in digital format. Some may be printed for a frame or canvas at home but the when and where is soon lost to the memories of the children and admittedly, adults too as I have gotten older. The written description that goes along with the photos helps prompt the memory when children go back through these pictures years later. It helps them remember the adventures they had and the wonderful experiences and opportunities their parents gave them. And the older they get, the more nostalgic those memories become.
I encourage all families who caught up with loved ones, or went away for a vacation, to think about printing some of these photographs and having their children write the description next to the picture. In years to come, when they look back through the photographs, the children will read their own thoughts as to what the photo represented and marvel at how much they have grown in the time since the pictures were taken.
Mark Douglas
Head of Primary
A MESSAGE FROM DEPUTY HEAD OF PRIMARY – EARLY LEARNING
What a beautiful day to start Term 2! It was wonderful to see so many smiling faces arriving at school this morning. Despite this beautiful weather, it is expected that all ELC children have a winter uniform. The winter uniform can be worn as the weather warrants. On warmer days, it is ideal to have the winter uniform available in school bags should the weather change. The children will be expected to wear the full winter uniform for excursions, special events and school photographs. A spare uniform is still encouraged to be kept in school bags for accidents. Hats are expected to be worn all year unless the UV index is below 3. Educators can check the UV using an App available on smart phones throughout the day. So, please ensure that your child has their hat at school every day. Please remember that shoes are to be mostly white. No jewellery or nail polish.
Please encourage your child to practice:
• Taking the winter uniform on and off
• Turning the uniform the correct way from being inside-out
• Folding their uniform to fit into their school bag
For information, Uniform shop opening hours from this term are as follows:
- Mondays: 7.45am - 11.15am
- Wednesdays: 7.45am - 11.15am
- Thursdays: 1.00pm - 4.30pm
Linda Sweet
Deputy Head of Primary – Early Learning
K-Y1 SCHOOL PHOTOS - Students to wear full Winter uniform
Photo envelopes will be coming home today and tomorrow with ELC students; please ensure the photo envelopes are returned to your child's class teacher prior to Photo Day in Week 3 (even if you do not wish to order photos). It is essential that all photo envelopes are returned to School as the barcodes on the envelopes are used to correctly identify individual students in their class photos. Students are to wear full winter uniform on Photo Day. For the ELC this will mean wearing the School track top and pants over the summer uniform. Photo days for ELC students are as follows:
- Tuesday 30 April 2024 (morning): Kindy Starfish, Pre-Primary Logan and Pre-Primary Newell
- Wednesday 1 May 2024 (morning): Kindy Turtles, Year 1 Harriden and Year 1 Wells
For families that would like a siblings photo, these can be taken either before school (8.15am – 8.40am) or after school (3.25pm – 3.45pm) on 29 April – 2 May in the School Hall. A parent will need to accompany their children.
For families of Old Scholars these photos are being taken at 7.45am on Tuesday 30 April in the School Hall. See separate item below 'Old Scholars' Generational Photo' for booking details.
For information, if your child is absent from school on Photo Day, there will be a catch-up Photo Day for absentees on Wednesday, 8 May.
PARENT COMMITMENT HOUR OPPORTUNITIES
Please follow the links provided below to add your name to one of the rosters if you are able to assist. Thank you.
These are shared documents which all ELC parents are able to view.
- ELC UPCYCLING ROSTER: ELC Shared Upcycling Roster (term time only)
- ELC WATERING AND OTHER OUTDOOR TASKS (term time and holidays):
ELC Outdoor Enviro Volunteer Roster
- OTHER ELC PARENT HOUR OPPORTUNITIES (NONE YET)
There are currently no other general opportunities available. Parents will be advised via the Weekly Bulletins or Class SEESAW pages when opportunities do become available. Parents will be able to access the shared roster via the link provided below to add their names for the advertised task(s).
LINK: ELC GENERAL PARENT HOUR OPPORTUNITIES
TERM 2 - ELC EVENT REMINDERS
WEEK 1
- FIRST DAY OF TERM 2 – Tuesday 16 April
Kindy Starfish will attend on Tuesday of Week 1.
Kindy Turtles will attend on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Week 1.
WEEK 2
- ST MARK’S DAY CELEBRATIONS - Wednesday 24 April
K-Y1 students will attend part of the K-12 Service and participate in various activities in classrooms.
- ANZAC DAY PUBLIC HOLIDAY – Thursday 25 April
- PP-Y5 ANZAC DAY SERVICE – Friday 26 April
PP-Y1 students will attend the PP-Y5 Service and participate in various activities in classrooms during the week.
WEEK 3
- K-12 SCHOOL PHOTOS – Monday 29 April to Thursday 2 May
WEEK 4
- ELC MOTHERS’ DAY CELEBRATION – Friday 10 May (8.30-10.30am)
K-1 Mothers/Significant Other invited to participate.
Kindy Starfish Group invited as well.
More details will be provided via Weekly Bulletins on the School App closer to the event date.
WEEK 6
- PP-Y5 IH CROSS COUNTRY CARNIVAL – Tuesday 21 May
Notifications will be via Consent2Go closer to the event date.
Students will need to wear their House shirts on this day.
WEEK 10:
- K-12 EMERGENCY DRILL – Monday 17 June
- PP-Y12 SEMESTER 1 REPORTS - released on SEQTA this week
(Semester 1 Reports are not prepared for Kindergarten. They will only receive Reports at the end of the year.)
- PP & Y1 HOUSE ACTIVITY DAY – Friday 21 June
Pre-Primary and Year 1 students will participate in various fun activities in their House groups.
They will need to wear their House shirts on this day.
- LAST DAY OF TERM 2 – Friday 21 June
Students will finish at the normal time on this day for a three-week mid-year break.
TERM 3
- FIRST DAY OF TERM 3 – Tuesday 16 July
Kindy Starfish will attend on Tuesday and Wednesday of Week 1
Kindy Turtles will attend on Thursday and Friday of Week 1