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2020 School Times

Before School Care

7.30am (must book)

Gates opened

8.30am

School Starts

8.50am

School finishes

3.10pm

Gates & building locked

3.30pm

After School Care

3.10 – 6.00pm (must book)

School Communication

We use the ‘School Star’ App as

our main way of communicating

with families.

Please download the app to your

phone and ask for support if

needed.

All newsletters are also available

online or in hard copy by request.

Hello Families and Friends, INQUIRY Our inquiry this term is ‘Celebrations and commemorations are important to the Australian Community’. It has been lovely to see so many families coming in and sharing their cultural celebrations and commemorations and we are excited to share our learning later this term and share a celebration with everyone at Harmony Day next week. PLAYGROUND This week we were finally able to open most of the new playground, which has been very exciting for everyone. There are still some final touches to go which will be completed over the next few weeks. We are really happy with the useable play space this has created for students and we can already see how they are enjoying it! ACQUAINTANCE NIGHT & AGM Thank you to everyone who attended our Acquaintance night and our A.G.M. It was lovely to see so many families learning about learning together and getting to know each other. Please see announcements later in the newsletter for our 2020 Governing Council line up! 3 WAY CONFERENCES We are looking forward to having these first learning conversations with families where we can all share our understandings and set some goals for the term and year for students. These conversations are vital in our working together with children to progress their learning and our first opportunity of the year to have individual conversations with families about their child’s needs and progress. To book a 3 way conference please go to www.schoolinterviews.com.au and enter the event code: ms3uc PUPIL FREE DAY Last Tuesday 10th March we had our first Pupil Free Day for the year. In the morning staff worked with more than 50 teachers from our partnership sites. Our focus for the morning was on formative assessment practices and feedback with students and their learning. In the afternoon we worked as a team to look at the concept of ‘transforming tasks’ which is about designing for learning that gets kids thinking deeply. This is a passion for us and is something we continue to focus on. We look forward to putting our new learning in action. Corona Virus updates With increasing concerns about Corona virus our department is working closely with SAHealth under the World Health Organisation to ensure we are kept informed of plans. We will be continuing to send out any updated information as we receive it.

CAMP Our year 3-7 camp was a huge success with lots of fun and tired little people at the end! More sharing of the camp experience will be in the next newsletter. We look forward to seeing you all next week at Harmony Day. Cheers Skye

Principal: Skye van Heusden

5-11 Briar Rd, FELIXSTOW SA 5070

dl.1228.info@schools.sa.edu.au

RESPECT RESPONSIBILITY COMPASSION

2020, Term One

Issue #2

‘Like’ us on Facebook for more

announcements and photos from

our excursions!

www.facebook.com/FelixstowCS

Keep Up to Date with Felixstow

Check out our website

https://www.felixcs.sa.edu.au/

Weekly Reminders

Assembly 9:10am

Term 1- Weeks 1, 3, 7, 9 in the Hub

Breakfast Club

8.30am Weekdays

in the kitchen

Reading Hub 8.30am

Weekdays in the Hub with Kelly, Nikki or Di

Felixstow student walking our school dog Alfie!

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Felixstow Notices School Fees

Invoices for school fees and excursion levy have

been sent home. Governing Council has set the

fees this year at $423.50 per child. Direct debit

payments can be made, using BSB 105-010, Ac-

count 115 989 440. Please use your child’s name

as the reference.

If you wish to make instalment payments by direct

debit, please speak to Gillian if you have not

done so already.

School Card Applications

Applications for school cards are now processed

online. Please follow the steps below if you wish to

apply for a school card.

You can access the online forms from any device

that gets internet including mobile devices such as

tablets and smart phones, as well as laptops and

computers.

Step 1: visit sa.gov.au/education/schoolcard

Step 2: Select the type of school card you would

like to apply for.

Step 3: Complete all mandatory fields.

Step 4: Once you have completed a page, click on

the NEXT button.

Step 5: Once you have filled out all pages, click the

SUBMIT button.

You can save the form and return to complete it at

another time by clicking the save button.

If you are having trouble please come in to get

help from Gillian.

Congratulations

The winner of the school top from

acquaintance night is reception

student Aima!

Children’s University 2020

Membership

It is now time for everyone who is

interested in continuing their learning journey with

Children’s University to renew their annual mem-

bership.

If you are interested in becoming a member

please do not hesitate to contact Di via the front

desk and she will be happy to talk to you.

Children eligible to join (aged 7+) were given a

2020 membership application.

We offer learning opportunities at lunch break at

school and if your child attends OSHC then they

can also claim hours for this as well. Each regular

learning activity (sports, dance or music to name

a few) can earn up to 10 hours of learning time

for each child. This means that you may already

be doing activities which can earn learning hours.

Community Morning Tea

The Community morning tea was held in the

kitchen on Friday 6th March. We would like to

thank all of our parent volunteers that sup-

ported us with preparing resources for chil-

dren’s programs and learning.

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Felixstow Notices Governing Council Announcements

Thank you to everyone who attended our A.G.M. A big thank you to the six parents who nominated

for Governing Council this year and for everyone who took the time to vote and return their ballots.

We had a total of 144 votes with 48 parents submitting ballot papers this year. We had 4 invalid ballot

papers.

We would like to warmly congratulate and welcome to Governing Council:

- Rosie Cardillo

- Morris Mannella

- Tali Koto-Ingram

- Eve Forbes

They will join our continuing members:

- Dinh Nyugen

- Kerryn Hibberde

- Eimy Coronel De-Barros

We would like to take this opportunity to formally thank our outgoing members Danielle Greig and

Laura Keller for their amazing support and contribution to Governing Council over the past few years.

We would particularly like to thank Dani who has been an integral part of our Governing Council for 6

years and has undertaken a number of roles including Deputy Chair and recently our treasurer. Dani

was also part of our strategic planning group 4 years ago and with her expertise was able to guide

and facilitate this process to help support our school in moving forward to the place it is today.

A reminder that any community member is encouraged and welcomed to put forward ideas to the

school or governing council at any time for consideration.

We are looking forward to a positive and productive year ahead!

Mural Complete

Thank you to Scott Rathman who has created this masterpiece on the back wall of our school build-

ing. Scott is a very talented Indigenous artist. We were lucky enough to have him visit Felixstow in

week 5 to share his painting skills with our primary students. After working with the students Scott de-

signed the work based on the following messages from the discussions—The mural is representative of

these moments in time when we are mindful of coming together like family and caring for each other

having fun while also taking time to be grateful, find peace and to enjoy our time here.....the design

incorporates two student designs to represent mindfulness and the other to represent joining together

The students’ art work is displayed inside the Primary classroom. Come in and check them out!

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Felixstow Wellbeing Notices Starting the School Day Right

Children don’t understand time in the same way

as adults and this can make school mornings a

stressful time of day for families. The most useful

way to reduce morning chaos is to set up a

night and morning routine for school. Sticking to

a routine will help your children to predict

what’s coming, remember what they need to

do and help them to arrive at school feeling

calm, fed and ready to make the most of each

day.

Here are some ideas to take some of the pres-

sure out of school mornings:

The night before:

Try to find out the night before (or even

earlier) if there is something special going

on at school the next day.

Pack a healthy lunch and set the break-

fast table ready for the morning rush.

Breakfast is one of the most important

meals of the day, and helps your child to

concentrate better at school.

Get your child to have a bath or shower

the night before.

You might know something is going to

come up that could cause conflict, like

your child not wanting to eat breakfast, so

talk about it the night before when you

have time.

Establish a regular bedtime routine to

make sure they are getting enough sleep.

In the morning:

Rushing can really increase everyone’s stress levels, so it helps to give yourself a bit more time in the

morning. One of the best ways to do this is to get up 15-30 minutes earlier.

Think about an alarm clock for children who find it hard to wake up or don’t like getting out of bed.

Right out a checklist or sticker chart of everything they need to do so that they can tick it off as they

go.

Tackle the morning as positively as you can, good moods can be infectious! Focusing on the positive

aspects of your children’s behaviour and praising them, for example, ‘Great to see you eating some

toast’.

Give your children calm, clear instructions about what you want them to do, and follow up with spe-

cific praise as soon as they start to cooperate.

As your children get older and more capable, encourage them to do more for themselves – for ex-

ample, an seven-year-old can get dressed, make breakfast, and tidy up on their own.

Cut down on distractions like television, tablets and other devices, many families have a rule about

no screen time in the morning.

Make it fun – for example, try a ‘Beat the buzzer’ game to encourage

your child to be ready on time.

Information taken from the Australian Government Department for Social Services

website raisingchildren.net.au

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Get To Know The Current Felixstow Staff Skye

Principal Something interesting about me is that I

met my husband in high school and

have been together for 29 years with 3

kids, Tyson (26), Maddie (23) and be-

came a foster parent to Jake (5).

Laura

Primary Teacher Something interesting about me is that I

have completed a triathlon, True Grit, 4

body building competitions and will be

participating in a powerlifting competi-

tion in April.

Lauren

Juniors Teacher Something interesting about me is that I

am getting married this year.

Kamal

Physical Education Teacher Something interesting about me is that I

have walked Annapurna Circuit in the

Himalayas which is 230km and took me

16 days.

Chantal

Wellbeing Teacher Something interesting about me is that I

have travelled all over the world includ-

ing Egypt, Jordan, Cuba, Mexico, Ice-

land, Alaska and spent 9 months driving

around America.

Nicole

Primary Teacher Something interesting about me is that I

used to play dodgeball and I was the

captain.

Tuula

Juniors Teacher Something interesting about me is that

before I was a teacher I was a profes-

sional dancer and choreographer.

Camille

Art Teacher Something interesting about me is that

my favourite things to do are tending to

my garden and hiking in the bush in the

Adelaide hills.

Gillian

Business Manager Something interesting about me is that I

was born in England, lived in Hawaii ,

Japan, North Carolina, Virginia and now

Adelaide.

Di

SSO/Children's University Coordina-

tor Something interesting about me is that

I lived and worked in England for 5

years.

Nikki

SSO/ Communications Officer Something interesting about me is that I

am studying to be a primary school

teacher and will be finished in 2020.

Kelly

SSO/ Librarian Something interesting about me is that I

have lived in Scotland. I studied country

side management and was a wild life

consultant.

Jenny

SSO/Grounds

Person/ Cooking Coordinator Something interesting about me is that I

enjoy baking and gardening.

Alysse

SSO Something interesting about me is that I

have a Certificate IV in Health Care.

Marissa

SSO Something interesting about me is that I

love winter. My favourite day is a rainy

day.

Shaun

SSO Something interesting about me is that I

like playing handball with the kids. I am

also going to become a dad for the first

time this year.

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Juniors Play based learning is an integral part of students learning here at Felixstow Community School. Using play

as a context for learning, children are motivated to explore, experiment, discover and problem solve

through building, creating, nature play and dramatic play. Play based learning encourages the develop-

ment of student’s social skills and understandings through partner and team work.

Felixstow students engage in programs such as:

Forest Play which allows students to access designated nature play areas. Students work as a team to

create flow paths for their man-made river. They use trees and sticks to build houses and create

imaginative games that involve exploring the environment.

Investigation is a program used in the early years’ classes. Students will use metacognition strategies to

enhance their learning through play by developing plans before engaging in play and reflecting

on their learning with their classmates. In this way play develops children’s executive function skills

of self-regulation, planning and problem-solving throughout the process. Teachers plan play cen-

tres that connect to the curriculum and are based on children’s interests. Oral language is a focus

of Investigation, building language skills through vocabulary building, the language of learning and

social talk. Children learn how to ask questions and comment on others’ learning, developing their

thinking skills and positive learning dispositions.

Classroom Learning

Primary This term for growth mindset, Nicole’s group have been looking at the brain and how it can ‘grow’ or be

‘stretched’ when we face challenges. Laura's group have been learning about growth mindset from

watching Dojo videos. Having a growth versus fixed mindset means we are willing to try new and difficult

things and persevere without giving up. Our groups came up with their own growth mindset statements

which reflect what they see ‘having a growth mindset’ is about.

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Paper Boats Incursion

On the 7th of February, Felixstow students enjoyed a wildly imaginative, visual

theatre ‘When the Mirror Bird Sings.’

The performance showcased a modern fairy-tale that shares the story of rare flock of

wondrous birds, whose precious mirror-ball eggs become the catalyst for the internal

battle between kindness and greed.

The story is told using physical image, movement, dance and participation from stu-

dents!

Felixstow Events

Home group Cooking

On Friday the 14th of February, Laura's home group spent the afternoon cooking. The

group was led by Jenny and Dalal (Joelle's mum). Together they made traditional Leba-

nese dishes including lentil soup. The students practised fundamental cooking skills and

were given the opportunity to immerse themselves in Lebanese culture through cooking

and a shared meal. Special thankyou to Dalal.

If any other parents are interested in cooking throughout the year, please email the school or

see Jenny.

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Upcoming Community Announcements

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Updated: November 2019

for the fridge

Important Dates for the fridge Updated: February 2020

2020 CALENDAR Term 1

Friday 20th March Harmony Day celebrations

Friday 27th March Cooking (Nicole’s Homegroup)

Wednesday 8th April Learning Expo

Thursday 9th April Last Day of Term (2:10 Dismissal)

Term 2

Friday 8th May Sports Day

Monday 8th June Public Holiday (No School)

Tuesday 9th June Pupil Free Day (No School)

(OSHC available at Paradise Primary School)

Monday 22nd June Pupil Free Day (No School)

(OSHC available at Paradise Primary School)

Thursday 25th June Morialta Day

Thursday 2nd July Learning Expo

Term 3

Monday 3rd August Pupil Free Day (No School)

(OSHC available at Paradise Primary School)

Thursday 10th September Big Night In (Year 2, 3, 4 students)

Thursday 24th September Learning Expo

Term 4

Monday 7th December Community Celebration

Hannah Gustard is our

OSHC director and can

be contacted via the

school.

Keep Up to Date with Felixstow

We use the ‘School Star’ App as our main

way of communicating with families.

Please download the app to your phone and ask

for support if needed.

Like’ us on Facebook for more reminders

and photos from our excursions!

https://www.facebook.com/

FelixstowCS

Check out https://www.felixcs.sa.edu.au/

for a calendar view of the term!

Weekly Reminders

Assembly 9:10am

Term 1- Weeks 1, 3, 7, 9 in the Hub

Breakfast Club

8.30am Weekdays

in the kitchen

Reading Hub 8.30am

Weekdays in the Hub with Kelly,

Nikki or Di

School Times

Before School Care

7.30am (must book)

Gates opened

8.30am

School Starts

8.50am

School finishes

3.10pm

Gates & building locked

3.30pm

After School Care

3.10 – 6.00pm (must book)

Please note that these dates may change. Updated versions will be in the newsletter or posted on School Star!