Contact Us Manifold Heights Primary School Strachan Avenue Manifold Heights 3218 P: 03 5229 9643 www.manifold.vic.edu.au [email protected]Please also find us on Facebook Manifold Heights Primary School Newsletter Principal: Barry Rowland Assistant Principal: Peta Mundine Business Manager: Kate Dangerfield Administration: Jacquie Clancy Date: 30th April 2020 Important Dates MAY Sunday 10th May Mother’s Day Friday 29th May Grade 6 - Year 7 Transition Forms Due DO YOU HAVE A STUDENT STARTING IN PREP NEXT YEAR? If you have a student due to be starting school in 2021, please contact the Office for an enrolment form on [email protected]. Our cut off date for Prep 2021 is Friday 29th May 2020. ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE TO ORDER ONLINE Good news! Many of the restaurants and cafe's that are closed offer takeaway! Take this opportunity to order your membership today and support Manifold Heights Primary School . The membership has hundreds of takeaway, shopping offers online, including Hello Fresh, JB Hi-Fi and Woolworth’s. So while you are at home take advantage and let locals support locals. Please head to https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/1131v43 to order yours today. Are You Using Compass Pay & Receiving Compass Notifications? Each week the Office sends notifications to Parents and Staff through Compass. During Term 2 with all most all students learning from home it is crucial that parents keep up to date with school notifications via Compass or keep updated on the school website. All Home Learning communications are being posted to the home page of the school website. If you do not have the Compass app and notifications set up correctly on your phone you could be missing out on important updates. Each family has a unique family code to log in to Compass. If you need assistance logging in to Compass please contact Jacquie or Kate in the Office on 5229 9643.
Manifold Heights Primary School Newsletter Principal: Barry Rowland Assistant Principal: Peta Mundine Business Manager: Kate Dangerfield Administration: Jacquie Clancy
Date: 30th April 2020
Important Dates MAY
Sunday 10th May Mother’s Day
Friday 29th May Grade 6 - Year 7 Transition Forms Due
DO YOU HAVE A STUDENT STARTING IN PREP NEXT YEAR?
If you have a student due to be starting school in 2021, please contact the Office for an enrolment
Our cut off date for Prep 2021 is Friday 29th May 2020.
ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS ARE AVAILABLE TO ORDER ONLINE Good news! Many of the restaurants and cafe's that are closed offer takeaway! Take this opportunity to order
your membership today and support Manifold Heights Primary School. The membership has hundreds of takeaway, shopping offers online, including Hello Fresh, JB Hi-Fi and Woolworth’s. So while you are at home
take advantage and let locals support locals.
Please head to https://www.entertainmentbook.com.au/orderbooks/1131v43 to order yours today.
Are You Using Compass Pay & Receiving Compass Notifications?
Each week the Office sends notifications to Parents and Staff through Compass. During Term 2 with all most all students learning
from home it is crucial that parents keep up to date with school notifications via Compass or keep updated on the school website.
All Home Learning communications are being posted to the home page of the school website.
If you do not have the Compass app and notifications set up correctly on your phone you could be missing out on important
updates.
Each family has a unique family code to log in to Compass.
If you need assistance logging in to Compass please contact Jacquie or Kate in the Office on 5229 9643.
We are now well and truly into the 3rd week of Term 2 remote learning and whilst it is tricky work for all, we should feel proud of the achievements to date. Face to face teaching in classrooms is certainly our preferred and well regarded mode of operation, which we hope we will all get back to sometime soon.
Our teaching teams have been attempting to respond to your feedback – from students and parents – as they make their remote learning programs a mixture of sequential, engaging, fun, rigorous and open ended in some cases. Please ensure that we interact each week with the Specialist program offerings, which collectively provide a great mix of activities for the week of our students, as they do when we are all at school during a ‘normal’ week. Have you begun practicing for the big back to Mano flash mob dance? Check out the safeyoutube clips on Compass from Ms Schuster & Mrs Tickner.
It is interesting to watch and hear what other Australian States and Territories are doing around school onsite learning and when the Victorian Department of Education & Training make decisions and announcements about the future, these will be communicated via Compass and weekly newsletters. Stay tuned!
Teacher Video Conferencing with Students
Our teaching staff have commented that preparing remote learning appropriate work for students, ensuring log in access is supported for all across multiple apps and programs, responding to student and parent queries as they arise, providing feedback on submitted work, preparing in advance their instructional videos’ delivering their daily morning welcome sessions and participating in various and frequent online staff team meetings, is keeping them busier than ever. And some staff are volunteering to be at school to supervise students from other grade levels, (from multi age groups) whose parents have no other option for home supervision due to essential service work commitments.
Whilst some feedback to date has focused upon the likelihood of introducing student – teacher video conferencing, this will need to be carefully managed and introduced if we go ahead with that additional form of communication, in conjunction with existing arrangements. Cyber safety of all our students is also part of this complexity. Perhaps one session per week with the classroom teacher and in some cases in small groups could be an initial plan. The Department of Education & Training encourages video conferencing to be with the approved Cisco Webex tool – this is what all of our staff teams use and School Council will use next Monday evening for their monthly meeting.
I would encourage families to download Cisco Webex Meetings from their app store or as a desktop app on the computer but going further into the program at the moment might be unnecessary as there will be further information to come to join teacher meetings if we proceed in this direction of communication. Please refer to the following link as it provides the nuts and bolts on joining a meeting How to access learning from home - Webex
Some aspects to consider include:
Parent permission must be gained for their child to
participate in Webex conferencing with staff and perhaps even asking that they must be present.
School ‘acceptable use of internet user agreement’
forms must be pre-signed by all participants, as this is a part of the Privacy Impact Statement requirements.
Agreed times would be set up with agreed foci, to
ensure efficiency for all.
Conferencing would complement existing remote
learning arrangements and not replace some
The Department of Education & Training is working on this aspect of remote schooling and our staff are discussing it – stay tuned for further details of progress in this area.
Mother’s Day, Sunday 10th May
Everyday should be Mother’s Day!
Students at school often make gifts for their mums or for the special people in their lives (sometimes this is a step mum or a grandmother) but with remote learning arrangements in place, things are different this year. And our annual Mother’s Day stall, allowing students to shop at school, will sadly not be possible in its previous format. At the time of printing of this newsletter edition, we are discussing a plan to provide a service for families in this regard – as we have the stock already onsite!
So how will we make sure that the 2020 Mother’s Day is still very, very special? We need to get thinking, planning and acting – we’ve got, you’ve got time.
Prep Enrolments for 2021
These are still being accepted and enrolment forms can be lodged at the General Office between 9am-11 am daily or via email: [email protected]
We hope to know by the end of May total numbers looking for Mano 2021 Prep enrolment and can then subsequently confirm places soon after that deadline. Families with younger siblings coming to Mano need to complete the required paperwork as do all ‘new’ families. Enrolment forms can be obtained from the General Office and can be emailed or posted home upon request ph: 5229 9643.
Year 7 2021 Applications
Please note that due to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19), adjustments to the statewide timeline have been made. These changes provide schools with more flexibility to distribute the Parent/Carer Pack while also providing parents and carers with an increased time frame in which to return the Application Form.
Due to government schools commencing remote and flexible learning arrangements, primary schools may be unable to distribute the 2020 Parent/Carer Transition Information Pack to Year 6 families from the start of Term 2. The Parent/Carer Pack contains the Application for Year 7 Placement 2021 form (the Application form).
To ensure that no Year 6 family is disadvantaged by this situation, all government primary schools must ensure that all families can access this key document. If a family does not have a device and/or internet access, the school should discuss alternative methods of delivery with parents/carers, including sending the Parent/Carer Pack to their postal address via Australia Post.
Primary school staff must make arrangements with their Year 6 families regarding how they should return the Application form to the primary school (e.g. by email, post or by other means) by the revised due date of Friday 29 May 2020.
At ‘Mano’ before we start our Maths lesson, we play a Maths warm up game! These are quick, engaging ways to start a Maths session and to get your brain into ‘Maths mode’ GAME EQUIPMENT RULES/INSTRUCTIONS EXTENSION
Problem Solving– Investigate the below task! There is NO wrong answer. We would love to see all your different possibilities and reasons for your thinking. You might draw, use materials, act it out or even create number patterns to answer the problem.
Guess my number !
100s chart Place value chart (see below) or google ‘place value chart
Choose a number. It can be any number you like. Your partner tells you a number. You write it in the place value columns. If it is right, you tick it If it’s not in the number, you cross it If it’s in the number but not in that position, you put a dot. You can give your partner up to 10 guesses!
This can be played with up to 6 digits if you’d like! You just have to be able to read the number you’re guessing
HAVE A GO at this task and upload your efforts onto your class See-Saw or Google Classroom!
P.E. AT HOME WITH
MR HAMBROOK AND MR GRANT
‘Balloons, Balloons, Balloons!!’
This week see if you can have a go at some of the
balloon balancing activities in the clip below
You might even try and create your own
balancing game using a balloon/s.
https://safeYouTube.net/w/DueA
Physical movement during ‘Remote Learning’ is so important in so many ways for families, parents and children. Walking or stretching, will help ease muscle strain, relieve mental tension and improve blood circulation and muscle activity. Regular physical activity can also help to give the day a routine and be a way of staying mentally sharp and on task. It might only be for 10 minutes each day! They can be activities around the home and garden, it doesn’t have to be exercise or sport – play, dance, gardening, and even house cleaning and carrying heavy objects is all part of being physically active.
The Preps have continued to work extremely hard and the Prep teachers are more than impressed with the work that has contin-
ued to be uploaded on Seesaw. We are very proud of our Preps but equally as impressed with their ‘teachers’ at home.
One of the most loved activities in Prep is Letterland and even while learning from home, the Preps have been able to enjoy meet-
ing the new characters and learning new letters and sounds. We met Bouncy Ben and Dippy Duck in week 2 and this week we
have met Oscar Orange and Jumping Jim.
Frankie PA Billy PH Mabel PA Ned PH Milla PT Lenny PT
Grade 1’s Home Learning Journal Grade 1 students have embraced the challenges of home learning with enthusiasm, creativity, resilience and persistence. The
students have been focusing on gaining a better understanding of books by making text-to-self connections and asking questions
as they read. The students have been loving following and writing procedural texts - we have made popcorn, play dough and
many other things! We have explored 2D shapes in the environment around them, they are discovering Maths is really
everywhere!
Frankie found a
12-sided shape
called a dodecagon!
Oscar found lots of 2D
shapes in the Target toys
catalogue
Ivy is making
homemade pizza to
write a procedural
text on.
Ivy’s Procedural Text has
a title, materials section
and steps!
Georgie made text-to-self
connections, she loves to
cook with her Grandma
too!
Viv loved finding and
sharing her top 5 home
library books!
Remote Learning News from the Grade 2s
I enjoy home learning because I get to hang out with my mum and dad. But I miss hanging out with my friends. I have been re-ally enjoying learning about space and planets this week.
Chloe 2O
This week the Grade 2s reflected
on what they like about home
learning and what they are looking
forward to when they return to
school.
This term the Middles kiddles are learning all about the gloriumptious author Roald Dahl. During Reading we have been looking at the splendiferous language he uses called Gobblefunk, and during Writing the kiddles have been exploring his stories and writing some pretty convincing persuasive pieces to influence you to watch/read them. Why don’t you have a glimp at what they
have to say…
Matilda “Definitely watch Matilda, because the movie is trying to say that even without superpowers, books can be power for your brain. Matilda is one of the only good movies that focuses on books instead of horror, drama, romance, thrill and comedy… but a little bit of comedy.” - Ibrahim, MC.
“Matilda is the best book ever made in history. You need to read it now! If you don’t have Matilda, go and buy it now. What are you waiting for?” Charlotte, MC. The story Matilda is dramatic, scary and a little bit gruesome. Which is one reason you should read it. - Kate, MS Fantastic Mr Fox “I think you should read the Fantastic Mr Fox book. It has a very addictive song that I love! It is so funny to imagine and it is so engaging.“ - Esther, MC. The Magic Finger “The thing I like the most about this book is that it makes you think about human behaviour. The book says Dahl is the world’s best storyteller and I can believe that! He brilliantly put you in someone’s else's shoes (I mean wings) but you will need to read the book to understand the joke!“ - Ruben, MM The Magic Finger is a brilliant little book and I strongly believe that you will love this beautiful book. The book is written for all ages. It has an amazing moral, the moral is to treat others the way you want to be treated. Evelina, MS Charlie and The Chocolate Factory “Watching the movie helped me imagine if I lived in a house filled with lollies and that makes it a fun movie. Can you imagine living in a house built with your favourite lollies? I can, because I love lollies, but not more than my brother Thomas!” Sam, MM
“Charlie is a great role model and he is teaching the reader a positive lesson on how to be patient and not being greedy. For example, he was always calm and patient while entering the rooms” Dalia, MM
Take 5 with the Seniors
It’s official. The biggest thing that Senior students (and teachers!) are missing in Remote Learning is the chance to just have a good old fashioned chat! To combat that, we’re jumping on the opportunity of a little space in the newsletter, to ‘take 5’ and catch up. This week, we’re hearing from Senior S.
Mrs Seeckts
Favourite thing about working from home
Being able to spend my days in the company of our cats and dog (you can see Tom helping me in the picture below!)
Toughest thing about working from home
I miss seeing my class! Also, it’s really tough sitting all day.
What are you grateful for?
Tech, my team, and cups of tea!
What’s your hot tip?
Make a timetable and stick to it. Especially, make sure you have proper breaks and get up to move around.
What are you looking forward to after restrictions end?
At school - having a laugh, face to face with my class. Outside of school - I’m hanging to give my nieces a massive cuddle!
Austin
Favourite thing about working from home
You can get your work done quicker and then you have more time to play afterward.
Toughest thing about working from home
You miss your friends and the work is different. I miss doing group work too.
What are you grateful for?
That we can still actually learn, and that we have the internet.
What’s your hot tip?
Concentrate on the work instead of having really big break. Don’t rush your work to just play games. Take your time.
What are you looking forward to after restrictions end?
Seeing my friends! I want so badly to go see my friends face to face. And I can’t wait to go to restaurants, the beach, and football. At school I’m looking forward to seeing my teachers and learning.
Remote Learning News from the Specialists
The specialists have been very pleased to see the work from students each week. The students have
enjoyed the activities, as their comments were very appreciative and delightful. Through the student
video responses, it was encouraging to see families working together and showing such commitment to
the task of learning at home.
The Specialist focus this week is Library with Mrs. Bencic. Reading and listening to stories takes us on a magical journey that allows us to imagine and dream. Here are some examples of students learning about the characters and their feelings, the story setting and the illustrations in “The Mixed up Chame-leon” by Eric Carle and “How to Catch a star” by Oliver Jeffers. Student responses to the stories: ‘The
best thing is to be yourself’ and ‘It’s good to have friends’. HAPPY READING!
Library News The Geelong Regional Library provides free memberships with an access to a large ecollection. Animated and talking ebooks and activities for children available through STORY BOX LIBRARY, TUMBLEBOOKS and BUSY THINGS. There are online reference resources such as Encyclopaedia Britannica, Science, World History, Design & Art Australia. If interested in joining you can go to the direct link: www.grlc.vic.gov.au/services/join-library or call administration on 03 4201 0600.
