Yay the SLOSSS is open! St Leonards Outdoor Sensory Safe Space

Yay the SLOSSS is open! St Leonards Outdoor Sensory Safe Space.

In 2017 teachers worked with grade 5/6 students and community members, Sonja Di Pietro and Wayne Long to create the SLOSSS concept. It was based on the idea that we have plenty of active play spaces in our school but no quiet relaxing spaces where kids can just hangout and enjoy nature and being outdoors. Although there is a little more work to be done the fences are down and we can now begin to enjoy the SLOSSS. Over the holidays phase 2, around the water tank, will be completed with community planting earlier next term.

All students have planted plants with Preps and 1s planting a bottle tree and grass tree as feature plants. We hope they will grow and thrive as students move through the school.

We would appreciate adult support in encouraging your children to use the SLOSSS as outlined below and modelling doing the same. We would also appreciate volunteers to water a few plants at 3pm one day per week for 10 minutes. Please let Jenny know which day would suit you.

Below are the SLOSS Guidelines we ask students to follow:

We need to take care of our new space.

It is a quiet, relaxing space to play.

Let the grass grow and let the plants grow.

We need to water the plants.

Expectations:

1. We only walk and stay on the path.

2. Ball games and chasing games are played at the back of the school.

3. We will look after the plants and watch were we tread.

4. We will leave the rocks on the ground.

5. Go in the cubbies and the boat, but not behind them.

6. You will be asked to go and play at the back of the school if you do not follow the expectations.

Sustainability Expo Day - next Thursday September 12th

Our focus this term has been Sustainability – Sharing Our Planet. The SLPS Environment Group are planning a special day on Thursday September 12 to celebrate all of the amazing work students across the school have done this term to help our planet.

Did you know that fast fashion is one of the biggest problems for the environment at the moment? It takes around 2,700 litres of water to make one cotton t-shirt. Students are invited to take part in a slow fashion event - to wear their favourite or oldest clothes and instead of a gold coin donation, bring one piece of clothing to be recycled. The piece of clothing should be unsuitable for the op shop - we are looking for worn out or stained items that will be shredded and turned into new textiles.

Student leaders have some exciting learning tasks organised for after recess. Then from 1.40 we are having a Sustainability Expo where all grade 3 to 6 students promote and display their recycling bin prototypes that they have designed and constructed during STEAM lessons. We will vote for the best designs. Prep, grade 1 and 2 students will display and discuss their habitat dioramas. We’d love you to pop in during this session to see their wonderful work. We also need cardboard tubes for one of our tasks –send them in please.

School Council

School Council will meet next Monday after school. This term they have been instrumental in organizing OHSC with Kelly Club. They were thrilled to see so many parents attend the Open Day last week. Please return your forms to the office and stay tuned for the term 4 start date for after school sessions.

One of the items on the agenda next week is planning for 2020. At this stage our numbers will drop and we are likely to have 5 classes. It’s always a puzzle working out class combinations and prioritizing programs that will provide the best outcomes for our students within our budget. Remember that School Council is your voice and members will happily raise any ideas or concerns that you have.

School Council Members: Cate McTighe-Harper, Jen Green, Chloe Trevor, Trudi Kyrou, Emma Moxon, Alice Moorfield, Kate McCabe, Jenny Cowburn, Chris Layley and Alanah Carroll.

Jenny Cowburn

Principal

August 22nd, 2019 Newsletter No. 13

We are over half way through term 3 and there’s lots happening. Our Book Week Celebration Day today gave students the opportunity to really appreciate picture books from an artistic viewpoint, to learn from each other in cross age groupings and to have great fun dressing up and parading as their favourite book characters. To ‘double loop’ the learning our focus books were connected to our Saving the Planet inquiry focus.

Teachers are doing their own learning with all involved in Peer Observation rounds, where they focus on an aspect of student agency in their teaching and observe, discuss, gather feedback and learn from each other. Kids often think it’s strange to have another teacher observing in their classroom and learning from them and what they are doing and saying.

Next week our grade 5/6s head off to Malmsbury Camp, catching the 9.05 train from South Geelong and we’ll no doubt hear lots about their adventures once they return to school on Thursday. Thursday is also when our 2020 Preps come to visit from 2-3pm and when Kelly Club launch after school care. We have also found that Dylan, Edan, Ethan T, Murphy and Zoe have progressed to the second round of the combined school athletics competition. Congratulations!

We are reminded again this week of how wonderful our community is with repairs done by the Men’s Shed and the donation of a new BBQ table, generous financial donations by the Progress Association and a Probus Club member, and the firing of Grade 5/6 clay creations by Sue at the Community Hub. We are also grateful for the numerous volunteers who pop their head in our door and offer their support and expertise.

Assembly

Our weekly assembly will now be on Friday afternoon rather than Monday mornings. We believe that this will

be an effective way to celebrate our learning and finish the week and it also allows more time for literacy on Mondays. We’re trialing it til the end of term. As always we value your feedback. We hope to see you next Friday, August 30th at 2.45

Recycling collection point

Students have really taken our sustainability focus to heart with all classes having projects on the go. All boxes from the foyer are now in one place – just inside the glass doors. A one stop recycling point. Keep all the goodies coming in until the end of term – bottle tops, batteries, colgate products, cardboard tubes and bread tags

Let’s support Learning

Parents just a gentle reminder that if you need to go into classrooms we’d appreciate you doing so through the office and checking that you are not interrupting learning. It’s very easy to do so in our open space!

Swimming

Students are looking forward to improving their swimming skills during the last week of term, no matter what their capabilities. Our school’s 5 day Swimming Program commences on Monday September 16th at Splashdown in Newcomb Park. This is a part of our school’s normal educational program and is a very important life skill, so all children are expected to attend. Living in an area which is located near the water it is vitally important that our students learn to swim and understand what they need to do to keep themselves safe when swimming or playing near pools, rivers and other open water areas.

If your child will not be participating we’d like an explanation by phone or in writing. Students not participating are to attend school where an alternate program will be provided. Notices and money need to be returned by August 30^th. If there are financial difficulties please see Jenny or Janette. A lot of wasted admin time, and teacher and student angst is caused by us needing to chase people up who do not respond. We need time to organise ability groupings to run a successful program at the pool and at school. Its great that 52 out of 113 students have already responded!

Jenny Cowburn

Principal

August 8th, 2019 Newsletter No. 12

It’s wonderful to return from leave and see our learning community in full swing, and to see the engagement kids already have with Sharing our Planet - Sustainability and their related inquiries. I asked 5/6s what sustainability meant and Riley said that “Its just making sure that there is enough of everything for the whole planet.”

Our school camping program began last week with grade 3/4s attending Camp Wyuna at Queenscliff on Thursday and Friday. It was lovely to see and hear how much children learnt from and enjoyed their experiences, with canoeing, the camp fire and a visit to the Marine and Freshwater Discovery Centre as highlights. Thank you to Alanah and Ange for all their time and organisation and to Sam, Jill and Marg for their time and support. We also really appreciate the help of parents who provided transport.

Later in August grade 5/6s will head off to Malmsbury for two nights and grade 2s will have a sleepover at school. Grade 1s get to have dinner at school and Preps, breakfast. The camping program enables students to develop independence, have fun and learn. All the SLPS Learner Assets come into play. Students need to be thinkers, communicators, collaborators, self-managers and researchers.

Planning for 2020 – We need your help!

As we begin to plan classes, programs and budgets for next year knowing student numbers is very important. We are taking enrolments and organising information sessions for 2020 students. If you know any students who will be coming next year please get them to ask at the office for an enrolment form, or let Jenny or Janette know so we can make contact. If you are planning a move next year we’d also appreciate you letting us know.

After School care from term 4!

We are pleased to announce that we will be able to offer After School Care from Term 4. Kelly Club will be our providers and they will be here to launch their program from 2.30 on Thursday August 29th, so come along to find out more and let kids join in some activities. Save the date and stay tuned for details.

Parent Opinion Survey… as of today we only have 10% response rate!

Has your family has been randomly selected to participate in the 2019 Parent Opinion Survey? If so you will have an email with details.

Each year the school conducts an opinion survey amongst a sample of the school community. I ask you to please take the time to complete the survey as your opinions are important to us and will contribute to the future management and organisation of our school. It is completely anonymous and takes 10-15 minutes.

This is our last paper newsletter, to be sent home

Today newsletters will be emailed to all families. Please check your inbox to ensure that we have your correct address and contact us if you don’t receive an email. For parents who like a paper copy you are more than welcome to pop in and print your newsletter on the parent computer in the open learning space. Just ask Jenny or Janette. Emailing means we can ensure that newsletters get home and get to a wider audience and we save paper and printing costs.

Jenny Cowburn

Principal

Welcome back to term 3

Congratulations must go to all the students who have returned to school with a positive attitude and showing the school values of being respectful, responsible and safe. There has been a steady flow to the office with students collecting their rewards for completing a row on their sticker charts and even more names added to Mrs. Cowburn’s lunch list.

Our Inquiry focus for this term is Sustainability and Mr. Nicholson’s STEAM classes have already commenced rubbish audits at school and in the community. This data collection will provide direction for student learning this term. Staff and students have adopted some projects to support this term including collecting bread tags, phones, plastic bottle tops and Colgate products to recycle. Collection containers are in the main foyer at school.


  


I had the pleasure of joining Mr. Nicholson and the choir who performed for the Probus Club at the Bowling Club on Monday morning. The students’ performance was enjoyed by all including some of our families and showed real ‘community spirit’. Some of the Probus members also gave us a quick bowls lesson before we returned to school.

The St Leonards Fire Brigade visited us on Monday afternoon and talked to us about fire safety. If your child comes home to discuss a fire safety plan, this would be a good time to put one in place.

We welcome Jill Ruzicka a student from Switzerland who will be working and learning with us for the next four weeks. As well as learning about our culture and country, Jill will share her knowledge of her home and customs with us.

Bike Ed lessons begin this week and Miss Carroll has done an excellent job organizing the timetable. Thank you to the families who have made sure that bike checks have been completed in preparation for these lessons.

Some families will have received a Parent Opinion Survey to complete online. We would appreciate all who received one to complete them as the data collected from these helps us improve and plan for the future.

Chris Layley

Acting Principal