A very big thank you to Michael and Belinda Piffl for coaching and team managing the year 4 soccer team. This team has improved so much over the year, they have had so much fun learning new skills.
They have had some nail biting games and had so much fun playing soccer. They are always happy to fill in for the opposition as well when they did not have enough players, which is great sportsmanship. Well done to everyone.
'Neurodiversity is about celebrating and embracing difference and diversity across humankind, and looking at how we can support neurodiversity across all contexts.'
— Dr Beth Saggers, Professor, School of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education, Queensland University of Technology.
The Student Wellbeing Hub has recently launched a new suite of free resources that provide information for families, educators and students to support young people on the autism spectrum (diagnosed or undiagnosed) as they begin their primary school journey.
Find comprehensive content for families and educators, featuring FAQs, videos, actionable tips, and more at https://studentwellbeinghub.edu.au/autism/
City of Mitcham Council advise that with the commencement of another school term Council will continue with the monitoring of parking areas around schools, kindergartens and childcare centres.
The attached brochure informs drivers about public safety and provide for student safety around roadways at schools drop off and pick up times, any breaches of the Australian Road Rules observed by compliance officers may result in the issue of an expiation notice. Should you have any enquiries regarding parking control matters please do not hesitate to contact Joanne Salter, Senior Compliance Office on 8372 8870.
The School of Languages is a government school that specialises in languages education. Since its establishment in 1986, this unique South Australian school has supported thousands of students to pursue their interest in languages learning and to experience the joy of embracing another culture.
Students from Government, Catholic and Independent schools join the School of Languages to have access to learning languages that may not be available in their home schools. The lessons are offered after school hours once every week. Our classes are held in schools across Adelaide, with Adelaide High School and the School of Languages (Croydon) being our largest centres. We have more than 20 other Teaching Centres which offer a variety of languages at various year levels, in response to local demand. Please click here for further information.
Please see below the upcoming important dates and school events.
| Friday 29th September | End of Term 3 - Early Dismissal 2.15pm |
| Monday 16th October | Term 4 begins - Pupil Free Day |
| Tuesday 17th October | Students return for term 4 |
| Friday 27th October | Sports Day |
| Friday 15th December | End of Term 4 - Early Dismissal 2.15pm |
The Year 6 Canberra Trip took place in Week 7 of Term 3. This long-awaited trip will be the highlight of the graduating class of 2023, with many fabulous memories made. The Canberra Trip gives students the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on Australia’s history, culture, heritage and democracy. After interruptions due to Covid we were very thankful to be able to attend this year.
We took 77 students and 9 adults to Canberra, flying Virgin, with a stopover in Melbourne. The students managed this fantastically and should be proud of their resilience during the long journey to Canberra. We stayed at new accommodation this year, the Alivio Tourist Park, surrounded by greenery and quiet.
Our trip to Canberra included a visit to many of the well-known civic landmarks of our nation’s capital, such as the High Court, National Gallery, the National Museum and Royal Australian Mint. Unfortunately, due to building works we were not able to visit the Australian War Memorial, but managed to tour past the monuments along ANZAC Parade. Parliament House was by far the most interesting and popular amongst the educational activities. We met our Federal Member, the Honourable Louise Miller-Frost, who came to visit the students while at Parliament House and discuss what she does for our community and while she is in Canberra. This led to us being invited into the Gallery to observe question time. What an eye-opener that was! The students got to witness first-hand the machinations of our parliament and were fascinated by the questions and humoured by some of the behaviours presented by our parliamentarians. The Speaker was likened to a reception teacher and we were praised for our excellent behaviour throughout the visit. Our visit to Government House was our last activity for our trip. We were not lucky enough to meet our new Governor General, His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley this year, but enjoyed the tour of the grounds and inside of Government House, learning about the role, both ceremonial and official of the Governor General.
Our evening activities included bowling, which was loads of fun for everyone. We had pizza on the deck of the accommodation which was a highlight for some and finished off with some fun with ‘first line, last line’ which had many of us in stitches. We have some budding actors and the teachers were impressed by some of the creativity and humour students displayed. The final night saw us go to the movies with popcorn and a drink to watch ‘The Haunted Mansion’. Another feature of the recreational activities was Questacon Interactive Science Centre. This was our first time going there at night and was another highlight for many. We enjoyed our visit to the National Arboretum and the POD playground spending a beautiful afternoon outdoors. Rolling down the hill was a highlight! Students were also excited to go to the Australian Institute of Sport, including ‘Sportex’ the interactive arena.
The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. We acknowledge the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate contribution from the Australian Government which is included in our costing and paid directly to the school upon the completion of the trip.
Our students were great ambassadors for Mitcham Primary School, demonstrating an impressive knowledge about our government systems through their Civics and Citizenship learning. Throughout our trip, we had staff of various sites and members of the public congratulate the students on their exceptional behaviour with some saying they are the best they have ever encountered. We also acknowledge the staff who attended this year’s trip and thank them for their time and commitment to enable this opportunity for our students.
Plans are already in place for next year’s trip. There will be information coming out shortly regarding the trip which is due to take place Term 4 next year.
Our school has been chosen to be involved in the Thriving Kids and Parents School Project (TKPSP) – Seminar Series. Dr Lynda MacLeod is the South Australian Project Manager and has nominated a time to present a series of free online seminars to support parents.
Seminars for our school will be from 9th October – 17th November with registrations open on 26 September.
The TKPSP offers three FREE online, highly relevant Positive Parenting seminars for parents. You can access the project website: https://able.adelaide.edu.au/education/thriving-kids-and-parents/
The seminar package includes:
- The Power of Positive Parenting (Triple P Seminar) seminar helps parents to understand why kids behave the way they do, while also introducing practical strategies to support children’s social and emotional development.
- The Helping Your Child to Manage Anxiety (Fear-Less Triple P Seminar) seminar is designed to equip parents with the skills and strategies they need to support children manage their emotions and overcome challenges.
- The Keeping your Child Safe from Bullying (Resilience Triple P Seminar) seminar helps parents maintain good communication with the children in their care, develop positive relationships, and address conflict and bullying.
Parents/carers will be asked to:
- Register for the seminar series and complete a short (15-20 minute) online questionnaire.
- Attend three online seminars in the TKPSP series (90 – 120 minutes each seminar)
- Complete two post-seminar series questionnaires (15-20 minutes) at 6 weeks and 12 weeks after the first questionnaire.
We encourage parents/Carers to register for the Thriving Kids and Parents Schools Project (TKPSP) by visiting the website. https://able.adelaide.edu.au/education/thriving-kids-and-parents/ Note that registrations will be open on 26th September.
Premiers Reading Challenge
The Premiers Reading Challenge has concluded; a big congratulations to all 462 students who managed to complete it. Awards will be handed out towards the end of term four.
School Holiday Borrowing
Just a reminder that students are allowed and encouraged to borrow books over the school holidays. The break is a great time to get some reading done and many popular series have released new books this term for your kids to catch up on!
If you or your child have received an overdue notice please return the book promptly so that the next person can borrow it. If your child is unable to find a book please send me an email to let me know and I’ll mark the book as missing, ensuring they can borrow next time they visit the library. I understand books get lost or damaged and often misplaced books turn up at home and can be returned later.
Yours in reading - Vasi and Sunyoung
We are excited to announce that our canteen will be renovated during the next school holidays, with the installation of new stainless steel benchtops, flooring and storage cupboards. As a result, we will be offering a reduced menu in week 10.
We apologise if your child's favourite menu item is not available but we will be back to our normal menu in term 4. We thank you for your understanding and continued support.
Anita, Ann and Kerry - Canteen staff
State Metropolitan Athletics Carnival
On Tuesday 19th September six students represented our City South District at the State Athletics Carnival at SA Athletics Stadium.
Well done to Joseph C, Eli R, Lucy B, August M, William P and Alexander H. Congratulations to Eli who won the gold medal in Division 1 Shot Put.
