THE PIPELINE

PUBLISHED IN SINCE 1995

ISSUE 11

Tuesday 23th April 2013 Jamie Russell Acting Principal [email protected] Mathew McLeod Acting Assistant Principal [email protected]

From the Principal Sometimes it pays to be patient…… we were informed yesterday that we will receive $120,000 to replace the damaged toilet block that remains unused. The assessment process was slow as it in- volved 1,539 government schools across 1,686 campuses. In total, the assessors reviewed approxi- mately 27,000 school buildings.

The report shows the condition of each school building and identified those most in need of maintenance, or replacement. It will come as no surprise that the current toilet block was classi- fied as a ‘replacement’ building. The Victorian Government will invest $51.5 million in the 2013 calendar year to improve the buildings at the 250 neediest schools.

I would like to welcome David O’Reilly and Carli Hooper to Werrimull P-12 School. Carli is com- pleting a Graduate Diploma of Teaching and Learning through Charles Darwin University. She will spend time in various classes throughout term 2 and join us for an extended period in semes- ter 2. David joins us from LaTrobe University; he started a 9 day observational placement this week and like Carli will spend time in various classes.

A number of teachers are currently participating in the Ultranet report card trial. If you have a child in Year 7 & 8 Health and Physical Education, 9 & 10 Health and Physical Education or P-6, aspects of their end of semester report will be generated on the Ultranet. A printed copy will still be supplied however it will vary slightly from the current report. A session will be held at 3.15pm on Wednesday 1st May for parents to register and explore the features of the Ultranet.

The Murray Community Legal Service is running a road show during Law Week and they are visiting the schools of the Mallee. Law Week is a national event that provides the opportunity for the community to get to know and understand the legal system. On Monday, Secondary stu- dents will participate in a Mock trial allowing students to prepare the prosecution and defence cas- es and play the role of a witness or jury member.

Congratulations to the students who played their first Auskick game on the weekend. It was fantastic to see them so excited; they were almost as excited as I am about the Bombers start to the season! It was also pleasing to see take the field again after 12 months on the sidelines.

A reminder that the School Cross Country starts at 11am this Friday. Lunch orders are avail- able; order forms must be returned to the office no later than 11am tomorrow. It is an addi- tional kinder day for those four year olds who are participating in the extra sessions.

Students and staff will hold a commemorative ceremony at 2.30pm tomorrow afternoon to remember all Australians who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping opera- tions. The spirit of ANZAC, with its human qualities of courage, mateship, and sacrifice, con- tinues to have meaning and relevance for our sense of national identity.

On a different note I would like to offer my condolences to Travis, Nerrilee and family on the passing of Bill.

Please remember this Thursday 25th April (ANZAC day) is a public holiday.

Jamie Russell

Dear Community,

Werrimull P-12 School is starting a vegetable garden in Science (again) with the Prep to Grade Six group

We were wondering if you could us prepare the garden for planting by donating some:  Sheep poo  Hay or straw  Old newspapers

If you can help please contact Miss Smith at School.

Thank you,

Zoe and the Grade 3-6 Science class PRIMARY NEWS

Welcome back to Term 2. Hopefully everybody had an enjoyable and relaxing break. The new term has brought about new changes to the Primary timetable. Your child will bring home a new copy this week.

Mildura Eisteddfod Werrimull P-12 is excited to be back involved with the Eisteddfod. Mrs Harris and Miss Wilson are currently training up a budding group of eager performers!

Ultranet Reporting This semester your child will be receiving part of their report via both the Ultranet and the normal Quick Vic reporting system. Students in Mrs Harris, Miss Hepworth, Mr McLeod and Mr Bamford’s classes will be involved in the trial. To find out more about the Ultranet, there will be a parent information session next Wednesday, the 1st of May, 2013.

Spelling practice Students in years 2 – 6 now have spelling words to practise as part of their homework. Please encourage your child to practise their new words each week.

Library Book Borrowing We are very fortunate to have the service of the M.A.R.C Van (Wednesday’s) and the MRCC Mobile Library (Friday’s). Please remind your child to regularly return their library books on time. The students are thoroughly enjoying Mrs Ker- rie Harris’ literacy sessions each Wednesday.

Nightly Reading and Homework Expectations Please remind your child to read for a minimum of 10 minutes each night. Sen- ior Primary students may read independently, rather than aloud to an adult, however please ask your child about what they have read to help reinforce their understanding of the book.

Questions to ask my child during or after reading; What was the book about? What was the message in the story? Tell me about the main character…

Melbourne Camp review On a beautiful sunny day, 11 students boarded the mini bus, under the excellent driving care of Mr Bamford (minus any trailers!). The 6 hour bus ride to Ballarat seemed to fly by, with the kids making the most of their iPods and Lucy’s singing! Ballarat didn’t let us down. Memories of freezing cold weather requiring jackets, scarves and gloves came flooding back rather quickly. The students were treated to an amazing show, “the Blood on the Southern Cross”, which was both educational and entertaining!

Tuesday started off brilliantly for Mr McLeod, leaving behind his beloved pillow, much to the amusement of Mrs Harmer and Mr Bamford. A short drive along the freeway and we arrived at ScienceWorks in , which was followed up with a visit to the Melbourne Museum. Between the two venues, the students were treated to many amazing artefacts and gadgets, which included viewing the famous Pharlap!

With the NavMan out, it was time to venture to our accommodation. After a quick briefing from their staff it was at this point that Mrs Harmer began to regret packing 50+ kg when we realised that we were on the top floor and there was no elevator!

Tuesday night finished with a tour of Parliament House. Our small group size played to our advantage as our tour guide managed to sneak us in to a special performance by the Frankston Brass Band, which enabled us to meet the new Premier of , Mr Denis Napthine. Our tour finished with meeting our local member, Mr Peter Crisp, who proudly showed us the ‘opulent’ rooms of Parliament.

Wednesday was an absolute highlight for the students which started with a trip to the Shrine of Remembrance, then the Werribee Zoo and finished with entertainment at the Galactic Circus. The architecture of the Shrine was amazing and well ahead of its time. The Zoo provided opportunities for students to feed meerkats, view giraffes, rhinoceroses, hippopotamus’, cheetahs and a ‘nose picking and eating’ gorilla. The Galactic Circus was one hour of non-stop fun and an opportunity to brush up our basketball skills.

All of Mr Bamford’s dreams came true on Thursday with a tour of the MCG. Our students relished the opportunity to spend your hard earned money at the Victoria Markets, including some flashy pairs of ‘skate’ shoes! Dinner was a highlight at the Soda Rock Cafe. The students were treated to an ‘American Diner’ experience, complete with some grooving and jiving! Our final night ended with some breath taking views from the top of the Eureka Skydeck.

I would like to thank Mr Bamford who did an outstanding job driving the bus through the busy Melbourne traffic. I would like to thank Mrs Harmer for being a ‘mum’ to our 11 students. A special mention to Alex for defending Mr McLeod from being the constant butt of Mr Bamford’s and Mrs Harmer’s jokes, great work Alex! Mathew McLeod Acting Assistant Principal Dates to Remember

April Happy Birthday School Council 24th April Anzac Day 25th April No birthdays this week Werrimull P12 Cross County 26th April May

Parent Info Session - Ultranet reporting 1st May- Round 1 Immunisation 2nd May- Community Gathering 4th May Koorlong Cross Country(P-6) 7th May NAPLAN 14th,15th&16th May Citizen of the Week is South Cross Country 21st May Evie Rowe Mallee District X-Country– 22nd May Culture Trip 27th –31st May Aussie of the Month is June Kaitlin Hards Queens Birthday Public Holiday 10th June Lightning Premiership (Red Cliffs) 19th June Flying Start (Transition week ) 24th—28th June Last Day of Term 2 2pm Finish 28th June Just a Reminder July As it’s a departmental requirement for students that are First Day Term 3 15th July absent, a parent or guardian needs to fill in an absentee note University of Ballarat Primary School Pilot (green note) as soon as the student returns to school. These Program (Yr 5&6) 30th July need to be brought up to the office for Mrs Wright to enter University of Ballarat Visit Yr 10&11 30th July on Cases21 University of Ballarat Visit Yr 8&9 31st July

Millewa Ballet BOOK CLUB Lessons will not be on for the Just a reminder that book club first 2 weeks of this term due to orders need to be given to Miss Malorie's impending baby Mrs Carter no later than Monday arrival. Classes will resume on 6th May Wednesday 1st May, normal times. Thank you

Millewa Pre-School

Shared Snack Ideas

 Fruit What’s Happening

 Vegetables

 Cheese Welcome back to a new Term and welcome to a new family! We now have eight children in our four year old group now  Dry biscuits that Reuben has joined us at the Millewa Pre-School. Our new playground has been very popular, promoting new imaginative  Dried fruit and physically challenging play opportunities for everyone.

In order to make the most of the facilities available to us and to build upon the children’s love of books we will now be visit- ing the Werrimull P-12 School Library every Tuesday morning. This should also help alleviate the confusion as to which days are Library days and which are not.

This Thursday, April 25, is a public holiday for ANZAC Day which means there will be no kindergarten. As part of recognising ANZAC Day we will be participat- Water ing in related activities this Tuesday.

Please remember to pack a drink A reminder that this Friday, April 26 will be our first additional bottle for your child every day. In kindergarten day for Term Two at Werrimull P-12 School in the hot weather it is even more the Early Years area of the Library. We will be taking part in important to the Werrimull P-12 School Cross Country as part of our activ- stay hydrated ities. throughout the day to stay healthy.

Dates to Remember

23 April Library Day (now every Tuesday 29 April Committee Meeting, 7pm

25 April ANZAC Day - No Kindergarten 25 June Last Day of Term 2 (three year old)

26 April Additional Day at Werrimull P-12 27 June Last Day of Term 2 (four year old)