Monday 4th November (3.30 - 4.00pm) in the Library

Monday 4th November (5.30 - 6.00pm) in the Library

Wednesday 6th November (3.30 - 4.00pm) in the Library

Wednesday 6th November (5.30 - 6.00pm) in the Library

This is an opportunity to find out about our iPad program that starts in Grade 3. Students are not able to participate in our 2020 iPad program unless their parents/carers have attended an information session or unless they have an older sibling already in the 1 to 1 iPad program. These sessions are vital for both the school and parents, to ensure the successful continuation of our ICT program. An individual note has been sent home with all grade 2 students.

Below are the next lot of CATS going live. Log on, chat to your child about their learning and don’t be afraid to leave a comment. You can leave a message of support for your child, ask the teacher a question or give us your feedback.

Prep – Maths – Number Knowledge (Online Monday)

Gr 1/2- Reading- Written Response (Online – Friday Week 4)

Gr 3/4- UOI- Sharing The Planet reflection (Online – Tomorrow)

Gr 5/6- Maths – Area & Perimeter (Online- Friday Week 4)

Compass Support

If you need help please call! A password reset is easy! If you would like further assistance, please make a time to meet with Darrel Branson or Luke Jeffers. We will also have a Compass Support desk at each Friday assembly from now, so pop on over and say hi to Janine. We are here to help!

There has been some wonderful learning across the year levels with the current Units of Inquiry. This week, I asked different children about what they have learnt in regards to the Transdisciplinary Theme.  

Sharing the Planet (Prep):

I have learnt that we need to share the planet with animals. People can take their homes and habitats away from them. People might infect areas where the animals live, maybe with chemicals. I learnt that we should protect animals from predators, like we could put wire over the native animal’s nest – the ones that lived in Australia first, to protect them. Mika -  PB

How the World Works (Grade 1/2):

I think we need to look at how the world works with light and sound so we understand how people can experience them. I learnt that light can be manmade, for example a light globe. Or it can be natural, it might be a lightning strike and that can cause a fire. We learnt how to change light and sound. Also, that we can experience them through art (making shadow puppets) or music. Kayden -  1/2C

Sharing the Planet (Grade 3/4):

We need to consider this so we can keep our planet healthy and clean. We also have to understand things like we shouldn’t chop down trees because it could be an animal’s home. People need to learn what to do to look after our planet. Olivia -  3/4A

Sharing the Planet (Grade 3/4):

I’ve learnt that it’s not just our planet, we have to share it with other species. It is not just for humans to take over. I’ve learnt a lot about animals, about their habitats. I think the big idea though that we need to remember is, that there are always humans but you can’t just think about yourself, you must consider the environment. By building new things like factories, we are not just destroying the beauty of our world but it can put pollution in the sky, which can also be toxic to animals. Will – 4B

How the World Works (Grade 5/6):

We are learning about how the world works so we can plan ahead for the future, our future. We learnt about different types of energy and their sources. For example, renewable energy and non-renewable energy. We need to think about the pros and cons of them so we understand which options are good for the world. We need to look after the world for future generations. Austin and Logan - 6M

IB VerificationOn Monday and Tuesday, we had our IB evaluation – to ascertain if we can become a World IB school. The 2 consultants interviewed all teachers and many Education Support Staff. They observed all classrooms and spoke to many students. They also spoke to members of our school council. At the conclusion of the 2 days the consultant provided feedback to us. The feedback was extremely positive and we are most hopeful that we will be successful. The report will be sent to the IB head office in Singapore and they will ensure there is enough evidence for each of the IB Standards. Hopefully we will hear the outcome in 8 weeks.

School times – Important. Please read carefully

Students at School too early

The Education Department ruling is that Teachers are in their classrooms by

8.50am.

However, our teachers are at school much, much earlier. Which is great.

They are in their rooms preparing. We open our doors at 8.30am – this is when

children can be at school, NOT BEFORE.

We do not have anyone supervising any area of the school before this time.

Any child who comes to school before 8.30am will need to be enrolled in our Before School Care program.

Students ready to learn at 8.50.

It’s very important all students are at school by 8.50, so they can get ready for their day of learning.

 Children who come to school after 9.00 can:

• Experience stress because they walk in late. Their class has already started
• Miss valuable learning being introduced at the start of the day.
• Feel confused because they don’t know what’s going on.

Please ensure your child is at school by 8.45 if possible.

As you probably know, this year we have our tiny concert and next year is our big performance at the Mildura Arts Centre.

This year we have decided to do something a little different, due to the very hot weather and the busyness at this time of the year. In 2017 we had to postpone the concert due to very bad weather and in 2015 it was extremely hot too.

Consequently, we are going to trial an early morning concert. Afterward, we will get your feedback and if you think this model is successful then we will do it again. But if parents feel they would like to go back to the evening option, then of course we will revert back to our evening option in 2021

Our plan:

• What is it? Our “mini” End of Year concert.
• When is it? Wednesday 18^th December
• What time?  7.50 – 9.00am
• Where is it? The School  oval.- Details to follow
• Breakfast can be purchased on the oval.
• Parents/Carers can bring a rug to sit on.

We will provide further details over the next few weeks.

IB Verification Visit – Next Week Monday 21st, Tuesday 22nd

We have our IB verification visit. What does this mean?

The purpose of the visit is to ensure that the educational principles, standards and practices on which the IB program is founded are in place. The 2 IB consultants (based in Melbourne) will:

- Gather evidence showing that the school has met all the requirements for authorization
- Identify practices that are beyond the requirements and those whose further development will contribute to the effective implementation of the program.
If we are successful then we will become a World IB School.

IB Corner - As an IB candidate school, Mildura West’s teachers and students focus on what it means to be a community of learners. The IB Learner Profile help us with this. Our students and staff use a common language to describe and identify behaviours of successful learners, we strive to be Inquirers, Knowledgeable, Thinkers, Communicators, Principled, Open-Minded, Caring, Risk-Takers, Balanced, and Reflective. In our IB corner this week, we are focussing on what it means to be a Thinker
Thinkers…
- apply their thinking skills critically and creatively to make good decisions and to solve hard problems.
- “I am a thinker because I show my working out in Maths. If I discover a problem I will answer it another way”. - Zariah 5C
- “I think about my learning by thinking really hard to understand and know things. I might ask my teacher questions or a friend to get the answers”. - Ellie PP
- “I am a thinker by solving problems. I think of other ways to do things. In my learning I read more books and think about all the new information”. - Linkon 2D

Our school Council, leadership and staff have made a shared commitment to create a school environment that promotes a healthy eating and healthy lifestyle culture. We are working together to support this whole school approach and we want you as parents/carers to celebrate our successes along the way.

We have partnered with Sunraysia Community Health Services who are working with us to achieve the many steps in becoming accredited in the Healthy Schools Achievement Program. The aim of the program is to improve the health and wellbeing of students, staff and the wider community. This partnership will assist us to move through the process and connect the achievement areas to what we are already doing and what we need to do to promote healthy eating and lifestyle. The school’s canteen and curriculum programs will be complementary throughout with a whole school approach to nutrition.
We recognise that the canteen has an important role in the provision of food to our students. Renae in our canteen has been very busy updating her menu and ensuring her recipes fit into the program’s dietary guidelines. To create her recipes Renae only chooses products that are fresh and nutritious. She has also been creative with the presentation and preparation of the entire menu selection. We can now celebrate that our canteen menu only contains foods in the Everyday (Green) and Select Carefully (Amber) categories.
Look out for more updates in the newsletter.

On Monday 14th October Max, Ryleigh, Izaak, Deegan, Fololeni, Bella and Kayla represented Mildura West at the Loddon Mallee Regional Athletics Championships in Bendigo. They all did themselves and the school proud and gave it their best shot.

The results for the day were as follows:

- Ryleigh MacDonald - 3rd in 12/13 girl’s long jump

- Izaak Sandow - 4th in 11 boy’s triple jump.
- Max Morgan - 4th in 11 boy’s discus.
- Deegan Cox - 4th in 9/10 boys triple jump.
- Bella McTeare - 6th in 9/10 girls shot put.
- Kayla Higgins - 6th in 11 girls 1500 metres.
- Fololeni Pohahau - Threw a personal best in 11 girl’s discus.
A big thank you to all the parents/carers who transported the kids to the event.
Well done Westies.