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CNPS Bulletin 2022 | issue 6 | July

CNPS SCHOOL VISION: To build a community of curious, creative and engaged learners who are empowered to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing world. Collectively we will work with our students to become responsible global citizens who have the skills, knowledge and personal attributes they need for their future.

Principal’s Column

Wominjeka everyone,

We have come to the end of Term 2. Half way through the year already. Thank you to everyone for your understanding during what has been a very challenging term with staff shortages across Victoria. Hopefully we have seen the end of the many different colds going around and we have a bright and healthy term 3.

Although there have been challenges, CNPS has pushed through and have held many events for our students and families. Grade 6 netball excursion, Grade 5 camp, Grade 6 camp, NAPLAN Tests, PIVOT surveys, AtoSS surveys, Foundation Tours, Dental Van, Foundation Information Night, Cross Country, Pre-service teachers, Inter-school Sport, Grade 4 Ceres excursion, Parents as Partners sessions, Grade 3 La Trobe University excursion, JSC dress up days, School of Rock and having numerous volunteers at school helping on the school grounds and in classrooms. Thank you to everyone for such a great commitment to keeping our school running.

A Sad Goodbye

This term we will be saying goodbye to one of our great teachers, Nick Baker. This news has come as a shock to many, but when a great opportunity arises, we all understand that you have to take it. Nick will be moving to Canada with a group of friends on a growing business venture. Nick started his teaching career at CNPS. We have watched him grow into a fabulous teacher being loved by many students and parents. During his time at CNPS, Nick led the Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP) team, introducing RAP leaders. We thank Nick for all his contributions he has made over the last 3 years.

We wish Nick all the very best. He will be sorely missed.

We have employed Alexandra Svikulis to take Nick’s place for the remainder of the year. Alex is graduate teacher with experience in education working at the Victorian Curriculum Authority Association for over 6 years. She has been introduced to her new class and parents. We welcome Alex to the CNPS community.

Nick Baker and Alexandra Svkulis

Exciting News

I have some EXCITING NEWS, to tell everyone. After a very long process with the VSBA (Victorian School Building Association), we have finally been approved to build a Covered Outdoor Learning Area (COLA) and a brand new pirate ship in the junior area!

The COLA will span from the Booegigat building to the Wadambuk building leaving enough room to host over 1000 people. This has been on our project wish list for a very long time as our school has outgrown the hall.

The new pirate ship will be 17 metres in length. It will have a variety of play equipment for all of the junior students to enjoy. We will have Richard Bellemo (the landscaper who designed our Foundation playground and Coburg Crop) working with us to include natural play spaces around this area.

The tender process for both these projects is underway. We will keep you updated in our Buildings and Grounds section of the newsletter. Both of these projects are anticipated to be completed in term 1, 2023 (fingers crossed).

Professional Practice Days

For Semester 2, 2022, the Department of Education and Training has provided schools with the option to hold each teacher’s allocated professional practice day on the same day for all staff. This is to enable the most effective and efficient use of this day.

As a result, we have scheduled our professional practice days for:

  • Term 3, Week 8 - Friday, September 2nd
  • Term 4, Week 1 - Monday, October 3rd (first day of term 4).

Students will therefore not be required to attend school on these days.

Our OSHC provider, Theircare will offer care for families who are not able look after their children.

Next Term

Next term we have a variety of events on offer. Scroll to the end of the newsletter for our list of events for Term 3.

Until next term, stay safe, warm and have a lovely break.

Monika

Captain’s Column

Please check out our Student Newsletter below to fill you in on the latest news from all of our Captains and Junior School Council members!

What happened this month?

Grade 3 Excursion - Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary

As part of our Inquiry challenge for Term 2, we are creating signs to protect the natural environments and habitats at CNPS. In order to do this, we have been learning about the life cycles of different animals and the needs of living things. We wanted to understand how we can protect these environments so that living things can thrive in our school. Grade 3 recently visited the Nangak Tamboree Wildlife Sanctuary at La Trobe University to learn more about animals and their habitats and how we can protect them. Students collected water samples and used microscopes to identify different water bugs. We looked at the three different types of habitats - aquatic, terrestrial and aerial habitats. While exploring the wildlife sanctuary we learnt about the importance of looking after the environment and how we might do this at school.

School of Rock

On the 2nd last day of Term 2 the grade 5 band, grade 6 band and the school choir went to the School of Rock, a place where the musicians of our school and others meet up and perform the songs that each school has been practising. There were so many amazing and great performances featuring Aboriginal songs and the meaning behind them. It was a great opportunity for everyone to show off their skills and just all together have a great time!

By Eden

Picasso Cows Program

In Term 2, CNPS participated in the Picasso Cows program. The cow arrived blank and was designed and decorated by grade 5 students. The cow is inspired by the work of Dutch painter Piet Mondrian and Impressionism. It also features a range of dairy foods and school values. The students proposed names and teachers voted for "Bertie", short for Camembert. Welcome Bertie!

5/6 Art

In Term 2, the grade 5/6s designed and created terracotta pencil holders. This project involved building, joining, etching and painting the clay.

Cross Country Report

During the second half of the term we had students from CNPS compete at the Divisional and Regional Cross Country Championships. Students ran either 2km or 3km and competed against schools across the northern metro area. All students showed great resilience with the carnival being rescheduled three times! We are VERY proud of every single student for their hard work training and for showing great sportsmanship on the day! To compete at this level is a wonderful achievement and a big thank you to the parents/carers for their support.

Divisional Carnival Representatives: Kai, Eva, Luca M and Billy

Regional Carnival Representatives: Vivienne, Scarlett, Siri, Rowan, Greta and Ned

We are also extremely excited to announce that two of our students Greta and Rowan qualified for the State Cross Country championships early next term. To reach this level is an outstanding achievement and we wish them the best of luck!

Term 2 Inquiries

This term’s Big Idea was ‘Health’. Using student interest data and the Global Goals (if applicable), students were given a purposeful question and challenge to inquire into. They were immersed in experiences to engage them and they began to ask questions that led to their challenge. Through real world investigative activities, students learned more about their question and began to make conclusions and actions for their challenge. Below are each grade’s Questions, Challenge, and solutions.

Foundation

Question: What does our body and brain need to be happy and healthy?

Challenge: Share how to be happy and healthy at school.

Students learned about what people need to be happy and healthy. They explored the purpose of healthy food, composting and nude food. Students discussed the advantages of eating fruit and other healthy food and designed a ‘healthy’ lunchbox and shared it with their peers. They also explored the new Foundation playground and discussed how they could stay healthy, happy and safe when using the playground.

Grade 1

Question: How do we keep our body and mind healthy?

Challenge: Create a toolkit of healthy choices for your body and mind.

This term, the Grade 1s explored what makes a healthy body and mind. To begin the unit, we participated in four different health-based workshops about teamwork, physical activity, mindfulness, and healthy eating. We then researched the questions ‘What makes a healthy body?’ and ‘What makes a healthy mind?’ and found that healthy eating, exercise, water, sleep, relationships, mindfulness, and good hygiene all contribute to our overall health and wellbeing. Our challenge for the unit was to create a wellbeing toolkit that would support us at school if we found ourselves in the red, yellow, or blue zones and included ideas to keep us in the green zone. To meet the challenge, we read the book “Have You Filled A Bucket Today?” and brainstormed ways we can fill our own bucket as well as what we can do to fill others’ buckets. Using our ideas, we created a personal bucket-themed toolkit with ideas and activities we can use to promote our overall health and wellbeing. We will keep these toolkits at school for future reference.

Grade 2

Question: How does the school community use water responsibly?

Challenge: Show how you or the school community uses water responsibly.

In Term Two, students focused on the health of our waterways and how we can have a positive impact on the use of water. They investigated a range of waterways and healthy water locations around the school and community. Students created awareness of how to use this precious resource responsibly and celebrated all the ways we are responsible for our water usage. We had 2 guest speakers visit the grade 2 students to discuss responsible water use and from this the students created interview questions to showcase how our school community uses water responsibly. They recorded their interviews and we celebrated by watching them in the classroom.

Grade 3

Question: How can we understand life cycles to support the environments around us?

Challenge: Design actions that people could take to improve or care for animals or environments in our local area.

This Term we inquired into healthy ecosystems and habitats. Students learned about the life cycles of different animals and the difference between living and non-living things. We went to a wildlife sanctuary to explore what healthy habitats looked like and identified specimens that we collected. We then wanted to create signs to inform and persuade our audience to protect the frog bog in the little area.

Grade 4

Question: What does the environment at our school need to survive and thrive?

Challenge: Create a natural public space at CNPS.

This term we inquired into the Global Goal ‘Life on Land’. Students learned about the ecosystem around our school, and the needs of the various plants and animals that live there. They explored the Ecosystems program at CERES, where they discovered the connections between plants and animals in our local area. Students created a plan for a healthy outdoor space at CNPS. They advocated and campaigned for the creation and conservation of healthy, natural spaces at CNPS. They created their plans in small groups.

Grade 5

Question: What are the impacts of natural disasters on environments and communities?

Challenge: Help a community recover from a disaster.

This term we inquired into how natural disasters impacted communities and environments. We researched the 2020 Black Summer bushfires and the current floods in NSW & QLD. We were devastated to discover what people had lost, and how their lives have changed. For our solution, we wanted to help the communities affected, particularly Lismore, NSW. We identified essential and practical items they may need, such as toothpaste, body wash, non-perishable food, and toys. We collected these items from home and donated them to Lismore Public School. We also made cards, wrote letters, and motivational posters that were sent to SES workers and volunteers, and Lismore Public. We felt really good about sending them these items and sympathised with what they have gone through.

Grade 6

Question: How can your habits contribute to health and happiness?

Challenge: Create a podcast to inform the community about how to be healthy.

This term our inquiry question was: how can your habits contribute to health and happiness? We researched this by learning about our personal health, this included: nutrition, exercise and physical and mental health. To find out more about physical health we went to the State Netball Centre in Parkville. We also learnt about mindfulness and calming strategies for mental health. We did circuit training with a professional strength trainer, Michael, and explored the differences between fats, proteins, and carbohydrates for nutritional health. Our challenge was to create a podcast to inform the community on how to be healthy. Each group chose their topic (nutrition, exercise, or mental health) and created a sub-topic e.g.: social anxiety (for mental health), or exercise regimes (for physical health). All the groups were successful in making their podcasts and they are to be released on to Apple Podcasts.

“My topic was mental health, my group created a sub-topic raising awareness for mental disorders and having positive mindsets,”- Salma 6A.

“I really enjoyed interviewing a professional (Gabby), and learning more about the topic we were researching,” Catherine 6A.

CNPS - The Podcast of Health

Grade 6A, 6B and 5/6 have created podcasts using digital technologies this term. The process involved listening to podcasts on iPads and creating a few documents to decide what features their podcast will have and what part of the topic we would create our podcasts around. Then we recorded the podcasts using brand-new microphones. We recorded on GarageBand, where we also stitched our podcasts together. Once we had finished recording, we added music and special effects. After our podcasts were finished, we airdropped the entire podcast to Miss Laura who uploaded our podcast to Apple Podcast. There was a competition for designing the cover and the description using the iPads to create them. Our podcasts are available to listen to now on Apple Podcasts using this link https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-podcast-of-health/id1630009958 or by searching Coburg North, The Podcast of Health.

June Podcast Episodes:

NutritionNifty Nutrition

This episode will help you understand nutrition a lot! This episode focuses on foods to help you feel better when you're under the weather. Marlie, Eliza and Riley will be your hosts.

Physical HealthFitness Business

This podcast will dive into the complicated topic of physical health. The structure of this podcast will be a conversation between Ned, James, Ada and Oriana for information and fun facts on physical health. Your mind will get stuck in the topic of physical health and once you’ve started listening to our podcast you won’t be able to pause. It will be impossible to resist telling friends and family about the rollercoaster of a podcast. Enjoy!

Mental HealthMindful Masters

This podcast is all about mental health and what chemicals make you happy, different variants and much more! Vera, Eva, Oscar and Jacob will be your hosts. 

Wellbeing and Inclusion

At Coburg North Primary School we use the Zones of Regulation.

What are the Zones of Regulation?

The Zones of Regulation is a framework and easy-to-use curriculum for teaching students strategies for emotional and sensory self-management.

The Zones approach uses four colours to help students identify how they are feeling in the moment according to their emotions and level of alertness, as well as guide them to strategies to support regulation.

By understanding how to notice their body’s signals, detect triggers, read social context and consider how their behaviour can impact those around them, students learn improved emotional control, sensory regulation, self-awareness and problem-solving abilities.

There are no “bad” zones. Everyone falls into all of the zones at some point, that’s normal. Feelings may not be in the same zone for all students. For instance, some students need to move to focus and be in the ‘Green Zone’.

How can I use the Zones of Regulation at home?

  • When your child is calm, talk about the different zones and what that looks like for them.
  • Then discuss what coping strategies your child can use for their emotional toolbox such as deep breathing, going for a walk, rest, quiet play, reading a book etc.
  • If your child is struggling with big feelings, use the Zones of Regulation language, e.g. “I can see you are in the Blue Zone because you are tired. What do you need right now?” If you have discussed your toolbox of coping strategies, you can guide them, “You could rest on the couch with a book.”

Buildings and Grounds

Welcome to another wrap up of the buildings and grounds work at CNPS.

Working bee and propagation day

The second CNPS working bee was held on Sunday 19 June. It was a fantastic morning. There was much weeding, mulching and planting in the CNPS gardens. Everything we touched was transformed!

Many also helped Parents & Friends with their propagation day, preparing plants for the November Spring Plant Sale.

We achieved all of the goals of the day and more - even having time for morning tea with home baked treats and a sausage sizzle lunch.

Thank you to everyone who attended - it was a pleasure to spend time with the wonderful CNPS community and the school will now head in to the break looking fantastic.

I’m already looking forward to the next one at the end of term 3!

The Coburg Crop

I am going to use the break to get things moving in the Coburg Crop. I have now poured the concrete pads for the chook shed, propagation house (complete with drainage, power and water!) and compost bays and construction will start next week. Special thanks to Tim and Mark for their help on the wheel barrows when the concrete truck arrived early Monday morning.

I’m getting some lessons in running the wood fired oven too - so watch out for baking and pizza days soon.

Whinnie has provided some weather reading equipment to help with her STEAM classes that will be set up in the Crop. Brigette and the art students have completed some paintings that will be hung in the space too.

The gardens are producing lots of winter veggies and I am setting up a program to distribute our harvests to the families of the school and food relief projects around Melbourne.

If you are interested in volunteering at school, you are welcome to join one of our OH&S induction sessions that will run throughout the term.

Once completed, you can join our gardening groups, Parents & Friends events or any of the other great volunteering opportunities around the school. Suggestions are welcome too!

Term 3 is going to be big!

Bike Shed

Our bike shed is gone! Gabby has secured a grant to have a new structure installed on the last day of term. I wonder what it will look like?

Coburg basketball

Now that we have new basketball hoops in the hall as part of our partnership with Coburg Basketball Stadium, the next step is installing the electronic scoreboard. This will take place over the break and the space will be ready for competition games in term 3.

Horn Speakers

We are always looking to improve the infrastructure around the school and this month there were some new horn speakers installed above the junior play area - no one should miss Deb’s announcements anymore.

Masterplan

A working party is now being established to prepare and implement the CNPS Masterplan. The Masterplan aims to create, support and sustain a long-term plan for the buildings, grounds and infrastructure of CNPS. It will guide the decisions of school council and leadership when determining projects and budgets for school capital works and any other projects. We want to create an enjoyable and accessible environment for students, staff, families and the wider community.

If anyone is interested in joining the working party, please contact me for more information at paul.sutton@education.vic.gov.au.

Have a great break and I’ll see you in term 3.

Paul, Manager Buildings and Grounds

School Council

School Council Report - June 2022

At school council this month we've been discussing school camps. As we plan new camps and also look at how much the cost of camps might vary post-covid, we have discussed how to weigh up the joy and opportunity a camp might provide, against the cost to families. We're going to be looking at some options for camps that will affect our students into the future. If you have an opinion on camps that you'd like to share, please address them to school council via the school email address. Aside from this, we continue to review policies, monitor finances, and develop the school masterplan. As always I'm keen to hear your views, so I can represent them at school council meetings. You can find me in the little area at school pickup (I'm the one wearing the helmet).

Wishing you a nice winter holiday period,

Robbie Napper

CNPS School Council President.

TheirCare: After School Care

TheirCare Winter Holiday Program

TheirCare are happy to be running the up-and-coming holiday program. It will run daily from 7am-6pm. There are fun incursions and excursions as well as craft and fun days, and all information can be found on:

https://theircare.com.au/holiday-programs/coburg-north-primary-school/

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us 0473 000 909 or email us coburgnorth@theircare.com.au

Parents and Friends

Parents and Friends Update

Term two was another busy but very productive time for the CNPS Parents and Friends group with the Mother’s Day Stall, election-day market and several Friday second-hand clothes stalls.

We ended the activities for the term on a gloriously sunny Sunday morning helping to grow plants for the school plant market, which will be held as part of the state election market on 26 November. Everyone is encouraged to grow plants to support the plant sale and please let P&F know if you are growing plants for the market.

In Term 3, we are looking forward to bringing you the always-fun, parent-only CNPS Trivia Night on Saturday 27 August at the Coburg West Bowls Club. Save the date and more details to come next term!

Our first meeting next term will be 7pm on Monday 18 July. If you’re interested in coming along to the meeting, please email: cnps_pf@hotmail.com. We’d love to see you there!

eSafety @ CNPS

In this month’s e-safety update we look into the Grade 6 cohort and the process of creating their own Podcast. Through the use of their iPads the students used Google Docs to write their scripts. They then recorded and edited their podcasts using GarageBand. It is great to see the various ways Digital Technologies has enhanced students learning. Stay tuned for next months edition of the newsletter to see what how other year levels are safely incorporating digital technologies into their classroom.

With Winter holidays coming up you may be doing more indoor activities such as your child playing online games. 81% of children between the ages of 4 to 17 have played an online game, 64% of those have played in a multiplayer online game and 52% have played with people they do not know. Online games can assist your child with their dexterity, multi-tasking and problem-solving skills but it is also important to understand what could pose a risk. If you are concerned about what your child is playing this holidays, the classification website will assist you in determining whether you feel it is appropriate. https://www.classification.gov.au/

Upcoming Events

  • Parent Teacher Interviews - Wednesday, 13-14 July
  • NAIDOC Incursion - Thursday, 14-15 July
  • Victorian High Achievers Program - every Friday
  • Year 5 Excursion to the Melbourne Museum - Monday, 18 July
  • Year 6 Excursion to Edendale Farm - Wednesday, 20 July
  • National Pyjama Day - Friday 22 July
  • Emergency Drill - Monday 25 July
  • School Council - Wednesday 27 July
  • School Tree Day - Friday 29 July
  • Grade 1 Excursion to the Zoo - Friday 29 July
  • Athletics Carnival Years 3-6 - Thursday, 4 August
  • Year 4 Camp - Wednesday, 10 - 12 August
  • Emergency Drill - Monday, 15 August
  • District Athletics - Wednesday, 17 August
  • Mini Olympics (F-2) - Friday 19 August
  • STEAM Glass Incursion - 19, 23, 24, 26 August
  • Year 3 Camp - Monday, 22 -24 August
  • Year 6 Incursion, Solar Day - Friday, 26 August
  • P&F Trivia Night - Saturday 27 August
  • School Council - Wednesday, 31 August
  • Book Week Incursion - Thursday, 1 September
  • Book Week Dress Up day - Thursday, 1 September
  • Father’s Day stall (P&F) - Thursday, 1 September (TBC)
  • Pupil Free Day - Friday, 2 September
  • The Great Book Swap - Wednesday, 7 September
  • Foundation Breakfast - Friday, 9 September
  • Sink or Swim Incursion (Prep -4) - 12 -13 September
  • Year 2 Sleepover - Thursday, 15 September
  • Year 1 Dinner - Thursday, 15 September (TBC)
  • Footy Colours Day and Special Lunch (TBC) - Friday, 16 September
  • Last day of term 3, Early Dismissal, 2:30pm - Friday 16 September
At CNPS we believe that by being respectful, responsible and resilient we can succeed and thrive as a community.
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Coburg North Primary School
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