The Preps Go Dancing

This morning the Prep Neighbourhood went to the gym for a dance workshop. The children learnt some fun moves to the song "I Like To Move It, Move It" from Madagascar. Go to the following link to hear the song and see if the children can remember the dance moves. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoNkfOHBzQk

Ipads in the Neighbourhood

Today ipads were used on the writing table in room 11. The children were learning to write letters and numbers correctly on the app ABC tracer. There was much excitement over using the ipads, but the children took turns without a fuss. It was lovely to see the big smiles on the children's faces when they wrote a letter or number correctly and received applause from the ipad. The ipads will be used on the writing table in rooms 12 & 13 in the upcoming days.

 

Friends of the Prep Neighbourhood

Meet Prep's 4 special friends Teddy, Violet, Simba and Nala. Each weekend children from the Neighbourhood get to take home one of our special friends. The children are encourage to draw, take photos and write about the adventures they have with their special friend.
During the week our friends live in the Prep Neighbourhood. Please come and say hello and have a look through each book of adventures.

From left to right: Violet, Simba,Teddy and Nala

Mark visits Prep

Today the Prep Neighbourhood had a visit from Mark the Librarian. Mark had a letter and a special gift for the neighbourhood. Mark read the letter he had written to the Neighbourhood and gave some clues about what the special gift could be. Luisa gave us a musical clue.
Ames: 'Clues helps us work out what the package could be'
The children had many guesses about what the special gift could be, but we are still thinking and are very excited about finding out.

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On the right hand side of the blog you can subscribe to our email service which means you will recieve an email to inform you everytime our neighbourhood blog is updated. We encourage parents to subscribe to this service.

Neighbourhood Contact Lists

A yellow note will be coming home with the youngest child in each family. Please read, fill in the appropriate option and return to your child's homegroup teacher. Thank you.

Parent Representatives

If you are interested in being a parent rep for the Prep Neighbourhood please speak with one of the Prep teachers. About 3 to 4 parent representatives are needed for each neighbourhood.

Measuring our Constructions

Astrid made a construction during learning agreement this morning. Luisia encouraged her to measure her construction using small blocks. With the assistance of Prep J Astrid counted the blocks. Her construction was 37 blocks high.

Our First School Photos

The preps will be having their first ever school photos on Wednesday 6th March (Week 6). This is the first Wednesday the children will all attend school. Today the eldest child in each family has recieved an envelope for photo payments which are to be returned to the homegroup teacher by Wednesday 6th.

Our Library Day

The prep's library day will be Wednesday. We will begin going to the library weekly from Week 6. If children have borrowed any books from the library they can return those books to their homegroup teacher at anytime.

Week 5 Happenings

Tuesday:
9am: Whole School Assembly (Year 3/4 presenting their learning)

Wednesday:
One on one interviews between child and homegroup teacher. Please check if you have signed your child up for their interview this week. Interviews take an hour.
Children have the day off.
This is the final Wednesday the children don't come into school. Next week the preps come to school everyday.

Thursday:
10 - 10:30 Free dance lesson for all the preps in the gym

What clever Preps!

Today during Learning Agreement time, Zara, Jayana and Leo created a large tesselation pattern on the floor. Excellent work!

Birthday Graph

The Prep's Birthday Graph is almost finished. Please come in and have a look at the graph, it is located in room 11. A few children were away this week, but we will make sure they get the opportunity to add their birthday cake to the graph.

:

Pattern Workshops

The preps have been taking part in a mathmatical workshop focusing on pattern. They have been  goodreally focused on the task and have demonstrated a good understanding of the fundementals of patterns.

The children came up with the following exclamations about patterns.
'Patterns are repeated'
'We can make patterns with shapes, colours and numbers'
'There are patterns on clothes'
'There is a base pattern that is repeated'
'We can use people to make patterns - tall and short' 

Students created their own patterns using objects found in the neighbourhood. These included natural materials found outside, magnetic letters, crayons, pencils, toy cars, dinosaurs and shapes. 

We Listen

Our Student Protocols have been placed out the front of room 12 in one of our new display boards. Today we looked at the protocol 'We Listen' and discussed what makes a good listener. Here are some of the Neighbourhoods ideas:

• No Talking
• Making Eye contact
• Sitting up
• Sitting still
• Using your ears
• Listening with our brain
• No touching others

Prep S demonstrating how to be a good listener

Borrowing Junior School Library Books

The children have been changing their Junior School Library books each day with their homegroups. This week we would like the children to begin changing their books in the mornings with the person who brings them to school. The Junior School Library is located in the Red Brick Building at the back of each torus. There are two sections of the Junior School Library, fiction and non-fiction. The fiction books have been categorized into 5 reading levels, beginning, emerging, developing, fluent and independent. There is information about the 5 reading levels on the fiction shelves and the side of each tub.

Non-Fiction
 

Fiction

Christian and Alexander finding books

Say hello to Saphire.

 

 

Week 4 Happenings

Tuesday:
9am: Whole School Assembly (Year 5/6 presenting their learning)

Wednesday:
One on one interviews between child and homegroup teacher. Please check if you have signed your child up for their interview this week. Interviews take an hour.
Children have the day off.

Thursday:
4-5pm Parent Information Afternoon. We will begin in the gym and move to the Prep Neighbourhood.

Book Covering – Parent Helpers Needed

A trial is being undertaken to help boost our book covering. Boxes of new books requiring covering are available for Parents/Carers to take home and cover. Boxes can be collected from the Meeting Room opposite Julie’s office. A roll of covering material is provided. You’ll need your own scissors.

Please sign out in the register provided, and sign in again when you return the covered books.

Covering tips? See Mark or a Library Parent Helper.

Any suggestions or queries, please contact Mark (available Tues. & Wed.)  riley.mark.g@edumail.vic.gov.au

 

Kimochis

Kimochi (KEY-MO-CHEE)

means "feeling" in Japanese

Last week the Prep Neighbourhood meet the Kimochis, Bella Rose, Lovey Dove, Bug, Cloud, Clover, Cat, Huggtopus and the small pillows with feelings (happy, sad, silly, brave.....). Today each homegroup read a book about one of the characters (Cat, Cloud or Bug). We will be using the Kimochis to communicate our feelings and to support discussions related to responding to our own and other peoples emotions. The Kimochis are on display throughout the Neighbourhood, please come and have a look with your child.

 

WELCOME PICNIC – POSTPONEMENT TO THURSDAY 7TH MARCH, 2013 – 6:00-8:00PM

Dear Parents/Carers,

Due to an event being held on Tuesday 12^th February along Hardy Reserve and McPherson Street, we are postponing our Welcome Picnic to Thursday 7^th March at Princes Park from 6:00pm onwards.

The event at Hardy Reserve is a ‘New Orleans Fat Tuesday’ party and there will be road closures along McPherson and surrounding streets which means access into Princes Park will be difficult.

Apologies for the late notice of this but I only found about the New Orleans function over the weekend.

Look forward to seeing you all on the 7^th instead.

Kathryn Fraser

On behalf of the Community Relations Committee

Week 3 Happenings

Tuesday:
9am: Whole School Assembly (Year 2 Neighbourhood present their learning)

Wednesday:
One on one interviews between child and homegroup teacher. Please check if you have signed your child up for their interview this week. Interviews take an hour.
Children have the day off.

Thursday:
AEU industrial action whole day strike. A note will be sent home on Tuesday with information.

Friday:
Specialist program between lunch and recess. Check the time table below to see what 2 specialists your child has today

Courtyard Up Keep

We are working really hard to establish inviting provocations for students in the courtyard each morning. We would appreciate your help in making sure these areas remain untouched prior to school commencing at 9am. Also of an afternoon, while you are waiting to collect your child from their classroom, please ensure younger siblings do not enter the home corner or pull out blocks and other construction materials. Your cooperation in valuing the courtyard as a learning environment is much appreciated.

Food Policy

We have been teaching the children not to share their food with their friends at school. We would greatly appreciate if this message was reinforced at home as well. This year in Prep we have children with severe allergies. It is encouraged that children do not bring nuts to school . If you would like to bring a birthday cake along to school, please check with your teacher regarding allergies within your child's class.

 

In what months do the preps celebrate their birthdays?

In a maths workshop taking place in weeks 3 & 4 the children will be graphing what month their birthday is in. It would be helpful if you could have a chat with your child about when their birthday is and how old they are turning or have already turned this year so your child can share this with the neighbourhood during the workshop. We will also have the information with us in case any of the children are unsure on the day.

The Prep's visit the School Library

On Thursday all the prep children had the opportunity to visit and explore the school library. In the library the children were shown the different spaces (picture fiction, non-fiction and fiction, the computers and the borrowing desk). The children used shelf markers when looking at books; this helped them to place the book back in the correct place when finished. Some of the children had the opportunity to borrow books before we had issues with the computer at the borrowing desk. Books may be borrowed for up to 2 weeks.

Children reading in the picture fiction learning space

Using the Shelf Markers

Exploring the Neighbourhood

The children have settled into the Prep Neighbourhood in record time. Today our morning session of Learning Agreement was a buzz with excitement and learning as the children explored many of the learning spaces inside and outside. The children are beginning to learn with children from across the neighbourhood.

Welcome Picnic

PRINCES HILL PRIMARY SCHOOL

FAMILY WELCOME PICNIC

Tuesday 12th FEBRUARY

6:00-8:00PM

at

PRINCES PARK

Near the BBQs and playground (top of MacPherson St, near the corner of Princes Park Drive)

All Princes Hill Primary School families and staff are invited to our annual Welcome Picnic. This is an opportunity to meet other families in your child’s neighborhood and the broader school community.

YEAR LEVEL GROUPS

Please bring a plate of some kind of finger food to share with other families and teachers in your child’sneighbourhood.

FOOD

Trying to get a balance of food, we suggest that those with surnames A-R bring savoury foods and those with surnames S-Z bring fruit or dessert.

BRING

BYO everything and remember that as there are no recycle bins at the park, please take your platters, uneaten food and rubbish home with you.

FUN FOR ALL

JOIN IN AND WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE

All children must be accompanied and supervised by a parent/carer.

IN THE EVENT OF INCLEMENT WEATHER THE PICNIC WILL BE CANCELLED

Princes Hill Primary School

School Council

Gardens, Veggie gardens and sustainability at PHPS

There is a small team of parents and teachers currently working towards; creating a garden committee, supporting the school to get the neighbourhood gardens up and running and developing the newly formed student sustainability action team (the green team). We would love you to join us in a major or minor way. To be informed about neighbourhood garden working bees, garden meetings, Yarra Sustainability Education Network meetings or if you would like to support the Green Team please email us or come and say hello. From Alexandra and Mark.

Alexandra hilvert.alexandra.a@edumail.vic.gov.au (3/4 neighbourhood 2 - on Mondays and Wednesdays) and Mark Riley Riley.Mark.g@edumail.vic.gov.au (Library Tuesdays and Wednesdays).

Our First Assembly

Today the Preps joined the rest of the school in gym for the first whole school assembly of the year. On Monday afternoon we started learning Advance Australia Fair and practiced walking up to the gym in 2 lines. All the Preps did a magnificent job walking up to gym and sitting quietly while many students, parents and teachers addressed the assembly. Staff from all over the school complimented the Preps on their wonderful listening skills.

Standing up for the National Anthem

Our school assemblies will take place each Tuesday morning from 9-9:30. The school bell will ring at 8:55 on Tuesdays so we have time to walk up to the gym. Each neighbourhood and specialists will share the students’ learning with the school community once a term. We will present our learning on the 12th March (Week 7).

The coffee cart will be outside the gym every Tuesday for parents and the school leadership team will available for a chat.

Information Afternoon for Parents

On Thursday 21st February (week 4) there will be a  Prep-2 information afternoon for all parents. The information afternoon is from 4-5pm. The session will begin in the gym with a short presentation and then parents will be invited back to the neighbourhoods for a look around and a chat with the teachers. We look forward to seeing you all there. If you have any questions please let us know before the information afternoon and we will do best to address these in the presentation or when you come and visit the neighbourhood. Thank you.

Library Visit

All Prep homegroups will be visiting the school library this Thursday. The children will be able to explore the library and borrow a book. If your child has a library bag we ask that they bring this bag on Thursday. 

Specialist Timetable Term 1

The specialist program at Princes Hill Primary School includes Visual Art which is led by Hannah, Italian which is led by Anne Maree and Physical Education which is led by Geoff. The children will have each specialist once a week. Our specialist timetable for Term 1 is below. If there are any changes we will endeavour to let you know ASAP.


Thursday 2:30 - 3:30
Italian: Prep S
Phys Ed: Prep J
Visual Art: Prep M

Friday 12:10 - 1:05
Italian: Prep M
Phys Ed: Prep S
Visual Art: Prep J

Friday 1:05 - 2:00
Italian: Prep J
Phys Ed: Prep M
Visual Art: Prep S

If you would like to know more about the specialist programs please take a look at the Specialists Blog. There is a link on the side of the page under School Links.

Welcome to Prep Blog!

Welcome to the Prep Neighbourhood blog for 2013. Please follow our blog as new posts will be put up regulary.  We will use the blog to communicate and celebrate our learning as well as passing on important information. We welcome your feedback. 

Sia, Maddy & Jessica
(Prep Team)