Community Service for the Young

Dear Parents,
Modelling good community service to our young children can never start early enough. Showing our young charges that we care about others in the community and do things to help sets a wonderful example. However all to often it is difficult to find age appropriate opportunities for our boys to participate in. However with the recent fires in Victoria have come two perfect opportunities for three and four year olds.

Thanks to Noni Hazelhurst, Borders bookstores are doing their bit for the bushfire appeal. Help your child choose second hand good quality books from your bookshelf that you no longer use or go into borders to choose and purchase a new book to donate. You can ask your son to think about the types of stories he likes at Kindergarten and therefore about the types of books another kindergarten might need. Borders will match the retail price of all donated books up to $200,000, which will go directly to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal.
Borders will donate all books to schools and libraries in fire affected communities. This commences Monday, Feb 23. see more at http://www.borders.com.au/community.asp

The Teddy Bear Drive, instigated by Barbara Braxton in 2003 for the Canberra bushfire is being re launched by school librarians across Australia. They are asking that you collect new (or good quality, clean second hand) teddy bears to send to Lilydale so that they might be able to bring a little joy and comfort into the lives of the children affected by the bush fires. This is a wonderful opportunity to talk to your child about helping another child who has lost their own teddy in the fire. This is a very personal and tangible way for your child to feel as though they have helped. Teddy bears will be distributed via the Relief Centres, initially, and also through Public Libraries in the affected areas. Mt Lilydale Mercy Secondary College, in Lilydale has kindly agreed to be the postal address and a drop off point for the the Appeal.
Please send all bears clearly marked "TEDDY DRIVE" to

Mt. Lilydale Mercy College
120 Anderson Street
Lilydale
VICTORIA 3140

A Sunny Start to the Day

Dear Parents,
As students become older and move into the Flinders Room we do encourage them to become more independent and the new Flinders boys have done a wonderful job living up to these expectations. However, even though they are now far more capable in the mornings it is still a kindergarten expectation that parents stay with their son's until 8.30am. We also encourage increased responsibility for their own belongings and work and expect them to participate in more projects that span across days and weeks and so, often, work is left in the classroom that is still being worked on. If you have other siblings with you in the morning at drop off time, please help us by keeping a very close eye on them as it is very upsetting to our older boys when something is ruined or broken accidentally.
Thank you
Mel Bishop

A Flinders Update

Dear Flinders Room Parents,
Thank you for your support throughout the first few weeks of term. The boys have had a wonderful start to the term and we are all having fun! Thank you for waiting a few weeks to hear from us. The boys will be helping us with the content of our blogspot and it may take us a little while to all agree on which part of our learning we would like to share with you. There is too much going on!
Some important points first though….
* Don’t forget our excursion to the Wetlands is on Monday.
*If you have not made a time for the health checks in Week 9, please check the sheets out the front of the Flinders Room.
*We would love some more objects for our sound table each week. This is a great way to encourage further sound development with your son.
*We will be sending the Waterwise Bag home each Thursday or Friday. Please send it back as soon as possible so we have plenty of time to share the bag with the class.
*Thank you to Edy and Alice for supporting the P&F by being the Flinders Room Class Reps. There is a parent details sheet outside the room that we would appreciate you filling in.
*The boys are loving dancing to the pack up songs that Clark brought in. If anyone has any other songs to contribute, please send them in.

Next week is going to be very busy!!!! We will not only have the excursion on Monday, but an incursion on Tuesday with a performance of Tiddalick. Tuesday is also Pancake Day. We will be learning about the ‘Pp’ sound also, so we thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to take up Mon’s offer of pizza making and have Ppppp pancakes and pizza for lunch. The rest of the week will be spent recovering from all of this!

And now to why we have been so busy in the Flinders room! The boys chose these items to share with you, as they were very meaningful experiences for them.

*We have been learning about many things through the story, ‘Hooray for Chester’. Fire safety, drought, water usage and feelings were among some of the aspects we have looked at. The main focus has been learning the days of the week. The boys have participated in a lovely picture story of Chester’s week. Adam shared his with the boys.

*The goop has been messy, but well worth it. This sensory activity not only feels good, but it is a wonderful chance for the boys to chat and be social. We are trying it with paint this week, so that our hands don’t change colour so much!

*The construction that has been occurring through the blocks, mobilo and gears has been fantastic. Here, the boys have made the connection to our unit of inquiry by making a ship. The project progressed over a number of days and involved many people. All the boys were amazed by the size and creativity involved. Well done boys!

Flinders Room Coffee Morning

Dear Parents of Flinders Students,
Please join us for coffee next Friday morning after school drop off at Villeroy
Warm Regards
Edy and Alice

Pirie Room Water Wise Bags

Dear Pirie Room Parents,
As you know, our unit of inquiry this term is “H2O where does it go?” To help us make links to the wider world we would like you to help us collect information about water. The children are very excited about taking home one of our “Water Wise” bags to help with our research.
In the bags there is:

· A clipboard where you will record your information
· A magnifying glass to do some detective work
· A book with songs, poems and pictures to share (your recording pages will be added to this folder too)
· A water sample bottle (to collect some pool water, pond or creek water – whatever you have in your backyard or home ie. bubble bath water!)
· A watering can for your child to wisely water plants at home
We would love you to encourage your child to:

· Draw a picture of what they like to do with water
· Take a photo of them using water or being water wise

These pieces of information will be used for our research and will be shared and then displayed in our room.
Please keep the bag for 1-2 days or a weekend, as we would love to ensure that every family has a turn during this term.
Thank you in anticipation for your help!
Kind regards,
Pirie Room team

Head Lice

Dear Parents and Caregivers,
we have had a case of head lice in the kindergarten. It is recommended that you check your child's hair and the hair of other family members for eggs or lice. Head lice is passed by direct contact and has absolutely nothing to do with cleanliness. Anyone, adult or child, can get it. Please look in your child's pigeon hole for recommendations and an action plan.
Thank you
The Kindergarten Team

Measles

Dear Parents,
as you are aware there has been a case of measles in Adelaide in the last week. Measles is now such a rare occurrence that even one case warrants head line news. It also means it is hard to predict how it would affect the smaller members of our community so we are keen to keep it at bay. Please keep an eye out for any unexplained rashes and let us know if your child is absent because they are unwell and a rash presents.
Thank you for your vigilance
Mel Bishop

Thankyou for your generosity

Dear Parents,
Thank you to those who responded to the call for donations for the PAC Fire appeal. Our trusty year seven students visited us this morning to collect the last donations and were very proud to announce that the Prep school alone had raised over $5000. This combined with the secondary school meant that we have an estimated amount of over $11000.
As parents we all understand the devastating losses our friends over the boarder have experienced in the last week and I think I speak for all when I say our heart goes out to them.
Thank you again for every penny.
Mel Bishop

Pirie Room P&F News

Dear Pirie room parents,
As the year is taking off to a nice start we thought it would be a great idea for the mums, previous and new, (dads are always welcome too) to get together for our first coffee morning.
It's a fantastic way to get to know each other, especially with so many new families joining us this year.
Jude and I already have boys in Reception but our little ones are new to the Pirie room this year and we are eager to meet all the new faces that we have been seeing around and I’m sure many of you feel the same.
As everyone’s situation is different, we will try to arrange varied days throughout the year for our coffee mornings so that everyone can hopefully attend at some point or another.
We would like to book our first date;

Friday 20th February, after drop off around 9am
Sparrow kitchen & bar @
10 O’Connell St, North Adelaide.
Directly opposite the old Adelaide Hotel where Cibo restaurant used to be!

Please RSVP by Tuesday the 17th of February so we can book a table. You are welcome to call or text Brendt on 0404 836 540 or email brendt.parisi@shm.com.au or Jude on 0417 857 032 or email judithsearles@bigpond.com.

Also if you are happy for us to contact you directly in future via phone or email rather than leave a message in the boys pigeon holes, please send us your details so we can put them on file.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Brendt Parisi & Jude Searles
Class Representatives
Pirie Room - PAC

P.S.....For anyone who is interested in attending the "Blues & Reds Cocktail Party" on Friday the 27th of March, please let us know! Its in support of Depression Awareness and being held at the National Wine Centre from 8pm till late. The cost is $85 per person and "Acoustic Juice" will be keeping everyone entertained throughout the night. Being an official function, it's guaranteed to be a great night out, so we hope to see you there as well!

Top Tales New Arrivals

Dear Parents,
our newest box of Top Tales children's literature has arrived and will be available to look at at the the sign in desk next week. Top Tales offer good quality children's books at very reasonable prices and also give the kindergarten bonus points for book purchases for our little library with every purchase made.
In this box Lola and Charlie make another appearance as the look after a guinea pig and there is a wonderful mouse story for anyone who has ever felt scared! If you would like to order books please mark your choices on the green sheet and don't forget to fill in a credit card slip and hand it directly to your child's teacher.
Thank you and happy reading
Mel Bishop

A change of date

Dear Parents,
our trip to the Urrbrae wetlands has been postponed to later in the term. Eligible students will receive a consent form with relevant details in their pigeon hole this week.
Thank you
Mel Bishop

Welcome Back!

We would like to warmly welcome back our Little Princes students and have been thrilled to hear about the wonderful things you have all been doing over the holidays. We would also like to welcome new students joining us for the first time. We have really enjoyed getting to know you over the last five days and are sure that you will all be a friendly and inquisitive addition to our classes.
We have also welcomed two new staff members.
Miss Alex Marcus has joined us as the teacher in the Flinders Room. Alex comes to us with a wealth of experience, most recently teaching in the Junior Primary section of our own Preparatory school! She has a strong desire and preference to work in early years. Already she has shown us a dedication to her new role and genuine love of the boys in her care.
In the Pirie room we are joined by Miss Emily Meacham as an assistant. She has joined us with a great deal of experience in early years. Emily is a quiet and caring professional who is very responsive to children’s individual needs, both emotional and physical.
We feel sure that you will help us by showing these two new staff members the support and trust you have always so graciously given to us.
On that note, in the rush of the end of term last year there were many parents and families who spoiled all the staff at Little Princes that we did not get to thank personally. Thank you for your gifts and thoughts but most of all, thank you for letting us spend a year with your little ones, the pleasure was all ours.

H2O, Where Does it Go?

This term we are investigating a unit entitled “H2O, where does it go?”. With the students we plan to explore water and it’s properties, share knowledge about where water can by found and how we like to enjoy it and investigate why water is precious and how we can conserve it.
Each classroom has a “water watcher bag” for students to take home for the weekend to record details about water in their home. You can help you child with this project on their weekend by helping them count and record information, take photos, draw pictures or write stories. We will use this information as part of our maths program in class. All instructions will come with the bag and each child will have an opportunity to take it home once during a semester.
To help us with our work we are asking parents to collect
*any square jars (eg: olive oil bottles) and their lids
*green, grey, blue, white or clear plastic shopping bags
*interesting natural items from visits to the beach
During the term we also plan to take a number of excursions to different water environments. Whilst details for all of them are still to be confirmed we do know that we will need a strong parent presence to assist us with supervision and would welcome any offers of assistance. Please note however that we cannot take younger siblings with us on trips. We plan excursions on different days in order to allow all children to participate in one. On some excursions, children who do not attend on the scheduled day can join us at the venue with a supervising adult however some venues do not allow extra numbers and are only available for children attending on that day. Whilst we do do our best to spread these activities across days we often restricted by availability of venues or programmes.

In the classroom

The Flinders Room had a wonderful start to the year. The heat, blackouts and lack of air conditioning was challenging at times, but the boys coped well. They participated in lots of fun activities to help keep them cool, such as throwing water balloons and eating iceblocks. The favourite was apple bobbing though. Come in and look at our beautiful photos of this activity. Flinders students also kicked off the term with observations of those who live in an aqua environment with the introduction of two fish…we can’t wait to find out what the children name them!
The Pirie Room have been learning a poem about how to enjoy different places with water simply called…
Water

I like water in my bath
I like to have it hot
With a swish and a swosh
On my arms as I wash
And my face all steamy hot.

I like puddles on the path
I like the splash of the rain
And the pilp plop plip
As the raindrops drip
Till the sun comes out again.

I like water anywhere
But, the best it seems to me
Are the waves as they roar
On the sandy shore
As I paddle in the sea.

Unknown.

We asked student’s whether they preferred to play in the bath, rain or sea and received a variety of answers but Kalan’s was of particular interest.
“I like water in the drain” he stated
“Yes, I like to play in the rain too” responded the teacher
“No, not the rain, the water in the drain” reinforced Kalan
These comment sparked an interest in the listeners and we began to debate the role of the common sink drain and where water went after it emptied through it. Mason explained to us his theory about clean water going down one tube while dirty water went down another. We wondered where that water went and how it might affect others.
“I think the fish would like my toothpaste actually” decided Regan!
And so an investigation begins!

Hot Weather

Dear Parents,
Thankyou for your support during our spell of exceptionally hot weather. As stated, we have limited our door play, on some days over 40 degrees, not going out at all. Please continue to send icy water, this has been a cooling treat. We have had some issues with our air conditioning that have now been resolved but while we are now cool and comfortable there is no need to send children in thick singlets, particularly children who stay full day.
Thankyou to Regan’s mum for the cool icypoles on our record breaking 45 degree day…yum!

Some hints to help our term get off to a great start

• Please return your child’s portfolio
• If your Pirie child stays full day please ensure their sleeping bag has been returned
• If you have not already received an e-mail alert we do not have your e-mail address. Please pass it as soon as possible to your child’s teacher to ensure effective communication through our blog site
• All families have raffle tickets in their pigeon holes in support of our art show
• Please ensure your child’s hat is named and in his locker
• Please note that children are only allowed to bring show and tell once a week. Flinders Room students have a scheduled day, please see the schedule note.

Library

If your child does not attend on a Library day you are still invited to visit the Library and borrow a book at a convenient time for you. Children must have a PAC library bag to borrow books and Kindergarten children are allowed to borrow one book at a time.

Parent and Friend Class Representatives

At the start of each year we ask for new representatives from the Kindergarten for the P&F. These people are instrumental in helping organise social functions for parents, coffee mornings, parties etc… They also take a role in helping the kindergarten fund raise. Thank you to the people who have stepped into these roles this year. Your new class reps are:
Pirie Room
Brendt Parisi and Jude Searles
Flinders Room
Edy Mizgalski and Alice Newton

Dates for your Diary

Thursday 5th February – Our rescheduled Information Night. We hope to see you at 6.30pm
Friday 6th February – Cocktail party and drinks for new parents only
Tuesday 10th February – Excursion to the Urrbrae Wetlands (Tuesday students only)
Tuesday 24th February – Tidilick the Frog incursion 9.00 – 10.30am (all students are invited, if your child is not a Tuesday child please RSVP at mbishop@pac.edu.au)

Nut Allergies at PAC

Due to the large number of students with severe nut allergies in the Preparatory School - PAC Preparatory School is a “Nut Aware” school. Nut products are not stocked in the Prep School Canteen or used in the school kitchen.
It is important that there is a strict avoidance of nuts in order to prevent a life-threatening allergic reaction. We are asking for your help in providing these students with a safe school environment.

Any exposure to nuts may cause a rapid life-threatening allergic reaction that requires emergency medical treatment. To reduce the chance of this occurring, we ask that you do not send any products containing nuts to school with your child. (Please note: products with the “may contain traces of nuts” disclaimer are not included in this exclusion) If your child has eaten nuts before coming to school, please be sure that your child’s hands and face have been thoroughly washed before entering the school.
We appreciate your support of these procedures. Please contact the school if you have any questions.
Thank you for your co-operation.

Neil Andary
Head of the Preparatory School

Absences

Dear Parents,
It is always helpful for us to know if your child is going to be away. Please feel free to e-mail us ahead of time if your child is having a planned absence. In the case of illness we always appreciate a quick call to the front office where Julie or Ann will pass the message to us. If possible please let Julie or Ann know what illness your child has so that we may keep an eye out for similar symptoms in other children to keep the spread of infection to a minimum.
Thank you
Mel Bishop