NEWSLETTER

Dear Families,

As we head into week 7 of the term, we are still experiencing really warm weather. The up side is the number of times classes have been able to have a dip in the school pool. It looks like we have another week or so of good weather so let’s keep packing bathers and a towel!

Week 7 and 8 will see our Year 3 and 5 students participate in NAPLAN. The testing schedule is as follows:

Friday 15th and Wednesday 20th March will be used as NAPLAN catchup for any year 3 or 5 students away on the scheduled test days.  

NAPLAN requires a positive attitude, and persistence. The best way to prepare your child for NAPLAN is to let them know that NAPLAN is just one of the many ways we collect evidence of their growth throughout the school year, and to urge them to simply do the best they can on the day. Students are well supported by school staff during the testing process, and will be withdrawn by staff if distressed/anxious.

Sports Day preparation is well underway with Mr Bradley and his committee busily organising the program for the day, rehearsals, chants etc. Something new this year is the allocation of names to each of the Sports Day teams: names that acknowledge the Peramangk culture, as well as acknowledging the various places our students live. As voted by staff and students, the new names are:

1.       Towitto: Reed Filled Place (springs) - Towitta north of Sedan, a place of permanent water, food and reeds. Blue team - blue represents the water.

2.       Tarra-angga: High (Rising) Place - referring to the hills surrounding the township of Angaston. These hills and the area to the south towards Collingrove were the home of the Tarawatta people. Green team – green represents hills.

3.       Pat-piari (Patpiori): Place of Scattered Trees - referring to Eden Valley and the areas around Kaiser Stuhl Hill. The practices of fire stick farming and mosaic burning by Peramangk people created large areas of open grass lands for Kangaroo grazing and left the landscape punctuated with large Eucalypts that were often used as shelters. Trees often have hollows facing south east (summer), or north east (winter). Trees were further marked with male and female symbols designating which were men’s and which were to be used for women’s camps. Red team - red represents fire.

4.       Kari-karinya: Flying Place - referring to Mount Karinya just west of Moculta, marking the north eastern boundary of Peramangk territory and an important lookout over the Murray Plains and northern Mount Lofty Ranges. Gold Team – gold represents land.

I would like to acknowledge Mrs Leonie Schultz who played a significant role establishing the new sports day team names. Leonie was instrumental in gathering information, and sharing it with staff to ensure the names reflected the places where many of our students and their families reside. Thank you Leonie.

Harmony Week is the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. Harmony Week is celebrated annually, this year from Monday 18th – Sunday 24th March. Many of our classes have already started to address the ongoing theme of Everyone Belongs. We will also have a whole school picnic on Friday 22nd where students will take their lunch to the oval and sit with their buddy classes, and also have the option of enjoying a snag (no cost, no ordering required) cooked on the barbie. For a gold coin donation, students will have the option of wearing something orange (orange is the colour chosen to represent Harmony Week). The Student Representative Council (SLC) will consult with classes and decide on a charity that we can donate to.

Our last whole school assembly was hosted by Room 11/Darmody and Room 5/Hale. We were taken on a hot air balloon adventure thanks to wonderful poem written by the year 1/2 students, accompanied by very colourful pieces of hot air balloon art. The year 5/6 students also shared a poem called Crazy Critters which left us all thinking about not eating pizza before bed!!

Congratulations to the following students who received an Encouragement Award at the assembly:

Thomas Gregory

Lewie Schutz

Eiva Polley

Arlo Logan

Spencer Richards

Lucy Redden

Nyenna Myatt

Stanley Hampton

Maddison Brown

Douglas Killey

Willow Waddell

Liam Heuppauff

Sophie Schiller

Holly Trappman

Oliver Giles

Audrey Feist

Declan Falkenberg

Harry Cowell

Willow Brook

Ava Amos-Brown

Charlotte Morris

Jet Guyatt

Henry Bain

Owen Simons

Arlo Logan – Geography Award

Thank you to the many students, parents, visitors etc who are buying fresh produce grown in our very our school garden or The Backyard as we like to call it.  All money raised goes back into the garden in terms of seeds, pea straw, mulch etc etc. We appreciate your continued support.

Keep your face always toward the sunshine, and shadows will fall behind you.

-Walt Whitman

Lynda Fitzpatrick-Brown

The kids are in the kitchen and cooking up a storm! The Zucchini Slice mentioned in our last newsletter is a big hit with fellow students and teachers alike. Our budding chefs have also trialed a Yoghurt Prune Cake and Zucchini Muffins. We are using home grown zucchini, harvested from our ever-abundant school garden. We were lucky enough to have fresh prunes donated by the lovely Schiller family, as well as Honey from their hives and homemade Strawberry and Rhubarb Jam. The honey and jam will feature on the Brekky Bar this term. 

As promised here is our recipe. 

APS Zucchini Slice

Ingredients

• 6 large eggs
• 1 Cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 150 g onion large
• 1 Cup grated cheese
• Bacon 100g
• 500 g zucchini/courgette
•           Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

• Whisk eggs.
• Add flour and baking powder and whisk. Don't worry about a few lumps, they will disappear during cooking.
• Finely dice the onion, add to the eggs (you do not need to precook anything, the onions will go lovely and sweet).
• Finely slice the bacon, add to the eggs.
• Grate the zucchini and add to the eggs, along with the grated cheese.
• Mix everything together.
• Pour into a loaf lined with baking paper.
• Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for around 40-50 mins until golden.

We hope you love it as much as we do, It’s on rotation at my house. 

Once again, the Brekky Bar is a big hit this term, it’s definitely the place to meet before school for a Milo and chat. It runs Tuesday - Thursday 8:20am until first bell. 

Just a quick reminder my days have changed this year to Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and as always, I am available for a chat. Please speak to the front office or your teacher or email me - nat.wood883@schools.sa.edu.au.

Have a great few weeks!

Blessings, NAT xx

Thank you to those families that have paid the Materials & Services charge of $337 for 2024. Please remember that the Government have once again given a $100 rebate to each student who pays their school fees, so when paying the amount due is $237 The Materials and Services charges are due by Friday 12th April 2024 and need to be paid to avoid debt recovery action by Department for Education.

Applications for School Card assistance are able to be made so please apply online at www.sa.gov.au under the heading Education, Skills and Learning. Please contact the Front Office if you require any assistance.

Payment can be made:

· via the school bank account BSB 105-021 Account number 104147940 - using your family code or invoice number as the reference.

· via Cash, Cheque, Eftpos or Credit Card at the Front Office between 8.30 – 9.30am and 2.30- 3.30pm.

· via Credit Card over the phone between 8.30-9.30 and 2.30-3.30pm.

If you are approved for school card the $100 rebate will no longer be available as it is only approved for students who pay their school fees.

Any current Direct Debit Payment Plans will continue.

Please contact Kim Oag on 85642215 if you require any further assistance.