As the term comes to an end I’d like to once again wish all students, staff and families a wonderful and very safe holiday.

We look forward to seeing you all back again, safe and sound, next term ready for another superb term of learning, fun and excitement at school.

Please remember that the first day of Term Four is Monday, October 9 and all students and staff attend.

The School Development Day, or pupil free day in Term Four is Friday of Week Three, October 27. 

Open Night

What a wonderful night of celebration this was.

Our school was alive with hundreds of families moving through the school looking in rooms, the library, art rooms and undercover area where the work of our students and their teachers was on display.

I think you’d all agree that the quality and quantity of work was, quite simply, exceptional!

It was apparent for all to see how much hard work and high quality teaching and learning has taken place again this year.

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend on the night.

If you were unable to do so, please feel free to come in at any time and look through your child’s classroom. You are always welcome!

Welcome Wall

Our amazing welcome wall at the school entrance has now been completed.

The Welcome Wall was the brainchild of Year 6 students who undertook the Families Survey last year under Mrs Smith’s guidance.

The results highlighted the great cultural diversity that exists in our school and the students felt that a Welcome Wall depicting paintings of the range of students who attended the school and the word “welcome” written in all the languages represented among our students was the perfect way to celebrate our diversity.

We contracted Mr Paul Deej to do the artwork and he worked with the students, Mrs Smith and Mr Pansini to finalise the design before painting the brilliant characters and detail you see today.

Mr Steve Pilton, one of our school’s amazing dads, came forward and donated his time, expertise and manpower to build the wall and we are very grateful to Steve for that.

Over the holidays, our gardener, Kris, will work his magic to finish off the wall area when he plants the new garden.

The school received $15,000 in prize money as 2016 Primary School of the Year and this money was used to help pay for the wall.

The balance of this money was used to pay for the new electronic LED sign at the front of the school.

Both projects were deemed appropriate uses of the money as they are both permanent installations that will stand the test of time and provide a lasting reminder of the award.

They are also both useful and look amazing, setting the tone for the wonderful school that we are all very proud to be a part of.

 

Science Week

There was an amazing turnout for this year’s Aubin Grove Science Week competition.

A huge congratulations to all students who entered the competition and presented their ideas in the Science Fair, which took place in the undercover area over three lunchtimes earlier this term.

This year 48 students took part, with a wide variety of presentations on show which meant the judges had an almost impossible task in deciding the winners, who were: Kindy- Toby S; PP- Ben K, Shrey V; Y1- Daryah F, Tharun J; Y2- Aditya P, Emilia B/Molly B/Paige P; Y3 –  Skanda R, Lilah F; Y4- Caitlin W, Thomas L; Y5 – Kellan F, Rhys M; Y6- Noah W, Genevieve G/Jake T.

Special congratulations to our finalists Aditya P, Skanda R and Noah W, who travelled to Murdoch University to present their ideas in front of other students from the Cockburn Network of Schools and judges from the university.

Congratulations to Aditya P for winning first prize at the Murdoch event.

His hard work and clear, confident presenting skills ensured he was awarded first prize out of a competitive field of students from across the Cockburn Network.

Well done again to all those Aubin Grove students and families who took the time and effort to enter this year’s Science Competition, without your support the event could not have taken place.

Tournament of Minds

Well done to our Tournament of Minds teams for a wonderful performance in this year’s competition.

The two teams, one in the Language and Literature and the other in the Social Science category, were successful in advancing to the State Finals which were held at ECU Joondalup.

While they did not advance to this years’ Australasian Pacific Finals in Adelaide, the 14 students from Years 4-6 worked extremely hard with teachers Mrs Smith, Mrs Steel and Ms Foote and deserve to be very proud of their effort in reaching the State Finals.

Taiko Drums incursion

Students from Pre-Primary to Year 6 have been treated to an amazing incursion as part of the Japanese language program at Aubin Grove.

The students watched a musical performance by professional musician and story teller Anne Norman, and master Taiko drummer Toshinori Sakamoto, which was aimed at providing a greater understanding of cultural and historical Japan.

While the show was extremely interactive and entertaining, some lucky students were plucked from the crowd to actually play the traditional Japanese instruments.

WA Runner

Our very own Year 6 student Megan B recently travelled to Tasmania as part of the School Sport WA cross country team.

Megan was one of six girls representing WA in the 12 Years Girls category of the national competition.

It was the third time she had been selected for the competition, and achieved her best ever finish of 9th.

“I was aiming for a spot in the top 10, so I was really pleased to come 9th in Australia,” she said.

Megan will also travel to Adelaide in December as part of the WA 12 Years and under girls football team.

Breakfast ideas from the School Nurse

Children should eat a healthy, nutritious breakfast to give them the energy they need for the school day.

Ideally, breakfast should include fruit or vegetables, a dairy product (or alternative) and a wholegrain product.

Here are some breakfast ideas:

  • Raisin bread or fruit loaf topped with ricotta cheese and fruit.
  • Porridge, made with milk and topped with berries or chopped banana.
  • Fruit smoothies, made with milk, yoghurt, soft fruit and wheat germ or psyllium.
  • Wholegrain muffin (topped with cheese and tomato) and a piece of fruit.
  • Yoghurt topped with cereal and chopped or pureed fruit.
  • Baked beans with wholegrain toast and a small glass of diluted fruit juice.
  • Poached or scrambled eggs with toast and a glass of milk.
  • Toasted bagel with avocado and a glass of milk.
  • Wholegrain toast, spread with a small amount of jam or honey and topped with sliced banana, and a small yoghurt tub.

If you’re in a hurry, grab a piece of fruit, a cheese stick and some low-fat crackers.

Go to www.nutritionaustralia.org for more healthy breakfast ideas.