Parent Information
Link, the Bayswater North Primary School’s community newsletter is published fortnightly. The Link is now available as a PDF for you to print if required.
Newsletter / September
Newsletter / August
PTFA
The Parents, Teachers & Friends Association is a most important group within our School. They are a dedicated group who organise many activities and events for the benefit of the students and their families. The PTFA’s main goals are to develop a positive and welcoming community spirit within our school and to raise funds to improve the facilities and resources of our school. They work in conjunction with the School Council to purchase items on the Priority List to benefit children throughout the seven years of Primary School education particularly modern and up to date equipment in their classrooms and playgrounds. Our fundraisers vary with raffles, stalls, drives and social events; last year we had a Book Fair, Walkathon which the children loved, a Disco, Movie Night, special theme lunch days, a Trivia Night, Market Night and some of our old favourites such as the Easter Raffle and Chocolate Drive. The PTFA work hard to provide fabulous Mother’s Day and Father’s Day stalls and the excitement on the children’s faces as they make their purchases for Mum, Dad or a Special Person is priceless. The annual Christmas Carols are always a fun family night and a great way to spread some Christmas cheer within the school community. On the first day of the new school year we hold a Cheers and Tears morning and afternoon tea for the Prep parents. It’s a great way for them to get to know the PTFA and find out what we are all about. The PTFA meet every month. Anyone is welcome to attend. We quite frequently work on events during school hours where again we appreciate anyone who is able to come along and lend a helping hand. It’s a great way to get to know new people and be involved in your child’s school life. In the past 2 years, we have spent our fundraising money on a school trailer, bought additional iPads and netbooks for the upper grades, a shade shelter, musical instruments including a drum kit and additional cabling to cater for an increase in ICT devices. We have also given past & present students, families, teachers and wider community the opportunity to purchase a personalized paver for the entrance to the gym which will help document the history of Bayswater North Primary School. This opportunity will be offered every few years to continue to build on our rich 90 year history.
Breakfast Club and After School Care
Breakfast Club
Bayswater North Primary School Council sponsors a Before School Care ‘Breakfast Club’ Program from 7:00 until 8:45 each morning. Teachers open their classrooms at 8:45 and the children can then go straight to their classroom from Breakfast Club. If any child needs to be taken to their classroom, the coordinator walks them over and ensures they are settled into their classrooms before leaving.
Breakfast Club started at Bayswater North in 2014 and we are very proud of how the program has grown since then. This is a non-profit community service at a cost of $10 per morning which covers the cost of staff and your child’s breakfast – however, no Child Care Benefit is available for this program.
We have created a wonderful environment where the children, staff and parents have made a happy place for children to come to and where everyone feels respected, included and safe. Every child is made to feel welcome and cared for. Parents have found the enrolment, booking and cancellation processes easy and parent friendly. The support has been excellent and the resources are fantastic.
Breakfast Club is coordinated by Janine Drew, a qualified and experienced teacher. Janine also has experience in After School Care and Before School Care Programs. She started and coordinated the After School Care Program at Bayswater North from 2011 until 2017, and started and coordinated Breakfast Club at Bayswater North from 2014 until the present time.
At Breakfast Club there is always a ‘delightfully child-like’ hive of activity and the wonderful noise of children having fun, socialising with their friends and enjoying the company of others. Importantly, the fun is enabled because the children have the freedom to make their own decisions each time they come, having the choice of what they would like to do every morning. Sometimes the children organise different activities each day such as drawing and creating pictures, playing board games, making Hama Bead creations, playing with the home corner and doll’s house, dressing up and role playing creatively, playing in the ‘Breakfast Club Office’, reading books on the couches as a reading club, finishing their homework or simply sitting at the tables and chatting in groups (that is a very special time for us!).
As well as choosing their activities, we frequently have a project that we are working on. One special project we have completed is a giant jigsaw puzzle made by the children. Children drew in and decorated a jigsaw puzzle piece and we put the pieces together to make a wonderful Breakfast Club (About Us) Jigsaw Puzzle. We absolutely love to display our artistic creations in the room and love to have a bright area to eat and play in. Please come into the Breakfast Club’s dining area and look around. The children are always pleased to see their art work appreciated.
Our children love to create little clubs such as making Domino tracks where in groups, they work together to make amazing tracks to knock down at the end of the morning. Children of all ages work together and most of their creations are absolutely incredible and exceptionally clever. The children then often make plans to continue what they have started the next day, or the next time they come in.
Whatever they do, the children have a great time at Breakfast Club!
After School Care
Our children are special! We have students from Prep to Grade 6 attend the program after school and they all work and play together beautifully. The children love to play outside. They are active, physical and creative in their play. We frequently marvel at how well our children play with their After School Care friends and how inclusive and protective they are. This is an aspect we are exceptionally proud of. No matter the age, the children are involved in our activities and games. They love to create, make, draw, paint, colour, play games, play in our ‘Chocolate Lounge Restaurant’, play with the train sets and cars, play with the doll’s houses and dolls, build with Zoobs, lego, blocks and Mobilo, and of course play with the brand new Air Hockey Table. There are so many things to do. There is never a dull moment!
Our Day
A typical day at After School Care – every afternoon we have a welcoming chat. The children come in and sit on our couches and we catch up with everyone’s day. We share stories and listen to important news – and we just love to celebrate happenings and achievements. Every child and staff member has the opportunity to tell or show something special and they nearly always do. Afternoon tea is always fun. The children eat a well-balanced and healthy afternoon snack. There is usually happy chatter to be heard and the children really enjoy eating with their After School Care friends. After eating we generally have outside activities. The school has wonderful playgrounds and play areas and we utilise these as much as we can – we are very lucky indeed. When we come back inside the children are always fully involved in activities such as playing imaginary and creative games, playing in our different play areas, drawing, colouring, creating, making, talking, laughing etc. etc. We have great fun and every afternoon is special. We are extremely proud of the work the children do and are well rewarded by the pride they have in our room, which is full of things the children have made. They have created a bright, colourful and busy room that is a wonderful place to be in.
Our Projects
We have had many projects that we have worked on and the children are always active when they come to After School Care. Our room was a blank canvas when we started and thanks to hard work by the children, educators and parents, we now have a bright, colourful and busy room with lots to do. We always seem to be working on a special idea. We have made a city from boxes; many wonderful wall and window displays including our ‘Wall of Fame’, ‘Program Jigsaw’ and ‘Bayswater North Inspirational Words’; a ‘Chocolate Lounge Restaurant’ project and opening week; a doll’s house project and a community service ‘Philippines Project’. Our yearly footy tipping competition is open to the children, staff and parents and we even have a trophy presentation when the season finishes. We often talk about how we started at After School Care, how far we have come and how we are like a family in many ways. It has been a wonderful journey indeed and one we will enjoy continuing! We are extremely proud of our children, our program and everything we have achieved.
How to Contact Us
Our program is run by OSHClub whose Head Office is in Oakleigh. The phone number for OSHClub Head Office is: (03) 8564 9000 You can also visit www.oshclub.com.au for information about the service provided. At Bayswater North our program phone number is: 0427 856 973 We welcome visitors to our room and many people call in at the multi-purpose room to say hello or have a look at what we are doing. We are open every school afternoon from 3:00 – 6:00pm. We would love to see you some time.
Hiring Our Facilities
We are very proud of the outstanding facilities at Bayswater North Primary and would be happy to share these with our school community for education and wellbeing purposes. It is very important that our facilities are maintained to a high standard as the first priority is the education needs of our students. If you are interested in hiring our Gym or Hall after school please contact the office on 97291744 during school hours and speak to our principal Mrs Jones. The terms and conditions of hire have been included for your information.
Canteen & Uniform Shop
Canteen
At Bayswater North Primary School, a canteen supplying healthy and nutritious lunches is open on Wednesday and Friday. To place an order write the student’s name, room number and order on a paper bag. Total up the order and state the amount enclosed and the expected change. Orders are placed in class tubs at the start of the day. Price list as follows:
Uniform Shop
Bayswater Uniform shop is open Thursday mornings from 8.30am till 10am for purchases. Alternatively, order forms can be submitted to class teachers for processing on Thursdays. Price List as follows:
Parent Helpers
Parent Helpers and Volunteers We welcome the wonderful support that we receive from our community volunteers and would encourage you to join one of our groups. These include:
Support with learning
- Classroom helpers: please see your child’s teacher
- Special Support Reading program (GLUE): please contact Kerry Peake (9729 1744)
Support with physical activities
- Perceptual Motor Program for Preps (PMP): please contact Mary Holland (9729 1744)
- Sport training coaches: please contact Scott Hannah (9729 1744)
Support with the school Environment
- Helping to maintain and improve the school grounds: please contact Cathy Jones (9729 1744)
- Supporting our Home Grown project, maintaining the vegetable garden: please contact Kerry Peake (9729 1744)
Other important groups include:
- The Parents, Friends and Family Association (PTFA): Alana Robertson (9729 1744)
- The Health Promotion Committee: Kerry Peake (9729 1744)
- School Council: Angie Rennison (9729 1744)
ALL our volunteers need a “Working with Children” Volunteer Police Check, available from the post office, which needs to be presented at the office prior to working in the school. We also expect our volunteers to abide by the Community Code of Practice which you will find in the section, “About Us”, Codes of Practice.
First Aid
First Aid Procedures
First Aid in the school is managed by the teacher aide and / or a nominated teacher with First Aid qualifications. Teachers on duty also have basic first aid equipment. If children require further treatment they will be taken to sickbay. Where there is any reason for doubt or concern regarding a child, especially when there has been a knock on the head or eye, every effort will be made to contact parents and send the child home for attention. Parents should also be aware that school personnel cannot administer analgesics, without written permission from the parents. In line with DET recommendations, no antiseptics, lotions or powders will be used in the school sickbay. Cuts, grazes and other wounds will be washed with water and covered. It is imperative that the school is informed of current contact phone numbers to use in case of illness or emergency.
Student Medication
All student medication should be left at the front office for appropriate storage. Parents will be requested to complete a student medication plan document to ensure that medication is given at the correct time and in the correct dosage. If parents have any concerns or requests regarding first aid please contact the school office.
Anaphylaxis
What are allergies? Allergies occur when the immune system produces antibodies against substances in the environment (allergens) that are usually harmless. Once allergy has developed, exposure to the particular allergen can result in symptoms that vary from mild to life threatening (anaphylaxis). What is anaphylaxis? Anaphylaxis is a severe, rapidly progressive allergic reaction that is potentially life threatening. Although allergic reactions are common in children, severe life threatening reactions are uncommon and deaths are rare. However, deaths have occurred and anaphylaxis must therefore be regarded as a medical emergency. What are the main causes? Food allergies are the most common triggers for an anaphylactic reaction. Eight foods cause 90% of food allergic reactions in Australia and can be common causes of anaphylaxis. These are:
- peanuts
- tree nuts (e.g. hazelnuts, cashews, almonds)
- egg
- cow’s milk
- wheat
- soybean
- fish and shellfish.
Other triggers include:
- insect stings, particularly bee stings
- medications
- latex
- anaesthesia.
OUR SCHOOL ADHERES TO THE DEECD ANAPHYLAXIS GUIDELINES
Headlice
Continual vigilance by parents is needed to keep this annoying pest under control. Regular checking of your child’s hair is advised. This should be done at least once a week. The school relies on parents to regularly check their children’s hair and to report any case of head lice found to the office. This enables us to send home notification to other parents and conduct class inspections when necessary. We rely on co-operation from parents to provide the best control program possible. Treatment 1 – Chemicals Head lice are becoming resistant to chemicals. Chemicals do not kill all lice and eggs, and eggs will continue to hatch after chemical treatment. If chemicals are used, two applications need to be made seven days apart. The chemical repeated at day 7 MUST be different from that used for the first treatment. Treatment 2 – Hair Conditioner Hair conditioner will not kill lice or eggs but is a method of treatment that will help to eventually eliminate lice if carried out as described:-
- Apply conditioner to dry hair
- Comb one section of the hair at a time making sure to wipe the comb on a tissue after each stroke
- Look on the tissue and on the comb for lice and eggs, repeat the combing and wiping for every section of the hair at least 4 or 5 times
This method must be used each day for 10 consecutive days to ensure all newly hatched lice are found.
NOTE: CHILDREN SHOULD RETURN TO SCHOOL AFTER TREATMENT HAS COMMENCED
Book Club
Scholastic Book Club at BNPS The Ashton Scholastic Book Club operates through our school to offer every family the opportunity to buy books at reasonable prices. Our school also benefits through your orders, as Ashton Scholastic uses a rewards system to donate good quality books to both our library and to each classroom. There are 4 issues of Book Club each year i.e. two per term. For each issue your child will receive two different Book Club order sheets. If you wish to pay by credit card you do need to make the credit card payment yourself, either on-line or by phone, before you send your order to school – see the order coupon for more details. You can also pay by cash or cheque. If you are paying by cheque, it needs to be made payable to ‘Scholastic Australia.’ It does help your order to be processed more quickly if you write your child’s name and grade on the outside of your envelope before it is handed in to your child’s teacher. If you have any Book Club queries please see Cathy Reid. This year the PTFA is again involved in running each of the eight issues of Book Club – yet another way that this hard-working group of parents helps our school.