Newsletter - Term 3, Week 8 - 2020


BVPS Valley View Friday 4th September 2020

Here’s the latest news to keep our community up to date on the latest happenings at our school.

 

Principals Message

Hello everyone and welcome to Week 8 of Term 3 remote and flexible learning.

We are maintaining a good ‘rhythm and flow’ in this unique period of learning and I thank our students, staff and families for their ongoing resilience and kindness.

The commitment to their learning that most of our students are demonstrating continues to give every staff member a feeling of joy and admiration. We cannot do this without your support and most of our parents and carers continue to be fabulous! The stories and vignettes I see via SeeSaw are the highlight of my day.

 

REPORTS

At this time of the year we are thinking about and planning for reports that will be presented to families at the end of the year.

We are currently conducting an inquiry into the reports for our students. The key focus of the inquiry is to determine how effective our reports have been at communicating student achievement to you our parents and carers.

Ms Black has led the collection of feedback from teachers, parents and students on our current reports and the alternative report format that was used for semester one.

Parents have been encouraged to share their ideas on how the reports could be improved. A survey link was sent out through Seesaw and SENTRAL platforms with a MAGNIFICENT response for over 80 parents.

We have valued the feedback and we look forward to presenting the newly formatted reports in 2021. A very special thank you to Ms Black for the organisation and leading of this important work in our school.

 

TEACHING AND LEARNING DURING COVID

The teaching and learning program this year has been presented somewhat differently. Whilst the curriculum that we assess against has not changed, the learning environment has changed (and changed significantly). We are well aware of this environmental change and how that has impacted learning for our students. Because of the change to the learning environment in 2020, we are;

  • Adapting our teaching approach to an online environment
  • Diversifying our approach to assessment
  • Personalising our holistic approach to learning and wellbeing, ensuring it caters to the vast array of family situations across our community.

I can understand the underlying concern from families regarding whether their child has ‘fallen behind’. During remote and flexible learning, there is also conflicting priorities including:

  • Family health and wellbeing
  • Remote and flexible learning or multiple siblings
  • Balancing screen time

For these reasons (and more), learning in the home may look different from day to day and from family to family. There is no one size fits all to this challenge. I thank you for continuing to do your best.

Some things you may like to consider-

  • No matter the quantity of learning your child completes, each element of learning that your child engages in will be of benefit to them
  • There are many ‘incidental’ learning opportunities that happen across any day and these don’t always look like ‘traditional’ learning
  • Upon a return to school, our teachers will have strong assessment practices in place that will inform their teaching and help us to target any learning gaps that may appear (and this is no different to how our teachers operate during regular face-to -face teaching)

I thank you for taking the time to engage with us in regard to student learning. I am proud of how we are tackling this unique period and am confident that we will continue to succeed as we move forward together.

Stay safe, keep doing your best and know that we’re nearly there. 

Carmela

 

R U Okay? Day

Thursday 10th September is R U OK? Day.

 2020 has been a challenging year for everyone and circumstances have made it even more important for us all to stay connected and, for those who are able, be willing to support those around us.

 

The focus of this year’s R U OK? Day 2020 is "There’s more to say after R U Ok?"

 

 You don’t have to be an expert to keep the conversation going when someone says they’re not OK. By knowing what to say you can help someone feel supported and access appropriate help long before they’re in crisis, which can make a really positive difference to their life.

Here is the link to the R U Ok? Day Website where you can get more resources: https://www.ruok.org.au/join-r-u-ok-day

 

2021 Prep Enrolment

If you have a child who is to start Prep at Broadmeadows Valley in 2021, we would appreciate you enrolling them ASAP. Please make all enquiries via the school office by calling 93094066.

 

 

 

LN1 News

 

FOUNDATION

This week, the Foundation students are learning about the letter C, sequencing events from familiar stories, such as, “The Three Little Pigs”, and identifying character traits in Literacy. Students have been watching online stories followed by identifying the inside and outside traits of well-known characters like, “Pig the Pug”.

 

 

 

In Numeracy, students are learning to add two collections together and have demonstrated the early skills of addition by creatively drawing their own addition stories using the writing tools on Seesaw.

 

GRADE 1/2

This week, the grade 1 and 2 students have been focusing on inferencing, writing procedures, skip counting and the duration of time. We are also learning about the weather in Enrichment. We have many future weather reporters.  

 

 

On Friday, we had a wellbeing day. This is how we decided to use our day.

Mirudhula I just relaxed and watched T.V

Makayla I did some pottery, painting and played outside

Sehej I watched a lot of movies

Dinoni I did gardening and seesaw and playing with my sister and brother.

Aiza I did Experiment with my mum

Marita I was watching vids of my iPad and playing slime and going on my swing at my house

Zachariah I played my Nintendo 3DS.

Sabella I went to walk outside and I was driving a scooter

Simohamed i played in my iPad and i played with my bike

Runnessa i just watched a really good movie and then eaten with my family

 

What is your favourite thing to do to relax or de-escalate?

Ahmad: Play with Lego

Aisha: Breathe in and out

Andy: Play games with my sisters

Aryanah: Lay down and relax

Bella: Hug my teddy Ann and listen to music

Boyd: Cuddle my mum

Iqbal: Play with my sister in the backyard

Myrah: Play with my brothers and sisters

Razan: Draw pictures

Seher: Do yoga

Tom: Colour in mandalas

William: Playing a game

Kiara: Go for a bike ride

Anamarie: Play with my sister

Maisam: Watch movies

Marina: Play with my sisters

Shella: Watch Netflix

Neryah: Play Roblox

Omer: Play on the Playstation

 

Learner of the Week

Chia K 0A

Elina E 0B

Aryanah A 1/2B

Marita A 1/2C

Zach T 1/2C

 

Laurena, Sarah, Jordan, Jen, Belinda & Jamielee

 

LN2 News

The LN2 teachers have been pleased with the amount of students logging on to Seesaw before 11am. It’s been great to see the student’s Seesaw skills develop over the term and we are amazed at the level of resilience the students have shown. The LN2 students have displayed some inspiring character strengths on their endeavours to complete the set tasks and engaging with their teachers.

 

For the last few weeks students in LN2 have been engaging in a range of new topics. They have learning about a range of different elements to chemical science, covering the topics of states of matter, heat and materials and their properties. We have also been exploring the practice of mindfulness, finding Zen and being present, centred and grounded. Over the past three weeks, the Maths sessions have been focused on interactive and engaging learning experiences on reading, writing and comparing fractions. Explicit teaching of how to write procedural texts has been very effective, with the students writing an independent procedural text on how to make a paper aeroplane.

 

With only a few weeks remaining of Term 3, we are aware of student wellbeing and we are implementing more mindfulness and yoga practices. The teachers are missing all the BVPS students and they can’t wait to be reunited with them when it’s safe.

 

Student Spotlight

Our spotlight student for this week is Nafesa from 3/4A. Nafesa has always been a very inquisitive, determined student who has consistently demonstrated the learning values of Achievement (Djinda) in everything she tries. Her approach to learning from home has been no different in that Nafesa has continued to try her best with all her work and has been developing her skills using the platform of Seesaw to showcase her learning from home as best she can.

 

Nafesa said that she is enjoying being able to set up her own workspace at home “just the way she likes it” and is enjoying not having to change her work space when moving from literacy into any of her specialist subjects. As always, Nafesa is really enjoying the Specialist tasks and has surprised herself with how much she is enjoying learning about fractions in Maths. She said the things she misses most are “Definitely friends, number one!” as well as the school playground, seeing her teachers, and being able to use all of the amazing Art and PE equipment. When Nafesa isn’t busy doing her learning she enjoys playing Roblox online and playing with her pet budgie, Mango (who make an occasional appearance in her Seesaw videos). Nafesa has not only worked hard in her learning but has showed a genuine care for all her classmates and teachers by the way she interacts with others online or over the phone. Keep up the great work, Superstar!

 

 

 

Cyndi, Nick, Sharni & Aimee

 

LN3 News

In Maths we are learning about data and graphs. Last week the students completed a survey asking them about their favourite sports brands, time the go to sleep and amount of time in a day that they spend on self-care. We are now using their answers (data) from this survey to create bar and line graphs.

 

In Enrichment and Literacy each student is comparing 2 different countries. The students are researching the Physical Features such as where they are located, whether they have mountains, lakes and rivers, and the different types of plants and animals. They are also researching the Human Features such as the food, different religions and major cities.

 

Morning Check In Questions

The LN3 teacher love reading our student’s responses to our home group check in questions. We love how thoughtful and honest the responses are. The responses act as a daily reminder of how lucky we are to teach such a wonderful group of students. Some of our most interesting questions and responses have been:

 

If you could give one million people one piece of advice, what would it be?

Dora - Be safe during the toughest times, we can do it together!!

Rihanna - Don't let other people's words get to your head

Naari - Make sure to take the right path in life

Ryan - Stick with your family through thick and thin, and listen to the government when it comes to the virus.

Jonas - never give up on your dreams

Ahmad - Be happy

Samiu - Stay strong

Davis S - Be strong don't be afraid.

Zage - Be Strong, but not rude. Be kind, but not weak. Be bold, but not bully. Be humble, not timid. Be proud, but not arrogant.

 

What would your perfect day look like?

Jai - A sunny day at school with blue skies and not much wind.

Sidra - going to the cinema with friends with no covid and... SNACKS!!! :D

Abdikarim - doing all my work will be a perfect day for me!!

Tili - getting a piano and playing it

Apollo - My Perfect day would look like having to get anything I want on that day and also to go and visit my country

Evie - (On the weekend) laying in the sun, jumping on the trampoline and playing with cats! Can’t forget the cuddles!

Amir - my perfect day would be me going to my friend’s house, going outside my house and playing with my school friends cause some of them live next to my house.

Alla - A perfect day for me would look like me and my family just watching movies and playing games together!

 

What should all people be taught to do for our planet?

Sarujan - how to recycle

Tuiai - to take care of the Environment

Ninorta - Don’t litter! And follow the instructions given to you for example stay home or wear a mask if your gonna go out.

Caleb - to love everyone no matter the colour of their skin

Rawan - I think all the people should be taught to not litter to keep our planet safe and in good condition.

Roman - To not waste and litter

April - Try not to dump as many things on landfills because of all the climate changes that are going on.

 

Jason, Wendy, Isabelle & Sharon

 

Young Leaders News

Throughout the hustle and bustle of remote learning, Mr Mac and Miss Sharni caught up with our school captains Rawan and Jai for an interview. During this interview we have learnt a little more about our school captains and what they have been getting up to during lockdown. Stay tuned for the next newsletter as Rawan and Jai are thinking of some questions to ask Mr Mac and Miss Sharni.

 

JAI

What is your name? 

My name is Jai

 

Does your name mean anything special in your culture?

My name is from the Bible after Jairus the profit.

 

What is your favourite animal? 

My favourite animal is a dog because dogs are always loyal and I've been around a dog my entire life.

 

What is your favourite sport?

My favourite sport is rugby because I love the thrill and the speed of the game.

 

Why did you want to be a school captain at BVPS? 

I became a school captain because I wanted to help the school and others improve.

 

How have you been keeping busy in lockdown? Could you share some of your ideas?

I have kept myself busy by playing video games and doing exercise.

 

What are three words that describe you? 

Passionate, humble and caring. 

 

RAWAN

What is your name? 
My name is Rawan

 

Does your name mean anything special in your culture?

My name in my culture means a bird.

 

What is your favourite animal? 

My favourite animal is a cat because they are fluffy and cute.

 

What is your favourite sport?

My favourite sport is Basketball because it gets my whole body moving and it is a sport with a lot of teamwork included.

 

Why did you want to be a school captain at BVPS? 

I wanted to be school captain at BVPS because I have been at the school since grade prep and I have learnt the behaviours we have to represent and how everything works. Also I thought I would be a great school captain because I love to help people and be a role model.

 

How have you been keeping busy in lockdown? Could you share some of your ideas?

I have been busy in lockdown by spending time with my family and staying active by riding in my backyard and playing different sports.

 

What are three words that describe you? 

Three words that describe me are Funny, generous and leader.

 

PE News

Hello everyone, I am currently blown away by not only the windy days we have been having but also the amount of work and effort that some students are putting in during remote learning. I am loving seeing all your work and the smiles on your faces in your videos/photos when completing the PE activities.

 

This week we celebrate National Health and PE day on Wednesday 2nd September. It is important that we recognise and celebrate this day as it helps raise awareness of all the fantastic Health and PE programs in Australian schools. Your child should be getting 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity per day but also continuing to develop their physical literacy through play, education and sport. While having the knowledge and skills is a great starting point, a student who is physically literate will understand health and physical activity, have the confidence, motivation and behaviours to apply these skills in meaningful and transferable ways. They will be able to understand the importance of physical activity and that it just does not mean to exercise.

 

I have included a link to a range of different physical activities to help you achieve the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity for children aged 5 – 17. This can be found in the Seesaw announcements section or on the Google Classroom spaces.

Please continue to stay healthy, positive and active during this time.

 

Mr Mac

 

Kitchen Garden News

Students in LN2 have been learning all about the birds that visit their backyards and what types of food they can safely be fed. This week, students have had a go at making their very own bird feeders which they can hang out in their yard to give their new feathered friends a snack. We have seen lots of very creative bird feeders being made out of different types of materials like cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, paper milk cartons and old plates. It is great to see everyone using items from their recycling bins so that we can reduce our waste and turn our rubbish into cool new things.

 

 

 

In the school garden, spring has begun with a visit from the weeding fairy! All of the weeds have been pulled out from around our lovely lettuces, leaving them to grow. They will be ready to be made into a delicious salad in no time. Our worms are happy eating left over food scraps and are making us some beautiful worm tea to fertilise our garden beds.

 

Miss Amy

 

Art News

Hi everyone, I hope you all enjoy these wonderful pictures of the artworks created by our students in the past few weeks.

 

In LN1 students have been learning to draw a rocket ship, a sailing boat, and as we welcome Spring, they have done the most beautiful Spring drawings. Check out those flowers and butterflies!

 

In LN2 students have been learning how to draw fish showing different emotions. Aren’t those fish fantastic?  They have also done a symmetrical artwork.

 

In LN3 we have been learning how to draw robots using different shapes. Students have also been very creative designing their own city. Which one is your favourite?

 

 

  

 

 

Have a great week!

 

Ms. Marina

 

Digi Tech News

Coding Competition Results

I am immensely proud of our students for their efforts competing in the NCSS Challenge July 2020. This competition has been running for the last five weeks with eight new puzzles released each week.

Our students wrote the code to create simple programs. They had to correctly order and join the program steps in the right order to make code to meet the challenge. One puzzle was to draw a lollipop. Here’s the lollipop and code they created. You can see the block code looks a lot like jigsaw puzzle pieces. They had to work out all the details of what to use at each step.

 

This is an international coding competition and our students did a great job. 

Congratulations Abbey, Alizey, Austin, Issa, Jivesh, Mariya, Reda, Ryan, Stavro, Thusanth and Zage for taking up the challenge.

 

We also earnt the following honours, and this is quite unusual as all 3 students were competing at a higher age level. So it’s a massive testament to their hard work.

  • Austin  – Distinction
  • Jivesh – Perfect score
  • Ryan – Perfect score

A fantastic effort by all students.

 

Mr Liam

 

Community News

We miss seeing you at school, but are so grateful that technology allows us to stay connected in different ways.

 

Our Playgroup families and adult English class learners have continued to connect, share and learn together online this term. If you are interested in joining our playgroup or one of our classes for adults, please phone the school office and leave a message for Kirsten.

 

We have also recently set up some new WhatsApp groups for families who speak different languages. This will make it easier for you to receive important information from our school in your first language. If you would like to join one of these groups but haven’t yet received an invitation please let the school office know.

 

It has been wonderful to speak to some of you on the phone, share video calls and hear about how you are doing. Staying connected however we can helps make our community stronger.

 

As always, if your family needs some extra support please reach out to us and we will do our best to help.

Thank you for everything you are doing to keep yourselves and our community well.

Kirsten