It is great to have the junior classes back with us again. Congratulations to the children for their enthusiastic return last Friday. Remote learning for Yrs. 3-6 still continues for the rest of this week and hopefully we will see our senior classes return first day next term. Keep an eye on your emails over the holidays as I will keep you updated of any news about the start of Term Four arrangements.

We are now moving to longer days with higher UV exposure. Please make sure your child has their school hat as hats are now expected when outdoors at school.

You will notice fencing around the south-east corner of the school as the redevelopment of that part of the school is getting under way. This project is driven by School Council, led by Jane Dowsley. I would like to thank Jane, along with Michael Walsh, Faith Deans and the rest of School Council for taking the project from an idea to action, and importantly, doing the hard work to ensure the project could be realised. Their work will benefit our children and the children of the future. Yackandandah Primary School is also being supported by local business sponsors who are getting behind the project. Be sure to get behind them as well.

NAPLAN results for children in Yrs. 3&5 are available for pickup. While our NAPLAN results are very strong it is important to keep this one off test in its context, now more so than ever. It is the day-to-day learning that matters the most. The standout message from the testing, however, is that children at Yackandandah Primary School show learning growth across their time at our school greater than state and like schools. Well done, students, families and teachers.

This Friday is the last day of term! This seems to have crept up on us without noticing among the lockdowns and remote learning. School finishes 2:30 on Friday. I hope you enjoy the spring weather over the holiday period and enjoy our great outdoors.

Michael Edwards
Principal

Book Club Orders

Book club Issue 6 has arrived and has been sent home with children today. Orders for Grades 3-6 have been sent home with a sibling, where possible. Otherwise, they will be at the office for your collection.

Lily Houston for taking responsibility for her learning, working hard every day, and asking lots of great questions
Max Edwardes for always brightening our day with his positive attitude
Remy Lane for her wonderful and imaginative character writing
Aisha Willis for making strong word choices in her Seasons of the Circle writing piece
Tarn Charles-Jones for consistently showing enthusiasm in remote lessons and completing tasks to the best of his ability
Grace Westbrook for writing an entertaining piece on school life, many years ago. Great work, Grace!
Dane Holden for settling into Yackandandah Primary School so well. Welcome to our school, Dane!
Finn Summons for being an active Home Learner and transitioning back to the classroom effortlessly. You’re on fire, Finn!
Lily Van Duinen for representing the school in a mature and positive way during an on-line writer’s workshop
Ryder Stagg for creating a personal and creative “Seasons of the Circle”
Edward Bobbenberg for being an “all-round” remote learning superstar!
Ivy Mahoney increased confidence with sharing your ideas and questions on Webex
Lucas Stagg an amazing effort with writing and presenting your Information Report on “Schooling Then and Now”!
Spencer Dowsley for working steadily on Maths Challenges throughout Remote Learning!
Frey Holden for being a bright and bubbly member of our class and asking great questions. Welcome to our class.
All F1C Leaners & Families for engagement and enthusiasm during home learning
All F1R Leaners & Families for engagement and enthusiasm during home learning

News from the Art Room
This week will see the end of our Creative Workers in Schools project "OVER THE FENCE" with local artist Kirsten Coates. We would like to extend a HUGE thank you to Kirsten for encouraging us all to find creativity and inspiration in the natural world!! We have been inspired by Kirsten's curious artistic lens, her 'wonky' take on making and creating art, her time spent operating the printing press and transforming the art room into a working artist's studio, over the past 6 months! We are thrilled to have had this opportunity and look forward to sharing the amazing prints created with everyone next term!! Kirsten will be in the art room this week with Mandy and Caz to finish off some printing.

Reminders
An important reminder to all students in Year 5/6, please bring back to school your acetate etching plates, lino plates and any tools borrowed to finish off your work. 

Can all Year 2 students please remember to bring back their foam plates for Art this Wednesday! Thank you to those students who have already returned them to the art room!!

Mandy & Caz

Artwork of the week
Linocut prints

 
Bird on Branch - Ella Owers

Horse - Ava Walker


Bird – James Thornton

A reminder that hot lunch orders are now available on-line and orders close Monday 4^th October.

Please find below a link to a Google Form for Term 4 orders. A separate order form needs to be filled out for each student. Please do not yet submit payment as we are still working out credits for last terms missed lunches. An email with credit amounts will be emailed out to families next week.

https://forms.gle/n4i3KdvXXt8t5inJA

If you wish to donate your Term 3 credits to the school, please email Sandra.

This link will also be emailed out to families.

A small group of 3/4 students participated in regional writing workshop. 

Here’s an update from Lily Van Duinen

Will this workshop produce the next generation of famous writers?

Greetings people of Yackandandah. A special event recently took place in this hearty country town. On Wednesday the 8th of September a writing workshop was held via zoom. Famous author, Susanne Gervay, inspired more than 20 young writers from all across Victoria, handing each of them a positive comment and a challenge for them to conquer. This amazing presenter sent them all into the mysterious world of imagination and passion for writing.

In the beginning she showed us a slide show of her life and the path she chose to become a famous writer. She got our creative juices flowing by telling us about all the countries she visited and all the people she shared her books with. We quickly gained interest when she encouraged us to write a couple of sentences based on pictures of different narrative settings. After that we started writing marvellous stories about flying elephants. Finally we ended the day by sharing them. Each and every one of us adored the experience and now we hope that there will be another writing workshop very soon.

We would like to thank PETAA (Primary English Teaching Association of Australia) for organising the special day and the Victorian Government for providing this opportunity for the kids of regional Australia. 

What a fabulous weekend we’ve just had! It was made even better by the surprise discovery that Re-creations Op-shop was open on Saturday and got one Book Week costume sorted, and part of another started. Winning!

BOOK WEEK 2021: Old Worlds, New Worlds, Other Worlds.

A reminder that Friday 15 October will be our YPS Book Week Dress-up Day! In the lead up, we’ve got a week of exciting activities planned for the students, including a Book Sale of second-hand books in excellent condition (and free books in not-so-excellent condition, but still have some life left in them) and Drama workshops with Brendan. We can’t wait to share more information with you after the holidays. In the meantime- get thinking about and planning those costumes! With Op-Shops re-opening it’s a great time to get out hunting down all your costume bits and pieces. In another life I did costume design- so I have lots of items I’m happy to lend out.

Overdue and missing books
As it’s the last week of term I’d love to see books come back to school that have been read or are overdue. F-2 will I’m sure be borrowing this week to have books for the holidays, but Years 3-6 can email me: sarah.mcalister@education.vic.gov.au for borrowing requests.

Unfortunately, we are still missing a few books from the library that may not have been scanned before being taken home. I’d dearly love these back as they are shortlisted books, we’ll be using for our school Book Week celebrations:


1. Not Cute by Philip Bunting (hardcover picture book)

New books and Scholastic points
Thank you again to the families that purchase books through Scholastic Book Club. We had enough points for me to spend on Friday, on over $500 worth of new books for the library. Lots of graphic novels; but mostly junior fiction to complete sets like Ninja Kid, Captain Underpants, Dog Man, The Babysitters Club (graphic), WeirDo etc, plus some new ones we’ve not had before- like Ella at Eden, and Minutes of Danger series. I’m hoping to have them ready for borrowing at the start of Term 4.

Have a wonderful holiday, and don’t forget to make time for reading!

Sarah McAlister

School Athletics

The whole school athletics carnival has been tentatively re-booked for Wednesday 6^th October, at the Wodonga Athletics Track. This is, of course, dependent on restrictions further easing and the Year 3-6s being back on-site for week 1, Term 4. All we can do at this point is remain hopeful and be prepared if we are able to go ahead.

The back up date will be Wednesday, 13^th October.

Cost is $10 per child, if you have not already paid. If you’re unsure if you have paid please contact Sandra at the office.

New permission forms are being sent home today to students who are at school and with siblings, where possible. Please return forms by Friday 17^th September

For those not onsite, forms can be collected from the office or will be sent home first day of Term 4.

Brendan will again be putting a call out for parent and carer helpers. It is anticipated that spectators will not be allowed, but again, we remain hopeful.

14^th September – Vivienne O’Brien
16^th September - Charlotte Wilson
17^th September - Rose McKenzie-McHarg

This Friday, the 17^th of September (last day of Term 3), will be Footy Colours Day.
All children, whether learning on-site or at home, are encouraged to dress in their favourite team’s colours for the day. Please note, this event is not a fundraiser this year, but rather just a chance for the children to get excited and dress up.

QR code check ins
We have introduced a new QR code feature to aid in our sign in/out process. If you are able, there is a QR code visible on our iPad sign in/out screen, by using this feature on your own device you are helping to eliminate a common point of contact within our service. You are still required to use the QR code to check into the building.

Term 3 Vacation Care
Our Vacation care dates for term 3 are 20^th – 23^rd and the 27^th -1^st October. As Friday the 24^th is a public holiday, we will be closed.

The advice that we have received regarding the operating of vacation care is as follows:

“OSHC and vacation care will remain closed to children in years 3 to 6, except for those children where either or both parents/carers are authorised workers, or in one parent families, the parent/carer is an authorised worker, who cannot work from home and where no other supervision arrangements can be made, and for vulnerable children”.

Vacation care will operate for children in prep to year 2, and those children who have no other option but to attend vacation care.

Please be aware that this is current operating information, and given the nature of the current COVID pandemic, advice around our operating criteria may change. In the case that it does, we will contact families effected as soon as we can. If you require any further information regarding vacation care bookings, please don’t hesitate to be in touch via Siobhan.Moore2@education.vic,gov.au

Thanks, OSHC Team