Dear Parents

I have heard some exciting tales from the children this week of travels to the snow to ski, to the sunshine in Bali, to enjoying fun times at Holiday Care or simply sleeping in. It’s lovely to see the children rested and full of enthusiasm for the term ahead. Beginnings are particularly important when considering our Units of Inquiry as they set the scene or provide the foundation for all further learning in the area. This ‘frontloading’ as we sometimes call it, often happens at the beginning of a term and so it is good that the children are back and eager to learn. Pre-Primary H has already planned a fishing expedition to catch fish to cook for their ‘fish and chips’ farewell to a classmate.

This term we welcome back from maternity leave our Deputy Head of Junior School, Deanna (De) Graber. De’s office is on the top level of the School in the Year 5/6 area and her email is: dgraber@plc.wa.edu.au  She is busily reacquainting herself with life in the Junior School after her nine month break. We also welcome Meredith Beer back to Year 6B after her thoroughly enjoyable long service leave. It is good to have them both back in the School.

Three new Education Assistants joined us this term. Carolyn Hendry is working with Kirsten Blaikie in Pre-Primary on Mondays and Tuesdays this term. Carolyn is a music teacher who has spent the last few years at home with her children. Roberta Scurria is working with Megan Hooper in her Pre-Primary class on Mondays and Tuesdays as Kellie Hancock has started her university course to become a teacher and is only able to work on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays until the end of the year. Roberta is a fairly recently qualified Education Assistant but worked for Qantas for a number of years. Daniela Chaccon is our new Education Assistant in Julie-Anne Oke’s Kindergarten class. She is also a trained teacher who has recently arrived in Australia from Venezuela. Daniela and her husband have come to Perth as her husband has taken up a position with Woodside. She is keen to learn about our education system so that she can eventually take up her position as a teacher in the State. I am sure that those of you with children in their classes will join me in making them feel very welcome.

This term Glynis Ridley is on long service leave and Connie McWattie who usually works in Pre-Primary is taking her place in Year 1. It’s very complicated and has taken me a while to ensure that all stakeholders know of the Education Assistant changes but everything seems to have worked this week so all is well!

A number of activities start next week so please make sure that your children have enrolled and understand the commitment involved in whatever co-curricula activities they choose. Parent interviews also start and I hope that you have all made a time to see your children’s class teachers. I certainly get the feeling that the semester has begun. May it be a happy and productive one for all our children.

Take care,
Janet Wilmot
Head of Junior School

Information to Parents: Educational Accountability
In order to access Commonwealth Government recurrent funding, PLC has an obligation under the Schools Assistance (Learning Together – Achievement Through Choice and Opportunity) Act 2004 Section 36 (3) (e) to report the expenditure and teacher participation in professional learning to the School community.

This information which is provided below, is also available via our website.

Educational Accountability: School Performance Information
Presbyterian Ladies’ College supports professional development for all teaching staff. Teachers are involved in on-going professional development, both within the school and externally. The Professional Development Policy aims to align an individual’s personal and professional goals with those of the school.

In the last 12 months, staff have undertaken a wide range of professional development activities which generally fall under the following headings:

• International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme
• International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme
• International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
• Subject Specific
• Courses of Study
• Teaching and Learning
• Pastoral Care
• Behaviour Management
• Learning Support and Gifted and Talented
• Assessment

All PLC teaching staff (141) have participated in professional development activities this year. The average annual professional development expenditure is 1.2% of the total salaries budget.

This week Junior School classes have begun new Units of Inquiry which relate to a number of different transdisciplinary themes.

How we express ourselves
An inquiry into the ways in which we discover and express ideas, feelings, nature, culture, beliefs and values; the ways in which we reflect on, extend and enjoy our creativity; our appreciation of the aesthetic.
Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and Year 1 are all involved in units based on this theme.

How the world works
An inquiry into the natural world and its laws; the interaction between the natural world (physical and biological) and human societies; how humans use their understanding of scientific principles; the impact of scientific and technological advances on society and on the environment.
Year 2 and 3 are inquiring into the properties of different materials.

How we organize ourselves
An inquiry into the interconnectedness of human-made systems and communities; the structure and function of organisations; societal decision-making; economic activities and their impact on humankind and the environment.
Money is the title of the Year 4 unit and the Year 6 students are inquiring into democracy.

Sharing the planet
An inquiry into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communities and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolution.
The survival of living things is the basis of the current Pre-Primary inquiry.

Details and photographs of these inquiry units will be shared throughout the term. If you are interested in reading more about IBO or PYP then please access the following website :- http://www.ibo.org

Athena Centre
Book Week Competition
Do you love reading? Do you have a favourite book? Do you enjoy creating?
If you would like to design a new cover for a favourite book then please read the competition form attached to this newsletter. I will deliver any entries to the Mosman Park, Cottesloe and Peppermint Grove Library by 6.00 pm on Thursday 16 August or you can deliver your own entry.

Parent Helpers
Parent help makes a significant contribution to the daily running of the Athena Centre. If any parents have some spare time and are willing to help with shelving books we would be most grateful. Please contact Alison Viney and Maria Giglia on 9424 6462.

WALNA Testing
The Western Australian Literacy and Numeracy Testing for all Year 3 and Year 5 students will be held over Week 3, 6 - 10 August 2007. Please check the following timetable and ensure that Music lessons, etc, are altered so there is no conflict.

Term 3 Co-Curricular Activities
Please check the co-curricular timetable and see the teachers concerned, for enrolment.

Knitting Group
Can you knit/crochet or would love to learn? This term we will run a knitting group where we will attempt to knit squares to complete a blanket for charity. We will meet in the Art room every Wednesday lunch time. Places are limited to ten experienced and ten learners of Year 4, 5 or 6 students. Only patient students need apply. Names and level of experience are to be handed to Mrs Garland on paper.

Morris Gleitzman Author Talk and Book Signing
Tickets are now free to this event.
Meet one of Australia’s (and the world’s) best known and loved children’s authors, Morris Gleitzman, when he visits PLC to present his latest novel Give Peas A Chance.
Wednesday 1 August at 7.00 pm
Hazel Day Drama Centre
To download a flyer and to reserve tickets, please click on the link: Morris Gleitzman

Cooking With Kirsty Carre : Creative Finger and Cocktail Food
Thursday 2 August 6.00 pm - 8.00 pm
Food Studies Area in the new Science, Arts, Technology and Middle School building.
Join Kirsty Carre and enjoy a demonstration and tasting of creative finger and cocktail food, and wine from Virgin Block, in the new Food Studies area. For more information please download a flyer: Cooking with Kirsty

WA Eminent Speaker Series - James Bradfield Moody
Hazel Day Drama Centre
Thursday 9 August 2007 7.30 pm
PLC is pleased to, once again, be hosting the ATSE-WA Eminent Speaker Public Lecture. James Bradfield Moody will be speaking on Insurmountable Opportunities: Success in a resource limited world. James is an electrical engineer who is passionate about space technologies and the environment and is currently Director of Divisional Business Strategy for CSIRO Land and Water. He is probably more readily known as part of the panel on the ABC television programme The New Inventors. For more information about the Public Lecture, please download a flyer: James Bradfield Moody

PLC Auxiliary
The next meeting will be held on Monday 13 August at 9.00 am in the Boarders’ Sitting Room. Guest speaker will be PLC’s IB Primary Years Programme Co-ordinator, Alison Viney. All welcome.

Term 3 Sport
If anyone is interested in coaching or umpiring Basketball, Soccer or Athletics in Term 3 please contact Fiona Wilkinson in the Physical Education Office on 9424 6502 or 0407 990 285. There is a remuneration for coaching and umpiring work at PLC.

Term 3 Enrolment form
The Term 3 Sporting Enrolment form was due today. All Basketball team lists will be sent home next week with students.

Cross Country Training
Cross Country training for Year 4 to 6 students commenced this morning and will run every Monday and Friday morning until 10 September.

Netball
Saturday morning games commence this Saturday for Term 3. If you are unable to attend please contact your team manager.

Minkey
Minkey games re-commence this Saturday for all teams.

City to Surf Fun Run- Sunday 26 August
It’s time to dust off those running shoes and prepare for the 2007 City to Surf Fun Run. There is a pace and distance for everyone. Families can enter either the 12km run/walk or the 4km run/walk.

Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA)
Parents may be aware of publicity surrounding the attempt by ASADA officials to conduct sample testing at the King’s Regatta and the GPS Head of the River Regatta held in Sydney in March of this year. ASADA had not notified schools of their intention nor did the officials have appropriate clearance.

Following these events there have been extensive negotiations between ASADA and ISCA, AISNSW, CEO Sydney, NCEC and NSWDET. These negotiations have resulted in ASADA producing a document for procedures to be followed for ‘sample’ collection from junior elite athletes at schools or at inter/intra school events. Schools should note that this sample collection is for junior elite athletes who are part of national programmes.

To download this document please click on the link: ASADA Procedures

Lost
Ella Newton (5B) has lost her beret. If found please return it to Mrs Bailey's classroom.

Literature Prize
Congratulations to Caitlin O'Shea (6B), Anna Henderson (6S) and Naomi Brough (2) who received awards for the 2007 Literature Prize - Now and Then, run by the Cottesloe, Peppermint Grove and Mosman Park Library.

Walking School Bus
Term 2 was another successful term for the Walking School B with 68 children from Pre-Primary to Year 6 joining in at least once. Between them they walked 381 km (that’s about the distance from Perth to the Porongorups!). Around 35 children walked each Friday and between 10 and 15 each Tuesday. If you’ve ever seen us or if your child walks you’ll know how much they enjoy it. Seven girls walked most of the walks and will receive awards.

The bus is endangered by a lack of volunteers. All it takes to become a volunteer is a very short training course and some time available to walk occasionally on either a Tuesday or Friday. Please call Libby Eustance on 9385 0869 or Julie Rose on 0409 944 874 if you are interested. We will be running the next training course at PLC on the afternoon of Friday 14 September.

Rain
We cancel the bus in a downpour, when there’s a road weather alert or flooding. The decision is made at around 1.00 pm on the day and the children are notified via the Junior School Reception. If you aren’t sure whether the bus is on or not, please phone 9424 6428 after 1.00 pm. Please click here for more information about the Walking School Bus.

Tennis Coaching
Jamie Venery's Tennis Coaching commences this weekend Saturday 28 July and Sunday 29 July. Classes are also available every day after school. Please contact Jamie on 0417 933 398 or tennisstaronline.com.au