Year 5/6 Camp
As you may have seen on our Facebook page, the Year 5/6s had an absolute blast last week on their Campaspe Downs camp. After a wet start, they were fortunate to have a relatively dry, albeit very cold, camp adventure. Kathy and I were able to take off on an early morning road trip to visit the campers and enjoy a turn on the tandem giant swing. As always, it was a joy to observe the qualities of our young people as they took courageous risks, encouraged each other, and celebrated their successes and efforts. Thank you to our hard-working and committed staff and pre-service teachers who organised and attended the camp. It is a huge and rewarding commitment and we appreciate it!
Foundation 2023 and Building Works
We had our second Foundation 2023 information evening this week and we encourage all families with students starting at FPS next year to get their enrolment forms in. It has been nice to talk with prospective families about the buildings and grounds we will have next year. The building works are still on schedule. It has been a challenging couple of weeks with wet weather causing a number of issues in our already restricted play spaces. We have also experienced some service disruptions to our water and power. These have been rectified promptly and I again thank our students and staff for their resilience during these interruptions. I have been reporting these back to the project team regularly. The grassed area at the front of the school will be opening this week as the mud has settled and the area is looking much better than it was. If you are at school in the coming weeks, take a walk along the temporary fencing in the centre of the school and enjoy some beautiful artwork designed by FPS students. Much nicer to look at than the mud and even a digger is not as exciting as it used to be!
Cross Country
I’d like to congratulate our divisional cross-country participants, Zeph, Iggy, Samira, Ari, and Juliette who all qualified to compete next week in the Regionals. We wish you all the very best of luck!
Music Soiree
The fabulous Sarah Mildner brought us a lovely evening of happiness through the Music Soiree recently. The event took place in the theatrette and showcased some of our talented musicians who bravely got up on stage and performed for their families and guests. I was absolutely blown away by their courage, their support of each other, and their impressive talents. We look forward to making this a regular event on the FPS calendar. Thank you to our performers, their families, and to Sarah and the staff who attended on the night. We even got spoilt with a musical piece by Sarah and Wendy. How special!
Cake Stall
Next Wednesday, June 15, we will be having our first cake stall since the pandemic arrived. It is a momentous occasion that should be acknowledged with much eating of cake, slice, and cookies. Vinh will also be sizzling up some sausages to warm your bellies and complement your sweet treats.
Our Year 3/4 families have been asked to bake or donate goodies to sell. We also need helpers to set up, run, and pack up the stall. It is always good fun and a great way to meet other school families. If you are free, please email footscrayprimarysocial@gmail.com – Looking forward to seeing you all there!
Public Reporting Meeting
Following on from the cake stall, we will be hosting our annual Public Reporting Meeting so stick around, bring your cakes, and join us for a presentation of all things 2021 at FPS. We will share a Webex link via Compass closer to the day for those who would like to join us remotely.
Jen
As we near the end of Term 2, our teachers are working hard collating and analysing their evidence of student learning to finalise students’ reports for distribution to families in Week 9.
We will schedule Parent-Teacher Interviews for Week 2, Term 3 and will keep you updated as to the details and booking process for these conversations.
Our Passport to Play group’s adventure continued this week with a meeting at the Maribyrnong Council offices in Footscray.
The group had planned to walk but we ended up catching the 220 bus as it was pouring with rain, this trip was the start of our big adventure. When we arrived, the group declared themselves to be very hungry, so we sat down straight away and enjoyed a delicious catered lunch.
After lunch the students met in the function room and worked hard to write letters to the mayor about what they would like to see to support play in the local area. They were then taken on a tour of the building and got to sit in the official Council Chambers room. Everyone felt very important!
Next term we will be visiting a local kindergarten and interviewing the kinder kids about how they like to play.
Cake Stall
Immediately following the school bell on Wednesday, 15 June, the school will be holding our first Cake Stall in a very, very long time. The cake stall is always well received and the kids and oldies just love all the wonderful goodies to choose from.
Our first cake stall back will be hosted by our Year 3/4 cohort. May we ask that students/parents/carers of this cohort prepare and deliver their goodies to school before school next Wednesday, 15 June (details will follow of where exactly to deliver them). All goodies are to have an ingredient list attached to the container. Without the goodies we don't have a cake stall, so we look forward to your support.
We are also looking for adult volunteers from the Year 3/4 cohort to help on the day to man the stall. Cash and kids flow very fast so we need help on the day.
Please email footscrayprimarysocial@gmail.com to let us know if you can help on the day (you don't have to be a parent/carer of the Year 3/4 cohort).
Remember to stay and enjoy the cake stall, and then attend our Annual Public Meeting, where you can hear Jen talk about all the great things at our wonderful school.
Meeting - Wed 15 June at 5.30pm
The FPS Social Club is our school's parents and friends group. We are a friendly volunteer group that works on fundraising, events and community engagement, and we’d love you to be a part of it.
Our first meeting for 2022 will be held on Wednesday 15 June at 5.30pm
Venue: FPS School Library
You can decide to be actively involved as a Registered Member, or you can be a General Member on our mailing list and chip in when and where you can. We are also looking to fill Officer Bearer Positions including Treasurer and Secretary, so if you have an interest and skill set, please get in touch and we can discuss the roles in more detail.
Everyone is welcome at our meetings, we hope to see you there!
Get in touch via footscrayprimarysocial@gmail.com
Thank you
Footscray Primary Social Club
To show our support we will be hosting a food drive during the last week of school, from Monday 20th to Friday 25th June. We will be collecting food donations to go to the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC).
The ASRC is a not-for-profit organisation which supports and empowers people seeking asylum who live in our community. Established in 2001 in a gifted space in Footscray, the organisation has grown from an informal foodbank to the largest independent humanitarian organisation in Australia supporting people seeking asylum. The ASRC receives no funding from the federal government, enabling them to maintain an independent voice that advocates for change. They provide over 35 programs including food and material aid, healthcare, education and training, employment pathways, legal aid and detention advocacy.
Here is a list of their most needed items:
As we approach winter and flu season, reduce the risk of your child becoming very unwell by getting them vaccinated.
Flu
Free influenza (flu) vaccinations are now available to all Victorians aged 6 months and over.
Free flu vaccinations will be provided until Thursday 30 June 2022, to boost vaccination coverage. This will help keep Victorians well over winter.
Please read the Department of Education's letter to parents and carers about free flu vaccinations and how to manage unwell children.
COVID-19
Bookings for children aged 5 to 11 to receive their first or second COVID-19 vaccine dose are available.
Kids who received their first dose 8 or more weeks ago can now get their second dose. A second COVID-19 dose will help maximise your child’s protection against the COVID-19 virus.
Getting kids vaccinated will help:
The vaccine is safe and effective for children. All side effects of vaccination are reported and monitored, to ensure the ongoing safety of vaccination. For more information about vaccination for children, visit: https://www.coronavirus.vic.gov.au/vaccination-information-children-and-teenagers
You can book your child’s vaccination at: