15th September 2023
Dates to remember
Dates to remember – view live calendar on side panel of newsletter, website, or communication app.
Principal’s Report
Dear Parents and Community Members,
Every year, around this time, we are approached by distressed parents of current year six students. Their angst stems from the fact, their child/children have been declined a position at Ashdale Secondary College (ASC) as they presently reside outside the local intake area.
Unfortunately, Ashdale Primary cannot influence the situation as the enrolment process is determined by ASC. Over the last five years, the fact is that ASC has not been accepting out of area enrolments unless they have been awarded a placement through the two Ashdale Specialist Programs: Creative Technologies and STEM.
We reiterate this message to all new parents of Ashdale Primary School, as many families move after enrolment or on some occasions are coming from out of the Ashdale Primary local intake area. Attendance at Ashdale Primary school does not influence the decision-making process of ASC.
Parents need to take this information and resultant situation seriously and not be surprised at the year seven enrolment stage.
Term Three – School Activities
Term Three is an extremely busy time of the year, with the following events being central to the calendar; Cluster Muster, Science Week, Learning Journey, Faction and Interschool Carnivals and the Colour Fun Run. All these events require monumental amounts of organisation and coordination to ensure the events are conducted safe and orderly.
Our staff need to receive the recognition for the smooth-running of these events and the P&C members with running of the Colour Fun Run. Thank you to all these people for making these events happen!
Congratulations
School Leader Bailey Wheeler has made it to the Final of the WA Speak up Awards. Bailey represented the school and against 130 other finalists has been short-listed with 12 other students, to participate in the Final on Friday evening, 15th September. We all wish Bailey all the best!
Ashdale Primary has been undertaking Speak-Up at a school level from years 4-6 for the last three years and is a truly worthwhile and result -focused exercise. Well done to Mrs Kath Thorley and the teacher team for making this such a powerful learning experience.
School Twenty Year Logo
The twenty-year logo has been created and will be unveiled early next term. It’s going to be a very exciting 2024 with the focus upon our twenty-year celebration!
Regards
Tony Watson
Principal
2024 Planning
Planning is underway for 2024. If your child/ren won’t be returning to Ashdale Primary School in 2024, or leaving prior to the end of this year, can you please email the office ashdale.ps@education.wa.edu.au
School Photos
School Photo Day is approaching! Fotomakers WA will be visiting Ashdale Primary School on the 17th, 18th and 19th October 2023. Every student will receive an envelope. Their name and other individual information (ie. Unique Access Key for online ordering) is printed on each personalised envelope.
Parents are asked to complete the envelope by marking the order they require and enclosing their payment choice (either cash or cheque inside the envelope or if ordering online clearly showing the online receipt number on the front of the envelope). Every student must return their envelope on photo day with their order clearly marked, even where payment is made in one envelope for multiple siblings. See your envelope for more information.
Spare envelopes will be held at the school office for any new students or for those who have lost or forgotten their envelope but still wish to purchase photos.
ALL students will be photographed individually on photography day for school administration records. A second chance to purchase photos will be offered once delivery is made of all initial orders.
The school will be offering a sibling photo service during your photography day. If you would like to have a sibling photo taken, please collect a ‘sibling envelope’ from the school office.
Fotomakers WA offer a 100% money back guarantee for any parent who is not fully satisfied with their photo package. Should you have any queries before or after photo day, please direct them to admin@fotomakerswa.com.au or tel: 1300 876 920
Chaplain Chat
I love Spring and all that it brings: The re-awakening after Winter, the blossoms and the beauty and…the promise of Summer! I would like to encourage you to make time to stop and smell the early blossoms, to take a moment out of your busy routines in order to breathe and take in the beauty around you.
Life can sometimes feel like a long winter. Please remember that there are free and accessible support services available. Let us all be aware to ask for a helping hand whenever we need it.
Two community services that have come to my attention more recently are:
HELPING MINDS:
This organisation supports children, young people, adults and families, who are affected by mental illness. The majority of their services are free of charge and focus on: advocacy, understanding the mental health system, education, counselling and support, school holiday programs and respite. Phone: (08)94277100, Regional free call: 1800 811747
The Ronald McDonald House Charities WA:
This organisation supports children and families with seriously ill children. Their learning support program also assists families with children under specialist medical care. For more information, visit www.rmhcwa.org.au. Tel: 08 9346 9000
A beautiful quote I came across: “Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring”.
By Lilly Pulitzer
Warm Regards
Denise
Chaplain at Ashdale PS
Office News
THE NEW AND IMPROVED CONNECT APP IS HERE!
The new and improved Connect Now app is now available! We listened to you and improved the app.
- We made it easier than ever to use, and you will now stay logged in until you log out.
- All your school info is now available in one single app, with quick access to notices, learning content, and calendar events.
- Check your children’s reports, notices from the school and upcoming events all from your mobile device.
The new features can be accessed by updating to the latest version of Connect Now or if, you don’t have it yet, download it from the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
SCHOOL VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS (including P & C Contribution)
Have you paid the voluntary contribution $60/student and P & C Levy $40/family?
We encourage payments via the Qkr! app – this is a very simple and quick process and alleviates the need for busy parents to come into the office or send money in with students.
Instructions on how to download the App are available on our website from the link below or see the Qkr! Tip article below.
- Remember to change the profile (year, LAs etc) for your children when first accessing Qkr! for the year
- Alternative payment methods (cash/eftpos/credit card) are available through the front office.
- Families may pay the Voluntary Contribution in instalments.
QKR! TIP
Download Qkr!
Parents and carers at Ashdale Primary School can enjoy the benefits and convenience of online credit card facilities.
Qkr! by MasterCard can be downloaded for free from Apple’s app store for iPhones (iPads should download the iPhone app) or from Google Play for Android phones and tablets.
After downloading the app and registering, simply select Ashdale Primary School from ‘Nearby Locations’ on Qkr! or type ASHDALE after tapping the magnifying glass in the top right of the home screen of Qkr! and select the appropriate school. Once you have made your first payment on Qkr! the app will always recognise you as part of the school in future to make payments even easier.
You can pay for
- School Voluntary Contributions and P&C Contributions
- excursions
- library bags
- canteen orders
Student Update Forms
It is important that our school’s database is up to date with student’s current details. Families can update their child’s details held at the school by completing an online form on the Ashdale Primary School website. This is located under the home tab, or use the following link,
If you require any further information, please contact the school on 6207 4500 or email Ashdale.ps@education.wa.edu.au.
Legends
P&C News
We always know when the end of Term 3 approaches as the whole school comes together to celebrate Learning Journey. This year the weather was perfect and the Year 6 students had an incredible array of stalls to delight and entertain all ages. We extend a special thank you to all the teachers and students who worked so hard behind the scenes to make this event such a calendar highlight for our Ashdale community.
There’s just ONE MORE week until our School Colour Fun Run on Thursday, 21st September commencing at 2:30pm. All students will run at the same time but will be divided by age and P&C volunteers will makes sure there is plenty of water and colour to go around. All funds raised will be contributing to the Ninja Playground which will be built in early 2024 - so far we have raised just short of $5000 which is a fantastic start, but we hope to really see a flurry of donations over the next week. Please share your child’s fundraising profile and encourage family and friends to donate to this wonderful cause, plus there are plenty of prizes to be won along the way for all children who help us in our fundraising quest! Haven’t made a profile for your child yet? NEVER FEAR, just follow the link to set it up and support our cause: https://www.schoolfunrun.com.au
The fun doesn’t end at the Colour Fun Run either - the next day is our annual Footy Free Dress Day! All students are encouraged to wear their favourite team colours on Friday 22nd September and the Flavours of Ashdale canteen has a very special end-of-term footy-themed menu for everyone to enjoy. Make sure you check out the menu and get your orders in via Qkr! before 8:45am this Friday as no other lunch order items will be available on the day.
PHEW! What an exciting way to end Term 3, and we wish everyone a safe and restful school holidays.
Erryn Siva
P&C President
OSHCLUB Information
Community News
School Holiday Workshops at Scitech
BOOK NOW! SEPTEMBER SCHOOL HOLIDAY WORKSHOPS
How do our lungs work? What does a virus look like and how does it impact our bodies? Kids can discover the answers to these questions and more at our upcoming school holiday workshops!
We're excited to be back at Scitech, every weekday during the holidays, giving kids the opportunity to get hands-on for a range of science and health related workshop topics including the return of fan favourites ‘Poo and You’ and ‘Ear Explorers’. Enjoy all things gooey and slimy whilst learning first-hand about the inner workings of our bodies - there’s something for everyone to love.
Each workshop runs for 1-hour and costs $22 per child ($15 for Scitech members). Plus, each workshop booking gives you access to Scitech’s interactive exhibition space perfect for you to explore before or after your workshop.
Find out what's on offer and book your tickets before it's too late - our school holiday workshops tend to sell out very very quickly!
DoE SECURITY
Please help to keep our school safe! As part of our school community, we ask that if you see any unusual behaviour, evidence of theft or vandalism of our school outside of school hours, could you please contact school security on the number below.
Please do not approach any individuals, just contact security and they will investigate the situation or contact the Police. Working together will help protect our school.
9264 4771 (24-hour number) or 9264 4635
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