17th November 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,

School Leader’s 2024

The end of term 4 is always an exciting time for our year 5 students as the selection and elections of our 2024 school leaders will take place. Information about the different processes is listed below. It’s important everyone understands these processes and therefore can discuss the concepts if the opportunity arises.

Year six student leaders are selected through a variety of different formats.

• School Leaders are elected by their peers and teachers after an election speech Friday, 17th Nov.
• Faction Leaders are elected by fellow peers of their individual faction and teachers after an election speech Friday, 17th Nov.
• Library Leaders are trialled and selected by the library staff. (Weeks 6 & 7)
• ICT leaders complete a written application to the ICT staff. (Due Friday, 17th Nov)

We wish all possible candidates all the best in their quest to become a 2024 Ashdale Primary Student Leader. Successful candidates for all positions will be announced at the Week 8, Wednesday assembly.

School Board – 2024

We would like to welcome two new parent members of the community to the Ashdale Primary School Board. The new members are Nyssa Searle and Nicole Mola who both bring a wealth of experience and skills to the School Board.

School Hats

We will once again be coordinating an embroidery drive on our school hats. In the school holidays, at no cost to families, school hats can be embroidered with student first names. This service is provided free of charge as it eliminates ‘the lost hat’ syndrome.

All students with their names embroidered on the hats (new or old) on the First Friday of school next year, will be placed in a raffle with two first prizes of $10 canteen vouchers. (Teachers included!)

Regards

Tony Watson

Year 5 Parents

Gifted and Talented Secondary Selective Entrance program applications for Yr 7 in 2025 are now open.  Families can apply online at https://www.education.wa.edu.au/gifted-and-talented

Your child has recently brought home an information flyer which provides information about the program.

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

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 & CHARGES 2024

Attached is an outline of our voluntary contribution levy & charges infromation for 2024. Please be reminded that the amounts indicated in the charges section represent the maximum charge your child may incur in 2024. Students will only incur costs if they are involved in that particular activity. 

Those parents that pay both the voluntary contributions levy and P&C contributions before Friday 23rd February 2024, will go in to a prize draw. Than kyou to the P&C for running this prize draw. 

Please refer any questions regarding this information via email to Jayne McKernan ashdale.ps@education.wa.edu.au 

2024 PERSONAL REQUIREMENTS LISTS

Online ordering for 2024 student requirments is now available via Campion Education. You can access lists by simply logging onto Campion's website or on our school website www.ashdaleps.wa.edu.au

You will need to insert a code which is PWRF. Full ordering instructions are on the requirement's list. Please ensure you select the year your child wil be in next year. 

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

Maarakool Art & Smoking Ceremony

KOLBANG KOORLINY – ASHDALE’S JOURNEY OF RECONCILIATION

Over the years at Ashdale we have been providing opportunities for our students to extend their knowledge or kaartdijin as its known in Noongar language, of Aboriginal histories and culture.  We do this in our classrooms and also by providing experiences and spaces that create cultural connections within our school.  You might remember the Gina Williams & Guy Ghouse concert where we learnt to sing in Noongar, or the Wadumbah Dance Group where we learned traditional dancing, or Neville Collard’s Bush Tucker lessons where we planted bush tucker seeds and learnt about bush medicine.   

This year our school committed to creating a Reconciliation Action Plan.  This a document that will enable our school to continue to move forward with meaningful actions to further reconciliation. As part of this process, we have commissioned a piece of Aboriginal art for our school.  This artwork has deep meaning for Ashdale and will be an important part of our Kolbang Koorliny (Journey Forward).   

To celebrate this, on Wednesday, we held a whole school assembly with special guests Noongar Aboriginal Artist, Mel Spillman (Woods) & Noongar author, dancer, musician and filmmaker Alton Walley. 

Alton, a Whadjuk, Wilman, Kaneang Noongar man, did an Acknowledgement of Country in language and shared his culture with students, talking about respect, Elders, storytelling and the significance of yarning circles.

Students were then presented with our newly commissioned Aboriginal art - Kolbang Koorliny (Journey Forward).   Designed and painted by the very talented, Mel Spillman of Maarakool Art, this art piece tells the story of Ashdale’s Journey of Reconciliation.  Over the past two years we have formed a partnership with Mel, having her work with us on the yarning circle and now commissioning this art. Mel spoke to the students about each element in the artwork and its meaning.  This story and each element will become an important part of our student’s learning over the coming years.   

Students were then able to participate in a smoking ceremony, conducted by Alton in the Yarning Circle, to officially open this very important cultural space in our school. A smoking ceremony has both blessing and cleansing properties and is an ancient Aboriginal custom that involves burning various native plants to produce smoke.

After the smoking ceremony, some students were able to continue their learning with Mel, together with Mrs Quinton, and spent time painting a section of our new artwork onto the concrete table outside of LA7.

P&C News

This Term the P&C has supported two celebration events to say thankyou to some hardworking people at our school; World Teachers Day & Canteen Day WA. Thankyou to everyone who volunteered their time to contribute to these celebrations or wrote some nice words to show your support.

You have the opportunity to complete the Canteen Survey and give some of your opinions - the link is currently up on the P&C FB page. If you like and comment once you've completed the survey, you can be in the running to win a free icey pole for your child/ren. If you are not on FB and would like to complete the survey, please follow the link below. 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/B9CZGQB

Leading up to Christmas we are collecting donations to the Mayor's Christmas Appeal of toys and non-perishable foods. These will support families experiencing hardship this Christmas. You can donate by placing items in the boxes located in each  ofthe shared wet areas, between classrooms in each block.

If you would like to know more about what it means to join the P&C, please reach out to our team at pandc.ashdaleps@outlook.com 

Upcoming P&C events;

*P&C Meeting next week on Tuesday 21st November at 7pm.

*Board/P&C Dinner - Monday 4th December

*Annual General Meeting - Term 1, Week 3, 13th February, 2024. All welcome.

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