30 May 2025

Update from Principal

Dear Families,

It’s hard to believe we’re already halfway through the term! It’s been a very busy few weeks, and I want to thank everyone—students, families, and staff—for your continued support and engagement in school life.

I’ve heard fantastic things about the Year 6 camp—what an incredible experience it was! Our students had a wonderful time, and it simply wouldn’t have been possible without the dedication of our staff: Ms. Ward, Mrs. Morris, Miss. Manning, Ms. Berti, Mr. Pemberton, and Mrs. Odquin-Curtis. Thank you also to our parent and ex-staff member Mr Stenhouse for helping out. These staff members gave up their own time to ensure our students could enjoy this memorable opportunity. Not all schools still offer overnight camps, so we feel very fortunate that we can continue to provide this experience to our students.

Our newly formed School Board met for the first time on Tuesday, 14 May. A warm thank you to Callan Rose for nominating to take on the role of School Board Chair, and to Becky McGuckin for taking on the role of Secretary. I’d also like to acknowledge and sincerely thank Becky for her contributions as the Board Chair last year. Her commitment, leadership, and thoughtful input were invaluable as we navigated a period of change and growth.

The School Board is enthusiastic about the journey ahead, especially as we begin the important work of drafting our new Business Plan. A group of dedicated staff have formed our Business Plan Committee and will be working over the coming months to prepare a draft. We look forward to sharing updates and opportunities for input from the School Board as the work progresses.

On a personal note, I will be away from school for two weeks due to surgery, starting Friday 30 May. During my absence, Ms Ward will be overseeing the day-to-day management of the school. If you have any questions or concerns during that time, please direct them to her, or via the school’s email: newborough.ps@education.wa.edu.au

Wishing everyone a safe and restful long weekend. I look forward to seeing you all back on Monday 16 June.

Canteen

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

Our school canteen plays an important role in providing nutritious and convenient meals to our students. However, we are currently facing a challenge in maintaining sufficient volunteer support, particularly on Tuesdays. Without additional help, we may need to consider closing the canteen on this day.
Each volunteer shift is just 30 minutes long and involves sorting lunches into classroom baskets—no food preparation is required. Some dedicated parents are already covering multiple shifts each term, but to ensure the canteen remains open on Tuesdays, we need a broader commitment from our school community.
We warmly welcome extended family members to volunteer for shifts. However, please note that non-parent volunteers (including grandparents) are required to have a current Working with Children Check (WWCC) to comply with Western Australian child protection laws. The P&C has generously offered to reimburse the cost of the WWCC for ongoing extended family member volunteers, if the cost is a barrier. 
To help us plan, please sign up for a shift by Week 8 of this term. If the Tuesday roster is not fully staffed by then, we will discuss the future of Tuesday canteen operations at the P&C meeting in Week 8.
You can sign up by scanning the QR code below, which links directly to the volunteer roster.

Thank you for supporting our school.
Denise Jeffs

Deputy News

Junior Primary News

This term in Room 3 the Pre-Primary and Year 1’s are reading a lot of stories written by the Author Giles Andreae. We have enjoyed his poetry books and finding as many rhyming words as we can. Some of these books are called “Commotion in the Ocean”, “Rumble in the Jungle” and “Mad about Dinosaurs”. Giles Andreae also writes very interesting narratives that have a message about being brave and using your strengths positively. These books are called “Little Penguin” and “Giraffes Can’t Dance”. We also had a very big laugh reading the hilarious “Pants” story. Here are some visual art pieces we have enjoyed completing.

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NAIDOC Week

As many of you would be aware, NAIDOC Week usually falls during the July school holidays. This year it is from Sunday 6^th July to Sunday 13^ July which is indeed during the Term 2 holidays.

This year’s National NAIDOC theme is The Next Generation: Strength, Vision and Legacy celebrating not only the achievements of the past but the bright future ahead, empowered by the strength of indigenous young leaders, the vision of indigenous communities, and the legacy of their ancestors. 

Newborough Primary School will be recognising NAIDOC Week during Week 10 of this term and we have organised a local Western Australian Tour Group, Indigenous WA Tours for an incursion for all Pre-primary to Year 6 students on Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 July at the cost of $5.70 per student. Students will learn about the local Wadjuk people, bush tools and implements and listen to Dreamtime stories.

A hard copy of the note will be given to all students and emailed out to you next Tuesday 3 June 2025. We ask that you look out for this and support the incursion into the school in Week 10 this term.

If you wish to know more, please access information on both NAIDOC Week 2025 and Indigenous Tours WA via these links.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any queries. 😊

Parent Help Required in the Library Please

With thanks to the P&C, the Library has been able to purchase many new books for students to read. If you are a parent who has some time to spare, we would love your assistance to help cover our new books please on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday.

Please contact Karen Tucknott to offer your assistance. Karen.tucknott2@education.wa.edu.au 

Senior Primary News

Camp

On Monday 19 May the Year 6 students went on camp for 3 days and 2 nights at Camp Kerem, a Cahoot adventure camp in Bullsbrook.

The camp was so much fun and gave the students a chance to explore and challenge themselves in many different ways!

The activities included – water challenges, tug of war, laser tag, colour war, high ropes course, rock climbing, bush tucker experiences, having a campfire day and night, and more! 

After asking the Year 6 students, these were some of their many highlights!

- Telling scary stories at the campfire.

- Trying crickets and kangaroo.

- Cooking and eating damper.

- Facing our fears with the high ropes course.

- The camp ground dogs Luna, Mindy, and Neva.

- All day and night hair braiding/salon chats.

- Basketball and volleyball games during free time.

- All day fire pit and the food!

Overall it was an awesome experience that we will always remember!

Personal Belongings at School

We would like to remind families that if students bring personal items such as jewellery, step counting devices, toys, sports equipment etc., these items may be at risk of being lost or broken and the school is not able to take responsibility. We will always endeavour to support students in keeping these safe, but we would encourage families to keep these items at home where possible.

Cyber Safety

Recently there has been the need to remind some students about how important it is to keep personal passwords safe. Cyber safety is a topic that as a school we regularly talk about to keep our students safe online and teach them the necessary skills to continue to be safe online as they grow and move into adulthood. Below is a link to a fantastic cyber safety website with information for families that you may like to explore on your own and with your children.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

Reconciliation Week

This week is reconciliation week. It is a time for all Australians to reflect and continue learning about our shared histories, cultures and achievements. It is also a time to explore how each of us can contribute to achieving reconciliation in Australia. Look out on Facebook and in our next newsletter to see some of the work our classes have been doing in this space.

What is reconciliation? 

Reconciliation is all about strengthening relationships between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and the wider community, for the benefit of all Western Australians.

Below is a link to information and events for you to get involved. 

https://www.recwa.org.au/nrw-2025/

Kindergarten Enrolments are Open

Kaarta Koomba/Kings Park Excursion

Students from Rooms 8, 9 and 10 participated in an excursion to Kaarta Koomba for a wonderful day of connection to land and an educational program exploring the Whadjuk Noongar traditional lifestyle.

We explored the Naturescape climbing through ‘The Python’, building mia mias and challenging the heights of the tree pods.

Many hours were devoted to building dams to divert water in Paperbark Waterhole and Creek. Shoes were off, wading in the cool water and enjoying the company of friends.

For some tranquil relief, students sat on the bank of Dragonfly Corner and the Billabong to listen to insects, frogs and birds, bringing welcome relief to a hectic day. Not for long! The ropes course was just around the corner.

Koora Koora Kaarta Koomba, our education program, discussed how Perth has changed over time, exploring traditional Whadjuk Noongar lifestyle including plants, animals, roles in family and sustainable practices. Students were able to collect bush food, learn medicinal uses for plants and how nature was used to create tools, clothes and shelter.

A big thank you to all our wonderful volunteers who made the day not only possible but extremely enjoyable.

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P&C News

Containers for Change

Canteen

Please find below the instructions for how to create an account through Flexischools. 

You will be able to order from Flexischool every Tuesday and Friday. Orders will close by 8:00 am each canteen morning. 

The Canteen will continue to run in Term 2 using Canteen Kings food delivery service. The volunteer roster for sorting the lunches into class baskets needs to be filled for the term (12:20 pm-12:50 pm each Tuesday and Friday) to ensure the canteen continues to run smoothly. Please do your part by signing up for a 30 minute shift via this link:

Thanks!
Georgia 
Newborough P&C Secretary 

NEWBROS Movie Night

Pizza, Popcorn & Milo Extravaganza – 13 June

Announcing the NEWBROS Movie Night in the undercover area at the school.

We will be putting on pizza, popcorn and milo for all attendees … for only $5 per person!

Buy a ticket to secure your spot (Mums and Dads too):

https://www.trybooking.com/DCCYB

Bring a cushion, pillow, bean bag and a blanket, then snuggle in for a great night.

Doors open at 5:30 pm with dinner at 6:00 pm. The movie screening is commencing at 6:30 pm.

Gluten Free + Lactose Free options will be available

Want more information? Email: newbros@newboroughpc.org.au

Save the Date - Trivia Night

Save the date, trivia night is back! 

Get your teams together and put your heads together for a night of fun and brain busting questions. 

Saturday 16 August. 

More details to come

Uniform Shop News

This is the offsite uniform shop.

Second Hand Uniform Shop

With the cross country in week 7, we want to give parents the opportunity to make sure they have a faction t-shirt!

The secondhand uniform shop will be open in Week 6, Tuesday 3 June at 8:15 am - 8:45 am.

Then again in Week 9, Tuesday 24 June 8:15 am - 8:45 am.

Please bring in any uniforms that are too small, they can be left through the week at the front office.

*No non-uniform donations please*

Thank you

Leanne

School Directory

No Animals (Including Dogs) on School Grounds

DoE Security

Keep an eagle eye on our school!

School Watch encourages the school community to report any suspicious activity in and around school grounds, after hours and on weekends, as well as during school holidays.

Telephone 1800 177 777 (free call) or 13 14 44 (WA Police).

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.

Community News

BARNES KARATE

SOCCERPLAY