Filter Content
- Mr Bagnall's Broadcast
- Miss Ramsden’s Report
- Mr Chrimes' Comments
- Mrs MacLean's Memo's
- School's Back!! Helping Kids Navigate, Friendships, Bullying and Social Challenges by Mrs Rees
- Chaplain’s Chatter
- P&C News
- Book Swap at Alkimos Primary School by Mrs Reichle
- Respectful Relationships with Mrs Rowe
- Differentiating Learning at Alkimos Primary School
- Levels of Playground Behaviour at Alkimos Primary School
- Term Dates 2025
- Attendance
- Story Dog Volunteers for 2025
- Community News
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2025! The beginning of the year has been excellent and the students have settled in well to our new timetable; it has been fantastic seeing some of the work that has been taking place in classrooms already, particularly within the literacy sessions and morning check-ins. These will be a significant focus for us this year to enhance our literacy development, and align some of our practices to the Berry Street Education Model which focuses on Trauma Informed Practice.
As you would likely have seen, Mr Gorton shared a Connect message at the beginning of term outlining his plans for retirement at the end of this term. Once more information becomes available, I’ll keep families updated as to recruitment processes to find a substantive (permanent) replacement as well as how we will mark the significant event for our school.
Next week, we also have our first assembly presented by CR6 and CR7 which we can’t wait for, also just a quick reminder that this back on to the long weekend for the public holiday (Labour Day) with students returning on Tuesday 4 March.
Swimming Lessons
Thank you to all of the families that responded to the short survey regarding intentions to take part in swimming lessons year; the overwhelmingly positive response to this means that we can go ahead with planning for lessons to occur.
Letters regarding this will be sent home after the long weekend, with the school being split over 2 blocks, one being 10 days and the other being 8 days. The cost of these will differ slightly to reflect the length of these, with the costs being made up of bus transport and pool entry each day. As mentioned previously, the highest cost that I anticipate will be $90 and will hopefully reduce slightly based on the information that families have provided.
Once this letter comes home, if you would like to set up a payment plan, please feel free to contact Mrs Sparks in the office to organise this.
School Board Expression of Interest
Last year, the tenure of some of our Board members expired, and some have moved away from Alkimos PS. As such, I am inviting expressions of interest to fill some of the positions; dependent on the amount of these received, an election may be required later in the semester. Rather than providing oversight and management of the school, The Board provides a link between the school, families and community members and can be consulted before introducing policy that may impact the school community.
If you are interested in this, I am more than happy to make a time to discuss this in more detail, before you put your name down. Once expressions of interest are closed, and the current board members have reviewed how many new members are required, I will contact those interested.
Please note, anyone seeking election to the School Board is required to undergo a Nationally Coordinated Criminal History Check before being nominated.
If you are interested, please complete this short form: https://forms.office.com/r/ckN0Xkd1ze
Playground (Upper Primary)
Recently, we have been discussing the need for a more structured playground for our older primary in Years 3-6. This is still in its infancy and may take a while to get underway, but over the next few months we will be getting ideas from students as to what could be an option and obtaining quotes from suppliers.
As we go through this process, we will share plans and updates; you may also note that there have been commitments from some prospective members of parliament to contribute to this and should this occur, this would go directly towards the construction of the new play area.
This new play area is in addition to the ‘refresh’ that we are working on in our Early Childhood playground. You may have noticed the new play cubbies where the sandpits used to be which have proven to be very popular! A new sandpit area is next on the agenda and will hopefully be underway soon!
Connect and Respect
Late last year, I published a copy the Minister for Education’s Connect and Respect Initiative. These resources provide clear expectations for interactions on school grounds and in communication with students, staff, and other adults. While our teaching staff at Alkimos Primary School are more than happy to arrange meetings with families to discuss any concerns, these meetings may not always be immediate. Staff will organise appointments as soon as possible based on availability.
Over the last week, we have experienced instances where individuals (parents) have approached children who are not their own, interacted inappropriately with other families during drop-off and pick-up times, or engaged with school staff in ways that do not align with the respectful environment we maintain at Alkimos Primary School. Such behaviours are unacceptable and will not be tolerated; repeated or severe instances of this may result in formal warnings being issued or those responsible being barred from entering school grounds for a period of time.
We would like to remind everyone that it is never appropriate to address or discipline another child directly. Should an issue arise, please contact the child’s classroom teacher or school leadership for support and resolution.
In addition, we ask that all adult interactions on school grounds remain courteous and respectful. Specifically, the following behaviours are inappropriate during meetings with staff or while waiting for student collection and interacting with other adults:
- Swearing or using offensive language in the presence of students or staff
- Intimidating or aggressive behaviour
- Inappropriate conduct
- Use of derogatory or racist language
If you have any questions or concerns about these expectations, please feel free to contact the school office to arrange a time to discuss them with me.
Regards,
Tom Bagnall
Acting Principal
A warm welcome to all our families as we begin another exciting school year! We’re thrilled to see familiar faces return and to welcome new families into our school community. Wishing everyone a fantastic start to 2025!
Curriculum Corner
Super Work!
Our students have hit the ground running this year, settling into their learning routines quickly. We’ve already seen some amazing work making its way up to the office. What a great start!
Here are some superstars from CR16 showing off their word mapping activity. Word mapping is a fun and effective way to break down words into sounds and letters, helping students build strong reading and spelling skills.
Keep up the great work, everyone!
Student Placements
Over the coming weeks, you may notice some pre-service teachers, education assistants, and work placement students around the school as they gain valuable experience in our classrooms.
They’ll be working alongside our staff to support student learning. If you have any questions, feel free to chat with your child’s classroom teacher.
We’re excited to have them on board!
Many Thanks,
Pip Ramsden
Associate Principal
Hello Families,
What a fantastic start to 2025! It was such a joy to see all the excited faces on the first day. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year.
We’re fully back into the swing of things, with plenty of exciting things on the horizon. I’m particularly looking forward to our first assembly next week—though I’ve been told to come to school in “active wear!”
I would acknowledge one of our many superstars here at Alkimos PS, Noah (Year 4, CR24) won gold in the combined events (800 meters, 100 meters, 70-meter hurdles and high jump) at The Ridgewood Athletics Competition. Noah will compete in qualifies for the Special Olympics in the upcoming months. We look forward to hearing all about his future achievements.
For Year 3 and 5 families, I’ve sent a Connect message about NAPLAN 2025. Additionally, Year 4 to 6 families, I’ve sent a message regarding Good Standing Passports for 2025. When you get the chance, please review both so you're up to date on all communications.
Lastly, a big thank you for your continued support as we navigate the start of this school year together.
Cheers,
Mr. Chrimes
Associate Principal
What a fantastic start we have had to our school year! It has been lovely catching up with students and families, and meeting our new families.
Sometimes our children find transitioning to new classes with a change of teacher and classmates to be a challenge. At Alkimos Primary School we support our students to work through challenges they may face by explicitly teaching Social and Emotional skills. We use Zones of Regulations to help students to identify how they are feeling and what strategies they can use to regulate their emotions.
On Entry Testing – Pre-Primary
At the beginning of each year, our Pre-Primary students take part in a state-wide assessment called On Entry. These assessments give us some baseline data on where students are at in 4 domains, these are:
- Speaking and Listening
- Reading
- Writing
- Numeracy
Between Weeks 3 and 6 (17/2/25 – 14/3/25), Pre-Primary teachers will be busy completing these assessments with your children. Once completed, you will receive a report outlining how they went in these 4 areas. If you have any questions regarding this, please feel free to reach out to your child’s classroom teacher.
Please remember that your child’s teacher is always happy to talk with you if you have any concerns or need any advice, support or suggestions. I look forward to an amazing year ahead.
Kirstin MacLean
School's back! Helping kids navigate friendships, bullying, and social challenges
As families across Australia return to school, excitement may be mixed with anxiety, especially for parents and carers who are concerned about their child’s mental health and wellbeing. Whether it’s worrying about social challenges, bullying, or the tricky dynamics of ‘frenemies’, going back to school can be a stressful time.
Friendship challenges: 6 practical tips
- Reinforce resilience and self-esteem: Help build your child’s self-confidence by encouraging hobbies or activities that they enjoy or are good at. This will help strengthen their ability to face challenging situations or setbacks. Remind them that they are loved and valued, no matter what.
- Regular check-ins with your child: Create a safe, non-judgmental space at home for kids to share their thoughts and feelings. Ask open-ended questions like, “What was the best part of your day?” and “Was there anything that upset you or could have gone better?” to encourage open and honest communication with your child.
- Recognise the signs of bullying: Look for subtle changes in behaviour that may indicate your child is being bullied, such as not wanting to go to school, avoiding friends they used to speak to, or unexplained physical marks/tears to clothing. Empower your child by educating them about bullyingand encouraging them to speak up or seek help.
- Role model empathy and social skills: Help kids understand the importance of kindness, respect and inclusion by modelling this behaviour in your day-to-day activities.
- Role-play or consider scenarios: Build your child’s confidence in handling difficult social situations by discussing or acting out what to do in challenging situations. Help them consider what to do if someone is teasing them or they see others being bullied. Teach your child how to set healthy boundaries with friends and help them practice positive communication to express their feelings effectively.
- Reach out to the school: Partner with teachers or school counsellors to address any concerns early on. Familiarise yourself with the school's anti-bullying policies and programs to ensure a consistent approach.
For more tips and strategies for raising confident kids, visit Triple P Online. If your child is aged six and up, you can help them build resilience through Fear-Less Triple P Online.
Renee Rees
School Psychologist
Good Day Everyone
Welcome back to the new year, hope you all had a good break!
‘Emotions’ - we all have them, the good the bad and the ugly!
Let’s talk about emotions for a quick minute, as our children have many to deal with especially at the start of a new school year.
It is important to let them know that emotions are normal and teach them how to work through them.
A few things to keep in mind to help our children:
Children should feel safe to discuss emotions and feelings with family, friends, teachers, and other trusted adults. It is important for kids to have a safe support system! Sharing their positive feelings can reinforce good behaviour and help them celebrate accomplishments. Sharing their negative feelings can help take some of the burden from them to allow them to be able to process and form a deeper understanding of themselves. It is ok to feel all the feels!
Parent can ask themselves these questions which is helpful in helping children with their emotions: Have you ever been angry? Did you ask yourself why you’re angry? Did you acknowledge your emotion as valid and real? How did you move forward and release that anger in a healthy way? Parents can ask and answer these same questions with joy and sadness, and all the other emotions as well.
Some Positive ways to express and release emotions
- Reading – read books with your child and discuss how the characters handle emotion, diversity, and conflict -there are a lot of books available in shops and online
- Art – have your child draw, paint, collage, or sketch how he or she is feeling
- Writing – have your child start a journal and write down how he or she felt throughout the day
- Music – have your child pick a song that describes how he or she feels and turn the volume up
- Talk – create a safe space at home where your child can tell you exactly how he or she is feeling, ask questions, and help him or her feel in control by coming up with a plan
- Take a break – sometimes it’s best just to take a break and let your child’s mind calm down so you can have a thoughtful discussion when the time is right
At Alkimos Primary School we use the Zones of Regulation. Have a look at the link below for some great strategies.
Take Care
Marche Smith (school chaplain)
Dear families,
Welcome back for 2025! The P&C are looking forward to a great year of fun filled events and activities.
Last week we held our ever-popular Zooper Dooper days for all students, which raised $513.53 to start us off for the year. A big thank you to the amazing ladies that helped us hand out the icy poles on Friday, your help was greatly appreciated.
Coming up is our Annual General Meeting, where all P&C positions will be made vacant and nominations held to fill them will occur. The date for this will be announced soon.
Monty’s Colour Fun Run
The Monty’s Colour Fun Run is back for 2025!
This fantastic event will be held on Fri 7 March, and will be held in the afternoon. Starting times for each year level will be announced soon, once we have confirmed them with the school. We will also be looking for volunteers on the day to help with the throwing of the coloured chalk, so please keep an eye out on our Facebook page for the sign-up sheet.
To register for the colour fun run and start fundraising, head to www.myprofilepage.com.au and click onto the register button to create a cybersafe, online profile page. Raise $10 to receive your first incentive prize. There are 15 unique prizes on offer, plus you can even earn free bonus donations!
Bunnings Sausage Sizzle
The P&C will be holding a Bunnings Sausage Sizzle on Sunday, 23 March. We are looking for volunteers who would be happy to donate a couple of hours of their time to help us with cooking and serving on the day, so if you can spare the 2 hours, please sign up to volunteer at https://signup.zone/SxJGELiW4virx84HP
Term 1 events:
7 Mar – Monty’s Colour Fun Run
23 Mar – Bunnings Sausage Sizzle
7 Apr – Easter Colouring competition entries due
8 Apr – Subway lunch (Kindy Green)
10 Apr – Subway lunch (Whole School)
11 Apr – Easter Raffle drawn & Easter Colouring Competition winners announced
Kind regards,
Alkimos Primary School P&C
Facebook: alkimospandc
Instagram: #alkpnc
Book Swap!
Give a book
Take a book
Dear Families,
There are ‘book swap’ shelves that are set up in the school. One is in the Early Childhood drop off area, outside ECE 3. The other is set up outside CR 11, near the new quiet play area. Children can bring a book from home to donate and swap it with a book from the shelf. This is the same concept that you may have seen locally, known as a community library. Students can swap books any day before or after school. We just ask that the book that is donated is in good condition and appropriate for primary aged children.
Happy reading!
Lisa Reichle
Dear Families,
At Alkimos Primary School, we are excited to be part of the Respectful Relationships Teaching Support Program, a vital initiative focused on promoting respectful relationships and gender equality from an early age. Our goal is to prevent family and domestic violence by fostering a culture of respect and healthy relationships within our school community.
Respect is the foundation of positive relationships, influencing both our wellbeing and mental health. While differences are natural, learning how to respectfully disagree and manage conflict is a crucial skill we can all develop.
Respectful relationships are about feeling safe, valued, and heard. They involve trust, honesty, and being able to express yourself freely without fear of criticism. These qualities are essential in all relationships – from family and friends to romantic and intimate relationships later in life.
What You Can Do to Help:
- Talk to your child about the qualities of respectful relationships, highlighting examples of respectful and disrespectful behaviour in the media.
- Praise your child for showing respectful behaviour, such as walking away to calm down during a disagreement.
- Help your child communicate their emotions clearly and assertively and teach them empathy by discussing how others might feel in different situations.
- Encourage them to express themselves calmly, model problem-solving, and support them in finding solutions during conflicts.
- Teach them how to negotiate, seek clarification, and develop decision-making skills to navigate challenges effectively.
We believe that when we all work together, we can help children build strong, respectful relationships that will serve them for a lifetime. Moreover, I would like to ask for your thoughts about this and what we can do together to help our children best learn Respectful Relationships. Please email me your thoughts at czarina.rowe@education.wa.edu.au
Thank you for your ongoing support as we nurture these important values in our school community.
With many thanks,
Mrs Czarina Rowe
Differentiating for Success: How Primary Teachers Meet Students' Diverse Academic Needs
In any primary school classroom, one thing is certain: no two students are the same. With varying learning styles, academic abilities, interests, and cultural backgrounds, teachers must find ways to meet the individual needs of all their students. This approach is known as differentiated instruction, and it is a powerful tool that helps create a supportive and inclusive learning environment where every child can thrive.
What Is Differentiation?
Differentiated learning happens when students are given opportunities to learn that are appropriate for their individual needs and abilities. Differentiation can focus on:
- Content (what students learn)
- Process (how students learn)
- Product (how students demonstrate their learning)
- The physical learning environment
It involves adapting the content, delivery, and learning methods to ensure that every child can learn in a way that suits them. The goal is to provide each student with the best possible opportunity to learn, regardless of their starting point. In a primary school classroom, this could mean adjusting the pace of lessons, offering different types of activities, or providing various levels of challenge to ensure every child feels supported and engaged.
What does Differentiation look like at Alkimos Primary school
A differentiated classroom is flexible. There are many classroom elements that can be used to promote individual and whole class success. Examples of differentiation include the following:
- Using reading materials at varying readability levels;
- Using spelling or vocabulary lists at readiness levels of students;
- Presenting ideas through both auditory and visual means;
- Using reading buddies;
- Meeting with small groups to re-teach an idea or skill for struggling learners, or to extend the thinking or skills of advanced learners.
- Giving students options of how to express required learning
- Using rubrics that match and extend students' varied skills levels;
- Making sure there are places in the room to work quietly and without distraction, as well as places that invite student collaboration;
- Providing materials that reflect a variety of cultures and home settings;
- Setting out clear guidelines for independent work that matches individual needs;
- Developing routines that allow students to get help when teachers are busy with other students and cannot help them immediately;
- Helping students understand that some learners need to move around to learn, while others do better sitting quietly
Some students may have a more formalised documented plan (IEP – Individual Education Plan) that identifies more specific and individualised goals. These may be for academic support in English or Maths, Personal and Social Capabilities, behaviour or attendance. The Department of Education WA has clear guidelines on when a documented plan is required. Parents will be contacted if this is the case for their child.
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Term 1 |
(holidays Saturday 12th April – Sunday 27th April) |
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Term 2 |
(holidays Saturday 5th July – Sunday 20th July) |
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Term 3 |
(holidays Saturday 27th Sept – Sunday 12th October) |
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Term 4 |
(holidays Friday 19th Dec – Monday 2nd February 26) |
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School Development Days (Subject to Change) Friday 30th May (Week 5, Term 2) Friday 29th August (Week 6, Term 3) Friday 14th November (Week 5, Term 4) |
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Attendance Every Day
At Alkimos Primary we know that attending school every day enables your child to get the most from their education and create a bright future. This helps them create more opportunities for their future and leads to better health, social and work outcomes. Every day your child learns something new at school. Every day they build on what they already know, growing their knowledge and skills.
While the majority of our students miss school for legitimate reasons such as illness, we do have a concerning amount of unexplained student absences.
This term, teaching staff will be contacting families to follow up on any remaining unexplained absences. It is a Department of Education requirement that schools follow up on absences and record the reasons for these. If your child is absent, please let the class teacher or school office know the reason why they have been away from school as soon as possible. Thank you to those who are notifying the school regarding their child’s absences in a timely manner. You can do this via email, phone call, letter to the teacher or using the Schoolzine app, ‘SZapp’ that can be downloaded from the school website:
Where a student’s attendance falls below 90%, it is classed as ‘at risk’ by the Department of Education. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s attendance, please discuss these with the class teacher or contact Mrs MacLean in the office.
