Ph: 9637 2638 Email: merrylande-p.school@det.nsw.edu.

au

30 August 2011

important Dates
1/9/2011 12-23/9/11 15/9/2011 16/9/2011 23/9/2011 Fathers Day Stall School Swimming Scheme Multicultural Food Fair and Fun Day Kindergarten Excursion to Taronga Zoo Last Day of term 3

Awards
Class Awards
KW KS KV 1C 1MP 1/2H 2S 2E 3V 3/4E 4K 4/5M 5C 5/6P 6O Shnya Mawlud, Hayyan Haider Disha Narsey, Tim Pati Emmanuelle Hala, Farhad Ahmadi Mariam Agha Srishti Sharma, Ibrahim Ismail Chahid Bazouni, Kamar Taha Asad Al Shami, Dilara Elma Abdullah Nazir, Lira Shrestha George Kavapalu, Naz Saaid Metua Moeroa, Sophia Ramos, Mehdi Al Ghalebi, Samim Nassiri Ahmad Al Shami, Christy Lau Atifa Akbari, Aisha Chaouk, Simran Singh Fatima Al-Naji, Joshua Ileto, Mine Macaroglu, Tigilau Amosa Rose Katu, Ignacio Gambra, Jesse Tuiala Melissa Matezic, Dylan Virassamy

5 Class Awards
Jebril Hamze, Millie Kadhemi, Inbum Velleyen, William List, Charleez Jack-Kino, Jamelle El Koura, Julian Nguyen, Shogofa Aakefi, Thiri Aung, Ali Taha, Trisha Singh, Yusuf Saymar, Umut Bat, Saad Shaheryar, Chloe Harris, Sara Saffar, Kathy Tran, Sajia Saifi, Jessica Li, Micah Collis, Sean Hayes, Erdinc Bat, Colin Hayes, Bradley Salekiki, Asmira Katyee, Kelvin Tran, Tahany Al Mouhamadawy, Jesse Tuiala

Friendship & Peace Awards

Banners
Krish Singh, Micah Collis, Bradley Salekiki, Ignacio Gambra, Faeiz Malik, Anne Pati, Asmira Katyee, Steven Tran

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Principals report
Dear Parents and Caregivers, The NSW Government asked the Department of Education and Communities to conduct an independent inquiry about the management of the Building the Education Revolution Project at Merrylands East Public School. This provided me with a four hour opportunity to detail how our school achieved value for money by self-managing the project and hiring our own architects, engineers, project manager and construction builders. As you can see, the building is starting to take shape with the concrete piers poured in readiness for the foundation slab. The A frame has been built off sight and will be erected sometime in September. The construction builders are working through their timeline and they have lost about 2 weeks off their schedule due to the rain. We still anticipate the project to be completed by 5th January, 2012. Writing this, I am reminded of the challenges that we all face in the coming years as educators. Back in 1988, centralized devolution from the Department of Education and Communities Head Office took place in public schools with school communities having a lot more say in the operations, policies, procedures and school budgets. Somehow, we lost that devolution over the past 20 years with a return to centralised processing of purchasing, maintenance, staffing, curriculum and assessment. The new state government announced a fortnight ago, that they would like to return to local community decision making by announcing a review of devolution in 2012 a similar process is occurring with Health and Hospitals. School communities will have the opportunity to have their voice heard about local decision making. Our school community benefits greatly with devolution. We have demonstrated the benefits of local decision making by saving half a million dollars on the construction costs by self-managing our BER and utilising the savings in other areas of the school. The next challenge that faces our school is the implementation of the national curriculum. Thankfully, the NSW Government has delayed the introduction to 2014 so that teachers have enough time to undertake professional development in the new documents. The third challenge is the digital revolution that is taking place in our society. Back in the 1980s, word processing, databases and spreadsheets were part of the Higher School Certificate course in computer studies. Times have changed and our students in primary school can do a lot more with social networking sites, blogs and digital movie making. Sometimes, I self-reflect and feel that the curriculum that we provide the children is only the knowledge of today but their world will change and so too the worlds knowledge. As adults, we need to keep learning too, otherwise well be left behind. In our school, we have so many teachers that are familiar with the use of technology and they are using class blogs to illustrate class programs. Teachers learn by doing too, and spend hours in up skilling themselves outside of school. The wet weather has played havoc in PSSA with numerous rounds being cancelled due to grounds being closed. Whenever wet weather occurs, it is the various councils that decide whether a ground is open or not. This week is Bookweek. Classes will be attending Merrylands Library and focusing on the joy of reading throughout the week. Miss Murphy has set up a Book Fair in the Library from Carnival Books. Children can purchase items at the fair. The School Club (P&C) is a wonderful and supportive organisation within our school. Over the years, volunteer parents have raised funds for school resources to help classroom programs. This year is no different, as their next project is the Fathers Day stall and guessing competition. I would encourage all students to participate in the various activities. John Goh Principal

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School News
School Swimming Scheme
There are still places available for the School Swimming Scheme. Learning to swim is an essential skill so dont miss out on this valuable learn to swim scheme. Please bring in your money promptly as we need final numbers soon. This scheme is funded by the Education Department so there is no cost for the swimming tuition. All money collected is for pool entry and bus hire. You will not get another opportunity to have your child taught to swim at such a reasonable cost.

Kindy News Taronga Zoo Excursion

Kindy will be travelling to Taronga Zoo on Friday, 16th September. It is a great opportunity for the children to engage with the wildlife and develop a deeper knowledge of conservation and the natural world. Please make sure all payments and permission slips are returned to school no later than Monday, 12th September.

Woolworths Earn and Learn and Coles Sports for Schools

Dont forget to bring in your Woolworths receipts and Coles vouchers. We hope to receive all sorts of sporting equipment and classroom resources from these campaigns.

Library News
Multicultural Food Fair and Fun Day
Dont forget that the Multicultural Food Fair and Fun Day has been moved to Thursday 15th September 2011. This should be a fun and informative day. Dress in your traditional/national clothes or costumes and bring a plate of food that is from the country of your heritage. Please bring in your $2 to cover the cost of plates, cutlery and napkins.

Book Fair
BOOK FAIR finishes after school tomorrow. There are fabulous books to purchase. There are many good books starting from $5. Come and have a look and buy a book before it's too late. Happy reading Mrs Murphy

http://mrsmurphyslibrary.weebly.com

Enrol Now For Kindergarten 2012

If you have a child who turns 5 before 31st July 2012, you can enrol them now for Kindergarten next year. Please see the office for an enrolment form.

sport Reports
PSSA Report
All PSSA teams will play Granville East Public School this week. Netball and Soccer will be playing at Colquhoun Park, Lavina Street Merrylands and Newcomball will be playing at Granville East Public School. Semi-finals will be on 2nd September 2011. Your coach will let you know if you have made it to the semi-finals. Good luck to all our teams! If your team makes it to the semis and finals, you will need to pay $6 for each of these matches as teams do not play elimination matches on their home ground.

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Netball News
On 12th August, the Netball team played an away game against Auburn North. Both teams played exceptionally well and put in a tremendous effort. The juniors won 15 - 2 with Kelly and Jasmine players of the match. The seniors also won 19 - 9 with Diana as player of the match. Don't forget to come to training every Wednesday at 8am! Anna Passerman

School club news

Raffle tickets have been sent home for the Fathers Day Raffle. There are great prizes to be won and tickets are $1 each or 3 for $2. Please support the School Club by buying some tickets and returning them with the money, to the office where you can also get more tickets. All unsold tickets should be returned to the office. The raffle will be drawn on Friday 2nd September, not Thursday 1st as stated on the raffle ticket book. The Fathers Day stall will be held on Thursday 1st September, 2011. Gifts will range from 50c to $7. This is a great opportunity for the children to choose their own gifts for their father/carer and it is something they really enjoy.

Community News
Attention Cricket Lovers Guildford Leagues Cricket Club is recruiting for the coming season which runs from September to March. They cater for juniors from 7 to 16 years and for seniors from 16 years. Check the website for more information www.cricketnsw.com.au/pdca then click on Guildford Leagues or go to www.guildfordleauges.com.au/sports.htm.

SHAPE (Sessions for Health & Physical Exercise)

What is SHAPE? Session for Health and Physical Exercise (SHAPE) is an 8-session health and fitness program for people living western Sydney who are at risk of developing a chronic disease such as Type 2 diabetes or heart disease. SHAPE aims to: Educate patients on diet and nutrition; Encourage a more active lifestyle; and Prevent the rise of chronic diseases such as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. SHAPE is also an accredited Lifestyle Modification Program (LMP). What's included in SHAPE? Delivered over 8 sessions, SHAPE offers each patient access to: An initial assessment with an Allied Health Professional to assess current fitness and plan an appropriate exercise plan; 8 Healthy lifestyle group sessions combining diet and nutritional education with group exercise activities; A final assessment with an Allied Health Professional to measure progress throughout the program; and A post-program plan to ensure ongoing progress and self-management. Who should participate in SHAPE? SHAPE is available to western Sydney residents who either live or see a GP or GP Registrar in the WentWest Divisional area. Run by EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGIST DIETICIAN and FOOD SCIENTIST If you are interested, please collect a form from the office and return it with your medical certificate.

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