Volume 14 -  30th August 2007
Week 6 .... Term 3

Ph: 8381 7166
Fax: 8381 6041

Email:
hvsadmin@happyvalley.sa.edu.au

Website:
www.happyvalley.sa.edu.au

Inside this issue............
Enrolments, SSO Week, Numeracy Week, Super Performance, Book Week, Hub Library, Pedal Prix, Canteen, Totem Pole, TOM, Fundraising, Quiz Night, Kitgum Birthday Boxes, Edible Garden, Girl's SAPSASA Soccer, Chess, Sport, Kookaburra Cafe, OSHC, Parent Club, On Line Tutoring, Tear Off Slips.

SCHOOL CLOSURE
Friday September 7^th -- School Closure.
(Show Day)

On Friday all staff participated in a compulsory training session about a range of child protection issues. This has become a high priority for our Education Department and an extremely complex problem, especially with the continuing development of the cyber world that our children now comfortably inhabit, sometimes for large amounts of their spare time. This has opened a whole new set of child protection difficulties.

Technology is a wonderful tool and one that our students should be confident in using, but it has its pitfalls as recent events have highlighted.  For many adults what our children do with technology is often unknown.  Adults often don't understand the technology and its capabilities, the language, or the potential for unsafe situations or cyber bullying to develop.

Do you know what your children do on their computer, or with their mobile phone?  Does your child have their computer in the bedroom where you are unlikely to see what they are doing, or accessing?   Do you know what blogging is, or Happy Slapping?  Have you looked at MySpace, YouTube or Facebook?  Do you text people, use MSM, or understand the shorthand language that is used in messaging?  Children will often exploit this lack of knowledge on behalf of adults, or not ask for help when they should, because they think that adults won't understand.

As a leadership team we also looked at the new culture of the "millennials" (children born in the mid-late 90's) at our Leaders District Day a few weeks ago and our District Director shared an article from the Age with us.

A section of this article I would now like to quote as it really made me stop and think about the challenges of bringing up children and young adults today.

"GENERATION BLOG POST : I'm 15 ... I get upset for reasons I can't explain but then my brain is a work in progress rewired by processes that even neuroscientists haven't got their head around.

I worry about who my friends are, who likes me and, who might love me. I want to know who I am and who I might become and this is no different to my parents at 15 and to teenagers going back forever.

But I am different.  I am on the internet.  Or on my mobile.  That's if I'm not on my iPod, or my games console (if I'm a boy) or posing for another photograph with my friends (if I'm a girl) to post on MySpace.  My malleable brain is connected to a global network of similar brains.  All talking, typing and texting each other everything and I mean everything.  Things we can never delete.

We're all plugged into an infinite, uncensored stream of information, images and individuals.  We see everything.  In our world virtual reality is reality.

How technology may affect my health or safety, and how it will influence my character and shape my generation have got others steamed up. Not me, I'm 15and have enough to worry about! LOL!"

Continued next page...........

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There are things you can do however.

Talk to your children about what they are doing, learn about the net and supervise your children while they are on it.  Make sure your children understand your family's values and what to do if they do access inappropriate material, hear about an unsafe situation or are cyber bullied.  Stress the importance of children being critical about what they read on the net or in text messages, not everything in virtual reality is reality. 

Some helpful websites for information include:-
www.netsafe.org.nz, www.netalert.net.au, www.bullyingnoton.com.au (a good resource about cyber bullying).

Adults have a lot of learning to do to catch up with our children in this area, but nobody ever said parenting was supposed to be easy!

We have started looking at class structures for 2008.  To enable us to do this accurately we need to know our exact school numbers for next year.

Please, if you are considering moving from the school next year, can you let the Leadership Team know ASAP.

If you know of any possible enrolments for next year that we may not know about, can you also let us know?

This is of a high importance as we are very close to forming an extra class in the primary section of the school but we must be confident of maintaining our current numbers to do so.

Last week we celebrated School Services Officers' Week in a number of ways.  Classes made cards, gave flowers, sang songs to our SSO's and generally made them feel special.

We have a great team of SSO's here at Happy Valley and I would like to personally say thanks for all of their hard work, their friendly and caring manner plus their major contribution to ensuring good learning outcomes for all of our students.

Just a reminder that next week is Numeracy Week and we will be celebrating with a variety of different activities, including our visits to the Hub Shopping Centre as well as the Open Morning on Wednesday 5^th September. Please look out for information in the orange flier which you should have received by now. 

This week Sue Higgins' and Steph Kakoschke's children have done three performances of their wonderful Numeracy Week musical "Numeracy Nightclub." Junior Primary classes, as well as the children from Chandlers Hill Kindergarten and some residents from Bethsalem saw the first performance on Tuesday morning.  Primary classes attended the session on Wednesday afternoon and parents and friends were invited to a special evening performance on Wednesday night.

There was a strong focus on numeracy and we even had a special visit from "Elvis." The children sang and danced beautifully -- they were so confident, and they looked just great! Congratulations to all the children and especially to Sue and Steph -- what a brilliant effort. We know that it was a lot of work but we are sure that Sue's and Steph's efforts are much appreciated by all of our community.

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Junior Primary and Year 3/4 classes attended a Book Week performance called "Back to Before", in the week prior to Book Week. This excellent production was performed by "Perform Educational Musicals." The show focused on a number of the short listed books from Book Week.

Here is what some of the audience thought about the performance.

Room 9 Book Week Performance Comments
The Reception to Year 3/ 4 Classes had a Performance in the School Hall for Book Week.  It fitted in with the book Week Theme of "Readiscover."

On Wednesday in Book Week we had a performance called "Back to Before"  It was great! I would rate it 4 out of 5.  Maddy

In the show they were very good at acting and very polite. I liked the way they could change people then change back. The play was really good because we had the chance to ask questions.    Aiden

The play was about two people. One was called Sam and the girl was Katie. It felt as if it was real. I like the bit where the Time Keeper comes in. The props and music were really good. They showed really good team work in the show. Alex

In the show a girl called Katie kept changing people and I thought it was really good.    Chane

Book Week Performance Comments from Trans. 10

We watched the performance called "Back To Before" and I liked it. My favourite bit of the performance was when Sam was talking to us and we were telling Sam to turn around and he turned around and the Timekeeper was sitting. Katie was the Timekeeper.

By Jasmine

I liked the performance when the man sat down and the Timekeeper took it out of his hand.

By Dyla 

Room 9 Hub Library Visit Comments
Over the past two weeks, several classes visited the Hub Library as part of their Book Week offering called "Rediscover The Hub Library".  Activities were lead by the staff and students were able to move around discovering different parts of this great Community Resource.

Several students from each class joined the library and can now benefit from the varied selections both there and across the cluster of Libraries to which this one belongs

On Monday August 29^th, our class visited the Hub Library for a Book Week program.  Some of our class mates joined the Library and could borrow books.  There was a guide for  our group called Lynda and I thought she was a great guide.   Sacha

I would like to go again with my class.  Some of us can now borrow DVDs, Books and other fun things.   Gemma

At the Library my group went to the Reference collection area and we got free book marks.  When we were about to leave I borrowed "Captain Underpants" and a ghost series.   Josh

On the 25^th of August the Happy Valley Pedal Prix team went to Kuitpo Forest.  The team was going to go around the forest, there were lots of mud puddles, there were some deep ones, at one point there were two tracks but there was a commotion on which way to go.  Sean wanted to go straight because there was a huge mud puddle.  Kevin said if Sean can go through the mud puddle we would go the way Sean wanted to go.  Sean got through about five times (pictured below).

The team went the way Sean wanted to go up and down the hill.  Some went through the giant mud puddle and some went around.

When we got back we had sausages and drinks and dried off A LOT.  Everyone was starting to pack up and some were climbing trees.

By Brendon W. and Sean G.

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Mr. Draper and Miss Ingham
Our totem represents Responsibility. Learning to be responsible is like a journey through life.  This is why we chose feet for our totem.  They represent the symbols of the footsteps we take on that journey. 

Mrs.Whisson and Mrs. K.
Our totem represents Tolerance.  This means we should accept people for who they are.

Oka Sensai
The pole from the Japanese room has the theme of "Understanding and Tolerance".  The pole is divided into four sections vertically.

• Japanese family crest.  We all came from different families but we all line up peacefully.

• Japanese Kanji letters.  Each symbol has positive meaning e.g. hope, strength and harmony etc.

• All kinds of shapes and colours create letters of "Happy Valley School".

• Cherry Blossom which represents "beauty".  All of our students at Happy Valley are beautiful blossoms!!!!!!!

Our team is in the final stages of their preparation for Tournament Day at Flinders University on Sunday 9^th September.  The team will perform their Challenge task at 11.20 am at Venue 7 on the day.  

Tournament Day is always an exciting time and parents are most welcome to come and watch our team's performance as well as any other performances that catch their interest.  We wish our team -- April B., Leah S., Alison J., Stephanie K., Kate S., Savannah B. and Robyn C. -- best wishes for the day.

Many thanks to those of you who have donated prizes for our Quiz Night. We would still be grateful for any donations of prizes and also wines, for our wine auction.

We have had one very special donation which will be a great  boost  for  our  football  theme,  and  which  will  be

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auctioned.  Information will be sent home about this in the next days. Keep a close watch!!

Thankyou so much to those families who have already been able to donate to this cause!

We have three complete boxes from two families and other separate items are beginning to arrive.

We have until the end week 9 (21^st September) so there is plenty of time still to contribute either by making up a whole box, sending separate items or donating money to help to send these boxes across to Uganda. Please give these to your child’s class teacher, leave them at the Front Office or give to Room 9.

There are coloured brochures available if you want more information on the background or needs and these can be obtained from the Front Office or from Room 9.

Many thanks again for your support,
                                                                   Room 9 class.

Room 9 Edible Garden Produce Cooking
Michelle Rowe and Judy Tester came in to cook with our class.  Michelle had established our garden plot and it was time to harvest our beautiful cabbages.  We had yummy Chow Mien.  We are looking forward to the rest of our crop

  coming in to have more tasty and healthy food.

I thought the Chow Mien was yummy!   Sacha
I had fun eating the chow mien but it was a bit spicy.  Gemma
It was really great to eat what we had grown.    Maddy
Today's cooking was really good. I thought that I wouldn't like it but I was wrong. I liked it a lot.   Alex
I really liked the cooking. It was really nice   Chane
I really liked the Chow Mien we had today.   Josh 
The cooking was ok but I liked the smell!   Elenore

Congratulations to the girl's SAPSASA soccer team for making it to round 4. Wins in round 1 and 2 were achieved in exciting games that both went to extra time. Round 3 was won in a nail biter against Christies Beach Primary. Scores were tied at the end of the game, and still tied at the end of extra time. Accurate kicking by Amy and Nicole and a gutsy performance by rookie goal keeper Kate won the game in a penalty shoot out. Round 4 we met Aldinga Primary, a strong side who were better on the day, winning 3-0.

All the girls should be proud of their performance and sportsmanship; they were a credit to the school. Thank you to all parents, grandparents and teachers who supported the girls with transport, oranges and cheering, particularly Rebecca and Judy.

Leanne Robertson

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ROUND 7
The final round for the season saw the juniors go down narrowly to Searise 2-3.  But it was back to back wins for Jacob Bondarenko who has had a fabulous season winning four of his seven games.  Austin G. and Aiden W. played out some interesting stalemates.

The seniors' final round was a clean sweep 5-0 victory. Luke S. has now won five in a row.

About a month ago, we started to close the gap on the top three places and the team has really pulled together to try to finish in the medals.  We'll have to wait until presentation night at the end of September to see how we've gone, but all seven senior team members certainly deserve to stand on the podium!

Before that, Simul Night will be held.  It's a great evening where a chess master takes on dozens of players at the same time. The masters have never lost!  All juniors and seniors are welcome ....... some parents even have a go! Please bring your own chess set.

What:   Simul Night
When: Tuesday September 11 at 7.00pm sharp.
Where: Woodcroft College, Bains Road, Woodcroft.

 Mark and Yvonne Smith 0418-137777, 0419-811539.
Co-ordinators

FOOTBALL
What a terrific year of football.

This has been the best year for football, with a lot of great skills and teamwork on display. It has been good to see more parents supporting their children as well.

Happy Valley has been praised by other schools in the Southern area for their teamwork. When numbers have been down from the opposition, and our players have been asked to play for the other side, then Happy Valley have shown great sportsmanship (WELL DONE).

The presentation for the 2/3, 4/5 and 6/7 teams will be held on the 1/9/07 at 11:30am in the Happy Valley School hall.

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The Vacation Care program for the October school holidays is now available for bookings.  The $20.00 booking fee can be paid at the OSHC room during office hours or at the school front office Tuesday to Friday.

A reminder -- OSHC will not be open on School Closure Day Friday 7^th September.

Is there a plumber in the school community? -- OSHC is seeking the assistance of a qualified plumber.  If you can help out, please talk to an OSHC staff person or ring us on 8322 2411.

Roxanne Longbottom - Director
8322 2411 or 0417 898739

STOP PRESS!!
We have just learned that three of the children who entered work into the Royal Adelaide Show have achieved fantastic results.  Savannah B. received a FIRST PRIZE for her hand knitted article, Madison F. received a CERTIFICATE for Drawing and Jake D. received a CERTIFICATE for his Computer Generated Print.  Congratulations!

A big thank you to all who supported the Fathers Day Stall.  We hope every father/carer has a great day on Sunday.

Thanks also to the helpers on the stall -- with your help it ran very smoothly.

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QUIZ NIGHT

I / We would like to book a table for the Quiz Night on September 22^nd.

At this stage I would like a table for __________  people.

Name ________________________________            Eldest Child's class: __________________________________
 

Signed _______________________________                       Date: _____________

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QUIZ NIGHT PRIZE DONATION

I / We would be willing to donate a prize for the QUIZ Night on September 22nd.

The prize will be _____________________________

Name __________________________________      Eldest Child's Name: __________________________________

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