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O.S.H.C. Winners
As was reported in the last newsletter some of our OSHC students did
very well at the Royal Adelaide Show with their artistic efforts. If
you want to view the entries they are currently on display at the
Front Desk. Savannah's Blue Ribbon is also there. Well done to all
of the entrants.
Class Placement for 2008 decisions will start early next term, with
a view to establishing balanced and equitable class groups for next
year.
If you feel that there is important educationally based
information which you would like us to consider when discussing
the best class for your child, please put this in writing and send
it to Kylie.
As you can imagine, requests for a specific teacher cannot be
considered as a part of this process. Teachers will be considering
'learning' friendships and relationships when formulating classes
for next year.
The placement criteria of students in classes will be done by the
teaching staff taking into consideration:
Priority 1
- A balance in:-
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Year level numbers
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Gender
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Academic ability
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Behavioural issues
Priority 2
- Consideration of:-
Please feel free to discuss any issues with your child's class
teacher. If from these discussions there is an identified
educational issue you wish to highlight and be considered as part of
the placement of your child, please put this in writing to Kylie.
Such information can only be considered if received no later than
FRIDAY October 26th.
Parents and students will be notified of class -- teacher placements
on Friday December 7th.
Recently our government released its 'Food and Drink Supply Strategy
for SA Schools and Preschools'. The strategy acknowledges that --
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Nutrition underpins health
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Health is a vital resource for life and
learning
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There is growing concern about deteriorating
diets of children and adolescents (and adults) and associated
health, social, and economic consequences
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A focus on children and the environments and
settings in which they live, learn and play is important
A group of parents on Governing Council and on the Canteen
Committee, and some members of staff,
recently
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attended a workshop where the main points of the strategy were
explained. While we still have some work to do to implement the
strategy, a lot of the preparation for this was done in the last two
years, when many of the government's expectations were implemented
in our canteen and in our classrooms.
From next year, when the government's requirements for schools
become mandatory, there will be some further refinements to our
canteen menu. The implementation of the strategy will also impact on
classroom, sporting and fundraising practices, where food is
involved. More information will be shared with families next term,
in preparation for these initiatives, to align our school's
practices with government policies.
Aaron & Brendon show off the healthy food they prepared.
Simon Mueller is already on the front foot with his class and their
approach to healthy eating. As a celebration of the term, Simon
arranged for groups of his Year 6/7 students to plan and make a
healthy food party to round off the term. On Wednesday morning,
groups of students with parent support were busy in many areas of
the school, preparing their food. Then at lunch time, the groups
shared information about their healthy food, and then enjoyed an
amazing selection of healthy party food together.
Lucy, Kate, Katelyn and Abbie preparing their healthy meal.
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ROSEMARY MAGAREY AWARD PRESENTATION NIGHT |
Our class participated in the Rosemary Magarey Award by writing
stories based on school life in 1877. Rosemary Magarey was the
founder of the local branch of the National History Trust of South
Australia and the award is named in her honour. After her death the
members of the trust decided to invite schools to participate in
this award.
At the start of the term our class did a lot of researching on
school life in 1877. As part of our researching we invited Dudley
Nicolle (Courtney's grandpa) and Geoff Lock into our class. They
explained how school was in 1877 and how their families lived. We
also visited Old Tailem Town and found out how people lived and what
sort of buildings they lived in. Most of us worked in partners but
some of us chose to work alone.
Leah and Amelia with their winning entry.
Leah and I worked together and decided to present ours on a piece of
big card, others chose to present theirs in diary form. On Thursday
the 20th of September it was the presentation night at
the Blackwood Performing Arts Centre. Audrey Richardson was the
compere for the evening and Alex McFarlane was one of the judges who
came to present the winners with their awards. As the night went on
Alex McFarlane presented the awards for the Year 4/5 students who
did a slideshow comparing what school was like in 1877 and what it
is like now.
Alex McFarlane presents the Rosemary Magarey Award to the students
and their teacher, Carol Atherton.
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Leah and I didn't think we would win because we were against about
39 other entries. When he announced the winners of the Year 6/7
award we were shocked when he said our names and didn't move from
our seats. When we finally emerged from our seats we couldn't help
but laugh. Alex McFarlane awarded us with a certificate each and a
$75.00 gift voucher for Dymocks each. Everyone who participated got
given a participation certificate.
By Amelia V. and Leah W
Entrants in The Rosemary Magarey Awards competition.
At our Week 9 assembly, the following Junior Primary children were
presented with Program Achieve awards, for demonstrating one or more
of the Keys to Success: Melanie E., Mathew H., Brooke S. and Joshua
D.
The support for the "Birthday Boxes" for the Kitgum Orphanage in
Uganda was wonderful. I delivered 50 boxes at the weekend and
several more donations have since arrived which will be given to the
organizers this weekend.
To all who gave items, money or complete boxes my heartfelt thanks.
Students from Helen Whisson's class with the Birthday Boxes.
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If you could see the pile of boxes already collected there seems no
doubt that we have helped them on their way to reaching their
targeted 6,000 boxes to be shipped off for next July.
Be assured that you have helped to bring a little joy to a child who
has nothing. You have also shown compassion to those who are so
desperately poor in a world where compassion is not as visible as it
should be.
Many, many thanks. Helen Whisson
The following message of thanks has been sent to us by one of the
volunteers working for the school for orphans and responsible for
organising the Birthday Boxes for Kitgum.
To the children of Happy Valley School
Thank you for all your efforts in providing the Birthday Boxes. It
is very encouraging to see that you are helping children who live in
another part of the world and who are not as lucky as you. Without
your help they would not have a birthday present.
A special thank you to Mrs. Whisson for the organising the boxes.
Lyn Criddle
The following are excerpts from reports written by students from Mrs
Atherton's class who participated in the 24 hour race at Murray
Bridge.
On the 14th of September we had the 24 hour race for
pedal prix which was held at Murray Bridge. About half of us
arrived on the Friday to help set up but the rest came early
Saturday morning. My family and I got there about 11.30am on
Friday. We had a practice on Friday night. We were only supposed
to do one lap each but I had to do two because I missed the pits on
the first lap.
On Saturday morning we had pancakes for breakfast down in the mess
tent. I was really nervous about the race because I still didn't
know where the pits were. After breakfast I went out to the pits
and just had a look at our pit entrance to try and remember where it
was. At 10.00am we had a team meeting and everyone in pedal prix
and their younger siblings got given showbags filled with lollies
etc. which someone's dad brought in for us. Then Wendy talked more
about the race but it was hard to hear what she was saying because
the generator was right outside and it was really loud.
The
race began at 12.00pm but all the pedal prix cars had to be out on the
track by around about 11.00am. Alison J began the race for the Viper
and Leah W. began the race for the Vortex. At 12.00pm they first did a
warm up lap then the race began. After Alison it was my turn and I was
so nervous but excited at the same time. Alison did two laps before
coming into the pits. When I got into the bike I had to do walking pace
through the rest of the pits then the race was on. In the beginning I
wasn't going my fastest because I |
was just getting to know the track and where the pits were. I only
did one lap but surprisingly I did not miss the pits but I still
wasn't really sure where they were.
By Steph
The race started at 12.00pm on Saturday and I rode in the Viper and
the amazing thing was I got faster. My first time was 9.23, my
second times was 8.21 and my fastest time was 7.04 and one lap was
2km. My shifts were 7 to 9pm then my next shift was 1 to 3am and my
last shift 7 to 9am. I got my fastest time in my 1 to 3 shift. It
ended up being a 23 hour race because a dust storm started so it all
ended at 11.00am.
By Jacinta
The 24 hour Pedal Prix race is a really exciting weekend. It is
three days of fun and racing. With all the joys of camping and
driving up to Murray Bridge. Our new bike with the name Vortex was
made by Trent Smart. It was much faster than the old bikes. I
really enjoyed the new bike, because your legs didn't come out
feeling like jelly after two laps. I can now do six laps and not
feel tired. Out of our category, our bike came 13th and
overall it came 94th. The first ride in the Vortex was
Leah W. She did a fantastic job. I was really proud of myself.
Our fastest people were Ben R. and Adrian.
This year was Wendy Nicolle's and Georgie Goldfinch's last year
involved in Pedal Prix. They were both presented with wonderful
gift boxes and cards from the riders and their families. They both
did a wonderful job this year.
By Emma
Thanks to Wendy & Georgie
Wendy and Georgie are retiring from their Pedal Prix coordination
activities. As a school we need to say a big thankyou to them for
their hard work and dedication over the years.
We now are also on the look out for new parents to step into these
big boots!
A note from Georgie.
I would like to thank all the parents who helped with assisting in
the catering at Murray Bridge. Without parents helping I wouldn't
have done this myself, so a big thankyou. I also wish to thank all
the families over the last seven years past and present who have
made Pedal Prix such a success.
I have watched in awe the great bond that our children have during
Pedal Prix and every year they seem to excel in good manners and
sportsmanship. Well done to all the students, you give Happy Valley
a great name.
I would also like to say that this, my last Pedal Prix, was my most
rewarding and this was due to many factors. Parents helping so
much; I spent more time than usual in the pits seeing my child and
all the others race, the buzz which Trent's new bike brought,
renewed enthusiasm not only from students but parents; Trent and I
trying to do a faster than 21 second pit change, the 1-3am dancing
parents that entertained (or scared) many
a student and adult; or
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watching the TV constantly to see which bike we needed to catch; and
aiming for a new position to finish further in the race.
In closing I would like to thank the following sponsors who gave
donations or discounts this year.
Chapman's Fabricators
Paramount Brown
Beaumont Tiles
Magoo's Spit Roasts & Catering
Bakers Delight, Happy Valley
Hub Butcher
Lenard's Chickens
Wallis Cinemas
Andy Wilkins
Nottle Family
The Resource Centre needs some old telephone books to use for making
book shelf dividers In August and September, the new white and
yellow pages are issued, so could we please have some of your old
telephone books donated to the Resource Centre?
Regards
Judy, Lynn & Denise
Our Quiz Night last Saturday was a great evening - and enjoyed by
all, even though numbers were a little lower.
The overall winners were, for the first time, the staff table. The
successful bid for the signed Crows football was Simon Chapman! It
would seem that we have made in excess of $1400.
A very big thank you to all who helped in any way. A list of all
those who donated prizes or helped before or on the night appears at
the end of this newsletter.
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PARENT WORKSHOP - "BOYS BEHAVING BADLY" |
Last week, we had our most successful parent workshop, "Boys
Behaving Badly" facilitated by Linda Hale. The workshop focused on
differences between the brains of young boys and young girls and
also how we can support boys in their learning. We had a large
number of both parents and staff, and Linda again held everyone's
interest with her great presentation and her wonderful sense of
humour.
Please return your WORLD VISION SPONSOR BOOKS urgently to the front
office by tomorrow - the last day of term. All unused books must
also be returned. |
On Sunday the 9th of September, we had our Tournament of
Minds day at Flinders University.
At 9:20 we had our spontaneous challenge. The challenge was that a
newspaper headline said THEY'RE HERE, we had to come up with a story
to go with the headline. We came up with a lot of ideas, aliens
were the first thing that popped into our head, but then we thought
that a lot of other teams would do that, so we decided not to. Then
we came up with the Queen coming to visit, but we decided that was
too boring. At last we came up with the janitors invading, they're
not getting enough pay for the dirty work that they do. They're
keeping John Howard captive and throwing toilet plungers at people
and Parliament House.
By Leah S.
Tournament of
Minds from the Point of View of Kate's Cat!
On the 9th of September, April, Alison, Steph, Leah,
Robyn, Savannah and Kate all went to Flinders University. From what
I've heard they're going there for Tournament of Minds, or something
like that. Oh.......By the way I'm Pebbles. I get to sleep,
eat and annoy Kate. Well when she's home that is. At other times
I'll just wander around the house and well annoy the dog.
Anyway, Kate's out with her Mum and Dad. I'm home with Kate's
brother (Ben), Junior and Dusty. Dusty's like a mum to me, a really
mean Mum. She isn't my mother though if she was I would be part
Russian Blue. Ugh.......
I'm hungry; I know I'll bug Ben for food.......But
before I do, I'll check in Kate's room. I'm glad the door was open,
but the foods up on the bed. That means I have to jump all the way
up on the bunk bed. Yum.......Kangaroo
meat and biscuits!
Ahh.......
That's better, now I can sleep without waking up because I'm hungry.
Zzzz.......
6 hours later!
What?! What time is it? It's like 5:30pm that means Kate's going to
be home soon. Yay! What a racket? Oh Kate is home, maybe she will
feed me again after the long nap!
She comes bursting into her room, even though she was exhausted. She
came up on the bed and told me all about T.O.M. It sounded so fun,
here's what she said to me.......
"We
did our Tournament of Minds presentation today. We went really well
in the long term challenge. But we only went well in the
spontaneous. At the presentation we noticed that all the private
schools got through to Canberra. We got so annoyed, but did still go
well. We all thought that we would forget our lines, but none of us
did. We thought of some wacky ideas for the spontaneous."
At that point I was getting interested but that's all she told me. I
think she was going to have a nap seeing as she was really tired...........
Overall my day was exciting, interesting
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quiet for some of the time! Otherwise it was boring, only because I
was sleeping most of the time!!
Pebbles thoughts of the day!
By Kate S. and Pebbles!
Presentation Night 2007
A wonderful night for Happy Valley with so many success stories.
The Senior team of Jesse H. Jacob P. Laura S. Luke S. Justin S. Adam
D. and Mystara H. collected the Silver medal for Happy Valley. This
team won 13 of its last 15 games to come from well down on the table
to finish second. Well done!
Jacob P. also collected a personal Silver for winning six of his
seven games. That was the equal best of any player in the
competition, because no one went through the season undefeated.
Congratulations Jacob.
Luke S. celebrated his third season with the Valley, collecting a
personal Bronze medal. He won his last five games in a row after
contesting only six rounds!
The Junior team also performed very well. Jacob B. Sam A. Deayana
B. Austin G. and Aiden W. all showed steady improvement against
tough opposition, and 2008 looks very bright for the Valley!
Two of our players received electronic Lightning Chess Timers as
prizes for their performances on Simul Night. Junior, Sam A. fought
out a stale-mate against a topline adult chess player. No one has
ever beaten the Simul Masters, and I can't remember the last time
any chess league player survived to a stale-mate!
Regular Senior seat 2 player Laura S. received the same prize for
her hard-fought effort on Simul Night.
Thank you to everyone who participated this year, it was a great
season all round!
Co-ordinators
Mark and Yvonne Smith
0418 137777 or 0419 811539
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CRICKET TRAINING
Training for the Year 4/5 and Year 6/7 cricket teams will commence
on the first Wednesday of Term 4 (October 17th) at
3.30pm. The first match for both teams is on Saturday October 20th.
Anyone interested in joining a team for the first time should
contact Deane Cox on 0429 996 604.
SOCCER
The soccer season at Happy Valley finished on a high note last
Saturday with the final games of the year followed by the
presentation of trophies. Players and their families celebrated a
successful season and enjoyed a convivial barbecue lunch under the
gum trees by the sports shed.
The day had started off on a good note with the Under 10s beating
St. Peters Woodlands 2-1 in an exciting game that reversed a 1-0
loss earlier in the year. This was their 10th win from
15 games (with one draw) and showed the improvement in this side
when compared to their winless season in 2006.
Happy Valley Under 10 Soccer Team
The
Senior Primary team played terrifically well in the first half to hold
unbeaten Hawthorndene to 0-0 at half-time. Whilst the game opened up in
the second half and Hawthorndene ran out 7-3 winners, I was thrilled
with the effort and ability shown by all of the Happy Valley players.
The eight Year 7s who were playing their final game for the school
should feel very proud of the way they finished.
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Happy Valley Senior Primary Soccer Team
We again had great support for the boys and girls at our games
throughout the year and I would like to thank all involved for their
help during the season.
We have some long-serving Year 7s moving on to high school in 2008
but we are looking to continue the development of soccer at Happy
Valley and hope to see lots of new faces out on the field next year.
A big thank you to everyone who supported 'Shop for your School'.
We won 8th prize and received a Digital Camera and
Stationary Pack both of which will be used for our Christmas Raffle.
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We would like to give a little extra notice about what is happening
early next term.
Week 1: Friday 19th October at 11.00am, Master School
Portraits will be coming to the school to take photographs of the
new reception students and their classes. Although the majority
would have already had their photos taken and have purchased them,
if you wish you may order another full class photo. If you wish to
do this please talk to Amelia in the front office.
Early next term order forms for slices will be sent out to all
families so you can stock up for Christmas.
Finally, our next meeting will be held the first week back on
Wednesday 17th October at 9.00am in the Long Room. I
hope to see you there and have a wonderful, safe holiday.
Andrea Chapman
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DOCUMENTARY ABOUT FESTIVAL OF MUSIC |
A documentary film, called Little Artists, Big Dreams, which is
about the events leading up to Adelaide's Festival of Music Choir,
will be shown as part of a "Little Big Shot International Film
Festival" being held at Her Majesty's Theatre 4th to 6th
October.
The
film "Little Artists, Big Dreams" is being held on Saturday 6th
October at 12.30pm. More information about the film festival can be
found at...............
http://www.liveguide.com.au/liveguide_le_view.cfm?event_id=527571&little%20big%20shots/ |
