Volume 6 -  8th May 2008
Week 2 .... Term 2

Ph: 8381 7166
Fax: 8381 6041

Email:
hvsadmin@happyvalley.sa.edu.au
Website:
www.happyvalley.sa.edu.au

Inside this issue............
Canberra, Welcome, NAPLAN, Education Sub C/tee. Workshop, Congratulations, Camp Quality, SLC, Australia's Biggest Morning Tea, Dogs, M & S Charges, Readathon, Edible Garden, Pedal Prix, Fundraising, Resource Centre, Kooka Cafe, Piano lessons, Sport, Parent Club, OSHC, Tear Off Slip,

It seems like a very long time since our last Newsletter and in that time many things have happened around the school and there is much news.  One of the great happenings this week was the excellent write-up the school received in the "Hills and Valley" Messenger.

Jackson M. and Jasmine D. were on the front page and the article talked about the measures we have put in place to limit bullying in the yard.  It put a very positive spin on to what we do here, to keep our school safe, and is the kind of promotion that our school needs.

The idea came from the Messenger journalist reading our website and picking up on the bully management information that had been put on it recently and noticing in our newsletter that we were conducting our regular bully audit.  Thanks therefore must go to Brian Young our web-master for keeping our site so current and interesting.

A priority for Governing Council and the Leadership team this year is school promotion as I think we do an outstanding job here and that deserves to be recognised in the community. 

We must be doing something right as we have had an influx of new enrolments over the last few weeks.  In total we have had 14 new students start in year levels 1-7 (not receptions) so our Happy Valley family is growing.  Most of these families are new to the area and I hope that we all will make them feel welcome.

Another "win" for the school came from one of our students Georgia B., who won a trip for her class to the Festival Theatre from a radio competition. This will happen tomorrow and I'm sure her class will enjoy the trip.

The Scotsman is retiring
It is with mixed feelings that I tell you that Doug MacLean our Primary Head of School will be retiring in July.

Doug has been a wonderful asset to our school but he has decided to become a man of leisure. While I personally will miss him tremendously, I know that he has earned his time to "potter" (as he tells us he will be doing).

Watch out in future newsletters about ways we will acknowledge and celebrate his huge contribution to the school and send him "out in style".

Dangerous Behaviour
Both staff and parents have observed some dangerous behaviour by families dropping off and collecting students recently.  PLEASE remember that the Staff Car Park in not a "drop off" zone.  There have been several incidences in the last few days where parents have let students out of their car in the car park, and then they have run across in front of staff cars entering the car park.  Please observe the signs that say "Staff Only" on the car park entrance.  The car park is an out of bounds area for students at all times.  This is to keep our students safe.

It has also been bought to our attention that families are allowing students to exit cars on Education Rd. and Greenbriar Ave. by using the driver's side door.  This has also caused some near misses.

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Here are some reflections from the Year 7 students about our Canberra Trip this year.  What a great experience!  We hope you've had time to unpack all of the great stories from Canberra.  Parents -- don't believe everything you hear!

Special thanks to the great team, Sandra Mousley, Oka Sensei, Judy Miller and Kylie Raymond for their excellent leadership on Camp.  Also thanks to the students who made it the best camp ever!
                                                                    Simon Mueller

Questacon was the greatest thing ever!  There was a spiral path and lots of rooms leading off of the path.  Each room had a theme and loads of interactive experiments.  I could spend all day!
                                                                              Adam D.

I really liked Zone 3 because Oka Sensei kept saying "be my guest" and that Zone 3 was a really good place to have picked for a stress release for the Canberra trip.
                                                                                 Braden

Bowling was funny because we did funny bowls and we got high speeds and we bowled three balls at once and I got a strike and I got 150 points and 27.6kp.  It was so much fun.
                                                                               Casey G.

Every single thing we did was absolutely fantastic.  The whole trip was an amazing experience from going to the War Memorial to going to Parliament House.  Just everything was something I won't forget.
                                                                                  Bec M

I really liked the War Memorial because it made me think about the ANZAC's and what they did for our country. 

The dorms at the Bush Capital Lodge were nice and the beds were comfy and everyone had a good time.
                                                                                 Tom C.

When we got into our dorms, James was mucking around.  He went to step over two other beds and fell in between the two beds and he laughed.
                                                                             Mitchell L.

Zone 3 was a great night activity.  It got lots of people working as a team.  Telstra Tower had a great view when you're at the top.  It was a little scary.

Questacon was so FUN!  The long drop B, the big show with magic tricks was funny because Oka Sensei was in it.
                                                                            Katelyn S.

I really enjoyed the Telstra Tower.  Standing at the bottom then going up to the top was  AWESOME!   At the top  it  was

was really windy but I managed to take a video and some pictures.
Canberra was a really great experience.  I enjoyed it a lot.
                                                                                  Renae

Questacon was really fun because you had freedom to play with everything!  The freefall and the track attack were the best for me because it was exciting to fall and get shaken around!  Canberra was a once in a lifetime experience.
                                                                                    Kate

I really enjoyed the War Memorial.  I thought it was really interesting and I liked looking at all the old things they used in the wars. It felt like we were in a war.  It was really interesting and fun.
                                                                                  Clare

I though that the National Film and Sound archives was a great place to learn about the history of entertainment in Australia and all around the world.  All the old shows that we watched were pretty cool too.
                                                                            Jamiee W.

Mr Mueller had the worst road rage at Intencity.  That was also fun.  When I was playing air hockey with Josh the puck flew off the table and hit Casey in the shin.
                                                                                Alex A.

I really enjoyed Questacon because I had fun playing and learning about Science.  Lots of the things I saw at Questacon I had never seen before.  My favourite machine was the earthquake machine and also the freefall.  I recommend it to kids aged 8 -- 100.  Canberra was one of the best trips of my life!
                                                                                Jasmine

At Questacon we got to go on the 6 metre free-fall.  It was heaps of fun.  Also at Questacon there was a virtual rollercoaster which was good as well.  All together it was a great experience, one that I won't forget.
                                                                                   Chloe

One of the great highlights from Canberra was Questacon.  It was really fun.  There was one ride where you held onto a bar 6.7 metres high and the guillotine were really freaky but it was a really big place.
                                                                                Zack B.

I really enjoyed the Telstra Tower.  The view was amazing.  In the War Memorial it's really quiet and I think we all learnt a lot.  I really enjoyed the Canberra trip.
                                                                                  Abbie

Intencity was awesome.  Oka Sensei played pinball.  I played on the skateboard machine.
                                                                                 Lachlan

When we went to Parliament House we went in the House of Representatives  and  the  Senate. They  were  both  really big

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and had lots of seats.  The House of Representatives is green and the Senate is red.
                                                                                Josh A.

The best thing was the arcade.  Me and Adam went on House of the Dead after.  I went on Flight Simulator and crashed the plane three times.
                                                                                 Jake T.

The thing that I enjoyed was the cruise.  It was really good because we got to see different icons of Canberra.  Most of the people were outside on the deck.  The teachers were inside.
                                                                            Amber M.

One of my many highlights was the Australian Electoral Commission.  When we got there we watched a movie that went for a while.  After that we had a mini election.  The election was between apple, banana, peach and pear.  Apple won hands down.
                                                                                 Dylan

A very special welcome to our new Reception students who started school for the first time on Wednesday last week in Lyn Smart's class. Those who started school were Leah C., Travis F., Hannah N., Jasmine W. and Taine H. We welcome them and their families to Happy Valley. The children have settled really well with Liz Loveday who was taking the class while Lyn was on leave.

We have had a number of other students who have moved to the Happy Valley area with their families and who started school at the start of the term. Welcome also to Jamie-lee, Brioney, Steven, Liam, Bradley, Jayden and Tahlea.

These national tests will be held during the morning on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of next week for all Year 3, 5 and 7 students. Year 3 students will be grouped in Rooms T5 and T6 for the tests, while Year 7 students will be grouped in Ms Mousley's area. Year 5 students will undertake the tests in their own class areas. There will be additional staff where needed in the test areas to support students. Teachers have been taking their classes through practice activities in preparation for the tests, so that students will be familiar and comfortable with the format of the work they will be expected to complete. 

The test program is:
Tuesday           Language Conventions and Writing
Wednesday     Reading
Thursday          Numeracy

Any students who miss one of the test days through illness, will have the opportunity on Friday to sit for that test if parents would like them to do so.

Individual student reports on the tests will be provided to parents in August.

Parents As Partners Workshop -- Final Reminder
Our parents as partners program starts at school next Wednesday at 1.30. If you are interested in joining this group, there are places available. Please phone Amelia in the Front Office if you would like to join the group, as we have ordered resources for the participants

Our workshop with Dietician, Rachael Cleland, from the Woodcroft Community Centre will be on Wednesday May 21^st at 2.00pm. Please look out for the orange flyer this week and return the tear-off slip if you would like to participate.

Well done to Eleanor W. from Mrs. Atherton's class as she has been accepted into the "Festival of Music Central School Orchestra" for 2008. This group will perform at Festival Theatre in September this year and Eleanor will be playing the violin.

Our school had a visit from the Camp Quality puppets today. This free performance deals with cancer in childhood and the effects this has on families. Parents should have received an information letter explaining this educational program and its aims. Please ask your child /ren to tell you about the theme of the presentation.
 

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students will not be included in excursion/other performances until their $45 levy has been paid." (reprinted from the newsletter to families December 2007).

Students who have outstanding performance levy invoices may be excluded from school performances and excursions. 

Andrea Roberts -- FINANCE OFFICER
 

Did you know that in 2008 there will be more than five times the number of children reading for the MS Readathon than there will be athletes at the Beijing Olympics?

Happy Valley Primary School is encouraging children to have fun reading to change the lives of Australians living with multiple sclerosis (MS) by taking part in the annual MS Readathon.

Each year children are asked to help people living with MS by collecting sponsorship from family and friends for the books they read in the month of June.

This month an MS Readathon community representative will be visiting Happy Valley Primary School to encourage our children to get involved.
REGISTER NOW!
Students are encouraged to race to register either via the MS Readathon website or a registration form available from school. Get in early to ensure children receive their Starter's Pack in time to start their very own Olympic-sized reading event this June!

For more information, visit www.msreadathon.org.au  or call the State/Territory office on 1300 677 323.
 

	A working bee will be held on Saturday 10th May at 9.00am.  Anyone interested in supporting the Edible Garden are most welcome to join me.  Jobs for kids as well.  Wendy Nicol

Our Pedal Prix team have started training.  We had a good turn out on Wednesday morning.

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Our Senior team will be racing and it would be great if the school community could support them at some time during the day.  More information available from Doug MacLean , Lyn Smart or Wendy Nicolle.

We are currently planning our first major fundraising event for 2008. We will be having a Wheel-a-thon to raise funds for our school. This was an extremely successful event in 2007.  Keep a watch for information in the next couple of weeks!

Thank you once again to our lovely volunteers.  Anyone who could help on a Wednesday or Thursday for any amount of time would be greatly appreciated.
Our new items are:
Chocolate Mousse (Tues. & Thurs.)                       50c
Pop Top Juices
*Multi V, Orange, Apple                                    1.60
Variety of fresh fruit                                   5c & 10c
Dim Sims                                                           2.20

Please be advised that Big M will soon be available.  Please add it to the new menu for Term 2 which you should have received earlier this week.  If you didn't get one, call into the canteen or ask at the front office.
Kind regards,
                              Andrea Chapman and Karen Erlandsen

Piano lessons are available at Happy Valley School on Thursdays with the opportunity for other days.  Please contact Simon King on 0414 841 774 if interested.

SAPSASA NETBALL
On Tuesday this week our year six and seven girls played Woodcroft College at our school.  Although the other team was a lot more experienced than us, our girls really must be commended on their excellent behaviour and sportsmanship.  The girls organised themselves before the game including warming up and running drills.  During the game they were very supportive of each other and their positive attitude continued all game.       Well done girls!

SOCCER
The Senior Primary team will be playing a friendly against Reynella East this Saturday 10^th May.  The game will be at Reynella East High School kicking off at 10.00am -- please report at 9.30am.

The Under10 team will start their season on 17^th May.  

The program for both teams will be made available to me late this week and I will distribute it as soon as possible.

SAPSASA Soccer -- The boys SAPSASA team played Woodcroft College on Tuesday but unfortunately lost 8-1.  The period of 10 minutes before half-time when Woodcroft scored 6 goals broke the game open and we were effectively out of the contest.  However, the boys showed great fighting spirit to come back from a score of 7-0 at half-time to break even with a goal each team in the second half.

One of the highlights was the fearless goalkeeping of Braden H. in the second half.  Dylan A. was unlucky not to score when a deliberate handball by a defender stopped his shot on the line but Justin K. put away the resultant penalty.

I was proud of the manner in which all players represented Happy Valley and played the game out against a bigger, more experienced school.  Thanks also to Mr. Francis for his help in organising the match at short notice, to the parents who came out to support the side, and to the boys who joined with the regular soccer players to put a team on the field.

Gary Kite - Soccer Co-ordinator
8381 5820, 0438 838 158

Boys SAPSASA Soccer 2008

Back -- Brett E, Adam D, Ben M, Nathanael H, Braden H, Dylan A, Josh A.
Front -- Matthew K, Zacharia H, Ben F, Shane M, Justin K.

FOOTBALL
A good start to the football season, everyone appears to be enjoying themselves.

A couple of reminders: There are some outstanding football fees  that  have  not  been  paid.  It is important that the fees

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are paid ASAP and if these are not paid by the end of this month your child will be sitting on the bench.  We do rely on the rest of the football fees to be paid to cover trophies and any extra equipment we might need for the rest of the season.

Football has started off with a bang in the 6/7's with big scores recorded in Friday night's game.  Our 4/5's under new Coach Greg Halse lost to Woodcroft but things will only improve as the season goes on.  2/3's had their first win and will better themselves this year. Ray Wilden has them learning the basics and teaching them the skills so soon they will be a force to reckon with.

Remember this week 2/3's at 9.00am and 4/5's at 10.00 am are playing home. 

At training this week I had several complaints about some children's behaviour to each other.  This must stop or these children will be asked to report to the Principal and it will be sorted out there and the final decision will be made.

The old saying is treat others the way you would like to be treated.

I do ask that all parents and visitors refrain from yelling out and telling their child to go to a position on the field.  Coaches have told players what is expected of them and the positions they are to cover. Also remember that umpires wearing green tops are also learning the art of umpiring and if we lose these we will have no one to umpire our great game. (This could mean that parents may have to take up umpiring) So please keep your comments to yourself.

Congratulations go out to the 6/7's that tried out for SAPSASA Southern Valleys and got in to the 22 players required.  They are Dylan, Declan, Caleb, Cody, Tom and Mitchell M.  Well done from the School and their Coaches.

When Happy Valley is playing at home I am looking for volunteers to help out in the canteen, goal umpires, time keeping and scoring.  If you are unsure on the day ask the team managers or Coaches - (2/3 Ray Wilden, 4/5 Greg Halse, 6/7's Dean Cox or myself).

Also donations to the canteen would be much appreciated eg: cakes, toffees, biscuits etc.  Thank You to all the parents that  have  all  ready helped  out as  it  does make my job a

AUSTRALIA'S BIGGEST MORNING TEA

I would like to attend, make a donation and have a great time.

PARENT'S NAME: ___________________________   NUMBER OF PEOPLE ATTENDING: _____________________
                                           (Please print)
 

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