As we approach the back end of our school year, I want to take a moment to share some exciting developments on the horizon for our school in 2025. We stand at the threshold of a transformative era, one that emphasises creativity, innovation, and holistic education in line with our commitment to the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate. Our commitment to nurturing well-rounded individuals is stronger than ever, and I’m thrilled to introduce our specialist subjects for the upcoming year: STEM, Performing Arts, Wellbeing, Visual Arts, Physical Education, and Auslan. Your input into this process was invaluable and I thank everyone who took the time to fill in our survey.

STEM Education: Building Tomorrow’s Innovators

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is not just a curriculum; it’s a mindset. In an ever-evolving world, fostering critical thinking and problem-solving skills is essential. Our STEM program will empower students to engage in hands-on projects, encouraging them to explore real-world challenges and develop the ingenuity needed for the future.

Performing Arts: Expressing the Human Experience

The arts are fundamental to understanding our world. Our Performing Arts program will continue to provide students with opportunities to explore music, drama, and dance, helping them to express their emotions and stories creatively. We believe that every child has a voice, and the stage is a powerful place for that voice to shine.

Wellbeing: Prioritising Mental Health

In a time when mental health awareness is paramount, our Wellbeing program will focus on developing resilience, emotional intelligence, and mindfulness. We will equip our students with the tools they need to navigate life’s challenges, fostering a supportive community where every child feels valued and understood.

Visual Arts: Creativity Unleashed

Creativity is at the heart of innovation. Our Visual Arts program will continue to encourage students to explore different mediums and techniques, allowing them to express their unique perspectives. Art isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s a crucial way for students to communicate their ideas and connect with the world around them.

Physical Education: Fostering Lifelong Health

Physical Education will remain a cornerstone of our curriculum, promoting not just fitness but teamwork, discipline, and sportsmanship. In an age of screens, it’s vital that we encourage active lifestyles, and our PE program will challenge students to push their limits and discover the joy of movement.

Auslan: Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion

In our commitment to inclusivity, we are excited to introduce Auslan as our Language Other Than English. Learning Auslan will not only enrich our students’ communication skills but also deepen their understanding of the deaf community. It’s an opportunity to foster empathy and appreciation for diversity in all its forms.

As we prepare for 2025, I urge you to join us in embracing these new possibilities with enthusiasm. Our specialist subjects will not only enhance academic achievement but also cultivate a culture of creativity, wellbeing, and inclusivity. Together, we can prepare our children for a world full of opportunities.

What an exciting time here at KPS!

Emma

Kingsville Dominates at the Model Solar Vehicle Challenge 

This year, 20 grade 4 and 5 students participated in Kingsville Primary School’s inaugural involvement in the Victorian Model Solar Vehicle Challenge. 

This was an engineering competition undertaken by hundreds of students across Victoria, from Year 1 to 12.  Students design and construct their own vehicle (car), powered only by the sun! They developed real skills in design, engineering, troubleshooting, sustainability and teamwork. The final vehicles were highly optimised machines with surprising power.  

Recap from participating students: 

During Term 3 and the start of Term 4 we made Model Solar Vehicles (MSV). We spent lunchtime sessions 3 days a week making and designing our solar cars. We then tested our cars through various tests including rolling them in a straight line, making sure the wheels could spin, and that the prongs are not too low.  

The cars were fun to make, however some cars needed a bit of fixing though. The prongs needed to be perfect otherwise they would do nothing or scrape on the ground.  The plastic had to be perfectly folded and cut and there were things that had to be cut with a box knife. During the process we had to use tools like metal rulers, wire cutters and a soldering iron. 

Kingsville’s 4 teams, each with their own model solar car, attended the competition day on Sunday 20^th October.  

B.E.E.K (car name: PAOBLO), POSITIVLY INSANE (car name: DETERMINATION) PHOENIXES (car name: PHOENIX) and SUPER SQUAD (car name: JEFF) all came to the race. Before competing, we all tested our vehicles and made sure that they all ran without a problem. When we raced for the positions 3^rd and 4^th, Jeff was racing against Paoblo. Jeff sadly lost. In the race for 1^st and 2^nd it was best of three and it was Phoenix vs a car from another school. It was a long first race and the other school won but Phoenix did not give up and in the second race and made it 1-1. Then for the final race everyone was cheering for Phoenix and Phoenix ultimately won. 

Final places and awards: 

Positively Insane (Determination) 5^th place 

Super Squad (Jeff) 4^th place 

Team B.E.E.K (Paoblo) 3^rd place 

Phoenixes (Phoenix) 1^st place 

Phoenixes (Phoenix) best dressed award 

Plus, we won the Best New Entrant award for all of the Kingsville teams! 

KPS ended up winning 5/8 awards (5^th place was not one). 

A very special mention and thank-you to Adrian Crouch for leading the Kingsville team – we could not have done this without his help. A big thank-you also to Gareth Dainton, Aaron Wood, Christie Miller and Jeff McDonald for helping all of us along the journey. 

By Jonas H, Luke S, Cristina T, Hestan H and Isaac L – 5CH 

As part of our policy review cycle, we are seeking your feedback on our Bullying Prevention Policy.

Bullying Prevention Policy

If you have anything that you would like to contribute, please email Emma at emma.vasilevski@education.vic.gov.au

World Teachers' Day is celebrated in Australia on Friday 25 October. This day is held officially in other parts of the World on October 5th but no matter when it is held, it is a moment to celebrate the essential role of teachers in providing quality education at all levels. This day is held annually and was first introduced on October 5th, 1994, by UNESCO to commemorate a recommendation regarding the status of teachers. The day is of course all about acknowledging the efforts of teachers every day in an increasingly complex society and the contributions they make to their community.

The 2024 theme is “Hats off to teachers” celebrate Australia’s teachers for their skilled work in educating, inspiring and supporting our student.

At Kingsville, this is a great opportunity to celebrate and recognise the work of all our wonderful educators – both teaching and support staff.  When we reflect on our own schooling, I’m sure we can all recall a teacher who had a significant impact on you. The teachers that we remember well, are often those who challenged and pushed us to achieve while appreciating us as individuals.

All of us will have different stories and memories, but there will be recurring themes. Those being; teachers who ensured they had deep knowledge of how children learn, planned engaging experiences that brought learning alive, and had high expectations of us and our individual worth. These  teachers are remembered for their passion and for taking the time to form meaningful relationships that left an enduring legacy, long after our school days were over. “Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.” - Japanese proverb.

So, thank you to the world’s greatest teachers – who all just happen to work at KPS.

After many weeks of intense, challenging and thought-provoking work, our grade 6 students presented their personal and collaborative learning journeys to the Kingsville Primary School community at the Exhibition. The final session presented to many engaged and proud family members on Monday night. The staging of the Exhibition was the culmination of an extended investigation around the transdisciplinary theme of How the World Works.

The Exhibition was a huge success for all those involved, particularly for our grade 6 students who followed a passionate inquiry that led to new knowledge and understandings. Every student exemplified what it means to be a PYP student by living out the mission statement of the IB:

The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

To this end the organization works with schools, governments and international organizations to develop challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment.

These programmes encourage students across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right.

During the Exhibition, students shared with attendees the knowledge they had gained, the attributes they demonstrated, the skills they developed and the meaningful action they took to make a positive difference in the world.

Significant to the success of the Exhibition was the dedication of the grade 6 teachers -, Aaron Wood, Lizzie Horan, Sarah Williamson and Lauren Anile - who provided rich and rewarding learning experiences and personalised guidance to each student throughout their journey.

Equally important to the Exhibition’s success are the families of our grade 6 students who not only took the time to visit the Exhibition but supported their child through every stage.

The Exhibition is an experience for the whole school community to understand why we value the Primary Years Programme of the International Baccalaureate. Thank-you to everyone who attended this year. We appreciate the way you asked questions, listened intently and offered feedback and words of encouragement to our students.

The Approaches to Learning are an integral part of an IB education and is a significant and relevant component of the Exhibition. It is the belief that learning how to learn is fundamental to a student’s education.

Five categories of interrelated skills aim to support students of all ages to become self-regulated learners who know how to ask good questions, set effective goals and pursue their aspirations with the determination to achieve them.

To support this idea that learning is not just about the what, it is also about the how, teachers refer to the Approaches to Learning skills, those being:

Thinking skills

• analysing and evaluating issues and ideas
• generating novel ideas and considering new perspectives-
• using skills and knowledge in multiple contexts
• reconsidering/considering the process of learning

Research skills

• formulating and planning, data gathering and recording, synthesizing and interpreting, evaluating and communicating
• interacting with media to use and create ideas and information
• understanding and applying social and ethical technology

Social skills

• developing positive interpersonal relationships and collaboration skills using self-control, managing setbacks, supporting peers
• developing social-emotional intelligence

Communication skills

• listening, interpreting, speaking
• reading, writing and using language to gather and communicate information
• using technology to gather, investigate and communicate information

Self-management skills

• managing time and tasks effectively
• mindfulness, perseverance, emotional management, self-motivation, resilience

These skills help to support students’ sense of agency, encouraging them to see their learning as an active and dynamic process.

Teachers understand that proficiency in using and applying a skill comes with practice. In supporting students’ skills development, teachers are mindful of the difference between opportunities that arise authentically and those that are explicitly planned.

While there are times when explicit skills teaching is necessary, teachers aim to support the development of these skills in authentic, integrated and meaningful contexts. Teachers create opportunities for skill development inside and outside the programme of inquiry and use exemplars to demonstrate what skills look like in different learning contexts; use the language of skills in feedback; share their own experiences using and practising a particular skill; and encourage transfer of skills across contexts and the curriculum.

It is important to recognize that all members of the learning community contribute to students developing the Approaches to Learning. Parents/carers can be involved by ‘splitting’ the home learning, on occasions focusing on how the learning took place. What Approaches to Learning skill(s) where required or being utilized to complete the home learning?

Staff learned about the physiological response to anxiety, common presentations of anxiety in the classroom and practical strategies to support students experiencing anxiety.

Below are some resources for your own learning about anxiety in primary school aged children.

https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/anxiety-primary-aged/

https://understandinganxiety.wayahead.org.au/small-steps/



https://emergingminds.com.au/resources/anxiety-in-primary-school-aged-children/

https://brave4you.psy.uq.edu.au/

https://www.triplep-parenting.net.au/au/free-parenting-courses/fear-less-triple-p-online/

Take a Kingsville bow, KPS Community! We achieved (and exceeded) our donations goal on Footy Colours Day, raising $1110 for the Fight Cancer Foundation. So very appreciative of our generous students and families. Thank you to the Student Representative Council for informing their classes about the event, and for creating the amazing posters to promote the day.

Thank you,
Lucy Oates (Teacher, on behalf of the Student Representative Council).

Please see below the list of children who were presented with their award at assembly today - Friday 25^th October:  

Please see below the list of children who will be presented with an award at assembly on Friday 1^st November:

2024 Term Dates

Term 4            Monday 7th October to Friday 20th December

Roster for Assembly Items – Term 3

1st Nov - 1/2H
8th Nov - No Assembly Item
15th Nov - 6EH
22nd Nov - FMJ
29th Nov - 1/2M
6th Dec - TBC
13th Dec - 5SP
20th Dec - No Assembly Item - Year 6 Graduation Song

Happy Birthday to Harriet E, Grace M, May T, Teddy T, Hannah S, Rory F, Willy H, Mia M, Eamon O, Stella M, Zara Z, Thomas G, Felix R, Deni S, Anouk H, Marlon M, Sage K, Indy B, Rosemary T, Cristina T, Ayla MN, Jessica E.