3 May 2024 Vol 7

Principals report
Forward Diary
Dear families and carers:

May 6 Italian Day

Principal Position
May 8 Mothers Day Stall
It was with great delight that last week Fiona
Haynes, the school council president, called May 9 Athletics Day
me to inform me that I have been accepted
as the substantive principal of Preston North May 13-17 Education week
East Primary School. I have been employed May 16 3/4 Chess
at the PNE for 11 years now and have
thoroughly enjoyed my time both in and out- May 17 Council Bike Ed
side of the classroom. I am very grateful for the opportunity to lead
the school in the coming years with the wonderful band of amazing May 22 District Cross Country
teachers and support staff that PNE has. I look forward to working May 23 3/4 to Preston Library
with all the parents and students to continue the wonderful culture
that has been established by previous principals, staff and families May 24 Police Cyber Safety
and which makes it such a great place to work and most important-
ly learn. May 30 3/4 Chess

A busy start to the term

It has been quite the flurry to start Term Two. As a school we have
had students engaged in a range of programs to enrich their learn-
ing. The F-2 students have been to the zoo last week. Despite
some wet weather they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. From what
I hear the Butterfly House was a major attraction. The 3-6’s have
been swimming their little hearts out at the Reservoir Leisure
centre. Whilst this does interrupt the normal learning program it
has been great to see our students’ confidence in the water grow –
it may one day save a life.
Last week we had a photographer out to take some snaps of our
school. I look forward to sharing the pictures with you all soon –
they show our school and students in such a beautiful light. Hope-
fully in the near future these pictures will play a part in the redevel-
opment of our school website.
Finally, I would like to mentioned we have Education Week in two Wednesday 8th May
weeks. We will have an Open day on May 13th. Please encourage all
you know to come along. We will be show casing some of what we Gifts available
do at assembly and in the classrooms. For those who can’t make a $1 to $10
school tour but are interested in Preston North East Primary School
this is the perfect opportunity to take a look. Students will be
collected from
Continued over...
classes and taken to
the library from 9am
Continued from front page...
WOW! THE WEATHER. WE CAN DO IT!
We are pleased to see our 'WOW!' program is
doing well since we started. This is the 'Walk or
Wheel Once a Week’ with the City of Darebin.
This program encourages students to walk, scoot
or bike to school every Monday.
As we approach the winter season, we under-
stand that the weather can be challenging, but
we have some encouraging tips to help make it
easier for families to participate:
• Dress appropriately: Make sure to wear
warm and waterproof clothing, hats, gloves,
and scarves to stay warm and dry.
• Umbrellas and raincoats if it's a rainy day.
• Buddy up: Encourage your child to walk or
cycle with a friend or a group of friends.
This will not only make it more enjoyable
but also safer.
• Stay visible: Bright or light clothing is help-
ful to stay visible. Reflective clothing or
accessories are helpful, especially for the
colder mornings.
We encourage families to participate in the
'WOW' program and make it a regular part of
their weekly routine. Together we can promote
healthy habits and reduce traffic congestion
around the school.
John-Mark Gook — Principal
In the BER Mon, Tue, Thu,
Fri (Not Wednesdays)
Assistant Principals Spot
Congratulations Mr Gook!
I have some fantastic news to
share with the school commu-
nity. The Principal recruitment
process is now complete and
I’d like to officially congratulate
Mr John-Mark Gook, who was
the outstanding applicant for
the position. Congratulations
on your well-deserved success
Mr Gook! You set such a
welcoming and positive tone
for our school, and your dedication to the
students and families of Preston North East is
much appreciated.
Garden help wanted
We are looking for parents who have a little time
each week to volunteer in our School Garden. It
has been in hibernation for some time and is
ready for planting! The children love spending
time in the garden and connecting to nature, and
it’s a great opportunity to learn about the
importance of healthy eating, exercise and relaxa-
tion.
If you are interested and available to help with
our garden project, we would love to hear from
you. Please email me at
anne.neville@education.vic.gov.au
Annie Neville — Acting Assistant Principal
 Recently our staff and students have been updating some school policies. Here is an excerpt from
our school’s Uniform policy.

Preston North East Student Dress Code

The Student Dress Code aims to:

• foster a sense of community and belonging
• encourage students to develop pride in their appearance
• ensure that our students feel equal and are dressed safely and appropriately for school ac-
tivities.
• reduce student competition on the basis of clothing
• enhance the profile and identity of the school and its students within the wider com-
munity.

Our dress code provides a range of choices for students and is cost effective for families. Students
are expected to comply with this Student Dress Code while traveling to and from school, during
school hours and when attending school activities. Uniforms must be clean and in good repair, and
clearly marked with the owner’s name. Additional layers of uniform-coloured clothing may be worn
underneath the uniform for added warmth.

• The only acceptable forms of jewellery are studs or small sleeper earrings, and watches.

• Cosmetics and tanning products are not permitted.

• Nails should be short, and only clear nail polish is permitted.

• School uniform hats must be worn outdoors in Term 1 and Term 4.

Uniform items can be purchased from Lowes Northland: https://www.lowes.com.au/schools-online/

preston-north-east-primary-school

If a student is out of school uniform or otherwise breaches the Student Dress Code on a recurring
basis, parents will be contacted. Students wearing non-compliant uniform items may be asked to
change into a compliant item of clothing provided by the school.

Please contact me if you are experiencing difficulty meeting uniform costs. Information about State
Schools’ Relief is available at https://stateschoolsrelief.org.au/
Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge
The Victorian Premiers’ Reading Challenge is now open and Preston North East
Primary School is excited to be participating. The PRC application offers a range of
exciting features including:

• access to a library catalogue (including book images and blurbs)

• a modern user-friendly interface
• rewarding students with badges as challenge milestones are achieved
• the option for students to mark books as a favourite, give them a star rating or
complete a book review

The Challenge is open to all Victorian children in recognition of the importance of

reading for literacy development. It is not a competition; but a personal challenge
for children to read a set number of books by 6 September 2024.
Children from Prep to Year 2 are encouraged to read or ‘experience’ 30 books with
their parents and teachers. Children from Year 3 to Year 10 are challenged to read
15 books.
All children who meet the Challenge will receive a certificate of achievement signed
by the Victorian Premier and former Premiers.
Student passwords have been sent home this week. Please support your child in
sharing, reading and entering books into their portal.
To view the booklist and for more information about the Victorian Premiers’ Reading
Challenge, visit: https://www.vic.gov.au/premiers-reading-challenge

A very special shout-out and a HUGE thank-you to Bianca Leishman who has lead
our participation in the PRC this year and helped organise the library so students
and teachers can access shortlisted books easily.
If you have any questions about the Premiers’ Reading Challenge, please contact
Julie Spencer.
Last Wednesday, the F-2 area took a trip to the Melbourne Zoo as part
of our inquiry unit, Australian Animals. We were able to see many differ-
ent animals and learn about where in Australia they come from. We also
had the opportunity to look at other animals. Some of our favourites
were the elephants, baboons, tigers, penguins, seals and giraffes. Check
out how much fun we had on our excursion!
We had a wonderful time swimming. The
lessons were well organised and the instructors
at Reservoir Leisure Centre were terrific;
patient and kind. They all commented on how
much they loved teaching the students from
PNE because they were really respectful. Some
students made lots of progress in their
swimming.
Swimming

Fun, Cold

Diving, Floating, Kicking

The best thing ever

Backstroke

By 3/4O
 La Festa Italiana
Italian Day
Monday 6 May 2024
Come dressed in the Italian colours:
Verde/Bianco/Rosso = Green/White /Red
or as a famous Italian.
There will be a whole school parade,
an interactive cooking incursion L’ingrediente
segreto,
Bring the kids for a night of FREE fun
Mother’s Day craft, face painting, karaoke, games,
popcorn, crafts, toasties cooked by the Heidelberg
Lions Club and a special ‘High Tea’ for our lovely
Mums!!