It’s hard to believe that we are almost a third of the way through Term 3.

It has been a busy start to the term, with numerous SAPSASA knockout sports taking place, our Reception students celebrating 100 days at school and the much-anticipated Book Week Celebration / Grandparents Day coming up very soon.

We trust all families are keeping safe and well and extend our best wishes to students, staff and families who are unwell and recovering from COVID-19/winter ailments. Unfortunately, a number of teaching staff have been unwell and unable to attend school. We are thankful for the support of our regular relief teachers.

The Department for Education’s Annual Parent Survey

The Department for Education coordinates an annual survey to better understand the things we’re doing well, where we can improve, and what’s important to you as a parent. The information we collect from this survey is driving change for the department.

Last week, you should have received an email or SMS from the Parent Survey Team with a unique link to participate in the survey.

We encourage you to complete the survey, which takes less than 10 minutes. Your feedback will be used locally in our school improvement planning and more broadly to inform other key initiatives to improve education in South Australia. Your answers will not identify you or your child. Only collated feedback will be provided to our school.

If you did not receive an email or SMS with your unique survey link, please contact education.ParentSurvey@sa.gov.au and include our school’s name in your email.

For more information visit the Department for Education website.

Secondary Enrolment Update – Information to Families of Year 6 students

This week, enrolment offers for secondary school will be sent to the families of year 6 students.

Most families will receive their offer by email on 10, 11 or 12 August.

If you think you have not received your enrolment offer from your secondary school, you need to check your junk folder for an email from education.noreply@sa.gov.au

If you did not provide an email address on your registration of interest form, you will receive your enrolment offer in the mail, or it will be handed to you by your child.

If your enrolment offer has not arrived by 15 August, please let Karen at the Front Office know, and we can follow up with the secondary school on your behalf.

If you need support to accept your enrolment offer, visit www.education.sa.gov.au/enrolment, or contact your allocated secondary school, and they can step you through the process.

Early Arrival at School

We have been noticing an increase in students arriving at school before 8:25am. Our supervision does not start until 8:25am and no child can be in the yard without supervision. If your child needs to come to school before 8:25am regularly, please enrol your child in OSHC.

Mid-year intake in schools

In 2024, schools will be introducing a mid-year intake, with children starting reception in Term 1 or Term 3.

Term 1 students will complete 4 terms of reception and term 3 students will complete 6 terms of reception.

More information will be provided at a later date.

Leaving Coro in 2023

Aside from Year 6 students graduating at the end of this year – if your child will not be returning to Coromandel Valley Primary School in 2023, could you please inform us via the front office on 8278 3693 or email. This will help us with our forward planning for the 2023 school year.

Thank you.

We have had a lot of inquiries about student enrolment at our school and appreciate the response from existing families in completing the registration of interest form for children to enrol in 2023.  

To support us with this process we are asking families who have a child starting school in 2023, or know of a family who lives in the community with a child starting in 2023, to complete the registration of interest form as soon as possible.

We are conducting tours regularly. Please call or email the school if you would like to organise a tour.

Registration of interest forms are available on our website, the link below or from the front office.

registration of interest form.pdf

Book Week 2022

Time is ticking, so get those costumes ready!

You can sense the excitement and anticipation building every day!!

Book Week’s Grandparent and Grand-person’s Day is fast approaching. Please save the date Friday, 26^th August to join in CVPS’ celebrations. We will be hosting a sensational costume parade in the morning, followed by a concert for all our family and friends to enjoy!

The format for the morning will be:

9.00 – 9.30am Book Week Parade, with children in their costumes on the green court (weather permitting). All family and friends are welcome to join us outside for the festivities.

9.45 – 10.40am Concert in the gym for Grandparents and Grand people to enjoy. We will also be videoing and streaming for you to watch, for those unable to attend.

The concert will include performances by:

• the R-2 students
• junior and senior choirs
• some instrumental musicians

We look forward to seeing many of you there!

The theme this year is ‘Dreaming with eyes open’. There are competitions for the students to enter, activities to enjoy and special events throughout the week.

Along with this, all classes have been participating in a ‘picnic of shorts’ to familiarise themselves with the shortlisted books; those selected by the Children’s Book Council Association (CBCA). We are choosing our own CVPS winners, while awaiting the CBCA’s official announcements.  

Premiers Reading Challenges

Eager students have delivered entries for the STEM challenge and the Indonesian challenge to the library. The entries looked amazing! We have sent these off to be judged and look forward to hearing the results. Congratulations and good luck!

Numbers are again up from last year. We have over 270 students who have already completed their reading challenge early. Well done!  If you haven’t put your form in yet, there is still time to do so. The PRC entries need to be in for data entry by 19^th September.

Everyone has also been very busy connecting with good fit books and reading a wide variety of texts. Our Literacy Café opened again, to expose students to wonderful new and fantastic classics that they may not have seen before. Opening their eyes to new and exciting experiences, to take them further in their reading journey, is what we aim to do!

Opening Hours

The library is open every morning for borrowing and browsing from 8.15am and after school until 3.30pm.

Homework Club is on every Wednesday from 3.15 until 3.45pm.

Michelle O’Connell

Teacher Librarian

Due to unavoidable personal circumstances our Canteen manager, Matthew Robinson, will be absent from Monday week 4 (15th August) to Friday week 8 (16th September).

During these five weeks, the canteen will remain open but in a reduced capacity.

Over the counter items (eg muffins, pizza scrolls, chips and drinks) will still be available at recess and lunch on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.

QKR orders for lunch will be available for sushi and drinks only on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. 

As always, students who forget to bring or order their lunch will be provided with noodles or a sandwich.

We are grateful to Steve Cooper who has agreed to step in to allow the canteen to remain open in Matthew's absence.

Thank you for your understanding. Please contact Kat Morgan or Sue Matthews if you have any questions.

kathryn.morgan292@schools.sa.edu.au

sue.matthews799@schools.sa.edu.au

In Week 1 the Reception classes celebrated their 100^th day of school. The students each brought in a collection of 100 items and each class did a gallery walk to view the different collections.

They spent the afternoon enjoying a variety of activities about 100.  This included headbands, special glasses, making 100 playdough cupcakes, building a tower out of 100 cups, 100 exercises with Mr Long, using lego blocks to make the number 100, “When I’m 100” artwork and making 100 inspired bookmarks.

Well done to our fabulous team of learners!

Mr Long, Mrs Melbourne, Mrs Niland and Mrs Govett

Term 3 saw the Native Bee and Butterfly project get underway! 

R-2 students who registered attended a native bee hotel masterclass with Mrs Todd and Keith.  Students that attended cleaned out 15cm pieces of bamboo, sanded the edges and bundled them into groups of 10.  This was hard but rewarding work.  Look at the progress below!

The 3-6 students had a visit from Dr Katja Hogendoorn, a native bee scientist from the University of Adelaide.  She spoke to us about her project of bringing back the Golden Pea Bee, advised us of different bee species in our area and gave us some plants to grow in our new garden.

These 3-6 students also participated in a three-part excursion. Firstly stopping at the South Australian Museum where we met with two entomologists (from Mrs Todd’s Bush Blitz field expedition last year), Dr Erinn Fagan-Jeffries and Dr Ben Parslow who talked to us about pollinators, shared some pinned specimens and shared some collection techniques. We explored the pollinator trail and were shocked to hear about the diversity of pollinators! Ants, bees, bats, butterflies, birds, moths, flies, beetles, wasps and small mammals are in fact pollinators!

We then travelled to Waite Arboretum.  Here we were greeted by three volunteers, who shared their BBB (Bee, Butterfly, Bird) Garden and their giant bee hotel.  It was fascinating to see the effort that had gone into the planning and construction.

Our third and final stop was to Wittunga Botanical Gardens where we met with Kelly from the Botanical Gardens and State Herbarium. We chatted about plant and animal interactions and learnt about different types of pollen.  We were able to hold and examine pollen models, this helped us visualise how a pollinator might work. 

Finally, planting will begin in the empty garden beds at the front of the school during Weeks 7&8 of this term.  Native plants will be purchased from Coro Native nursery and students of the Native Bee and Butterfly group will be invited to participate in the planting during these weeks.

Sarah Todd

Science Teacher

We had some students from Coro participate in the Oliphant Science Awards.  These students used the experience as an extension program, working hard on their scientific entries at home.

We had entries in crystal investigation, multimedia, posters, photography and scientific writing.  Congratulations to all students involved.

A big congratulations to Sahishnu M from 2G who has won 1^st/2^nd/3^rd place for his scientific writing on “Gouldian Finches-species recovery “.  He won’t find out what placing he received until the award ceremony in October. How exciting!

Congratulations to Charlotte J from 3G who won a highly commended award for her photography entry on “Fabulous Fungi”. Both of their entries were on show at Science Alive over the weekend.

Honourable mention to Jasmine M from 3G for entering three categories this year! Fabulous effort.

If you think you might be interested, see Mrs Todd for more information (for 2023).

Sarah Todd

Science Teacher

After blitzing it through round one, our Coro girls team trained hard in preparation for round two; knowing that it would be a much tougher draw.  Round two saw us set to play against Highgate PS, Westbourne Park PS and Bordertown PS.  We managed to organise to play all games at Tailem Bend Netball Club.  While this was a bit of a road trip for us, it was a lot more realistic for Bordertown to meet us there instead of around Adelaide!

Our first game was against Bordertown.  Ruby, Alannah and Emma moved the ball through the midcourt beautifully and Phoebe, Brooklyn and Imogen shot with great accuracy.  In defence, Elsie, Ami and Maddy made it tricky for the Bordertown attackers, and in the second quarter, kept them to only one goal scored.  A great opening match saw the Coro girls win 26 to 12. 

Next up were Highgate.  A few changes to positions on court allowed for some new options.  Ruby and Phoebe paired well in goals, with excellent support from Brooklyn and Imogen in WA at various stages of the game.  Emma moved into C and proved an invaluable and tenacious team player and support throughout the court.  Alannah managed a number of turnovers through the midcourt.  Elsie, Maddy and Ami had their work cut out for them in defence, when paired with some very skilled Highgate goalies.  A heart-racing game, the Coro girls managed a second win – 39 to 33.

Our final game of the day was against Westbourne Park.  We knew this would be our toughest game of the day – both teams were undefeated going into the final match.  Our great versatility through the court allowed for further options and rotations.  However, due to fatigue and some injuries after a long day, our options were soon a bit more limited.  The Coro girls worked so hard and never gave up during the final match of the day.  They supported each other and displayed outstanding sportsmanship.  Unfortunately for us, Westbourne Park won the game with 44 goals to our 26. 

We are now knocked out of the competition – devastatingly in the last game before finals round!  I’d like to congratulate and thank each of the girls: Phoebe, Brooklyn, Emma, Ami, Imogen, Elsie, Maddy, Alannah, Ruby and Emily on their great effort and attitude during the competition and training sessions.  What a great team and an amazing group of players.  They’ve done themselves and our school proud.

Thank you to the parents and grandparents who supported our team on the day – both with transport and moral support.  Thanks also go to Tailem Bend Netball Club for hosting us on the day, operating the canteen for our enjoyment and also to Lisa who acted as our umpire on the day 

Laura Barnes

Coach

Following the success of the previous rounds, our boys just played their last minor round match of knockout netball, where they continued to show what a disciplined and talented team they are. They disposed of All Saints Catholic PS with a comfortable 29 goal victory.

Kade, Caiden, Ethan, and Fletcher R were our goal-scoring machine, shooting with great accuracy and piling on 45 goals for the match. The pressure from our defenders – Quincy, Oliver, and Kalem – was relentless and forced many a turn-over, limiting the opposition to only 16 goals. The all-important link between the attack and defence was provided by Fletcher H and Leo, tirelessly running up and down the court and moving the ball quickly through the middle.

We now look forward to the finals, to be held on August 30 at Priceline Stadium!

There we will play a round robin tournament against three other undefeated schools. After that, the best two teams will immediately play in the grand final to determine who the state knockout champions are. As the reigning champions for the past two years, we are hungry to defend our title and pull off the hat-trick! Let’s go Coro!

Congratulations to the year 4 boys and girls who recently competed in a soccer carnival.

Congratulations to Cody - 2nd place winner in the Mary Anning Art Prize

The aim of the Mary Anning Art Prize is to have young South Australian artists create an original piece of artwork that tells us something about the prehistoric life of South Australia. The competition encourages young people to explore and illustrate our own past and to better understand our unique place in the history of life.

Congratulations to Cody from 2G who won 2nd prize in the R-2 category for his prehistoric artwork.  Fantastic effort Cody, what a brilliant story you have told with your entry. Well done!

Did you know...  more than 60 students from years 3-6 currently represent our school playing weeknight basketball at Blackwood Rec Centre?

All Out of hours school sports are run by volunteers, and our brilliant, long-standing basketball coordinator is now searching for the next wonderful volunteer(s) to hand the reins over to for 2023.

Nicola, has very cleverly streamlined and automated the basketball coordinator role, and has proven that this job is far more rewarding and fun than it is onerous. 

If you’re at all interested in helping to ensure that we can continue to offer out of hours school basketball at Coro, we’d love to chat! Please email Mike (mike.shaw997@schools.sa.edu.au) or come and say Hi at the front office.

If going at it solo is not your thing, Sports Coordinator roles can be very successfully shared. So why not get together with a friend and team up to help get the basketball teams up in 2023!

Without a coordinator your children may miss out this opportunity to play organised basketball. Please consider taking on this rewarding opportunity.

Mike Shaw

There are three orienteering events happening in the month of August.

They are all free and held in our local area.

Each event starts at 3:30pm and finishes around 4:45pm.

Orienteering coaches are on hand to provide instruction.

The events will provide good practice for those attending the school's relay championships on Friday, August 26th. However, students don’t have to enter the relay championship to do these events.

•  Friday 5^thAugust – Coromandel Valley PS.  For details see the event here - 

https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/17685

• Friday 12^thAugust – Blackwood Forest. For details see the event here –

https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/17686

• Friday 19^thAugust – Belair NP – for details see the event here – 

https://eventor.orienteering.asn.au/Events/Show/17687

More information on events for juniors held in the after-school time slot are here, including the link for parents to register their children:

https://www.sa.orienteering.asn.au/coaching-training/for-schools/school-events

In October this year Peter McPheat and approximately 50 students from Coromandel Valley will be performing the musical “Butch and Daisy Save the World”.

Set in the magical land of “The Valley”, the musical follows the adventures of best friends Butch (Liam) and Daisy (Emily) as they navigate the everyday extraordinary happenings at “The Valley Primary School”.  New kid Sparks (Eliza) turns the school upside down with her hair-brained scheme to build a spaceship and catch a passing comet, while schoolyard bully Bennett (Quincy) and his gang offer constant trials and tribulations to Butch and his friends.  Complete with songs, dances, puppets and even a giant mutant salamander, Butch and Daisy Save the World is a fun, family friendly show not to be missed.

There will be three performances - Thursday 13^th October, Friday 14^th October and Saturday 15^th October, all at 7pm in the gym at Coromandel Valley Primary School.

Tickets are now available from “Try Booking” - to purchase, scan the attached QR code, or use the following URL:

https://www.trybooking.com/eventlist/eventListingURL?aid=166728

Looking forward to seeing you there!

Peter McPheat