CNPS SCHOOL VISION: To build a community of curious, creative and engaged learners who are empowered to meet the challenges of our rapidly changing world. Collectively we will work with our students to become responsible global citizens who have the skills, knowledge and personal attributes they need for their future.
Womenjeka everyone,
I hope you are all adjusting well to the rapid changes in weather. It's time to bring out the woolly jumpers, beanies, and warm socks! Speaking of beanies, make sure to purchase our very own CNPS beanie, an initiative by our P&F. You can buy one from the office for $20. All proceeds go towards P&F's goal of purchasing a state-of-the-art speaker system for our COLA. This will be greatly appreciated and will keep your children’s heads warm.
We will miss you Taylor
On a sad note, I’d like to share the news of the passing of a beloved and well-known dog, Taylor. Many of you who enter through the O’Hea gate in the mornings and afternoons would know Taylor as a friendly dog who loved getting pats from all the children and adults. He will be sadly missed.
Thank you P&F!
I’d like to extend a big thank you to our parents who helped with our Mother's and Special Person’s Day stall. I am always impressed by the generosity of our families who donate the most creative and special gifts. This year, P&F raised $4000, a great step towards our $30K goal for the COLA speakers. Thank you to P&F for your time in selling those beautiful gifts to our students – I loved my gift this year!
We Need Your Help - Tax Deduction
We are excited to announce our newly acquired portable from the Coburg Special Development School, which will be transformed into our permanent Wellbeing Hub. This hub will house the Social Club, a Sensory Room, and rooms for allied health professionals. This is a significant and expensive venture requiring extensive renovations, including electrical, plumbing, painting, building of joinery, removal and creation of new walls, new carpets, and the installation of inclusive furniture and games for our Social Club. All donations made to the school's Buildings Fund are tax-deductible. If you own a business or know of one that would like a tax-saving opportunity, please consider supporting this important project. It is crucial for our students who will use this space to regulate, see an allied health professional, or hang out in the Social Club.
School Tours
This month, I have been taking school tours with our school captains for prospective students for 2025. Every time I do a tour, I am reminded of how much we have grown over the years, both in our grounds and in our learning and wellbeing journey. It makes me feel very proud to be the principal of such an exceptional school. I am privileged to work with such an amazing team dedicated to providing the best experiences for our students.
For those who missed the Parent Information Night, feel free to download the presentation that explains our school structure, learning, wellbeing, and community.
If you have children joining us next year, please enrol as soon as possible to help us determine our numbers for Foundation. Early enrolment also gets you into our Transition program, which helps your child with an easy transition into primary school. It’s amazing to think that it’s that time already!
You can enrol by downloading the enrolment form from our website or picking one up from our office.
On Wednesday the 15th of May we held our Coburg District Cross Country. Our school went really well, placing top 3 in almost every race. Congratulations to these students who made it through to Divisions:
We then held our Division championships at the Banyule Flats Reserve on Wednesday the 29th of May. Some of our students made it through. A big congratulations to Ivan, Jonas, Freddie, Dot, Kai, who will be going to the next round. It is a huge achievement and we wish you luck for Regionals!
Written by the PE captains Riley and Vivienne
Foundation Fire Ed Incursion
Foundation recently participated in Fire Ed. We learnt about safe and unsafe fires and what to do in an emergency. We got to explore the fire truck and have a go at holding the hose!
Grade 2 - National Simultaneous Storytime
Grade 2 students recently participated in the annual National Simultaneous Storytime organized by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). This event brings together children from across the country to read a picture book written and illustrated by an Australian author. This year, the students enjoyed "Bowerbird Blues" by Aura Parker. The story of the bowerbird captivated the students as they followed its resilient journey to collect beautiful blue items to build a bower while also forming a friendship. The National Simultaneous Storytime allowed the students to explore another type of celebration as part of their ongoing inquiry learning - Why are celebrations and places significant to our community? Students had a wonderful time being one of the 21,969 locations participating in this event!
Grade 6 - Maths Unit
For the past few weeks, the Grade 6s have been involved in a Maths unit about finance and money. We had a guest speaker come to talk to us about our attitude to money, managing money and ways to save our money. He reckons cash may not be a thing by the time we finish high school. We’ll see about that.
We have also been engaging in a real life finance scenario project. First, we were given a job and we had to figure out how much tax we have to pay through looking at tax brackets, as well as the difference between gross and net pay. With our wage, we have to manage a budget to be able to afford our rent, bills (such as utilities and mobile phone), transport costs and any other expenses that pop up. Each week we select two random debit cards that we need to pay (including copping a fine or needing to repair a broken appliance) and one credit (which aren’t huge amounts of money, such as friends paying you back or you get a refund). Some of us are lucky and have high paying jobs, while others are struggling to manage their budget. In the coming weeks, new cards will be added to include losing jobs, getting pay rises and rent increases. We might even be able to rent a share house together to save on living costs.
We are really enjoying this project. Ask us about it!
Reconciliation Week
This week, 27th May - 3rd June, is National Reconciliation Week. This year's theme is Now More Than Ever, a reminder to us all that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people must continue.
This week, Coburg North Primary School hosted Wear It Yellow day to raise money for Children's Ground, who work year-round delivering self-determination, education, health and employment opportunities for First Nations people.
I have been extremely proud of our community for generously donating to this fundraiser, wearing yellow proudly, and having powerful and enriching discussions about Aboriginal and Torres strait Islander histories and cultures in the classroom.
Hannah (Foundation Teacher and RAP)
This month's School Council meeting covered many topics such as annual budgets, and there were healthy discussions around our very important Annual Public Reporting which started the meeting (and is now available for download from our school's website; I encourage all to read it!).
Various policies are under review, including our Homework policy which will soon be reissued. It was highlighted that the need to apply for grants from organisations or businesses will help the school continue to develop and deliver some of our services and facilities. A focus for the Grants working party will be greater community engagement and support to canvass grant opportunities and gain funding that will assist us delivering on some of our objectives and projects; please reach out via email if you can assist in this regard!
Paul Cavicchiolo
CNPS School Council President
Mother's and Special Person's Day Stall wrap-up
Thanks to everyone who baked, crafted and donated amazing quality items to sell on 9 May. The stall was a great success, raising a grand total of $4068-20 towards the new PA system for the COLA. Thanks also to everyone who volunteered on the day for making the stall run smoothly and a lot of fun.
Get prepared for those chilly Winter walks to school - buy a beanie!
The super cool CNPS Beanies are once again on sale for winter. This year they’ll be on sale every Wednesday morning before school until the end of term for $20 (cash and card accepted).
Upcoming events/meetings
Spring plant market - help us plan
The Spring plant market is always a special event for the local community. P&F needs volunteers to help plan and run the event. If you are keen to be involved, a planning meeting is being held on 5 August from 7 - 8.30 pm where a date will be set for the market and roles and actions identified. We’ll also be generating ideas for the school community to help grow things that will be popular to sell on the day.
The meeting will be held in the Italian room at the back of the hall. Enter the school via the staff car park off Bishop Street.
Bunning Sausage Sizzle - 28 July - save the date
P&F will once again be running the bbq at Bunnings in Coburg on Sunday 28 July. We’ll need plenty of volunteers on the day and will be putting a call out for soft drink/water donations to assist with stocking the stall. Keep an eye out for a Compass post with more information on how to volunteer/donate soon.
Next P&F meeting - 17 June - everyone welcome
Our next monthly meeting is on Monday 17 June from 7 - 8.30 pm. Meetings are held in the Italian Room at the rear of the hall, enter via the Bishop Street car park.
Week 8
- Grade 2 Coburg Lake Excursion - Wednesday, 5 June
Week 9
- Public Holiday (Monarch's Birthday) - Monday, 10 June
- Grade 6 Interschool Sports (away) - Friday, 14 June
Week 10
- Cannoli Day - Tuesday, 18 June
Week 11
- Parent Teacher Interviews (students dismissed at 12pm) - Wednesday, 26 June 12:30 - 7pm
- Last day of Term 2 (2:30 dismissal) - Friday, 28 June
Dear Families,
Receive up to $800 off an e-cargo bike purchase through Ride & Stride program!
As a Ride and Stride school, we want to see more families riding & striding to the school gates. Riding to school is a great way to be more active, save money on fuel and save time stuck in traffic in the morning. It’s also a great way to build incidental exercise into those crisp winter days. And the kids absolutely love it!
Since our involvement in Ride & Stride, we’ve seen a lot of families take up e-cargo bike subscriptions, many through subsidised 1- & 2-month subscription offers. We know some families are interested in signing up to a flexible e-bike subscription, but we also know others are keen to just purchase their own bike outright and hit the ground running (or riding).
With Merri-bek Council and Lug+Carrie's support, you can now receive a 50% 2-month subscription subsidy OR receive up to $800 off the purchase of a new Tern eBike or ex-fleet eBike - this consists of $400 off the value of the bike and $400 off accessories for the bike, such as panniers, cargo trays, etc.
The bikes can carry up to 2 kids (and all the gear), and you’ll receive a free home delivery, induction on how to ride, and rider support. You’ll join over 150 Ride & Stride families who have already transformed their school run through this program, with more and more local parents realising the joy, convenience, and cost savings of switching from 4 wheels to 2.
To claim your subsidy, visit www.lug-carrie.com/rideandstride
This is a limited time offer for Ride & Stride schools only. Spots are limited, so sign up now!