NEWSLETTER Term 4 Week 4

An important message from the Assistant Director of Education:

On behalf of the South Metropolitan Education Regional Office, we wish to advise the Kinglsey Primary School Community of the resignation from the Department of Education of Principal Sam Goodlad.  We wish Sam all the best for her future endeavours.

Acting Principal Caroline Churchill will be appointed as Principal of Kinglsey Primary School until the end of first term, 2026. Caroline has led the school throughout the year, and we are grateful to her for agreeing to continue in the role. The position of Permanent Principal will be advertised for the commencement of term 2, 2026.

We wish all staff, families and students a smooth and enjoyable end to the school year, particularly the students of the graduating Year 6 class of 2025.

Rohan Smith

Assistant Director of Education

 South Metropolitan Education Regional Office
Department of Education

On behalf of the staff at Kingsley Primary School, I wish to acknowledge Sam and the hard work, caring and professional way she led the school.

Her positive legacy will live on!

 I’m sure it wasn’t an easy decision, but I do know that Sam is happy and enjoying her changing direction. While we will miss her at Kingsley, we wish her the very best and look forward to hearing all about her exciting new adventures.

Caroline Churchill

Principal

Kaya and Wanjoo

Social Media Ban – How will you prepare? In less than 5 weeks Australian under-16s will be banned from certain social media platforms. Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, X, Reddit and You Tube. These sites will all be off limits for children and teens. The Federal Government says social media platforms must take “reasonable steps” to delete the accounts of minors before or on December 10 and stop them from creating new accounts through age verification software. Parents will not be able to give their consent to allow under-16s to use these platforms. Cutting back on screen time and social media will be challenging for many young people. Social media can be addictive and the “fear of missing out” can see young people engage more intensely on these platforms. 

Positive ways to prepare your child for the December 10 ban: Don’t wait – The sudden removal of social media could be a shock to young people. Start the conversation as early as possible with your child and work together to create a plan on how to manage the ban. Talk to kids and teens about why the ban is being implemented and how it will affect both their friendships and their daily routines. This can help children feel informed, supported and importantly, heard. Fade out social media – Gradually reducing your child’s time on social media rather than suddenly stopping it will help them to adjust slowly and prevent feelings of withdrawal and frustration. By planning this approach together, your child can understand and accept it, making the removal of social media smoother and less stressful for the whole family. You could consider signing up to some other activities for regular social connection and a sense of belonging. These might include team sports, group hobbies, or volunteering. Start offline connections – Normalise and encourage engagement within your communities that isn’t reliant on social media. The ban presents an opportunity for parents to encourage and support children to build supportive offline groups together, where children can regularly connect in person. These could be connected to existing friends or newly established groups and use alternative means of communication such as by phone, text or email.

Kingsley Primary School had the immense pleasure of hosting the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra on 23 October. Students from K-3 were mesmerised by the talented musicians and singer who gave us all lessons in musical history, theory and practical learning. Thank you to Mrs O’Neill for organising this fabulous event for our school

This week we have had a very successful in-term swimming program. School swimming lessons are essential for several reasons:

• Water Safety: They teach children the importance of water safety, helping them recognise and respond to water-related emergencies. 
  • Physical Fitness: It’s a fullbody workout that improves cardiovascular health, endurance, and flexibility. 
  • Mental Health and Confidence: Learning to swim can boost a child’s self-confidence and mood, contributing to overall well-being. 
  • Lifesaving Skills: Lessons provide essential life-saving skills that can save lives, both for children and adults. 
  • Developmental Milestones: Swimming helps children reach developmental milestones such as balance, strength, and coordination sooner than their non-swimming peers. 

Thank you, Mr Devlin, for organising our swimming lessons with our first time at KPS combining two lessons into one session, so that the students have 10 lessons over a five-day period. By scheduling the lessons this way, families were able to save on the overall cost. While the Department of Education pay for the lessons, families pay for the bus fare and pool entry. This new format enabled families to save money and has increased student participation. In 2024 the cost was $65 per student. In 2025, the cost was $35.

Congratulations to all our swimmers for learning new skills and representing our school proudly.

Thank you all for your on-going support of Kingsley Primary School

Caroline Churchill

Principal

Kingsley Award Winners

Kingsley Students Futsal Debut

Libby and the Orchestra

On Thursday 23^rd October Libby and the Orchestra came to school. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about instruments in an Orchestra, the Big 3 Bach, Mozart and Beethoven, beat and rhythm and how to become a Pop Star. This was brought to us by WASO.

WASO Western Australia Symphony Orchestra has an educational programme called ECHO Education Chamber Orchestra. Libby Hammer is a Jazz Singer and along with 10 Orchestra Instruments, students and staff had a most fun incursion.

 Lots of singing was involved, beat and rhythm body percussion and plenty of classical music. Students recognised the pieces of classical music composed by Bach, Mozart and Beethoven from games, movies and of Tick Tock.

Thank you to Admin who went above and beyond to ensure all students got to experience this delightful incursion for free. 

Kelmscott Senior High School String Workshop

On Monday 27^th October all the String students went to the KSHS to take part in a string orchestra workshop. This was also attended by Kelmscott Primary School and students from KSHS junior orchestra, and 3 Senior students form KSHS senior orchestra. 

All the string students were under the conductorship of Amelia Peachment and Heather Connan. We worked through a varied repertoire of some known pieces and some pieces we hadn’t heard before. 

Given that some of our string’s students have just started learning their instruments this year, all did amazing job of reading music and learning from those around them. We got so proficient at the pieces of music we ended the session with a small concert to the Year 10 Music students. 

It was a wonderful day and a most rewarding experience. Thank you to the parents for their ongoing support of our string ensemble. Next we look forward to showcasing all the wonderful pieces of music we have been learning in an ensemble and individually with a IMSS Assembly Friday Week 9.

With Musical Warmth

Music Specialist

Mrs O’Neill