Issue 613
08 October 09
Contact our school
18-20 Ruskin Avenue(P. O. Box 249)
CROYDON, Vic 3136
Ph: (03) 9723 3886
Fax: (03) 9725 5355
OSHC: 0439 345 134
Email: ruskin.park.ps
@edumail.vic.gov.au
Web: www.ruskinparkps.vic.edu.au
Our Sponsors
Please click on any advertisement to email the affiliated business or view further details such as company brochures, flyers or promotions
 Principal’s Message
OCTOBER
Thurs 8th Oct
Footsteps Dance program commences
Ruskin News
Mon 12th-Wed14th Oct
Year 4 Gundiwindi Camp
Mon 12th Oct
Assembly
7:00pm – School Council
Thurs 15th Oct
Footsteps Dance program
Sat 17th Oct
Solar Boat Challenge – teams competing-Good Luck!
Mon 19th Oct
Assembly & Principal’s Awards
Tues 20th Oct
Japanese Day & special Japanese lunch available
Wed 21st Oct
Spring Walk-a-thon & Walktober
Thurs 22nd Oct
Ruskin News
Footsteps Dance program
Music Count Us In @ 11:30 am
Mon 26th Oct
Assembly & Principal’s Awards
Wed 28th Oct
Japanese Day
Thurs 29th Oct
6:45-7:45pm – Mothers and Daughters Night
Footsteps Dance program
NOVEMBER
Movember for Men’s Health
Mon 2nd Nov
Assembly & Principal’s Awards
Tues 3rd Nov
Melbourne Cup Day
Thurs 5th Nov
Footsteps Dance program
6:45pm – 7:45pm – Blokes Night
Ruskin News
Fri 6th Nov
Disco Night-to be confirmed-details forthcoming
Mon 9th Nov
9:15am-10:15am – Prep Transition
7:00pm – School Council
Mon 9th-Fri 13th Nov
Years 2-5 Swimming
Wed 11th Nov
Remembrance Day
Mon 16th Nov
Assembly & Principal’s Awards
Tues 17th Nov
School Photos for Yr 6 Graduates, Teams, Choir
7:30pm – Families & Friends Meeting
Thurs 19th Nov
Ruskin News
12:30-1:30pm – Prep Transition
Fri 20th Nov
Dress Rehearsal for Concert
Mon 23rd Nov
Assembly & Principal’s Awards
Wed 25th Nov
Whole School Concert - pm
Mon 30th Nov
Assembly & Principal’s Awards
 Welcome Back!
On behalf of all school staff, I hope that everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable school break. The
teachers and integration aides look forward to working with your children for the final eleven weeks
of Term 4. Here are a few quick reminders and news to note:
Kindly update any changes to contact details with the office personnel on 9723 3886
All students are required to wear school (broad brimmed) hats from the start of Term 4 and
proper school uniform is also required. Students out of uniform must bring a note to school
from the parent/guardian providing an explanation why the student is not wearing their
uniform. Teachers will send home a note with any child who is out of uniform unless a note
is received from the parent.
Footsteps Dance sessions start on October 8th and run for five weeks. This program is an
important part of the fitness, agility and coordination components of the Physical Education
program for all students at Ruskin Park Primary School. Since this program is a school-
wide initiative, the cost per student is only $15 for all five lessons including admission to a
disco night. Any family who has not yet paid for their child’s participation, is asked to do so
in the first two weeks back. Students who have not paid will be working under supervision
in another classroom during the time their class is participating in the Footsteps session.
Music Count Us In takes place on Thursday, 22nd October at 11:30 AEDT. The whole
school will be assembling in the courtyard to sing The Music is Everything on this day with
more than 850 schools from all across Australia performing the same song together.
Parents are welcome to attend and the words for the song are included in this issue of the
newsletter. Why not check out: www.musiccountusin.org.au
Whole School Concert – details will be available soon for this musical extravaganza taking
place on Wednesday, 25th November in the evening at the Yarra Valley Grammar
performing arts theatre. Watch out for ticket sales – coming soon!
Mrs. Pope and Mr. Cain travelled to Sydney with two year six students, Josh C and Caleb B
at the start of the school holidays to compete in the Australian finals of the Robotics
competition. The school is extremely proud of both boys who performed exceptionally well
on the day to achieve the well-deserved title of Australian Junior Robocup Champions.
Congratulations on this outstanding outcome and thank you to Mrs. Pope and Mr. Cain for
their support and encouragement along the way.
Congratulations to Justin T and Josh W who recently competed in the Verniers Challenge
and won $5000 worth of Science equipment for the school. The boys and Mrs. Pope have
decided to share the spoils and send some of the science equipment to a school in the
bushfire devastated region of Victoria. Well done to everyone!
Japanese Day takes place on Tuesday, 20th October and a special lunch menu has been
created for students to purchase lunch on this day from the canteen. The special lunch and
revised canteen menu are included in this issue of the school newsletter.
The Spring Walk-a-thon is taking place on Wednesday, 21st October and a separate notice
will be going home shortly with details of sponsorship and the times the classes will be
walking. The school strongly encourages all students and their families to participate in the
annual walk-a-thon for health and fitness and to simultaneously raise funds for the school to
contribute towards the purchase on another electronic whiteboard for the Library.
School Council meets on Monday, 12th October at 7:00 pm and the architect supervising
the forthcoming building of the new school gymnasium will be present to update the school
on details and to answer any questions. All interested parents are welcome to attend for the
presentation and Q & A section of the school council meeting with Andrew Koster from
7:00-7:30 pm where after the school council will continue to discuss the remaining items on
the meeting agenda.
Once again this year, the school will offer two sessions on puberty for students and their
parents as follows: Mothers & Daughters Night-6:45pm to 7:45pm on Thursday, 29th
October for girls from Years 3-6; and Blokes Night-6:45pm to 7:45pm on Thursday, 5th
November for boys from Years 4-6. Details will be made available shortly.
English Online Interview is a new state-wide initiative by the Department of Education and
Early Childhood Development and replaces the annual Assessment of Reading P-2 across
all government schools from 2009. This assessment of all students from Prep to Year 2 will
be taking place from 12th October to 6th November. Mrs. Beare is the Coordinator for this
initiative and if parents have questions or concerns, they may contact Mrs. Beare.
The Victorian Student Number (VSN) will be implemented in Victorian Schools during Term
3 and 4 of this year. The VSN is a student identification number that will be assigned by the
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development to all students in government
and non-government schools, and students in Vocational Education and Training
 Institutions. The number, which is unique to each student, will be used as a key identifier on
a student’s school records, and will remain with the student throughout his or her education,
until reaching the age of 25. The VSN is nine digits long, randomly assigned, and tied to
identifying information about the student (name, gender, date of birth).
Energy Force is a new online game about saving energy. It is free from Origin to help
students aged 8-12 learn to save energy. Students can sign up online at
http://www.energyforcegame.com.au and they will need permission from a parent or
guardian.
The Fathering Project was conducted through The University of Western Australia and
provides valuable resources for fathers to help improve communication and understanding
between fathers and children. Check out the website: www.thefatheringproject.org for the
DVD: What Kids Really Need from their Dads and the book: The Blue Book of Tips for
Fathers and Father Figures.
This is a reminder about parking and student safety on Ruskin Avenue. Residents on
Ruskin Avenue have requested that cars do not park close to the corner of Ruskin and
Mount Dandenong Roads as it is difficult and hazardous for other vehicles turning off Mount
Dandenong Road. Please be safe and considerate of others.
Teachers are on duty every morning from 8:45 to 9:00 am. There are no teachers on duty
prior to 8:45 am as they are preparing for the day ahead. Parents are reminded that
students are not to be on the school property prior to 8:45 am unless that are enrolled in the
Out of School Hours Care program, or have otherwise made alternative arrangements with
the child’s classroom teacher that have been accepted and approved by that teacher.
Parents are welcome to remain on the school grounds to supervise their children until the
teachers commence yard duty. Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.
Correction: on the Term 4 calendar, Ann and Stuart’s Music concerts will be taking place
in December. Please cross off the dates for these concerts in November. Details will be
forthcoming.
Condolences to Mrs. Barbara Wilcock on the recent passing away of her beloved mother.
Our sympathies to Barbara and all her family on this sad occasion.
Elle May Laikve
Principal
Australian Champions!! - Congratulations Josh and Caleb!
After winning the Victorian Robocup Junior Championships earlier in Term 3, Josh continued to
work on the program and designed another robot to be switched on by shining a torch on a sensor.
Caleb worked on his dancing and they made a few extra props.
Everything was ready! It was all packed in suitcases ready for the flight.
We arrived in Sydney on Friday evening, which gave us time to unpack and organise the props
and robots and make sure everything was ready and working for the competition the next day.
They were one of the first teams to have their interview. During the interview, they have to show
how the robots work and discuss their program. Points are given for the structure and gearing of
the robots, the use of sensors and the complexity and originality of their program.
Josh and Caleb were disappointed after their interview because they didn’t feel they had explained
their work as well as they could, and the laptop froze and they couldn’t show their program!
After a nervous phone call home to tell of their disappointment, it was time to set the robots up for
their first performance on the dance floor.
It was a near perfect performance!! Everything went really well with only a few nervous seconds
when one robot went very close to the edge of the floor! (Points are lost every time a robot leaves
the floor and/or is touched.)
Our next performance was later in the afternoon, which didn’t go quite as well as they had to
restart their program a couple of times before everything was right.
 The top three teams for the finals were decided on by adding the score of the interview and the
best performance. There were a few nervous moments until our team, “Jailbot Rock” was
announced as one of the finalists!!
The winning team would be judged on the next performance and the interview!! After a very long
day, Josh and Caleb had to get everything together again and set up for their last performance.
Fortunately, everything went really well again and Josh and Caleb were happy with what they had
done!!
When the runners up were announced, all of the fingers and toes were uncrossed and the smiles
spread over their faces, as it wasn’t them! They had to be the Australian Champions!!!
One of the judges later commented on the standard of the programming and how the robots
moved to the music. He said it was the best Junior Program he had seen! This is wonderful, as he
has been a judge at the World as well as the Victorian and Australian Championships. Josh is to
be congratulated on the time he took to program the robots’ moves second by second so that they
do actually dance to the music.
Thankyou to the Maroondah Council and everyone who participated in our free dress day which
helped raise enough money to get Josh and Caleb to Sydney to represent Victoria at the
Championships. There were some amazing looking musicians on the free dress day! I would also
like to thank Steve and Helen, Josh’s parents for their help and support.
Margot Pope
JOSH’S REPORT
Firstly, I’d like to thank everybody for supporting the fundraising day we held before we went to Sydney.
It was good to see so many people dressing up as their favourite musician.
We had a great trip to Sydney. The day of the competition was stressful. We had to perform our act
twice for the judges and also had a very intense interview. We made it to the finals and had to perform
for a third time against two other teams.
In our final performance, all of our months of hard work, preparation and practice paid off and we won
the competition.
We also got to see some of the sights of Sydney such as the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. We
also travelled on the Manly Ferry.
Finally I would like to thank Mrs. Pope who has helped me for the last two years with robotics. I would
also like to thank my parents for their support, especially my dad who came to Sydney with us.
For those of you with an interest in Lego, I highly recommend you get involved in Robotics. It can be a
highly rewarding experience.
Josh C
ROBOTICS AUSTRALIA
BY CALEB B
On the 18th of September Josh, Mrs Pope, Josh’s dad Steve and I went to Sydney to compete in the
Australian Robotics Competition.
We travelled by plane and flew on Tiger Airways.
It took 1 hour to get to Sydney.
We stayed at a hotel called THE Y, The rooms weren’t that big but the beds were really comfortable.
We all left the hotel and wondered around the main streets of Sydney to look for a restaurant to eat at.
We decided to eat at a Thai restaurant, we ordered a Green Curry, Yellow Curry and some other dish.
We were all full, I think I put on a couple of kilos.
We walked back to the hotel and went to bed
 We all woke up. It was Saturday morning, THE BIG DAY. We had a shower got changed into our outfits
and went down to breakfast.
I had two bowls of nutrigrain and a bit of toast.
We headed off at 8:30 and got there about 10 to 9.
The competition was at the NSW University.
We went inside and got setup in the room with the rest of the teams and made sure that everything was
working.
We were the 16th team to compete. There were lots of impressive performances. One was about a
carwash and one about the movie Thunderbirds. Some of them had a lot of problems.
Finally it was our turn! We got our props and our robots and set them up on the dance floor. Josh said
start the music and we started the robots at the right time and then we started to dance
We did moonwalks, hip swaying and other funky dance moves.
After our break we went to the food court and got something to eat, I got a souvlaki.
We had 2 hours to do what we wanted and have something to eat.
Those two hours flew by and then it was time for our 2nd performance.
We got our props and our robots and set them up on the dance floor. Josh said start the music and
then we started the robots at the right time and then we started to dance.
Phew it was over! We didn’t have to do any more performances at least that is what I thought.
We had a little break then we were told that there were finals.
The judges called out the three top teams. One was the Carwash, the other was Blades of Glory, and
then our name, Jailbot Rock! We were so excited. So once again we got our props and our robots and
set them up on the dance floor. Josh said start the music and then we started the robots at the right
time and then we started to dance.
Now all we have to do is wait until the presentation.
It was time; the judges were going to announce the winner.
The judges stood up and began to speak.
In third place is the Carwash.
In second place are Blades of Glory.
And in first place is Jailbot Rock.
We were so excited and happy we jumped up and walked on the dance floor to accept our award. We
got a medal each and a blue wooden trophy.
It took another 20 minutes before the presentations were over.
So Mrs Pope ordered a taxi and we headed off to THE Y hotel to relax.
Later that night we went to find a restaurant to eat at.
We ate at a Tandoori Restaurant; we had Rogan Josh, Mango chicken and some other dish.
After that we went to get an ice-cream and slurpee and went back to the hotel and watched the footy
and some criminal show and then went to bed.
Sunday was the day for us to explore Sydney.
We went to the Botanical Gardens and saw the most beautiful plants. Then we headed off to the
Sydney Opera House. There were lots of people there because there was a big marathon and we saw a
woman doing a painful trick. She was trying to fit in a glass box about 50 centimetres long and 50
centimetres wide. She did!
Then we walked over to the docks to catch a ferry to Manley.
At Manley we went to get some lunch, I got Hungry Jacks and a mango sorbet. We also went to the
beach I got really wet.
We went back to the dock to catch a ferry back to Sydney.
We checked out a market then went back to the hotel.
We got our bags. Put it in the taxi and drove off to the airport. We got a snack at the airport and
travelled back to Melbourne.
We listened to music until I got home.
It was a fun trip and something I’ll always remember.
  Congratulations Josh and Justin!
On September 10th, Justin and Josh from grade 5, along with their mothers, attended the Verniers
presentation luncheon at the Hawthorn Reception Centre. As mentioned in the last newsletter, their
Power Point on ‘How the Boomerang Works’ was judged to be in the top 5 in Victoria. You can look
at the printed form in the school foyer.
When we arrived the boys set up their models on a table ready to explain their work to engineers
who were also at the luncheon. The boys did a wonderful job in describing the centrifugal forces
involved. They used a bicycle wheel to demonstrate the forces of a spinning gyroscope to
demonstrate the flight of a returning boomerang. They did a wonderful job, impressing the
engineers.
Each of the 5 winning teams were seated at a different table among the engineers so that we were
able to continue talking over lunch. In between courses, each of the 5 winning entries were shown
for everyone to see.
Finally it was time for the order of the placings to be announced. When we looked at Josh and
Justin, they had all of their fingers crossed and no doubt their toes too! The excitement built as
their names had not been announced. When the 2nd place was announced, and it wasn’t them, we
knew they had won! The prize was $5000 worth of equipment for the school! We were told that the
boys’ presentation was a clear winner from all of the other entries.
It is not the first time we had done well for this award. It is the third time we have won and 2 years
ago Justin’s sister Ashley, came second. We have been most grateful to the Verniers Foundation
as it is with this prize we have been able to get the robotics kits and develop our very successful
robotics program. We never could have afforded it without this prize.
The idea behind this competition is to get younger students involved in Science and Engineering.
With this in mind, in discussion with the boys, we have decided to purchase some less complicated
robots for all grade levels at Ruskin Park, and donate a proportion of them to a smaller school in
the fire devastated areas. This way, we hope to give other children the experience that the
Verniers Foundation has allowed Ruskin Park to have.
Margot Pope
Winning Verniers
When we got to Hawthorn Reception Centre, we set up our paper/cardboard boomerangs,
real boomerang and the bike wheel. (Gyroscope)
Then the engineers asked us some questions about our work. On the other 4 contestants’
tables there was a Solar Powered Boat, a Sewing Machine, Solar Box Cooker and an
Automata.
While we ate lunch, they showed each Power Point. Finally they announced the winners.
Joshua and I were crossing our finger, toes, eyes, arms and legs.
When they announced 2nd and our names hadn’t been mentioned, we had a good feeling
in-side, because we knew we had won.
Justin T and Josh W
 Welcome back! Term 4 will be a very busy time for students at Ruskin Park Primary School. This
term will include the Grade 4 Camp, Footsteps, Japanese Day, The School Concert and Reports. It
is a very exciting for Grade 6 students who will complete their final year at primary school. Grade 6
will be preparing for their graduation and transition into year 7.
This term Grade 5 and 6 students will have the opportunity to participate in student forums to
discuss topics from the Student Attitudes to School survey. This will include discussions on
Wellbeing, Teaching and Learning and Student Relationships. We value student opinions and look
forward to these discussions.
Mary Kelly
A
There will be a Japanese Cultural Day held at Ruskin Park Primary on
Tuesday October 20th. It will be an all day event and there will be no
other classes on this day. Students will rotate through many cultural
activities, watch a Ninjitsu demonstration and listen to a Taiko and
Shamisen concert. Students are asked to dress up in something
"Japanese" and prizes will be given for the best costumes. There will be
a charge of $4 per student to help cover the costs of the day.
The canteen is offering a special Japanese menu for the Japanese Day.
Please make sure all Japanese lunch orders are given to Anni by the
16th. These Japanese lunches MUST be ordered in advance and will
NOT be available to buy on the Japanese Day.
There will also be a notice going out regarding the proposed school trip to Japan in 2010.
Following our successful school trip to Japan in 2008, we have decided to run the trip every two
years so that all students will have a chance to travel to Japan when they are in year 5 or 6. This is
a fantastic opportunity for the students (and their parents) to experience Japanese culture
firsthand. If enough students and parents are interested then an information night will be held to
discuss the trip in more detail.
This should be a great term for Japanese LOTE.
Greg Brown
Japanese LOTE Teacher
 On Wednesday September 9th, three Grade 5/6 students traveled into the ACMI centre at
Federation Square for the first ever Kahootz Challenge. Jason M, Stephanie F and Rupert L spent
the day working in workshops to learn more about the animation software Kahootz 3.
The students spent the first session learning about green screening, and had to create
advertisements filmed against a green screen, which was later replaced with a photo background.
The next session gave the students some insight into game making, and they worked with Kahootz
experts to create some games of their own.
The three students will be working very hard over the next two weeks to come up with their games
and movies to submit for the challenge.
Well done Steph, Rupert and Jason!
Miss Campbell
9th – 13th November, 2009
In November each year the school offers an Intensive Swimming Program,
targeting the children who need to improve their swimming skills as we enter
a new summer season. The program will take place during the week 9th – 13th November at Kilsyth
Pool and the children will be in the water from 1pm until 2pm. The cost will be approximately $55
and is open to children in years 2 – 6. If you would like your child to participate please complete the
expression of interest form below. Please do not send money at this stage.
Welcome
We would like to welcome Rebecca Stuart to our Oshc staff team. Rebecca is currently studying
Primary School Teaching and will be assisting in After School Care on Tuesday and Thursday
afternoons.
 Thankyou
Thankyou to Sue Elrick for donating a large television to the Oshc program – this has added a new
dimension to DVD viewing!
Sun Smart Reminder
Please ensure your child brings a broad rimmed hat to wear when playing outdoors at After School
Care.
We supply Hamilton sunscreen for the children to use, however if you would prefer your child to
use a different type please send it to school in your child’s school bag.
Accounts
Accounts will be distributed on the following days this term:
Monday 12th October
Monday 26th October
Monday 9th November
Monday 23rd November
Monday 7th December
Monday 14th December
Programs
These programs are planned in consultation with the children and highlight “Special” activities
based around the children’s interests and requests. We aim to repeat these activities during each
week to ensure all interested children have an opportunity to participate.
Other activities available every day include: Dramatic Play, Construction, Music/DVDs, Game boys
and Computers, Drawing, Junk Construction, Puzzles and Board Games, Quiet Area for Reading
and Homework, Sports Equipment and Outdoor Games.
WHAT’S ON AT BEFORE SCHOOL CARE
Monday 12th October –
Friday 16th October 2009
Craft: - Stick Puppets
Cooking: - Choc Weet-bix Slice
(Tuesday)
Games: - Musical Statues
Outdoor Fun: - Ball Games
Monday 19th October –
Friday 23rd October 2009
Craft: - Fun with Paint
Cooking: - Lemon Slice
(Thursday)
Games: - Chess Challenge
Outdoor Fun: - Bean Bag Games
WHAT’S ON AT AFTER SCHOOL CARE
Monday 12th October –
Friday 16th October 2009
Cooking: - Rainbow Chip Cookies
Craft: - Glove or Finger Puppets
Outdoor Fun: - Sandpit Fun
Games: - Cat & Mouse
Broken Window
Corners
Monday 19th October –
Friday 23rd October 2009
Craft: - Fun with Paint
Outdoor Fun: - Cubbies
Cooking: - Vegetable Chips
Music & Dancing in GP Room
OSHC Team
Out of School Hours Child Care
   On the 21st of October this term we will be running our annual Walktober Spring Walk-a-thon.
Children will be walking around the Croydon Golf Course with their teacher and peers. Children will
also be asked to collect sponsors for the event in order to raise money for a new Electronic
Whiteboard.
More information will be sent home with the students soon.
We are excited about this opportunity to highlight the importance of staying fit and healthy.
 Mel Vistarini
Secondary Principals from Maroondah Education Coalition Schools and the Maroondah Network
Leader invite local primary school parents to hear about the latest developments and plans for the
Maroondah Regeneration Project and to contribute to further feedback following on from the initial
community consultations held in June.
When:
Monday October 12 2009
Where:
‘Maroondah Room’
Karralyka Function Centre
Mines Road
Ringwood East
Time:
7.30pm-9.30pm
RSVP: Karen 98702002
No later than Thursday October 8, 2009 to book for this evening
THE RUSKIN PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL VISION
Every student at Ruskin Park Primary School can develop their natural curiosity and
imagination through new and engaging approaches to teaching and learning.
The encouragement of a positive attitude within a friendly community of learners will
promote success today, tomorrow and into the future.
THE RUSKIN PARK PRIMARY SCHOOL VALUES ARE
Building Friendships
Creativity
Honesty, and Respect
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