Glendenning Public School - glendennin-p.schools.nsw.gov.au · researchers to trial a new program called MiniLit, along with a number of other schools. The program will be delivered

Dear parents Peer Support – for Year 6 (and some Year 5) students will begin in Term 2. The training will occur on Wednesday afternoons. Once again in 2017 we are looking for big things from our Year 6 students as this program has always been a big success at GPS. Building Better Readers – is a research program that GPS has become involved in. We will be working with university researchers to trial a new program called MiniLit, along with a number of other schools. The program will be delivered to Year 1 students. A letter will go home to Year 1 students very soon.

Athletics Carnival Field Events – were due to begin this week, but the onset of the rain has put a week’s delay on the competition – we will keep students and parents informed of the progress of the events as soon as we begin to get underway. The SRC Leaders ‘Young Leaders Day’ Excursion – is on tomorrow, Friday March 3. The SRC members, under supervision of Mrs Lindsay and Mrs Madden are travelling by train to hear well-respected and renowned leaders talk about their success as leaders and how students can develop those qualities. We wish them a very beneficial day. The NSW Advocate for Children and Young People – has given GPS students the opportunity to participate in the development of NSW by giving their thoughts in a survey. Some excerpts from the letter from the Advocate include:

As the letter outlines, the Department of Education is working closely with the Office of the Advocate for Children and Young People (ACYP) to establish Student Consultation Pools which will be an important mechanism for NSW Government agencies to ensure the views and experiences of children and young people are taken into account as new policies and programs are being considered and developed. Already, over 25 schools have agreed to be part of this process and we are delighted that your school has agreed to be in the first of these pools. We are hoping to complete the first consultation, which will focus on healthy eating and physical activity, before the end of Term 1, 2017. Book Week –for 2017 – ‘Escape to Everywhere’ is the theme and some of the books that students might like to consider reading include: Narnia; Oz ;Hogwarts/Hogsmead/Diagon Alley; Deltora; Middle Earth/ The Shire; Whoville (The Grinch) / Truffula Trees Forest (The Lorax); Neverland; Atlantis

Students interested in reading these – and many other suitable books should talk to their class teacher or Mrs Bourke, Teacher/Librarian.

Glendenning Public School

Safe, Respectful Learners

Term 1 Week 6 Thursday , 2 March 2017

135 Armitage Drive, Glendenning. NSW. 2761 Ph: 9832 8555 Fax: 98329724 E: [email protected]

Timetable for School Photos – March 21 and 23 Tuesday March 21 Time Class/Group Teacher/s No of students

(approx.) 8.15am Staff All 9.00am 1W Miss Shalena Waller 22 9.15am K/1D Miss Clare Donovan 22 9.30am 1C Miss Grace Cole 22 9.30am 1H Miss Sarah Herbert 22 9.45am 1/2T Miss Tamiko Howard 25 10.00am KL Mrs Alicia Leyte 22 10.15am KJ Mrs Samantha Jansen 22 10.30am KT Mrs Jade Turner 22 10.45am KW Miss Natarsha Williams 22 11.00am 2B Mr Craig Bamford 26 12.15pm 2M Mrs Michelle Sciberras 20 12.25pm 2S Mrs Poonam Suri 26 12.35pm Junior Dance Miss Shalena Waller 30 Thursday March 23 8.30am - Family Photos Time Class/Group Teacher/s No of students

(approx.) 9.00am Year 6 Group Mr Paul Keyes; Mrs Nicole Lindsay; Mrs Erin Bronson 62 9.20am 6L Mrs Nicole Lindsay 30 9.30am 6K Mr Paul Keyes 30 9.40am 5/6B Mrs Erin Bronson 30 9.50am 3/4C Mrs Natalie Colefax 30 10.00am 3/4F Mrs Dianne France 30 10.10am 3J Miss Jessica Fenn 30 10.20am 3R Mrs Donna Rowe 30 10.30am 4M Miss Kirsten Milledge 30 10.40am 4P Miss Claire Pillen 30 10.50am 5G Mr James Graham 30 11.00am 5M Miss Jessica Mohr 30 12.50pm Library Monitors Mrs Serena Bourke 20 12.40pm SRC Mrs Nicole Lindsay 30 1.00pm Debating Miss Jessica Mohr 10 1.10pm Glee Club Miss Grace Cole 30 1.20pm Intermediate

Dance Miss Natalie Hoskins 30

1.30pm Senior Dance Ms Shevee Summerrell 30 Auskick Program - A reminder that the Auskick program will be running this term. each Tuesday until 14/3/17 (Week 8). Doug Meaney Principal

Monday Morning Assembly – Mystery Teacher Award

Term 1 Week 3 - Congratulations to 3J!

Mrs Lindsay

Assembly Coordinator

Coming Events Week 8 Annual Athletics carnival – Tuesday, March 14 – Charlie Bali – URGENT – THIS Date is being re-arranged – please wait for a new announcement Week 9 School Photos – Tuesday 21 and Thursday 23 – Summer Uniform (Please) Week 10 Disco – Tuesday April 4 Dental Assessments – Thursday, March 30 ANZAC Day Ceremony Talent Quest Final and Easter Hat Parade – Friday, April 7 Term Two School Development Day (No students) Monday, April 24 ANZAC Day – Tuesday April 25 Students K-6 Return – Wednesday April 26

Glendenning Public School Awards Term 1, Week 3, 2017

Class Student of the Week Value of the Week

KJ Harnet C-For a great start to Kindergarten Birbibek-Learner

KL Nishaan S-Demonstrating perseverance to cut out objects Aadhvi M-Respectful

KW Annalise S-Helping others in the classroom. Esperance W-Learner

KT Dhanvi P-A great effort when writing her name. Jeren S-Learner

K/1D Jayden C-A great start to K/1D. Chelsea M-Learner

1C Karina W-Being a kind and considerate friend. Naria HA-Learner

1W Elijah H-Demonstrating ways that we can care for others. Sophie P-Learner

1H Pranav K-For his effort during art lessons. Anushka N-Learner

1/2T Nayte F-Independently writing descriptive pieces of writing. Patrick B-Respectful

2M Phoebe N-Dedication to all her class work. Darnell K-Learner

2B Dhrish J-Showing enthusiasm for learning. Japjit K-Learner

2S Ezekiel W-Displaying a positive effort towards all class activities Samuel C-Learner

3J Ethan S-Kindly helping students with difficult tasks Karamaia L N-Respectful

3R Michelle T-Applying effort during writing tasks. Julian A-Respectful

3/4C Divya L-Effectively editing her writing Ronit B-Learner

3/4F Zac S-Exemplary effort Lara C-Learner

4M Anish P-Showing dedication towards all of his class work Nivesh C-Respectful

4P Demetrius U-Being an attentive and helpful reading partner Vraj B-Learner

5G Seaga Pua-Writing descriptive paragraphs Will L-Respectful

5M Iman I-Showing positive work habits. Nathan G-Respectful

5/6B Benji K-Working conscientiously in all areas. Azrin H-Learner

6L Sharan S-Making insightful text connections. Swara S-Learner

6K Vyshnavi P-Showing pride in her work Samantha N-Learner

Glendenning Public School Awards Term 1, Week 4, 2017

Class Student of the Week Value of the Week

KJ Trisha C-A great improvement in following instructions Nish P-Learner

KL Prisha R-Fantastic effort during visual arts day Raina D-Learner

KW Zareen R-Drawing an excellent self-portrait. Jacob O-Learner

KT Amelia S-A fantastic effort during Visual Arts Day activities. Huzayl S-Learner

K/1D Harlow D-Following instructions during Visual Arts day. Lakshya P-Learner

1C Sukhmani K-Helping others during maths activities Adelaide C-Learner

1W Tiara M-A wonderful effort during all Visual Arts Day activities Tyler B-Learner

1H Yassin M-Working hard during English groups. Mohamed J-Learner

1/2T Eveleen G-Diligent and hard-working class member. Tileah R-Learner

2M Joshua H-Showing great concentration during learning activities

Pragalbha-Respectful

2B Jacob H-For an excellent artwork on Visual Arts day. Reeghan Z-Learner

2S Sameera S-For being an excellent helper during Visual Art Day activities

Gurneet K-Learner

3J Kayden B-Great concentration and participation during maths lessons

Kelsy B-Learner

3R Julian A-Participating in class discussions. Capri B-Learner

3/4F Sabrina S-Fantastic efforts when completing spelling sorts. Tracy-Learner

4M Julio R-Great effort in all areas. Shazana I-Learner

4P Monatana P-Trying hard in all writing tasks. Samita A-Learner

5G Tyreese G-Consistent neat bookwork Simar M-Respectful

5M Zaara H-Outstanding work completing addition and subtraction algorithms.

D-Jay R-Learner

5/6B Rhys G-A great attitude towards Visual Arts Day activities. Seth W-Learner

6L Daniel N-Outstanding chapter summaries of Boy Overboard. Maison S R-Safe, Respectful Learner

Excellence in School Customer Service 360 Reflection tool

Our school has chosen to take part in the Excellence in School Customer Service 360 Reflection tool. This tool, developed by the NSW Department of Education, is a type of survey which will help us to gather feedback on customer service provided to all members of our school community. The tool will allow us to collect feedback from students, parents, teachers, other school staff, and community members.

We are looking for parents, and other members of our school community to complete an online survey which will ask you to submit feedback on the customer service delivered by the school. Your responses will always be completely anonymous and confidential. The survey will take about 20 minutes to complete.

We will then use the report to help further develop the customer service provided to all members of the school community.

If you would like to participate by completing a survey, please contact the school on 9832855 or [email protected] before 15 March. Your support and participation would be very much appreciated and valued.

Thank You

Ms Suri – Coordinator

Library News

The Premier’s Reading Challenge starts in 1 week on the 6th of March!

We had a total of 237 students enter the Premier’s Reading Challenge and 180 students completed the challenge in 2017. Below is a list of the statistics from last year’s Premier’s Reading Challenge.

Remember if you complete the Premier’s Reading Challenge 4 times (not consecutive) you get a Gold Certificate, if you complete the Premier’s Reading Challenge 7 times (not consecutive) you get a Platinum Certificate and if you complete the Premier’s Reading Challenge every year from Year 3 to Year 9 (inclusive) you get a Medal!

If you would like to see your name on the Premier’s Reading Challenge Gold Honour Roll please visit: https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/news/goldHonourRoll.html

I look forward to everyone participating! Remember if you haven’t returned your Premier’s Reading Challenge note, please return it ASAP.

Transition to School

If you are experiencing transitioning to school issues with your child or have any questions about your child’s development, Parents Line NSW is a free service that offers counselling service, with trained, compassionate counsellors who have lots of experience in working with families. Visit their website www.parentline.org.au or contact them on 1300130052.

If you would like to get a copy of their ‘Transition to School Newsletter’, please contact me at school.

Thank You

Poonam Suri - Parent Helper Contact Person

Our Griffin Goal from Week 5 to Week 6 is:

Caught You Being’ – Safe, Respectful or Learner

The winner for Term 1, Week 6 was Jasleen in 4P.

The ‘Caught you Being at Home’ winner for this week was Aggam in 1H for always trying his best with his home reader.

Caught You Being – Safe, Respectful or Learner – AT HOME

Please reward your children with a token below, and ask them to place in the special box in the front office. Every Monday, a token will be drawn and the student’s name will appear on this PBL page. Remember to include the child’s name and class, tick the value and write a brief description on HOW they were demonstrating the value. E.g. Billy was being a learner by completing his homework without having to be asked!

PBL Coordinator Mrs Bateup Support Rep TBA ES1 Representative Mrs Leyte Social Skills Miss Fenn S1 Representative Miss Waller Counsellor Mrs Rhodes S2 Representative Mrs Colefax Growing Together Mrs Lindsay S3 Representative Mr Graham Principal Mr Meaney

Talking to Your Child's Teacher – Some Guidelines and Ideas

Main points

• To achieve what you want from the meeting, make sure you have a purpose for and are prepared for the discussion with your child's teacher.

• Remember that if you work with the school you can benefit your child's learning in the classroom and at home.

Raising an issue – resolving a concern.

There are basically two types of conversations you can have with your child’s teacher:

• a short discussion over a simple, minor matter or • an in-depth discussion over an ongoing issue or something more serious, which usually requires an

appointment with the teacher.

Some common issues that are raised with teachers include:

• how well your child is doing with their school work

• improving your child’s reading

• identifying your child’s strengths

• improving subjects in which your child is not strong

• learning how your child gets along with other children

• discussion of concerns about things going on in your family.

Some things you can do to prepare for these discussions include finding the right time to talk to your child’s teacher and being prepared ahead of time for these discussions.

When asked how they’d like parents to approach them, teachers suggested that parents should:

• be clear about what they want to discuss

• have an idea of what they would like to happen or what outcome they would like to achieve

• talk about current issues and try not to bring up things that happened in the past or are not relevant to what is happening now

• come with a positive attitude with the understanding that the parent and the school will work together in a way that benefits your child’s learning

• make a plan and decide together what the teacher will work on in the classroom and how you can help at home

• decide how you will keep in touch with the school and your child’s teacher – by phone, email or follow-up meetings.

Finding the right time

To find the right time for having a discussion, you could start by asking your child’s teacher if they have time to talk or when it might be convenient for them to do so. It may not be practical to have an extended conversation lasting more than a couple of minutes during drop-off and pick-up times at school. It is probably best if you arrange a time when you and your child’s teacher could sit down and discuss the issue in detail without distractions.

Make an appointment

To make a time to talk to your child’s teacher, you can contact the school office. You can let them know how long you think you’ll need and when the best time for you would be. You can also be specific about what you’d like to talk to the teacher about. For example, you might say, "Lucy's been having trouble with the book sent home last week. She struggled with the book and had a lot of trouble with some of the bigger words. We stopped reading after 30 minutes because she was getting so frustrated. Can we speak about some things we can do to help Lucy with her reading?" This ensures that everyone is clear about what will be discussed. You can also let them know if this should be a face-to-face meeting or over the phone. If you are not sure which type of meeting would be best, you can ask the school office for their advice.

You should be flexible about the timing of the appointment and recognise that while the timing may not be ideal, the fact you and your child’s teacher can have a discussion is a great outcome for your child.

If you need a translator, this should be arranged with the school at the time you make the appointment.

Being prepared

To help you focus your discussion with your child’s teacher on what matters most, some suggestions include writing a list of questions you wish to ask and ranking these questions in order of importance or priority.

Keep in mind that the story you hear from your child may not be very accurate. Your child sees things differently from how an adult would. The situation may require your child’s teacher’s perspective as well as your child’s before the whole picture is clear and a solution can be formulated. You should think about what you would like to see happen. Knowing what you want to happen or what outcome you’d like to see, and how long you expect that to take, is something you should consider when preparing for the meeting with your child’s teacher.

You should not expect your child’s teacher to propose all of the answers. By doing some research or thinking about the issue before you go you will be better prepared to make suggestions and offer solutions. Teachers are more likely to be responsive if you remember that the purpose of your meeting is conversation and you’re diplomatic, tactful and respectful. Actively listening, taking notes and asking about specific ways you can help at home will help achieve an outcome that will benefit your child’s learning. The teacher can define what your role should be in the problem-solving partnership, making sure everyone – your child’s teacher, your child and you – all have roles in achieving the desired or expected outcome.

REMINDERS

PAYMENTS When sending payments to school please ensure the CORRECT AMOUNT of money is enclosed in a separate envelope for each activity. PLEASE PUT ONLY ONE ACTIVITY IN EACH ENVELOPE. (If more than one activity is placed in an envelope your child may miss out on participating). Clearly mark each envelope with:

• your child’s name • your child’s class • name of activity

and please put the permission note inside the envelope. A separate permission note is required for each child in the family. Please do not fold or staple banknotes. Please make payments before the due date as paying late will result in your child missing an activity. All money is to be deposited in the payment slot in the door at the Admin Office. Parents are asked to supply their own envelopes. MESSAGES REGARDING LATE COLLECTION OF STUDENT Please phone before 2.30pm with any messages if you will be late picking up your child. SCHOOL CANTEEN The canteen operates on Monday to Friday each week. Any payments or orders for the canteen should be taken directly to the canteen. LUNCHES If parents need to bring lunches to school after 9.00am, we would ask that you wait until 11.15am, when you will be able to gain a pass to your child’s class and then be able to take the lunch to your child. EARLY LEAVERS When signing children out early of an afternoon, for appointments etc, parents are asked to do so before 2.45pm. Students will not be signed out after this time. UNIFORM SHOP HOURS Mondays: 8.30am to 9.00am Fridays: 8.30am to 9.30am SCHOOL CAR PARK Parents are reminded that the school car park is for STAFF PARKING ONLY. Parents are asked not to drop children off in the car park, park in or walk through the car park. There is a gate near the administration office for pedestrian access.