PACIFIC PALMS PUBLIC SCHOOL NEWSLETTER · Hunter Dance Ensemble ... On Friday 24 June, Stage 2 students went to Forster for their History and Geography excursion on Aboriginal history

PACIFIC PALMS PUBLIC SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

30 June 2016

“Respect is the Key”

www.pacificpal‐p.schools.nsw.edu.au

CARE – about yourself, others, learning and the environment ISSUE 6 | TERM 2 | WEEK 10

RESPECT IS THE KEY WWW.PACIFICPAL-P.SCHOOLS.NSW.EDU.AU 1

OUR STUDENTS EXCEL

NSW PSSA Cross Country & NSW PSSA Boys Touch Football Congratulations to Lewis who recently qualified for the Hunter Cross Country Team. Lewis will travel to Eastern Creek on Friday, 22 July to race against other talented runners from across the state at the NSW PSSA Cross Country. Good luck Lewis.

Then just to keep mum and dad on their toes, Lewis heads to Tamworth to represent Hunter at the NSW PSSA Boys Touch Football Championships which will be held over three days from 26 July to 28 July. What a fantastic sporting achievement for Lewis as this is his second selection into a Hunter team this year. What a wonderful role model for our younger students.

Hunter Dance Ensemble Congratulations to Zoe Kell who has been selected to perform in the 2016 Hunter Dance Ensemble. Zoe will work collaboratively with professional contemporary choreographers: Harrison Elliott, Cadi McCarthy and Casey Horner to develop a series of new contemporary dance works. Zoe attended workshops on 21 & 22 June and will attend more workshops on 19 & 20 July. The Hunter Dance Festival will be held from Monday, 25 July to Thursday, 28 July 2016. With the Flipside Project major production at the Griffith Duncan Theatre to be held in November 2016.

DIARY DATES The following events are happening over the coming weeks:

UP AND COMING EVENTS CALENDER Wed, 29 June Reports sent home Thur, 30 June PSSA Boys and Girls Touch Football Knockout at Forster for selected students Fri, 1 July Last day of Term 2 – Mufti Day with a gold coin donation Tues, 19 July First day of Term 3 Wed, 20 July P&C Meeting @ 1 pm at school. All welcome Tues, 27 July Philip Green, Eco-Science Presentation – School Performance – K to Year 6 Tues, 2 August Education Week Open Day - The NED Show – School Performance Fri, 5 August Zone Athletics Carnival for selected students Fri, 19 August PSSA Boys Soccer Gala Day for selected students


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OUR STUDENTS EXCEL Cont.

PSSA Soccer Knock Out Our boys soccer team have continued their great run through the early rounds of this year's PSSA knockout competition. On a cold and bleak Monday afternoon, we took the field against a strong Tinonee Public School. Their home ground was a bit worse for wear after the recent rain and it also had a cricket pitch right through the middle. We were also missing a couple of players and had to call on Cooper to be our goalkeeper. These were small obstacles for our boys who came away with a 2 to nil victory and now progress to round 5 of the competition. Our next game will be early in Term 3 and played at home. We are waiting for some other results to see who we play but it should be a team from the Newcastle area. Thank you again to all of our parents who turned up to support and well done to the boys. PSSA Girls Soccer Gala Day The girls soccer team played in the annual PSSA Gala Day on Friday 10 June at Wingham Sporting complex. It was a beautiful sunny day and all the girls had a fantastic time and tried out different positions on the field. Some had never played competitive soccer before and are all keen for another run. We played a total of five games against Old Bar, Taree West, Tuncurry and two Forster teams. A big thank you to all of our supporters.


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SCHOOL HAPPENINGS Bullying “No Way” Stand Together! Stand Strong! Is the message year 5 and 6 are receiving at the Bullying 'NO WAY' anti bullying program. The educational program from bullyingnoway.gov.au helps students strengthen their existing knowledge of bullying behaviour and how they can counter bullying in a proactive and positive way.

One focus of the program is the difference between bystanders and active bystanders. Most bullying situations involve 'bystanders' - other people who watch or are nearby at the time the bullying takes place. The role of bystanders in bullying is complex. Each situation and each student is different. Students need to know their school supports active bystanders and respects student's judgment about their own safety and the appropriateness of taking actions in a bullying situation. The Stand Together lessons explore the impact and importance of active bystanders for individual students

and the whole school community. The lesson finishes with students making a personal promise to stand up and say no to bullying. This promise is recorded by the student adding their hand prints to the 'Anti Bullying Pledge Wall' located on the wall outside the library, creating a wonderful artwork and an important visual message.

Stage 2 History and Geography Excursion On Friday 24 June, Stage 2 students went to Forster for their History and Geography excursion on Aboriginal history and culture. During this excursion students visited the Tuncurry historical museum, where they viewed old pictures and artefacts from the past. All the students loved looking at the different artefacts and answering questions about them. They also visited important Aboriginal sites in Forster. While at these sites Steve Brereton shared traditional Aboriginal dreamtime stories and spoke about life before European settlement. They heard the story of ‘Gulambarra and the Crying Tree’ and viewed the artwork displayed at the wharf. Our students also heard the story of ‘Granny’s Rock’ at Bennett’s Head. To conclude the day the students participated in the opening of the bush track which involved taking part in a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony. It was a lovely day and all the adults that attended complemented the students on their good behaviour and engagement in activities.


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SCHOOL HAPPENINGS Cont.

NAIDOC Smoking Ceremony It was wonderful to have Worimi elder Steve Brereton back at our school to conduct a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony to open our bush track and 'Yalawanyi' (sitting place). Steve has previously worked with Mrs Perkins, and past and present Aboriginal students in planning the new bush track, including the bush tucker and medicine plants. The smoking ceremony included Steve using native plants to produce a smoke which is believed to have cleansing properties and to ward off unwanted spirits. Students, teachers and visitors were invited to walk through the smoke and this special occasion was embraced by all.

Athletics Carnival Congratulations to all our students who braved the cold weather and competed in the athletics carnival on Tuesday. It was a fantastic day with lots of participation and standout performances. Thank you to all the parents who baked cakes and slices for our canteen and a very big thank you to all the parents that volunteered in the canteen or helped out with time keeping and the infants tabloid activities. Good luck to all our students who have qualified to represent our school at the Manning Zone Athletics Carnival at Tuncurry to be held next term. Our 2016 Athletics Champions are:

Junior Boy: Aiden Junior Girls: Aaris 11 yrs Boy: Koby (absent) 11 Yrs Girl: Gabrielle Senior Boy: Lewis Senior Girl: Charlize Charlize, Gabrielle, Aaris, Aiden, Lewis, (Koby – absent)


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2016 ATHLETICS CARNIVAL


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INFORMATION FOR OUR PARENTS Pacific Palms Art Festival The Pacific Palms Art Festival and Youth Art Festival were recently held at Pacific Palms Public School Hall over the June Long Weekend. The overall winner of the Youth Art Prize was Campbell Scott Young with an intricate sketched portrait of the Disney character, Rapunzel. This artwork was much admired by students of Pacific Palms School as they viewed this and other inspiring artworks submitted by local youth.

The Pacific Palms Art Festival is an opportunity for local artists to display their works and be recognised in the community for their talents. This year was the 24th year the annual festival has taken place. The major prize winner from the Pacific Palms Art Festival was Jan Wilson with the painting “Lights on the Factory Floor”. Judge Sarah Johnson and Patron Reg Richardson AM were impressed with the artworks across all categories. Thank you to the Art Festival committee and all who supported this inspiring community event. The raffle was won by Susan Jenkins. Congratulations Susan. Thank you to everyone who supported the Pacific Palms Art Festival. The event is a major fundraiser for our school and your support is appreciated. Stage 3 Canberra Excursion – Tuesday, 11 October to Friday, 14 October Our Stage 3 Excursion to Canberra is now only 14 weeks away. Thank you to all of the parents who are making regular payments. A gentle reminder that this excursion must be paid in full by the last week of Term 3. If you have any questions regarding this excursion please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Voluntary Contribution Fee and Resource Levy Thank you to those parents who have already paid their Voluntary Contribution and Resource Levy. The Voluntary Contribution Fee for 2016 has been set at $45 first child, $65 for two children and $75 for three children or more. The Voluntary Contribution Fee is capped at $75 and goes towards general school costs. The Resource Levy has been set at $50 per student and covers such things as exercise books, pencils, art supplies, access to Mathletics and Reading Eggs. Payment can be made at the front office. EFTPOS facilities are available. Thank you for your ongoing support.


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A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

I would like to acknowledge the amazing work of our school staff over the past term as they continue to approach each day with enthusiasm, passion and commitment. Thank you to our beautiful students, we are proud of you. With the commencement of our winter vacation on Friday I hope that you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday with your children. School will recommence for all students on Tuesday 19 July. Pacific Palms Students Succeed A huge congratulations to former Pacific Palms students Wednesday Bannerman and Shannon Notley who were announced as the 2017 School Captain and Vice-Captain of Great Lakes College Senior Campus.

Uniforms With winter well underway students are reminded that full school uniform is to be worn every day. Brightly coloured and brand named jackets and hats are not permitted. This will be a strong staff focus to ensure that all students are in the correct uniform after the holidays. If this creates a difficulty for your family please contact the office for assistance as it is an expectation that all students are in full school uniform at all times. Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) - Everyone, Everywhere, Every time.

We have spent the past few weeks explicitly teaching CARE for ourselves, CARE for others, CARE for learning and CARE for our environment. This week we are focussing on showing CARE on the OVAL. We have an agreed set of rules for all students playing in this area – to be fun and safe. School Reports and parent interview slips were sent home on Wednesday. Most classes will be conducting parent/teacher interviews from Monday 25 July to Friday 5 August. If you did not receive this information please contact your child’s class teacher. The teachers have spent many hours preparing your child’s report. If you would like the opportunity to speak with your child’s teacher regarding their Semester 1 report please return the interview slip back to school. Athletics Carnival What a fantastic day! Thank you to Mr Wilson, Mrs Brislane (and Mr Brislane) and Miss Murray for organising such a terrific day of events. The weather held off and as you can see from the photos, a great day was had by all. Thank you to Jackie and our wonderful parent volunteers in the Canteen and BBQ for giving up their time and providing us with great hot food and sweet treats on the day. We also appreciated the coffee van!

Wishing everyone a warm and relaxing holiday!

Mel Merchant - Co-Principal “We’re all like snowflakes – unique and one of a kind’


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PACIFIC PALMS PUBLIC SCHOOL NEWSLETTER · Hunter Dance Ensemble ... On Friday 24 June, Stage 2 students went to Forster for their History and Geography excursion on Aboriginal history

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