Public School - woodport-p.schools.nsw.gov.au

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2020 IS THE YEAR OF GRATITUDE AT WPS

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Issue 17 – 4 November 2020 Term 4 Week 4 LEADERSHIP SPEECHES Today eighteen of our Year 5 students addressed all Year 2-5 students at an assembly and presented a speech on why they should be nominated for a leadership role in 2021. Congratulations to Harry C, Lazar N, Edan S, Oliver Z, Devlan G-V, Toby F, Riley D, Cooper S, Ruary M, Lea N, Sophie W, Lucy D, Macaela P, Isabelle H, Gertie R, Zoe S, Tiana R and Holly A on doing an outstanding job. We were all blown away by the maturity and insight shown by these aspiring leaders. Our country is certainly in good hands.

They spoke clearly, confidently and with a great deal of enthusiasm; they are an absolute credit to their families and to the school. Well done! Students will be notified by the end of the week if they were successful in gaining a position of School Captain, Vice-captain or Prefect. A big thank you to Mrs Minter for all the time she has spent coordinating, preparing and working alongside our students in readiness for today.

The recording of today’s leadership speeches has been published on our website, please click the following link:

https://woodport-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/class-pages/recorded-events.html

Next Monday afternoon, we will be holding House meetings so the student body can vote for 2021 junior and senior House Captains. Students in Years 1 and 5 are able to self-nominate to stand for these positions.

Dates to Remember 2020

School banking on Tuesday

Uniform Shop open Monday and Thursday 8:30am-9:30am

Monday 9 November Kindy Start

Monday 9 November

House Leaders nominations

Monday 9 November

Last day for EBS plaques

Wednesday 11 November

Casey’s Toys Christmas Fundraising shopping night

Friday 13 November

Library Monitor nominations

Monday 16 November

P&C Meeting online

Tuesday 17 November

Library Monitors announced

Wednesday 18 November

OC Test at school

Wednesday 18 November

Xmas Raffle tickets home

WOODPORT

Public School Phone: 4367 7324 Email: woodport –[email protected] Principal: Judy Boland

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2020 IS THE YEAR OF GRATITUDE AT WPS

LEAGUES CLUB PARK Last Friday afternoon, our school captains Owen N & Ciarn S joined Adam Crouch MP – Member for Terrigal and school leaders from Chertsey and Copacabana schools to plant a tree at the new Leagues Club Field in Gosford. We enjoyed a tour of the precinct and learnt that a key feature of the park will be a water-play area that connects to Brisbane Water and will rise and fall with the tide to expose beautiful sandstone animal islands. We are looking forward to it opening.

CHANGE OF DATE FOR SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT DAYS IN 2021 In order to support a strong start to 2021, the Department of Education has announced there will now be two School Development Days (SDD) at the beginning of Term 1, 2021 and there will only be one SDD at the end of Term 4. For Term 1, 2021, School Development Days are scheduled for the following dates:

• 27 and 28 January. This means that students in Years 1-6 will return to school on Friday 29 January and the first full day for Kindergarten children will be Wednesday 3 February. P&C FUNDRAISER Getting ready for Christmas? Thinking about purchasing toys? Well, join us at Casey’s Toys Erina on Wednesday 11 November at 6:00pm. If you are unable to be there on the night you can shop online between 10-12 November. All online sales will have their freight refunded the following day and items will be delivered to Erina in bulk to collect. Family and friends welcome. RSVP to the office by 9 November. The school will receive 10% of sales in vouchers. This is our main fundraiser for the year. Please support the P&C. KINDERGARTEN 2021 INFORMATION EVENING Our Kindergarten information evening will be held on Tuesday 24 November commencing online at 6:00pm. This is an important opportunity for us to support families in their transition into school. The evening will cover a number of topics and issues to help parents/carers develop their understanding of the procedures for the start of the school year and provide general information which will support families when their child begins next year. This year the evening will be virtual, through Microsoft Teams. Each family will receive an email with a link to the meeting. If you have not received the link by Friday 20 November, please contact the school.

Artists impression

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2020 IS THE YEAR OF GRATITUDE AT WPS

KINDY START GRADUATION It’s hard to believe we are facing that time of the year again. Our precious ‘little ones’ are ready for school! The Kindy Start children will have a graduation morning to celebrate their completion of the program. These ceremonies will be held on Monday 16 November. Details of each group’s graduation will be outlined in a specific letter, which will be sent home. Unfortunately, this year, we are unable to have parents join us at school, but they will be able to watch the event online. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any queries. I would like to thank the following: Mrs Langdon Down for her commitment and passion to the Kindy Start Program; Megan Wyatt, Kim King, Jenni Bladwell and Deb Walter for their organisation and assistance with the enrolment process and Kindy Start; the K-1 classes that have hosted visits from the Kindy Start children’ as well as all the parents for trusting us with their children. A very big thank you also to Helen van der Walt and Larissa Ware who assisted every Monday making Mrs Langdon Down’s job that little bit easier. We have been so impressed with the children’s behaviour and readiness for school and can’t wait to welcome them to the Woodport community next year. Well done everyone! MATHS TRAINS BRAINS The Department of Education has released a new Maths hub for parents. Maths Trains Brains to solve problems in all aspects of life – from sport to business to creativity. The Everyday Maths hub is available to help parents support their children’s mathematical skills and understanding with fun, practical and creative activities. Follow #Maths Trains Brains on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to see how schools and families are getting involved. Click on this link to go to the VISIT THE EVERYDAY MATHS HUB Judy Boland Principal WORLD TEACHERS’ DAY Last Friday we celebrated World Teachers’ Day with a beautiful morning tea provided by the School Administration and Support staff (SASS). 2020 has been a year like no other with teachers having to adjust their teaching practices in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. Teachers at WPS each and every day work hard to inspire, nurture and guide our students and we are extremely proud of the work they do. It was a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge quality teaching and inspiration. Each of our teachers was presented with a certificate highlighting the qualities that SAS staff appreciate in each of them. There was much laughter and applause. Thank you, we all truly appreciate you. YEAR 6 TRANSITION TO HIGH SCHOOL PROGRAM

ERINA HS ZOOM MEETING QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSION

Our Year 6 students participated in the Erina High School (EHS) transition to high school Zoom Q and A session which was very engaging and helped to answer a lot of our students’ questions and concerns about moving into high school. Students also enjoyed participating in the fun and exciting "Build Challenge". This involved our students and students across the Erina Learning Community building the tallest tower they could, using only spaghetti noodles and marshmallows. Teachers from each school had to measure students’ creations from desk height to the top of the tower and take photos which were then sent to Erina High School Year 7 coordinators who will choose the best three. Winners of the challenge will receive a small prize when they attend the EHS Orientation Day in Week 8. Stay tuned.

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2020 IS THE YEAR OF GRATITUDE AT WPS

ETHICS TEACHERS At Woodport we are pleased to be able to provide lessons in Ethics for children from Kindergarten to Year 6, however the demand for these classes far exceeds the number of volunteers we have. Ethics classes are taught by volunteer ethics teachers. If you would like your child to learn these valuable lifelong skills, then consider volunteering so that we can offer the program to students in all grades.

The classes are every Thursday. Lesson plans are provided by Primary Ethics, so you don’t need to create your own. Each week the children discuss a topic from the approved Primary Ethics curriculum. Volunteers can attend training locally or in Newcastle or Sydney.

If you have been considering teaching Ethics or you know of a friend or family member who might be interested in volunteering, please visit the Primary Ethics website at https://primaryethics.com.au/volunteer/ethics-teacher/ or contact the Volunteering Manager, Fiona Branscombe at [email protected] or 0438 134 124

DAY FOR DANIEL The morning assembly on Friday was a sea of red in memory of Daniel Morcombe. Day for Daniel is Australia's largest day of action to raise awareness of child safety, protection, and harm prevention. The aim of the day was to raise awareness on child safety issues and to start a conversation with our children on personal safety. All students from K-6 were involved in a variety of lessons through the day on child safety, in particular the important message of No! Go! Tell! was reinforced. The following link provides information for you to raise issues with your children and to start this important conversation: https://danielmorcombe.com.au/fact-sheets/ https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents

S TE PS TO BECOMING AN E THI CS TEACHER 1. Submit an online application 2. Successfully complete the interview and approval process 3. Obtain the required Primary Ethics criminal history check and a Working with Children Check 4. Complete online training 5. Successfully complete a two-day ethics teacher training workshop 6. Review our Guidelines for Volunteers and sign our engagement form 7. Participate in Continuing Professional Development as required

TO PI CS CO VER ED I N ETHI CS T EACHER TRAI NI NG I NCLUD E

• Facilitation skills, e.g. procedural questioning, neutral responses, non-verbal communication, small groups and activities

• Child protection awareness • Behaviour management strategies • Philosophical framework overview • Community of inquiry approach to learning

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2020 IS THE YEAR OF GRATITUDE AT WPS

WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN STAGE 1 LATELY? Our War on Waste Last week, we began our war on waste with Stage 1 focus being to try to reduce the amount of playground waste. As a class, we decided on an Emu Parade to collect, sort and determine the amount of rubbish in our playgrounds after recess.

The process the class followed:

• collect rubbish in bags from all the playgrounds after recess • weigh the waste (a whopping 1kg - considering most wrappers do not weigh much) • sort the waste into paper/cardboard, plastic, metal, and mixed waste/food – the results are in the

table (number of pieces in each category)

Discussion and conclusions: • Students established that most food brought to school comes

in a plastic wrapper of some kind. • Students collected the most amount of rubbish from P2 and P3

- playgrounds which are food-free zones. • Some amazing discussion was initiated about where our waste

goes if not collected and the impact on marine animals and wildlife.

• Going forward, we aim to see a decline in rubbish within our playgrounds to improve our school and local environment.

Nature’s Decomposers As part of our science unit ‘Nature Wastes Nothing’, students have been discovering and discussing the characteristics of minibeast decomposers. Each student was given a series of picture cards and sorted them using an algorithm. Students were asked to analyse each minibeast and group it based on common characteristics or features. They would then decide if a particular minibeast could belong to a different group based on other features. Using colour-coding, they mapped their thought processes and discussed their findings.

Paper/cardboard Plastic Metal Mixed waste/food

63 266 6 23

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1B

Should we have rules at school?

All schools must have rules otherwise it would be very crazy.

Firstly, they would splash in the toilets, throw toilet paper everywhere and scribble in books. It would be bad because you would not go to the Gold Book.

Secondly, everyone would hurt themselves because they would run on P1.

Finally, it would be like a zoo.

Abigail – 1B

Should we have rules at school?

Our school should have rules because if they didn‛t our school would be Woodport Crazy School.

Firstly, it would be unsafe because everyone would run on P1 and trip over and hurt themselves, climb trees and fall down and they would fight each other.

Secondly, it would be dangerous because everyone would crash into each other. They would kick and punch each other.

Finally, they would throw a bunch of toilet paper in the toilet.

Xavier – 1B

Should we have rules at school?

All schools should have rules because if not everyone would go crazy.

Firstly, people could get crazy and get hot.

Secondly, people wouldn‛t learn and not get a job.

Finally, no one would get to go to Gold Book and they would scribble.

Charlotte – 1B

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2020 IS THE YEAR OF GRATITUDE AT WPS

GOLD BOOK – CONGRATULATIONS! At Woodport PS the Principal, Mrs Boland has a very special book, called ‘The Gold Book’. Students are given the opportunity to share their work with her. Mrs Boland is always so very proud of their efforts and she thoroughly enjoys this special time with them. Listed below are the students who were sent to Gold Book over the last two weeks.

Charlotte B – 1B x 2 Isabella K – 1B Callum J – KB Akapei U – KB x 2

Trinity L – KB Helerin M – KB Farley D – 6E Isys O – 6E

Jonas P – 6E Zac P – 6E Sam W – 6E Zane D – 6E

Kobi G – 6E Kaylea S – 6E Darcy M – 6E Ashton B – 6E

Enabella C – 3P Eden M – KT Khye J – KT Alex M – KT

Conor D – KT James H – KM Remi B – KM Parneet B – KT

Amani H – KT Bailey S – 4K Simon G – 4K Noah W – 4K

Ryan O – 4K Meeki W – 4K William F – KB Brigitte W – KB

April C – KB Emma J – KB Amy S – KB Stefan M - KM

Henry W – KM x 2 James H – KM Fraser L – KM Rocco B – KM x 2

Oliver T – KM Nate D – 4D Max M – 4D Leilani S – 4D

Ella F – 4D Luka M – 4D Summer P – 4D Skye L – 4D

Sophie W – 4D Ava S-B -4D Abigail J – 1B Xavier B – 1B

Charlotte B – 1B Phoebe M – 1B Amariah B – 1B Maddison H – 4K

EBS AWARDS To receive an Effort Brings Success (EBS) certificate, students need to return three merit certificates. Four “Effort Brings Success” (EBS) certificates are required to earn a plaque.

This fortnight the following students have received an EBS certificate:

Parker M – 1B Jack R – 1B Kaylea S - 6E x 4 Levi P – 5M x 2

Kallan B – 5M Lachlan P – 2/3J x 2 Tom L – 2/3J Macaela P – 5O x 2

Harrison B – 6B Abigail J – 1B Trinity L – KB Timothy W – 2C

Khalen W – 2C Hunter P – 5M Tiana R – 5M Jaxson S – 3P

Eva B – 3/4A Inara W – 5M x 2 Lea N – 5O x 2 Sophie S – 1/2R

Amelia G – 1/2R Emily H – 1/2R Zoe S – 5M Oliver Z – 5O

Charlotte P – 6B Hayden B – 3/4A Emily W – 2C Curtis S – 2/3J

Hunter C-L - 2/3J Lockie T – 3P Zoe W – 6B Aurora G – 3P

Annabelle W – 4K Henry W – KM April C – KB Cooper E – 1B

Aarush B – 2/3J Alori-Joh A – 1S

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STUDENT AWARDS

STUDENT OF THE WEEK

YOU CAN DO IT

KB Nola P 3P Jacob L

KM Abigail T 3/4A Addison S

KT Leon V 4D Leila H

1B Zara L 4K Cooper Y

1S Zoe M 5M Tyrone L

1/2R Charlie K 5O Charlotte S

2C Ella G-V 5/6S Massimo B

2E Alex W 6B Morgan C

2/3J Grace R 6E Mia F

KB Luna B 3P Aurora G

KM Havana D 3/4A Anthony G

KT Alex M 4D Leila H

1B Oliver G 4K Mackenzie B

1S Hudson B 5M Elih S

1/2R Chloe R 5O Kaylee F

2E Van P 5/6S Josh H

2/3J Grace R 6B Kingston H-D

6E Mia F

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2020 IS THE YEAR OF GRATITUDE AT WPS

YOUTH FRONTIERS Last week, our school was approached by an ex-student, Makayla R, about participating in a project to improve equitable access to educational facilities for all students. With a group of her peers from Erina High School, Makayla is involved with Youth Frontiers, an initiative of the NSW Government that targets students aged 12-16 years with the capacity to benefit from the support of a mentor. Young people participating in the program are matched with advisers from all walks of life who spend at least 35 hours over six months supporting the young adults to achieve their goals. The group’s main aim is to provide support within the local community and Makayla was keen to help ensure others could experience her positive time at Woodport Public School. Understanding that not all children have the same access to the resources required for successful schooling, the group are hoping to approach local businesses and organisations to raise funds. The monies obtained will then be directed to areas of need as identified by staff at Woodport.

When Makayla visited Woodport, she was accompanied by her guide dog Misty who met several of our kindergarten students. We look forward to being a part of this partnership which gives mentees an opportunity to build life skills and self-confidence through mentoring and by undertaking a community engagement activity.

Join the Band! Is your child interested in joining the school band? The school band is now taking enrolments for 2021 and is open to all students currently in Years 2-5. No prior experience is required. Next week, students will see a demonstration concert that highlights the different instruments available for tuition. They will receive a green School Band Program note providing introductory information. What do you need to do? Return the expression of interest from the bottom of the green note to try a variety of instruments with trained music tutors, to help your child find the instrument to which they are best suited. The results of this instrument trial will be sent home with comprehensive enrolment information. Learning an instrument in an ensemble is a great way to experience the social, educational and personal benefits that music and the arts have to offer! TSA provides a quality instrumental program, with full ensemble rehearsals, great value tuition and rent-to-buy instrument hire. For more information on your school instrumental program, please contact TSA below. Email: info@teaching services.com.au Phone: 9651 7333 www.teachingservices.com.au

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2020 IS THE YEAR OF GRATITUDE AT WPS

The Entertainment Book is now digital!

The best thing about it going digital is that you have it right there on your phone. It updates every time you open the App. You can search by your location, or find restaurants of a certain cuisine, save favourites, etc.

It keeps a record of your savings which is a new feature. Environmentally sustainable, convenient and super easy to use PLUS Woodport Public School receives 20% off all sales so it’s a win-win! Just select Woodport School when activating your membership. Thank you for your support.

Woodport P&C

SCHOOL CANTEEN

Do you have time to spare to help in the school canteen?

Our school canteen operates every day of the week, and need some volunteers. Please contact the school office via email or phone with your details and we will pass them on to the canteen supervisor.

PASSPORT TO SUCCESS: Preparing students for a successful move to high school. Woodport Public School students are lucky to be able to participate in the Passport to Success transition to high school program implemented by the Smith Family. This program provides our Year 6 students with the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge, and a positive attitude so they are prepared for a successful move to high school.

The Smith Family provides a trained facilitator who delivers a program during school time. Students complete activities and discussion to assist them to:

- learn about managing homework and their time

- increase their motivation to learn

- increase their knowledge and understanding of what secondary school is like

As part of the program, students hear from a secondary student about what to expect in secondary school. This is an opportunity to breakdown the myths about high school for students.

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HELPING YOUR CHILD AT HOME – How You Can Help

Each fortnight we will include some tips for helping your child at home.

Learning to Cope – How You Can Help

We all experience a range of emotions from day to day but are not necessarily taught how to cope with these emotions. Children who feel out of control and lack healthy coping strategies often act out of control. Children need to be taught to manage their emotions from a young age. We need to support children and young adults as they learn to cope with anxiety and frustration and deal with a whole array of feelings.

Crying and being emotional is not a bad thing. Some children are more emotional than others. It is OK for children to have intense feelings. Allow your child to feel bad. We do not have to be happy all the time but do not let them get stuck in a bad mood. Help them by accepting their feelings, rather than minimising them with comments like, “it’s not a big deal” or “it’s not that bad!” Help them to label their emotions and make a choice in how they deal with things.

Children who do not know how to deal with feelings are more likely to turn to unhealthy coping strategies as they get older food, alcohol, drugs. Adolescents who lack healthy coping skills may turn to strategies where they just avoid doing the things, they feel uncomfortable with. Avoidance through ‘escapism’ by spending too much time on electronics, i.e. screen time, does not promote healthy coping skills. Following are two strategies you may find useful in helping children deal with their feelings and avoid stress. Emotion-Focused Coping Skills

• help children deal with feelings so they are less stressed • teach them how to tolerate stress and gain perseverance • assist them to deal with situations that cannot be changed Being able to identify the emotion and verbalise how they are feeling is a start. Teach your child to use calming strategies such as breathing, take a time out break, exercise, artwork, reading, yoga, etc. Teach them the skills to face up to their fears, calm down and cheer themselves up.

Problem-Focused Coping Skills

• guide them in taking action toward change • empower them to take control of a difficult situation • assist them to deal with situations that can be changed When your child shows signs of discomfort due to what they perceive as a difficult issue, you might prompt them to think about changing the situation or changing how they feel about it, e.g., if the homework is too hard, they could ask for help, ring a friend or wait to

talk to the teacher the next day. Help them engage in problem-solving by brainstorming several solutions, listing pros and cons, and thinking about where they could seek assistance.

Over time, your child will become better at coping with their feelings and dealing with problems. Offer reassurance to your child and praise them for their efforts. Avoid stepping in too often, responding with treats or showering them with attention. Ultimately, your child should be able to use coping skills on their own so they can deal with discomfort in a healthy way when you are not there to guide them.

Learning coping skills early leads to wellbeing as an adult. Research suggests they are more likely to hold steady jobs, have less mental health issues and are less likely to indulge in substance abuse and criminal activities.

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MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON!

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WHAT IS POSITIVE BEHAVIOUR FOR LEARNING (PBL)? Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) provides the framework for a whole school evidence-based approach to behaviour support. Woodport PS takes an instructional approach to behaviour, recognising that we need to teach the behaviours needed for success at school and beyond.

At Woodport PS, we believe a positive school environment, where all students are included and feel safe and supported improves student learning outcomes. Our new signage displayed around the school reminds students of positive behaviours that help to make all students feel safe, included and happy at school.

For the next two weeks all students will engage in lessons on P2 and Canteen

P2 ERNIE SAYS …

As Safe, Respectful Learners, students should always follow the

school wide expectations while playing on P2

SAFE

Food free zone

Hands and feet to self

Wait for teacher behind the blue line

RESPECTFUL

Agree on rules before you start

Move off quickly when warning bell rings

Return sports equipment on whistle time

LEARNER

Include others

Use appropriate language

Right ball, right area, right way

Canteen ERNIE SAYS

As safe, respectful learners’ students should always follow the school

expectations when at the canteen.

SAFE

Queue behind marked line Stand in line Wait your turn

RESPECTFUL

Use your manners

Order before 9:00am

LEARNER

Know what you want to buy

Buy for yourself

Have money ready

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SHOP ONLINE FROM TUESDAY 10TH – THURSDAY 12TH NOVEMBER.

FREIGHT COST WILL BE REFUNDED THE FOLLOWING DAY – PICK UP WILL BE FROM ERINA STORE IN APPROXIMATELY 2 WEEKS

UNIFORM SHOP The uniform shop will open on Monday and Thursday mornings from 8:30am – 9:30am. If you wish to access the uniform shop, please sign in at the front office and collect a visitors’ badge before making your way to the shop. Alternatively, you can order online through the school’s website and the clothing will be delivered to your child’s class. Cash and EFTPOS are accepted. Hats are also available from the school canteen. Slouch hats and legionnaire hats $16.00

SCHOOL BANKING Congratulations to our School Banking savers! Congratulations to our School Banking students who have earned 10 Dollarmites tokens. They are now eligible to redeem these tokens for an exclusive School Banking reward item! Eligible students can redeem for a reward by bringing their completed rewards slip to school, along with their 10 tokens, the next school banking day. Keep up the great work and remember, School Banking day is every Tuesday.

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2020 IS THE YEAR OF GRATITUDE AT WPS