Wentworthville Public School · Healthy Harold came to visit WPS and students across all stages learnt about important topics such as making healthy food choices, safe and unsafe

Wentworthville Public School QUALITY TEACHING TO MAXIMISE STUDENT LEARNING

Term 2 Week 10 2020 Newsletter

70 - 100 Fullagar Rd WENTWORTHVILLE NSW 2145 Australia Phone: 02 9631 8529 Fax: 02 9896 3079

Website: www.wentwthvil-p.schools.nsw.gov.au Email: [email protected] Student Portal: http://portal.det.nsw.edu.au

Wonderful happenings at Wenty!

Wow what a term it has been! I trust you and your family have time to rest and recharge over this school

holiday break and we look forward to everyone being back in Term 3 starting Tuesday July 21. The staff will

be engaged in professional learning on Monday July 20 on site with a facilitator who has been working with

the school on building our capacity as educators. We are looking forward to time spent with Rochelle Borton

on School Development Day and a reminder this is non student school day.

From the Principal – Denise Lockrey

Name Class Name Class

Dhruvi KG Yathavi KG

Naksh KG Suhaan KG

Aarush 1K Anvi 2C

Sharvi 1K Riya 2C

Abdullah 1P Saadgi 2L

Hasini 2L Aum 1A

Aarna 2L Suha 2L

Prabhjot 2L Isa 2C

Arya 2L Jenish 2A

Mahim 2A Trija 1K

Easan 2C Samanvi 2A

Manashi 5/6R

Healthy Harold came to visit WPS and students across all

stages learnt about important topics such as making healthy

food choices, safe and unsafe behaviours, function of body

systems, building friendships and maintaining respectful

relationships.

Natassja Suisted from Life Education presented all the

programs. Thanks to Yates, all students were given a carrot

seed packet with instructions on how to grow carrots at

home. Happy gardening all!

Happy Smiles!

Natassja with Mrs Eastwood and

the donated carrot seeds from

Yates.

KG loved meeting the cute giraffe - Healthy Harold. He told us all

about different ways of keeping our bodies healthy and safe. We learnt

about some of our important body parts like our brain, heart, lungs and

stomach. A diet should be mainly healthy food and that we should limit

other food to just sometimes. KG explored ways to keep safe from the

sun, the road and near water. We loved taking home our booklets and

stickers too.

On Monday 16 June, 4L went to Life Education. We learnt about the human

body and the main organs. We learnt that the blood carries oxygen, waste,

nutrients, carbon dioxide, medicine and water throughout our body. We

also learnt about the intestines, heart, stomach, lungs and brain. We talked

about the cons of second hand smoking and how to avoid it. It was a fun and

educational experience!

Roneisha and Vihaan (4L)

The Hall is emerging!

H Block Hall structure starting!

More concrete!

G Block on site storm water tank pit prep!

Due to COVID-19 students will receive a modified Semester 1 report that

reflects both work undertaken at school and online work completed at home

with information about what might need to be done to support your child’s

learning growth. As a result the report for Semester 1 will not include an A –

E scale for Years 1-6 as per Department of Education guidelines for reporting

to parents in Semester 1 2020.

The Semester 1 report will still comment on each Key Learning Area, effort, attitudes to learning and a

general comment. Your child’s attendance for Semester 1 will also be outlined in the report and takes into

account engagement in online work during COVID-19 operations. Semester 1 reports will be distributed to

parents on Friday 24th July.

Please note Semester 2 reports will revert to the usual Pre COVID-19 format using the A-E scale for Years 1-

6.

This year we are holding interviews in Week 4 Term 3 to enable parents to meet with teachers to discuss their

child’s progress.

The format of the interviews will be either:

• Face to Face via appointment and following COVID-19 hygiene practices.

• Online via Zoom. Registration and access details will be provided by the classroom

teacher.

• Phone call

Further details regarding parent teacher interviews will be available in Week 1 Term 3.

We will be using the same online booking system for Week 4 interviews as in 2019.

schoolinfrastructure.nsw.gov.au

NSW Department of Education – School Infrastructure

Wentworthville Public School Term 2 Holidays works notification July 2020

Artist impression of the Wentworthville Public School upgrade

Investing in our schools

The NSW Government is investing $6.7 billion over four years to deliver more than 190 new and upgraded schools to support communities across NSW. In addition, a record $1.3 billion is being spent on school maintenance over five years. This is the largest investment in public education infrastructure in the history of NSW.

The NSW Department of Education is committed to delivering new and upgraded schools for communities across NSW. The delivery of these important projects is essential to the future learning needs of our students and supports growth in the local economy.

Wentworthville Public School

A project is underway to upgrade Wentworthville Public School. The project will deliver:

31 new permanent learning spaces

a new hall and library

a new special education area

new administration and staff facilities, and

new special program rooms.

Progress summary

Stage 1 of demolition works have been completed with the demolition of Block D and part of Block A.

The new hall is progressing well. Concrete pours to support the new structure are complete.

Excavation and construction works for Block G have progressed to establish the foundations of the new building, including in ground services and foundation works.

School holiday works

Over the school holidays, a tower crane will be established on the Wentworthville Public School construction site. The tower crane will assist construction works and the movement of materials on site.

Construction works will continue for Blocks G and H. Work will progress on the hall and a structural steel frame will be assembled on site. Block G construction will continue with further earth works and excavation. The installation of the on-site detention (OSD) tank continues to facilitate the ongoing building works.

As previously notified, asbestos containing material was identified on site and these remediation works will continue during the weekends.

For more information contact:

School Infrastructure NSW Email: [email protected] Phone: 1300 482 651 www.schoolinfrastructure.nsw.gov.au

schoolinfrastructure.nsw.gov.au

NSW Department of Education – School Infrastructure

Frequently asked questions

What are the construction working hours?

Work will take place during approved hours between 7am and 6pm, Monday to Friday and 8am and 1pm on Saturdays.

From Saturday 16 May, 2020, weekend working hours were extended as per below:

On Saturdays until further notice, work will be carriedout on site between 7:00am and 5:00pm

On Sundays, from 17 May 2020 until 19 July 2020inclusive, work will be carried out between 8:00amand 3:00pm

Works carried out on weekends will be minor and School Infrastructure NSW will ensure work is considerate of our neighbours, with noise kept to a minimum.

What safety measures will be in place?

The safety of the school’s students, staff and the local community is our highest priority.

Construction planning has been designed so there is minimal impact on school operations. Safety measures such as hoardings, signage and separate access points are in place to ensure students are not able to enter the construction site.

To minimise disruption to school operations and activities, site deliveries are being scheduled outside of school drop off and pick up times and traffic control personnel are on site to assist with contractor deliveries.

Appropriate controls and monitoring measures will be in place for the duration of the time the crane is on site to ensure the safety of staff, students and the community. No crane loads will be lifted over residential or public areas.

What steps will be taken to control noise and dust impacts?

All construction on site is being conducted in accordance with NSW Government noise, safety and building regulations. We are working closely with the school Principal to minimise impacts to staff, teachers, students and neighbours

How will traffic be managed?

Construction vehicle movements and deliveries will be scheduled outside of peak school operation times.

Traffic management will be in place where required to manage vehicles entering and exiting the site in a safe manner.

Provided as a part of our school’s Parenting Ideas membership parentingideas.com.au

INSIGHTS

Conquering kids’ techno-tantrums

Many of us have witnessed our kids or teens emotionally combust when asked to switch o� their gaming console or put theirphone away. I colloquially call these ‘techno-tantrums’. Many of us fret that this signals that they’re ‘addicted’ to technology andfind ourselves worrying about why they behave in such intense ways.

So, what makes technology so psychologically appealing for kids and how can we help them to unplug so that screen-timedoesn’t end in scream time?

Technology is so appealing

Technology has been intentionally designed to cater for our kids’ most basic psychological drivers. As humans, our three mostbasic psychological needs are the need for connection, competence and control.

Technology caters for these needs in very clever ways. For example, our need for relational connection explains why many of ourboys are obsessed with multi-player video games and girls are infatuated with social media. These online tools have also beendesigned to help young people experience competency- gamers see tangible measures of their performance by their levels ofattainment, or battles won. Scrolling through YouTube and ‘selecting’ which video they’ll watch next also enables young peopleto experience a sense of control and agency over their lives – something they biologically crave.

Here’s what technology does to their brains and bodies

Digital technology impacts on children and young people in the following ways:

‘It feels good’

When our kids use a screen it’s usually a pleasurable experience for them. Their brains secrete the neurotransmitter dopamine,which makes them feel good. This means, when you demand that they turn the device o�, you’re terminating their production ofdopamine (pleasure response).  It’s better to provide a choice of more appealing transition activities when you want them tomove away from a screen. For example, suggest that they ride their bike, or walk the dog a�er they’ve switched o� the device.

‘I want more’

The online world has no stopping cues, so our kids and teen never feel ‘complete’ or ‘done’. They can always refresh social media;continue to play to attain another level in a game; or watch another YouTube clip. This is also referred to as the state ofinsu�iciency.One parenting tips that works is to give your children and teens hard end points. Rather than giving them a quantity of time (forexample, you can watch an hour of TV today), give them the finish time (for example, I’d like you to switch o� the TV at 4:30pm).

Provided as a part of our school’s Parenting Ideas membership parentingideas.com.au

‘It’s so novel’

Our brains are wired to seek out new and interesting stimulus. The online world is always instantly gratifying, fast-paced andrequires minimal cognitive e�ort. In comparison the o�line, real world doesn’t always o�er novelty. The real world is a lotslower-paced, and it’s not always instantly rewarding and interesting like our kids’ digital world.

Ensure your kids and teens have ample time to experience boredom. Our brains were never designed to be switched on andprocessing information as they are in the digital world. Opportunities for boredom allow the brain time to reset and help ourkids become accustomed to not always being ‘switched on’.

Related webinar

Our school has a membership with Parenting Ideas. As part of this membership, you can access the below webinar recording‘Understanding techno tantrums’ at no cost.

About

In this webinar Dr Kristy Goodwin helps parents and carers understand why children and teens emotionally combust when theydigitally-disconnect, and how to establish new, healthy technology habits.

To redeem1. Click this link: https://www.parentingideas.com.au/parent-resources/parent-webinars/webinar-understanding-techno-tantrums2. Click ‘Add to cart’3. Click ‘View cart’4. Enter the voucher code TECHNO and click ‘Apply Coupon’ Your discount of $37 will be applied.5. Click ‘Proceed to checkout’6. Fill in your account details. These details are used to login to your account and access your parenting material7. Click ‘Place Order’The voucher is valid until 17 September 2020. The webinar recording will be available in your Parenting Ideas dashboard so youcan refer to it at any time.

Dr Kristy GoodwinDr Kristy Goodwin is a digital wellbeing and performance speaker, author and researcher (and mumwho also deals with her kids’ techno-tantrums!). She’s the author of Raising Your Child in a DigitalWorld, and a media commentator who doesn’t suggest that we ban the iPhone, or unplug the gamingconsole (digital abstinence isn’t the solution). Kristy worked as an educator for fourteen years beforebecoming an academic and speaker who’s on a mission to help children, teens and adults tame theirtechnology habits so they’re not a slave to the screen. For further details visitwww.drkristygoodwin.com.