BLAIRMOUNT PUBLIC SCHOOL Cnr Clydesdale Drive & Badgally Road, BLAIRMOUNT NSW 2559

Phone: 02 4626 1794 - Facsimile: 02 4628 0594 Website: www.blairmount-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Email: blairmount-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Principal: Mr Greg Turnbull

Week 6, Term 1 Learning Together 1/3/2012 Dear families This week I have a number of reminders for everyone in our community to ensure the safety of all our students and staff. Firstly we are asking all parents and carers to collect your children from the designated class pick up points outside the building. It is extremely disruptive to teachers and students to have people inside the building in front of classrooms. Of course in wet weather children are collected from inside the building. Secondly we would like to remind all parents and carers that if you need to see children during the school day, you must come to the office and sign in as a visitor and collect a visitor tag before proceeding to classrooms. If you are not wearing a visitor tag you will be asked to return to the office before speaking with children. This is simply to ensure we know who is on the school site at all times to ensure the safety of all of our students. Finally we are again this year providing absence booklets to assist parents and carers in providing an explanation for students being away from school. We would like to thank everyone for their support and understanding in these matters. Regards Greg Turnbull Principal School Photos 2012 Our School Photo’s this year will be taken on

April 4th 2012 by Master School Photography a company we have used many times in the past. So put that date in your diary!

Who: The eldest child in the family from Year 4 to Kindergarten will receive a survey. What: We ask that parents/ guardians complete the survey and return it to their child’s class teacher by Friday 10th March. All responses are anonymous and confidential. Why: The Priority Schools Program (PSP) provides additional teachers and money to support government schools that are located in a low-socio economic area. Every four years, schools interested in applying for the extra funding have to reapply by asking their parent community to complete the survey. All of the 260 surveys that we will be sending out during this week need to be completed and returned so that we can apply for extra government funding for our school. Need help? If you need any help to interpret or answer the questions, bring your survey to the school hall on Wednesday 7th March at 3:10pm and we can help you with it.

PSP Survey Prizes When we receive all of the surveys every child in the school will receive a FREE ice block. Also, when you return the survey the tear off slip on the back of the

envelope will go into the draw to win a bike.

We have 2 bikes to give away!

PSP Survey Week Monday 5th March – Friday 10th

March 2012

Wet Weather Dismissal With all the wet weather recently we felt it was a good time to remind you of our procedure for dismissing students when it is raining at home time. To minimise the disruption to classes we ask that all parents wait in the corridor of the school near the canteen and hall. Some of the available executive staff will wait with parents in this area. A couple of minutes before 3.00pm parents and carers will be invited to proceed to classrooms to wait for students. We would like to thank you in advance for your co-operation and understanding in this matter. Swimming Carnival Congratulations to all the students below that attempted to qualify for the 2012 Zone Swimming Carnival. Of these 5 students will be representing our school at the Zone Swimming Carnival. We wish Joanne Ive, Matthew Delprado, Mele Halaifonua, Rachel Robinson and Caprice Nussbaum the best of luck.

Parental Access to Computer Lab We understand that not all students have access to the internet at home to access Mathletics. Therefore, our Computer Lab located opposite the hall will be opened every Wednesday from 3:15pm to 4:00pm from the 20th February for those students and their parents who do not have the internet at home. Please note this is not a tutoring service and all children must be accompanied by a parent or carer.

5 Ways to Improve your Child’s Reading Skills 1. Set aside a regular time to read to your

children every day. Studies show that regularly reading out loud to children will produce significant gains in reading comprehension, vocabulary, and the decoding of words. Whether your children are preschoolers or preteens, it will increase their desire to read independently

. 2. Surround your children with reading

material. Children that are surrounded by different reading materials in their homes score higher on standardised tests. Tempt your kids to read by having a large supply of appealing books and magazines at their reading level. Put the reading materials in cars, bathrooms, bedrooms, family rooms, and even by the TV.

3. Encourage a wide variety of reading activities. Make reading an integral part of your children's lives. Have them read menus, roadside signs, game directions, weather reports, movie time listings, and other practical everyday information.

4. Develop the library habit. Entice your children to read more by taking them to the library every few weeks to get new reading books. The library also offers reading programs for children of all ages that may appeal to your children and further increase their interest in reading.

5. Show enthusiasm for your children's reading. Your reaction has a great influence on how hard they will try to become good readers. Be sure to give them genuine praise for their efforts.

Adapted from: http://school.familyeducation.com/top-10-ways/improve-reading-skills

Poetry Using Onomatopoeia by Class 3/4S Onomatopoeia is a writing device which involves using words that have the same sound as the thing or action that is being described. Class 3/4S have been using Onomatopoeia when writing poems.

In The Air Swoosh! Went the aeroplane

Crackle! Went the radio Boom! Boom! Went the children’s music

Zip! Went the jackets ZZZ! Went the sleeping people

Hey we’re in New York now!

By Ashley. C

The Car Race Swish! Swosh! Went the flag.

Ffffoooooooomm!! Went the cars. Whooooohooooo!! Went the crowd.

The race has begun.

By Rachel K

At the Beach Splash! Goes the water,

Zoom! Goes the speedboat, Whack! Goes the volleyball,

Shhhr! Goes the sand, Lick! Goes the ice-cream,

We’re at the beach!

By Bassair A

War Bang! Went the bombs.

Digga Digga Digga went the guns. Splash went the blood. Ouch went the army.

Hey this is a war.

By Colin P Blairmount Birthdays Jada Carlyon, Joanne Ive, Alyssa Khouri, Esther Soalii, Tane Croft-Ritete, Primo Tahana, Cassidy Brock, Shaun Tupou, Geofelyn Robinson, Brayden Wales, Leah Blinman, Vili Poutasi, Mattyson Siilata, Clayton Stokes, Elena Walters

P & C Update Our next P&C meeting will be held on Monday 5th March at 6.30pm in the staffroom. We have decided to try holding our P&C meetings in the evening in the hope that more of our community will be able to attend. At this next meeting all positions will be declared vacant and nominations and voting will take place for the 2012 P&C. Positions that will need to be filled are;

• President • Vice President • Secretary and • Treasurer

I would strongly encourage all interested community members to attend this meeting. A reminder that to be nominated for a position and to vote you must be a financial member of the P&C, please find memberships attached to this newsletter. Clean Up Australia Day A reminder that the ‘School’s Clean Up Australia Day’ is on this Friday March the 2nd. The students from Years two to six will join over 2,000 schools around the country to help remove rubbish from our precious environment. The students will clean up our immediate school environment as well as the external fence line. Each participating student will be issued with a pair of gloves and closely monitored by supervising teachers. This is an excellent opportunity for our students to be involved in service to the community as well as conserving our environment. Should the wet weather continue we will postpone the clean up until a later date.

Yellow Information Cards A significant number of families have still NOT returned their 2012 Yellow Information Cards. It is essential we have this up to date information should we need to contact during the day for any reason it is imperative that we have current phone numbers. If you have not already done so could you please return the Information Card as soon as possibe. Cross Country / Fun Run

As part of our Cross Country this year, we will be holding an adidas School Fun-Run as a major fundraising event. The Cross Country/Fun Run will be

held on 5th April (Thursday Week 11) within the school grounds. All students will receive an information letter and sponsorship form in the coming weeks to help collect sponsorship on behalf of the school. The funds raised will be used towards our Year 6 Farewell. We would like to welcome parents and family members to attend the adidas School Fun-Run event day at the school to help cheer on the students. Thank you, good luck and happy fundraising! Sarah Webb Amazing Antartica I would like to invite students accompanied by parents to see a slideshow of photos I took in Antarctica and tell you of some of my experiences. These include photos of penguins, whales and icebergs.

• When: Tuesday 13th March 2012 at 3:15pm

• Where: Room 4 • Who – Students accompanied by an adult

(no pre-schoolers please) Hope to see you there. Ms Fakes (ESL teacher)

Blairmount Public School’s

Garden Working Bee

Fridays 12pm to 2.30pm

BPS will be having a garden working bee every Friday from 12pm to 2.30pm.

Our aim is to keep our gardens and our school yard looking beautiful.

WHAT TO BRING:

Garden gloves & drink

EXAMPLE OF SOME JOBS REQUIRED :

Pulling weeds out of garden

Planting plants

Watering plants

Garden edging

Pruning plants

Hedging

Any enquiries please see Ms Low or leave your name at the front office.

THANKYOU

Triple P- Positive Parenting Program

Be the best parent you can be

Free child minding available

Where

Blairmount Public School

When

Monday 5.3.12 9am-11am

Monday 12.3.12 9am-11am

Monday 19.3.12 9am-11am

Monday 26.3.12 9am-11am

There% is% no% single% right% way% to% be% a% parent% and% there% are% many%different% views% on% how% parents% should% go% about% raising% their%children.%

Ultimately% you% as% the% parent% need% to% develop% your% own% approach.%Triple%P%has%been%helpful% for%many%parents%and%may%give%you%some%useful%ideas%to%help%you%meet%the%challenges%of%raising%children.%%

%

RSVP: Ms Low Ph: 0246 261 794%

Blairmount Public School - Term 1 - 2012

WK Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1

23 January

24

25

26

27 School Development Day

(Teachers Only)

2

30

31

1 February

2

3

3

6

7

8

9 10

4

13 14

Kindergarten Eye Sight Testing

15

Teacher Meet and Greet 3.15pm

16

17

PSSA Gala Day 1

5

20 21

Issue 1 – Bookclub Due

22

Kindergarten Hearing Testing

23

Kindergarten Hearing Testing

24

6

27 28

29

1 March

Year 6 at Eagle Vale High School

2

Clean Up Australia Day

7

5

PSP Survey Week

6

7

8

Year 6 at Eagle Vale High School

9

8

12

13

14

15

Year 6 at Eagle Vale High School

16

PSSA Gala Day 2

9

19 Book Fair

20

21

Harmony Day

22

Year 6 at Eagle Vale High School

23

10

26

Parent / Teacher Interviews

Book Fair

27

Year 6 at Eagle Vale High School

28

Parent / Teacher Interviews

29

Parent / Teacher Interviews

30

11

2 April Parent Maths Workshop

3 4

School Photos

Eagle Vale HS Disco Yrs 5 and 6

(4.30 – 6.00pm)

5

Last Day Term 1

6

Good Friday