KNPS News 2020Term 4 Week 5
Respect, Responsibility, ResilienceRespect, Responsibility, Resilience
WelcomeWelcome to the Kurrajong North Public School Newsletter.
Our vision is to provide equitable opportunities for all students to enable them to become engaged and self-driven
life-long learners, to value the opinions and belief of others, to show respect and to develop the core values which
will enable them to be productive, responsible and respectful citizens.
Stone Terrace, Kurrajong Hills NSW, Australia
+61245677291
kurrajongn-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/
https://www.facebook.com/kurrajongnorthpublicschool
Principal's Message
Welcome to the Term 4 Week 5 newsletter. The year is really flying by now at a rapid rate, and Christmas will
soon be upon us. A few weeks ago we put out some information about a Christmas Drive we were hoping to
support. We will re-post on Facebook and through Skoolbag so that you know the items that are being
requested. If you are able to spare some canned tuna, or some tinned fruit it would be very much
appreciated. Bring any items on the list to the school office where they will be collected and donated later in
the year. We appreciate your generosity and Christmas spirit.
School Planning 2021-2024
School staff are currently working hard behind the scenes to gather data and evidence to prepare for the new
school planning process which will cover the 2021-2024 school years. This is a lengthy and detailed process
where we look at all areas of school operation and make decisions about the directions of the school moving
forward. Upon reflection, we have made significant progress in relation to teaching and learning. We have
rigorous, researched-based systems in place to deliver the curriculum, assess student achievement and
progress and track school progress over time. We are very proud of what we have achieved to this point and
we are eager to start planning improvements for the future.
Thank you to those parents who participated in our teaching and learning survey a few weeks back. Survey
results indicated that 94% of parents felt that their child/ren were happy at school most, or all of the time.
83% of parents felt that their child is making progress in their learning and 97% of parents were happy with
their child's teacher. Student responses were almost identical to these results demonstrating consistency
within the parent and student opinions. The parent community were less confident with supporting their
children at home and this may be a focus in the development of the new school planning process.
Presentation Assembly
Due to current restrictions, the Presentation Assembly will operate very differently in 2020. In order to comply
with social distancing regulations, this year's Presentation Assembly will be held at school on Tuesday 8
December. We will offer a staggered assembly, with K-2 @ 9.30am and 3-6 @ 10.30am. Due to the
restrictions, we will not be having parents attend the assembly. We will, however, film the assembly so that
the parent community can be involved. More information about the assembly will be broadcast in the coming
weeks. We understand that this is not an ideal situation and thank you for your patience and understanding.
Until next time be humble, be teachable and be kind.
Mr Carter
Principal
Happy BirthdayNovember
1st Isabelle H 16th Lillian P
5th Oliver L 20th Cooper M
9th Zoe Myers 21st Billy D
9th Oscar Maitland 26th Laykin C
We hope you all have had, or are going to have an amazing Birthday, with loads of love and presents!
If you are intending on bringing a cake to school for your child's birthday, please bring only store bought
items which do not require cutting. Cup cakes, ice blocks and donuts are perfect as they require little
handling when preparing or when handing out to students. Thank you for your assistance.
Class workWe enjoy showcasing the amazing learning journey of our students here at KNPS. The student work
samples chosen illustrate the learning progress of students which has taken place in 3/4 this term. We have
not included names, however, you might like to ask your child if it is their work. The work samples are not
perfect, there will be errors and this is perfectly alright. The work we showcase is evidence of progress, not
perfection. We are very proud of the learning which takes place at KNPS and we hope you are equally
impressed.
3/4 Classwork3/4 have been learning about the environment and writing persuasive texts. We have included a picture of
their artwork and a few samples of their persuasive writing. 3/4 have come so far with their vocabulary
selection, sentence structure and text structure. Well done, 3/4. You have certainly convinced me to change
my habits! We are very proud of your learning.
3/4 Classwork
Cancer Council Healthy Lunchbox SnippetsHealthy eating snippets included below, provided by the Cancer Council. These may give you some
inspiration when creating your child's healthy lunchbox each day. Enjoy!
Veggie StruggleDownload
Silly Season SnacksDownload
Summer Fruit and VegDownload
Always Was, Always Will BeAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people were Australia’s first explorers, first navigators, first engineers,
first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists.
The very first footprints on this continent were those belonging to First Nations peoples.
NAIDOC 2020 invites all Australians to embrace this history – a history which dates back thousands of
generations.
It’s about seeing, hearing and learning the First Nations’ 65,000+ year history of this country - which is
Australian history. NAIDOC Week is for all Australians to celebrate that we have the oldest continuing
cultures on the planet.
Students and staff at KNPS celebrated NAIDOC week by learning about the Aboriginal history and culture
right here in the Hawkesbury. Erin Wilkins once again joined us to talk about the Dharug people through
dance and ochre painting. She taught us the role the eel, eagle and other animals played in forming the
rivers and mountains of the Hawekesbury and the significance of those animals to Aboriginal culture.
Our knowledge of Aboriginal history and culture within the Hawkesbury, and more broadly, grows every term.
We are very lucky to have Erin visit and share local knowledge and stories with us.
Always Was, Always Will Be.
Yanu (Good bye)
Remembrance DayRemembrance Day is a day of special significance to all Australians, commemorating the loss of Australian
lives in all wars, conflicts and peace operations.
Last week our students, led by Oliver and Charlie, participated in a Remembrance Service to recognise the
signing of the armistice. At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more
than four years of continuous warfare. The allied armies had driven the German invaders back, having
inflicted heavy defeats upon them over the preceding four months. In November the Germans called for an
armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement. They accepted allied terms that
amounted to unconditional surrender.
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month attained a special significance in the post-war years. The
moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front became universally associated with the remembrance
of those who had died in the war. This first modern world conflict had brought about the mobilisation of over
70 million people and left between 9 and 13 million dead, perhaps as many as one-third of them with no
known grave. The allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration of their war dead.
Lest we forget.
Kindergarten OrientationOn Thursday 12 November we had our first Kindergarten Orientation session. Mrs Burgess had lots of fun
activities for our 10 new students for 2021 and they were very well behaved for their first visit. They even got
to eat lunch and play with the big kids at lunch time. How exciting! Their second and final visit will be this
Thursday 19 November. I wonder what exciting activities Mrs Burgess has in store...
Origo One - Teaching the Make-Ten (or Bridge-to-Ten) Strategy for AdditionThe ORIGO One series of videos shows you how to create light bulb moments for your children. These
videos take a mathematics concept and break it into pieces that are easy to understand and only take a
minute to watch. Watching these videos will help you to understand how mathematics is taught at school,
making it easier for you to teach your children at home. Click on the link below for the Teaching the Make-
Ten (or Bridge-to-Ten) Strategy for Addition video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZy2abGiCpQ
CalendarWe try and keep the calendar in Sentral up-to-date. If you are unsure of what is happening, or when
something is happening, head over to the parent page and find the calendar and stay informed. We are not
perfect, so if there is something missing from the calendar, let us know.
We also post events and pictures on Facebook. So make sure you head over to our page to see photos,
events and general information.
As a new addition to our school website, you will now see a box with the Skoolbag App homepage (located
under the main header photo on the left hand side. Here you will find links to notices, events, newsletters and
entering absences. The school calendar is also linked here too! If you need to download the Skoolbag App,
there is even a link to help you do this. We hope this helps you to stay informed about what is happening at
the school.