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Principal’s Message Congratulations to all students who are competing at Lower North Coast Cross Country today. It is an achievement to participate and represent your school and you all should be very proud.

The school has purchased four new ipads for 1M this week. The ipads provide another avenue of technology and are a wonderful additional resource for students. We will be accessing a variety of educational apps and students will have opportunities to film and take photos of their work.

Over the past two weeks staff have participated individually in a range of professional learning opportunities. Mrs. McCudden and Mrs. McNee have continued with their Language, Literacy and Learning Training (L3). The training has had a profound effect on literacy achievement in the early years. Mrs. Pugh has attended two technology workshops that have enhanced her skills with computers, ipads and moving towards robotics.

Our school has also been selected for External Validation this year along with 5 other schools in the Macleay. External Validation is a process all schools will undertake every five years, however, we will be

2016—UPCOMING EVENTS DIARY

Date Activity Cost

Wednesdays STUDENT BANKING—Don’t forget to send your bank books in!

Wed 8 June Gladstone Public School Athletics Carnival

Tues 21 June Small School Athletics Kempsey Years 3-6 competitors

Wed 29 June NAIDOC Day Kempsey South Public School K-6 No Cost

Fri 1 July Last day of Term 2

12-16 Sept Stage 3 Camp Canberra approx. $605.00

17-19 October Stage 2 Camp Coffs Harbour approx. $350.00

Gladstone Public School Kinchela Street Gladstone NSW 2440 Phone: 6567 4253 TERM 2 Fax: 6567 4694 WEEK 6 Email: Gladstone-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website: www.gladstone-p.schools.nsw.edu.au 3 June, 2016

GLADSTONE GAZETTE

among the first to move through this process. The process involves staff measuring the schools progress against the Schools Excellence Framework and providing evidence to support the claims. The outcomes will provide our school with clear directions for growth and highlight the successful processes and achievements already in place in our school.

It is wonderful to see our Thursday Playgroup building in numbers. Many of our local parents are now accessing this wonderful resource and have realised just how well organised, creative and supportive it is. The children just love it. Local families now have an avenue for support, to connect and just enjoy.

Thank you to all parents who attended the P. & C. Annual General Meeting last Friday. The attendance was incredible for a small school and your support is highly valued.

Thank you also to Steven Sutcliffe, (Brooke and Ashlee’s dad) for the donation of craft supplies. Our students love to create and do craft, so these items will come in very handy.

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1M (K-2) News Literacy In writing, we have been focusing on developing our independent writing skills. Our text for the week is, “The Day the Crayons Quit” by Oliver Jeffers. All K-2 students have been accessing tools around the room to support their writing. For example; using our class word wall, sounding out unfamiliar words, environmental print displayed around the classroom, asking a friend and re-reading their own writing to see if it makes sense. These methods help students improve their inde-pendent writing skills and also help to develop confidence in writing.

Mathematics Kindergarten students have been developing for-ward number counting to 30, writing numbers to 20 and forming equal groups of objects. Year 1 and Year 2 have been using a range of strategies and concrete materials for multiplication. We have also started learning about 3D shapes and how they are different from 2D shapes and about their properties such as identifying flat surfaces, curves and vertices.

Week 5 - Merit Award - (Academic) - Julian Bird for great work in Maths. Week 5 - Merit Award - (Behaviour) - Lilly Grose for displaying wonderful behaviour. Principal’s Award - Joseph Calleja for displaying maturity and initiative. Week 6 - Merit Award - (Academic) - Ashlee Sutcliffe for working well in all areas. Week 6 - Merit Award - (Behaviour) - Bailey Donnelly for displaying enthusiasm for learning. Kieran Bennett for settling in well into his new school. Principal’s Award - Sasha Shipp for being very helpful and showing consideration for others in the play-ground.

Student of the Week - Week 5 Student of the Week - Week 6 Aussie of the Month

Amanda-Lee Rixon Matilda Baker William Calleja for being a great classroom helper for working well in writing

K-2 students have been doing a wonderful job in writing and are developing sound writing skills and are on their way to becoming confident and independent writers.

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2P News STEM is an acronym that refers to the academic disciplines of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Last Friday, I went to a course to learn about how to introduce students to coding and robotics. It was amazing and I have already had them try out the BLOCKLY Games website and congratulations to Zachary Rixon for being the first student to reach Level 8. I am setting up a STEM club for any students who wish to extend themselves in these areas. Chess Tournament Just a reminder that your child needs to return their Chess Tournament permission slip and money to school before Thursday, 9 June, 2016. Dorrigo Excursion As I received mostly positive feedback I will try to organise a 1 day trip to the National Park, if I can keep the maximum cost below $15 per student. Please see me if you have any concerns. Kids Connect-PNG Sister Schools Thank you to everybody who have sent in goods to be sent to PNG. 2P National Parks Assessment Task Date Due: Friday, 10 June, 2016 Your task: Select an Australian National Park and create a poster, PowerPoint or brochure to provide the following information.

Stage 2 - Years 3 and 4 Examine features and characteristics of the Park chosen. Describe the ways people places and environments interact. How is your park managed? Stage 3 - Years 5 and 6 Describe the diverse features and characteristics of the park chosen. Explain the interactions and connections between people, places and the environment. What factors influence the management of your chosen park? Headings could include: Location - where is it? Features/Facts - Why is a National Park? Fees/Opening Hours/Rules Habitat - Flora and Fauna Activities - why would you visit this National Park?

Week 5 - Merit Award (Academic) - Brooke Harper for improving in Reading and Comprehension. Week 5 - Merit Award (Behaviour) - Taite Davis for working hard on his National Parks Project. Week 6 - Merit Award (Academic) - Alice McNee for great improvement in Mathematics. Week 6 - Merit Award (Behaviour) - Ella Laverty for being a responsible and considerate leader. Student of the Week - Week 5 Student of the Week - Week 6 Aussie of the Month

Evelyn Shipp Skarlyte Bennett Zachary Rixon for working more quickly on tasks for settling in quickly to 2P but still producing good quality work and being super friendly

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PROMOTING INDEPENDENCE IN STUDENTS

The main task for parents is to raise responsible, independent children—this can be tough because our natural instinct is to care for and nurture them. However, parents shouldn’t wait until children are ready to leave home before they give them responsibility. Training for independence needs to start from a young age and continue into the teenage years. Encouraging independence in children is not just good training for adulthood. It is one of the best ways to promote self-confidence. When we teach children to do jobs for themselves we demonstrate our faith in them and send a powerful message that they are capable. Our actions definitely speak louder than words.

SOME USEFUL IDEAS

Encourage them to do routine household and family activities e.g. tidying bedrooms before school, clearing away dishes, preparing after-school snacks.

Encourage them to take responsibility for their own homework tasks. Put young children in charge of their reading and get them to remind you that it is reading time.

Children can do quite difficult tasks if we show them how. Break complex jobs, like making a bed, into simple tasks like arranging teddies and the pillow, progressing to smoothing out a doona and so on.

When children can tell the time, teach them how to use an alarm clock so they can get themselves up and regulate their own morning routine.

Be alert to children’s readiness and willingness to do for themselves then consider letting your child take over. Ask yourself: ‘Is my child capable of doing …….?’

Encourage them to prepare their own breakfast and put their own lunch in their schoolbag.

Show older children how to operate the washing machine and microwave. These are two essential time-savers for busy working parents.

The most effective way to promote responsibility in children is to give them responsibility.