PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Parents and Carers,

Thank you to our P&C Could I begin this fortnight’s newsletter with a huge shout out to our hardworking, dedicated and caring P&C, who have generously donated significant funds to our school. This has allowed us to purchase two class sets of Ozobots to be used across the school. Ozobots are small robots that are used to engage students in a wide variety of learning activities in all areas

of the curriculum. Ozobots can also be used to teach coding, which in turn allows our students to become creators of technology not simply users of technology. This week, Mr Scott has been visiting Stage 2 classes to deliver lessons with the Ozobots. You may have seen some images on Facebook as well. Once teachers have had a chance to learn about this new resource, they will be including these learning tools in their classroom programs. What a fun way to learn!

In addition to the Ozobots, the P&C donation has allowed the school to investigate ways to improve our playground. Our goal is to provide spaces where students can engage in imaginative, cooperative play. Items like mud kitchens, shop fronts and natural obstacle course play sets are being sourced. As a school we thank the P&C for their generous donations and we look forward to showcasing our robotics skills and playground improvements in the very near future. Toys at School Recently we have seen a number of students bringing in small toys such as Ooshies and BeyBlaydes into school. While we encourage our students to engage in cooperative play, these items are becoming a source of dispute and distraction at school, particularly when students trade these items or take them into the classroom. If students are bringing toys to school, please ensure they are clearly labelled with your child’s name. Please reinforce with your children that toys should not be traded at school and that they are not to be taken into the classroom. The last thing we would want to do as a school is to ask students to not bring toys in as it does bring us great joy to watch students playing these games in a kind, caring and cooperative manner. Your assistance in encouraging your children to be responsible for their toys at school would be greatly appreciated. Kindergarten Orientation 2020 has been unlike any other previous year; COVID-19 has placed many restrictions upon how we would normally run our Kindergarten Orientation Program. Our team have been working hard to come up with a creative way to provide our families with all the information they will need for a successful start to school life. To ensure our families are updated as regularly as possible, we have created a web page as a one-stop-shop for our families. This site will be updated regularly with additional information, pictures and videos to help in transitioning your child into their first year of school with ease while the current restrictions are in place.

Term 3 Week 8 9 September 2020

 

 

All parents, who have expressed interest in enrolling their child in kindergarten in 2021, will be sent information about how to access this web page, this week. We do hope that COVID restrictions will ease and that we will be able to proceed with our full orientation program. Please put these dates in your diary, just in case we can go ahead. Wednesday, 4 November 2pm - 3pm Developmental play, craft activities Parent information session in the library Wednesday, 11 November 2pm - 3pm Literacy and numeracy activities Students only Wednesday, 18 November 2pm - 3pm Classroom activities, sports and recess play Students only If you have not yet enrolled your child for Kindergarten in 2021, please contact our wonderful office staff, who will guide you through the process. Social Media and Apps You may have seen reports in today's media regarding disturbing imagery being shared on social media platforms such as Tik Tok and Facebook. Many of these sites have strict EULA (End User License Agreements) that prohibit their use by young people between the ages of 12-16. Sadly, we know that many of our students are accessing these age-restricted sites and viewing content that is not appropriate for their age. Even more concerning is that students are sharing or describing this content to other students at school. The imagery that is being reported in the media was originally shared on Facebook, is now sadly is being circulated on Tik Tok. Parents and carers are strongly urged by the NSW and Australian governments to keep their children off all social media, also including Twitter and Instagram over the coming days to avoid being exposed to the imagery. Distressing content should be reported directly to that site's organiser by responsible adults and to www.esafety.gov.au (www.esafety.gov.au/report/illegal-harmful-content) Please note that none of these images, nor social media can be accessed by students accessing our BYOD network or via School Devices. As a school we strongly encourage families to closely monitor their children’s internet usage and restrict access to sites that are not appropriate for their age group. If you or anyone you know needs help, please contact: Lifeline on 13 11 14

Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800

Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636

Headspace on 1800 650 890

Thank you for keeping all of our kids safe. Take care and look after each other. Cassie Bate-Barnier

Principal

 

 

   

KH  Milla G 

Havanna S 

1D  Kash P 

Talyah B 

1M  Zane G 

Rosie K 

2S   

2/3M  Kalen B 

 

3/4A  Mia B 

Sienna T 

3/4M  Imogyn S 

Sidney P 

4/5P  Raya P 

Liam H 

5/6S  Harmony E 

Nate K 

5/6W  Callan P 

Larna L 

Library    RFF  Kris na S 

Sophie A 

50 Nights  Bonnie W 

75 Nights  Siena T & Mathew I 

100 Nights  Indi H & Kaiden S 

150 Nights  Isaac L, Stella T & Sophie C 

200 Nights  Oscar C & Violet B 

DATES TO REMEMBER  

11 September  Stage 3 Excursion to Winding Creek  

21 September  K‐2 Shortland Wetlands Excursion 

23 September  Stage 2 Wetlands Excursion 

25 September  Last day of Term 3 

12 October  Term 4 Begins 

13 November   Naidoc Week Awabakal Educa on Centre Excursion