Term 4 Week 2 18 October 2017

Upcoming Events Term 4 Week 1 Swim School (Week 1) 09/10/17 Welcome Back Students & Staff 10/10/17 Selective High School Placement 2019 Applications Opens

Student Banking Starting School Group 12/10/17 Stage 2 Uni Sport 13/10/17 Ethics/Scripture Classes Stage Assemblies Term 4 Week 2 Swim School (Week 2) Newsletter Week 17/10/17 Student Banking Starting School Group 19/10/17 Stage 2 Uni Sport 20/10/17 Ethics/Scripture Classes Stage Assemblies Term 4 Week 3 24/10/17 Student Banking Starting School Group P&C Meeting 25/10/17 Penrith Valley Public Speaking Competition 26/10/17 S3F Catchment Tour 27/10/17 Wear What You Wish Day Ethics/Scripture Classes Stage Assemblies Important Information for Parents Welcome back to the last term of the year. In the last week of Term 3 our wonderful debating team competed in the debating final at Jasper Road Public School against Kurrajong Public School. Kurrajong Public School won the debate. I would like to congratulate Paige, Samara, Kloe and Alex on the wonderful job they did on the night. We are very proud of you! Thank you to Mrs Taylor who has coached this wonderful team of debaters. In Week 3 we celebrate World Teacher’s Day. Thank you to all our wonderful dedicated teachers who work tirelessly to ensure that each and every student at our school receives a quality education that focuses on each child’s individual gifts and strengths. Our fabulous P&C will be providing a special morning tea and presenting teachers with a small gift of appreciation for all their efforts. This term the staff will focus on planning for 2018 including the development of our 2018-2020 School Plan. Major educational reforms are being embedded by the school and this will continue to be reflected in our new school plan. Mrs Clarke, Mrs Jeff and Ms Napper and I, our school Executive Team, will also be participating in a number of Executive Planning Day this term as part of this process.

As part of our planning we will be looking at class formations for next year. If your child is due to commence Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) in 2018 and you have not completed an enrolment form, please do so as soon as possible. If your children are not returning to our school in 2018 (except for Year 6) please put it in writing to your class teacher. If your children will not be here for the start of next year, please also put that in writing or complete an Application for Extended Leave – Travel if your children will be overseas for more than 15 days. These forms are available from the office. Selective High School Placement Test 2019 Applications for selective high school placement in Year 7 in 2019 open on 10 October 2017 and close on 13 November 2017 at the email address below. The Selective High School Placement Test is on the 15 March 2018. Parents need to apply online. An Intention to Apply letter has been sent home and is available via Skoolbag. If your child intends to sit this test, please completed the bottom part of this letter and return it to your class teacher by Friday 20 October 2017. Please note that this letter is not an application for entry to a selective high school. If you are unsure if your child should sit the test, please contact the office and make an appointment to speak to their class teacher. Late applications will not be accepted. Selective high schools cater for the specific needs of high achieving gifted students who may otherwise be without sufficient classmates at their own academic and social level. Selective schools help gifted and talented students to learn by grouping them with other gifted and talented students, teaching them in specialised ways and providing educational materials at the appropriate level. Parents apply when the student is in Year 5. The students sit the test in March of Year 6. To be considered for placement students must sit the Selective High School Placement Test. For information about applying and the placement process go to https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-7 Term 4 Planner The Term 4 Planner is attached to this newsletter. Please note that parents will be notified of any changes via the newsletter and Skoolbag. Message Board We have had a new message board installed outside the Administration building to display upcoming events and cut off times for payments. Communication At Kingswood Public School we work really hard at ensuring that our parents are informed and kept up to date with events and any changes that are made. To ensure that you are kept up to date please read all notes sent home with your child/children. Please download the Skoolbag app and enable the notifications. Please also read the newsletter and regularly check the message board. Students can get very distressed when they come to school and are not prepared for an event that is taking place. Parking Please be aware that we have had near misses and now an accident with parents and carers parking beside the school driveway. Please be very aware when reversing that there are cars and delivery drivers using the driveway and especially children making their way to or from school. These unfortunate incidents will be avoided with proper care and attention to road rules regarding parking. We appreciate your co-operation. http://www.rms.nsw.gov.au/roads/safety-rules/road-rules/parking.html Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) 2018 If your child is turning 5 before the 31 July 2018 please collect an enrolment form from the office. We have a Starting School Group each Tuesday in the hall from 9:15-11:00. It is free to attend but parents must remain with their children. Siblings are welcome to join. Please contact the office if you require any further information. Please do not park on the school premises. Starting School Group Terms 3 and 4 We are very fortunate at Kingswood Public School to have a Starting School Group run by Connect Child and Family Services for students who will commence their schooling in Early Stage 1 (Kindergarten) next year. Children will be introduced to school life through play.

Parents stay during these sessions and siblings are welcome to attend. The group will start on Tuesday 25 July from 9:15 to 11:00am during Terms 3 and 4 and is free to our families. Please see the flyer attached for more information and contact details. POP Payments Please ensure that POP payments are made via our school website as there are three other Kingswood based schools in the area: http://www.kingswood-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/ If payments are made to the incorrect school it is a long process for you to obtain a refund and will depend on how quickly the other school takes to action your refund request. School Uniform A reminder that, as we are in the cooler months of the year all jumpers and jackets need to be clearly labelled with your child’s name. Often students get hot when out at recess/lunch or when playing sport at this time of the year and take off these items and accidently leave them behind. It would assist greatly if clothing items were readily identifiable when found. Voluntary Contributions Each year the school requests that parents pay a voluntary contribution towards enhancing the schools educational and sporting programs. The cost for 2017 is $42 for one child or $80 per family (2 or more children). Please use POP as your method of payment or cash in the money slot. Communicating with Staff If you have any issues or concerns in regards to your child’s schooling and wish to speak to your child’s class teacher or the Assistant Principals supervising the Stage or myself, please contact the office to make an appointment time. Please speak to the class teacher before speaking to the Assistant Principal or myself as we will refer you to the class teacher if you have not already spoken to them. Please be aware that teachers are extremely busy during the school day and may be attending meetings before or after school. It is really difficult to get a class settled in the morning if there are parents trying to speak to the teacher. Skoolbag App The app is free and is available to iPhone, iPad and Android users. Some of the key features of the Skoolbag app include push notifications, newsletters and GPS Directional Mapping. As the newsletter is now available on the app, we will no longer be sending hard copies home. A limited number of hard copies will be available at the office and the newsletter can also be accessed on the schools website. Please check if you have the latest version of Skoolbag App. Absence Notification through Skoolbag App Thank you to the many parents and carers who are promptly advising their children’s absences through the Skoolbag App. We are having some issues with the “Away Start Date” and the “Away Finish Date” notifications. If your child is away for one day the “Away Start Date” and the “Away Finish Date” will be the same date. Some notifications are putting the finish date as the following date which means your child is recorded as being away on consecutive days. Please make sure the correct dates are entered for absence notifications. Cubbyhouse Out of School Hours Care Service Cubbyhouse offers an out of hours school care service in the New Hall each school day. Please contact Cubbyhouse directly for more information and to enrol your child/children on 1300 553 583. Excursion Notes Please note we do not accept hand written notes or verbal permission for excursion or other school events. A school permission note for each child must be completed for every excursion and or special event. Early Arrivals Please be aware the morning duty begins at 8:30am. Students are not supervised before this time. Please do not send your children to school before this time. If children need to be dropped off early, please organise before school care. Cubbyhouse OSHC can be contacted on 1300 553 583.

Running Late? Please pick up your children promptly at 3pm if you collect them from school. If you are running late or have been delayed, please notify the school as soon as possible. Many children become distressed when parents are not there to pick them up at the end of the day. Children can be picked up from the office. Are Your Contact Details Current? Please let the office know in person or in writing if your contact details have changed including emergency contact details. If your child is sick or we need to contact you for any reason, it can be really difficult if the numbers are not current. Out of Hours After School Care Services off the School Site If your child attends an After Care Service off the school site please contact the Centre directly if your child is not attending on the day. Some parents decide to pick their children up or vary their after school arrangements without notifying the After School Care Centre or our office. Executive staff are then required to spend a lot of time trying to find these ‘missing’ students. Your support in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Lost Property/Clothing Pool Each term we have lots of lost property. Please label your child’s hats, bags, jumpers, lunch boxes and drink bottles. Lost property is located in the brick building closest to the entrance and exit gate. Due to hygiene issues, lost lunch boxes and drink bottles without names will be disposed of. The P&C operates the clothing pool each Tuesday in the brick building located nearest to the front entrance of the school. Items can be purchased for a $2 donation. Medical Conditions If your child/children have any medical conditions that the school should be made aware of such as Anaphylaxis or Asthma please contact the school office immediately and provide them with their health care plan if you have not already done so. Anaphylaxis An increasing number of our students are being diagnosed with Anaphylaxis. Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of allergic reaction and is potentially life threatening. It must be treated as a medical emergency, requiring immediate treatment and urgent medical attention. Anaphylaxis is a generalised allergic reaction, which often involves more than one body system (eg. skin, respiratory, gastro-intestinal, cardio vascular). A severe allergic reaction usually occurs within 20 minutes of exposure to the trigger and can rapidly become life threatening. Common triggers include food such as peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, milk, eggs, fish, crustaceans and soy are the most common food triggers, which cause 90% of allergic reactions. It is important to understand that even trace amounts of foods can cause a life-threatening reaction. Other triggers include insect stings, medication or such things as latex. We ask for your support and request that all students do not bring to school any nut products or foods that contain traces of nuts. This includes birthday cakes, cupcakes, doughnuts and lollies. If you would like more information about Anaphylaxis or have a child who has this condition and you have not notified the school, please contact the office immediately. Early Stage 1 & Stage 1 Students – Change of Clothes If your child is in Early Stage 1 or Stage 1 could you please ensure that you have a change of underpants and track pants/shorts in your child’s bag in case of a toileting accident or wet weather. We have a very limited supply available at school and we would appreciate your support in this matter. Mobile Phones and Electronic Devices We discourage students from bringing mobile phones to school unless they are in the Opportunity Classes and they are travelling from another area to the school. Mobile phones must be handed in to the office each morning turned off and picked up at the end of the day. If you need to get a message to your child/children please contact the office. Electronic devices are not to be brought to school. Please note that the school takes no responsibility if a student brings an electronic device to school and if an electronic device is lost or stolen.

Bikes and Scooters Students are able to ride their bikes and scooters to school. These must be chained to the bike rack during the school day. A helmet must be worn at all times that the student is riding his or her bike or scooter to and from school. The school takes no responsibility for bikes or scooters brought to school. Dogs in the School Grounds The Companion Animals Act 1998 – Sect 14 states that dogs are prohibited from school grounds. Please do not bring your dogs into the school grounds as many students are frightened of dogs and we are trying to keep all students safe. School Website The school has a fabulous website that parents can access for further information about the school including permission notes and the school newsletter. The website address is http://www.kingswood-p.schools.nsw.edu.au Norma Petrocco Principal Library Borrowing for Parents and Carers Please note that the following times are available for the returning and borrowing of books from the Library. Mornings: Monday & Tuesday 8:35 – 8:55am Afternoons: Monday & Thursday 3:05 – 3:15pm Book Covering If anyone is interested in helping to cover some of our many new library books please see Mrs Young in the library. P&C Meeting The next P&C Meeting will be held on Tuesday 24 October at 2:00pm in the staffroom. All parents and carers are welcome to attend. There has been a change to the opening time of PLUSH (Pre-loved Uniform Shop). The shop will now be opened from 8:45 am to 9:15 am on Tuesdays. School Banking The last day for School Banking for this year will be Tuesday 28 November.

2016 Information for parents, guardians and students Our school has partnered with Transport for NSW to use the new online process for you to submit school travel applications. This means we will be able to process your applications online, making it easier and faster for parents, guardians and students to apply for school travel.

Applications for school travel in 2017 are now open, including for travel to Mascot and Green Square station and for private ferries. Parents, guardians and students are encouraged to apply as soon as they are able via: Applications for 2017 school travel are now open via www.transportnsw.info/school-students A new application is required when: applying for a School Opal card or travel pass for the first time, enrolling in Kindergarten, or requesting an additional entitlement as a result of a shared parental responsibility situation.

You will need to do an update application if the student has a current school travel pass and:

is progressing from Year 2 to Year 3, is progressing from Year 6 to Year 7, or changes address, or changes school or campus. Already have a School Opal card or travel pass?

When you’ve updated, and you are eligible for free school travel next year, Transport for NSW will send you an email confirmation once your application has been processed. For travel in rural or regional NSW, we’ll also inform your nominated transport operator(s).

If you already have a School Opal card that does not need updating, or you’ve successfully re-applied, the Opal card will automatically be updated for travel next year. Do not throw it out as you’ll be able to use it when the school year starts in 2017.

If you currently have a printed travel pass provided by your transport operator, a new pass will be will be ready at the beginning of the new school year.

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School travel 2017

Application information Nov 2016