Newsletter Term 2 Week 5 2023
"We acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians on whose land our school rests. Their footsteps and whispers blow in the wind, drift on the clouds, remain deep in the sandstone and float on the waterways of this place. Their memories and Dreaming stories will continue to connect us to the land and guide future generations of our school community. Country is alive if you take the time to look, listen and learn."
Principal's message
National Sorry Day and Reconciliation Week
Reconciliation is a journey for all Australians – as individuals, families, communities, organisations and importantly as a nation. At the heart of this journey are relationships between the broader Australian community and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Reconciliation Week commences on Monday the 29th May following Sorry Day on Friday the 26th of May. The theme “Be a voice for generations”, focuses on action now to create a more just, equitable and reconciled country for all. You may find that your children may wish to have a conversation with you around this over the next few weeks.
Congratulations
Fantastic news, to our Senior Dance Ensemble on their successful selection for the Sydney North Dance Festival. More information will come out soon as to dates and ticket purchase information. Thank you to Steph Rooleht and Eliza Ross for providing this opportunity for our students to be part of this festival.
We have also heard that our Drama Ensemble has also been successful in their application to the 2023 LightUP Festival in Chatswood. Thank you to Eliza McAllister and Michelle Mandalidis for providing this opportunity to our stage 2 students. More information will be sent home soon.
Today our soccer team will be playing Beacon Hill in their first knockout game and we also wish our cross country runners well as they compete tomorrow at the zone cross country. Thank you Chris McCall, Susie Stock and Kerry Kelly.
Sickness
Please be aware that there are a lot of germs circulating in the school community at the moment with coughs, colds, flus and covid again. It is important to remember that if your child is unwell the best place for them is to be at home until they feel better!
P&C
P&C AGM was held recently. All positions have been filled. Thank you to this very dedicated group of parents who work hard to support the students, teachers and broader school community of Balgowlah North Public School. We very much appreciate the time, effort and commitment that goes into filling these important positions.
P&C Officers 2023/24
President - Karen Ciano Vice President - Dan Brabant
Treasurer - Lisa Foster Secretary - Catherine McMillan
Fundraising - Lucy Orth/Pip Perkins Grants & Sponsorships - Dan Brabant
Green Grove - Sadie Melov
P&C AGM President's Report for 2022
- Thanks to Brooke Keevers, leadership team, teachers, office and grounds staff, the parent community and the P&C committee. Thanks also to Canteen and Koolkuna and Sadie in the Green Grove and the band program facilitators for their services throughout the year.
- It’s great to be back to normality and to be able to be onsite & continue with all the activities.
- Let’s celebrate our community and programs the P&C has supported with over $90, 000 funding this year:
- The completion of our Hall Refurbishment
- The Yarning Circle
- Robotics program
- PSSA Sports Uniforms
- Teachers & staff thank you morning teas.
- The Green Grove is looking great with a couple of big workings bees and the return of the cherished chickens, thanks to Sadie & our chicken families.
- We continue to build & support our band program, thanks to Caroline, the committee members and parents.
- Fundraising events are back in full swing & continue to bring our community together.
- Our big projects for this year include a sports storage shed and more support for our teachers and some great programs.
- Thanks to Rich Wokes for his handover and support during this period and his support and finally thanks to the entire committee team.
Karen Ciano
BNPS P&C President
Looking forward to seeing you all around the school grounds,
Take care
Brooke Keevers
Principal
URStrong Family Workshop
We are providing an opportunity for parents to attend an ONLINE Language of Friendship parent-child workshop on Wednesday 14 June at 6:00pm. Tyson Greenwood (Director of URSTRONG) will teach you and your children skills + language to foster healthy, feel-good friendships.
Registration Required: CLICK HERE to register
We believe that empowering our students with these skills will create a culture of kindness at our school and we hope you can attend.
Assistant Principal News
Focus on Technology-Robotics in Stage 3
Our school identified the need to increase student confidence with 21st century skills, specifically critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration, using technology and robotics to supplement learning.
The Stage 3 team mapped robotics to our current teaching programs to enhance student learning in curriculum areas, especially mathematics and science. With the help of our Instruction leader, Ms Rooleht, team-teaching occurs in classrooms that promote problem solving and critical thinking.
Year 5 were introduced to the EV3 Mindstorms this year. They needed to carefully follow instructions to construct a driving base which could then be coded to spin and move forwards and backwards. The students learnt about the different parts needed to make a moveable robot including input and output.
Year 6 has been continuing to learn and discover new ways of coding the EV3 Mindstorms. Using their mathematical knowledge, students were challenged to code their robots to move in a path which outlined a 2D shape. They needed to consider the side and angle properties of triangles and quadrilaterals as well as identifying whether their polygon was regular or irregular.
All Stage 3 students worked collaboratively with peers to problem solve and think critically about how to ensure the robots were built accurately and moved in the desired path. Engagement has been enriched through collaboration with like minded peers and teachers that encourage a culture of creativity, challenge, and connections for students to thrive and celebrate their strengths.
Susie Stock
Stage 3 Assistant Principal (Relieving)
School News
Partial Absence Requests
Our Diverse Learner’s Team manages requests for ongoing partial absences for a student to attend external support services. This may include appointments with medical professionals, psychologists,speech therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists.
We understand that external support services can have significant benefits to a child’s learning and development and always aim to work in partnership with you to find the best arrangement for your individual context. Our preference is for these appointments to occur outside of the school day wherever possible, however understand this is not always possible.
We are formalising our processes for managing ongoing part-day absence requests. The first step is to apply to the Diverse Learner’s Team via the school email address. Your email should include details of the therapy time and the goals you hope to achieve in the timeframe you are applying for.
Your leave request is then considered and approved by the Diverse Learne’s Team. You will be notified about the outcome of your application and successful applicants will be asked to come to the office to sign an exemption form that will ensure the absence is recorded as approved leave.
Approval will always be granted for a specific period of time ( i.e one term) and we will ask to review assessment data at the end of that timeframe to ensure the time out of school is resulting in progress.
If you have any questions about applying for ongoing partial absences please contact Rachel Ridley via phone or the school email.
Administration
A friendly reminder to parents to ensure your contact details are up to date, inlcuding emergency contacts.You can do this via the app homepage "Change of Details Form".
Lost Property
Our lost property areas are currently overflowing. Please check if you own any of these items.
K-2 lost property is outside 1ES
3-6 lost property is outside 5M
ICAS
We will be providing students with the opportunity to participate in the world-renowned ICAS competition this year.
What is ICAS?
ICAS is an online academic competition that is designed to assess students’ higher order thinking and problem-solving skills. Balgowlah North Public School will be offering opportunities for students to participate in the Writing, English, Science and Mathematics competitions this year.
Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals.
If you are interested in entering your child into ICAS or wish to find out more about the competitions please visit the website below: Learn more about ICAS here. (https://www.icasassessments.com/products-icas)
How to participate in ICAS:
If you wish for your child to participate in ICAS this year, please:
- Read about ICAS subjects and prices here: (icasassessments.com/products-icas) 2. read the terms and conditions here: (icasassessments.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/2023-ICAS-Assessments-Parents-PPS-TsCs_final.pdf)
- Go to Parent Portal to purchase tests here: (shop.icasassessments.com/pages/pps)
- Enter our school’s access code – TAL937
- Enter your child’s details, select the tests you would like to purchase, then proceed to payment.
After payment is made via the Parent Payment System, you will receive an order confirmation email, please keep this for your records.
ICAS Results and Certificates
We will send home your child’s ICAS certificate when we receive it. The back of the certificate shows ICAS results and the login details, “TAP ID and Pin”, that you and your child need to enter the Results Portal.
ICAS Dates at BNPS 2023
Writing | August 10th |
English | August 17th |
Science | August 21st |
Mathematics | August 30th |
Please ensure you register for ICAS via the PPS by July 17th.
Mandalas in Nature 5M inspired by Andy Goldsworthy
Parent Workshops
Cyber Safety - Stage 2 and Stage 3
On Tuesday the 6th of June parents of Stage 2 and 3 students have an opportunity to come together with Seaforth Public School for a parent workshop on Cyber Safety.
The presentation will be in the Seaforth Public School Hall on Kembridge Avenue Seaforth at 6.30pm.
If you would like to attend please add your name to the google doc link below.
Library News
What a fantastic day we had at the Sydney Writers Festival yesterday. Mrs Ridley and myself accompanied a wonderfully well behaved and excited group of Year 4, 5 and 6 students to the Concourse Theatre in Chatswood. We were entertained with inspiring, clever and fun presentations by four very different authors. Most students reported that their favourite of the day was Cristy Burne, whose talents and work span across the areas of writing, science, technology and creativity. My personal highlight was hearing from Maryam Master. She is a screenwriter and playwright and has written two novels for young readers. Her personal story as a refugee was especially meaningful for our Year 5 and 6 students who are studying literature based on this theme. Both her books deal with tragedy and sadness, however, she brings optimism and joy to her stories through the use of humour and the beautiful relationships she creates between her characters. I would recommend both her books, No Words and Exit Through The Gift Shop to Year 5 and 6 readers.
This Sunday is the Sydney Writers Festival Family Day. This is a free event with a fantastic line-up of authors presenting throughout the day The link below provides more information.
The Week Ahead
Thursday 25 May Zone Cross Country
Monday 29 May Reconciliation Week commences
Monday 29 May K-2 Assembly
Wednesday 31 May Youth Liaisons Officers Community Policing 9.00am-10.100am
Thursday 1 June Kindergarten Tour 9.15am-10.00am
Sports News
Junior and Senior netball teams enjoying the wonderful sunshine at PSSA.
Positive Behaviour for Learning
Class Snapshot 6S
Waste Free Wednesday
Congratulations to KR and KM for being the winners of K-2 Waste Free Wednesday and to 3V for the 3-6 Waste Free Wednesday Winners
Band News
Harbourside Music Festival – A Celebration of Music and Community
Last week Balgowlah North hosted the Harbourside Music Festival where all our bands performed with invited guests Balgowlah Boys High and Balgowlah Heights Senior Band.
Our Band leaders, Finn and Emily, introduced the evening with poise and confidence, proudly representing the school.
All our bands gave excellent performances and our guest bands showed our students what they can achieve if they continue their music into high school. Well done everyone.
Thanks to Mrs Keevers and Mrs McAllister for assisting on the evening and supporting our program.
This was a good rehearsal of our performance skills in preparation for our next external performance and the Northern Beaches Instrumental Festival in the coming weeks.
Drama Ensemble
We would like to congratulate students in Year 3 and 4 in the BNPS Drama Ensemble for being successful in their audition. The performance will now be included in the LightsUp Drama Festival, Chatswood on Wednesday 7th June 2023 at 5:00pm. Tickets can be purchased online via LightsUP Drama Festival Chatswood – THE CONCOURSE or by phone on 028075811.
Dance
Our Senior Dance Ensemble has been working hard to finish and refine our routine for this year. Our Dance is titled ‘Treat People with Kindness’ and is all about inclusivity despite differences. The Years 5 and 6 students have been helpful with choreographing some of the moves using their techniques learnt last term with Mrs McAllister. The dancers should be congratulated for being successful in making the Sydney North Dance Festival which will be held at Glen St Theatre in June.
Choir
Choir have been enjoying learning and practicing both soprano and alto part of new songs and performing these as a whole group. We are working hard to prepare for our Festival of Choral Music performance at the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday the 15th of August. There will also be a rehearsal for this performance held on Tuesday the 25th of July at The Salvation Army Congress Hall. We are very excited for the opportunity to perform on both dates and to further develop our choral and performance skills.
Koolkuna
Introducing The Koolkuna Eco Warriors!
The children will be getting involved in all things sustainable! Environmental responsibility is about instilling in children ways to be creative, empowered and positive about the future by learning from the environment through hands on investigation. The Eco Warriors will develop environmental awareness through interaction with vegetation & natural materials, participating in sustainable practices and learning about ecology.
The Eco Warriors will participate in activities such as gardening, composting, recycling, and taking responsibility to maintain the habitats of the Green Grove Chickens & our new Koolkuna pet, Delilah, the Central Bearded Dragon!
This week, the Eco Warriors got together to create some goals for the term that they wish to achieve. The children all worked together to make an 'Eco Warrior's' poster and had the chance to meet Delilah up close and personal!
Community news
School Sponsors
