Newsletter Term 3 Week 1 2021

"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 report

Welcome back to Term 3 as we once again navigate the Covid world in which we live. Thank you for such a positive and proactive start to the term. Online learning has started this week. I’d like to thank the Balgowlah North teachers for turning this around as quickly as they have done. As I am sure you are all aware this has required a huge commitment of time and energy in a short period of time. 

I’d also like to thank the parent community. Once again as parents you have had to switch into home learning mode. This can be extremely complex to navigate. Please remember that as parents you are your child’s first teacher. As I am sure you may have read the following on social media this week, these are very wise words. "We don’t expect you to replicate the school experience. We trained for many years to teach the way we do. As parents you have also trained for years to teach the way you do. Please remember to read with your children, cook, garden and create. Play with your children and keep being the role model our children need during these challenging times."  Our ‘Home Learning’ is designed to be flexible and manageable for all families. If at any time you find this is not the case then please ensure you provide feedback to us.

As we are now all aware the lockdown will continue until the 30th of July as will 'Home Learning'. As of next week teachers will commence wellbeing zooms with students. More information will be sent home later this week pertaining to your child's class and time. Each stage team work closely together to provide continuity of learning programs that align with syllabus outcomes. Each class will operate with the same protocols across the stage.

We have received operational guidelines from the Department of Education. We are currently operating at Level 4. We have cancelled all activities for Week 1 and 2. Once we have further advice from the DoE as to a change in our Level we need to continue to follow the health advice. Please see copies of our protocols that were sent out yesterday. Please contact your child’s teacher if you need anything clarified.

Stay safe

Brooke Keevers

Principal

School news

Parent Teacher Interviews Week 2

We will continue with our planned parent teacher interviews in Week 2. These interviews will all be conducted via Zoom as parents are not permitted on site for face-to-face interviews at this time. 

If you have not yet used the Zoom platform, please download the app or visit the website to register an account prior to your interview time in Week 2. You can access Zoom here: https://zoom.us/ 

If you have not yet made an interview time and would like to do so, you can access the booking system here:

https://balgowlahnps.schoolzineplus.com/view-session/6

Interview Dates are as follows:

Your Zoom interview will be conducted at the time you have booked on the SchoolZine app. Interviews will be 10 minutes and we ask that you are punctual and respectful of this timeframe so that we can ensure our interviews run to time for all of our parent community. When you first join your interview, you may have to wait in the virtual waiting room and await admittance from your child’s Class Teacher.

To access interview you will need the Zoom Meeting ID in the table below. The passcode for all classes is bnps

If you have any technical difficulties, please contact the school directly so that we can support you in making alternative arrangements. 

Rachel Ridley

R/Deputy Principal

Library News

Welcome back to Term 3. I just wanted to remind you about our extensive EBook and Audio book collection available to students for borrowing. This may be especially helpful during home learning. The collection includes texts ranging from picture books for young readers, early chapter books and novels for independent readers. Please make use of this wonderful resource. You can access it by downloading the EPlatform by Wheelers app or at https://balgowlahnorthps.wheelers.co/ and logging in with student DET Username and Passwords.

It looks like lots of students have been busy reading over the holidays and completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Well done to the following students: Summer C, Arlo L, Rosie P, Manon D, Lucas M, Eddie S, Max C, Jasper C, Isaac R, Olive B, Hugo D, Cara F, Millie G, Isabelle G, Aven L, Joshua N, Louisa O, Tess P, Lachie P, Amelia S, Matthew D, Eleanor F, Karina O, Anneliese O, Milly P, Jessica F, William O. With a little more downtime at home this is a wonderful time to complete the challenge. Students have until the end of August.

Deborah Horsley, Teacher Librarian

NAIDOC Week

This year's theme is heal country. I think this is important because the indigeonous people took very good care of their land and now we have come and polluted it. I think the theme is represented by what looks like a healed country. I think the artwork represents this year's theme because it is a happy and utopia-like painting. In the painting I see utopia, a nice calm land where there is no pollution.

Isla R 6R/Z

Dates for your diary

20 July

• Remote parent teacher interviews

21 July

• Remote parent teacher interviews
  

22 July

• 100 days of Kindergarten

Community news

Northern Beaches Council has developed a schools road safety and active travel project to identify issues and concerns around schools and to encourage more active and safe journeys to schools. 

Balgowlah North Public School has been selected as one of the schools we are reviewing this year.

As well as our review we are providing a self-reporting method for the school community to give us feedback using an interactive map. 

We invite Balgowlah North Public school parents, students and the wider school community to participate in the self-reporting method using Social Pinpoint.  This is an opportunity to tell us exactly where concerns and issues are for parking, speeding, walking, bike/skate/scooting, pedestrian safety and general issues, related to your school. 

How you can help

• Please share the link in your school newsletter and any school managed social media pages that parents access
• The map allows people to indicate issues in specific places, and to categorise them with an image – the more comments for Balgowlah North Public School the better!

The link is https://northernbeaches.mysocialpinpoint.com/northern-beaches-safe-schools#/

Note that some people may have already posted comments last year. These comments are still captured and will be included in our review.

We would appreciate feedback by Monday 5 July 2021.

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