Balgowlah North Public School eNewsletter

Contact us

Balgowlah North Public School

address 10 Manning Street North Balgowlah NSW, 2093

telephone 02 9949 4499

fax 02 9949 7832

email balgowlahn-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

‘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

My New Gallery

Thank you to the parents who are using our kiss and drop zone correctly. Next week I will be meeting with our local traffic officer Robyn Ann Dixon to assess our pick up and drop off zones. She has also spoken with Richard Wokes our P&C President. This week we have been assessing our evacuation procedures and as the bushfire season will be soon upon us we will be assessing our Emergency Management Plan.

Kindergarten gardens

It was lovely to see the Kindergarten students involved with planting some our garden beds. Each stage has taken responsibility for planting out some of our planting boxes that are distributed around the school.

Classes for 2021

Early next term we will begin our planning for 2021. At the moment our numbers are indicating that we will have 18 classes for 2021. We currently have 52 new kindergarten enrolment forms. We are hoping to be able to create 3 classes if you know of any families that will be attending BNPS next year please ask them to send in their applications.

We are very lucky at BNPS to have such highly skilled, professional and passionate teachers. Creating classes for 2021 is an extremely rigorous process that teachers take very seriously. Our aim is to provide equity for all students based on their academic, social and emotional needs. We will be creating composite classes in 2021 and these classes will be formed carefully to create best fit for all our students at BNPS.

If your child has any social, academic or emotional needs that we are unaware of which may impact their class placement for 2021 please email the school – attention Brooke Keevers. This information must be submitted no later than Week 2 of Term 4.

Leaving in 2021

Thank you to the parents who have already emailed or called to let us know if they are changing schools or moving for 2021. It is very important that we have this information as it assists us in creating the best options for our students and our classes in 2021.

Building projects

We will have quite a few tradesmen around in the holidays completing paving projects, painting the office, completing drainage and laying turf around Koolkunna. Please remember that if your children come and play on the school grounds on the weekend or in the holidays they must be accompanied by an adult. It would be greatly appreciated if we can all continue to work together to report any misuse of school facilitates, please contact school security on 1300 880 021 or the police on 1800 333 000. We will soon have some new signage in place to assist with this, thanks to the P&C for their support and advocacy of the school.

Brooke Keevers

Principal

My New Gallery

Deputy Principal's report

Year 3 Skyworks Incursion

Today Year 3 have participated in a fabulous incursion that supports their learning about space. A mobile planetarium was set up in the hall and the students explored constellations, the solar system and asked insightful questions about some of the mysteries of the universe. Thank you to the Year 3 teachers for sourcing this valuable incursion to support teaching and learning in science.

Bike, Scooter and Skateboard safety

Students from Year 3 and above can ride to school and store their bike, scooter or skateboard at school once they have applied for a bike licence from Mr McCall. As part of their licence approval, Mr McCall takes the students through specific bike safety expectations, rules about bikes on our school grounds and safe riding practices. Students in K-2 are unable to ride bikes to school independently, however, parents are able to walk beside K-2 students on bikes and scooters and take the bikes and scooters home with them afterwards. The NSW Department of Education states:

"Until children are at least 10 years old they should ride away from vehicles and driveways. As they are learning to ride it is important (adults) to ride or walk alongside them and talk about how to be a safer bicycle rider.

Children between 10 years old and 12 years old should ride away from busy roads. Accompany your children when they are riding a bike until they are at least 10 years old. Ride or walk alongside them and talk about how to be a safe bicycle rider". https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/learning-across-the-curriculum/road-safety-education/safe-travel/riding. We have significantly increased the number of bike racks in recent years, with plans to add more. Students are required to walk their bike once in school grounds and fill all bike rack spaces. We do not have enough bike rack spaces for students in K-2 to leave a bike at school. We provided an 'Active Map' in last week's newsletter that shows the most direct footpath routes to school.

Teacher Professional Learning

This week our teachers have been working collaboratively to plan next term's units of work. Teachers have also been engaging in current research about 'High Expectations' from the Centre for Educational Statistics and Evaluation 'What Works Best' 2020 update. https://www.cese.nsw.gov.au/publications-filter/what-works-best-2020-update . Engaging in current, evidence-informed research is essential to ensuring our teachers remain at the forefront of best practice. Our teachers regularly and actively participate in reflective practices, collaborative planning, feedback and peer observation.

My New Gallery

Assembly Awards - 3-6 Term 3 Week 8

My New Gallery

Class snapshot

PBL

Weekly focus: Digital Citizenship Agreement

What it looks like:

Review the school’s Digital Citizenship Agreement
Found on google doc/T: drive
What does an agreement mean?

Waste free Wednesday

1M, 2E, 5S & 6Z were all 100% waste free in week 8

Library news

Book Club

This term a group of interested Year 5 and 6 students have met each Wednesday morning in the library for a Book Club. We have been reading a highly engaging book this term, which I would like to recommend as a great read for year 4 to 6 readers. The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind is the true story of William Kamkwamba who despite living with drought and starvation in his Malawian village invents a windmill, bringing electricity to his home. It is a story of perseverance, persistence and survival under extraordinary circumstances. The students especially enjoyed reading this story as it opened them to a world very different from their own through a lovable, inspiring main character. Below is a book review by Caitlin Ravell and Zara Durkin.

How do you ‘harness’ the wind? Is it possible? Would you like to find out?

The story starts in a tiny village in Malawi, Africa. When famine strikes, the money slips away and William Kambwamba is forced to say farewell to his education. With nothing to eat or sell, not a coin to spend, and only under ripe crops for nourishment. William and his family are forced to put on a brave face when times become hard.

The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind is a story about courage, bravery and persistence. Through pain and excitement and only a library for support William Kambwamba makes hisdream come true. What is his dream? You ask, well you’re about to find out. Read the book The Boy who Harnessed the Wind.

Curious Creatures, Wild Minds

I have had lots of interest from students who would like to participate in our book week poster competition this year, therefore I am including information about this again this week. The following details should be included on their posters:

The theme – Curious Creature, Wild Minds,

Date: October 21st

Dress up as your favourite book character

Lots of great book characters.

This should be handed in to me by Friday of Week 10.

Deborah Horsley, Teacher Librarian

Dates for your diary

17 September

Books After Dark - National Reading Hour - 5:30 – 6:30pm

26 September

End of term 3

12 October

Start of term 4

P&C news

Green grove

Every week on Tuesday and Thursday, students are invited to visit the Green Grove during lunch time. This week the children worked hard at perfecting their shovelling and wheelbarrow driving skills while moving mulch around the garden. We prepared a basket of freshly harvested produce that was delivered to the office where it is available for sale to the staff. Our repair crew reattached the egg box door and added a handy handle too. The children love to make things with Green Grove produce so last week we tried a sour kraut recipe that’s fermenting away. We’ll send that to the office for sale too.