Balgowlah North Public School eNewsletter

"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."

Selfies in the style of Tim Burton Kiana A

Principal's report

School news

Returning to school

As our students prepare to transition back to school it is important we are prepared for the range of emotions this might bring up for them. It is absolutely normal and expected that they may feel excited, relieved or nervous about coming back to regular face to face schooling and it is so important we reassure them that all of these feelings are normal and okay.

The DoE offer some excellent tips for supporting your child in this infographic:

In addition to these tips, can might like to consider some of the following strategies that are recommended by the Australian Psychological Society:

Reestablish normal routines in the week leading up to school. Return your child to their normal wake up and bedtime routines and begin to plan meal and snack times at school break times. Ask your child to assist you in preparing their school bag for school the day before they return to school and ensure you allow additional time to get ready on their first morning back at school.
Discuss the changes to your child’s regular school routine, including drop off and pick up procedures.

When you pick your child up after school, talk to them about their day at school, including what they enjoyed, what they are looking forward to tomorrow and anything that made them feel worried or uneasy.
Schedule extra family time if you are able to as they are likely to miss being at home with you.
Ensure you prioritise quiet time and unstructured downtime/play in the afternoons and on weekends as your child is likely to fatigue more quickly as they adapt back to the school routine.

There are some further great suggestions at this site also if you are interested in further support materials:

https://psychology.org.au/getmedia/6a3f524c-02c1-4e29-ac16-32a92a204599/20aps-ccn-is-transitioning-to-school-p1.pdf )

https://www.learninglinks.org.au/helping-children-transition-back-to-school/

ICAS Update

The ICAS assessment window has been postponed to accommodate students’ planned return to school in Term 4. We have rescheduled our school ICAS tests to the following dates:

Science: Thursday 11th November

English: Monday 15th November

Maths: Wednesday 17th November

Unfortunately, ICAS have been unable to extend the assessment window for the writing competition. Parents who have enrolled their children in the ICAS writing assessment are asked to email them for a refund: icasassessments@janison.com.au

Tell Them From Me Survey

Once again, we are asking our parent community to support our ongoing process of reflection by taking part in the The Tell Them From Me (TTFM) Parent Survey. The TTFM survey is run annually and is anonymous, voluntary, and easy-to-use. It provides us with valuable information based on parents’ responses to a comprehensive questionnaire that covers parents’ perceptions of their child’s experiences at home and at school.

We encourage all of our parent community to take part in this survey as it assists us in building an accurate and timely picture that we can use to inform our planning for the future.

Please use the link below to participate in the 2021 TTFM Parent Survey.This survey will close on Friday 22nd October.

http://nsw.tellthemfromme.com/bnpsparents2021

Rachel Ridley

R/Deputy Principal

Students not returning for 2022

Planning is underway for 2022. If your child will not be returning in 2022 could you please complete the google link below. This information is very important because it has an impact on our class structures and staffing of the school.

link to google form

Kindergarten enrolments for 2022

We currently have 65 students enrolled for kindergarten next year. If you know of any families that have not enrolled yet it would be greatly appreciated if you could do this. We are currently reviewing our orientations for next term as part of our planning for students returning to school.

Book Club

Last term I had the great pleasure of meeting with keen readers in Stage 2 and 3 for a book club. Each week we met on Zoom and discussed a set number of chapters from the group’s chosen book. We reflected on favourite parts, characters we connected with and questions we had. I am looking forward to resuming our book clubs once we are back at school and can meet face to face.

The following books were used last term:

Year 3 – Malamander by Thomas Taylor;

Year 4 – Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell;

Stage 3 – The Great Escape by Felice Arena

Thank you to the following students for creating these fantastic book responses.

Rooftoppers by Sienna R (Year 4) -

Malamander by Louisa O (Year 3) -

The Great Escape by Will O (Year 6)

**Deborah Horsley**
**Teacher Librarian**

We asked the kids to watch a BTN story about children writing to people 'helping' during covid.

This the sweetest letter from Beau to his mum, thanking her for helping during covid.

Susie Stock

Teacher

08/10/21

Dear Mum,

I am writing this letter to you to thank you for all that you have for me throughout COVID-19. I am so grateful to have a mum like you who is supportive, fun, active and always comes up with good ideas.

During COVID you have done so much with me like taking me to the beach, on picnics, to Mrs Jones for an ice cream, skateboarding while you walk Rusty, riding into Manly, having breakfast and lunch out and so much more. A time I really loved was when we went to Freshwater beach for a surf and swim and after we had a picnic watching the waves. I have also loved doing things that we wouldn’t normally have time to do like baking, gardening, puzzles, and going in the pool together. Your meals you have made are better than what you would get out! When we were doing home schooling you were an amazing teacher, marker and video film maker. It was the best having you around the house even during school hours!

You really are the best mum in the world and I couldn’t ask for a better mum than you! YOU’RE THE BEST MUM EVER!!! :)

Love Beau

6/5S