Newsletter Term 4 Week 5 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
Thank you to our P&C and Koolkuna for the fantastic morning tea and lunch which they provided to celebrate World Teachers Day last Friday. It was a great opportunity for our teachers to reconnect with each other face to face! The teaching staff at Balgowlah North Public school are committed, passionate educators who work hard to meet the needs of every student in their classrooms. It was a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge this.
Celebrating Excellence
Yesterday afternoon I had the opportunity to share Genius Hour projects with Stage 3 students. The level of engagement and commitment our students had to their learning was impressive to see. They were able to articulate why they had chosen their individual projects and were able to explain their thinking and their findings.
The 2021 Maths Olympiad competition has now closed. This mathematical problem solving contest engages students in creative and critical thinking and is widely regarded for the high level of challenge it provides our young mathematicians. We are so proud of all of our students who entered this year's competition and wish to acknowledge our school winners for 2021 who were presented with special awards at our K-6 assembly this week.
First place: Noah B
Second Place: Ethan M
Third Place: William O and Jonty F
High Expectations
Settling back into the classroom has happened smoothly for the majority of our students. This is because our teachers have well established clear and consistent expectations for learning and behaviour. We create classrooms that our students feel safe, characterised by positive, collaborative relationships and frequent classroom interactions with their teacher and their peers. When students feel safe they are comfortable with taking risks, making mistakes and asking questions to clarify their thinking.
Our teachers provide clear and specific feedback to our students so they can identify their next steps for learning.
At this point in time our teachers are assessing where our students are at and using this information to create goals and next steps in learning. Our reports will look slightly different this semester. Teachers will provide information to parents in English and mathematics as well as their next steps in learning. Many of our students have continued to go from strength to strength with their learning, which is testament to the positive partnerships our teachers have had with students and families during Home Learning. We look forward to a strong finish to the term.
Last Day of Term 4
Just a reminder that Term 4 is an 11 week term. Our last day for students will be Thursday the 16th of December. Teachers will have a Staff Development Day on Friday the 17th of December. First day for students in 2022 is Tuesday the 1st of February for Year 1 to Year 6. Our Kindergarten students will commence school on Friday the 4th of February following their Best Start testing.
Reports and Attendance
Just a quick reminder that if your child is away from school to please ensure that we receive a reason via the app message system. This information is recorded on reports. As we have now moved to electronic reports the office staff will now not be providing copies of reports when these are lost. These documents are important and best kept in a safe place so you can access them when needed.
Enjoy the week everyone.
Brooke Keevers
Principal
School News
School Operations - Department of Education Guidelines
“As announced by the Minister, from 8 November all NSW schools will move to updated Level 3 settings that bring school operations more in line with what is allowed in the community. We would like to update you on the key changes that will be in place at our school from Monday 8 November and for the rest of Term 4.
Keeping us all safe on school grounds
A combination of layered COVID-safe plans and measures will allow us to prioritise student and staff safety and keep our school open. To do this, the following guidelines will be in place:
- Students, staff and visitors must not attend school if unwell, even with mild symptoms.
- All staff and adult visitors on the school site must be fully vaccinated and provide proof of vaccination.
- Masks are required indoors for all staff, adult visitors and strongly recommended indoors for primary students. Masks can be removed when eating or exercising.
- All staff and visitors must check in when attending a school site or gathering.
- Adults should maintain 1.5 metres physical distancing wherever practicable.
- Activities and events should be held outdoors where practical.
- Indoor spaces will be well ventilated and as large as possible for the number of attendees - following square metre guidelines.
- Students should avoid mingling with other class and year groups when moving around the school.
- Students and staff will maintain good hand hygiene and schools will continue with enhanced cleaning, including high touch points.
From 8 November
Our school will operate on updated Level 3 settings for the rest of Term 4 2021, with the following activities allowed in a COVID-safe manner:
- Assemblies and presentations are allowed outdoors, with cohorts separated and physical distancing in place. Fully vaccinated visitors (including parents and carers) are only allowed to attend if completing a specific role (such as presenting) and at the invitation of the school.
- Community use is allowed outside of school hours (including P&C meetings) with COVID-safe plans in place – in line with public health requirements.
- Dancing, bands, ensembles and music classes will be allowed within cohorts. However, everyone must wear masks while playing instruments indoors. Other instruments that rely on breath or require a mask to be removed to be played, as well as singing and chanting, are not permitted in Term 4.
- Excursions are allowed outdoors (and indoors where sole use of the premises is available).
- Incursions are allowed indoors and outdoors where cohorts are kept separate.
- Graduations and formals are allowed within cohorts, either on school sites or at external venues – with COVID-safe plans in place and physical distancing adhered to.
- School sports are allowed, including inter-school sports and access to indoor and outdoor pools (from 1 November).
- Transitions and orientations are allowed in a COVID-safe way that minimises mingling between students.”
Kindergarten Orientation Program
We are thrilled to be able to invite our Kindergarten 2022 students on-site to participate in our orientation program later this month. We will be running two sessions on Thursday the 18th of November and Thursday 25th of November, where students will be hosted for the morning to familiarise them with our school setting and support their confidence in transitioning to school next year. These sessions will be conducted in compliance with COVID safety protocols which will be communicated to our Kindergarten 2022 families next week.
ICAS
Students who have registered to participate in this year’s ICAS assessments will commence the tests next week. ICAS assessments will proceed on the following dates for all participating students in Years 3-6: Please ensure students are at school on time as per usual as some of these tests will commence promptly at the start of the school day.
November 11-Science
November 15-English
November 16-Maths
Digital Technologies and Mental Health Webinar
The eSafety Commissioner is running a series of free webinars during Term 4 that will provide parents and carers with strategies to help young people and their mental health when they are online.
These webinars are designed for parents and carers of young people aged 10–18, and will cover the following topics:
- what do to about accidental exposure to content about suicide, self-harm or eating disorders
- using games, apps and social media to support mental wellbeing
- the pros and cons of digital mental health platforms
- strategies for young people to support friends online
Parents can register for the webinars at this website:
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents/webinars
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.
Kindergarten enrolments for 2022
We currently have 71 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.
Wellbeing Through Connection and Sustainability Project
Over the next six months our school will be working towards developing an area of the school to provide a space of wellbeing and connection for all members of our community. Our vision for this space includes a yarning circle and native garden which will be integrated into outdoor learning activities across the curriculum. This area will be situated at the back of the office building where previously there was a demountable classroom. The department is offering funding for projects such as ours through their Sustainable Schools Grant. Applications for this grant will open during term 4 of this year. To apply, schools must summarise their proposal and attach a project plan which sets out a budget, performance measurement and risk management processes. If you would like to be part of this process, either by offering assistance with grant writing, providing advice or expertise with landscaping or contributing in any other way we would love to hear from you. Please contact Debbie Horsley on deborah.horsley1@det.nsw.edu.au
Library News
It has been so lovely to welcome all grades back into the library over the past 2 weeks. Thank you for your efforts with returning library books from before lock-down and the book packs that students borrowed during lock-down.
This term our library is open at lunch time for student cohorts on the following days:
Monday – Years 2, 3 & 4
Tuesday – Kindergarten & Year 1
Thursday – Year 5 & 6.
I am very excited to now be able to have our Stage 2 and Stage 3 book club face to face. These began this week. For anyone needing a good book suggestion, I can highly recommend both book choices for these groups. Stage 2 will be reading Star of Deltora by the wonderful Australian author, Emily Rodda and Stage 3 are reading Stella by Starlight by Sharon M Draper.
Debbie Horsley
Teacher Librarian
.
Stage 3 Genius Hour
Last term stage 3 students participated in the Genius Hour project. Students had to create a research question on something that they wanted to know more about and create a presentation that answered their question. This week stage 3 presented their fantastic Genius Hour projects to their classes and held a showcase presenting their work. There were some brilliant projects that students had spent many tireless hours designing and building throughout term 3. We were blown away by the detail and creativity of the projects, especially considering the project was carried out during ‘Home Learning’ at home. Well done stage 3!
6RZ Timelapse Videos
Last week 6RZ edited timelapse videos that they had captured during ‘Home Learning’. Students had to cut, splice, add music and transitions to their videos to create a short film. It was amazing to see the creativity and technical knowledge that our students have in multimedia. Click the links to watch some of our videos!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T_BeNo5dJ2XK8eKBhtwZp9xyF0MOSMlo/view?usp=sharing - Ethan C
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pdZuIhzarwoNszWWbL_uAH_ddAiyrlRx/view?usp=sharing - Juliet O
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e6lt9KKC8M59PhukWU5GVExpC83lsvxn/view - Sam L
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KCXnde3sv0IcOTF8s1agqIpVQpPJ5BSv/view?usp=sharing - Lara A
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1I0NAHXXJdwYbkzKdOFB1zpUd6d2k_PBi/view - Jacob G
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Bl7Pvd46CM4qhK5wsPQJiXigVHr4TkZr/view?usp=sharing- Charlie C
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h_6An0v3aNlM1SjX31s4tGAkNwIhkOh8/view?usp=drivesdk - Freya J
TechHub news
How exciting it is to be back in classrooms! I have enjoyed working with students again this term, bringing robotics and coding to classes. Students across the school have interacted with our fun robotics this year, here are a few pictures of the robots in action. From Kindergarten, programming Bluebots to follow a basic, sequential code to Years 1-4, using coding to program our fun Dash robots. Stage 3 used LEGO Mindstorms to build and code a driving base, with students adding colour and distance sensors to the original design. Students have done a fantastic job! They have also developed an abundance of skills when using robotics, including:
· Coding and programming skills.
· Critical thinking skills to problem solve when the robot didn’t complete a planned task the first attempt, requiring students to reflect and adapt their algorithm or design.
· Collaboration and communication skills when working with peers, discussing codes and tasks to complete, turn-taking and sharing ideas.
· Creativity to construct mazes, paths for the robots to complete or even the design of a robot itself!
Some exciting news for 2022! Next year, we are adding more robotics kits to our collection with the LEGO Spike Prime for Stage 2 students! Similar to LEGO Mindstorms, students will construct robots and use block coding to program the robot to complete various tasks and movements. Stay tuned!
Term 4, Week 5 Award Recipients
Josie.C 3M Banner
Jackson.A 4/3C Banner
Sienna.R 4V Banner
Otto.K 5R Banner
Madeleine.S 5M Medal
Otto.K 5R Medal
Lucy.O 6/5S Medal
Arabella.K 6/5S Medal
Christian.S 1E Principal's Award
Alyssa.S 1E Principal's Award
Evie.R 1H Principal's Award
Nic.H 1H Principal's Award
Neve.M 1R Principal's Award
Aria.B 1R Principal's Award
Oscar.B 1R Principal's Award
Archer.T 1R Principal's Award
Grace.K 3/2P Principal's Award
Jamison.S 3E Principal's Award
Samantha.D 3E Principal's Award
Tess.P 3M Principal's Award
Lila.B 4V Principal's Award
Jordan.H 4V Principal's Award
Sophie.R 4V Principal's Award
Scarlett.P 4W Principal's Award
Rose.K 5R Principal's Award
Otto.K 5R Principal's Award
Ethan.M 6/5S Principal's Award
Noah.B 6/5S Principal's Award
Jonty.F 6/5S Principal's Award
Lani.H 6/5S Principal's Award
Katie.H 6/5S Principal's Award
William.O 6M Principal's Award
Charlie.C 6R/Z Principal's Award
Olivia. S 1H Principal's Award
Arabella.M KB SRC
Luke.O KB SRC
Jake.I KM SRC
Bella.K KM SRC
Matthew.C KW SRC
Orla.C KW SRC
Faith.G 1E SRC
Ella .R 1E SRC
Evie .R 1H SRC
Eddie .S 1H SRC
Luca .D 1R SRC
Camilla .H 1R SRC
Henri.O 2H SRC
Sasha.H 2H SRC
Arki .A 2K SRC
Abbi .H 2K SRC
Rose .C 3/2P SRC
Benjamin.L 3/2P SRC
Olive .H 3E SRC
Cooper .M 3E SRC
Isabelle .G 3M SRC
Nina .R 3M SRC
Addison .B 4/3C SRC
Hudson .L 4/3C SRC
Aiden .B 4V SRC
Sophie .R 4V SRC
Eloise .M 4W SRC
Lewis .R 4W SRC
Summer .W 5M SRC
Archer .T 5M SRC
Nina .H 5R SRC
Bligh .W 5R SRC
Evie .W 6/5S SRC
Arabella .K 6/5S SRC
Zoe .A 6M SRC
Hugo .M 6M SRC
Jessica .F 6R/Z SRC
Sam .P 6R/Z SRC
PBL
Citizenship Awards
Citizenship Awards
Harrison R
Harrison has been a most valued member of the class who always upholds the values of Balgowlah North Public School. He shows respect consistently to both his peers and staff, demonstrates responsibility in and out of the classroom and works and plays in a safe manner. Harrison has a very endearing nature, who is always alert to others’ needs without being prompted. It is second nature to him. He has embraced his first year at school with enthusiasm and diligence with a delightful smile, always being friendly. Harrison will assist anyone, particularly his peers in the classroom, without any fuss. He has a love for learning and listens attentively at all times. Harrison enjoys challenging himself, achieving his personal best and presenting his work to a high standard. He is an outstanding role model to his peers and a worthy recipient of this prestigious Citizenship Award. Congratulations Harrison!
Ruby T
Ruby is a compassionate, considerate and respectful student with a genuine enthusiasm for learning and school life. She is a fantastic role model, willingly upholding the Balgowlah North school values of being safe, respectful and responsible. Ruby consistently demonstrates kindness, tolerance and empathy in all her interactions with peers and teachers. She regularly offers assistance, providing encouragement and feedback as she enjoys watching others succeed. Ruby’s dedication to learning is unwavering, evident through her consistently outstanding effort during remote learning. She always applies her personal best to her schoolwork, demonstrating persistence and diligence to achieve and exceed her learning goals. Ruby is a valued member of 4W and a very worthy recipient of this Citizenship award. Congratulations Ruby!
Dates for your diary
11 November
- ICAS Science
15 November
- ICAS English
15 -19 November
- Life Education
16 November
- ICAS Maths
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