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."

Principal's report

Transition to School

Thank you to our parents who are ensuring that students arrive on time to school each day. It is extremely important that our students have time to settle in before classes start for the day. The transition from home to school is assisted with time to socialise before the day commences.

Our kindergarten students are now being dropped at the gates in the mornings. At this point in time all department schools in NSW are adhering to the same drop off guidelines. We will have teachers at the gates this week to assist any students with this transition period. It was great to see that many parents already had strategies in place today to support their children with this.

Communication Processes

The start of the year is a timely reminder of our communication processes at school. Our priority is always our students. Our class teachers have three meetings a week before and after school when we work together on all matters of communication, as well as additional preparation time, which is needed to plan for lessons. They are always available to speak to parents either by email balgowlahn-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au or by phoning 9949 4499, when a mutually agreed time for an appointment will be made. Teachers will get back to you within a couple of days.

Over the next few weeks please give our teachers space to get to know their students, we have had very thorough handovers and transitions for all our students who need it. Our Assistant Principals are also available to speak to parents if need be. Please take the time to read our communication procedures.

Communication - Balgowlah North Public School (nsw.gov.au)

Parent Information Evenings

On Tuesday the 15th of February and Wednesday the 16th of February we will be running Parent Information sessions for parents and providing an opportunity to ‘meet the teachers’ via zoom. Parents were asked to submit questions that they would like answered so that we could tailor our presentations to address these.

This will also be a time to hear how we meet syllabus requirements with differentiated classroom environments. This is not a time for individual questions about your child.

Please see below links to the different stages

Early Stage 1

15/2

5-6pm

Join Zoom Meeting

https://nsweducation.zoom.us/j/66618070207?pwd=QituWUo1R0FJc2VmVm95WjVBNUJJUT09

Meeting ID: 666 1807 0207

Passcode: 367584

Stage 1

16/2

5-6pm

Join Zoom Meeting

https://nsweducation.zoom.us/j/64450104864?pwd=c3Uzc0dHZkt0YmkyZmkvRFErbUFpQT09

Meeting ID: 644 5010 4864

Passcode: 084371

Stage 2

15/2

6-7pm

Join Zoom Meeting

https://nsweducation.zoom.us/j/65251486876?pwd=VUpwcTFKcE53bWh4RjlINUt0RFdTUT09

Meeting ID: 652 5148 6876

Passcode: 932111

Stage 3

16/2

6-7pm

Join Zoom Meeting

https://nsweducation.zoom.us/j/68203757111?pwd=Q3orRklzYkd6dHBDWm9ZeUkyU3RQQT09

Meeting ID: 682 0375 7111

Passcode: 390435

Class parents

If you wish to nominate as a class parent for 2022 please complete the google link below before Friday 11th February.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSduK62GGmjxsjMEnVDPYMRHlIm7mojjpt74f0Lewi04TaA09g/viewform?usp=sf_link

Parent Teacher Interviews

Dates for your diaries - Parent teacher Interviews will be Tuesday and Wednesday the 29th and 30th of March. More information will be sent home closer to these dates.

Rapid Antigen tests

Teachers will be sending home the next lot of RAT this Thursday they will receive 4/student. Please keep an eye out in your child’s school bag. If you do not want your child to receive these please complete the form below.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSegni28jXWMRSahpY3oGSZs4a4fusgglj8kEwVu45v2eW8DRA/viewform?usp=sf_link

The Department of Education is seeking feedback from parents in regards to the Rapid Antigen tests this will assist with further planning. Please see the link below.

survey for parents and carers

Take care everyone

Brooke Keevers

Principal

School news

Wellbeing at the start of a new school year

The start of a new school year is a time of transition for all of our students. New teachers, new classrooms, new classmates, new structures, systems and classroom expectations- all of these things are a lot to take in and it is so important our number one priority is wellbeing.

These first weeks of the school year are all about settling into our new classes and our teachers having the opportunity to create learning environments where our children feel safe and valued. It is a time for our students and teachers to get to know each other and form positive relationships that will become the foundation of the year ahead.

It is normal for students and parents to experience some apprehension around this transition. Our approach is always to respond with calm reassurance and optimism about all of the opportunities and positive possibilities the new year holds. Should any challenges arise, we are always here to work with you on finding a solution.

Please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can do to support this time of transition for you and your child.

Assemblies

Our assemblies will continue to run on Mondays. Students attend these assemblies in their cohort groups under the COLA (weather permitting).We are still unable to have parents attend, however, we will continue to publish awards in the newsletter. Our Weeks 5 and 10 K-6 assemblies will be held virtually. Please ensure all awards are given to the office for processing as soon as possible for Weeks 5 and 10.

Minilit

We will be running our successful MiniLit program again this year. MiniLit is a research based, evidence informed program developed at Macquarie University for students in Years 1 and 2 who are finding it more challenging than their peers to learn to read. It has an explicit focus on phonics, phonological awareness and developing explicit decoding skills. Mrs Amanda Mason and Mrs Cassie Cowburn are running the program this year. Students meet with Mrs Mason or Mrs Cowburn in small groups for 40 minutes per day, three to four days per week and follow a strict program.The parents of students who have been identified as benefiting from this support will be contacted about their child’s participation in this program.Mrs Mason will be running a presentation for all families involved with the programme this year. More information will come out soon in regards to this.

Early intervention is critical when supporting students in learning to read and we are pleased to be able to offer this valuable program.

Digital Packs and Home Learning

Students are provided access when they are unable to attend school as they are isolating after a covid case exposure.

All students from Kindergarten to Year 6 can access the Digital Learning Packs at the following website: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/learning-from-home/learning-at-home/2022-digital-learning-packs/primary

The Digital Learning Packs are organised into grades. Each learning pack contains 5 days of learning activities. You should start with the first pack and commence on day one regardless of the timing of your period of isolation. Students should complete all of the learning activities in the pack before moving onto the next animal pack.

In a situation where your child is isolating and unable to attend face to face learning, they will be counted as attending school if there is reasonable evidence of participation in learning from home.

In Kindergarten- Year 2, students are asked to upload evidence of their engagement with the Digital Learning Packs via SeeSaw or bring hard copies when they return to school.

In Years 3-6. students are asked to upload evidence of their engagement with the Digital Learning Packs to their Google Classroom or bring hard copies when they return to school.

Students who are unwell are not expected to complete learning from home.

If you have any questions relating to how we can support your child in learning from home or about the Digital Learning Packs please contact the school.

P & C Social Events

Please note the following changes to parent social events for Term 1:

Kindy welcome drinks moving to Friday 18 February

Parents Night out moving to mid March depending on venue availability

More details will be made available in coming weeks.

Rachel Ridley

Deputy Principal (Acting)

Welcome back to 2022 from the library. It has been so great to welcome our students back and see such an enthusiasm for borrowing at the start of the year. It has also been fantastic to hear about all the reading done over the holidays and some of the great titles students have been enjoying.

This year all classes will come to the library each week for a library lesson. Library programs focus on specific skills for each stage group and are connected with classroom learning through themes and concepts. I work closely with classroom teachers to ensure library programs are an extension of the classroom. Early stage 1 and stage 1 programs have a focus on quality literature and understanding English textual concepts, such as analysing characters, themes, how authors have represented ideas in images and text. Stage 2 and stage 3 programs move toward an information literacy focus, with history and geography outcomes. Students learn research skills such as note taking, paraphrasing and finding reliable information from a variety of sources. Students in the primary enjoy working on engaging projects, often collaboratively, with classmates.

We have a huge collection of fantastic literature in our library which is updated regularly. I believe there is something for everyone, even the reluctant reader. Borrowing regularly is encouraged.

Our library is open at lunch time this year on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday. Students can enjoy reading, drawing or playing with Lego. If a student misses their library day, they are welcome to borrow at lunch time.

We have a comprehensive standalone library website containing catalogue information for our entire resource collection as well as information on new books, featured authors and series. There is also a capacity for students to review books they read. Students can access this website via their Student Portal https://portal.det.nsw.edu.au/ and selecting ‘My School Library’ (Oliver).

Deborah Horsley

Teacher Librarian

Please follow these instructions for contactless late check in/early check out

Sports news

Welcome to Sport at BNPS for 2022!

Kindergarten students having fun at Sport with Mrs Kelly on their first day at school!

We are looking forward to get back into the swing of sport in 2022!

Trials for PSSA (Primary School Sports Association) teams for students in Year 3 -6 students will commence this Friday. If selected in a team, students will represent Balgowlah North in interschool competitions on a Friday afternoon. The competition starts on 25 February.

Students’ can trial in the following sports:

Eagle Tag

Volleyball/Newcombe ball

Cricket

AFL

Our school swimming carnival is scheduled to take place on Monday 21 Feb at Manly Boy Charlton Pool. This carnival is for Years 3 to 6 students. Any student who is in Year 2 who is turning 8 years old and can competently race 50m is also invited to participate. Unfortunately, due to Covid restrictions, parents will be unable to attend this year. Notes will be sent home soon.

Looking forward to the year ahead,

Kerry Kelly

Sports Teacher