Dundurrabin Public School Newsletter Term 1, Week 3 2023

Principal's Message

Welcome back to school for 2023

I would like to extend best wishes to all as we embark on a new school year full of learning and excitement. I hope you enjoyed the summer break. Our teachers have been planning and preparing for your children - all signs point to another productive year at DPS. Please remember to stop by or call the school if you have any questions. Together we will make this school year one of growth and personal achievement for all students.

Staffing 2023

Introducing our teaching and support staff:

K-2 class- Mrs Katrina Sangster

3-4 class- Miss Nat McNeill

5-6 class - Mrs Leah Keough and Ms Jo Cunningham (Wed and Fri)

Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction - Mrs Emily Bingle (Tues and Fri)

Digital Classroom Officer- Mr Chris Williamson (Tues)

School Admin- Melissa Harrison (Mon-Thurs)

School Learning Support Officers - Suzanne Tompkins, Katherine Sangster and Leanne Sinclair

Grounds Assistants - Chris Meehan and Glenn McKnight

Farewell and Thank You Robyn

I would like to publicly thank Robyn Coombes for her valued contributions to our students and school. Robyn will not be returning to school this year in her role as Student Learning and Support Officer. Her dedication to all students and support of staff is truly appreciated. Thank you.

2022 Awards Presentation and Welcome Back Gathering

Please join us for our Welcome Back Gathering at school this Wednesday 8 February at 5:30pm. This will include the presentation of student awards from 2022 and a shared meal.

Leah Keough

Every Day Counts

Give your child a great start to school by making sure they attend every day! Absences are marked on EBS daily. Explanations for any student absences, including partial absences, are required within seven days or the absence will be deemed unexplained and cannot be changed in EBS. A quick phone call, text, email or note explaining your child/rens absence is always appreciated.

Best Start Kindergarten Assessment

The Best Start Kindergarten Assessment will take place at our school early this term. This is a state-wide assessment that helps show teachers the literacy and numeracy skills of each student at the beginning of Kindergarten. This helps teachers to plan lessons to best support the learning needs of every child.
Children come to school with a range of experiences, skills and abilities. Some are familiar with
books, can recognise letters of the alphabet or even write their name or count to ten, while others
have not yet learned these skills.
The Best Start Kindergarten Assessment provides teachers with the opportunity to sit with a child
one on one, focusing on what that child can do. The assessment is not a test but provides teachers with useful information to help support your child’s learning at school. If you have any questions or you wish to withdraw your child from participating in the assessment, please contact the school.

NAPLAN 2023

Students in Years 3 and 5 will complete the NAPLAN assessments later this term between 15 March and Monday 27 March 2023. NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through their regular school curriculum with results informing school priorities. Parents are encouraged to contact the school if they have any questions.

Small Schools Swimming Carnival - Friday 10th February

The Small Schools Swimming Carnival will be held Friday 10 February at Bellingen Pool commencing at 9.15am and finishing approx. 1.30pm. Only students from 8 years of age and capable of swimming 25 metres are eligible to compete. School will run as normal for students not attending. Your support will be necessary for the Swimming Carnival by providing parental transport. Mrs Keough will be our supervising teacher on the day. Students and spectators must pay Pool entry to the pool on the day. If you are unable to transport or supervise your child/ren for the Carnival, please organise someone else and please notify the school of your decision on the permission note. Please see Mrs Keough or Melissa for a permission note if your child is going to attend.

Learner Qualities

Learner qualities refer to the way in which learners engage in and relate to the learning process. They affect how students approach learning and therefore the outcomes of their learning.

Development of these qualities is fundamental for students to build an awareness of the way they learn and establish future-focused attitudes to learning, critical if they are to be able to become lifelong learners.

Our school has eight learner qualities. They are:

We:

• Challenge
• Wonder
• Think
• Persist

We are:

• Resilient
• Resourceful
• Creative
• Responsible

The learner quality in focus this fortnight is WONDER. To wonder is to ask questions, particularly questions beginning with 'why'. This fortnight we'll be looking closely at using our senses to be inquisitive and to ask why things are the way they are. We will encourage inquiring minds to think openly and promote curiosity. 

Royal Far West Bushfire Recovery Program- therapy commences this week.

Speech and OT therapy sessions for students currently participating in the RFW Bushfire Recovery Program will kick off this week. Sessions are scheduled across each Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Please phone the school if you have any questions.

Three Way Parent / Teacher / Student Interviews

We will be holding our Parent / Teacher / Students meetings starting on Monday 20 February to Wednesday 22 February. We would love to meet with each learner and their parents/carers. Meetings usually only take 15 minutes. An interview form is attached to the newsletter, please fill it out with your preferred timeslot and return to it school.

Office Desk- Open to Offers

We have an office desk surplus to our needs. Community members are welcome to place an offer via phoning the school office by Friday 10 February. Place the highest offer and it's yours. Please note: the drawers do not lock. 

SAKG News

The rain and warmth over the holidays have resulted in some good growth and quite a productive kitchen garden. Last week the children braved the hottest day this year to plant a variety of seedlings including asparagus, peas, rockmelon, zucchini and spaghetti squash. Over the holidays and last week, we harvested eggs, zucchini, shallots, coloured silver beet, perpetual spinach, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, garlic, pizza thyme, oregano and basil.

In the kitchen, a small group of 4 young cooks prepared a lunch inspired by a theme of 'lunchbox treats'. We made pizza scone scrolls, homemade instant noodle pots, Zucchini frittata muffins, a fruit and vegetable platter, oatmeal and sultana biscuits and date and cocoa bliss balls (nut free). It was a great way to kick off SAKG cooking for 2023. Cooking award goes to Jaxon Bennett. Links below for our week 2 recipes.
https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/pizza-scrolls/3bbe4775-0326-41c3-9bda-269a398b8640

https://www.taste.com.au/recipes/zucchini-slice-muffins-2/kouapbxu

https://www.seriouseats.com/diy-instant-noodle-cups-food-lab

https://www.recipetineats.com/oatmeal-raisin-cookie-soft-chewy/

https://mykidslickthebowl.com/nut-free-chocolate-bliss-balls/

In the Classroom

This year our K-1-2 teachers are planning our exciting, engaging learning activities using the new Mathematics and English syllabus documents. The new curriculum will give students more time to focus on key learning areas so that they can acquire a deeper understanding of central concepts. It will ensure students develop strong foundations for learning, life and work in a complex and fast-changing world.

To help compliment the new English syllabus, our school will be engaging students in SMART Spelling. This is an explicit spelling program which will systematically build the foundations of letters, sounds and common words in Kindergarten, and develop and extend upon these in Years 1-6. Watch this space for more on SMART Spelling in the coming weeks. 

In K-2 Mathematics this week we learned that mathematics can be found all around us and created Mathemagician wands to help us spot these. Students also discussed what an attribute is and have been sorting and defining a variety of things according to these.

Our Stage 1 students have jumped straight back into their morning literacy routine and have shown Mrs Sangster and Mrs Bingle that they have remembered most of their reading skills after the holidays. Kindergarten students have also shown us they’re very ready for big school by remembering our routine from transition and participating actively in our learning activities.

Such a great start to 2023!

Mrs Bingle

Welcome 2023 Kindergarten Students

We had the pleasure of welcoming Carter and Tom to Kindergarten last week. They have both made an impressive start settling into school routines and forming friendships. 

Consent Notes

Variation to School Routine, Media Consents and Updated Details     

Last week we sent home Permission to Publish and Variation to School Routine permission notes. These allow students to walk to venues around the Dundurrabin village for school activities throughout the year and to have their image or work published digitally such as on our school website or Facebook. If you have not yet returned your child/ren’s consents, please do so before Thursday.

Updated Details                                                                                                                                                                     

In preparation for the coming year, it is important to have accurate contact details in case of accidents, evacuations and possible temporary school closures.  To ensure our contact details for each family are correct, we are requesting each family provide up to date contact details. If your phone number and email have changed, please indicate that on the form. We would also like to know if any of your child/rens medical details / health conditions have changed as well as dietary requirements or preferences for our SAKG cooking. If you have no detail changes, please still return the form with your child/rens name written on and stating “No Changes” by Thursday.  Thank you to the families that have already returned their notes.         

Excursions and Permission Notes       

Your help as parents is needed to ensure that our students have their consent notes fully completed, signed and returned to school before any planned excursion. Even if your child/ren are not attending the event, please return the consent with that information stated on it. All consent notes will be printed on yellow paper, when possible.

School Reminders

Library                                                                                                                                                                         

Library will be on Wednesdays this year. Students can bring their books in their library bags each Wednesday and borrow new ones for the week. New students have been supplied with a library bag to use.

Fruit Break and Water Bottles         

To ensure students are not hungry during the morning session we have a ‘fruit / vegie break’. Children are encouraged to bring a piece of fruit, vegetable or a small container of cut up fruit or vegetables. Each student should also have a labelled water bottle for daily use at school, in the classroom and on excursions.

School Times   

Teachers commence playground duty from 8.45am. Students are encouraged not to arrive before this time, but if an earlier drop off time is needed this can be organised on occasion if you speak with Mrs Keough.

         Morning play - 8:45am – 9:15am

         School starts / Assembly - 9:15am  

        Fruit break - 10:20am

        Recess - 11:20am – 12noon

        Lunch - 1:30pm – 2:00pm

        School finishes - 3.15pm

Homework and Online Learning Programs         

As in past years, homework is negotiated at parent teacher meetings. If you would like homework for your child/ren please see their teacher. We have continued our online learning subscriptions including, Mathletics,  Mathseeds and Reading Eggs. If families have internet access and wish for their child/ren to access these subscriptions at home please speak with your child’s teacher to get passwords and usernames.

Representative Trials – Soccer / Football / Tennis / Cricket etc….               

A number of opportunities are available in a variety of sports for talented students to represent the Mid North Coast. If you are interested in your Year 5 or 6 student attending any of these trial events please let Mrs Keough or Melissa know.

Year 6 Parents - High School EOI Forms

Our Year 6 student's parent information on Year 7 Enrolment Procedures for Public High Schools is attached. Included is an "Expression of Interest for Placement in Year 7 at a NSW Government Secondary School in 2024" form which needs to be completed and returned by Monday 20 February. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to phone and ask Mrs Keough.

School Information

Update Driver and Registration Details for 2023     

If you are transporting your child/ren or any other students for excursions, sporting events etc.… the principal must sight your current driver licence, vehicle registration details and comprehensive insurance details. If you have not updated this travel information from previous years, please come into school soon and we can record your details for 2023. Under the current working with children requirements, all parents who drive other students or volunteer in any capacity at the school need to fill in a form and provide 100 points `ID, or have a WWCC. See Mrs Keough or Melissa for further information.

Student Travel Subsidy     

Do you need to drive your children to a school bus stop or school each day? There is a government subsidy available for those students who meet the age and distance criteria. To see if you’re eligible, and to apply online, visit www.transport.nsw.gov.au/school/schooldrive  For parents who have a student already claiming subsidy, please remember to log on to the site and update your child’s yearly details.

Bus Travel Procedure         

All bus travel applications are now online. To update your details, go to www.transport.nsw.gov.au/ssts/updatedetails  For more information, call 131500.

2023 Learning Contributions 

Learning Contribution fees for 2023 remain the same - $30.00 for the costs of student items provided by our school and $40.00 towards SAKG program which has ongoing costs each week, such as cooking ingredients, seeds and seedlings.

Bookclub - Issue 1

Bookclub Issue#1 brochure is attached. Please take notice that it is now published like a newspaper. If you wish to place an order from this issue, please have your loop online order completed or your order forms and money (cash) back at school by Wednesday 15 February.