Newsletter Term 2 Week 3
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Last week at the regional Principal’s Conference I was fortunate to hear Jeff McMullen of 60 minutes and ABC fame speak. His presentation was very passionate and well researched. He was relating the influence ad importance of education in combating the problem that the disadvantaged have in our society. It is through education of these groups that many of negative outcomes experienced by these groups can be improved and eliminated. Things such as life expectancy have been directly related the level of education attained.
His main point hen was the role of schools and Principals in leading schools to improve this situation for those disadvantaged groups. Indeed it important that all groups in our school have their particular needs met. To this end we at North Nowra are working hard to make this happen for our students.
Student Details
I have written before asking that parents inform the school of any changes to a student’s details so that our records can be kept up to date in case of an emergency. It is important that the school has the current residential address of all students. As well it is essential that a current contact telephone number is available so that parents can be contacted. The school also needs to be informed of any custody issues that may relate to a student. In the event that a court order applies to a student the school must have a copy or we are unable to enforce the order.
Please contact the school in person, by telephone or note if your child’s details have changed so that we can update and maintain accurate records.
National Assessment Program
Today, tomorrow and Thursday our students in Years3 and 5 will be sitting for the new national assessments in Writing, Reading, Language and Mathematics. These tests will be administered first thing each morning. Please ensure that your child is at school on time on these days.
Regional Ensemble Visit
Next Monday, in place of our normal assembly, the school will have a performance from the Illawarra South East Regional Ensemble. This group of musicians, vocalists and dancers are touring the South Coast and we are fortunate to have them visit our school. The cost for the performance is $3 per student. This cost is well below that charged by other visiting artists.
This group performed at the Regional Principal’s Conference last week and were simply fantastic. I encourage all students to see this performance.
Voluntary School Contribution
Parents will be receiving an invoice for the voluntary contribution with this newsletter. The voluntary contribution is used by the school to purchase extra reading materials, craft supplies, sports equipment and library resources. Please pay this invoice promptly.
David Hogg
Principal
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Term 2 is in full swing with a busy month ahead. This week we are having ur school cross country at the Willandra course at West Cambewarra. If the weather holds this will bev a great day for all students to enjoy. Parents are very welcome to attend and support their children running for their house. As part of the day the P&C are running a sausage sizzle. Please ensure that all orders for sausages are placed by tomorrow.
National Assessment Program
These tests replace the Basic Skills Testing Program that has been in operation in New South Wales. The National Assessment Program is a nation wide assessment program for Years 3,5,7 and 9. It is similar to the BST tests in that the areas covered are Literacy, Reading, Writing and Language, and Mathematics.
The tests will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings next week. It is important that all students in Years 3 and 5 sit for these tests. Please ensure that you have your children at school and on time on these days. Parents will receive a report on their child’s performance in these tests later in the year.
Education Week
This year Education Week will be held from Monday 26 May until Friday 30 May. We will be inviting parents to the school during this week. We will have an assembly and classroom visits during the week. You will receive more information about the week’s activities through the newsletter and by separate flyer closer to the event.
Vandalism
The school was attacked by vandals over the last weekend. The attack was concentrated on the school library with the vandals trying to break in through the front doors. Extensive damage has been done to the doors. The damage is so great that they may have to be replaced. The vandals also made attempts to break in through windows.
It is disappointing to have such an attack on our school. It is difficult to understand what is to be gained by creating so much damage. I ask that anyone who has information that may help us catch the vandals contact the school or Nowra Police.
Attendance
Towards the end of last term the Home School Liaison Officer conducted a roll check of all class rolls at the school. Unfortunately, he found a large number of cases of student absences not being explained. He made it clear to staff that all absences from school should be explained by note within three days of the absence or they should be recorded as unexplained.
We ask that when your child is absent from school that you provide the class teacher with a note explaining the reason for the absence when your child returns to school.
P&C Meeting
The P&C Meeting for May will be held in the staffroom tomorrow evening beginning at 7:00pm.
Industrial Action Early Warning
Parents will remember that the NSW teachers Federation held a stop work meeting at the end of last term. The meeting related to changes in the way school are staffed in New South Wales. At the meeting a motion was passed to hold a full day stoppage (strike) on Thursday 22 May if a settlement between the Department and the Teachers Federation is not reached. This notice is to give parents early warning that the stoppage MAY occur as it this stage no progress has been made in the dispute. As such parents need to consider alternative arrangements for child care on this day if the stoppage goes ahead.
Illawarra South East Regional Principal’s Conference
This conference will be held in Bateman’s Bay on Thursday and Friday of this week. I will be attending and thus will not be at school on these days. At the conference our Regional Director, Graeham Kennedy, Director General, Michael Coutts –Trotter and TV presenter Jeff Mc Mullan will be some of the speakers.
David Hogg
Principal
Newsletter Term 2 Week 2
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Term 2 is in full swing with a busy month ahead. This week we are having ur school cross country at the Willandra course at West Cambewarra. If the weather holds this will bev a great day for all students to enjoy. Parents are very welcome to attend and support their children running for their house. As part of the day the P&C are running a sausage sizzle. Please ensure that all orders for sausages are placed by tomorrow.
National Assessment Program
These tests replace the Basic Skills Testing Program that has been in operation in New South Wales. The National Assessment Program is a nation wide assessment program for Years 3,5,7 and 9. It is similar to the BST tests in that the areas covered are Literacy, Reading, Writing and Language, and Mathematics.
The tests will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings next week. It is important that all students in Years 3 and 5 sit for these tests. Please ensure that you have your children at school and on time on these days. Parents will receive a report on their child’s performance in these tests later in the year.
Education Week
This year Education Week will be held from Monday 26 May until Friday 30 May. We will be inviting parents to the school during this week. We will have an assembly and classroom visits during the week. You will receive more information about the week’s activities through the newsletter and by separate flyer closer to the event.
Vandalism
The school was attacked by vandals over the last weekend. The attack was concentrated on the school library with the vandals trying to break in through the front doors. Extensive damage has been done to the doors. The damage is so great that they may have to be replaced. The vandals also made attempts to break in through windows.
It is disappointing to have such an attack on our school. It is difficult to understand what is to be gained by creating so much damage. I ask that anyone who has information that may help us catch the vandals contact the school or Nowra Police.
Attendance
Towards the end of last term the Home School Liaison Officer conducted a roll check of all class rolls at the school. Unfortunately, he found a large number of cases of student absences not being explained. He made it clear to staff that all absences from school should be explained by note within three days of the absence or they should be recorded as unexplained.
We ask that when your child is absent from school that you provide the class teacher with a note explaining the reason for the absence when your child returns to school.
P&C Meeting
The P&C Meeting for May will be held in the staffroom tomorrow evening beginning at 7:00pm.
Industrial Action Early Warning
Parents will remember that the NSW teachers Federation held a stop work meeting at the end of last term. The meeting related to changes in the way school are staffed in New South Wales. At the meeting a motion was passed to hold a full day stoppage (strike) on Thursday 22 May if a settlement between the Department and the Teachers Federation is not reached. This notice is to give parents early warning that the stoppage MAY occur as it this stage no progress has been made in the dispute. As such parents need to consider alternative arrangements for child care on this day if the stoppage goes ahead.
Illawarra South East Regional Principal’s Conference
This conference will be held in Bateman’s Bay on Thursday and Friday of this week. I will be attending and thus will not be at school on these days. At the conference our Regional Director, Graeham Kennedy, Director General, Michael Coutts –Trotter and TV presenter Jeff Mc Mullan will be some of the speakers.
David Hogg
Principal
Newsletter Term 2 Week 1
Dear Parents and Caregivers
Welcome back to what will again be a very busy term at North Nowra Public School. I hope that parents and students have enjoyed a restful holiday and are ready for the challenges of term.
To start the term we welcome Mrs Thomson who will be taking 6T our tenth class. The formation of this class has meant some changes to the other classes with the exception of Kindergarten. In some cases large numbers of students have been moved into another class while in other cases only one or two students have been moved. In making these adjustments to the class structure the needs of all children have been paramount in the decision. The formation of the new class now allows the school to have some flexibility when new students arrive.
In term 1 we had a number of classes with greater than the recommended allowable number of students in them. We have now got vacancies in all grades and are able to place any new students in the correct class group.
The smaller classes will allow for each student to their need more addressed and should result in higher achievement.
National Assessment Program
Last term parents of students in Years 3 and 5 received written advice of this year’s external testing program. In 2008 the program has changed from the Basic Skills Tests to the National Assessment Program. This is now a nation wide program that all students in Years 3,5, 7 and 9 sit for. All students unless a special exemption has been granted are expected to sit for the tests. The tests for Years 3 and 5 will take place on Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 May. Please avoid scheduling any appointments or other activities that will keep your child away from school on these days.
ANZAC Day
On Friday 11 April the school had a special assembly to observe ANZAC Day. Our school leaders did a wonderful job of chairing and speaking at the assembly. It was great to have Havenlee students and staff as well as many parents present at this important assembly.
At the assembly the Bomaderry Sub Branch and the Bomaderry RSL Club presented donations to the school for the purchase of books for our library. The school is grateful for such support. Thank you to Mr Williams for his organization of the day.
On Friday 25 April, the last day of the vacation, the school participated in the ANZAC March and Ceremony at Bomaderry. It was very pleasing to see so many of our students and staff participate in this important community event. Thank you to those students and their parents who made the special effort to have our school so well represented.
The school choir performs at our ceremony. Our school leaders with our special guests.
School Cross Country
The school will hold its traditional Cross Country Carnival on Thursday 8 May. Mr Hanson has been organising this and parents will receive a separate note giving details of the event and any special arrangements.
David Hogg
Principal
Newsletter Term 1 Week 11
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
I am writing and distributing the newsletter today because of the Stop Work Meeting tomorrow morning. As advised on Friday there will be no teachers at school to provide supervision of students tomorrow until 11:00am. The school will be closed until this time. Normal classes will commence from 11:20am as usual. Students may begin arriving at school from 11:00am. Parents will need to make arrangements for the supervision of their children until this time.
The staff are sorry for any inconvenience that this may cause.
ANZAC Day Observance
On Friday the school will observe ANZAC Day. The observance will take the form of a special school assembly in our hall at 10:00am. We will have a representatives from the Bomaderry RSL and HMAS Albatross in attendance. All students will be involved in this assembly.
During the week our classes will be learning about the ANZAC tradition and its significance in our history and as part of our heritage. We have an exhibit from the Australian War Memorial that will be being used in the classes.
The school will be involved I the traditional observance of ANZAC Day on 25 April by participating in the march from the Bomaderry RSL Club. This will begin at 9:00am on the day. We would like as many of our students as possible to represent our school on this day. There will be a separate note about this come home later in the week.
School Voluntary Contributions
The P&C set the voluntary contribution for 2008 at the meeting last Thursday evening. The fees will remain the same as for 2007, $30 per student or $50 per family. Parents will be invoiced for this week. Please pay this fee promptly so that t can be sed to improve the quality of education for all students. The fees are used to purchase many resources that allow the school to deliver quality programs that cater for the needs of particular groups and individuals. Examples of how the money has been set in the past include the purchase of home readers and reading resources in general, science equipment, craft materials and library resources.
Autumn Vacation
Friday is the last day of Term 1. The staff and students will be on vacation from Monday 14 April until Monday 28 April. Students will return to school on Tuesday 29 April.
David Hogg
Principal
Newsletter Term 1 Week 10
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Our student enrolments have increased to the point that we have been given permission to form a tenth class. We will be working on the actual class to be formed over the next week with the class being formed to begin next term. The forming of a new class will mean that there are some changes made to most of our current classes. As a result of forming the new class the numbers in most classes will be reduced thus giving each student more individual teacher time. This will allow us to cater for your child’ needs more effectively.
Mrs Thompson has been appointed to teach our new class. We welcome her back to our staff. The great advantage of having Mrs Thompson is a very capable teacher who has the great advantage of knowing our school and the students very well.
Money Collection Procedures
As from last week students should not take money or notes to the classroom. We hove implemented a new procedure where all notes and money are taken to the school office and placed in the letterbox in on the left hand side of the window. All money will be receipted and counted on Monday and Friday mornings.
Fantastic Assemblies
Every second Monday we hold a K – 6 assembly in our school hall. At each assembly one of our classes entertains us with an item. The quality of items this term has been very high. We have had a number of musical items as well as a slide show of 9G’s first weeks at school. Also at the assembly we recognise students who have been working well in class by handing out merit certificates.
Sporting News
We have had a busy time in sport over the last few weeks and it is set to continue with Rugby League and Australian Football this week. On Thursday we will be competing in the Rod Wishart and Paul McGregor Shields at Lyrebird Park. We are the current holders of these trophies and are hopeful of retaining them this year.
On Friday Mr Williams will be taking our Australian Football team to Nowra Showground to compete in the Glen Archer Cup. Traditionally North Nowra has done very well in this competition.
Sporting Representatives
Students from our school have been competing in Shoalhaven District Trials in Rugby League and Football (soccer) over the last fortnight. I am pleased to report that Brad Kellett has been selected in the 12 years rugby league team to participate in the South Illawarra Zone Trials today I am sure that he ill give of his best. Good luck Brad.
Mariah Hucman is to be congratulated on being selected in the Shoalhaven District Girls Football team to participate in the South Illawarra Zone Trials to be held on Thursday 10 April. Well done Mariah!
Newsletter Term 1 Week 9
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
I hope that you have all enjoyed the Easter break. Thank you to all of the parents and friends who came to the school last Thursday and helped us celebrate Easter with our annual hat parade. It was great to see so many parents and grand parents here to support our students on the day. I know that the sausage sizzle lunch went very well and at the same time raised valuable funds for our hard working P&C. Congratulations to the winners in our Easter raffle. I am sure that the prizes will be enjoyed by those who won.
The Role of the School Counsellor
The school is allocated one and a quarter days per week counsellor time, however this time can also include training and meetings outside the school. Melissa Cameron, our counsellor, has qualifications and experience in both education and psychology and her role is to provide psychological support to the school. This includes:
• Assessment of students’ ability and behaviour, and compiling reports about these assessments.
• Advising staff and parents on the management of students and their specific needs.
• Participation in and advice to meetings about whole school issues and specific students’ needs.
• Assisting in the application for support, resources and class placement for students with special needs.
• Referring students or families to agencies concerned with the health and welfare of students and liaising with these agencies.
• Providing reports and recommendations when students have received long suspensions (5-20 days).
• Providing therapy and counselling to students - individually and in groups.
It is important to discuss any issues relating to your child’s academic, social and emotional progress with their class teacher before contacting the School Counsellor, as most referrals come through the Learning Support Team. This team meets weekly to determine the level and type of support and intervention students require. It may be more appropriate to seek help from an agency outside school if the issues are not related to school. I have included a list of agencies which may be able to provide assistance:
AGENCIES Phone
Anglicare 44231018
Centrecare 44218248
Family Support 44215499
Mission Counselling 44220455
Aboriginal Medical Service 44286666
Nowra Community Health Centre 44228111
Or consult your Local GP
Collecting Students from School
From time to time parents collect their children from school early. This is usually to attend an appointment or for some other special circumstance. When this occurs parents are required to sign the student out at the office. Sometimes another family member or friend will be asked to collect a child. In these circumstances the school needs to be sure that the person collecting the child has the authority to do so. This can be confirmed by checking the student’s emergency card to that the person collecting the child has such authority or by the parent proving a note giving the person authority to collect the child.
The school is unable to prevent a parent from taking a student from school except where a court order has been supplied to the school prohibiting the parent from doing so. It is important to realise that the school MUST have a copy of the court order to enforce it.
Newsletter Term 1 Week 8
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
After Easter we will be changing the way that money is collected and counted at school. At present students take money and permission notes to the classroom where teachers record the amount of money and collect the note. From here the money is sent o the office for receipting and banking.
As from Easter we will be changing this procedure. All money will be taken to the office and posted in the letterbox on the left hand side of the counter. All permission notes and money should be placed in this box. Money will be receipted on Monday and Friday. I will put a reminder in the newsletter next week so that parents are aware of this new procedure.
Medication at School
There are times when students need to take medication at school. As schools are drug free zones students are not permitted to self medicate. This means that when your child needs to take medication you need to bring the medication to the school office and sign the necessary form to allow this to happen. We cannot administer any for of medication without the necessary form being filled out.
All medication is to be kept securely in the sick bay. Our office staff are prepared to administer the medication at the appropriate time. In many schools this is not the case and parents are required to come to the school and administer the medication themselves.
Boys Cricket Team Play Well
Yesterday our boys cricket team played against Nowra Public School in round 1 of the NSWPSSA State Knockout. Our boys batted first and were bowled out for 44 runs. Curtis Hodgetts was the best batter scoring 14 runs not out. Nowra passed our total after losing 8 wickets. Our best bowlers were Lachlan Deudney Moore and Robert Mirabito. As a team we the played very well and I was quite prod of their performance against a team with far more experience.. Well done boys!
Easter Celebrations
Just a reminder that our Easter Hat Parade will be held on Thursday at 12:00pm. I have seen some of the great hats that have been made by kindergarten with the help of their buddies. As well as the hat parade we will be drawing the Easter Egg Raffle.
The P&C are running a sausage lunch with parents invited to stay and enjoy with their child. Order forms were attached to he newsletter last week. Orders can still be made by contacting the canteen or sending a note with your child.
Parking At School
All parking in the school grounds is for staff and departmental use only. The only exception is the one space for disabled students to be dropped off. Under no circumstances should parents park on the driveway as this reserved for buses only. When parents park in the car park or on the driveway this creates problems with student safety. Please assist the school to keep our students safe by parking outside the school.
A happy and restful Easter to all students, parents and staff,
David Hogg
Principal
