‘Endeavour to Excel’ ‘Excellence, Opportunity, Success’ 121 PACIFIC HIGHWAY, OURIMBAH 2258 PHONE: 4362 1033 FAX: 4362 2531 Email : ourimbah-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website : www.ourimbah-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

‘Communicating with our Caring Community’

muse Emu Wednesday, 26th February 2020

DATES TO REMEMBER

PRINCIPAL

Stars of the Week – 1/2N

This week, I had the pleasure of seeing some of the fantastic artwork being done by 1/2N. The students in 1/2N have been discovering the wonders of working with water paints and are learning the technique of ‘blending’ to create mesmerising effects.

Well done to the following students who were selected to show-off their sunset creations to me – Lachlan K, Ashlyn B, Piper C and Oakley C.

1/2N Students with their art work.

Foyer Display – 2ME Take a look at this fantastic artwork on display in the front foyer! 2ME have been talking about the devastating bushfires that have impacted upon so many communities within Australia over the summer period. The students in 2ME have completed some wonderful artworks depicting the Australian landscape as a result of this natural disaster. Congratulations to these students who shared their amazing artwork with me –Stella H, Noah G, Kalani K-B and Mia I.

DATE EVENT

26 February P&C Meeting – new date 7pm in staffroom tonight - see attached agenda

27 February Primary Swimming Carnival - Mingara Recreation Club

2 March CANTEEN CLOSED 2 March Parent Information Session 4/5EA 2 March CARES Stg 3 – 6C & 6F 3 March CARES Stg 3 – 5C & 5EA 11 March P&C AGM Meeting 12 March Selective High School Test 30 March School Photos 30 March CANTEEN CLOSED 9 April Last day term 1 10 April Good Friday

School Bell Times – Morning Supervision The staff and I have noticed an increased number of students arriving well before the official start time at Ourimbah PS. As teacher supervision does not commence until 8:25 am in the morning, no students should be arriving before this time as a matter of student safety and wellbeing. If you are a working parent and need to drop-off your child before this time, please enrol your child with the Before and After School Care facility (TASK) that operates from the multi-purpose building – contact number 1300 827 500.

Clean-up Australia Day Clean-up Australia Day will be recognised across Australian schools on Friday 28 February, 2020. This Friday, the students at Ourimbah PS have the opportunity to participate in this important annual event as a way to inspire our students to clean up, fix-up and conserve our school environment. We are all very proud of our school and the way it is well looked after – we appreciate the hard work of our school cleaners and general assistant who work tirelessly on keeping our playgrounds and gardens looking so beautiful. My thanks to Mr Edwards, Mrs Golding and the Environmental Committee who have co-ordinated this year’s clean-up with each class contributing to the collection of rubbish that, on occasions, makes its way into our gardens and play areas. If you would like your child(ren) to participate in Ourimbah’s clean-up this Friday please send them with a pair of garden gloves – the school has a limited number of gloves to give to those students who are unable to bring in a pair of their own.

Parent Information Sessions I would like to acknowledge and thank all the families who attended our Parent Information Sessions earlier this week. It was great to see so many parents and carers attend this important annual event and take the time to listen to all the wonderful opportunities our Stage Teams and class teachers are planning for the upcoming school year. I would like to thank those families who have taken the time to contact the school to pass on their thanks to the hardworking and professional teaching staff – your words of support are greatly appreciated! As I am sure you have discovered, we are very fortunate to have such dedicated staff who strive hard every school day to provide the highest quality of opportunities for our students in a caring and supportive learning environment. If you were unable to attend the Parent Information Sessions and would like a copy of any ‘hand-outs’ from the evening please contact your child’s class teacher so we can arrange for these to be sent home!

International Women's Day International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 annually and is a global day recognising the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women worldwide. This year’s theme, ‘#EachforEqual’ highlights the need to challenge gender stereotypes and bias. Celebrating women's achievements and increasing visibility, while calling out inequality, is key. I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of the women who contribute to the life and culture at Ourimbah PS and acknowledge their wonderful work in educating and nurturing the future leaders of tomorrow… your children!

School Events / P&C Calendar To help get organised for some of our major events and fundraisers this year, the wonderful Mrs Vila has put together a yearly calendar which highlights the most important activities across the school year – we hope this helps you to prepare for those events that may require parents re-arranging work commitments and family matters in order to attend. A copy of the planner has been attached with this week’s newsletter.

Newsletter Distribution Please note, in the interests of saving paper and reducing our environmental impact, a limited number of school newsletters will be printed each week. A digital copy of the newsletter is available each week to those families that have subscribed to the school app with a copy also being available on the school website. Should you require a hard copy of the newsletter these can be found in the front office. Thank you for your understanding, and ongoing cooperation.

Sports officials – student elections Well done to our all of our new School Officials, House Captains and Vice Captains for the mature and responsible manner that you have displayed since undertaking your duties at the beginning of this year. Over the next few weeks our School Leaders will introduce themselves through the school newsletter, and I am extremely proud of the way they have taken to these additional roles and responsibilities. I have met with our student leaders on several occasions this year and have signed their ‘Code of Ethics’ which outlines the behavior expectations for all of our student leaders. Whilst we can’t expect our students to be ‘perfect’ we do set high standards of behavior for all students holding a leadership position. If your child receives two, or more warnings (RAP letters) throughout the year for misbehavior, or is suspended from school at any stage, they will lose this privilege of representing our school as a student leader.

School Voluntary Contributions Each year we ask families to support their child/children by donating $50.00 per child ($120 for a family of 3 or more children) to the school as a school voluntary contribution. This money is tax deductible and is used to purchase much needed classroom resources and sports equipment for each class to utilise on a daily basis. Voluntary contributions can be paid by cash, cheques can be made out to Ourimbah PS, or Parent On Line Payment (POP) accessible via the school website. Remember that our office will accept payment in instalments to assist families paying their contributions. Our office will continue to accept the annual school contributions throughout the year.

Sporting News Congratulations to Fletcher M (6C) who was successful in gaining selection the Zone Cricket Team recently. Fletcher will now compete at the Combined Cricket trials this week. Greg Francis Principal

ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE ATTENDANCE REMINDER: Please remember that parents must provide an explanation for absences to the school within 7 days from the first day of any period of absence. Where an explanation has not been received within the 7 day timeframe, the school will record the absence as unjustified on the student’s record. HIGH SCHOOL It is time to start the transition of your child from Year 6 to Year 7. Expression of Interest forms were sent home to all Year 6 students this week. These forms need to be completed and returned to Mrs Wakelin before the 20th March. If you have any questions relating to High School or need assistance in completing these forms please contact me on 4362 1033. If you have not received a High School form for any reason please come and see me. As part of the transition process Lisarow High and the local primary schools work closely together to provide opportunities for our Stage 3 students. Starting this term all Year 6 students, regardless of their chosen High School, will be invited to attend Lisarow High for one day each term with their class teachers. Permission notes have already been sent home and we do encourage you to take up this opportunity as it provides the students with an insight into what High School is like and the opportunities that are available. NAPLAN ONLINE Significant planning, research and trialling has been ongoing since 2017 to support the move to NAPLAN Online. Online testing creates new opportunities for teachers and students that are not possible with pencil and paper tests. Our school has participated in the online NAPLAN tests for the last two years. This means our students in Years 3 and 5 will complete the NAPLAN assessments online rather than pencil and paper tests. The Year 3 writing test will continue to be paper-based, but all other Year 3 tests will be online. Our teachers and students will be involved in preparation and practice activities in the lead up to NAPLAN this year. This will include participating in a practice test during March (23rd to 27th), where students will have a further opportunity to become familiar with the types of questions they will be asked in NAPLAN Online. If you would like any further information about NAPLAN online please refer to the website https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/student-assessment/naplan-online

Have a great week, Mrs Nicki Wakelin Assistant Principal CLASSY ARTICLE – 1/2N MISS NEBAUER 1/2N are off to a creative start to 2020. We have been enjoying getting to know one another and forming new friendships. We are learning all about our differences, especially during our History lessons where we comparing our past and present family life. The students find it hard to comprehend that kids did not always have iPads or similar devices as a means for entertainment. 1/2N are settling in beautifully to the classroom routines and are showing what wonderful self-regulated learners they are. I am very impressed by their skills in creating a Microsoft Word document which include adding graphics and changing their font style and size. We have discovered how much we enjoy painting. 1/2N have been learning the skill of seamlessly blending colours to create a fire or a sunset background. This fortnight, we are using number lines to assist with addition and subtraction. I am pleased to say 1/2N share my love of puppy dogs and they even created the cutest origami dogs to add to the dog themed décor. I am looking forward to a fun and productive 2020 with such a wonderful class. Miss Nebauer.

CLASSROOM EFFORT & BEHAVIOUR POINTSCORE Week 4 – Winning House – Koalas Koalas – 30 Platypus – 29 Emus – 27.5 Kangaroos – 25.5 CLASSROOM AWARDS K-2 Week 4 – Ava S, Harry H KSB; Isabel N, Cameron H KA; Sophia M, Paxton T 1/2Y; Indie D, Lachlan K 1/2N; Noah G, Christian B 2ME; Willow Y, Nate M 2B; Lily B, Oakley C Library. CLASSROOM AWARDS 3-6 Week 4 – Isobella W, Riley M 3/4R; James B, Charlotte R 3/4B; Ruby H, Jack M, Jamison K-G 4E; Annalise L, Hayden M 5C; Riley B, Chloe C 6F. Week 5 – Johnny R, Charlee H 3/4R; Arlandria F, Josiah W 3/4B; Chloe K, Jake B 4E; Tallon M, Hannah F-W 45EA; Ella T, Hayden B 5C; Bailey C, Hamish P 6C; Blaise M, Anisha G 6F; Rowan D, Mia P Library. SKOOLBAG APP Don’t forget that Ourimbah PS has a Skoolbag App. The app is very user friendly, allowing you to receive notifications and reminders for upcoming events. You can also view newsletters and submit absentee notes. Download your free Skoolbag App from the App Store now. Available for both Apple and Android phones. 2020 SPORTS HOUSE OFFICIALS Congratulations to the following students who have been voted in as the Sports House Officials for 2020: Kangaroos Captains – Owen H & Leilani I Vice Captains – Damon R & Keira E Emus Captains – Zach S & Summer Y Vice Captains – Clay T & Ruby H Koalas Captains – Quinn B & Jasmine D Vice Captains – Hamish P & Maya H Platypus Captains – Marco E & Matilda L Vice Captains – Kain R-D & Alexa S

SCHOOL VOLUNTARY CONTRIBUTIONS Please be aware that the School Voluntary Contributions will continue to be accepted throughout the year. Payments are accepted at the office via cash or cheque or via the online POP payment system. The cost is $50 per student or $120 for a family of 3 or more children per family. PRIMARY SWIMMING CARNIVAL The 2020 Swimming Carnival will be held at the Mingara Recreation Club tomorrow Thursday, 27th February. Parents are most welcome to come along and support their children from the stands. Please see the attached note with approximate times, as a guide only. PAYMENTS DUE:

• CARES – Stage 3 - $11.00. Now overdue.

• Textbooks K-2 - $15.00. Now overdue. • Year 6 T-Shirts - $39.95. Due by 2nd March. • Mathletics/Reading Eggs – Yr 1 & 2 -$25.00.

New Yr 1 & 2 students - $35.00. Due 6th March. • Mathletics/Reading Eggs/Sound Waves -

$28.00 - Years 3 - 6. New Year 3-6 students - $38. Due 6th March.

P&C NEWS The P&C Annual Easter Raffle 2020 is here! We are asking for donations to be included in the prizes, this could include all sorts of chocolate eggs, bunnies, baskets, chicks, soft toys, Easter craft packs and Easter lollies, etc. Raffle tickets will be coming home shortly. They will be in booklets of 6, with one ticket worth $1 or 6 for $5. We are again encouraging each student to sell as many raffle tickets are possible. There will be a special prize awarded to the class who sells the most tickets. Additional tickets will be available from the office. Please hand in all Easter raffle donations to the school office as soon as possible so that all prizes can be collated. Easter raffle tickets are due back to the office by Thursday, 2nd April. The Easter raffle will be drawn on Tuesday, 7th April 2020. Good luck to all the classes and happy selling! Thank you so much for the donations that we have already received, please keep them coming! P&C Fundraising Co-ordinator - Venessa Wheeler.

UNIFORM SHOP Operating Hours – Mondays & Thursdays The opening hours for the uniform shop are as follows:

Mondays 8.30 am - 9.15 am Thursdays 2.30 pm - 3.15 pm

COMMUNITY NEWS:

‘Save the Date’ School & P&C Calendar 2020