COORANBONG PUBLIC SCHOOL ‘COOEE’ Innovation Opportunity Excellence

Government Road Cooranbong NSW 2265 Ph 4977 1122 cooranbong-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Thursday 9th March, 2017

Week 7 is now upon us and students are well and truly engrossed in their learning. If you have not yet returned your general permissions note, please ensure this is returned ASAP so that your children don’t miss out. If your child arrives early to school it is important that they sit quietly on seats under the COLAuntil the play bell goes as there is no supervision before 8:30am. A perfect time to catch up on some reading!

Harmony Day Thank you to all those families that have volunteered to donate a delicious cultural dish for Harmony Day. Harmony Day will be held on Tuesday 21st March. All classes will be treated with a sample of a range of culturally significant

dishes from throughout our community. If you are able to make a cultural dish to donate please contact Kay 0432 275 276. Students are invited to come to school in traditional dress or they may choose to wear orange, as this is the official colour of Harmony Day throughout Australia. Keep a look out for our Harmony Day display in the hall in the coming weeks.

Student of the Month Last week’s assembly saw the announcement of this year’s first Student of the Month. Congratulations to Lilly. Lilly is a respectful student who always displays outstanding manners and is engaged in her learning. Lilly always tries her best to complete tasks to the best of her ability. A worthy recipient of Student of the Month. Well done Lilly!

Easter Hat Parade The Easter Hat parade will be held on Thursday 6th April under the COLA. Students are invited to create an Easter themed hat at home to show off during the parade and help get everyone in the Easter spirit. As always the P & C will be holding their Easter raffle. Families are encouraged to bring along a donation of Easter Eggs to contribute to the raffle. A mufti day will held on Thursday 30th March to assist with donations to the raffle. Students are asked to bring an Easter Egg to contribute to the raffle and come out of uniform. Of course we are happy to start accepting Easter Egg donations before this day. Just drop them into the canteen.

Important Dates to Remember Due date

15th March WSLA P&C Meeting @ 6pm

21st March

Harmony Day Out of Uniform Day

Scholastic Book Club

24/3/2017

30th March Mufti Day – bring Easter Egg donations

3rd April Cross Country

6th April Easter Hat Parade

7th April Last day of school

Term 1 – Week 7

Western Shores Learning Alliance Combined P & C Next Thursday 15th March we will be holding this term’s combined WSLA P & C meeting at Wyee Public School. The meeting will kick off at 6pm and focus on WSLA initiatives and focus areas such as PBL and High School transition programs. The Western Shores Learning Alliance (WSLA) is a vital network in providing teaching staff and community members with access to a range of support and planning structures. I look forward to seeing a good representation of the Cooranbong community.

Whooping Cough Alert It has come to the school’s attention that a student at our school has been diagnosed with Whooping Cough. Please find attached information from NSW Health for your information. Your local public unit can provide advice about Whooping Cough on 1300 066 055 or visit the NSW Health website for more information at www.health.nsw.gov.au/infectious/factsheets/pages/pertussis.aspx Children’s University Tuesday saw students participate in the launch of Children’s University. Children’s University Newcastle is affiliated with the University of Newcastle and the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education. The program allows children to access educational activities that encompass sport, art, museums, galleries and a range of other activities. Students were issued with their passports and participated in a range of activities including first aid, art, branding and horse care. If your child would like to acess the program see Mrs Brown at school.

Gotcha Winner Last week’s Gotcha draw winner was Sashi. Sashi wins a $2.00 voucher to spend at the canteen. Congratulations!

Term 1 – Week 7

Attendance Award This weeks attendance award goes to Tahlia. Tahlia wins a $5 voucher at the canteen for her 100% attendance last week. Great job!

Congratulations Last Friday 4 of our students attended the Westlakes Rugby League trials. I am very proud to say that all 4 of our boys were successful in gaining selection. Congratulations to Bailey L., Darcy, Doug and James. We wish them luck in their bid to gain selection at the Hunter Rugby League Trials.

Working With Chidren Check (WWCC) If you are volunteering at the school, you are required to undertake a Working with Children check. Whether you are working in the canteen, helping out in class or reading with students this is a legal requirement in all NSW DoE schools. It is an easy task that simply requires volunteers to complete a ‘Declaration for volunteers and non-child related contractors’ form at school. The completion of the form will require a 100 point proof of ID check. This form can be completed at the office. The information gathered will then be entered into the department’s data base for screening.

Car Park Issues Last week I invited the Department’s WHS Officer out to have a look at some car park issues. He highlighted a number of concerns with current practices that pose significant safety risks to our children. We are extremely lucky to have access to our car parks at pick up and drop off times. Most schools are not as privileged to have access to such facilities. Due to an increase in enrolments and staff numbers the front carpark is now designated as staff only. Please do not park in these spaces. Remember, the footpath and garden is not an appropriate place to park. While we are still considering options to assist in reducing the risks currently posed by current practices I urge parents to use common sense when using our car park facilities. Too often do I witness parents parking illegally in no parking areas or incorrectly positioning their vehicle. While the rear car park has no marked spaces parents should use common sense by parking in an orderly direction and use caution when exiting the car park. Parents are required to collect their children personally from Mrs Brown at the back car park. Students will not be allowed to walk across the car park unassisted by an adult. Thank you for your co-operation in this matter. The safety of our children is everyone’s responsibility Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) Respect, Safety & Engagement are our 3 key expectations at Cooranbong Public School. They are also a recipe for success. Our PBL journey is now underway and over the coming weeks we will be sharing our journey with everyone. Ms Hamilton and Mrs Eves are participating in a WSLA PBL meeting today and will be identifying the next key steps in our journey. They are busy analysing data and we look forward to sharing the findings with you next week. If you haven’t yet entered our mascot competition, there is still plenty of time, entry forms are available from the front office.

Term 1 – Week 7

Three Way Interviews This term in Week 11 all students and their families will be invited to participate in a 3-way interview. These interviews will replace parent teacher interviews at the end of Term 2. The focus of the 3-way interview will be around setting learning goals for all students and encouraging students to be engaged in their own learning journey with the support of both parents and teachers. Rather than waiting until the year is half over we believe the interviews can have a positive impact in providing support for students, parents and teachers. A note will be sent home this week with available time slots for interviews. Timeslots will be allocated as the notes are returned. All interview times will be confirmed by teachers once interview times are finalised. Mr Quinnell PRINCIPAL

It’s going to be a SUPER year in 5/6B! 5/6B have started the year with a bang! We have been very busy forming new routines and learning about each other as a class. Later this year we are heading to Canberra for three days so a lot of our learning has been around our History topic of “Australia as a Nation”. We are currently looking at the Magna Carta and the Australian government systems and how it was influenced by Britain as well as reading about the First Fleet and how the first British Colonies were formed here in Australia. Earlier this term we had the opportunity to show our Reading Warm up to Mr Fleming and several teachers from our school. The class performed this within a week of being back at school and amazed not only myself, but the other staff and Mr Fleming. We are working towards another big milestone as 5/6B has informed Mr Fleming that they are going to beat his school record of reading 100 sight words in less than 32 seconds. It is a big achievement however we are up for the challenge! Watch this space to see if we can do it!

Canteen News Please be aware that credit will no longer be available at the canteen due to the number of unpaid canteen accounts. If you require your child to be supplied with a lunch order because of late arrival or they have left their lunch at home and parents are unable to bring it to school, they can be given a Vegemite sandwich. No other food will be available under these circumstances. Please note also that children are unable to purchase fruit at Fruit Break. They must buy their fruit before 9am. Thank you for your assistance in this matter. As part of the Premier’s Priority, the NSW Department of Education & Ministery of Health have revised the current guidelines for canteens. This is a 3 year priority. Our canteen will be changing over time to fresh, home-made foods. We will be supported and encouraged by both Departments to achieve high benchmarks for healthy food and drink options in our canteen. As news comes in we will let you know of any changes through the newsletter and Facebook page.

Term 1 – Week 7

Canteen Roster: Monday 13 Mar Sandra & Jo Tuesday 14 Mar Kay Wednesday 15 Mar Michelle & Tracey Thursday 16 Mar Paula & Jo Friday 17 Mar Julia & Erin Meal Deals: Wednesday - Large Pie, Tropical LOL and ice cup $3.00 Thursday - Small Pasta Bake, Garlic Bread, Popper and ice cup $5.00 I would like to introduce Paula who will be co-convening the canteen with me in future. Thank you Paula!

Fun Food Fact….. Each pineapple plant only produces one pineapple per year! Kay Fernance CANTEEN CO-ORDINATOR

P&C News The P&C would like to thank Steve Ward for running the Uniform Shop for the last few years. Steve has done an amazing job and will be sorely missed. We would like to welcome Michelle Shepherd who has volunteered to run the Uniform Shop. Uniform Shop hours will be advised shortly. Price lists are available from the front office. Thank you to all the families for selling Easter Raffle tickets. There are more tickets available from the school office. We are holding a Mufti Day on Thursday 30th March. Children are asked to bring in a donation towards our Easter Egg raffle on this day. Thank you, Tracey O’Sullivan P&C PRESIDENT

Term 1 – Week 7