kariong public school€¦ · page 1 kariong public school view to the future friday, 18 february...

KARIONG PUBLIC SCHOOL View to the Future

Friday, 18 February 2011

52 LangKariong 2250

Phone: 4340 1885 Fax: 4340 2523

Email: kariong-p.school @det.nsw.edu.au

Website: www.kariong-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

School Security No: 1300 880 021

No 3

52 Langford Drive,

Kariong 2250

Phone: 4340

1885 Fax: 4340

2523

Email:

kariong-p.school

@det.nsw.edu.au

Website:

www.kariong-

p.schools.nsw.edu

.au

School Security

No: 1300 880 021

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Monday 21 February 2011 School Swimming Carnival

Monday 21 February After School Sport Starts 3pm - 4.15pm

Wednesday 23 February School Photos

Wednesday 23 February Yrs 5 & 6 – Tennis Clinic- Lunchtime Basketball Court

Thursday 24 February After School Sport Starts 3pm - 4.15pm

Friday 25 February Value of the Month Presentation –Co-operation & Participation

Monday 7 March BWPSSA District Swimming Carnival – Woy Woy

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Dear Parent/Caregivers

I’d like to give you a brief report on the matter of the white van. There is widespread discussion of this very worrying matter and I will just give you the facts as we know them. Police are investigating two incidents where children (both Year 6) were offered lifts by a woman driving a white van. Rumours that this is related to other incidents in the Woy Woy / Umina area are wrong. Those incidents involved a car, not a van and the individual has been identified by police. Our matter involves a white van. It has no rear window and no hubcaps. At the time of writing that is all we know. Police are investigating as well as patrolling. We are doing our best to assist. Our school community is still getting used to new arrangements with our canteen. Some changes have been made to ensure that the financial procedures in the canteen comply with the requirements of our auditors and also to ensure financial probity. These new ways of doing things have irritated a few people but they are not matters about which we have a choice. Our School Education Director is Dr David Cullen. He is one of the three SEDS who work from the Gosford DET office. Dr Cullen has asked me to include a communication from him in this newsletter clarifying matters related to the school canteen. His message appears in this newsletter. Before I finish with the topic of the canteen we are still in need of volunteers. We have some new parents working there who are doing a great job and enjoying it very much so why not come along and get involved as well. The more helpers we have the more efficiently the canteen will run. Remember proceeds from the canteen are going to pay for more equipment for our children at school. I’ve been looking at the response to the online surveys, particularly the one about how things went at the beginning of this year. Most (82%) of the responses were from parents of Kindergarten and they made very interesting reading, particularly the suggestions to improve

52 Langford Drive, Kariong 2250

Phone: 4340 1885 Fax: 4340 2523

Email: kariong-p.school @det.nsw.edu.au

Website: www.kariong-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

School Security No: 1300 880 021

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to TAFE/ Senior First Aid

When: Thursdays 9.30 - 12.30

6 week course beginning 29th April 2010

processes and communications. One comment caused me some concern though, it was about a child being very distressed about some confusion at home time. If we had not done the survey I would not have known about that incident. If there is something that happens here that causes you or your child to be unhappy or concerned I want to know about it. Pick up the phone or come in to see me. Not only do I not mind hearing these things, I truly need to hear them so we can do things better.

This week we had our parent information evening. The idea of these evenings is to give you a bit of an overview of the plans for the year but mainly they are held to establish a connection between parents and the class teacher and also between parents of kids in the class. One of our parents was telling me about a school where they have class barbecues or picnics at school where parents come and meet the teacher in a more informal setting. This appeals to me and I’d like to hear more views on it.

Ivan Pagett. Principal

PRINCIPALS GOLD BOOK Zhayla and Daniel

DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S REPORT

Parking near the School There is limited parking near our school. Parents often use Foster Close to drop and collect children. The school relies on our neighbours to keep an eye on our grounds after hours and return equipment lost during play periods. Please if you are using Foster Close do not park across driveways blocking access to residents. Common sense and courtesy to others must be a priority in parking near the school.

School Banking Banking day is 2011 is Wednesday. Visitors from the bank spoke to students regarding the Dollarmite accounts. If you child would like a bank account notes are available. The bank pays our school a commission for providing this service. Last year our school was in the top 5 banking schools in the state and the school received a commission of $778.48. Many thanks to our parents who volunteer their time to collect banking monies.

School Calendar A school calendar for Term 1 is attached to assist parents to organise for school events. Students return for Term 2 on Thursday April 28.

Partial Absences Occasionally children may need to arrive at school late or leave early due to appointments or for medical reasons. However we ask that these absences be kept to a minimum, as they can disrupt learning. Should you require your child to leave school prior to normal finishing time, it is necessary to sign them out and collect an early dismissal note from the office, before collecting your child from the classroom. This allows duty of care to be transferred form the school to the parent. While we understand that there are times when late arrivals are unavoidable, we do ask that you support us in minimising these.

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Early Arrival Conversely, there are an increasing number of children arriving at school before 8.30am. We ask that children do not arrive prior to this time. There is no teacher on duty at this time to look after the children and it is in the interest of the children to keep them at home until the playground is supervised. Children can be booked into BASC (Before and After School Care at Kariong Community Centre) if child minding is required before or after school hours. The contact number for BASC is 4340 4561.

Late Notes - We urge parents to have their child/ren at school by 8.50am in time for morning assembly. Students arriving late for school will need to collect a late note from the office, giving a reason for their lateness before going to class. Reasons such as ‘slept in’, ‘mum’, ‘no petrol’ are considered unacceptable reasons and the attendance roll will reflect this as such.

Early Leavers - Should you require your child to leave school prior to normal finishing time a note from the office must be obtained before you collect your child from their class. If you know prior to your child coming to school that he/she will be leaving early a note can be sent to the Class Teacher in the morning but you still must go to the office to sign your child out early.

Bus Passes - All children travelling by bus are required to have a bus pass. The pass is issued for your child to travel to and from your home address only. Going to a friend’s place, after school care, etc means your child must pay a fare. The bus company will check for passes after the first month. If you change address a new application must be completed – available from the office. Free bus passes are only issued to students in years Kindergarten to Year 2. All students who applied late last year should have received their pass via the school office.

School Counsellor - Our School Counsellor is Mrs Genevieve Chivers who worked at our school last year. Mrs. Chivers is available Monday and Tuesday each week. Ms Bridget O’Brien is a new counsellor to our school and she is here each Friday. If you wish to speak to Mrs Chivers or Ms O’Brien please contact the office to make an appointment.

School Uniforms - We seek your co-operation in ensuring that our children are in full uniform each and every day. This includes our school hat which protects the children from sun damage. Shade areas are available but hat protection is a must if the children are in non-shaded areas. Other items in our clothing pool are ‘pre-loved’. The Uniform Shop/Clothing Pool is open Monday and Wednesday from 8.30am – 9.30am. Please remember items worn as part of our uniform are not meant to be fashion items – this refers particularly to some of the ‘shorts’ our boys are choosing to wear. Jewellery is not part of the uniform (plain studs may be worn in pierced ears).

Value of the Month – Cooperation/ Participation The values that we will be focusing on during February are Cooperation /Participation. Cooperation involves working together to achieve common goals. We will be talking to the children about helping and supporting others and the importance of working together. Cooperation also involves talking nicely to other people when there is a problem and trying to reach a solution which is acceptable for all concerned. Cooperation is not about people only being concerned about getting their own way. Most conflicts can be resolved in a way that they become a ‘win win’ situation for all concerned. We request that you reinforce cooperative behaviours at home and talk to your children about what cooperation means, using examples from home. Participation is always being willing to be involved. This allows everyone to have new experiences and develops a sense of belonging to the group or organisation. This is particularly important in life as if you limit your opportunities to participate you also limit your opportunities to learn, grow and have fun. The messages behind our Values Education

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program are universal and it helps children to understand them and live by them if they are modelled, reinforced and discussed at home and at school.

Our first Value of the Month presentation will take place next Friday at morning assembly. To avoid confusion, presentation dates have been set as the last Friday of each month (in the event of wet weather, presentations will be made on the first dry day). Parents of students receiving an award will be notified in writing by their child’s class teacher and recipients’ names will appear in the newsletter on the day they receive their award.

School Photographs School photographs will be taken on Wednesday, 23rd February. Students are expected to wear full school uniform, including black shoes. All students are photographed individually and as a member of their class photograph. Students need to return their individual envelopes on Wednesday to be given to the photographer. You need to request a family photograph if you wish to have one taken. The school does not handle monies for school photographs. Scripture Classes Scripture classes for the year will commence on Thursday, 25th February. The Scripture classes offered include Catholic and Ecumenical (which includes Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian and Uniting Church). The classes do not only cater for the children’s religious education, but often also support their moral and values education. Parent Teacher Nights The Parent teacher nights were held on Wednesday night and were well attended. If you wish to speak to your child’s teacher please write a note requesting an individual interview time or telephone the office for an appointment. Teachers appreciate time to prepare for an interview rather than interrupting teaching time or catching them at morning assembly.

Student Welfare Since it is the beginning of the school year, I thought it would be timely to remind the community of our Student Welfare Policy and Procedures, so that you could discuss these with your children. The children should take home their Behaviour Card each Friday which indicates the Level your child is on for that week. This was in response to parental feedback stating parents wanted more regular information about their child’s behaviour. The children’s reward for being on Level One is stamped onto the card each week. Most children at Kariong obey school rules consistently and are expected to remain on Level One. Children who remain on Level One for the entire term will also receive a special reward near the end of term. You can support us and your child/ren by continuing to praise your child for being on this Level. Even though this is expected, we do want children to feel rewarded and pleased with themselves. PLEASE RETURN THE CARD EACH MONDAY.

When children choose to break school rules, they will be sent to the Stage Coordinator for classroom incidences or the Planning Room for playground incidences. If this happens twice in a term, the student will go to Level 2. Continued breach of school rules will result in dropping levels, down to Level 5. Serious incidences can also result in dropping several levels. After a full calendar week of improved behaviour children can then be promoted to the next level up. This allows students to improve their behaviour, and encourages children to take responsibility for improved behaviour. Please note that any child on Level 4 will not be allowed to attend special school events and that Year 5 students who find themselves on Level 4 during the year, will not be eligible to stand for a student leadership role for Year 6.

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Social Skills Program Our staff has developed a Social Skills Program with the Central Coast Behaviour Support Team for all students Kindergarten to Year 6 which encompasses the key components of our student welfare program, Values Education and the Personal Development syllabus. These lessons will be taught by the class teacher and focus on our school rules – Be Kind, Be Proud, Be Safe , Be Considerate and the elements of our Anti-Bullying Plan which include Handling Conflict, Anti-bullying and Identifying Bullying. An overview of the lessons to be taught is included for your information in this newsletter.

Accidents Accidents can happen to your children whilst they are at school or outside the school on excursions organised and supervised by the school. In the event of an accident which requires transportation by ambulance parents are always contacted and a staff member accompanies the child to hospital until parents are able to arrive. Ambulance Cover is provided free of charge to all students. Other medical expenses may be covered through Medicare or Private Health Cover. No other insurance covers students who have accidents at school. Parents may wish to take out private insurance to cover expenses that arise from accidents at school.

Family holidays during school terms Some families due to work commitments schedule their family vacation during term time. The Department of Education and Training Attendance Policy requires students who will be absent from school for this reason, for a period of ten school days or more, to apply for a Certificate of Exemption from School. Please contact the office prior to your vacation to obtain this Certificate. Toni Formby Deputy Principal

AFTER SCHOOL SPORT

DUE TO CONCERNS ABOUT SAFETY – IT WOULD BE ADVISABLE FOR CHILDREN TO BE COLLECTED FROM AFTER SCHOOL SPORT, RATHER THAN WALKING HOME.

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THE KARIONG PUBLIC SCHOOL CANTEEN I have become aware of conjecture in the school community regarding the administration and management of the school canteen. Many in the school community believe that the school canteen was taken over from the P&C by the school. This is incorrect. When the Kariong Public School P&C was put into recess by the NSW Federation of Parents and Citizens’ Association the P&C canteen could no longer operate. From November 2010 the P&C canteen ceased to exist. This effectively left the school without a canteen. The only options available to your principal Mr Pagett were to: (1) have no canteen, (2) have a school administered canteen, or (3) have the canteen service put to private tender. Mr Pagett was very conscious that a canteen was an essential service for the school and in consultation with me as the School Education Director took the decision to move quickly and have a school administered canteen. The new school canteen is a new entity and as such required the development of operational guidelines and systems consistent with Department policies. The Department has very clear guidelines for their effective administration and management. School administered canteens are the responsibility of the school principal and are regularly audited as part of the Department’s school audit process. There are numerous school administered canteens and uniform shops operating very effectively (and profitably) across public schools in NSW. In responding to the challenge of establishing a school administered canteen I suggested to Mr Pagett that he negotiate with the person who had been the supervisor of the P&C canteen to fill the canteen supervisor vacancy in the ‘new’ school canteen on a temporary basis for the remaining six weeks of the year thereby enabling Mr Pagett the time to advertise and fill the vacancy through a merit process. The position of supervisor of the school administered canteen was subsequently advertised and filled through a merit process led by Mr Pagett. The selection panel consisted of a parent representative and a highly regarded canteen supervisor from another school. I trust this helps in clarifying the matter. Dr David Cullen School Education Director Hunter/Central Coast Region

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ORAL HEALTH ASSESSMENTS AT YOUR SCHOOL

Year 3 and Year 6 children at Kariong Public School have an opportunity to have their teeth

checked at school as part of the NSW Dental Health Survey of School Children 2011. The check-ups

will be conducted by a Dentist or Dental Therapist.

Year 3 and Year 6 children will bring an enrolment package home from school with information

for you to read, a consent form and a brief questionnaire.

If you wish them to have a dental check-up you need to complete the consent form, sign it, and

return it to school in the envelope provided by Friday 4th

March along with the completed

questionnaire/s.

DENTAL EXAMINATIONS WILL BE ON TUESDAY 8TH

, WEDNESDAY 9TH

AND

THURSDAY 10TH

MARCH.

Every child who has a dental check-up at school will receive:

A toothbrush; and

A sealed envelope that contains a brief report about their dental health and where you can

access free dental treatment if treatment is indicated.

Thank you for your cooperation. The information that we collect will help us in planning better

dental services and oral health programs for school children.

SCHOOL PHOTOGRAPHS The envelope needs to be returned on Photo Day, Wednesday, 23rd February whether purchasing photos or not. Students are expected to wear full school uniform, including black shoes. Family Photos will also be taken. Please collect order forms from the office prior to Photo Day

FREE TENNIS CLINIC A Tennis Clinic is being held at Kariong Public School for students who are interested in learning Tennis Skills. The Tennis Clinic will be held on the Basketball Courts during lunchtime. For students that are interested – please wear joggers and just turn up at lunchtime to the Basketball Court on the following days:-

Year 5 and Year 6 - Wednesday 23 February

STUDENT BANKING WINNERS –Heidi, Kiona, Lily and Jennah

STUDENT BANKING Student banking has recommenced for the year but will now be on a Wednesday. Starter packs went home last week - spare packs are available from the office if you didn't receive one.

Volunteers are needed to help out with the banking - no experience is necessary. So, if you're free on a Wednesday morning from 9 - 10am please feel free to come along & help. Anyone that is interested can leave their details at the office or just turn up next Wednesday. Thank you from the banking ladies.

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RAISING MONEY FOR THE LEUKAEMIA FOUNDATION Jason Williams 3/4C and Mr Hollinworth from the office will be shaving their hair at school on Friday 11 March, to raise money for people who have cancer. If you would like to sponsor us, Jason will be outside the TLA every Tuesday & Thursday mornings. Every little bit helps.

2011 SWIMMING CARNIVAL Our swimming carnival is on Monday 21st February at Peninsula Leisure Centre. All children in Yr 3-6 are expected to attend and those children in Yr 2 who are turning 8 this year and are swimming can attend. Children should have received a permission note and entry form this week. It is very important that entry forms are returned by Thursday 17th February so they can be entered on the computer. Below is a copy of the order of events for the day. The carnival will begin at 9:30am.

ANY PARENTS WHO CAN HELP WITH TIMEKEEPING please let Miss Conwell know before the carnival. Thanks.

2011 Order of Events 200m Senior Individual Medley Girls 200m Senior Individual Medley Boys 200m Junior Individual Medley Girls 200m Junior Individual Medley Boys 50m 8 Years Freestyle Girls 50m 8 Years Freestyle Boys 50m 9 Years Freestyle Girls 50m 9 Years Freestyle Boys 50m 10 Years Freestyle Girls 50m 10Years Freestyle Boys 50m 11 Years Freestyle Girls 50m 11 Years Freestyle Boys 50m 12 Years Freestyle Girls 50m 12 Years Freestyle Boys 50m 13 Years Freestyle Girls 50m 13 Years Freestyle Boys 50m Junior Breastroke Girls 50m Junior Breastroke Boys 50m 11 years Breastroke Girls 50m 11 years Breastroke Boys 50m Senior Breastroke Girls 50m Senior Breastroke Boys 50m Junior Backstroke Girls 50m Junior Backstroke Boys 50m 11 years Backstroke Girls 50m 11 years Backstroke Boys 50m Senior Backstroke Girls 50m Senior Backstroke Boys 50m Junior Butterfly Girls 50m Junior Butterfly Boys 50m 11 years Butterfly Girls 50m 11 years Butterfly Boys 50m Senior Butterfly Girls 50m Senior Butterfly Boys 100m Open Freestyle Girls 100m Open Freestyle Boys House Relays Junior Girls and Boys Senior Girls and Boys

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FUN and FITNESS for FREE!!

Join the Active After School Sports Program in Term 1 2011

I am now taking names of children who are in years 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6 who wish to participate in the Active After

School Sport program in Term 1. This program will begin in Week 5 on Monday 21st February and Thursday

24th

February. It will run for 7 weeks. We will be having a HOCKEY and MULTI SKILL

session (different sports) on MONDAY and a MULTI SKILL session on THURSDAY. Please remember that this is not free childcare. Children must participate in all activities and if they are ill

or have an injury they are not to stay for After School Sport that afternoon. We cannot be responsible for

children who are just watching. THEY MUST ALSO FOLLOW THE SCHOOL RULES AND LISTEN

TO THE SPORTS TEACHERS.

The children do not have to be good at sport to participate in this program. They just have to like playing games

and wish to learn and play different games, activities and sports. The aim of the program is to get the children

more physically active after school. Preference is given to the older children who do not do any after school

activities.

It will be held on Monday and Thursday afternoons from 3pm – 4:15pm. There is no cost to parents for this

program. The program will still run on wet days and parents must pick up their child from the area where the sport

is being conducted.

Your child may put their name down to attend one or two afternoons but it will depend on numbers interested if

they are accepted for one or both. Only 40 children can attend each session. So if you wish your child to be a

part of this program, send your notes back to Miss Conwell (3/4C) ASAP.

You will receive a permission note to sign if your child has been accepted. Bianca Conwell

Active After School Sports Program Term 1 2011.

The following children would like to participate in the After School Sport Program:

Child’s Name ............................................ Class ............ Monday / Thursday / Both

(please circle)

Child’s Name ............................................ Class ............ Monday / Thursday / Both

(please circle)

Signature ......................................... Date ..............

Return to Miss Conwell (3/4C) ASAP

Children will receive a permission note to take home to be returned before they participate.

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Changing beginning of the year challenges to opportunities to learn

The beginning of the school year always brings with it changes and with that

challenges. Changes can cause anxiety for children as well as for parents.

Sometimes children are disappointed at the beginning of the school year when they

are separated from close friends or are allocated a teacher they aren’t familiar with or

don’t “gell” with.

As parents we often get drawn into fixing things for them and trying to negotiate with schools to

make things right.

However changes and challenges are not all bad. There is another way that we can view these.

They are opportunities for your child to grow and develop a keener awareness of how he/she

interacts with adults who may have a style that they are not familiar with.

It is also an opportunity for them to use their social skills and develop new relationships. It’s true

that sometimes these new relationships cannot replace that special friend from last year, however

it’s important for children to learn that the nature of relationships differ and that it’s important to

make space in our lives for all kinds of friends. This may include ones we have fun with, ones we

share interests with, ones we work well with and ones we can learn from because they challenge

us.

So how do we as parents go about doing this without downplaying the difficulty of these changes

for your child?

1. Name the feeling the child is experiencing (disappointment, fear, anxiety, unsettledness,

loneliness)

2. Normalise that feeling and let the child know that people often have those feelings when

things are unfamiliar and changing. You can give some examples of when you might

have felt like that.

3. Give the child some space to think about how they might work through the issue

themselves (How would they problem solve that issue?)

4. Help the child identify what they would like to work on to manage the situation better

and help them break it down into small manageable tasks (For example looking at the

other person, using their name and starting a conversation)

5. Plan for setbacks (what will happen if the other child says something rude back or

ignores them?) Talk through the things that could go wrong

6. Let other people know that your child is working on this skill. You might even tell the

teacher that your child is learning to manage meeting new friends and that they are

practicing a specific skill (For example using a persons name to greet them). You can

even recruit the teacher to be their supporter in this. When they notice your child

practicing the skill they could praise them or let them know that they have noticed.

7. Ask your child about how they practiced the skill today, what worked and what they

found challenging.

8. Once they have some success, let the people you recruited to be their supporters (dad,

grandma, teacher, sibling etc) know and celebrate with them by having a special dinner,

inviting the new friend for a play date, going to the park with the new friend after school

etc.

It is always important to find the right time to attempt to have these conversations with your

child. All children are different and it’s good to find a time when things are calm, you feel close

to your child and they feel like talking.

Childhood is all about learning and growing so that one day our children will be independent

and capable young adults. The challenges that come our way are great tools for learning. At

the same time, if the circumstances are too challenging for your child and you feel that they are

being impacted socially, behaviourally, physically or academically it’s good to talk to your school

and to seek professional help.

Parent Line NSW is a state funded 24 hour professional counselling, support and information

service to parents of children 0 – 18 across NSW. 1300 1300 52 www.parentline.org.au

http://www.parentline.org.au/

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WANT TO BE AN ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE LEADER IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY?

Volunteer for NSW Energymark and reduce your carbon footprint and power bills

CSIRO and the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water NSW are looking for 500

volunteers to lead small group discussions on energy, climate change, water and waste.

You don’t need to know a lot about energy and climate change – simply gather a small group of people

(family, friends, neighbours, workmates) for discussions using support and discussion material from

CSIRO and NSW Government.

To register or for more information visit www.energymark.com.au or call 1300 119 003

Are your details up to date? Have you moved or changed phone numbers? Please inform the front office with any changes in your

living situation so we can contact you if the need arises.

Reminder: If your child has any allergy, medical condition or special needs, talk to your child’s teacher

as soon as possible.

Reading with children is fun and one of the best ways to help prepare them for school.

Tip: Try not to let television intrude on reading time - set aside some uninterrupted time to read with your child.

Telephone Interpreter Service

If you need an interpreter to assist you to contact your principal, please call the Telephone Interpreter

Service on telephone number 13 1450 and ask for an interpreter in your language. The interpreter will call

the principal and will stay on the line to assist you with your conversation. You will not be charged for

this service.

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