The Winston Whisper Winston Hills Public School

Hillcrest Ave, Winston Hills 2153 T: 96398518 F: 9686 3274 Email: winstonhil-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website: www.winstonhil-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Issue 6 - Term 2 - Week 1 Tuesday 30th April, 2013

CONTENTS

Page 2: Deputy’s Report, Hill Performing Arts Festival

Page 3: Kindergarten Sound Day, NAPLAN Information

Page 4: P&C, Canteen, Mother’s Day Stall, Uniform Shop

Page 5: Band, Mother’s Day Breakfast, Cross Country

Page 6: Article ‘Helping students get ready for NAPLAN tests’

CALENDAR Week 1 Wednesday, 1st May Footsteps Dance begins for

Kindergarten, Stages 2 & 3 Thursday, 2nd May Uniform Shop open 6-7pm Week 2 Tuesday, 7th May Anti Bullying Show K- 6 Thursday, 9th May Mother’s Day Breakfast 8.15am Thursday, 9th May Mother’s Day Stall Week 3 Tuesday, 14th May NAPLAN Language / Writing test

- Year 3 & 5 Tuesday, 14th May Year 1 Excursion – Longneck

Lagoon Wednesday, 15th May NAPLAN Reading Test – Yr 3 & 5 Thursday, 16th May NAPLAN Numeracy test – Yr 3 & 5 Week 4 Tuesday, 21st May Year 2 Excursion – Longneck

Lagoon WHAT’S DUE?

Tuesday, 7th May Mother’s Day Breakfast note & money

Friday, 5th May Parent Survey - Homework Friday, 10th May Stage 1 (Years 1 & 2) Long Neck

Lagoon Excursion permission note Friday, 17th May Book Club orders (in old hall) Friday, 17th May Yr 3-6 Athletics Carnival Permission Thursday, 23rd May Kinder Excursion permission note

ACCOMPANYING NOTES

• Parent Survey - Homework • Mother’s Day Breakfast note – for all Mums • Parent letter from the Premier • Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival • Kinder Farm Excursion • Longneck Lagoon Excursion – Years 1 & 2 • HPAF – Senior Dance Group Note • Kindergarten Parent Information Note • Support Unit – Pick up procedures • 2/6P Community Access Permission Note

Community Notices (email only)

• Hills Family Centre – Term 2 workshops and activities

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome Back Welcome back to a new term. I hope that you had a great holiday and enjoyed the wonderful weather over the break. Yesterday the staff participated in a very worthwhile day of professional development on the new Australian curriculum and 21st Century teaching & learning, which are both major focus areas for our school this year. School Photos We are hoping to receive school and family photographs by the end of next week. They will be sent home as soon as possible after their delivery. Please email the school with any feedback about the quality of the school photographs. NAPLAN The 2013 NAPLAN tests for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be held Tuesday 14th, Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th May. Important information about NAPLAN tests is available on the National Assessment Program website (www.naplan.edu.au). See more details on page 3 and the Michael Grose article on page 6.

Entertainment Books Stocks are available for the Entertainment Book covering Parramatta/Hills area as well as Sydney North and Sydney. The books cost $65.00 each. Flyer/Order forms were sent home with your child last term. All proceeds raised from the sale of the books are used towards educational programs at Winston Hills Public School. Please return your order form or call into the office to purchase your copy. Thank you to Mrs Judy Jones for organising this fundraiser for our school. Homework – Parent Survey All NSW public schools are required to develop a homework policy in consultation with staff, students, parents and caregivers in each school’s local community. The homework policy at Winston Hills Public School was developed in 1999 and needs to be updated.

There are few issues in education that evoke more emotion, diverse opinion and community interest than homework. Over the course of this year, I would like to have a ‘discussion’ with our school community about this topic. I intend to provide articles and research from Australia and overseas for parents to read, through the newsletter email and on the website. Later in the year I will hold a parent meeting to discuss this topic. I would like to start this discourse by asking parents to complete a survey which is being sent home with today’s newsletter. I look forward to some interesting dialogue with parents, students and teachers over the coming months!

Maxelle Matthews

Living and learning together Page 1

Issue 6 - Term 2 – Week 1 Tuesday,30th April , 2013

HILLS PERFORMING ARTS FESTIVAL – THIS WEEK CONCERT Friday 3rd May 2013. Our annual concert is this week! It will be held this year for the last time at the HILLS CENTRE, Carrington Road, Castle Hill. This year’s event is the 25th anniversary concert of this festival. When: 3rd May 2013 When: 7.00pm – 9.30pm (approximately) All children involved ( Senior Choir, Senior Dance, Infants Dance and Magic Movers and Senior Concert band items) have received a note accompanying our last newsletter outlining information about the evening for all participants. Day Rehearsal: Our rehearsal bus will leave school at 8.45am and return by lunch time. Evening Concert: All Band members must be at the ‘Friend’s Lounge’ at 6pm. All other children must be at the HILLS CENTRE by 6.30pm at the latest and delivered to their teacher at the designated spots. Choir will need to be dropped off at the Northern Foyer, and all other groups to the Stage door at the rear of the building. Parents must not accompany their children inside from these points. The children must also be picked up from these same locations at the conclusion of the concert. Children are not permitted to leave before then. The Hills Centre is Closing Down As you are aware the Hills Centre will be closing permanently the week following our concert and a new suitable venue has to be found for this Festival to continue into the future. After 25 years of engaging public school students in performance it would be a shame to see it end. Congratulations to Our Students All the children in the groups have been working very hard to be prepared in such a short time frame and we are looking forward to a great evening’s entertainment and hope that Winston Hills children will be worthy ambassadors for our school and your parents. What a great singing and dancing time we will have! Many thanks to the teachers who have put so much effort into preparing the children and items for this prestigious event held in our area. Enjoy! Noelene Luther Hills Performing Arts Committee Secretary WHPS HPAF Coordinator

FROM THE DEPUTY Term 2 has started and several new opportunities are welcoming back our children. Stage 2 Camp – New Initiative Traditionally, Stage 3 have participated in an annual camp, alternating between a Canberra/Snowy Mountains trip and a Department of Sport and Recreation camp. These two camps provide many benefits for the children, teaching the kids some essential social, sporting, problem solving and independent living skills. However they also offer a challenge to many children who are experiencing their first camp away from their family, especially for the year five students at the five day Milson Island camp. To help provide the necessary stepping stones to these longer adventures, the school is trialling a stage 2 camp at Sydney’s Academy of Sport at Narrabeen on the 8th and 9th October. The two day camp will provide such opportunities as rock climbing, abseiling, a ropes course, archery, kayaking and sailing in a program that is close to home and relatively short in duration. An expression of interest will be in the next newsletter, though in the meantime parents are encouraged to discuss this opportunity with their children. I have a feeling the children are going to be very keen! More Student Leaders Opportunities In an effort to provide all stage 3 students leadership opportunities, late last term stage 3 students who were not in a formal leadership role were offered the opportunity to apply for technology leadership positions and sport leadership roles. The successful applicants will be allocated responsibilities such as leading lunchtime activities and managing the schools ipads and computers. Later in the year all stage 3 students will also be given the opportunity to lead peer support groups in small lessons. Footsteps Dance Program A reminder that our Footsteps Dance Program will commence tomorrow. Students in Kindergarten, Stage 2 and Stage 3 are asked to wear their sports uniform and to bring along their usual Winston Hills enthusiasm. Opportunity Class Placement Parents seeking opportunity class placement for Year 5 entry in 2014 are asked to submit an application by 17 May. Generally students applying will be in Year 4 in 2013. Parents with internet access and a printer at home are strongly encouraged to apply on-line at www.schools.nsw.edu.au/ocplacement. Parents preferring to apply with a paper form are asked to contact their class teacher or me directly at school. Paper forms will be available from May 6. Woolworths Earn and learn Program Parents are reminded that if they are shopping at Woolworths they can collect the Earn and Learn Stickers and place them with the card in the box outside my office. Happy shopping! Ian Short

Living and learning together Page 2

Issue 6 - Term 2 – Week 1 Tuesday,30th April , 2013

ENETRTAIN

ENETRTAINMENT BO OK

XOXOXOX

SCHOOL NEWS NAPLAN – PARENT INFORMATION The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. It has been an annual event for schools since 2008. On Tuesday 14, Wednesday 15 and Thursday 16 May, students will take the 2013 NAPLAN tests. NAPLAN assesses skills in literacy and numeracy that are developed over time, through the school curriculum. NAPLAN is not a pass or fail type test, but rather shows how students are progressing in numeracy and literacy skills against national standards for all Australia children. It also provides valuable information that allows schools and governments to better target effort and support to help all students achieve their potential and acquire the basic skills to help them build successful and happy lives. All students are expected to participate in the tests. Students with disability may qualify for reasonable adjustments that reflect the support normally provided to them in the classroom. Some students with very specific circumstances may be exempted from participating in the tests. For information about participation in NAPLAN, you can go to: http://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support.html NAPLAN tests fundamental skills rather than specific content, and as such is not a test for which students can study or drill. The best way you can help your child prepare for NAPLAN is to let them know that NAPLAN is just one part of their school program, and to urge them to simply do the best they can on the day. The use of services by coaching providers is not recommended. An individual student NAPLAN report will be issued by the school later this year. Parents can use this information to monitor how their child is progressing and to identify any areas of concern. Parents may also wish to use their child’s results to discuss progress with teachers. More information is available at www.nap.edu.au.

SCHOOL ACCOUNTS

Term 2 accounts will be sent home during Week 3. Payment of fees are due Week 6, Friday, 7th June.

Those families who have not paid the Term 1 account will now be on ‘Pay As You Go’ and will be required to pay in advance for all excursions, sport, choir and dance activities. Unfortunately, your child will not be able to attend /participate in activities until the payment has been received.

Judy Jones, School Administration Manager

STAFF NEWS Congratulations to Mrs Cathy Di Pietro and her husband on the safe arrival of their son Flynn. Mother & baby are doing well.

KINDERGARTEN SOUND DAY On Wednesday 10th April, Kindergarten celebrated the end of term 1 by having ‘Sound Day.’ All the students (and teachers!) dressed up as a sound that the students had been learning about in term 1. We saw lots of ‘p’ for pirate and princess, ‘f’ for fairy,‘s’ for super hero and much more!

Everyone got to parade in front of their Kindergarten friends, talk into the microphone about the sound they dressed as and play some fun games The Kindergarten students and teachers had lots of fun and we are all looking forward to learning some more sounds early in term 2.

Erin Adams Assistant Principal Kindergarten

Living and learning together Page 3

Issue 6 - Term 2 – Week 1 Tuesday,30th April , 2013

ENETRTAINMENT BO OK

XOXOXOX

P & C NEWS MOTHER’S DAY STALL

Thursday 9th May The fundraising committee is having a stall to sell lovely gifts for Mother’s Day. Prices range from $1.00 - $5.00. Don’t forget to bring a plastic bag to take your gifts home. Fundraising Committee

UNIFORM SHOP Opening Times Open during the school term every Thursday morning from 8:40am to 9:30am and the first Thursday evening of the month from 6pm to 7pm.

• Next evening open: 2nd May (THIS Thursday)

• Flap hats and paint smocks are now in stock. We will be stocking raincoats shortly. They will be $17.00.

Roster 2nd May Evening 9th May Michelle A Leanne Dyball JanineCameron Michelle K Jen Barclay Belinda Schuster Julia Maguire Michelle A Allison Watson 16th May Margaret Collier Fiona West Carolyn Pentecost Uniform Shop Contact Details Please email Michelle at chelly_anderson@yahoo.com or phone her on 0407263686.

Alterations For all alterations to school uniforms, please drop your clothes off at Uniform Shop on Thursdays. Finished alterations will be available for pick up the following Thursday. Thanks to Bernice Harker for this service who is also donating 10% of sales back to the school.

Dr Shoe

Max will be at our school for shoe fitting on the following date: 31ST MAY 2013 You can find him on the silver seats at the crossing gate or alternatively phone him for free home fitting on 0414 912 838

LAST CHANCE TO DONATE YOUR OLD (CLEAN) BRAS TO THE UNIFORM SHOP FOR A BREAST CANCER FUNDRAISER.

YOUR DONATION WILL BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED. THANK YOU.

P&C Secretary - Vacancy We are still looking for someone to fill the role of P&C Secretary. The main responsibility of this position is minute taking. Please give it some thought and if you would like to get involved contact Belinda Schuster or myself. We will provide plenty of support in finding your feet in the role.

• Belinda can be contacted on 9688 6664 or bdschuster@optusnet.com.au

• I can be contacted on 0403556654 or vincentlisa@optusnet.com.au;

The next P&C meeting will be on Tuesday 21st May at 7.30pm in the staff room. If you have anything you would like to discuss, please email me or phone me by the Friday before the meeting. Vincent Riordan, President

CANTEEN

We have had no new volunteers join the canteen roster so please remember to take note of the canteen roster in the newsletters as this will remind you of the Thursday dates that we are currently unable to open : 16 May / 13 Jun / 25 Jul / 22 Aug / 19 Sept / 31 Oct / 28 Nov. If your situation has changed and you are now available to volunteer for the canteen please let us know asap so that we can place you onto the roster. Just a further reminder for the current volunteers. Could you please advise us of your email details as this will assist us with future communications. A special thank you to Ariana Hale who came to the rescue recently when an electrical issue left the rostered team without a main oven for the day. Ariana selflessly offered to cook all the food that was required in her home & then even dropped it back off at the school in time for service! Thank you so much for your help and also to Janelle Dunk, Julie Walsh & Kaelene Davis who were rostered on that day!

Jenny W, Janelle, Carly, Michelle & Jenny B Carly Kirk (0414) 427804, Jenny Bradfield (0412) 321447 or whpscanteen@yahoo.com.au Wednesday, 1st May Vanessa Kellett, Geroly Segui, Jin Young Kang, Kay Stoddart Thursday, 2nd May Lisa Hassell, Tracey Twyerould, Hatice Woods Friday 3rd May Siobhan Buchan, Haylie Rossettin, Rebecca Connelly Monday 6th May Jenny Wilbow, Belinda Schuster, Ravin Randhawa Tuesday 7th May Sophia Ferreira Friza, Michelle Ly, Heidi Juhart

Wednesday, 8th May Melissa Zoeller, Carissa Newell, Michelle Peters, Jude Kirkgard Thursday, 9th May Kelly Bramble, Rachel Calleja, Melissa Thomas Friday, 10th May Helen Walsh, Raquel Szann, Haylie Rossettin Monday, 13th May Margaret Young, Charlene Cillero, Tina Khan Tuesday, 14th May Catherine Bernard, Kerry McKay, Bernice Harker

Living and learning together Page 4

Issue 6 - Term 2 – Week 1 Tuesday,30th April , 2013

ENETRTAINMENT BO OK

XOXOXOX

BAND NEWS Welcome back to Term 2! Thank you to all in Senior Concert Band (SCB) who performed so well at the Anzac Day assembly. The next performance for SCB is on this Friday 3rd May 2013 at the Hills Performing Arts Festival. All SCB students will need to meet at the entrance of the friends lounge at 6pm. NO later please. Leave plenty of time to arrive! Band uniform is to be worn with band t-shirts being issued on the night. Don’t forget your musical instrument and red music bag containing your music folder! Practice Card Winners Congratulations to the following students who were winners of the end of term 1 practice cards draw:

• Training band - Ajaiy.M • Intermediate band - Isobel.B • Senior concert band - Max.Z

Don’t forget that we will draw a winner from each band at the end of each term. More than one entry per child is accepted Band Bags During the past term we have noticed that students were forgetting to bring their music folders with them to each session. Without their folder it makes it very difficult for students to play each week. In order to hopefully combat this issue the band committee has purchased red music bags that will be issued to all students within the first week of Term 2. SCB students received theirs in the last week of Term 1. These bags will now become a compulsory addition to your instrument with each student expected to bring along these bags containing their music folder to EVERY session. Unfortunately, due to a limited number available we have had to limit it to one bag per family at this stage. If more become available in the future all students will be issued a bag.

Term 2 Roster Changes A reminder to all of new roster for Term 2 as follows. Monday am- STARTING MONDAY 6th MAY 8am-8.50am Senior concert band rehearsals (1) Monday pm- STARTING MONDAY 6th MAY 3-4pm Training band rehearsals 4-5pm Intermediate band rehearsals Wednesday pm- STARTING MONDAY 1st MAY 3-4pm Senior concert band rehearsals (2) in new hall 3-4pm Training band tutorials 4-4.45pm senior concert band tutorials 4.45-5.30pm Intermediate band tutorials Band Committee Thank you and welcome to Donna Alexandrou who has offered to take up the Training Band assistant position. Donna will be helping out on a weekly basis with Training Band as well as attending band camp. Welcome Donna! Sue Bryant Co-ordinator

MOTHER’S DAY BREAKFAST – THURSDAY 9TH MAY

Celebrate Mother’s Day by joining your child/children at school on Thursday 9th May for a delicious breakfast. Cost: $6 per family Time: 8:15am – 8:45am Where: Primary Quadrangle Please fill in the form that is accompanying this newsletter and return it by Tuesday 7th May. We are looking forward to sharing this special breakfast with all the Mums. ANNUAL 3-6 CROSS COUNTRY The Winston Hills Annual Cross Country was held on Wednesday the 8th of April on the school grounds. Thank you to Ivan for measuring, mowing and setting up the course on the day.

The day’s main focus was on participation and enjoyment with all children having the opportunity to participate in the cross country and ball game events.

The children all looked fantastic as they ran the course in their house colours – Red, Blue, Gold or Green.

Congratulations to the top 6 place getters in each age group. They have qualified to represent WHPS at the CHPPSA Cross Country Zone Carnival to be held on the 20st May 2013, at the Masonic Oval Baulkham Hills.

The winning house was Laver. Congratulations!

Thank you to all the staff for their support in the running of the carnival. Without your help, the carnival would not have been such a great success.

Melissa Johnston

P&C and SCHOOL NEWS

Living and learning together Page 5

Issue 6 - Term 2 – Week 1 Tuesday,30th April , 2013

Living and learning together Page 6