DATES FOR YOUR DIARY - 2019

TERM 2

Friday 3 May

ANZAC Day assembly

Monday 6 to Friday 10 May

Stage 1 walking tour of Erskineville

Tuesday 7 May

Year 3 - 6 School Cross Country, Sydney Park

Wednesday 8 May

Pre-loved uniform co-op, 7:45 - 9:10am

Tuesday 14 May

P&C Meeting, 6:45pm in the library

Tuesday 14 May to Thursday 16 May

NAPLAN

Saturday 18 May

Federal election

P&C BBQ and Cake stall

Wednesday 22 May

Kindergarten ‘The Big Dig’ excursion

Friday 24 May

District Cross Country Carnival

Sunday 2 June

P&C Working Bee

Monday 10 June

Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday

Friday 14 June

Regional Cross Country Carnival

Stranger Danger

Please remind your children to be aware of strangers and their surroundings. Make sure they understand who is picking them up and that this is communicated to the school especially if there are changes. Staff have been discussing ‘stranger danger’ with their classes. If you have any concerns related to these matters please contact the office, we have protocols in place to deal with situations as they arise.

Wednesday 1 May 2019

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Welcome back to an action packed term 3

Office refurbishment

As you can see from the photo progress has been made on

the office upgrade. From my initial meeting with the contractors, electrical and floor coverings (vinyl, carpet)

should be close to completion by the end of next week. Until this time, our admin office will remain next to Casuarina

classroom.

Bottom playground

Over the holiday period we have also had the asphalt beside

the library block replaced and the upgrade to the space next to the weather shed. This process is going to take another

month with intensive work on a date yet to be determined, to back fill and resurface.

ANZAC day service

This Friday, Lemon Myrtle and Eucalypt will be running our ANZAC day service from 2pm in the Lucy Woodcock hall.

Parents are welcome to attend.

Cross Country

Next Tuesday (7 May) will be our school cross country

carnival. Over the next week, students will be training for this event.

NAPLAN

From Tuesday 14 May, students in years 3 and 5 will sit the

national NAPLAN assessments. On Tuesday the focus will be spelling, grammar and writing, Wednesday is reading and

Thursday is maths. Friday is a make up day for those who

have missed any assessment. I remind our students that it is one day in your life and not the sum and measure of who you

are, so don’t stress it!

Staff Development

Staff development focused on our upcoming external

validation process. This is a process where the school looks at where we are in a range of areas curriculum, welfare and

management and reports our findings. An external team

then discusses our findings and helps to set future targets.

This process for EPS is slated for term 3 with our review day

being in week 10 of term 3.

The staff also looked at learning progressions which is a new

initiative for staff to assess student performance to a

continuum of learning. This is the first year that this has been utilised and the staff at EPS are familiarising themselves

with this new initiative.

TEMPORARY RELOCATION OF OFFICE

Renovation work is progressing on the office

area , meanwhile the office is still in Block B

(see map above).

Due to OHS issues parents and carers must

access our temporary office space via the

front of Block B (facing Swanson Street).

Please do not use the main entrance on

Malcolm Street, this entrance may be

locked or inaccessible and is being used by

contractors only.

If you are visiting the school between

9:15am and 2:50pm please ring the office

(Tel. 9557 5206) to gain access via the

pedestrian gate on Bridge Street.

We appreciate your cooperation while this

work is undertaken.

SCHOOL OFFICE, FOYER & PRINCIPAL’S OFFICE RENOVATION

KINDERGARTEN 2020

We are now taking enrolments for Kindergarten 2020.

Siblings who will be 5 years old before 31 July 2020 are eligible to enrol.

If you know of any families with children living in the school’s catchment area (if unsure of

catchment - please ring the school office with their address), please let them know that they can

access the Application to Enrol in a NSW Government School from our school website or pick one up

from the school office.

The application with all accompanying documents should be submitted by 1 August 2019.

You may or may not know that we have a TV superstar among us! Congratulations to Taylan G. for his role as Bao in the ABC TV series ‘Hardball’.

Tune in to ABC iView/ ABCme app to watch him in this hilarious and family-friendly show about becoming a handball champ at school.

Stage 3 – UTS STEM in Primary Schools Pilot

Throughout Term 1, students were visited by a team of mentors from UTS to participate in a STEM Design Thinking challenge. Groups were asked to consider issues or problems faced by society, and develop possible solutions for these problems. Students learned about collecting data, generating ideas, refining ideas to fit a success criteria and prototyping. They also had an opportunity to further their programming skills using the school’s Lego Mind storm EV3s, and our newly purchased Microbit microcomputers.

When the program concluded, families were invited to attend a final showcase, where groups could display their final products and discuss the issues that they were hoping to address. Stage 3 students are commended for their efforts and application throughout this program, and we’d like that Lauren Black, Dr Eva Cheng and the team of UTS mentors that made our term’s science program enjoyable and educational.

Stage 3 Canberra Excursion

During Week 10 of Term 1, Stage 3 students travelled to Canberra for a three excursion.

Throughout the trip, students visited many of Canberra’s attractions on a camp that is designed to be both fun and educational. Stage 3 visited sites such as Parliament House, Questacon, the Mint and the National Museum.

They spent their nights at the Australian Institute of Sport, where they enjoyed a tour of athlete facilities and some hands-on, interactive games.

Note: The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To assist families in meeting the cost of the excursion the Australian Government is contributing funding of $20 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program towards those costs. The rebate is paid directly to the school upon completion of the excursion. This rebate was factored in to the amount charged to each student, and therefore no individual refunds of this amount are required.

Better Read Than Dead

When shopping at Better Read Than Dead, customers can ask for their purchases to be allocated to the

Erskineville Public Club Read account.

This means that the school will get Club Read credits to the value of 10% of purchases recorded.

Merit Awards Week 10 Term 1

Banksia Waratah

Marlowe Jolly

Laurence Katherine

Wattle Blue Gum

Emily Abby Jet

James Lachlan

Grevillea Hibiscus

Oliver Wolfie

Maria Lucas

Lilly Pilly Viola

Taylor Annabelle

Andrew Renee

Eucalypt Lemon Myrtle

Sofia T Isaac

Tim Ava

Bottle Brush Correa

Stella

David

Boronia Wollemi

Chenzi Charity

Llewy Candace

Casuarina Melaleuca

Eedi Lara

Nicka Niamh

Recognition for overcoming nerves to

deliver an amazing speech

Rafi Manuelita

Classes of the Week: Correa and Melaleuca

Are You A Parent of a Child Aged 2 to 12?

The Parenting and Family Support Centre at the

University of Queensland is conducting research into

parents’ opinions about parenting and parenting

programs. If you have a child between 2 and 12 years,

we would love to hear your views on parenting and the

services that are available to you as a parent. You will

need to complete a short survey. To find out more or

to participate please visit https://exp.psy.uq.edu.au/

parenting

Disciplining sensitive kids is usually never straightforward. Sensitive kids, those creative, empathetic types who generally wear their hearts on their sleeve and take even the slightest criticism personally need to be handled with care.

It’s tempting to avoid disciplining them altogether to avoid hurting their feelings. But sensitive kids need also to learn to become social and likeable so they can reach their full social potential. They also like to feel safe and secure so a permissive ‘do whatever’ approach is not for this group.

Some discipline techniques to avoid with sensitive children:

Shaming, naming and blaming

‘You should be ashamed of yourself’; “You’re a naughty girl” and “It’s all your fault!” should be left out of every parents’ armoury of responses as they often do more harm than good, and can be ineffectual with children who learn to tolerate persona affronts. With sensitive types they can have a devastating impact on their self-esteem. Such phrases uttered with emotional intensity (read anger and frustration) can more than just sting – they can have a lasting impact on kids who wear their hearts on their sleeves.

Physical discipline

This method should be off the table altogether but especially for this group.

Withdrawal of love and affection

There’s a difference between withdrawing affection and withdrawing attention. The latter is temporary and is aimed at specific behaviours that kids use to keep parents busy. The former is more permanent and can be accompanied by shaming or guilt-laden language and can be damaging to relationships and children’s sense of self. Sensitive children often confuse the temporary withdrawal of attention with withdrawal of affection so it’s probably best to keep ignoring children’s behaviour to a minimum.

Isolation

Sensitive kids usually hate the isolation of time out. They tend to fret rather than reflect, which is the main purpose of this method.

Discipline to favour with sensitive children:

Give them a chance to make good

Most sensitive kids crave adult approval so a stern look or a change in voice tone is often enough to communicate your disapproval followed by some advice about better behaviour next time. Give them the chance to make good or to pick up their game and they will generally respond in kind.

Be friendly and firm

While friendly and firm discipline sounds like a cliché it is very much a reality for sensitive kids. Move close, speak quietly and assure them your relationship is not harmed by their poor behaviour.

Use consequences sparingly

If kids repeatedly break a rule or misbehave when the limits are clear use a consequence but make sure you deliver it like a neutral cop. Watch for a shame reaction and adjust accordingly. Importantly, try to work out why she or he is behaving poorly or breaking a limit or rule.

Replace time out with time in

Place them close to you – on a chair or similar spot – when they need to calm down or spend some time pondering their behaviour. Quiet time doesn’t need to be isolating time.

Repair the relationship

It’s always good to revisit your child after discipline to re-establish good will. In a practical sense it’s not always possible. However if your child is the more sensitive, worrying type make it a rule of thumb to check in with your child after discipline to make sure that everything is okay. You need to make peace even though you can’t see the need.

Disciplining your sensitive child

ERSKINEVILLE PS PARENTS & CITIZENS (P&C) ASSOCIATION NEWS

UPCOMING P&C MEETINGS

Meetings are held in the School Library, entry via the Bridge St gate.

Tuesday 14 May (Week 3, Term 2)

Tuesday 11 June (Week 7, Term 2)

All welcome – please drop in to a meeting when you can. To vote at a meeting you need to have become a member of the P&C prior to the close of the previous meeting. You can join anytime online, via the P&C section of the school website.

Please arrive at 6:45pm for a prompt 7pm start.

PRE-LOVED UNIFORM CO-OP Wednesday 8 May (Week 2, Term 2)

Get set for winter with our Term 2 Uniform Co-Op.

Uniform items are priced between $7-$10. EFTPOS ONLY so please bring your cards!

Donations of clean, outgrown uniforms can be popped in the tub near lost property in the Brown Hall. If you would like to swap for a $5 voucher, please bring your clean uniforms on the day. Vouchers can be used on the day, or at a later

co-op.

Please contact Nina on 0406 744 124 if you can spare 15 minutes or more to help setup, packup or sell uniforms, anytime from 7:15am.

Our last election event was super-successful, thanks to all the fabulous volunteers who contributed their time to sizzle sausages, sell merchandise, bake cakes and help with prep and cleanup.

Join us again on Sat 18 May (end of Week 3) for another fantastic fundraising opportunity. Email us at erkopandc@gmail.com and let us know what time you’re available during the day, or if you can help with prep or cleanup before or after.

COMPOSTING MADE EASY! Every Wednesday | 8:30-9:00am | 3:00-4:00pm

Composting is awesome – diverting food scraps out of landfill and creating fantastic natural fertiliser for the garden.

We’re making it easy: simply bring your foodscraps to the Edible Garden (in the top playground near Bridge St) every Wednesday before or after school. Jannine and the P&C garden volunteers will take the scraps off your hands – no need for you to even touch the compost bins.

What can I bring? Food scraps including fruits, vegetables, coffee grounds, teabags and eggshells. ‘Brown matter’ such as sawdust, shredded paper and dried leaves.

What can’t be composted? Please don’t bring meat, dairy or oil.

What if I can’t do Wednesdays? Food scraps are always welcome in our edible garden – simply pop them in the labelled compost bins.

Need more info or want to help? Email erkopandc@gmail.com and Jannine will be in touch.