Jamberoo Public School Newsletter

Term 1 Week 2 Newsletter 2023

Acknowledgement of Country

A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees. Amelia Earhart

From the Principal

Dear Jamberoo Public School Community,

2023 Classes

Earlier this week, all students in Years 1 to 6 were placed into their new classes for 2023. As well, today our very excited Kindergarten students experienced their very first day of ‘big school’.

The class structures for 2023 are as follows:

Kindergarten (Wombarra) – Mrs Sam Galea

Year 1 (Birrahlee)– Mrs Melinda Kunkler

Year 2/3 (Kookaaraa) – Miss Maddison Alpen

Year 3/4 (Wonga Wonga) – Mr Ben Ross & Mrs Alex Peade

Year 4/5 (Walabi) – Mrs Justine McCormack

Year 5/6 (Nanga Mai) – Miss Brooke Peterson

 

Teaching Staff Roles

Mrs Vicki Dammerel – Learning Support Teacher (Tuesday-Thursday)

Mrs Sharon Behl-Shanks - Asssistant Principal (Curriculum and Instruction)

Mrs Taryn Green - RFF Wonga Wonga, Bump It Up

Mrs Peade - STEAM/Library/Wonga Wonga

Mrs Milligan - Enrichment

Mr Ross - Assistant Principal (Monday-Wednesday)

Mrs McCormack - Assistant Principal (Thursday and Friday)

 

Non-Teaching Staff Roles

Mrs Jacqui McGee, Mrs Maryann Dowling, Mrs Susan Caulfield and Mrs Alison Mackie – School Learning Support Officers

Mrs Kate De Las Heras - School Administration Manager

Mrs Mandy Telfer - School Administration Officer

Mr Rod Morphett – General Assistant

Mr Rowland Hay – School Counsellor

Mr Wade Horton – School Nurse

 

Student Award Submissions

This year, the school is implementing a change in how awards are handed in and recorded. In the past, students needed to hand into the office 5 awards to receive Bronze, 10 awards to receive Silver and 20 awards to receive Gold.

In 2023, awards will be recorded and stamped by Mrs De Las Heras when they are handed in.

For example, a student hands in their first 5 awards to the office. The awards are recorded, stamped, handed back to the child and the student receives a Bronze Award.

To receive a Silver Award the student will not need to hand in the original 5 awards they submitted to receive Bronze, they will just be required to hand in the next 5 awards.

Finally, to receive Gold the student will only be required to submit their most recently received awards. Not the first 10 they submitted to receive bronze and silver.

The reason for the change is that the school wants to ensure that students do not miss out on receiving their Gold Award because physical awards have been lost during the course of the year.

Students who achieve Gold this year will be recognised and rewarded with a Principal’s Morning Tea, which be held every 5 weeks commencing at the end of Term Two. When your child receives a Gold Award, they will experience the morning tea within a short period of time, rather than having to wait until the end of the year.

 

How to Achieve a Gold Award in 2023?

Students at Jamberoo are currently presented awards on the basis of the following:

·         Uniform    

·         Homework                       

·         Library      

·         Principal   

·         Participation in school and community events

·         Merit for class work

·         Extracurricular Achievement

In 2023, the school will be removing the ‘Participation in school and community events’ awards. The reason behind the change is to ensure that we are rewarding students for ‘achievement’ rather than ‘participation’. An example of the change is today’s swimming carnival. Students who achieve a ribbon for placing first, second or third will be recognised with an award. Students who participate, and don’t receive a ribbon, will receive an intrinsic award e.g. a pat on the back from a parent, a well done from a teacher, an internal sense of achievement after participating in a race and beating a personal best time.

The goal of the school is that students become more aware of the importance of intrinsic motivation, which is more relevant to ‘real life’ scenarios. That you feel great about yourself through participation and the effort you put in, rather than focusing on a physical award for engaging in a school event or activity.

The current student award structure is listed below:

·         5 Merit Certificates = Bronze                   

·         10 Merit Certificates = Silver

·         20 Merit Certificates = Gold                    

·         40 Merit Certificates = Diamond

With the removal of participation awards, the award structure in 2023 will change to:

·         5 Merit Certificates = Bronze                   

·         10 Merit Certificates = Silver

·         15 Merit Certificates = Gold                    

·         30 Merit Certificates = Diamond

The school appreciates your patience and understanding as we trial the change with student awards in 2023. The school will endeavour to reflect on and evaluate the new system throughout the year. The rationale behind the new awards structure is that ‘students are being recognised for achievement, not participation’.

 

Out of School Hours Care (OSHC)

The NSW Department of Education is continuing to finalise the tender process as quickly as possible, however the service will not be commencing in Term 1 2023.

The Department is aware of the importance of access to an OSHC service for our community and is working to complete the tender as soon as possible.  

Please be assured I will provide you with an update once more information becomes available.

Should you have any questions about this, you may wish to contact the Department at BASCreform@det.nsw.edu.au 

 

Leaving School Early

It is vital that the educational needs of each and every student are met. One of those needs is regular attendance at school, this includes remaining at school for the entire school day. Special school events, such as Presentation Day, Grandparents Day etc are not a reason for a child to leave early. Partial absences do need to be justified either as sick or approved leave e.g. dental appointment. Any absences that are not due to sickness or approved leave by the principal are considered to be unjustified. I seek your assistance to ensure your child does not have unjustified partial absences during the course of the year.

I appreciate the support of all families in preventing unnecessary absences at Jamberoo Public School.

 

Assembly

There will be no assembly tomorrow. The first whole school assembly for the year will be Friday 8th February kicking off at the new time of 11:55am. The new time slot is to allow for the implementation of the new whole school music program, which commences at 1pm on a Friday afternoon.

 

Parent/Carer Information Afternoon

Next Tuesday 7th & Thursday 9th February, the school will be conducting an information afternoon for all parents/guardians. The sessions are vital in providing essential information regarding the organisation of classrooms and the routines in place. We look forward to seeing you all in attendance. The program for the afternoons will be as follows: 

Tuesday 7th February

3:15 – 3:45pm             Kindergarten - Mrs Galea

3:45 – 4:15pm             Year 3 & Year 4 – Mr Ross & Mrs Peade

4:15 – 4:45pm             Year 4 & Year 5 – Mrs McCormack

Thursday 9th February

3:15 – 3:45pm             Year One – Mrs Kunkler

3:45 – 4:15pm             Year 2 & Year 3 – Miss Alpen

4:15 – 4:45pm             Year 5 & Year 6 – Miss Peterson

 

Operoo

Thank you to all the parents/guardians who have completed a profile for their child on Operoo. All permission notes will be sent home via Operoo. If you haven’t yet signed up your child, please do so ASAP. The Operoo platform provides the school with all your child’s medical details which can be accessed at the click of a button on a phone or a device. For more information about Operoo please don’t hesitate to contact the school.

 

Class Dojo

In 2023, all classes will be utilising the application, Class Dojo as the communication tool. Class Dojo allows teachers to provide families with the latest information regarding school events, classroom activities, excursions and personal details about your child’s behaviour and academic achievement.  All whole school activities and events will also be posted through Class Dojo. You will receive instant notifications through your phone and/or device which will ensure you are receiving up to date information. If your child is new to the school, they will bring home a parent/guardian invitation. Please take the time to activate your account. For further information regarding Class Dojo please click on the link below:

https://www.classdojo.com/en-gb/about/?redirect=true

 

Dragons Visit 

On Tuesday 7th February, students in Years 3 to 6 will attend a St George Illawarra Dragons Blitz assembly. Representatives from the Dragons will speak to the students about health and wellbeing. The assembly will kick off at 9:30am and will be conducted on the back oval.

 

Lunch Sports Coaching Program Term One 2023

The school’s P&C have kindly donated funds to support the skill and confidence development of our students for the sports of rugby league/league tag and cricket in Term One. Coaches from the local community will provide specialised and differentiated coaching for our students in Years 3 to 6. The program runs for 5 weeks and is conducted Monday to Friday. It commences in Week 3 (Monday 6th February) and concludes on Friday 10th March (Week 7). Thank you to the Jamberoo P&C for your generosity.

 

Kindergarten Students

I would like to officially welcome the new Kindergarten students and their families to Jamberoo Public School. It was fantastic to see the smiling and innocent faces arriving at school for their first day. We look forward to teaching and working with the Kindergarten students, now and in the future.  I’m certain they will enjoy their time at Jamberoo Public School.

 

 New Enrolments

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome our new enrolments for 2023. We are very happy to have the following students join the Jamberoo Public School community of learners:

Hamish Pell (Birrahlee)                                  Cooper Mullan (Nanga Mai)

Xander Mullan (Nanga Mai)  

Regards,

Mr Chris Speirs

Principal

Kindergaten 2023

New Enrolments

Term One Calendar

Monday 6th February- Sports Coaching commences (Years 3 to 6)

Tuesday 7th February

 – Parent Information Afternoon

- Dragons Visit

Wednesday 8th February 

– Dance2Bfit commences

- P&C Meeting, 7pm

Tuesday 9th February – Parent Information Afternoon
Friday 10th February 

– First whole school assembly, 11:55am

- School sport (3-6) commences

Thursday 16th February – Scripture and Ethics commence
Friday 17th February 

– Tongarra Swimming Carnival

Friday 24th February – Student leader induction ceremony
Tuesday 7th March 

– Young Leaders Day

Monday 13th March 

– Steps Vision Assessment
Wednesday 15th March – NAPLAN commences
Monday 3rd April 

– School Photos

Thursday 6th April 

– Last day of Term One

- Easter Hat Parade

- Scripture Assembly

Friday 7th April 

– Good Friday

Active In-Betweens

WHSPA Year 7 2024 Audition Information

WHSPA Year 7 2024 Audition Information

Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts (WHSPA) is a comprehensive, co-educational high school with a specialist performing arts focus. The school has the twin goals of “academic excellence” and “excellence in the performing arts”.   

WHSPA provides opportunities for gifted and talented Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts students to pursue a high quality performing and creative arts programs, whilst studying curriculum developed by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). All courses lead to the award of the ROSA and Higher School Certificate. 

The school also offers extensive co-curricular company, ensemble, and studio art programs.


Year 7 Audition Applications OPEN now

 

  • Term 1 2023 - Week 7 (Wednesday 8 March):       Expo Evening at WHSPA - all invited
  • Term 1 2023 - Week 9 (Friday 24 March):              Year 7 Audition Applications CLOSE
  • Term 2 2023 - Weeks 1-3:                                              Year 7 Auditions held

 

Link to audition information: Wollongong High School of the Performing Arts Audition Information (office.com)  (link to the electronic application is within).

2024 Kiama High School Extension Class

2024 KHS Extension Class

In 2024, Kiama High School will be introducing an Extension class. This class will implement evidence-based procedures, programs and practices to develop skills and knowledge required for high performance in academic education. 

It will offer students the opportunity to work together on challenging learning or skills development that may not be offered in a mainstream school setting.

The KHS Extension class will focus on evidence-based development programs to extend students, including:

Differentiation to meet the specific learning needs of high potential and gifted students

Cluster grouping to help concentrate differentiation efforts and provide students with opportunities to interact with others of like-mind, interest and ability

Enrichment and extra-curricular programs to increase the breadth and challenge of learning, as well as offer excellent opportunities for advanced learning.

Advanced learning pathways, including acceleration, offering students learning experiences beyond their age-based competency.

Curriculum compacting, in which some elements of the mainstream curriculum are ‘compacted’ so that they are covered in less time. The time saved can then be used for extension or enrichment activities.

Students’ achievement in the KHS Extension Class will be evaluated at the conclusion of each year to determine the suitability of their placement in this class for the following academic year.

Students can qualify for the Kiama High School Extension Class by completing an application, by sitting the AGAT (a general reasoning test, assessing students’ higher order thinking skills) and by submitting academic certificates. 

Note that the questions in the test do not require any prior knowledge from any particular content area. Students are assessed on their ability to reason, make logical deductions, identify connections and spot patterns. 

This test will be facilitated by Kiama High School in Term 1 for Year 6 students applying for entry to the 2024 Year 7 cohort and in Term 4 for Year 5 students applying for the 2025 Year 7 cohort.

Official registration for this test will open early Term 1, 2023. Information will be provided in your primary school newsletter early next year.

For any enquiries, please contact Catherine Glover, Principal,  kiama-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Stuck on You

If you’re considering Labels/Clothing labels, personalised lunchboxes etc. – Use fundraiser code JAMBEROO when ordering from www.stuckonyou.com.au to earn 20% commission for our school!

              

 


Please remember to update your child's health care plan on Operoo and supply a paper copy to the office.

Roo Hockey

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