Curtin Primary School Newsletter

We at Curtin Primary acknowledge the Ngunnawal people, past, present and future.

We would like to thank the traditional custodians for nurturing this precious land where we live, learn and play.

We promise to protect plants, animals, earth, water and sky and care for everyone in our community.

Dear Parents and Carers,

Continuing on with our BUILD focus, this week I thought I would take the opportunity to talk about student leadership and highlight some of the ways we work to build the leadership skills of our students.

Probably our most prominent student leaders would be our House Captains. Each of our sporting houses has 4 students from year 6 who have taken the daring step to self-nominate, present a speech to their houses on what skills and characteristics they have to offer and why they should be selected as a house captain. Students in those houses then vote for their preferred leader (teachers have no voting rights in this process) and in doing so select the 4 students to represent and lead the house. House captains are responsible for organising house chants for carnivals, boosting house spirit and participation, as well as modelling good sportsmanship. They also have the added responsibility of presenting students with their learning/achievement awards at school assemblies.

Peer Support is a peer-led program designed to encourage peer connections and assist students in developing skills to enhance social and emotional wellbeing. It empowers young people to support each other and contributes to maintaining a positive school culture. Our year 6 students lead weekly sessions with mixed groups of students from K-2. This year the focus for lessons will be ‘anti-bullying’.

This year, our other leadership groups aren’t quite up and going yet but we will also have opportunities for our years 5 and 6 students to volunteer as student leaders in reading, sports games/skills and social play at lunch club. The reading leaders signed up to read with children two mornings a week before school. The sports facilitators organised games or taught sporting skills to junior students at recess or lunch. The play facilitators engaged in more social play with children during lunch club. This was very successful last year, and we are hoping to continue the enthusiasm towards these student leadership opportunities again this year.

Whilst most opportunities may be targeted towards our senior students, student leadership is not just for those in years 5 and 6. All students from preschool to year 6 engage in our ‘buddies’ program. Each class is matched up with another class from a different year level. These class groups then meet at various opportunities throughout the year to participate in activities which promote to the older students being leaders and an additional connection for the younger students. Opportunities can include reading to each other, being an audience for students to share their work, gross motor skill development or engaging in fun play sessions. Having year 2 students partner up with year 5 means that these students also have a familiar face they can recognise for support when they move to the senior playground the following year. Buddy year groups are:

• Preschool and Year 4
• Kindergarten and Year 6
• Year 1 and year 3
• Year 2 and Year 5

Enjoy your week,

Kate North

Just a reminder for the start of the school year that student safety is a priority at Curtin Primary School.

We ask that you follow the below rules. Please share with any carers eg. friends, relatives, nannies.

Access

• Access gates to the playgrounds will be open from 8am to 9.30am and from 2.30pm to 3.30pm each day. Outside of these hours the gates will be locked and access to the school will be through the front office only. The back carpark will remain locked throughout the day.
• The playgrounds are supervised from 8.30am in the morning. Children are not to be left unsupervised before this time.
• After 3pm the playgrounds are not supervised. Students should not be waiting for pickup by playing unsupervised in the playground. They should be waiting near the front office so when you arrive you don’t have to search for them. This also ensures all students safety as we do not have staff on duty after school.
• If children are supervised, families are still able to play in the junior playground after school. Exit from this area after 3:30pm will be via the front gates as all other gates will be locked.
• When collecting students from the Junior After School Care access is through the front of the school only.
• Access after 3:30pm is through the front doors of the school only – for security reasons do not exit any other door.

Parking

• When dropping your children at school in the morning please be mindful of other cars in the front carpark. The front driveway is a No Parking - Pick up/Set own Zone only and is not for parking your car.
• The school has developed a safer and more structured way to deal with afternoon pick ups in the front driveway. Please read the below document.
• The back carpark is for staff only. Children are not to be dropped off in the back carpark at any time. Large trucks also use this entrance for deliveries and pickup garbage. It is not safe for children to be there at any time.
• The South Preschool carpark is for preschool parents only. Do not park there at any time unless picking up preschool children.
• Please be mindful of our neighbours and do not park in driveways, nature strips or on footpaths.

Events may be viewed and added to your personal calendar on the Skoolbag app

 Notes may be downloaded from links found below

Thank you to those families who have completed the 2020 medical forms. If you have not yet completed the forms can you please do as a priority. There are copies available at the front office if required.

Kindergarten and Preschool have already completed this form. 

It is your responsibility to advise the school if  any there are any changes to your child's medical records.

Every student needs to have a Medical Information and Consent Form completed annually as a snapshot of medical needs and for parents/carers to consent to first aid treatment for their child/ren in line with the Directorate’s First Aid Policy and First Aid General Procedures.

Additionally, if you identify any specialist medical condition marked with an asterisk (*) or condition that will require action plans, you need to complete a Known Medical Condition Response Plan (attached) signed by the student’s qualified health professional and student’s parents/carers.

Where the treatment/management of a known medical condition requires the administration of medication for a period of more than one school week (regular ongoing medication) a Medication Authorisation Administration Record must also be completed by the student’s parent/carer and submitted with the Known Medical Condition Response Plan.

In Summary, all students must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form (annual form) 

Students with a known medical condition which does not require medication must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan 

Students with a known medical condition not listed below who require medication must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan

Medication Authorisation and Administration Record 

Students with Asthma must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan

Asthma Management Plan (from your medical practitioner)

Medication Authorisation and Administration Record 

Students with Anaphylaxis must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan

Anaphylaxis Management Plan (from your medical practitioner)

Medication Authorisation and Administration Record 

Students with Diabetes must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan

Diabetes Management Plan (from your medical practitioner)

Medication Authorisation and Administration Record 

Students with Epilepsy must return:

Medical Information and Consent Form

Known Medical Condition Response Plan

Epilepsy Management Plan (from your medical practitioner)

Medication Authorisation and Administration Record 

Short term medications to be administered at school (non-ongoing medical issue e.g. antibiotics for a period of 10 days) must be authorised by written agreement from the student’s parent/carer, via the Medication Authorisation and Administration Record, and qualified health professional (a medical prescription is adequate).

For more information, please visit the Education website at https://www.education.act.gov.au/publications_and_policies/School-and-Corporate-Policies/wellbeing/health/first-aid/First-Aid-Policy or contact the school for further clarification.

Please make sure that students arrive to school on time. 

Children attending need to come to school dressed in swimmers and tracksuit or shorts and top in house colours, where possible.  Wear thongs or sandals, weather permitting. Bring bag containing towel, sunscreen, hat, food or money for kiosk at pool.

Please make sure items are clearly named.

For maximum sun protection we require all children to wear a rash-vest / tshirt at all times unless competing in a distance event.

Children will need to bring enough recess, lunch, snacks and drinks for the day. Kiosk facilities will be available.

Oakey      Taylor      Ainslie      Stromlo

The P&C would like to send out a huge thank you to all our wonderful volunteers for helping out with the Welcome BBQ last Friday night. The weather behaved and it was great to see so many families catching up and enjoying the evening. Thanks also to all the teaching staff who came along to meet and mingle with parents and carers after a long week of teaching and interviews, and to the Year 6 Band for their performance. We'd also like to thank Baker's Delight Woden and Regional Wholesale Fruit Canberra for their generous in-kind support for the BBQ and our school community.

 The P&C is planning more social events for the rest of the year, so please get in touch with us if you have any ideas you would like to share or come along to our next meeting in Week 7 when we will be finalising our calendar of events - if you are keen to be involved in planning the Disco next term, we'd love to hear from you!

If you enjoyed meeting other families at the Welcome BBQ and you or your class rep would like to organise a class or year-level picnic or group playdate, the P&C can help with catering funds for a BBQ or morning/afternoon tea. Please get in touch with class rep coordinator, Sally Hawkins: sallyjoyhawkins@gmail.com.

The canteen is open from 8.45am until 1.45pm. If you have any canteen queries, Lizzy can be contacted on 6142 2581 during these hours.

The uniform shop is located opposite the canteen and is open from 8.30am until 9.30am each Wednesday.