To minimise disruptions during learning time, please ensure that your children know how they are getting home each day. We understand that on occasion, your plans may change and you will need us to get a message to your child advising such, however, some families have been contacting the school on a regular, if not daily basis requesting that we remind their children of how they are getting home. If your child has difficulty remembering how they are to get home, perhaps you could write "bus" or "pick up" for example on their hand or put it in a note to their class teacher. Some families also attach something to their child's school bag, for example their zipper, which reminds them how they are getting home on that day.
Welcome to Week 9! - A massive thank you from myself, the teachers and all students to our six sports house leaders, Annie, Nick, Ava, Hayley, Ella and Justine. In line with COVID-19 infection control protocols, all sports equipment is required to be sanitised between uses. Our wonderful house leaders, with the support of a teacher, have collected and cleaned all equipment after each break to ensure all students can remain active and engaged at school during breaks. Well done, team!
Remote Learning Parent Survey
The remote learning experience, due to COVID-19, required us to do many things differently at school. We would like to capture your experience and feedback as a result, so we can capitalise on the opportunity and continue to improve our school. There are only three questions and it should take less than three minutes of your time. Please see the link directly after my report in this newsletter.
Positive Behaviour and Learning
We saw outstanding improvements in learning and behaviour during Week 8 and look forward to this continuing for the remainder of the term. All students have been working towards the school focus areas of kindness, listening and trying their best, to earn an invite to a whole school reward/event which will be held on Friday, 26 June. The students have voted for an afternoon movie (and popcorn) and a note with further details will be sent home soon. Students will be spread across multiple rooms in line with current health guidelines. Further information will be sent home on Wednesday. If you would prefer your child not participate in this experience to promote positive behaviour and learning, please let us know via email or phone call.
Kindergarten 2021 Enrolments
Our 2021 Kindergarten enrolments have started to come in. Enrolment forms are available online or can be picked up from the school office. To assist us in processing the applications and to give us an indication of Kindergarten numbers for next year, we would appreciate it if enrolment application forms could be returned by Friday, 31 July. It is particularly important that you make early contact with the school if your child has additional health or learning needs, so that adequate support and a smooth transition can be planned for. Further information regarding our transition program, school tours and a 2021 Kindergarten parent information session will be provided before the end of term.
ICAS Assessments
ICAS assessments are designed to recognise academic excellence. Students are assessed on their ability to apply classroom learning to new contexts using higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills. If you would like your child to participate in this year's tests, please see the information contained in this newsletter.
Farewell Miss Freeman
As you are aware, Miss Freeman will be leaving our school at the end of this term. She will be relocating to the Newcastle area and teaching at Kurri Kurri Public School beginning next term. Miss Freeman will be greatly missed at Holbrook Public School for her creative school videos, her soccer and basketball skills, Opera House recorder group, robotics and generally being a great teacher. Thank you Miss Freeman for your contribution to our school, and good luck in Newcastle!
Staffing Update
With Miss Freeman departing at the end of term, Miss Burton (Monday – Wednesday) and Mrs Bedggood (Thursday – Friday) will be sharing her 3-6 English and maths groups and other afternoon classes. Miss Burton is returning part-time from maternity leave and Mrs Bedggood will be switching roles. I am also pleased to welcome Kimberly Ross to our team for the second semester in a part-time role (Tuesdays and Wednesdays). Kimberly has worked primarily in the Catholic education system in Holbrook, Albury and Culcairn and brings great experience in the K-2 area. She will be taking over Mrs Bedggood’s learning support role, where she will work primarily with the K-2 classes. As part of the NSW Department of Education’s strategy to ensure continued employment for casual teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, most casual employees were allocated to a school for Term 2. I thank Victoria Thompson for her support of our school during this time.
Opportunity Class – Aurora College
In 2021, for the first time, Aurora College will have an opportunity class for Year 5 students enrolled in rural and remote government primary schools.
Aurora College is NSW's virtual school, offering a mix of online and residential school classes for high potential and gifted students.
This is an exciting opportunity for Holbrook Public School students who will be in Year 5 in 2021. Applications for Year 5 placement in the virtual opportunity class in 2021 open on Tuesday, 9 June 2020 and close at 5:00 p.m. Friday, 26 June 2020.
Please read the attached information and let us know if we can be of any further assistance.
Drop Offs, Pick Ups and Meetings with Staff
Thank you to all parents and carers for adhering to my request via SkoolBag last week to minimise non-essential visits to the school grounds. At any other time, we would highly encourage entry to the school and contact with our teachers and staff, however, current health guidelines do not allow this. Please continue to enter only through the office, if required. We have three exits for children in the afternoon which are all facilitated by a teacher, the front gate, back gate and bus area. The teacher on duty will make sure your child gets to you safely.
P&C AGM
Please join us this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. via Zoom for our P&C AGM. Zoom meeting details can be found in this newsletter.
Semester 1 Reports
Semester 1 reports will be sent home on Thursday, 2 July. They are a simplified version of our usual reports which provide information on each student’s strengths and areas for improvement in English and maths. A general comment addressing other learning that has taken place, as well as information regarding commitment to learning and attendance will also be provided. The 5-point achievement scale will not be used in the Semester 1 report. We will provide the opportunity for parent teacher meetings early in Term 3, however, under current health and Department guidelines, these will need to occur virtually. If you would like an indication of how your child is progressing before this, please call the school and speak with one of our teachers.
AFL Long Kick Competition
Last week, we ran some kicking competitions for the boys and girls in each year group. It was great to see so many kids having a go, even if kicking a footy isn’t their favourite thing to do. Well done to Ollie, Will, Blake and Jasper who helped me with some coaching and the running of the competitions. What great young leaders they are becoming!
The winners of the long kick competitions were:
Kindergarten – Evie Rangi (4m) and Orlando White (10m)
Year 1 – Brydie Laffan (13m) and Eddie Landale/Cess Lieschke (15m)
Year 2 – Darcy Heriot (21m)
Year 3 – Ada Ryan (18m) and Ollie Cardile (29m)
We will run competitions for the senior students this week!
In this digital age, are we reading enough?
How often do your children read at home? How often do you read to your children at home? How many minutes of reading would each of your children do each day at home? Should or could this be increased? Are there any barriers our school could help you with? Becoming a successful reader who can read with fluency and understanding is a vital skill that underpins all learning. It is the single most important aspect of our curriculum. Reading is not learnt naturally by listening and copying like speaking is. It needs to be taught explicitly and practised regularly. Children first need to develop strong phonemic awareness (identifying and manipulating sounds) and phonic skills (letter-sound relationships), before progressing to fluency (speed and accuracy), vocabulary (meaning of words) and comprehension (understanding the meaning and intent). What stage of this progression is your child up to? Are they still learning to decode (sound out) words, or are they building fluency, vocabulary and understanding? Wherever they are up to, practice, support and enjoyment are the keys to success. We want our children to love reading, but many children who have difficulty reading often say they don’t like it. This is usually because it is hard for them and they need our help. It is much easier to watch television or play a game online. The more you read, the easier it gets and the more pleasurable it becomes. I know very well that getting your child to read at home can at times create a challenging family dynamic, however, it is a lifelong skill that will pay dividends in all areas of their education and lives. It is no secret that the children who are strong readers are generally performing the best at school. Encourage your child to persevere and become a reader, as ‘Once you learn to read, you will be forever free,’ Frederick Douglas.
One great way to promote reading at home is through entering your child in the Premier’s Reading Challenge - https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html.
School Leader Report
There have been lots of interesting things happening in our school over the past two weeks.
- The students in Years 1-6 have been busily writing a story for the Write On Competition. The picture everyone is writing about is a boy sleeping with his dog. To all of the students working on it, keep up the great work!
- Out in the playground, Mr Fisher has been holding a longest kick competition during lunch times. Well done to everyone who has had a go.
- Something else exciting has been the arrival of our new school jackets for winter. Many students have been wearing them proudly and they look and feel great.
- There has also been a Rubik’s cube competition being run by Ryder McKillop and Aiden Walmsley. Congratulations to Isaac Bennetts who won and thank you to the McKillop family who donated the prize.
- All students are currently working towards being invited to a reward day. Students voted at Friday’s virtual assembly. Our school’s focus behaviours have been kindness, listening and trying your best (when learning).
- We are all very appreciative of our sports house leaders who have been collecting and sanitising our sports equipment with the help of a teacher after each break.
By Annabel Pincott
Cross Country
Our modified Cross Country event was due to be held this Friday during sport, however, we have decided to postpone it until Friday, Week 1, Term 3 so that it can be run more like a carnival. Unfortunately, parents still won't be able to attend. Keep building your endurance boys and girls!
Nathan Fisher
Principal
