The Punchbowl Press

2023 Term 2 Week 5

Term 2 

Thursdays, all term: TheraPuppy Visits

May 18 - June 1: Life Education: Healthy Harold incursions.

May 22 - May 30 : Year 4 and Year 6 Check-In Assessment

May 24: P&C Meeting

May 26: National Sorry Day

June 7: Bell Shakespeare Incursion (Stages 2 and 3)

June 8: Athletics Carnival (Stages 2 and 3)

June 21: Botanic Gardens Excursion (Stage 2)

June 21: The Song Room Stage 1 Performance

June 30: Last Day of Term 2

Term 3 

July 18: Term 3 begins for all students

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers, 

We have had a terrific start to Term 2.  I want to thank the wonderful efforts of the P&C who placed their thoughts and energy into the Mother’s Day stall.  Our students were thrilled to be able to give a special gift to important people in their lives.  The time and effort are much appreciated by our school community. 

Our PBL Values day was a day of celebration across the school.  Thanks to the hardworking PBL team for the coordination of so many great events and initiatives across the day. 

The next P&C meeting is this Wednesday at 9am in the Hall.  Everyone is welcome.  We will be showcasing the school’s implementation of PAX GBG across the school as well hearing from the facilitators of the Life Education program which is currently happening at our school.  

On Friday we had a very successful K-2 workshop for parents on strategies to support homework in the home.  The information presented was also shared on Audiri for those parents who were unable to attend. 

I will end the entry with some very exciting news.  The school will be investing in a long overdue upgrade to the kindergarten playground.  We are installing a nature/adventure area for use by kindergarten and preschool.  Watch this space as it evolves into an amazing new playground to stimulate the imagination and play of our youngest students. 

Donna McGeary 

Principal 

P&C Meeting

Join us at the next P&C Meeting on Wednesday 24 May at 9:00am 

Hear about P&C events as well as information from the school regarding the Life Education and PAX programs currently running in the school. 

We hope to see many parents there. 

Schools and Community Centre (SaCC)

Earlier this term parents participated in the, 'Rights, Responsibilities and Relationships' workshop. This workshop was delivered in partnership with Prosper Australia and Strong Safe Families to remind parents of their roles and responsibilities and learn new ways to support positive family relationships.

The TAFE English course has commenced and participants are learning new skills which will continue to support them in their daily lives.

Learning Club Homework Support in partnership with the Smith Family has continued this term. If you are interested in registering your child for Semester 2 please contact Asenati. 

Our playgroups for early learners continue on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday each week and new families are invited to join.

For more information contact Asenati Mareko on 0439487865.

SaCC Planner Term 2

Download the Term 2 Planner for our SaCC.   Some new and exciting programs available for parents and their children this term. 

 -   Contact Asenati Mareko on 0439487865 for more information. 

Download

Attendance Matters

Punchbowl Public School send SMS notifications to parents to request explanation of student absences daily.

Please respond to the text and provide a reason for the absence.

You will not be required to send a note if you respond to the text.

If you have a medical certificate to explain an absence this can be emailed to the school punchbowl-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au or handed to the class teacher, in person when your child returns to school.  The school SMS system is unable to accept MMS (photo) messages. Please do not send images via SMS. They will not be able to be read. 

A reminder that parents are required to explain the absences of their children from school promptly and within seven days to the school.

More information for parents regarding Compulsory Attendance in English can be found here. This information is also available in languages other than English, click here . 

2023 Chullora Network of School - Bunmarra Corroborre

https://youtu.be/5VqRynAQuB8

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students from across the Chullora network of schools, joined together for the '2023 Bunmarra Corroboree' at Georges River Environmental Education Centre.

The students participated in a structured program of cultural learning and enjoyment which included indigenous games, artwork with ochre, bushwalking and storytelling.

This yearly event aims to foster strong relationships amongst Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and the broader community in our network of schools. It is our hope that this event will foster a sense of belonging and pride in their identity for our First Nations students.

A special thank you to Mrs McGeary, Mrs Farhat and the Aboriginal Education Committee at Punchbowl Public School for their organisation of this event. 

Follow the link to watch the highlights video. 

Check-in Assessment (Year 4 and Year 6 only)

Students in Years 4 and 6 will participate in a reading and numeracy Check-in Assessment this term.    

The Check-In Assessment is a NSW Department of Education online reading and numeracy assessment used in all government schools to assess and monitor student learning.  

The assessments supplement our Punchbowl Public School tests to identify how students are performing and to help our teachers tailor teaching to student needs.   

Year 4 students will do the assessment during Term 2 Week 5 (week beginning Monday 22 May)

Year 6 students will do the assessment during Term 2 Week 6 (week beginning Monday 29 May) 

Students may bring headphones or earbuds to enable them to hear audio during the assessment. Earbuds used for mobile phones may be suitable. The type of computer connection can be a jack or USB. If your child needs headphones provided by the school, please ask your child to speak with his/her class teacher.   

Students with a disability may receive the same level of support during the assessment that they would normally receive in the classroom. 

If you have any queries about the assessment, please contact your child’s teacher. 

 

Preschool & Early Intervention

Preschoolers have been learning about our PBL Values; 'we are learners, we are respectful, and we are safe'. We have been role playing and having group discussions about how we can show these values in a preschool setting. Children have learnt to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect. 

Preschoolers have also enjoyed hands on learning about planting, gardening and sustainability with Ms Claire. Ms Claire comes to preschool on Mondays and Thursdays. Ms. Claire helps children show respect for the environment and become socially responsible.

Early Stage 1

This term Kindergarten students attended their first excursion at Punchbowl Public School. They eagerly caught the bus and travelled to Riverside Theatre in Paramatta. Students enjoyed watching actors perform the play ‘Possum Magic’ based on the book by Mem Fox and Julie Vivas. Possum Magic tells the story of two possums, Grandma Poss and Hush. One day Grandma Poss uses her magic to make Hush invisible. After embarking on many adventures, Hush longs to see herself again. However, Grandma Poss can’t find the spell to make Hush visible! This heart-warming tale weaves its magic and took the students on an unforgettable journey around Australia. Kindergarten students had a fantastic time and are looking forward to many more engaging and educational excursions.  

Stage 1

For the last 2 weeks, 1 Dolphins have been practicing their performance for the K-2 Assembly. The class item for 1 Dolphins will be focusing on their learning and understanding of nouns. In English, 1 Dolphins have been learning about writing sentences using simple sentence structure which includes a subject being the noun, verb and object. The class item is a great opportunity for 1 Dolphins to shows their peers what they have learning about and how they are able to identity the different types of nouns. Students chose their own person, place or thing to represent on Friday the 19th May during the assembly.   

Stage 2

Term 2 kicked off with Vincent Van Gogh! So far this term, Stage 2 students have been diving deep into their creative side. They are learning about famous artists. Students are creating their own Vincent Van Gogh inspired artworks by learning about the artist himself as well as characteristics of his work. They have demonstrated some amazing skills in developing their own works. Check them out in the photos below!

K/6 Owls & K/6 Kookaburras

Kookaburras and Owls planted and netted some winter crops during their time in the garden. In Week 3, students from the support unit visited their local Woolworths at The Broadway Plaza to shop and purchase items for a cooking experience back at school. Community access is an important program that develops life and social skills for our students. In Week 5, students will be competing against other schools in the Boccia Competition. In the lead up to this excursion, Kookaburras and Owls are practicing twice a week to enhance their skills and understanding of the game. Last week we had our preschool, early intervention and support unit classes attend a sensory concert in the hall. Students had the opportunity to listen and interact with a live orchestra. 

Stage 3

Last week Punchbowl Public School celebrated our PBL (Positive Behaviour for Learning) Launch Day.  PBL brings together the whole-school community to contribute to developing a positive, safe and supportive learning culture. Students visited their Buddy Class and worked together on a range of activities.  Here are some photo’s of 5 Positive working together with K6 Owls.   

Community Language - Arabic

It was amazing the way students worked at finishing the Mother’s Day art. Students created paper flowers and painted a paper cup vase. They also designed their own cards with an Arabic message for their Mums. But that is not all we did this term, we also worked hard to learn the names of domestic animals, read and write short descriptive sentences about how “pets are family too”. Students are developing and extending their Arabic reading and writing skills with enthusiasm and dedication. We are proud of our Community Language students for their amazing efforts this term.  

نحن فخورون بطلاب لغة العربي لجهودهم المدهشة هذا الفصل.

Green Team

The Green Team students were very busy planting seedlings for their Mums. Our wonderful teachers donated old mugs which we recycled as pots for our seedlings. We used a Dibbler to create a hole to carefully place our seedlings. We had many potted mugs left over so we donated them to the P&C Mother's Day Stall. We learnt that a gift can be a gesture of kindness and can be sustainably sourced. Happy Mother's Day to all the Mums in our Punchbowl Community from the Green Team.

Zone Cross Country

On the 16th May a group of students  from Stage 2 and Stage 3 attended the Zone Cross Country which was held at Peace Park in Ashbury. We met at school at 9am and traveled to the park by bus. When we arrived, all the students from schools around the the Wiley Park Zone gathered together ad were shown the track. The 8 and 9 year olds went to the marshalling area to start their race. They started to run and we were all cheering from the side lines. 

Everyone felt a little nervous before their races. We had to run about 2 or 3 kilometers and this included running up and down hills.  By the end of the day everyone was exhausted. We had lots of fun and we were so proud of ourselves for trying and representing our school. Our teachers Ms Williams, Mr Ludlow, Mrs Kontakos and Ms Hanna were proud of us too and lots of other school commented on how well our students represented Punchbowl Public School on the day. 

Haidar, Mayesa and Roaa - 5 Wondrous

Library


Stage 3 are learning about Australia as a Nation. They are beginning to explore the topic through Aboriginal perspectives using Bruce Pascoe’s book Young Dark Emu: A Truer History. Students have demonstrated their curious nature and inquiring minds by their thought-provoking questions. Invite your child to share their learning about this topic with you. 

Jariatu, 6 Victory: “I wonder why the government didn’t punish people for the massacre of Aboriginal People?” 

Moala, 5 Kudos: “I wonder if Aboriginal people are still fighting for their country?” 

Yacoub, 6 Noble: “If the British had so many kings and queens and manners, and they knew how to behave appropriately, why didn’t they approach the Aboriginal people respectfully?” 

Noah, 5 Kudos: “I wonder what behaviour code Aboriginal people expect from visitors on their land?” 

Rafi, 6 Victory: “Why did the British want to acquire more land?” 

PBL

This term, Punchbowl Public School students celebrated their school values day. Students were encouraged to come to school wearing the school values colours – Learners (blue), Respectful (orange) and Safe (green). On the day students visited their buddy classes and enjoyed eating fruit that was provided to them. Students also completed a range of activities with their buddy classes. There was also a range of exciting acitivities that happened on the day. This included a house rubbish collection competition, book readings in the library and a respectful disco in the school hall.  

Check your emails regularly and keep your contact details up to date with the school office.

Life Education visits PPS (Preschool to Year 6)

During Term 2 (Week 4 to Week 6)  the Life Education Van and Happy Harold will be visiting Punchbowl Public School.

The students from Preschool to Year 6 will participate in a curriculum-based program featuring interactive lessons, which will empower children to make safe and healthy lifestyle choices now and into their adult lives.

Participation in Life Education visits provide students the opportunity to develop strategies and practice the skills required to avoid the harms associated with an unhealthy lifestyle. As this is part of the PD/H/PE curriculum we encourage all students to attend. 

Topics Preschool  Harold’s Big Feelings

Early Stage 1 Harold’s Friendship

Stage 1 Safety Rules 

Stage 2 Be Cyber Wise

Stage 3 On the Case

Kookaburras Harold’s Friendship

Owls Friends and Feelings

If you would like more information about the topics please visit the website https://lifeed.org.au/families/primary-parent-flyers/    

Permission note and payment link available on Schoolbytes. CHECK YOUR EMAILS. 

An important message from the school office - School Bytes Parent Portal

Our school uses School Bytes for online permission notes and payments that can be accessed via a parent portal. The School Bytes parent portal enables you to view all your children in one portal and process payments for multiple siblings in one transaction.

Once your portal has been activated you can use it to give consent for events, process online payments and view the school calendar.

To set up your parent portal follow the steps in the guide Parent Portal: Set up your parent portal account.

Contact the school should you have any questions. 

Tell Them From Me Survey - Students in Year 4, 5 and 6 only

This term, our school is taking part in the Tell Them From Me student survey (Years 4 -6 only). The survey will provide us with valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. 

The survey is run by an independent research company, The Learning Bar, which specialises in school-based surveys.

As well as providing our school with feedback from our students, the survey has a broader purpose. It provides the Department of Education, through the Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, with insights into student wellbeing, engagement, and effective teaching practices for ongoing school improvement. This is done by using non-identifying student data from across NSW.  

This survey is confidential, and staff in schools will not be able to identify individual students from their responses. 

To ensure confidentiality, participating students will receive a unique username and password. Information is only reported where five or more students answer a question. All information will be handled according to relevant privacy legislation. Students’ personal information will not be disclosed by the department to any other person or body other than as required by law. Individual students will not be identified in any publications. 

The survey is online, takes 15 to 30 minutes, and will take place at school during school hours. We will receive a report on our school’s survey results shortly after our students complete the survey. 

Participating in the survey is voluntary. If any survey questions make your child uncomfortable, your child can skip the question or can choose to stop the survey at any time. 

If you do not want your child/children to take part in the survey, please contact the office by Thursday 25 May, 2023 to withdraw consent for your child to participate. 

More information about the survey and the research is available in at www.education.nsw.gov.au/ttfm   


SkoolBag > Audiri

You may have noticed that your Skoolbag app is now called ‘AUDIRI’.

This is a rebranding and all log in details will remain the same. If your device is set to auto update your app will have now changed to AUDIRI. If not all you need to do is update your ‘Skoolbag’ app on your device. All regular notices and newsletters will continue to be communicated through the app. 

Download the flyer attached to find out more.

 

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Local Community News and Events

Midford - Punchbowl Public School Uniform Pricelist

Please note that we at Midford School uniforms will be accepting the $150.00 Back To School Vouchers

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Messages from Riverwood Community Centre

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NSW Department of Education Covid-19 Advice for families

https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families
This page provides the latest advice for parents and carers on the department’s response to the pandemic. This guide is updated regularly based on advice from NSW Health. Please check this regularly.