The Punchbowl Press

2020 Term 3 Week 5

Important Dates

Monday 17 August - Friday 21 August - Science Week

Monday 24 August - Friday 28 August - Book Fair 

Tuesday 1 September - ICAS Mathematics

Wednesday 2 September & Thursday 3 September - School Photos



Principal's Message

Dear Parents

It is without a doubt that we have the best students, staff and community here at Punchbowl Public School. In this edition of our newsletter I want to share some of the achievements and celebrate the enormous successes that we are having. In this COVID-19 environment we live in it is easy to become disheartened, but I want to assure you that we are working hard to create strong, successful, confident learners.

Our student leaders recently worked with the Canterbury Bankstown City Council and Campsie Police Station to produce a video urging drivers to be aware of children on the roads. Their terrific work was featured as a story in the local Canterbury Bankstown Local Newspaper and has been shared on the NSW Department of Education website. 

I am so proud to share the great work of Afiq in Stage 3. He has created a coding animation based on his favourite books of Beast Quest 1-3. 

 https://scratch.mit.edu/projects/408823439/

Our students love technology and in library sessions we are teaching them how to code. I watched in awe just recently when I saw our brilliant students use their sharp minds to program a Bee Bot so that it followed a complex path – I was blown away!

Recently we added another student to our Student Leader Team. We are very proud of Isaac and the fact that he made Class Captain at his other school, Karningul. We celebrated his success with him and the student leadership team and I agreed that Isaac deserved to become one of our school leaders.

The work that happens in our Schools as Community Centre changes lives. We are so happy that a group of our parents recently started studying for a Certificate II in Retail Services Course. This is a wonderful opportunity and I congratulate everyone who is participating. I look forward to the graduation ceremony! 

I look forward to catching up on the amazing work occurring in our school when I return in Term 4. Until then, I congratulate Ms Donna McGeary for her role as Relieving Principal – Donna is a fantastic leader and a real asset to the school community.

Please continue to take good care of one another.

Dace Elletson Principal

Updated Information from the NSW Department of Education

The NSW Department of Education are working closely with the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC), NSW Health and other agencies to ensure our schools continue to operate in the safest ways possible during the COVID environment. Please read the updated information available at https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families

Important information

Students should be at school unless:

  • they have a medical certificate which states that they are unable to return to school due to an ongoing medical condition and the expected time frame
  • they are currently unwell.

In accordance with advice from NSW Health, parents are reminded NOT to send children to school if they are unwell, even if they have the mildest flu-like symptoms.

If a student is unwell or has flu-like symptoms and are at school the office will contact you to collect your child.  NSW Health have requested that schools ask anyone who is unwell or has even mild flu-like symptoms, to arrange to be tested through their local medical practitioner or one of the COVID-19 clinics

Students with flu-like symptoms MUST provide a copy of a negative COVID-19 test result before being permitted to return to school. This will need to be sent to the school email punchbowl-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Please ensure that you include the child's name and class when sending through any results.  

All schools will be vigilant when implementing infection control, physical distancing and personal hygiene protocols to protect the health and safety of students and staff. 

These  guidelines come from both the NSW Department of Health and the Department of Education. In these uncertain times, it is imperative we follow the directions provided to us. We thank you for your ongoing support and understanding as we work together to keep each other safe.

If you have any questions please contact the school on 9750 5055. 

Donna McGeary - Relieving Principal 

School as Community Centre - (SaCC)

We thank our entire school community for their generosity and support of the food drive which was organised by our SaCC for Lighthouse Community Support. Your contributions will go towards supporting the wonderful work of this community organisation.  A message of thanks is included below.

'Thank you all for a wonderful initiative, we truly appreciate the support from the entire school community.' Lighthouse Community Support

As you may already be aware our scheduled playgroup sessions have been put on hold due to updated guidelines for school which is available on the Department of Education website.   Parents are invited to join the closed  Punchbowl Public School SaCC - School as Community Centre Facebook page where you will be able to access resources to support you with 'playgroup at home'. All scheduled parent courses will be moving online. Contact Asenati Mareko - SaCC Facilitator on 0439487865 if you need further support. 

School Photos

School Photos for Kindergarten to Year 6 will now be taken during Week 7.

Wednesday 2 September - Stage 2 and Stage 3 

Thursday 3 September - Early Stage 1 and Stage 1

Please ensure students are wearing full school uniform including black shoes. 

Envelopes will only be sent home to families who did not place orders in TERM 1. If you returned a photo envelope or paid online earlier in the year these orders will still be active and have been stored securely at the school. 

Family photo envelopes will be available at the office. If you require one of these please contact the office who will be able to send one home with your child. 

If you have any questions please phone the office. 

Education and Science Week 2020

 During Week 3 we celebrated Education and Science Week 2020. 

The Education Week 2020 theme, 'Learning together', reflects an incredible year for NSW public school students, staff and parents, and the partnerships that have been strengthened in response.This Education and Science Week, we embrace the whole NSW public education community, highlighting the achievements of Punchbowl Public School.

Watch the video to take a look at some of the magnificent teaching and learning activities that took place throughout the week. We are proud of the achievements of all our staff, students and parents at Punchbowl Public School. #edweek2020 NSW Department of Education

YouTube Video - Education and Science Week 2020

Parent Survey - Tell Them From Me

Our school is participating in a survey that allows parents to express their views about their perceptions of their children's experiences at home and school and we are asking parents to take some time to complete the survey by following the link . If you have more than one child at the school and your perceptions differ for each child, you may choose to complete the survey more than once to provide feedback on each child’s experiences. Your participation in the survey is anonymous and confidential. When you submit your survey, the responses are recorded on a secure site without personal identifying information. Your answers will be mixed with those of other parents and caregivers from the school. You may skip any questions you do not wish to answer, other than the one asking which school year your child is in.The survey is available in languages other than English and you may choose to complete it in your home language by selecting the option on the drop down menu on the right hand corner of the survey. We thank you for your ongoing support and for taking the time to provide your feedback. If you have any questions please contact the school on 9750 5055.

http://nsw.tellthemfromme.com/c4ydj

Preschool Enrolment Form

Download the attached enrolment form or contact the office on 97505055 and ask for a copy to be posted to you. 
Download

Preschool

In Preschool, we celebrated Education and Science Weeks this term. Everyone showed how we learn and play together. One of our favourite activities was making paper planes and testing them to see which ones flew the furthest.  

Some of our classes have started Dance, with the other classes having their turn starting from Week 7. We have some great dancers in Preschool, and the educators are having fun participating too!  

There have been lots of other activities happening in each class. Goanna Class made a delicious and healthy fruit salad last week, whilst avoiding the wet weather outside.  

Take a look at our pictures to see all the things we have achieved this term!  

K6 Owls & K6 Kookaburras

The students in K6 Kookaburras and K6 Owls have been engaged in a lot of exciting learning so far this term. We were very lucky to have a visit from some of the Stage 3 boys who brought  along one of their birds for us to meet. This was a great chance for us to find out facts about birds and use them to write information reports. The students in K6 Owls then returned the favour and invited students from 5/6 Fireball to come and listen to their presentation on ants. Our Stage 1 students  have also been having lots of fun joining in with dance this term. It is great  working together and joining in  with everyone  in our  classroom activities and whole school learning.

Here are some photos of our learning. ​ 

Early Stage 1

As part of the Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) curriculum, Kindergarten students are participating in a dance program this term. This program develops a positive and concrete foundation by introducing the basic movements and skills required to participate in choreographed dance.  

Students are loving keeping fit while learning the fundamental principles of dance. Check out their fabulous skills! 

One of the many statements we heard from the students:  

“I had too much fun” – Benjamin (K Red) 

Stage 1

This term Stage 1 classes made their own rekenreks to investigate and represent numbers in different parts. Students have been developing their number facts and using their knowledge of doubles and near doubles to represent different numbers on their rekenreks.  

Students are beginning to understand that mathematicians use efficient strategies and represent numbers in different ways.  

“I represented 20 on my rekenrek. I know that 10 and 10 makes 20.” - Youssef  1/ 2 Blue Whales  

“I have made 14 by moving 5 and 2 more in the top row and the same on the bottom row. Double 7 is 14.” - Roa  1/ 2 Blue Whales

Stage 2

Stage 2 Young Scientists

Last week Stage 2 was very lucky to have Mrs McGeary organise and run a science relay.  Students were placed in teams and were given a series of questions to answer. Everyone was involved in thinking scientifically and had great fun ending the session with a paper plate challenge. The winning team enjoyed a sweet treat.  

This week Mrs Rana organised an incursion that bought the wonders of the night sky directly into our school. As the lights were dimmed the students were surrounded by thousands of stars. Teachers and students learnt about day and night, stars and constellations and phases of the moon.  

Stage 3

Stage 3 have been learning about convicts on the First Fleet and their experiences. Students have read the book Beth: The Story of a Child Convict by Mark Wilson and created texts based on the convicts perspectives. Students were involved in a range of activities in particular some participated in role plays called “Hot Seat”. Here is some great examples of their work around the convict’s experience whilst they were transported to Australia.

Community Language

Stage 3 students have been learning about home and community life. They were able to link and transfer their English understanding of language on and around home and community life to the spoken and written Arabic language. The students have been engaged in a STEM project that involves building a house and city out of recycled materials such as cardboard boxes, paper and foam.  

يتعلم طلاب المرحلة الثالثة عن  الحياة المجتمعيةوالأسرية. ليكونوا قادرين على ربط ونقل فهمهم من اللغة الإنجليزية إلى اللغة العربية المنطوقة والمكتوبة. كان الطلاب يشاركون في مشروع STEM يتضمن بناء منزل ومدينة من صناديق الكرتون والورق والفوم. 

STEAM

STEAM: Exploring empathy through STEAM 3D Design and Printing 

Stage 3 students are continuing their journey developing knowledge and skills through 3D design and printing. After one of their lessons, here is what some of them had to say: 

Asma Adam: “I was sad that when the boy was born he only had one hand. He couldn’t get stuff. Thanks to his dad he found information on the internet that helped him make a hand for his son. I want to help people”. 

 

Ibrahim Ibrahim: “I was amazed by the video clips and it put a smile across my face. It made me think how good technology can be by allowing us to make a hand and a jaw that can change someone’s life and make them feel normal and happy”. 

Library

Library News – Author visit 

Our students were thrilled with Oliver Phommavanh’s visit to the school. Oliver authored many books and is set to release his next book on 1st September 2020. Oliver captivated our students with his lively presentation and had them in stitches of laughter while he shared valuable tips about what students need to do to become better writers. The key message from Oliver was “to become a good writer we MUST READ”. 

Book Fair 


We have our annual Book Fair with Carnival Books at school between 24 and 28 August.

Students will have an opportunity to purchase from a wide selection of books at a reasonable price. The school will receive a commission for books purchased, this will add valuable resources to the school library for our students to enjoy.

Let’s aim to make this year’s Book Fair one of the most successful ones so far. With your support I’m sure that we will do well!

Communication between home and school procedures

At Punchbowl Public School, our staff is committed to open and transparent communication across the community. We believe that partnerships between students, parents and families, the broader community and business bring mutual benefit, and maximises student engagement and learning outcomes.  Please take some time to read through the Communication between home and school procedures which are available on our school website. 

https://punchbowl-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/p/punchbowl-p/localcontent/Communication_Between_Home_and_School_Procedures_2019.pdf

Preschool Enrolments for 2021 are now OPEN

Punchbowl Public School Preschool enrolments for 2021 are now OPEN!

Download the enrolment form attached or contact the office on 97505055 to arrange a copy to to be posted to your address. 

The enrolment form is also available in other languages

For more information visit https://punchbowl-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/preschool/enrolment.html 

Ebooks and Audio books

A reminder that students borrow library books every fortnight. Please remind your child that they need to bring a library bag so the books do not become damaged.

myON Renaissance 

The library has subscribed to a myON Renaissance audiobook subscription. Your child has been issued with a unique login and password and has logged on to the reading website from school. I encourage you to develop a good daily reading routine with your child by allowing him/her to login to the myON audiobooks website to read. 

Here is the login link https://www.myon.com/login/ 

Students will progress steadily with their reading if they commit to reading every day. Aim to read at least 15 minutes a day. Reading is the key to success for all subjects. If you have any questions about this resource please call the school and leave a message for Mrs Matthews to contact you.  

Wheelers eBooks 

 Students are also reminded that they can read eBooks from the Wheelers website. 

Click on the link to login https://librarypunchbowlpublicschool.wheelers.co/ 

Student login details for Wheelers eBooks are the same as that for logging on to a computer at school. 

PBL

This term in our PBL lessons, we have been working on understanding the importance of respect towards each other.  We have also been working on promoting our ‘Walk the Blue’ slogan which helps us remember where we need to walk in the playground to make sure we are safe and keeping each other safe. 

All across the school we have been thinking about our PBL values and how we must keep working on being safe, respectful learners. 

Music

Students have been enjoying the Musica Viva program. Stage two students have learnt about different instruments.  They have had the opportunity to play instruments as they learn about them. It is reported that Playing an instrument that will strengthen memory power and helps one to use both sides of the brain. The joy this has brought students is immeasurable. Come check out the music room and explore the joy music will bring! 

Skoolbag

Skoolbag is our main form of parent communication at Punchbowl Public School. This app can be downloaded free from your app store by following the instructions below. Stay up to date with school and community events, access the newsletter and send absentee and permission notes online.

Keep Updated!

During this time of constant change it is extremely important that families are regularly checking  the information provided by the NSW Department of Education, NSW Health, NSW Government and Australian Federal Government



Department of Education - School Updates App

Calling all parents and carers: Have you downloaded the School Updates app yet? Opt in to receive notifications about the operational status of our school (e.g. temporary closures). Find out more and download via https://bit.ly/2PD2jd3