George Bass School Newsletter

It has been a very busy, but successful start to the 2019 school year.  New students have transitioned really well into the school this year and have been experiencing success in our younger grades and in our high school. Our students always take time to settle into the new school year, often working with new teachers, support officers and alongside different students. Our staff know that spending time acclimatising students with their new learning environment and assessing student abilities carefully lead to the best results in the long term.

Staff development day at the beginning of this year for our educators focused on the organisation of our teams and discussions around the learning experiences and intentions for the term and the year. Professional learning about cognition and working styles was provided by Louise and Zina which was designed to build awareness of our own professional priorities and preferences, as well as those of others, and how we can use these to enhance performance. This was in addition to important mandatory training that all staff are required to complete each year relating to child protection.

We were lucky to have new playground equipment installed in the senior exercise area in week one of this term. This equipment was supported through Club Grants, in particular Revesby Workers Club who helped support the cost of this equipment in conjunction with our schools Parents and Community committee.  We are extremely grateful to the club and to our P&C for their tireless efforts supporting our resourcing. In addition to this equipment an installation of synthetic grass will help to ensure that this equipment can be used safely in a range of weather conditions.

We have made the decision to support and enhance our senior school vocational programs this year. We have hired an additional teacher 2 days per week to support all vocational skills required in running a small café here at school 1-2 days per week. This program is aimed at supporting our students to gain skills that can be used in post school life. It will also help all of our students to have a goal to work towards in their schooling regardless of their stage of learning. I look forward to being able to give you more information about the success of this program later in the year. 

You may be aware, through our school social media, that we have a community member completing a 5 kilometre swim as a fundraiser for our schools new immersive room. David Butler, a family friend of the Alameddine family proposes to make the swim across Bondi Beach with a goal of raising $5000. If would like to support David, simply go to the George Bass Facebook page and follow the link to make a donation. In positive news the room is now complete and requires us to just make the final few payments to Leader Healthcare who generously installed this equipment prior to all funds being available.

Sadly this will be my last week at George Bass School for the next term, with the possibility of an extension. I know I will miss our school and our community, but am excited for the innovations that will occur with Noel Gover in his relieving role as principal, supported by our expert team. I would like to encourage you all to make Noel feel at home over this time. I know he has already committed to being open to lots of questions and spending time getting to know our school and our close knit George Bass family. I will be with Noel at the upcoming Welcome BBQ where I will have the opportunity to introduce him to all of you.   

Peter Skinner

Wishing Peter all the best in his new project. He is 1 of 3 principals selected from over 2200 in the state, so it is a great opportunity. We look forward to hearing about his experience. The incredible knowledge that he'll bring back to the school after working on this project will be of benefit to both staff and students at George Bass School.

What a privilege to visit Burru class this week. It may only be Week 3 of Term 1 but the students were fully engaged in their maths lesson and proud to show me the product of their hard work. It was great to see the students working both independently on individual tasks as well as in small groups, guided by Kim and Karen. Jacinta was excited to show me her achievements using Prodigy mathematics game and Khalil demonstrated his number skills. Fantastic work Burru class!

Say hello to affordable clothes specially designed for kids with disabilities – and they’re cool too, says a mum who’s tried it.

The Marks and Spencer Easy Dressing story. There are millions of children around the world who have a sensory or physical disability. So after talking to parents and experts, we’ve developed an easy-dressing range for kids that’s fun to wear, plus the designs are the same as our standard range, so kids have the choice to wear the same cool clothes as their friends or siblings. From all-in-ones that allow for a cast  (for hip dysplasia) to shirts and dresses with discreet pockets for feeding tubes, the range uses the softest materials, the fewest seams possible and hidden care labels that won’t irritate sensitive skin.  The range includes back-riptape openings on our shirts and jumpers and long-rise pants with inside leg openings to give greater comfort and dignity when wearing nappies. Our range makes dressing easier, quicker, more comfortable – and more fun!

Welcome back to a new school year from Burru class. We welcome into our class Charlie, Dion, Ethan, Ibrahim, Jacinta, Khalil and Nathaniel.

We have had quite a busy first few weeks of school getting to know the students and all their unique personalities. We have a very energetic class and have learnt that the students are quite tech savvy, they love to dance, play dress ups, ride bicycles, read books and go swimming. The students have all done a great job of adjusting to our daily routine and will be working towards following the school’s Positive Behaviour for Learning values and expectations.

We are looking forward to a great year with all the students.

Kim and Karen

Introducing… Ngunun class!

Wonderful Wah Eh! Mahmoud the Magnificent! The Remarkable Rayhan! Felix the Fabulous!....and the Amazing Triple-A team – Alex, Andy and Ashaz!

Ngunun class have had a wonderful beginning to the year. In geography, we have started looking at places we live and communities we belong to. We will also learn about human and natural features we can find in those places. In science we are learning about the different technologies we can use to communicate and to brighten up our classroom, we have been showing off our math skills by making area collage artworks.

We believe that it’s going to be a great year in Ngunun. We have loved seeing each student’s personality, interests and talents come out in the classroom. We look forward to meeting you at the barbeque on Tuesday, 19th February.

From Bronwyn M., Dina, Wah Eh, Alex, Andy, Felix, Ashaz, Rayhan and Mahmoud

Welcome to Kula 2019! This year our class has a few old friends who have worked together before and some new friends who will add to the vibrant dynamic of Kula class. It has been a busy start to the year but we have already settled into our routine and we are working on some great class programs.

This year Kula class members are Aiysha, Aisin, David, Ramez, Tifiga, Solomone, Ziad, Jennifer and Vicki.

Some of the programs Kula have already started are cooking where we learn about valuable life skills to increase our independence and we are also partaking in independent work stations where students work on learning activities that increase their ability to complete tasks on their own.

We are very excited to get the year going and cannot wait to work together to challenge ourselves and welcome new learning experiences.

Welcome to Term 1 for 2019 in Burra class. What a fantastic start to the year it has been! Burra is proud to announce that is made up of eight wonderful students. Aljaye, Sarina, Marvin, Sean, Martin, Ari and Ricky have had a great time getting to know each other and their new class these last couple of weeks. We are all very excited to welcome Omar into the class when he returns for the year.

Burra class have been busy setting up their new space, turning it into an environment in which they are ready to learn and have fun together. We have enjoyed many exciting experiences so far such as cooking, swimming, bike riding, gardening, going to assembly and celebrating Ricky’s birthday.

We look forward to what this year has to bring! 

It’s a new year, 2019… a year full of new experiences and excitement ahead of us. We were very happy to return to school to catch up with our friends and welcome a new school year at George Bass School.

In Bidjawong, we are getting to know each other as classmates and settling into our classroom and routines. Bidjawong class members for 2019 are Ben, Milan, Mithuran, Patrick and Zakk and our teachers are Cassandra and Milly. This year our class has a few old friends who have worked together before and some new friends who will add to the vibrant dynamic of Bidjawong class.

This year Bidjawong class will be running the senior program – Milkbar we will test our skills in the kitchen as we whip together some delicious savoury and sweet dishes for staff and students to purchase every Wednesday. Some of the other programs that will be running in our class this semester include;

AL – Enourmous Crocodile

Science – Our Bodies

CAPA – Faces

PDHPE – Changes

HSIE – Liveability

We are very excited to get the year going and cannot wait to work together to challenge ourselves and welcome new learning experiences.