Curtin Primary School Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

International Space Station (ISS) link up

Houston… We have lift off!

NASA has confirmed that our 10 minute link up with the International Space Station will take place at 6:39pm next Monday 20 May. That is providing that all the stars are aligned - figuratively speaking! This fabulous opportunity to connect with the ISS was organised by Stevan Dimovski, one of our Curtin parents back in February – thank you Stevan! The link up will be held in the main hall from 5:45-7:00pm. All students, families and space nerds are invited to attend. NASA has requested that people are seated well before the actual link up time and because of the need for quiet during the link up, we ask parents that if possible toddlers and babies do not attend.

Some of our students will be asking US astronaut, Tyler Nick Hague, 20 questions that they have written themselves and were submitted to NASA at the end of last term for approval.  Joshua M, Mia D, Hugh A, Avinka K, Max W, Lucy K, Andre D, Cailin P, Ben M, Hannah R, Ben H and Emily T will be asking these questions and they have been busy practising them during this week.

NAPLAN

This week our year 3 and 5 students began NAPLAN testing. Our year 5 students are sitting their tests during the morning session, with the year 3 students completing theirs during the middle session of the day. It is important that students arrive to school on time so that the start of their session is not disrupted. If in the event of unavoidable absences for any of the tests, we will provide the opportunity for catch up sessions early next week.

School Improvement

The 2019-2023 school improvement plan designed after our school review last year identified three priorities. These are writing, number and developing dispositions for learning. This year, we have actioned our work to increase student success as writers. In the classroom, all staff are focused on increasing student skills, confidence and enjoyment as writers.

Teachers have also been working through meetings to build our knowledge of the craft of writing as well as the process of teaching writing. We have developed shared practices to ensure consistency across the school. This has been informed by unpacking research about best teaching practice, as well as sharing the wide range of knowledge and experience of our teachers. We have also spent time analysing writing samples to ensure teachers knows each child’s strengths and next steps for learning. It is exciting to see impact of this professional learning in classrooms, with high quality writing pieces resulting from explicit teaching and editing. 

Maths Incursion

Later this term, we will have a visiting incursion from World of Maths. Students in K-6 will participate in hands on challenges, promoting a positive attitude towards maths and experiencing maths related to practical and real-life situations. Activities will be a mix of guided discovery and problem-solving, containing tasks in the strands of number, space, measurement, graphs, statistics and logical thinking and sequencing. For students in the younger years, activities will use visuals to explain the questions and students will attempt these with the help of a buddy or parent in their session. Notes will be coming home this week. If you are a parent of a junior student and will be able to assist on the day, please record that when returning the permission slip.

Response to Intervention (RTI) program

To ensure students develop literacy skills, we provide a flexible and adaptable model of learning intervention. Teachers look at student results and collaborate to ensure support is provided as needed. This can occur within the classroom through groups, across the year level or through a small withdrawal group or individual intervention program. Intervention is provided by class teachers, LSAs or a specialist teacher. Clare Farr and Nicole Moore are the intervention teachers in 2019. Specialist support teachers are resourced within the school and this approach does not occur in all schools. The Curtin executive and School Board plan staffing each year to determine the best feasible level of support.

The Student Support Team, led by our deputy principal, Maryanne Hayes, guide decisions about the type of support provided for each student. While intervention is a flexible approach that adapts to student needs, the support team ensures a consistent approach and transparency across teams. If you have questions about additional support for your child, please speak to their class teacher or Maryanne.

Enjoy your week,

Kate North

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

Notes may be downloaded from links found below

We have lift off!  NASA has confirmed that the 10 minute International Space Station link up will take place at  6:39pm next Monday 20 May. 

The link up will be held in the main hall from 5:45-7:00pm and we ask that all attending be seated promptly by 6:10pm.  

All interested families are invited to attend. Because of the need for quiet during the link up, we ask parents that if possible, toddlers and babies do not attend.

https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/tyler-nick-hague

Twelve students from years 1-6 will be asking the American astronaut Tyler Nick Hague the following student questions which were chosen from those that were submitted by students across the school.

Deborah Fitzgerald.

Volunteers needed urgently

Our lovely lost property angels are urgently looking for a bit of help. If you can spare some time please contact the front office.

Where is Lost Property?

Could parents please come and check lost property for any of their children’s unnamed belongings?

All clearly named items are sorted each Friday morning and returned to the relevant class room areas in a white tub labelled Lost Property. So, for any lost, named items, please check this box which can be found outside/near your child’s class room.

All other lost property items can be found in the Year 2 corridor around the corner from the canteen.

Well done Curtin!!

As a school we rolled 1.3kgs of Easter egg foil!

The class winners –

1st 6DJ with 457 grams

2nd 6SN with 223 grams

3rd 1DF with 126 grams

Curtin Primary School is looking for any skiers and snowboarders who may like to compete at the ACT Interschools Snowsports Competition at Perisher in Week 1 of Term 3. 

This is a fantastic opportunity for students who love the snow and their snowsport to branch out and have some fun competing with schools from our region.

Students would be required to be supervised by a parent for this event which could include up to two days of competition if you are a skier or one day of competition for snowboarders. No prior racing experience is required and first time competitors are more than welcome.

Please contact our school co-ordinator, Alistair Court (Jemima, 1FO) at alistairjcourt@gmail.com by Friday 7 Jun 2019 if you or your child may be interested in this event or if you have any questions. There will be an information session organised once expressions of interests have been received.

More information can be found at: www.interschoolssnowsports.com.au

Come along to the P&C meeting this Thursday 16th May in the staff room. Light refreshments and meet and greet from 6.30pm, meeting start from 7pm. All parents and carers are welcome to attend!

Come down to the school and get your tasty Democracy Sausage or a delicious cake at Curtin Primary School this Saturday (and vote of course)!  Cake donations can be delivered to the canteen on Friday or brought to the stall on Saturday.

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

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.

Families and students wishing to apply for the Year 7-12 Boorer Foundation Scholarship are asked to complete and submit the two-page application-form by the closing date of Friday, 31 May 2019.

It would be wonderful if you could share this amazing opportunity within your community perhaps through your newsletter or even a note home with your current Year 6’s.

Application Form can be found: http://www.radford.act.edu.au/storage/the-boorer-foundation-scholarship-application-form-18-feb.pdf

This amazing opportunity will be awarded to a student commencing Year 7 in 2020. The scholarship will cover 100% of the Tuition and Capital Levy fees and up to 100% of compulsory College-related costs for six years (Years 7 through 12 inclusive).