Hayes Park Public School

Principal Message

2021 has began with all students in their classes day 1 and by all reports it has been a very smooth start to the year. Our numbers are the highest we have been and we have an extra classroom established taking us to 25 classes and almost 590 enrolments.

I would like to introduce three new staff permanent teachers Mrs Antonella Arnone who is on Kindergarten and comes to us with a multitude of experience from Warilla PS and Ms Isabel Browne on Year 1 who is known to many in our community after working with our team during 2020 on a casual teacher role.  The new school counsellor Jenna Spinks is available three days a week – appointments can be made through the front office or request assistance by Jen Demos our Learning and Support Teacher. If in doubt call the front office.

COVID is still ever present and impacts on our school’s ability to work with our community at times. We always have in mind the wellbeing of students and staff and we follow the guidelines and rules set down by our department through the Health and Safety directorate. 

We therefore continue to ask parents not to enter the grounds unless it is necessary to visit the office or if you are invited on special events and occasions where staff have put risk assessments into place. Staggered leaving times will stay in place. Please note all gates are now clearly numbered to avoid confusion  if you are asked to use a specific entrance or exit.

On Monday we have our Swimming Carnival and we are pleased to announce one parent per family is welcome to cheer on in the marked space. All students Years 3- 6 are expected to participate. Again the pool has sign in and the school will also need to register every adult visitor for our records.

We are excited to allow parents the opportunity to Meet the Teacher mornings starting next week. Covid has placed restrictions on us but we intend to meet in the classrooms and ask parents to be very aware of social distancing as much as possible and to use the QR code to register on arrival.

Our first P&C meeting is on next Monday night 15th February starting 5.30pm in school staffroom or Zoom in after registering – we applaud the amazing work of our P&C team and look forward to another year working together.

Link : https://nsweducation.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5Iud-mrpjspHtKYMUSoMrOAN3edv0C9YHx8

This year we start a new four year plan with focus on improving attendance rates , reading and numeracy results, increasing student leadership and a big focus on Arts & Technology. We have a dedicated team of executive who will drive the agenda.

Deputy Principal- Mrs Lisa Matthes

Assistant Principal  Kindergarten - Ms Ash Scarcella

Assistant Principal  Years 1 & 2 – Mr Ben Dawson

Assistant Principal  Years 3 &4- Mr Scott Regent

Assistant Principal  Years 5 & 6- Mr Paul Galea

Assistant Principal  Learning Support- Mrs Simone Beaumont

School Administration Manager- Mrs Di Grant

Any matters involving your child’s wellbeing and learning should go through the class teacher first, then if necessary through the appropriate Assistant Principal, then the Deputy Principal before the principal intervenes. This system is about respecting the roles each staff member plays and allowing them the opportunity to assist from the start.

We know the impact recent times have had on families. If you need support in any way please talk to us. There is some student assistance available on request and we can try and make adjustments with understanding should you be having difficult periods. We have a remarkable staff team more than willing to help.

Remember we have four main forms of communication :

Class Dojo for specific class information

HPPS Facebook page – for images, alerts and celebrations

Skoolbag App for notes, stage information and announcements

School website for all notes, general school information, policies and archived pictures.

I look forward to working with you and the community in 2021.

Warm regards

Michael Honeywood

Principal 

During the holidays we had new signage installed across the school representing our 4 school PBL values, safety, respect, responsiblity and resilience.

Classes have been discussing the PBL values in class the last 3 weeks and from week 5, our senior student leaders will be going to the younger classes and teaching lessons based on the 4 values.  This allows students to form relationships and develop empathy and a sense of responsibility towards children they might not typically engage with. It also provides a leadership opportunity for our older students.

At the end of last year, we had two new rooms constructed.  Mr Regent's room is our new demountable which is located down next to the hall and a new Kindergarten room was created in A block.

Please refer to the map attached at the bottom of the newsletter for room locations.

Students that have medication at school, require a new indemnity form at the beginning of each school year.  Please go to our website for a copy of this form or phone the office and we can send the form home with your child. 

Students that attend regular appointments during school hours such as speech therapy, psychology, occupational therapy require a letter from their provider outlining how often they attend.  This will cover their reason for arriving late/ leaving early as justified partial attendance.

What’s been happening in Stage 1:

Welcome to a new year! This term Stage 1 has started their Second Step lessons. These classes are focused on furthering the student’s development of their social/emotional learning skills through songs and games.  We can’t wait to learn more!

Stage 1 have been beginning to move their bodies in Stage Sport. In sport this term, students are developing their fundamental movement skills and then using these skills in a variety of different sporting games. We love playing as a team!

Our students were very excited to go back and visit the lovely Mrs Gould and Mr Tonks in the library after our summer break. We can’t wait to be immersed in the wonders of some new and old books!

Stage 1 teachers are looking forward to our ‘Meet the Teacher’ session next Thursday. We can’t wait to meet all of the new and returning parents for 2021.

Welcome Parents and Carers to Stage 2 in 2021.

2021 has seen the Stage 2 team off to a busy start in what will be a fun and exciting year. We entered our new classes on the first day, a little nervous and some what scared, but we didn’t need to worry as we were welcomed by the amazing Stage 2 teachers (Mr Regent, Ms Motbey, Mrs Carter, Mrs Pantano, Mr Langford, Mr Maples, Ms Foye and Mrs Braidotti).

Over the last three weeks we have been busy setting up and decorating our classrooms and learning spaces, making new friends and starting exciting new units of work. We have been to our new relief from face to face teachers (Mrs Cheung and Miss Donaldson) for creative arts where we have been learning about warm and cool colours and can see from the attached photos of 3L hard at work during their weekly art lesson that it looks like lots of fun. 

We have held our class based SRC elections and voted in two class representatives, had our school photos and undertaken some early assessments to help our new teachers get to know where we are.

We have also started our stage based rotations. Each Wednesday afternoon during the term we are going to rotate between the teachers to build our knowledge and skills. Just like in high school we will rotate between teachers and undertake lessons covering exciting topics such as Science, Technology and PBL games to build our knowledge and skills in being safe, respectful, responsible and resilient.  

What’s been happening in Stage 3:

Welcome to all families who have children in classes 4/5B (Mrs Rachael Braidotti), 5W (Mr Will Cook), 5M (Mr Alasdair Marshall), 5/C (Mr Chris Cook), 6G (Mr Paul Galea) and 6T (Mrs Morag Taws). We are a dynamic team of teachers  who are motivated to help all students grow both academically and socially. Stage 3 provides many exciting opportunities for your child to show respect, leadership skills and develop their character; we look forward to establishing strong connections and communication between home and school to ensure your child knows they are valued and cared for.  An integral part of the stage 3 style of learning will involve students using 'Chromebooks' to conduct daily research and revision of concepts taught across all key learning areas. At present a 'Chromebook' is a great investment in your child's education as it gives them their own device to be responsible for and a device that is always accessible; the school has invested heavily in having shared devices, but is looking to encourage more students to bring their own chromebook in. Chromebooks retail generally between $300 and $350.   In stage 3 (Year 5 and 6) reading is strongly encouraged and should be committed to for at least 30 minutes a day. It is an integral skill that should be completed first and foremost at home as an activity that is engaging and relaxing. We are seeing a decline in students reading at home and an increase in students staying up late watching TV and being on devices; this is not conducive to an alert and focused student.  During 2021, stage 3 students will be provided with experience that help them prepare for high school. In term 1 students in Year 6 are completing a leadership and resilience program provided by an external company called 'Creating Chances'; these unique lessons will happen each Thursday during term 1. In term 3 students will have the opportunity to travel to our nation's capital to learn about 'Federal Parliament'  and the roles and responsibilities of our government. Camps provide students opportunities to show resilience by being away from home; we really encourage your child to participate. Stage 3's 'Meet the Teacher' session is on Friday 19th February at 8:20 am. This session will be a great way to touch base and have an initial welcome. Please note that the stage 3 teaching team is available to meet and is contactable via ClassDojo or a phone call through the school office. 

The University of Wollongong invites your students to LITTLE and EARLY LEARNING LABS, an academic and creative arts enrichment holiday program. We are targeting students from Year 1 to 6 who are passionate, self-motivated and curious learners.

 Dates:                 Little Learning Labs (Years 1 and 2): 17th-18th April 2021

Early Learning Labs (Years 3 to 6): 10th-11th April 2021

 Venue: University of Wollongong (Wollongong campus only)

Applications close: Wednesday 3rd March 2021

·      LITTLE AND EARLY LEARNING LABS program brochure

 APPLICATION PROCESS

• Students can be encouraged to apply by their school, classroom teacher, subject specialist teachers from school or out-of-school or by their parents. If a school-based professional is identifying a potential student they will supply them with a Teacher Nomination Letter
• Parents/Guardians visit our website and read the full list of workshops available by scrolling to the “April workshops overview” section.
• Parents/Guardians (or school if parent/guardian is unable to) fill out the online application form.
• This is an academic and creative arts enrichment program designed for students who are motivated and passionate learners and performing excellently in their area of interest. First-time applicants are required to demonstrate their suitability for the program. One piece of supporting documentation is required (see 'Supporting Documentation' section on website). Please note that the Teacher Nomination Letter can be used as a supporting document.
• Learning Labs is registered as COVID-Safe and follows the guidelines set out by the NSW Government here.

Please know that workshops fill very quickly.

We will also have several sponsorship places available for students who identify as Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander or students experiencing financial difficulty. 

 For further information about workshops and the application process please visit our website, or contact the Learning Labs team via email at learning-labs@uow.edu.au or phone on (02) 4221 5557.