Hello, Giinagay, Hai
Welcome to the Week 9 newsletter. A lot has been happening at our school.
School Crossing
This is a timely reminder about driving and parking safely near our school. The beginning and end of the school day are busy times for students, staff and vehicles outside the school. That’s why everyone needs to take extra care in the 40km/h school zone.
- Park safely and legally, even if it means walking further to the school gate. Parking signs are planned with children’s safety in mind.
- Slow down to 40km/h in the school zone and stay aware of crossings.
- Always park and turn legally around the school.
- Never double park as it puts children at risk.
- Manoeuvres such as U-turns and three-point turns are dangerous.
- Never park in the bus zone.
- Make sure your children use the Safety Door (rear footpath side door) to get in and out of the car.
- Observe the directions of the school teacher supervisor.
- Model safe and considerate behaviour for your child – they will learn from you.
- Please don’t park across crossing.
This will help keep all staff and children as safe as possible during the busiest times of the school day.
Dawkins Park Reserve Project
Dr Angela Turner has collaborated with Scotts Head Public School on localised community engaged projects since 2014. Her expertise in Design and Technology and Food Education, have provided rich Professional Learning opportunities for teachers at this school.
In 2014, I made contact with Dr Turner with an expressed desire to forge a community of learning connectedness within our school. The first project, Reaching Out, Reaching In: A school–university partnership to promote Indigenous community engagement fostered a greater understanding of local Indigenous culture, historical perspectives and knowledge systems about food sustainability. More importantly, the project promoted a cooperative model of social inclusion that supported local Indigenous narratives that were developed with and endorsed by Elders and community.
In 2016, Scotts Head Public School and Southern Cross University were successful with a Rural and Remote Education Networks grant from the NSW Government Department Education and Communities. The STEM in the Garden project built upon the ‘Reaching Out, Reaching In’ project. This project centred on food sustainability as a vehicle to improve interdisciplinary teaching and learning (STEM) principles and applied design. This produced an environmental education teaching program that focused on food sustainability in the context of environmental change.
In 2019, Dr Turner won a significant grant (partnered with Nambucca Shire Council), titled Learning about Environmental Education through Public Spaces – The Dawkins Park Reserve Project. This project builds on the STEM in the Garden project with a focus on increasing resilience to changes in the environment. This will be realised through using a local reserve as an authentic educational setting to increase student stewardship through learning about the reserve’s water quality, ecological processes and biodiversity specific to risks and effects on the local environment.
I am excited our school will be involved in this project as part of a cluster of local schools. These projects have had a positive impact on our school as they engage teachers from other rural and remote schools and students across diverse learning stages. We are in the first phase of conceptualising ideas re programming and the picture attached is our first site visit.
Thanks, yaarri yaraang, terima kasih.
Bu Gillian
Gillian Stuart - Principal
