The Punchbowl Press

Our online Playgroups which are now being held via the “Punchbowl Public School SaCC – School as Community Centre” Facebook page have been very successful.  We currently have 63 members on our Facebook page and I encouraged our families and parents to join and access these resources for our little children. We prepared and sent Father’s Day packs for our children, with play dough, different activities, father’s day cards, craft and a story book. Parents sent photos of their children who proudly make cards for their fathers. 

The Retail Services course was interrupted due to Covid-19 however we were fortunate enough to find a new venue for the program to continue. Metro Assist Inc. assisted us by making their conference room available for participants to continue their studies. Our partnerships with our local service providers and non-government agencies support us facilitating a wide range of programs and activities throughout the year. Thank you Joy of Metro Assist and Jenny of Australian Retail Association. Our Retail Services participants are currently undertaking work experience in different retail companies for two weeks and we look forward to them graduating soon. 

Asenati Mareko 

SaCC Facilitator 

And just like that, Term 3 has come to an end! The children in preschool have loved working on STEM projects in the playground over the past few weeks. They have created a giant dinosaur and a train, to name just two of their creations. There has also been a lot of interest in creating campfires from red and yellow cellophane, and pretending to roast foam marshmallows. The children have such great imaginations, and the beauty of these activities is that they are inclusive of ALL children in our preschool – both children in the mainstream classes as well as the children in the early intervention classes. These activities are promoting the fact that we are ‘One Preschool.’ Have a happy and safe school holidays everyone, and we will see you next term! 

The K6-Owls and K6-Kookaburras have been busy over the past few weeks. Our Stage One students have been joining in with dance and our Stage 2 students with gymnastics. This has been a lot of fun.  

Both classrooms have been engaged in new mathematical concepts. The Owls have been learning all about the value of money and the Kookaburras have been focusing on place value and angles. 

For literacy the Owls have been learning about persuasive texts and the Kookaburras are finishing up their Information Reports by writing about the Sydney Opera House. 

We are continuing to take good care of our garden with the help of the wonderful Miss Clare. We have been making sure to water all our plants so they grow and stay healthy. It is nice to see all the new flowers popping up from the seedlings we planted earlier in the year.  

We are all looking forward to a safe and happy break over the holidays.  

In Science this term, Kindergarten students explored many types of objects made from different materials. As part of this learning, students created a hat using a variety of materials. Students worked independently displaying our school values of being safe, respectful and active learners. 

This year many Stage 1 students have been participating in the MiniLit program. MiniLit is an evidence-based intervention program which supports students with the early literacy and reading skills.  

One part of the MiniLit lesson is the reading component where students develop the confidence and skills to read independently. They also develop a love for interacting with different texts that are read to them by the teachers.  

This is what some of our students have to say about the MiniLit program: 

Aditya: “I love the racing game, it helps me to read words quickly.” 

Abdul Nafay: “I enjoy reading and writing interesting sentences.” 

Rawan: “I love playing Bingo because it helps me learn my sounds.” 

Stage 2 classes created cities as part of measurement and geometry in mathematics this term. Students followed a real life process of applying for a permit to build, designing and constructing their cities in small groups.

The result as you can see was an exciting mix of buildings designed for a specific purpose, such as shopping. Students integrated built features such as roads, and natural features such as rivers and creeks in their design and construction

During weeks 7 and 8, Stage 3 explored length. To gain a better understanding of the topic each class undertook an investigation called: 'How far can we jump?'. Students chose appropriate tools and unit of measurement to measure their jumps. Upon completion of the investigation the class collaboratively created a visual display of the data to scale. 

In week 9 and 10, Stage 3 is learning about Patterns and Algebra. In one lesson, students created their own geometric patterns using paddle pop sticks and described their own pattern using mathematical terminology. 

Germana, 5/6 Supernova: My impromptu speech was about ‘A day to remember’. It was about my last year of primary school and how I will miss my friends. I made good eye contact and one thing I need to improve on is speaking clearly. 

Izaan, 5/6 Supernova: My speech was about ‘My hero’. My hero is about Superman and how he is the strongest superhero in the whole universe. I made good eye contact and I spoke with exaggeration to persuade my audience. 

Princess, 5/6 Supernova: My speech was about ‘School bullies’. I wrote about how school bullies can hurt other people and their feelings and hurt them physically. I used a rhetorical question at the start of my speech to get the audience thinking. 

Kindergarten students are learning about primary colours and how to say them in Arabic. The students are making their own Books of Colours by cutting different coloured pictures out of magazines and pasting them in a self-made paper book.  Students in kindergarten know how to say the primary colours in Arabic.  Well done Kindy! 

Stage 1 students are learning about geometric shapes in their classrooms. During STEAM/ STEM sessions they are exploring various ways of drawing shapes using technology and how these shapes can be used to create different pictures. I am elated when I hear many students saying “This is so much fun!”  

Students are thoroughly enjoying the variety of reading experiences when visiting the library. They are engaging well with the myON audiobook selection. The myON reports indicate that many students are developing regular reading habits which will benefit them across all areas of their learning. 

Sumaya, 3/4Resilience: "I waited so long for a new book about sharks. I was excited to start reading “Super Shark” because it looks like an interesting book and I LOVE SHARK books. I think sharks are AMAZING!!!"

Haalia from 1 Manta Rays expresses her delight when coming to the library: “I love the library because we get to read so many books.” 

Ayah, 1 Manta Ray: “I chose The Happy Hedgehog because it looks like a funny book to read."

Our students were thrilled to be able to enjoy Book Fair this year. Many of them were keen to purchase titles by Oliver Phommavanh, the author who visited our school earlier in the term. It was great to see so many students requesting a wide variety of books including graphic novels, manga, anime and joke books. YES our students do love a good laugh!Thank you to Mrs Donna McGeary and Mrs Faiza Matthews for their contribution of books to the school library and to all the parents and staff who have contributed to the success of Book Fair.

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

Stage 2 have mastered a body percussion using paper cups and their chairs. It was been lots of fun whilst reaping the benefits of body percussion whilst making music.

Practising body percussion brings about improvements in three areas: the Physical, as it stimulates awareness of the body, control of movement and muscular strength, coordination and balance; the Mental, as it improves concentration, memory and perception; and finally Socio-affective, as it helps to build egalitarian relationships and leads to a decrease in anxiety in social interactions. With rhythm at its core, the various different types of interaction and physical contact needed to perform many of the exercises mean that body percussion can become a therapeutic tool of great importance. It is important to remember the impact and stimulation that are produced in various cortical and sub cortical areas on both hemispheres of the brain. 

Why not look for cup percussion YouTube clips and practice the routines during the holidays?

The PBL focus for Weeks 8 -10 has been resilience. 

Building resilience is a very important skill for all of us to have. When things go wrong, resilience is what helps you to cope and get through hard times. Sometimes it makes you even stronger than you were before.

Through the PBL lessons all students have learnt more about using the Problem Solving Wheel and the Zones of Regulation to help them through difficult times.  Follow the link to watch a clip about resilience.

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