Alawa Primary School Newsletter

Week 3

Principal Updates

I was very happy to be out of isolation and back at school from noon last Friday - great to see so many smiley faces and be greeted with warm welcome backs!  The 7 days staying at home certainly convinced me I am not cut out for working from home and thrive in our school environment. Hope you are all travelling Ok and taking care of yourselves when testing positive. I know there is still an awful flu going around which is knocking people significantly. We have had a few staff succumb recently and as always we advise parents of the classes affected directly via email.  As of today we have 5 students with COVID - so fingers crossed this does not increase again.

Huge thanks to the families who have reached out to us and responded positively to our attendance follow ups - as we keep mentioning the frequency and number of students missing school is of significant concern and having an impact on their learning and social interactions.  I have instructed the front office team to apply an X code [Unacceptable absence code] to any absences not directly related to a medical certificate, appointment or sanctioned absence after being discussed with myself or Mrs Donohue.

I have been visiting primary classes this week for my 'Pep Talk' where this term we are focusing on how Students at Alawa become 'Data Literate' and engage with their data to set goals for improvement and strive towards being a 21st Century Learner. We are applying a 'Data Lense' or putting on 'Data Goggles' to consider each of the ALLE tools for the 21st Century. I have been super impressed with the quality of the discussion and understanding the students are showing.

Last Sunday night we had a sell out event at the Deck Chair Cinema with the movie Minions - through selling sweets donated by members of our community and the fab raffle we raised over $1000 plus we get a percentage of the tickets sales. Huge thanks to Ms Tamra for coordinating this fundraiser for us and to all those who came along helped out and supported.

Have a great week,

Sandy Cartwright [Principal]

Thank you..


Thanks to all our wonderful supporters of our movie night, from those that attended, made sweets, sourced donations, ate sweets, helped served or bought raffle tickets - thank you!!




Special thanks to the following:

Aminah HowardKatie WedelTammy ZairisEla Gittins
Jon ClarkErica GarciaElyssia NicholasMiguel Clark
Dione AlandKatherine WhitfieldSam DrehaJetske Hines
Martina SiewertStephanie CockfieldMs CartwrightMiss Yenni
Ms Tamra

Assistant Principal Update

Welcome to Week 3!

Another busy week last week, with Sandy and other staff members being away. What wonderful staff we have who pull together when needed. On Wednesday I was assisting in the kitchen and took part in a lesson with Ms Sullivan. If you haven’t seen what happens in our kitchen at Alawa, you would be truly amazed. The opportunities to work together in a team to create and produce some delicious food is fantastic. The children competently collected ingredients and used the utensils to plan and safely cook their dishes. Each child knew their role and responsibilities. Thanks Ms Sullivan.

Zones of Regulation: We continue to support all students in understanding their emotions and identifying tools that help them manage them. The Zones of Regulation is a program being implemented in all classes to Year 4 and is being extended into our upper primary classes. It incorporates social thinking concepts and numerous visuals to teach students to identify their feelings, their level of alertness and understand how their behaviour impacts those around them. We also use our wonderful Mindfulness room to explore a range of strategies and to use this space to help regulate if required.

Playgroup will resume this Friday when our wonderful Ms Maria returns. Families and children are welcome to join us each Friday morning in the Preschool. It is a wonderful opportunity to help prepare children for Preschool the following year. Students beginning at Alawa in 2023, as well as younger siblings of Alawa students will be given preference if we get too busy.

I hope you have a wonderful week.

Kind regards

Gen Donohue [Assistant Principal] 

Farewell to Heather Briant


After over 20 years at Alawa Mrs Heather Briant has now officially retired.


Heather has been a huge part of the Alawa Community and her commitment to our school a shining example for all.


We will be celebrating Heather and her many contributions to our school community on Friday 5th August with a light afternoon tea.


We invite those families that know Ms Briant to come along and join in on the festivities so if you would like to attend please RSVP by Thursday 4th August to Miss Tamra - tamra.caruana@education.nt.gov.au or 8997 7666

Have you read the newsletter this week: A quick question

I will sneak a little quiz question into the newsletter each week. If you are a student and know the answer send me an email to have the opportunity to earn 20 bonus house points.

Week 3 question: Can you name 5 things you would be saying or doing if you Collaborating?

Sandy Cartwright [Principal]

Act Now, Stay Safe - Cyber Security Campaign for kids launched!

The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has recently launched the Act Now, Stay Secure campaign theme - Cyber Security for Kids.

 

The campaign educates Australians about cyber threats and promotes cyber.gov.au as the source of truth for cyber security information and advice.  

 

Campaign resources are available and include easy-to-follow guide/activities for children:

 

Also available is the ACSC’s ‘Cyber Security Instruction Manual: Kids Cyber Security Guide’ for parents, teachers, and carers to teach their primary-school-age children about basic cyber security steps and stay secure online.

This is a focus in all classes at Alawa this term.

Volunteers wanted: Can you sew?


We are still seeking a volunteer or 2 to put together some curtains for our cupboards in the student kitchen. 

We will provide all the material we just need your skill set to deliver some fresh new curtains!

If you are interested in helping out please contact the front office on 8997 7666 or alawa.school@edcuation.nt.ogv.au 

*Please note all volunteers are required to hold an ochre card when working with children. A copy of our volunteer policy can be found HERE

Events calendar

 
Friday 5th AugustSchool sports - Years 3 - 6 - Hockey and AFL9:30am
Tuesday 9th AugustRAAF Hot air balloon visit9:30-12:30pm
Thursday 11th AugustYear 6 Orientation day - Dripstone Middle School8:30am - 1pm
Friday 12th August

Assembly hosted by Year 4/5 Lawrence

School sports - Years 3 - 6 - Hockey and AFL

8:40am

9:30am

Monday 15th AugustSchool Council meeting5:30pm
Wednesday 17th AugustTransition Parent Information morning 8:30am
Friday 19th August

Book Parade assembly hosted by the SRC

Hockey and AFL Gala days

8:40am

All day

Tuesday 23rd AugustYear 5 attending the Science Fair at Dripstone Middle School11am - 1:20pm
Friday 26th August

Assembly hosted by Year 3 Block

School sports - Years 3 - 6 - Volleyball and Tennis

8:40am

9:30am

Thursday 1st September

Young Achievers day at Dripstone Middle School

Whole School Performance night

5pm

Friday 2nd SeptemberSchool sports - Years 3 - 6 - Volleyball and Tennis9:30am
Thursday 8th & Friday 9th SeptemberYear 3/4 School camp to Territory Wildlife ParkAll day
Friday 9th September

Assembly hosted by Year 5/6 Baines

School sports - Years 3 - 6 - Volleyball and Tennis

8:40am

9:30am

Tuesday 13th & Wednesday 14th SeptemberStudent Led Conferences3pm-6pm
Friday 16th SeptemberSchool sports - Years 3 - 6 - Volleyball and Tennis9:30am
Monday 19th SeptemberSchool Council meeting5:30pm
Friday 23rd September

Assembly hosted by Transition Hughes

Volleyball and Tennis gala days

Last day of Term 3

8:40am

All day

Alawa Kitchen Workshops

As part of the International Innovation Grant we will be hosting free cooking workshops for Alawa students and their families where participants will have fun cooking a variety of international cuisines. 

Workshops will run from 3-4:30pm each Tuesday for 4 weeks starting on August 2nd. 

Places are limited so be sure to book your spot via this link: https://www.summitnutritioneducation.com/about-1 

Introducing...Sarah Hunter


Welcome to Miss Sarah!


Miss Sarah is currently studying to be a teacher [last year she spent time doing her prac in Mr France class] and has taken on a SESA role in Year 5/6 Baines and Year 1 Bullock. 


Miss Sarah is loving being back at Alawa and working with our wonderful students.

Honour Distinction Student

Last Friday we celebrated our latest Honour Distinction Award winner and Principal for the day Miss Jorja Besic!

Principal Jorja spent the day handing out merits in class, going to Preschool, visiting the Farm with Year 5/6 Baines and ended the day going to the engine room. 

"My favourite part of the day was visiting Preschool. I had the best day being the Principal of Alawa for the day"

Principal Jorja

Assembly hosted by the SRC

3/4 Camp Payment Schedule

Our initial letters and information have gone home about our exciting camp for our students in Years 3 and 4 to The Territory Wildlife Park on September 8th and 9th.

Permission notes will be sent home in the next fortnight. The payment of $150 and permission notes will need to be received no later than 26th August.  Payment secures our booking and is needed to purchase food supplies.  If payment is difficult by these dates, please come and speak to us directly or contact the Principal Sandy Cartwright.

There will be 3 payment instalment dates throughout the lead up time to camp. Please take note of these suggested instalment dates below.

First Instalment

Friday 5th August

$50

Second Instalment

Friday 19th August

$50

Final Instalment

Friday 26th August

$50

Class Points

Muster is held at Alawa after each recess and lunch break - this gives us an opportunity for everyone to settle from playtime, share any celebrations and work on consistency of messages and expectation.

Each week we allocate class points during Muster time recognising those students who were ready and waiting to go back to class calmly and quietly after break times. The winning class from each 3 weeks will receive ice-blocks from Ms Cartwright and get to choose 5 songs that will play before our bells for the following 3 weeks.

The class with the most points in Week 2 of Term 3 was....Transition Henschke with 120 points!!!

House Points

Students at Alawa receive raffle tickets [house points] for their attitude and behaviour in the playground and out the front of the school at the end of the day. These are then counted on a Friday along with the points for students in full uniform, wearing house shirts etc.  At the end of each term we also include the points earnt through the recycling project and water bottle checks.

In Week 2 of Term 3 Finnis was ahead of Manton and Goyder with 2606 points!!! 

In the lead for the year we still have Finnis with 64618 points!!!

Attendance

Primary School Average for Week 2 Term 3: 86.88%

It is still of concern how many students are missing school each week.

The class with the highest attendance for Week 2: Year 4/5 Lawrence with 95.83%!!!

Lates

Arriving late for school has a significant impact on your child’s learning and engagement in the education program.

There were 25 late arrivals in Transition—Year 6 in Week 2 Term 3!

For Week 2 the classes with the least lates were: Year 2 Ward and Year 5/6 Baines with 0 lates each!!! 

Library news

Book Club orders are closing this Thursday the 4th of August. You can order in person through the office or via the LOOP App.

Each year the Children’s Book Council of Australia [CBCA] run Book Week culminating in the CBCA Book of the Year Awards. This year the Book Week theme is Dreaming with eyes open…

As part of Book Week each year the School runs a Book Parade in which the students have the opportunity to dress up as their favourite book characters in line with the theme of Book Week. This year our Book Parade will on Friday the 19th of August leading into Book Week which will be held from the 20th to the 26th of August this year.

If you are stuck for ideas on what to dress up as there are a number of sites that have costume ideas many of which can be put together with things you have at home. Here are some links to sites that have great ideas for costume ideas:

Learn From Play - https://learnfromplay.com/book-week-2022/

Simplify Create Inspire - https://www.simplifycreateinspire.com/book-week-costume-ideas/

Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com.au/pagingfunmums/book-week-costumes/

Children’s Books Daily - https://childrensbooksdaily.com/book-week-costumes-for-kids/

Brisbane Kids - https://www.brisbanekids.com.au/book-week-costume-ideas-kids/

In looking through these websites I think I might have found what I am going to dress up as. Have fun, I can’t wait to see all of the awesome characters in our parade 

Miss Sacha [Library and ICT Manager]

Playgroup news


Playgroup will resume this Friday Week 3, Friday 5th August from 9:30am in the Preschool. 

$4 per child covers tea, coffee and supplies. Everyone welcome!

Miss Maria [Playgroup Coordinator] 

Cafe

Our Mission - is to provide the Alawa School community with delicious healthy meals and snacks and to create meaningful links to our kitchen garden program. We will do our best to ensure we order the same products as advertised but occasionally have to change due to stock availability.

Cafe Specials Weeks 1-5

LUNCHTIME SPECIALS:

Available every day lunch only:

- mini beef burgers  $3.50

- spaghetti bolognaise small serve $3.50 or large serve $5.50 /Gluten Free Spaghetti $6.50 [Wed and Thu only]

Wednesday – Homemade Pork dumplings -  $5.50

Thursday – Chicken and Jackfruit Curry - Large size $5.50, Small $3.50

Friday – Homemade Roast Pork rolls- One size $5.50

A reminder that our school Cafe is open Wednesday to Friday ONLY. Closed on Monday and Tuesdays. 

Order online at www.quickcliq.com.au

Community notices