Welcome to Week 5, Term 4! Can you believe that we have just three newsletters and five weeks left of school for 2020? Term 4 is racing away! The students are to be congratulated for their overall approach to Term 4. Kindergarten orientation has begun smoothly, Year 6 are preparing to begin their transition and Year 5 are excited at the opportunity to be ‘buddies’ and future school leaders. As a staff, we have been busily planning our final five weeks of the term, which includes many end of year activities that need to be adjusted in line with NSW DoE and NSW Health guidelines. Whilst many of these activities are still being finalised, I hope today’s newsletter provides some clarity.
NAIDOC Week
This week, we celebrate our local indigenous Wiradjuri ngurambang (country) and culture as part of NAIDOC Week. NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each year to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life. The week is a great opportunity to participate in a range of activities and to support the local Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community.
On Monday, it was wonderful to see two of our senior Aboriginal students deliver an Acknowledgement of Country at the morning assembly. We have also discussed the various artistic representations of native animals around our school and their associated Wiradjuri names. Furthermore, we have been learning about our local area through the four cultural signs that are situated near the submarine, providing detailed knowledge about Wiradjuri country, culture and local sites of significance. Thanks to our Aboriginal Education Committee for organising a diverse range of activities for the week.
Remembrance Day
Yesterday, our school leaders led a brief Remembrance Day assembly under the COLA. Thank you to Mrs Wedgwood for coordinating this. Well done, Annabel, Archie, Klay and Georgina!
3/4 Rugby League Gala Day
Interested Years 3 and 4 students will have the opportunity to participate in a rugby league/league tag gala day on Thursday, 19 November at Jelbart Park, Albury. Travel will be by bus, and permission notes were sent home on Tuesday. The bus will leave at 9:00 a.m. from the school.
Year 6-7 Transition to Billabong High School
This year, 8 of our 15 Year 6 students are transitioning to Billabong High School. On Tuesday, 17 November, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., there will be a Year 6-7 Transition/Taster Day for students who have already enrolled at Billabong High School for 2021. Parents will need to drop their children off and collect them from the front of Billabong High School. Mrs Wedgwood will be there to support them throughout the day. Each student will need to wear their PE uniform and bring their own food and a water bottle. Students will also need a pencil case with pens and pencils for the day.
On Tuesday, 1 December, the state-wide orientation day for students transitioning from Year 6 to 7 (in a public school) will be held at Billabong High School.
Intensive Swimming
We have been liaising with the Greater Hume Shire Council and keeping up-to-date with the NSW DoE Guidelines for COVID safe activities to determine if it will be possible to run our intensive swimming program in 2020. We are still actively seeking one more swimming instructor, so if you are aware of anyone who could help us, please let us know as soon as possible. We have tentatively booked the pool for Weeks 8 and 9, and will only be running the program for K-2 students this year, as guidelines state that we are still not able to mix our K-2 and 3-6 cohorts. Further information will be made available soon.
2021 School and House Leaders
Congratulations to all of the students who showed the confidence and courage to accept their nomination to be a School Leader in 2021. Your job now is to draft a compelling captain speech which will be presented on Wednesday, 25 November. House Captain voting will take place on Thursday, 26 November and the results will be shared at our Presentation Day event.
Presentation Day
We are still planning to hold our Presentation Day event/s at school on Thursday, 10 December (times to be confirmed). Unfortunately, whilst it is possible for parents to attend these events now under strict 1.5m physical distancing and the 4 square metre rule, we don’t have a large enough space to accommodate students, staff and parents, even if we break the event into separate stages. We will therefore continue with our plans to broadcast a webinar of the event/s to parents and carers via Zoom and reserve the event at school for students and staff only. At this stage, it is most likely that we will host separate K-2 and 3-6 Presentation Day events due to numbers and the fact that we are not able to mix the K-2 and 3-6 cohorts. K-2 will be able to watch the 3-6 students get their awards on Zoom and vice versa. We are disappointed, as I’m sure you are as well, that we cannot share this special occasion with our community in a face-to-face environment.
Year 6 Farewell
The updated Department guidelines in relation to end of year functions for Year 6 will allow for a Year 6 Farewell to be held which is exciting, as we want to send our wonderful Year 6 students off with the farewell and thanks they deserve. They truly have been outstanding this year, supporting the school and demonstrating leadership ever so diligently. We have discussed the new guidelines with the Year 6 students and Mrs Wedgwood is making plans which will be communicated in the coming days. In short, the DoE guidelines state, that if parents/carers organise an event outside the school site, no staff can attend, and if the school organises a Year 6 Farewell (internally or externally), attendance is limited to the relevant year group or cohort (Year 6) and supervising staff only.
Reports
Semester 2 Student Progress Reports will go home on Friday, 11 December (Week 9). Our school provides a summary of your child's progress with a written report twice a year. At Holbrook Public School, we welcome the opportunity to communicate with families and provide ongoing information through interviews or meetings. To discuss your child’s report further, please contact the school to arrange a meeting with your child’s teacher. You may request the school to provide you with written information that clearly shows your child’s achievement compared to his or her peer group at school. This information will show you the number of children in the group in each of the achievement levels. The five-point achievement scale (A-E scale) will be included in the Semester 2 report.
Technology and NAPLAN Online
In 2021, we will move to completing NAPLAN online. We have purchased 20 new laptops and a new trolley which will double our laptop fleet and allow for the more agile use of technology across the school for a variety of learning experiences and assessments.
Opportunity Class Placement
Good luck to the Year 4 students who will sit their Opportunity Class Placement test at Holbrook Public School on Wednesday, 18 November. These students will need to be at school for a 9:00 a.m. start, with testing being completed by 11:00 a.m. Should any students be successful, a co-enrolment between Holbrook Public School (the home school) and Aurora College, a virtual Opportunity Class for rural and remote students, will be established. Students will be able to connect locally and learn globally.
P&C Meetings
P&C meetings can now proceed on school sites after school hours. The number of parents and external visitors meeting onsite is limited to a maximum of 20 people. Physical distancing and hygiene measures must be adhered to at all times. All attendees must sign the visitor acknowledgement form. Our next P&C Meeting will be at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Week 8.
End of Year
The final day of Term 4 will be Wednesday, 16 December. The days following, Thursday and Friday, are designated Staff Development Days, however, no staff will be present at the school due to them completing additional professional learning hours throughout the year.
Nathan Fisher
Principal
