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OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR OUR CHILDREN 1

Tuesday, 01 November 2016 Week 4 Term 4

A very busy start to another term of learning! It is Week 4 already in a term which is always exciting and busy. It’s also the term when before you know it you realise you are coming into December. It is also the last term for our Year Six students who are naturally excited and a little anxious about moving to the next phase of their lives. It is also the term of farewells, awards and appreciation.

Our teachers have commenced preparing Semester 2 reports and are working hard to provide you with an authentic snapshot of your child’s learning. These reports are the culmination of class work and assessment tasks from Term Three and Term Four. As you can imagine, it is a process which requires thorough knowledge of student strengths, areas for improvement and also of their interests.

End of year activities often mean disruption and changes of routine at school. Please assist us by reminding your children to enjoy all of the ‘extras’ that seem to happen at this time of year, but also to remain focused in class.

Students have enjoyed the first day of our Water Safety activities. This is an important part of our school sporting program. We are very appreciative of the assistance from all the parents who have volunteered to help this year.

‘Ready, Set, Kinder!’ is continuing with an excited group of 2017 Kindergarten students participating each Wednesday. Our teachers are impressed with their attitude, skills and behaviour and there is no doubt that they are preparing well for Kindergarten. The skills being developed in these sessions will allow them to settle quickly into school and ensure that their introduction to school life is an easy and happy one (for parents too!).

This week will see the conclusion of the program with a parent information session and an assembly for all children attending. ‘Ready, Set, Kinder!’ folders will be presented and we know that all Mums and Dads will be very impressed by the work the children have completed over the four week period.

Narrabri West

Public School

Newsletter

Main photo: Year 6 (some of them!) and their Buddy Bench. See Page 2 for more information.

Dates to Remember November 2 ‘Ready, Set, Kinder!’ 9:30am - (inc.

Parent Session 1:00pm & Graduation Assembly 2:10pm)

4 Water Safety - Narrabri Pool 7 P&C Meeting 6:30pm 11 Water Safety - Narrabri Pool;

Remembrance Day Narrabri RSL 10:45am

15 ‘Living Safely With Dogs & Responsible Pet Ownership’ presentation K-2 12:20pm

18 Water Safety - Narrabri Pool 25 Water Safety - Narrabri Pool 28 Year 7 Orientation Day - NHS 30 2017 Captains and Prefects

Elections 9:30am Friday Assemblies Weeks 3 - 6 ES1 2:30pm KG classroom 1K & 1S 1:30pm 1K classroom 1/2B & 2D 11:00am 1/2B classroom S2 3:00pm 3/4F classroom S3 2:10pm 5/6P classroom

How much profit did the fete make this year??

See Page 6 to find out!

P.O Box 3121 (6 Cooma Road) NARRABRI 2390 T 0267922377 E [email protected] W www.narrabriw-p.schools.det.nsw.edu.au

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Year 6 and their ‘Buddy Bench’ Year 6 each year undertake fundraising activities to purchase a farewell gift to the school. This year they have purchased two Buddy Benches for the playground.

A Buddy Bench is a simple idea to help reduce any loneliness and foster friendships in the playground. Students know that they can go to the bench to meet a new friend or catch up with a class buddy. The main reasons why students could use the Buddy Bench are:

• If you are new to the school; • If you want to make new friends; • If your friends aren’t here today; • If you want to play something different than what

your friends are playing; • If you’re having a problem with your friends and

you just can’t solve it right now and you want to take a break; and

• If you want to be a buddy!

The Buddy Bench is designed to assist and enhance our student’s skills, including;

• Social behaviour such as - inclusion, empathy, sharing and compassion,

• Conflict resolution - including the ability to identify a problem and then work together to solve it,

• A concrete reminder to keep these social skills at the forefront of student’s daily activities.

Year 6 students will be monitoring the Buddy Bench and assisting any students who need to use it. Our Buddy Bench ‘rules’ are below.

Sydney visit This week we are being visited by teachers from three schools in western Sydney – Colyton PS, Mt Annan PS and Ruse PS. We have been working in a professional learning partnership with these schools since 2015 and it has been a very valuable experience for all of us. We know they will enjoy their time at Narrabri West and will learn a lot.

Afternoon pick-up area changes To ensure the safety of everyone in the car park each afternoon during pick-up time, we have made some necessary changes to arrangements.

As from this week, students will be taken by teachers to the Infants shelter and asked to wait their under supervision until collected by parents. No students will be allowed to leave and go to the car park to meet parents and we request that if you are collecting your children you come into the school to meet them there. This also means they are under shelter and protected from sun, rain etc.

Student safety is the basis for this change and we appreciate your anticipated cooperation with this.

ANZ Citizenship Award Our latest winner is Sally Whitburn from KG. Sally has already impressed all staff members with her mature attitude towards school life and her learning and she is a very deserving winner of an award for citizenship.

Planning for 2017 2017 is not that far way in terms of weeks at school, so already we are working on planning and organisation for next year. One of the things we need to know is the number of students we can expect to have returning to our school next year.

Parents are asked to help in a number of ways. Firstly, if you know that you will be moving or enrolling in another school next year, it would assist us if you could advise the school as soon as possible.

Similarly, if you plan to have an extended holiday and will be returning to school later than 6th February, it is very important for you to write advising of your return date, as we are not allowed to include students in our numbers for 2017 unless we have written notification from parents indicating that they will be returning and when this will be.

A note was sent home yesterday that could be used to provide this information to us.

Student Leaders 2017 Each year in Term 4 the students elect their school leaders for the following year. We elect two captains and up to four prefects. Our student leader elections this


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year will be held on Wednesday 30th November and the elected student’s badges will be presented on Presentation Night (8th December).

Professional Learning Teacher professional learning, professional reading and dialogue are important components in order to ensure that teachers in all schools continue to keep up to date with current trends, programs and philosophy and that our students continually receive the very best teaching and learning possible.

Narrabri West is committed to ensuring that its teachers are involved in a process of continual learning and regularly attending quality professional learning opportunities. Throughout 2016, teachers have been involved in many varied and innovative professional learning activities.

The knowledge, skills and teaching practice they bring back to our school, their classrooms and for your children will be pivotal in ensuring that what happens in the classrooms is exemplary, up-to-date teaching.

We have also provided many opportunities for teachers to work together and collaborate about their core business of teaching and learning. In 2017 our goal will be to deepen this collaboration. Currently we are enabling aspiring leaders and building leadership capacity. We aim to be better all the time. The best teachers always look to get better.

“If we create a culture where every teacher believes they need to improve, not because they are not good enough, but because they can be even better, there is no limit to what we can achieve” Dylan Wiliam

The term ahead Thank you to all parents for your continuing support for our school. These next few weeks will be extremely busy, but as always will be lots of fun and certainly exciting!

Please keep referring to the term calendar we include with each newsletter so that you can keep up to date with all of the events at school and also any changes that have occurred.

Class News - Stage 2 Welcome to term 4. We have been busy preparing for our water safety lessons that began last Friday. Stage 2 go to the pool at 10:45am so we suggest your child wears their swimmers under their uniform. Please come to school in uniform with shoes and socks. Swimming clothes and thongs should be in their swimming bags, along with their towel, goggles and underwear, with all clearly labelled please.

In English, we have been reading and analysing the novel ‘Tashi.’ We have researched the author Anne Fienberg and composed an author profile. We have

been looking at the structure and language devices, as well as the visual imagery used in a text that entertains. The children can’t wait to plan and write their own stories in the coming week. Check out our fabulous Tashi artworks!

In Maths we have continued to use various strategies to add and subtract and we love using the formal algorithm. Year 4 are connecting multiplication and division. Year 3 has extended their work on doubles and Mrs Charlton’s Year 2’s have been jumping on a number line to add. We have all learnt about mapping, location and directions.

In the afternoon sessions we have been learning about multiculturalism and understanding each other’s heritage and values. We have discussed and role played what a ‘dilemma’ is. In art we have been analysing and viewing different artworks. We will be creating artworks from different viewpoints and exploring light and shadow.

Stage 2 is busy undertaking fund raising for Type 1 diabetes. This is a cause close to our hearts and affects children our age. Research shows Type 1 diabetes affects over 120,000 people in Australia. Around 95% of the diabetes found in children is Type 1 diabetes. Please ask your child how you and family members can sponsor us. For every $50 raised our stage will go a whole day without lollies, ice cream, icy poles and other sugary sweets.

P.O Box 3121 (6 Cooma Road) NARRABRI 2390 T 0267922377 E [email protected] W [email protected]

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Thank you for your continued support.

Miss Kelaher, Mrs Thomson, Mrs Ford, Mrs Charlton Stage 2 Teachers

Sports News NSW PSSA Athletics Tim Shields, Amalie Gosper, Holly Ford, Meika Foley and Tayla Nott have represented Narrabri West and North West PSSA in the NSW PSSA Athletics Championships at Homebush in Sydney.

Amalie was running in the 100m, 200m and the relay. She made the semi-finals of the 100m and was placed 18th overall, which is an outstanding achievement. She came 26th in the 200m and in both events ran personal best times.

The relay was outstanding to watch as the girls ran exceptionally well and had the best change overs they’ve ever done. They came 27th overall, with there

being forty teams altogether. They also ran a personal best time for the relay.

Tim was in the 11 years shot put against some very strong competition. He threw extremely well and was placed 20th overall, with a best ‘put’ of 9.52m, which was also a personal best.

All students represented North West and Narrabri West with enthusiasm, pride and outstanding sportsmanship. The experience of competing at this level will be something we are sure they will long remember. The parents, grandparents and other family members who went with them provided terrific support which certainly assisted them.


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Pre School News Our new Pre School furniture has arrived and looks fantastic. Blue Group helped us unpack and set it up and Red Group got a wonderful surprise yesterday when they arrived and saw it for the first time!!


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School News & Reminders Ready, Set, Kinder!

Transition to Kindergarten program CONCLUDES TOMORROW

Wednesday 2nd November 9:25am – 3:25pm

Parent Information Session Wednesday 2nd November 1:00pm – 2:00pm

Student Graduation Ceremony Wednesday 2nd November 2:15pm

Tuesday 15th November

Kindergarten: 12:20pm

1K & 1S 1:05pm

1/2B & 2D 2:15pm

Parents welcome!

P&C Meetings Our next meeting will be on Monday 7th November in the staffroom commencing at 6:30pm.

Fete News At our final fete meeting for the year, the fete committee presented the school a cheque for $15,000, which was the profit from the fete. What a great result – and thank you everyone who helped or supported the fete this year. Keep your eye on the preschool grounds over the next few months to see how this money has benefitted the school!

Canteen Roster

Tues 1st Nov K Smith

Wed 2nd M Griffiths

Thurs 3rd C Hennessey

Fri 4th M Simpson, J Howe, F Kerr

Mon 7th K Holman

Tues 8th C Baguley

Wed 9th B George

Thurs 10th S Dodd

Fri 11th M Cameron, H Hill, E Lennox


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Award Winners - Weeks 2 & 3 KG Isla Fielding, David Silver, Sophie Stoltenberg, Summer Charlton, Mia Bourke & Caitlin Taylor

KL Liam Snape, Hadleigh Astill, Beau Laws, Emily Beale, Jordin Tribe & Lilly Harvey-Woods

KC Teagan Spittles, Harley Myers, Layne Hollis, Chelsea Priest, Amelia Lennox

1K Ava Smith, Liam Nott, Matilda Watkins, Jamarlee Chapman, Nathan Flower & Hunter Smith

1S Ava O’Connell, Kaden Hill, Kaleb Bremner, Lilly Thompson, Lily Todd & James Stewart

1/2B Tahlia Dickinson, Callum Nott, Charleigh Bennett, Ashley Morris, Hayley Gordon & Domenic Browning

2D Molly Phillips, Jackson Priest, Rory Holman, Ashley Morris, Hayley Gordon & Taliyah Earle

2/3C Jayde Goodhew, Bailey Cooke, Jasmine Thompson, Caitlan Bourke, Chelsea Dean, Asher Kelly

3T Ella Magann, Jacky Ham, Lachie Michell,

3/4F Timothy Stoltenberg, Shayla Williams, Grace Westman, Trinity Palmer, Kaitlyn Cahill, Isabella Keys

4K Paige Hetherington, Jacob Cohen, Bridie Russell, Mikayla Smetanin, Zara Watson, Brock Gordon

5/6C Ebonie Bruce, Hope Westman, Jemma Dafter, Will Bennett, Holly Ford, Montana Olding

5/6P Marlin Ryman, Zara Bennett, Jordan Kay, Kaylyn Chater, Kobe Gosper, Harrison Legg

5/6S Emma Richardson, Eva Hanslow, Claire Barlow, Jake Seton, Owen Balmforth, Damiann Jeffries

Citizenship Awards & Stars of the Week

Reece Kelly, Ella Hobden Allira Tibbett, Mya Dansey Miah Burns, Ella Charlton Ebonie Bruce, Montana Olding

K-2 Super Westy Chase Browning 3-6 Super Westy Grace Gaynor

Community News

Narrabri Tennis Coaching

Group Lessons available catering for every age and standard!

Hot Shots Red – “Ages 4-8”- 330pm or 5pm Wednesday, 9am Saturday

Hot Shots Orange – “Ages 8+” - 5pm Monday, 530pm Wednesday, 930am Saturday

Hot Shots Green – “Ages 9+” - 530pm Wednesday, 930am Saturday

Yellow Ball Group – “Ages 10-16” - 4pm Wednesday

Friday Afternoon Junior Social Tennis – open to everyone – 5pm to 6:30pm. Come and play some matches!

For further information contact Shane Murphy 0405151935, Facebook Narrabri Tennis or drop over to the Dangar Park Tennis Centre.


November 1 ‘Living Safely With Dogs & Responsible Pet Ownership’ presentation – Pre School 1:00pm 2 ‘Ready, Set, Kinder!’ 9:30am – (inc. Parent Session 1:00pm & Graduation Assembly 2:10pm) 4 Intensive Swimming 7 P&C Meeting 6:30pm 11 Intensive Swimming; Remembrance Day Narrabri RSL 10:45am 15 ‘Living Safely With Dogs & Responsible Pet Ownership’ presentation K-2 12:20pm 18 Intensive Swimming 25 Intensive Swimming 28 Year 7 Orientation Day - NHS 30 2017 Captains and Prefects Elections 9:30am December 2 Beach Party 6 Year 6 Car Wash 8 Presentation Night 7:00pm Narrabri HS 9 Presentation Assembly 12:30pm 12 Year 6 Farewell (Narrabri RSL @ 6:00pm) 14 Platinum Badge Assembly 12:30pm 16 Sausage Sizzle 11:30am; Last day of school 2016 19-29 School Development Days

February 2017 3 Staff return 6 Years 1-6 return 7 Kindergarten start; Pre School Red Group starts 9 Pre School Blue Group starts 10 Years 3-6 Swimming Carnival 24 Narrabri Zone PSSA Swimming Carnival

March 2017 24 School Photos 29 Federation Farm Open Day – Years 5 & 6


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OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR OUR CHILDREN … › content › dam › ... · hard to provide you with an authentic snapshot of your child’s learning. These ... the forefront