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The West Weekly
Issue 63 - Term 3 - Week 7 28th August 2017
Principal's Message
It was lovely to see the dads, grandfathers and uncles this morning at Dad’s Day Out - look out on Facebook for some pics. We also gave them some useful websites to go to - children don’t come with manuals.
http://thefatheringproject.org is a great website with lots of good ideas. I encourage you to have a look. You can sign up for weekly tips too. I'm sure mums could get good ideas as well.
I have been principal of Parramatta West since 2007. The last 11 years have seen great growth, many staff changes, and lots of wonderful events and activities. Parramatta West is a fabulous school, full of enthusiastic students, engaged parents and talented teachers, so it is with much sadness that I am announcing my retirement effective at the end of the year. I have discussed this with my director, and she will be forming a panel to appoint a new principal to start in 2018. There will be a teacher representative, a P & C representative and a parent representative of our multicultural community on this panel. There have been so many memorable occasions over the years that I look forward to reflecting on with you closer to the end of the year.
Tournament of Minds
On Sunday I took my husband to attend the Tournament of Minds competition that seven of our students entered. When we arrived at Western Sydney University the place was buzzing. Everywhere you looked there were groups of excited children wearing various costumes and being ushered along by anxious parents. We found our group in the allotted building and there the buzz was full on. Our children and their support crew of parents and teachers were ready to perform. Last minute adjustments of costumes, information about the layout of the room was passed on, something else to think about. The time came, they were on, in we went. Last week at school I purposely did not watch their performance, I wanted to wait and see it with fresh eyes at the event. Wow! I was impressed. The children had obviously worked so hard. The performance was slick, they knew their lines, their props were ready, they changed scenes smoothly, they sang, they danced, they acted... and they did it all themselves. What a wonderful learning experience. See photo below. Congratulations to all the children, and the teachers and parents for their support. I'll be there next year to see what the next groups do!
Where should children be before school?
Any children who arrive at school prior to 8.30 should be seated in the top playground, even if they are with parents. At 8.30 the teachers come on duty and will usher the children to the lower playground. Children in years 1 and 2 who line up on the lower concrete area on Tuesdays to Fridays should either play in the top playground or the lower playground until the bell goes. This is where teachers are supervising. On Mondays all children will now go directly to the top playground to line up. Children from the lower playground will be sent to the top playground before the bell goes.
Parents are asked to please watch their preschool children to ensure that they don't get caught up with the older
children running around - our school is getting very crowded and we don't want any injuries. Thank you.
Going home in the afternoons
We expect all children to leave school shortly after the bell goes at 2.55. Some children are collected by parents, others walk home in groups. Parents usually tell children where to wait for them, which is fine and appropriate. However, sometimes parents do get held up for a variety of reasons. We do not want children waiting on street corners alone once the crowd has left, as this is not safe. Once the school bus has left, the teacher on bus duty will encourage all children who have not been collected to go to the front office where they can be supervised. These children need to be collected by parents and signed out. If you know that you are going to be late, please ring the school and let your children know. If you child is to be collected by someone else, please let us know. Please also ensure that the school has current phone numbers for you and emergency contacts. There have been occasions recently when we have been unable to contact parents. This is a problem if your child is sick or involved in an accident of some sort.
Attendance
While this winter has been a bad one for sickness, and I know that both students, teachers and parents have been hit with some nasty coughs and colds, regular attendance at school is vital for student performance. If children are sick enough to be in bed or curled up on a sofa, then it is appropriate for them to be at home. However, if they are wanting to run around and play, then they should be at school.
At assemblies this week we are acknowledging the students who have had 100% attendance during terms 1 and 2. There were 8 children in Kindergarten, 4 in year 1, 4 in year 2, 5 in year 3, 8 in year 4, 5 in year 5 and 4 in year 6. Congratulations to these students.
How are you going with assisting your children with their learning at home? Are you using the Facebook closed groups to ask questions and share ideas?
Come along next Monday to Parrachatter at 9.00am to share ideas and get some more!
Have a good week, stay warm - spring is nearly here!
Anthea Donaldson
Principal
Class Awards
KAB Annam
KC Aria
KH Haris
KK Dhvij
KN Mustafa
KS Madani
KT Masabah
1F Khadijah
1H Rafah
1K Joshua
1J Mustafa
1M Hayun
2N Yana
2P Dhruv, Avantika
2/3H Muzhda
3K Jash
3P Tyrell
3S Rahil
4H Emin
4J Mustafa
4S Jasmine
4/5M Skirat
5A Seeyar
5D Teleah
1S Eric
2B Zaina
2G Rohan
2L Mahrosh
6H Keira
6J William
6R Phillip
MCS Rui Huan
Stage News
Kindergarten
Welcome to week 7. We hope that all the dads and male carers enjoyed our “Dad’s Day Out” today and enjoy a relaxing day on celebrating Father’s Day this coming Sunday.
Sight words
This weeks focus words are because, friend, about, school
Topic Talks
The topic for this week is “My neighbourhood”. Tell us what is your neighbourhood like. Are there many houses, block of flats, parks or shops? Describe your area and tell us which place in your neighbourhood is your favourite. Why? How can you take care of your neighbourhood e.g. playground?
Maths
This week we are looking at time. Students will be learning to tell time on the hour using digital and analog clocks as well as looking at how long it takes to complete different activities. You can help at home by making children familiar with different type of clocks or by timing how different tasks take to complete (making their bed, eating dinner, having a shower).
Healthy lunchboxes
We have noticed lately that many students have been bringing sweet biscuits, cakes and pastries for recess and lunch rather than fruit, wraps or sandwiches. While these are ok to have as the occasional treat, it is not good for students to be eating them everyday. They are full of sugar and do not keep them full for long. Here is a link to the Healthy Kids website that has some wonderful lunchbox ideas.
https://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/parents-carers/healthy-eating-and-drinking/lunch-box-ideas.aspx
Have a great week. Spring in on the way!
Mrs Armour
Year 1
What a great way to start the week, seeing so many male carers at school for the ‘Dad’s Day Out’ celebration. It was lovely to see them taking on the activities together and spending time with one another. We would like to wish all the dads a Happy Fathers Day for the weekend.
Excursion
Our excursion to the zoo is happening this Thursday. Students will require a clipboard, hat, drink bottle, lunch and recess. If you have a clipboard at home please send it to school so they can be used on the day. Students need to ensure they are arriving to school on time, as the buses will be leaving at 9:00am.
Illness
Many students in Year 1 have been struck down with the flu this winter. Please ensure they are kept home if they are too sick to attend school. On their return we ask that you send in medical certificates or notes to their classroom teacher.
Topic Talks
This week’s topic talk is about ‘Gymnastics’. Prepare a topic talk presentation on your favourite activity during gymnastics.
Maths focus for the week: • Locating halves • Equal parts
Maths Post-test will be coming home at some point this week. Please talk to your child about these and look at the areas that are needed for improvement.
Coming up…
Next week is the Australian Girls Choir workshop. All girls in Year 1 should have been sent home with this letter. Please see your class teacher if you did not receive one.
Have a great week!
Miss McSpadden
Year 2
By now you should have received your Swim School notes. We strongly encourage you to send your child. Especially if they do not currently attend outside swimming lessons. All children should know how to swim.
Last week we were lucky enough to have a WIRES volunteer give a presentation to Year 1 and 2, about what they do, what animals they care for, how and why the animals come in to care and how we can help protect our wildlife. WIRES operates solely on donations, so they were very grateful to receive our donation of $82.40- thank you to those who sent along their silver coins.
Please check that jackets, jumpers and hats are clearly labelled with your child’s name. There are so many items of clothing without a name!
Upcoming dates for the diary:
Week 7- Father’s Day Stall
Tomorrow is our annual Father's Day Stall. Gifts range from $1-$6. Please send some money along with your child so that they can
experience the joy of our purchasing gift for their loved one.
Week 8- Taronga Zoo Excursion
Payments have now closed for the excursion to Taronga Zoo. Please ensure your child has sent in their A4 sized clipboard to school, as we will be using them on the excursion.
Week 8- Art Show
Make sure you come along to see our wonderful art show. Every child will have an artwork displayed.
This week's learning focus
Spelling: Trigraph- ‘oar’- e.g. Boar, soar, coarse, cupboard
Topic talks- Built environments
Pick a built environment around your house and explain what some important parts of that environment are. Such as a fire station needs enough room to fit the fire trucks.
Maths-
Shapes and Location
To be able to identify shapes and objects using reasoning
To be able to describe features of polygons
To be able to Identify features of 3D objects
To be able to move shapes by flipping, sliding or turning
Know how to make half and quarter turns
Know how to use maps of familiar locations
Wishing all the dads, Grandfathers and Great Grandfathers a very happy Father's Day for Sunday.
Mrs Batac
Year 3 and Year 4
It was wonderful to see so many of our dads, granddads, uncles and male carers up at the school for our annual Dad’s Day Out today. We wish all of these special people a Happy Father’s Day on Sunday too!
Tomorrow is the Father’s Day Stall. Students are encouraged to bring a small amount of money to purchase a small gift. It’s a good idea to put this money in a zip lock bag or a small wallet which can keep it safe in their pocket. So that it can be carried home easily, it might be a good idea to bring a shopping bag or plastic bag too.
Congratulations to Sayana Shree, Aksel and Shreeyukta who represented PWPS in Tournament of Minds yesterday! We were in
awe of your performance on Friday when we were lucky to have a sneak peek!
Our Stage 2 artists are hard at work in their classrooms, preparing for our upcoming Art Show in Week 9. Each student will have an artwork on display in the hall. Make sure you put aside some time to come and visit the PWPS gallery during that week!
Notes went home last week about Swim School. Learning to swim is a valuable skill, which is essential for all children living in Australia. This program always fills up really quickly so make sure that you return your note and money as soon as possible.
Year 4 students will be participating in the Tell Them From Me survey in the coming weeks. This survey asks questions about learning and school life. There is also some information posted on our Facebook site - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1718622788411033/
Maths focus areas for this week: • Year 3 – division as sharing, division word problems, relating multiplication and division facts
• Year 4 – using multiplication and division expressions in number patterns, identifying equal and unequal number sentences, beginning fractions – parts and wholes of a set of objects
Have a wonderful week everyone!
Miss Stuart
Year 5 and Year 6
Our student leaders have begun an initiative to introduce sun protective eyewear for students, which they presented earlier in the year at assembly. Next week, student leaders will be starting to sell sun protective glasses for students in the COLA before school at a cost of $12. There will be a special promotional day in Week 8, encouraging all students to wear protective eyewear as part of their school uniform. We encourage all students to be sun safe and we thank the leaders for their hard work to promote this idea.
Enrichment fees
A reminder note will be sent home to parents/carers who have to finish paying the enrichment fees for their children. The enrichment fees help pay for valuable learning experiences such as gymnastics, Mangahigh and Literacy Planet. Do let your child's teacher know if you need any help with these payments.
Excursion
The whole stage is excited about their upcoming excursion to Rouse Hill House and Farm. We will be applying some of the things we have learnt in geography, history and Visual Arts. Please start completing your permission notes and making the payments as soon as possible.
Literacy
The students are learning valuable study skills this semester including; summarising, synthesising, note taking and critical thinking. I encourage to ask your children about these terms and see how they are applying them with everything they are learning.
Have a good week and a happy father's day on Sunday. Don't forget the father's day stall is being run tomorrow if your child would like to purchase a gift for their father.
Miss Richards
Library News
Bookclub is due back to me by Tuesday the 5th of Sept. Please be prompt as late orders may not make it back to school before the holidays.
The Cookbook Committee are looking for lots more recipes please send your favourite recipe to me [email protected]. Thankyou
Wicked Recommendations this week are:
1. The Once Series by Morris Gleitzman has been recommended by a number of readers.
('Maybe' the next book in the series has just been released)
2. Dara Palmer's Major Drama by Emma Shevah
3. EJ12 Girl Hero has also been very popular on the recommendations board
Mrs Sell
Celebrating the Arts - Tuesday 12th September
The Stage 2 Dance Group, Senior Dance Group, Drumming Circle and CTA Choir will be performing at Parramatta Riverside Theatres at the Celebrating the Arts Festival on Tuesday 12th September.
Tickets are now on sale and can be bought through Parramatta Riverside Theatres https://boxoffice.riversideparramatta.com.au/WEBPAGES/EntaWebShow/ShowDatesCombo.aspx
Students will attend a rehearsal on the day of the 12th September. Please make sure that all permission notes and payment for the bus is returned to school by Friday September 1st.
Miss Stuart
Year 3 and Year 4
It was wonderful to see so many of our dads, granddads, uncles and male carers up at the school for our annual Dad’s Day Out today. We wish all of these special people a Happy Father’s Day on Sunday too!
Tomorrow is the Father’s Day Stall. Students are encouraged to bring a small amount of money to purchase a small gift. It’s a good idea to put this money in a zip lock bag or a small wallet which can keep it safe in their pocket. So that it can be carried home easily, it might be a good idea to bring a shopping bag or plastic bag too.
Congratulations to Sayana Shree, Aksel and Shreeyukta who represented PWPS in Tournament of Minds yesterday! We were in awe of your performance on Friday when we were lucky to have a sneak peek!
Our Stage 2 artists are hard at work in their classrooms, preparing for our upcoming Art Show in Week 9. Each student will have an artwork on display in the hall. Make sure you put aside some time to come and visit the PWPS gallery during that week!
Notes went home last week about Swim School. Learning to swim is a valuable skill, which is essential for all children living in
Australia. This program always fills up really quickly so make sure that you return your note and money as soon as possible.
Year 4 students will be participating in the Tell Them From Me survey in the coming weeks. This survey asks questions about learning and school life. There is also some information posted on our Facebook site - https://www.facebook.com/groups/1718622788411033/
Maths focus areas for this week: • Year 3 – division as sharing, division word problems, relating multiplication and division facts
• Year 4 – using multiplication and division expressions in number patterns, identifying equal and unequal number sentences, beginning fractions – parts and wholes of a set of objects
Have a wonderful week everyone!
Miss Stuart
Year 5 and Year 6
Our student leaders have begun an initiative to introduce sun protective eyewear for students, which they presented earlier in the year at assembly. Next week, student leaders will be starting to sell sun protective glasses for students in the COLA before school at a cost of $12. There will be a special promotional day in Week 8, encouraging all students to wear protective eyewear as part of their school uniform. We encourage all students to be sun safe and we thank the leaders for their hard work to promote this idea.
Enrichment fees
A reminder note will be sent home to parents/carers who have to finish paying the enrichment fees for their children. The enrichment fees help pay for valuable learning experiences such as gymnastics, Mangahigh and Literacy Planet. Do let your child's teacher know if you need any help with these payments.
Excursion
The whole stage is excited about their upcoming excursion to Rouse Hill House and Farm. We will be applying some of the things we have learnt in geography, history and Visual Arts. Please start completing your permission notes and making the payments as soon as possible.
Literacy
The students are learning valuable study skills this semester including; summarising, synthesising, note taking and critical thinking. I encourage to ask your children about these terms and see how they are applying them with everything they are learning.
Have a good week and a happy father's day on Sunday. Don't forget the father's day stall is being run tomorrow if your child would like to purchase a gift for their father.
Miss Richards
Library News
Bookclub is due back to me by Tuesday the 5th of Sept. Please be prompt as late orders may not make it back to school before the holidays.
The Cookbook Committee are looking for lots more recipes please send your favourite recipe to me [email protected]. Thankyou
Wicked Recommendations this week are:
1. The Once Series by Morris Gleitzman has been recommended by a number of readers.
('Maybe' the next book in the series has just been released)
2. Dara Palmer's Major Drama by Emma Shevah
3. EJ12 Girl Hero has also been very popular on the recommendations board
Mrs Sell
Celebrating the Arts - Tuesday 12th September
The Stage 2 Dance Group, Senior Dance Group, Drumming Circle and CTA Choir will be performing at Parramatta Riverside Theatres at the Celebrating the Arts Festival on Tuesday 12th September.
Tickets are now on sale and can be bought through Parramatta Riverside Theatres https://boxoffice.riversideparramatta.com.au/WEBPAGES/EntaWebShow/ShowDatesCombo.aspx
Students will attend a rehearsal on the day of the 12th September. Please make sure that all permission notes and payment for the bus is returned to school by Friday September 1st.
Miss Stuart
Swim School
Notes went home last week for the Swim School which is being held in Term 4. Places a limited to the first 240 students who return their forms and either a deposit of $50-00 or the full payment of $100-00.
Father's Day Stall
Students from Kindy through to Year 6 will have the opportunity to purchase a gift from our Father's Day Stall which has been organised by our wonderful P & C volunteers. All gifts are priced between $1-00 and $6-00. Please remember to give your child some money to purchase a gift on Tuesday 29th August.
The bilingual bookclub is on Tuesday afternoon this week.
P & C News
Earn & Learn is back this year!
Shop & Collect for our school.
All stickers to be returned in the box in the front office of the school.
Parramatta West Public School Cnr Auburn & Young Sts Parramatta, NSW, 2150 P: 02 9635 9347 F: 02 9687 1151 E: [email protected]
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