OUR CHILDREN GRANVILLE EAST PUBLIC SCHOOL

TERM 1- WEEK 2 THURSDAY 7TH FEBRUARY 2019

TERM 1 CALENDAR

Welcome BBQ Friday 15 Feb

2:30—3:30pm

Student Leaders’ & SRC Induction Ceremony

Monday 18 Feb 9am: Hall

P&C meeting and AGM

Tuesday 19 Feb

9am Comm’y Rm

PSSA starts Friday 22 Feb

9-11am

3-6 Swimming Carnival

Wednesday 27 Feb

School Photos Wednesday 6 March

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Term 1 2019

Tuesday 29 January—

Friday 12 April

2019—off to a flying start!

I am thrilled to welcome new and returning students to GEPS for a busy year ahead full of academic and social achievement. At GEPS we learn in supportive classrooms; we celebrate diversity; and we stretch each individual to their fullest potential.

I love the first day back at GEPS—seeing smiling children and marvelling at how much they’ve grown over the break!

I’d like to thank Uncle Les, for welcoming us to Dharug Land and wishing our community a fresh and productive year ahead during his smoking ceremony.

45 Kindergarten students started at our school last week—already they are making friends, learning through play and developing their sense of confidence in being a learner.

The start that we give these students is crucial—not just for now but in setting them up as learners for life (imagine the world and workforce they will be entering in the year 2034?! And—these students will be retiring in the year 2084! We need to establish skillsets, mindsets and toolsets that will support them almost into the 22nd century)!

At GEPS

Recess is:

11am—11:30am.

Lunch is:

Supervised eating:

1:20—1:30pm

Play time:

1:30—2pm.

Please come to the Office if you need to give something to your child.

VOLUNTARY SCHOOL

CONTRIBUTIONS...

Just $23 for the eldest

child and $11 for every other child.

A great contribution for the

year

P&C MEETING

Will be held on Tuesday 19th

February in the Community Room at

9 am.

Everyone is welcome!

Our numbers have now stabilised and we have 14 classes. Many hours have been spent last year (and over the holidays!) making sure the combination of students in each class is a good fit for learning. We have looked at academic ability, social supports & friendships, special needs and backgrounds. Class teachers have all been teaching a unit of work on building a community of learners—enabling students to do their best work in an organised space within a supportive environment.

Every class receives additional individualised support for Guided Reading; access to a range of specialist staff and technology; & support from an Assistant Principal. We aim to ensure your children reach academic and social success.

The classes are named after Aboriginal people, places, languages or nations to honour the International Year of Indigenous Languages and I encourage every class to learn about the significance of this name.

More information from teachers will go home next week and you will receive the full Staff List (with photos) so you know who is who!

Each teacher is also going to make phone contact with you over the coming weeks to introduce themselves!

Another great place to meet everyone is our annual Community Welcome BBQ, next Friday 15 Feb 2:30—3:30pm in “the Village”.

I look forward to seeing you then.

K Eora Mrs Echkintana & Mrs El-Mowafy

K Mabo Mrs Melhem

1/K Luritja Mrs Hamdan & Mrs Kim

1 Dharug Miss Mohamed

1 Yorta Yorta Mrs Houzeife

2 Anita Heiss Miss Alsalimy

2 Wiradjuri Ms Ward

3/4 Gadigal Mrs Gray

3/4 Mandawuy Ms Crawford

3/4 Samatha Harris Miss Singh

5/4 Gandangara Miss Goh

5/6 Arrente Mrs Achrakie & Ms Mihas

5/6 Bennelong Miss Ballouk

5/6 Iwantja Mrs Idris

L Reynolds, Principal

School Captains

Vice Captains

Prefects

Introducing our 2019 Student Leadership Team!

Jenna Lim Daniel Khier

Hiam Ghemraoui Ali Al-Attar

Suzy Zreika Melanie Marahjan

Aarasi Subedi Layla Hadid

Bessmillah Karimi Lillian Dungay

GEPS School Uniform

Girls Boys School dress

School shirt

School shirt

Bottle green culottes/skort

Grey shorts

School jumper

School hat

School jacket

Headscarves need to be bottle green or yellow (or a combination of both). Girls may also wear long green school pants or dark green tights and long sleeved yellow polo shirts.

Black Shoes (enclosed shoes - safe for school)

Sports Uniform Yellow sports shirt

Green skirt

Green shorts

Uniform Shop open Fridays 8:45 – 9:15am – near Room 5

Track Pants

Work, rest and play are all part of a balanced lifestyle. For your child, this may include homework.

What is homework?

Any task set by a teacher for students

to carry out during non-school hours is

homework.

What is the department’s

homework policy?

The NSW Department of Education and Communities’ homework policy requires each public school to develop a local homework policy that is

relevant to the needs of students,

developed in consultation with the

school community, and

shared with staff, students and

parents– particularly at the time of

enrolment.

Is homework compulsory?

No – each school must have a homework

policy but the setting of homework and

any indicative time allocations across

year groups is a decision for each school.

What does the research say about

homework?

The research is unclear – the idea that

‘the more homework, the better’ is not

supported by research. There’s also no

clear research finding as to whether

homework raises student achievement.

What is the policy at Granville

East PS?

Granville East acknowledges that

students, staff, parents and community

members all have different views about

homework. Most researchers conclude

that, for primary students, there is no

evidence that homework lifts academic

performance (Cooper, 1989, Walker 2011).

At GEPS students participate in

homework that is purposeful and relevant

to their needs.

The quality of the homework and the

effort put in by students is much more

important than the quantity. Quality

homework in primary school may help

students develop effective learning

routines and habits for later life.

At GEPS, we believe that it is

important for parents to understand

our homework expectations: what is

set, why it is set and how much time is

expected of students each night.

What are the expectations?

At GEPS, homework is made up of:

reading (the student reading on

their own, the student reading to a

parent or sibling, or the student

being read to by a parent in

English or a home language); &

other activities appropriate to the

student’s stage of development.

Homework is usually given on Monday

and due back on Friday.

Here are our guidelines about time

spent on homework each night:

Year

Reading

Other activities

Total minutes

Kindy 10 5 15

Stage 1 10-15 5 15-20

Stage 2 15-20 5-10 20-30

Stage 3 20 5-10 25-30

We also encourage involving children

in family activities to assist with the

development of literacy, numeracy and

lifelong learning skills.

What can you do if you are

concerned about homework?

Communication between home and

school plays an important part in

providing quality educational experiences.

Please contact your child’s teacher if you

have any concerns about homework.

GRANVILLE EAST PUBLIC SCHOOL Updated Jan 2017

Homework: a parent guide

Extra resources

Bug Club (login through their

individual student portal)

www.storytimeonline.co.uk

www.studyladder.com.au

www.spellingcity.com

Joining your local library and

becoming a frequent borrower

Writing, drawing, creating or

journaling

For more help Contact your school or go to:

the department’s homework policy

http://tinyurl.com/det-homework-policy

Homework at GEPS

We acknowledge a range of views on homework.

We offer homework to best

support your child’s learning.

Our homework is based on

research and DEC policy.

Our homework sets realistic expectations of students and teachers.

Our homework is for kids: please encourage and support your child with their homework– but don’t do the work for them.

Granville East Public School Map 2019

EVACUATION POINT

Demountable Room 14 Community Lang Mr Zereka D 14248

Demountable Room 15

1 Dharug Miss Mohamed OS602-15348

Demountable Room 16

1 Yorta Yorta Mrs Houzeife D 12044

Demountable Room 12 RFF Mrs Hockey D 14251

Demountable Room 11 Community Lang Mr Mohamed D 14255

E S 1 Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Specialists

Block A

Staff Room AR0015

Administration AR0010

Building A Room 2

K Mabo Mrs Melhem AR0003

Building A Room 1

K Eora Mrs Echkintana AR0002 & Mrs El-Mowafy

Building B Room 3

3/4 Mandawuy Ms Crawford

BR0002

Building B Room 4

3/4 Gadigal Mrs Gray

BR0005

Girl’s Toilet BR0006

Boy’s Toilet BR0008

Building C

Uniforms

CR0001

Building C Room 5

2 Wiradjuri Miss Ward CR0002

Building C Room 6

3/4 Samatha

Harris Miss Singh CR0003

Building C

Room 20 LaST CR0004

Ms Allen Mrs Hill

Building D Community Room DR0001

Room 17 OS751-11305

EAL/D Room 18 Mrs Gupta

Building E Room 7

5/6 Iwantja Miss Idris ER0007

Building E Room 8

5/6 Bennelong Miss Ballouk ER0010

Tech Cave

GR0011

Library Mrs Crowshaw GR0008

Building F Room 9

5/6 Arrente Mrs Achrakie & Mrs Mihas ER0007

Building E Room 10

5/4 Gangandara Miss Goh ER0010

Canteen HR0005

Building J Room 21

1/K Luritja Mrs Hamdan JR0006

& Mrs Kim

Building J Room 22 JR0004

Hall

Building K

Miss Whitney AR0027

Demountable Rm 13

2 Anita Heiss Miss Alsalimy D 15668

Nobbs St Oval

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Questions and Answers about Composite Classes

A: They help develop

confidence, independence and problem solving skills. It also builds cooperative skills; communication & resilience – all needed for life in the 21st century!

A: The number of students in

each year is different – so some classes will be larger than others. Rather than have a Yr 3

class of 36 & a Yr 4 class of 20 - we make 2 even 3/4 classes of 28.

Q: Why can’t each

year group be in their own class?

A: At Granville East PS, we believe the

academic & social learning of students is enhanced by composite or stage classes. We treat every student as an individual. Our teachers are skilled at engaging students in goal setting, self-monitoring, deep authentic learning, problem-solving and using a growth mindset.

A: No. All children progress at different rates – not

magically by their age. Your child’s learning needs will be well catered for. What gets taught is based on the curriculum and the individual needs of your child.

A: Yes. In NSW, the

curriculum (what is taught) is organised into stages rather than by year. Each stage takes 2 years to complete.

Q: What are

some benefits of stage classes?

Q: Will my child learn

what they need to know for their year group?

Q: Why are there stage classes at this school?

Q: My child is in the higher year group in their class.

Will they do easy work all year?

A: No. Students will be engaged in work that is

at their level and designed to progress their individual literacy & numeracy skills. Students will also be grouped in class at their level.

Q: My child is in the lower year group in their

class. Will the work be too hard for them?

Any further questions – please see your child’s teacher.

As agreed upon by students and staff 2016

At GEPS, We Are… Our Rights Our Responsibilities

Respectful

Rabi

To be valued as an individual.

To learn without being judged

To feel safe

To treat people with respect and dignity.

To be fair, considerate and accepting of

others.

Keep myself safe and care for others.

Proud

Padma

To feel that GEPS is my school.

To be supported and given opportunities

to achieve my goals.

To feel confident and happy about my

learning.

To act appropriately within and outside of

school.

Strive towards achieving my goals.

To recognise my own and others

achievements.

Courageous

Caleb

To learn in an encouraging, peaceful

environment.

To be challenged in my learning.

To stand up for what I believe in.

To behave in a way that makes others feel

safe.

To persevere when things get tough.

Lift others up when they are down.