Week 4, Term 4 2019 As we approach the end of the year we begin a process of reflection and evaluation of our systems and processes, and of the impact that our programs and incentives have made on teaching and learning over the past 12 months. Students, staff and parents have been asked to contribute their ideas, thoughts and feedback through various surveys and focus groups. The data that we gain from such consultation ensures that we continue to strive for excellence in teaching, learning and leading at Sherwood Ridge PS. At Sherwood Ridge the thoughts and opinions of our community matter. When we work together we create the ideal learning environment for our students, one where they are confident in who they are and feel supported to take risks in their learning. As we begin planning for 2020 it is important that we gain your feedback on school operations and practices. Please take the time to fill in the School Operations Parent and Community survey which will assist in planning the 2020 school year. The survey can be found at this link - https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/QJGDMZV Thank you in advance for your support. Kindergarten 2020? Kindergarten Orientation Program One of the highlights of this year has been meeting our new kindergarten 2020 students and their families. It’s a hugely exciting time for us to welcome these students to the Sherwood Ridge family. The Kindergarten Orientation program is well underway with key staff sharing information with our new parents about curriculum, school processes and programs and tips for being a kindy parent. The date for the final session is Thursday 14th November from 9:30am-10:30am where parents, teachers and students will enjoy a picnic together with their Buddy. Each student will have a Year 6 Buddy next year who will support their transition to school. The Buddy students will join us for the picnic so that they have a chance to meet each other and start forming positive relationships. You are encouraged to contact the office staff if you have not yet completed an enrolment application or if you require assistance.

Staff Wellbeing at Sherwood Ridge What is Wellbeing? “A state of mind in which an individual is able to realise his or her own abilities, cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” (The World Health Organisation) As part of our wellbeing focus at Sherwood Ridge, our teaching staff participated in a professional learning session on, ‘How to Thrive – Looking after your own wellbeing’. Staff learnt about the importance of mindfulness and the effects of stress, their character strengths and how positivity can bring about their best possible self. Staff had the opportunity to engage with colleagues and participate in hands-on and practical activities. One of the favourite activities was identifying their character strengths and understanding why it’s so important to honour who you are and acknowledge that your best strengths bring you important benefits that make a difference to others. The ‘Brain Break’ activity was another favourite and had many staff laughing! Staff were asked to draw their partner without taking their eyes of them or take their pen off the page. Just like our students, our teachers also need a brain break. We value wellbeing at SRPS for our students, staff and community.

School Technology Upgrade Over the next 2 weeks the school is undergoing a massive technology upgrade to our infrastructure. This will have a direct impact on our wireless and wired connectivity improving speed, dropout rate and number of devices that can be connected at once in a given location. The upgrade will also include replacing much of the hardware that supports the technology we use in the school that was installed when the school was first opened. We thank the P&C for their generous donation of over $10,000 towards the project and for recognising the impact this upgrade will have in supporting teaching and learning programs. Playground Line Markings – P&C Playground Upgrade Our new playground line markings have been installed thanks to the generous donation from our dedicated P&C. We have a giant snakes and ladders board, chess/checkers board with giant playing pieces and a few other line markings that are now available under a shelter in our playground for students to access during break times. These games encourage problem solving and collaboration and provide an opportunity for students to make friends with different students across K-6. We have developed some expectations for this space and different grade groups are rostered on each day to use this new part of our playground. Another aspect of our Phase 1 of the Playground Upgrade is having a School Logo line marking installed where the pathways meet at the entrance of the school. This is planned for installation in the next fortnight so keep an eye out for it! Our students wanted a School Logo to be in sight of visitors to our school to show school pride.

Carols by the COLA – Save the Date!

Students, staff and parents we are pleased to announce that our annual Carols by the COLA evening will be bigger and better than ever in 2019! This year, we will be having student performances, including grade carol singing, Dance and Choir Group performances, Market Stalls and food for sale. There will even be prizes to be won from the Chocolate Wheel. We look forward to working with our P&C to host this community event on Thursday 5th December 2019 from 5.00-7.30pm at SRPS by the COLA. Bring a picnic rug and your singing voice!

School Uniform Review – the results are in! The School Uniform Review results have been collated from students, staff and parents and the data clearly indicates that there is no need for a change of any item of the current SRPS school uniform. After reading the feedback from students, staff and families, the following ‘next steps’ will be now be addressed:

• Parents would like another option for the skort • Winter tunic fabric is not comfortable and this feedback will be presented to the uniform supplier to

seek alternative material • Parents and students would like the option to wear the short sleeve shirt/blouse and shorts in winter.

This will be added into the school’s uniform policy • Parents felt the prices of some of the uniform items were expensive. This will be addressed with the

uniform shop

At the next P&C Meeting on Friday 8th November after the AGM from 8:30am, the Uniform Committee will present the Uniform Review Survey results. We would like to encourage you to come along to this presentation to view these results in greater detail. Once again, we thank you for all your support and for taking the time to provide feedback through this consultative review process to assist us with ensuring the wearing of school uniforms by our students is of a high standard. Year 6 Mini Fete The day Year 6 students had been eagerly planning for finally arrived, the Year 6 Mini Fete! It was a fantastic day with lots of fun things for students to do. The Haunted House was a huge hit along with the cake stall and the lolly stall. There was face painting, coloured hair, painted fingernails and an impressive range of games and activities. Once again the Trash and Treasure proved very popular with many people taking home boxes of delights to share with their families. We were lucky to have the help of some fantastic Year 6 parents and many thanks must go to the teachers who volunteered to have wet sponges thrown at them. Overall it was a very successful day raising close to $6000 which will go towards the Year 6 Farewell. Year 6 would like to thank the SRPS community for supporting this fun event.

An Important Safety Message A further reminder to parents that supervision of students before school begins at 8.30am when teachers are on playground duty. Lately we have had a large number of students being on school grounds as early as 8.00am which poses a safety risk to them. Parents have the responsibility to ensure that their child is appropriately supervised before 8.30am. As a school, we monitor which students are at school too early and keep a record of this information. Letters are sent home to parents of students who regularly arrive early to school to remind them that supervision begins at 8.30am and to let them know that we have a before and after school care facility on site that they can access. This service is provided to support families and to assist with providing care and safety of students before and after school hours. Please contact the school office for further information on OshClub.

Keep Your Children Safe Around Schools

Taken from: https://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/downloads/keeping-our-kids-safe-around-schools.pdf

Mrs Jody Sullivan Relieving Principal Sherwood Ridge Public School A collaborative, creative and inclusive environment from which each give their best.