The Punchbowl Press

Dear Parents and Carers, 

Thank you to our families for supporting our students completing NAPLAN by ensuring they are well rested and on time for school.  We had a very smooth period of assessment, and I thank Mr Potten, Miss Birgin and Mr Mikhal and all the Year 3 and 5 teachers for contributing to their successful completion. 

Partnerships with our parents are very important to us, and we recognise the vital role you play as a parent. If you wish to discuss your child’s progress or have a question, please make an appointment with the teacher through the office.  Catching the teacher on the way into the classroom is not a good time. The teacher is supervising the class and wanting to set their students to work, and it does not provide an adequate level of confidentiality. Giving time and space to have conversations about your child ensures they are respectful, meaningful and at a convenient time for yourself and the teacher. 

We are on track to move into our new building for Week 4 next term.  Year 3, 4 and 5 will be moving into the classrooms upstairs.  Professional removalists will do all the moving for us which helps a great deal.  All the classrooms and offices have new furniture which means less to move.  Another bonus. 

Once the offices move into the ground floor of the new build, the refurbishment of our current offices will begin to accommodate our two support classes. 

Our aim is to have the least amount of disruption during this exciting time for our school community. 

The school term finishes on Friday 11 April. School will resume for all students on Wednesday 30 April. 

Best wishes to all our families who are celebrating Eid and Easter and a happy, safe school holiday. 

Mrs McGeary 

Principal 

SaCC Centre – Term 1, Week 10

The SaCC Centre provides a range of free activities and programs that promote happy families, healthy eating, and support early learners in having a positive start to school. Our learning space is a dynamic and interactive environment, where individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds come together to support children’s educational development. The SaCC Centre is a warm and welcoming space for all.

✨ Happy Harmony Day! ✨

✅ Mum2Mum English Conversation Class concludes this term.

✅ Tuning into Kids begins on 12th May (Term 2) – this program is open to new families and carers only.

✅ Learning Club will continue in Term 2 for the same group of students, thanks to the support of The Smith Family and our dedicated volunteers. ✅ The Smith Family has begun recruiting families for the Learning for Life program.

A huge thank you to our amazing Playgroup volunteers, Adis and Reece, for their dedication and enthusiasm this term. 

A special thank you to our wonderful partners for providing services and supporting our families this term:

🔹 Canterbury City Community Centre

🔹 Creating Links

🔹 54Reasons

🔹Strong Safe Families / Prosper

🔹 The Smith Family

🔹 AusRelief

🔹 Sarina Russo Job Access – Parent Mentor Program

🔹 Playgroup NSW

📅 Term 2 Planner – Coming Soon!

📌 Tuning into Kids

📌 Bus Trip to a Volunteer Expo (a few spots left!)

📌 Women’s Health Talk

📌 Settlement Engagement and Transition Support (SETS) Information Session – supporting newly arrived migrants and refugees in their settlement journey.

Stay updated with SaCC news on the Punchbowl Public School as Community Centre Facebook page.

For all program inquiries, please contact Asenati Mareko on 0439 487 865.

Asenati Mareko – SaCC Facilitator

Cyber Safety has been the focus of library programs this term. Students are working on Cyber Safety posters to highlight important messages they’ve learnt to raise safety awareness in our school community. Parents are encouraged to visit the eSsafety website (www.esafety.gov.au) to learn more about being safe when using the internet. 

"I changed my poster design because it didn’t look cool. I want my poster to be animated. That means text popping up on the screen and movement of words in my poster. This kind of poster can be displayed on a computer. My eSafety message is to remember that everything you do online leaves a permanent digital footprint." - Hamza, 5 Success.

"I learned about the T.E.C tool. We use it to help us make safe decisions when we’re online. T means we think about the consequences of doing something. E means we evaluate if something is a good or bad choice. C means we choose something that has good consequences." - Maria K, 3/4Intuitive

I" saw a presentation template and I liked it. So, I started editing it to show cyber safety messages. The animation looked more interesting than a normal poster. I would like my poster displayed on a screen in the library for everyone that visits the library." - Abed, 5 Success.

"I’m designing a poster for kindergarten. I chose to animate my poster to grab their attention. I like using Canva because it’s easy to use and gives me lots of choices." Fatima, 5 Success.

Amazing books! 

"I chose this because I love science and like to learn more about it. I know that Stephen Hawking proved that black holes are not completely black. From the book I also learnt black holes have particles impossible to detect. Black holes also emit radiation, it is called Hawking radiation." - Kenzie, 3 Brave.

Echidna Class

The children have settled in beautifully into our Echidna classroom. Group time has been particularly captivating, with the children showing great interest and engagement in the toy props. This has greatly supported the children's development of turn-taking skills. A favourite among the children is our crocodile puppet and monkeys. It's wonderful to see how these activities are fostering social skills and imaginative play.  

Possum Class

The preschool children have been learning about healthy foods, where they come from and why they are good for us to eat. Together, we have been engaging in different experiences aimed at promoting healthy eating. The children really enjoyed exploring the different vegetables up close and the fine motor challenge of cutting the vegetables.  

Wallabies Class

This term in Early Intervention, Wallabies room, students have begun developing and progressing their social and emotional skills, and well-being through sharing interests, playing collaboratively, learning to make choices, following routines and selecting a variety of learning opportunities promoting independence. Students have also been developing their cognitive and fine motor skills by solving puzzles, cutting and pasting, and creating beautiful artwork. The highlight this term was students spending quality time with TheraPuppy Luna.

Resource Group

The Resource children have been actively exploring and experimenting with a variety of sensory experiences over the past few weeks. These hands-on activities have provided them with rich opportunities for learning and discovery. In addition, we have been focusing on table time activities such as tracing, cutting, threading, and name writing. These tasks are helping to develop fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and early literacy skills. It's exciting to see their progress and enthusiasm as they engage in these activities. 

Now almost a whole term into their learning at Punchbowl, Kindergarten are becoming familiar with the school routines, rules and expectations. Some students have already received their first or second PBL award and we have also given out some special attendance awards. Keep up the great work! 

This term as part of PDHPE learning students attend gymnastics each week. We have learnt about ways to jump and land, locomotion and rotation. We might be off to the Olympics soon! We also had our first round of visits from Luna and the lovely Therapuppy team where students were able to interact with Luna the black Labrador whilst doing their classwork. Last Friday we celebrated Harmony Day with a special performance of ‘The Protectors’, learning all about how to protect ourselves and others from bullying. 

We can’t wait to see what term 2 has in store for Kindergarten!

Stage 1 students have been participating in daily InitiaLit lessons. The InitiaLit program provides students with strong foundations to become successful readers and writers. During InitiaLit lessons students are provided with explicit phonics instruction and engage in a range of learning experiences that develop their letter-sound and spelling rule knowledge.  Here is what our students have to say about what are they learning during these lessons: 

“During InitiaLit we learn about the ‘bossy e’ rule” – Minsa 1-2 Sapphire 

“We learn to read and spell words” - Razan 1-2 Aquamarine 

“We listen for sounds we can hear at the beginning of words” - Fouad 1-2 Diamond 

“We learn about spelling rules like the ‘bossy e’ which is when the ‘e’ at the end of a word makes the vowel sound in the middle a long sound” – Grace 2 Ruby 

“I learn about digraphs. Digraphs are when 2 letters make one sound” - Ibrahim 1 Pearl.  

Kookaburras 

This week has been an exciting one for the Kookaburras! They’ve had so much fun with activities like Saint Patrick's Hand Painting, which allowed them to get creative and hands-on. In mathematics lessons, they’ve enjoyed using various manipulatives to make learning interactive and engaging. Harmony Day was another highlight, with the incursion “The Protectors” providing a memorable and enriching experience. A big congratulations to the Kookaburras for their enthusiasm and participation—they’ve truly embraced every opportunity!

Owls 

What a fast-moving term it has been! Over the last two weeks, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed learning about Kandinsky. The Owls were especially enthusiastic about creating their own versions of Kandinsky’s Circles, which turned out beautifully. Our math lessons are always approached with great excitement, and we’ve had so much fun doing hands-on activities that really help to solidify what we’re learning. 

For Harmony Day, we had the opportunity to watch a very exciting show called “The Protectors,” which was such a memorable experience. We also worked together to create a poster featuring linked people to represent the meaning of Harmony Day—Everyone Belongs. It was a fantastic collaborative effort, and I’m so proud of what the Owls achieved! 

Harmony Day is a special celebration that takes place on March 21st every year. It's a day when we come together to promote unity, respect, and inclusivity. We celebrate our differences and recognize that everyone belongs, no matter where they come from, what language they speak, or what they look like. Harmony Day is also a time to talk about bullying and how it can hurt people's feelings and make them feel alone. We believe that everyone has the right to feel safe and happy at school, and that we all have a role to play in preventing bullying. By wearing orange, the color of Harmony Day, and participating in activities that promote diversity, acceptance, and kindness, we show that we value and appreciate the unique qualities that make each of us special. Stage 2 students watched a performance that highlighted these factors to ensure acceptance, and no bullying occurs all around the school. 

It was a super fun day for all students! 

This term, Stage 3 students have been focusing on developing their fundamental locomotion and rotation movements in our gymnastics program. Through various exercises and activities, they have worked on building strength, coordination, balance, and flexibility skills, laying the foundation for more advanced skills in the future. Students’ knowledge of symmetrical and asymmetrical shapes were used to show creativity in their movements.

On Tuesday, 18th of March the student leaders were accompanied by Mr. O'Connor and Mrs. Arja to the ICC in Darling Harbour for National Young Leaders Day. While there, we heard from guest speakers about the qualities that made them great leaders and how we could use their lessons to make our school community a better place.

Aboriginal students recently attended an inspiring excursion at the First Nations Hub, organised by the Aboriginal Education Consultative Group (AECG). Hosted by Aunty Lyn Martin, an esteemed Aboriginal Elder passionate about passing down culture and heritage, the event provided a unique opportunity for students to connect with peers from other schools. Participants engaged in learning about the Dharug Language, enhancing their appreciation for local traditions. The day featured various craft activities designed to promote creativity and encourage conversations among students. This enriching experience not only fostered community ties but also empowered Aboriginal students to celebrate their cultural identities together. 

We have come to the end of term 1, and wow! What a busy time we had learning Arabic. Students from all stages had a great time teaching Arabic. Especially in stage 1, students had great fun learning about the ‘Hungry Caterpillar’, which ate Arabic alphabets, numbers, and colours. The students learnt to recite the Arabic letters, count to ten, and recognise primary colours in Arabic. They had enormous fun, making a caterpillar out of coloured paper and paddle pop sticks. They also worked hard to decorate Ramadan and Eid cards for their families. Please take time to look at the pictures and see the wonderful time the students had learning Arabic.  

Wishing all our families a happy and safe holiday.