Lambton Public School

Principal's Message

Our term has started off smoothly and on a high with a very successful dance-a- thon. This week we are back to business as usual. I am hoping many of you were able to complete the Tell Them From Me survey. Teachers are also completing a Tell Them From Me and Mr Semmens is starting a process of consultation with students. A number of students have been randomly selected from each class and spent time with Mr Semmens and the school leaders on Friday discussing ways we can improve learning and wellbeing at LPS. Information gathered will be used to inform the new 2025 – 2028 Strategic Improvement Plan (SIO). We are looking forward to hearing what our students have to say.

We are noticing a number of students, who are talking about and including in their play, online games and characters. Some of this we are finding is not appropriate for this age group or to be shared at school. Whilst there are some benefits to online gaming (social connection, team work, critical thinking skills etc), some children find it difficult to disassociate themselves form this pretend world and become increasingly aggressive in their interactions (verbal and physical) with their peers.

We understand the challenges of parenting in today’s technological world, so I spoke with our school counsellor, Gabby Hussein, around some practical information that may be helpful for parents.

How do I choose age-appropriate content? 

Good-quality media can support your child’s learning, especially if it ties in with their interests or sparks their imagination. 

The following sites can help you make informed decisions about your family’s entertainment choices. 

• Check age ratings and consumer advice for apps and games on devices your children use via the App Store or Google Play. Visit the Australian Classification Board’s online database when reviewing movies and games.
• Raising Children Network  has advice about choosing video games, online games and apps.
• Children and Media Australia provides reviews of movies, apps and games, including gambling content advice, searchable by age and platform. 
• Commonsense Media (US site) offers a database of apps, games and websites searchable by age.

Does your child play violent video games?

Just like television and movies, video games are classified to help decide what is suitable for your children to play. As a parent or carer, you are the best person to talk with your child about which video games are ok for them to play.

Some games contain strong, realistic and graphic violence. This violence may upset, harm or disturb young children because they are not developmentally ready to be exposed to it.

Just like you may not want your child watching MA 15+ or R 18+ movies because the content is not suitable for them, you might not want them playing MA 15+ or R 18+ games for the same reason.

When should parents worry about online gaming?

As with any behaviour, online gaming becomes problematic when it interferes with or overshadows other aspects of life. The key questions when considering if gaming has become problematic are:

• Is gaming monitored and appropriately supervised?
• How does gaming impact family relationships and activities?
• How does gaming impact your child’s sleep and physical and emotional well-being?
• Does your child respond with aggression when limits are set around gaming?

Generally problems associated with gaming can be indicative of other issues happening in a child’s life or within the family. Many children use gaming as a way to avoid dealing with difficult emotions and life issues so simply banning gaming may not solve the entire problem.

What can parents do?

While many parents feel powerless to address the impact of gaming in their family, there are some steps parents can take to achieve a healthy balance:

• Like any other aspect of a child’s life, gaming should not be a completely private activity
• Be informed about what games your child plays, being mindful of content and age classifications
• Show an interest in what your child is playing and even play with them from time to time
• Negotiate appropriate limits with your child around gaming 
• Putting limits around gaming can be met with resistance so be prepared for how to manage this 

Changing a child’s gaming habits can be challenging and Parent Line counsellors can provide you with support, strategies and links to services to help you do this. Phone 1300 1300 52

I hope you find this information and websites useful.

Have a lovely weekend.

Lisa Hughes

Principal (relieving)

Teacher's Federation Meeting - Monday 28 October

On Monday 28 October, the NSW Teachers Federation will be holding a special meeting for members to vote on a recommendation relating to a new Teachers Award. As a result of the meeting, we will have minimal supervision arrangements in place until 10 am.While there will be minor disruption to the beginning of the school day, student attendance is expected as onsite teaching and learning will continue with modified supervision arrangements until 10 am.Thank you for your understanding and support.

School Attendance

Education for your child is important and regular attendance at school is essential for your child to achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options. At Lambton Public School there is a whole school approach to attendance to strengthen student’s sense of belonging, engagement and outcomes.  When your child attends school every day, learning becomes easier, and your child will build and maintain friendships with other children.

The Importance of arriving on time

Arriving at school and class on time:

• Ensures that students do not miss out on important learning activities scheduled early in the day
•  Helps students learn the importance of punctuality and routine
•  Give students time to greet their friends before class
•  Reduces classroom disruption

Lateness is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained by parents.

What’s happening in Term 4 - Stage 3: classes 4/5N, 5/6B and 6CG

 Stage 3 is excited to be learning about loads of new topics this term and we are looking forward to all of our end of year events!

 In English our focus is on Slam Poetry, we are learning about this genre through the text ‘Spotlight’ by Solli Raphael.

In Mathematics we will cover a range of topics and skills, these will include; chance, angles, mass, multiplication, division, area, data, three-dimensional space and fractions.

 Other KLA units of study will include:

• Science: The Earth's place in the Solar System.
• Geography: A Diverse and Connected World.
• Creative Arts: Dance - learning choreography and creating our own dances.
• PDHPE: Child Protection & Anti-Racism through the Grow Your Mind program and a range of sports skills and games.

Students will attend the library as normal 1 hour per week taught by Mrs Titchmarsh. She has loads of fun learning planned for stage 3.

Exciting upcoming events include:

• Life Changer program: Weeks 4 - 6 every Wednesday in the middle session. A note has gone out on School Bytes please check this for more information.
• LHS Enrolment Day for Year 7 transition: Tuesday 3rd December (AM).
• Year 6 Fun Day: Friday 6th December (week 8)
• Year 6 Farewell: Thursday 12th December (week 9) keep an eye on School Bytes for more information. Cost will be approximately $30 per student.
• Presentation Day: Tuesday 10th December at Lambton High School.

We encourage you to talk to your child about their learning and use this information to ask questions and guide these conversations.

As always please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you have any questions or queries.

Mrs Gillard, Mrs Cooper, Mrs Buckingham and Ms Nichols.

Stage 3 Teachers

Home Reading Rewards

Well done to the students who have been consistently reading and bring their home reading journals in to be checked by their teacher every week. Students will have until the end of Week 8 (Friday 6th December) to reach the various milestones and subsequent rewards. 

Overview of Rewards:

• Students who have reached 25 nights will receive a bookmark.
• Students who have reached 50 nights will receive a pencil.
• Students who have reached 75 nights or more will participate in an end of Term 4 disco/ice block.
• Students who have reached 100 nights will also go into the draw to receive a stationary pack.
• Students who have reached 150 nights will also go into the draw to receive a book voucher.
• Students who have reached 200 nights will participate in a Fun Day during week 9 (more details will be emailed to families in the coming weeks).

Year 6 2024 photos for Year 6 Farewell

Our Year 6 Farewell parent committee and busy putting together the slideshow which is a favourite part of the Year 6 Farewell. Parents of Year 6 students are reminded 

• If their child did not attend kindergarten at LPS to please send a digital copy of their Kindergarten or similar photo to the school via email. 
• If their child did not get a year 6 photo this year to please send a recent digital photo to the school email.

Student Achievement

Jack Russ represented Lambton Public at the recent NSW PSSA State Athletics Championships held in Sydney on this week. He progressed to the semi final in the 9yrs 100 metres.  While he didn’t make the final as he did last year,  Jack had a great experience placing 17th overall in NSW.  Well done Jack, great achievement!!