ENewsletter

We learn on the lands of the Ngadjuri Nation

REMINDER - EXTRA LONG WEEKEND: PUPIL FREE DAY FRIDAY 9 JUNE. NO SCHOOL TOMORROW FOR STUDENTS

TERM DATES 2023

TERM 1	Monday 30 January - Friday 14 April
TERM 2	Monday 1 May - Friday 7 July
TERM 3	Monday 24 July - Friday 29 September
TERM 4	Monday 16 October - Friday 15 December

Some Important Dates

TERM 2:
Pupil Free Day	Friday 9 June
King's Birthday Public Holiday	Monday 12 June
Governing Council Meeting	Tuesday 20 June
Last Day of Term/ Early Dismissal of 2:10pm	Friday 7 July

TERM 3:
Woodhouse Whole School Camp	Monday 7 - Wednesday 9 Augsut
Book Week	Monday 21 - Friday 28 Ausgust
Book Week Parade	Tuesday 22 August
School Closure Day	Monday 4 September
Pupil Free Day	Tuesday 5 September
Swimming Lessons R-5	Monday 25 - Friday 29 September
TERM 4:
Sports Day	Friday 27 October
Pupil Free Day	Friday 24 November
School Concert	Thursday 30 November
Year 6 Graduation	Thursday 7 December

From The Principal

Attendance

In the aftermath of the pandemic, we do ask parents to keep children home when they have cold and flu symptoms or are unwell in other ways. Apart from worries over possible infection, covid has taught us all that we can’t just ‘soldier on’: rest at home is vital for recovery.

However, we do become concerned when children have extended periods of absence or have patterns of absences. Did you know that missing just 1 day a fortnight is equivalent to missing one-and-a-half years of schooling, over the child’s 13 years of school? Every day missed impacts on learning.

If you miss …	Each year that equals …	This is the same as missing …	Over 13 years of school (R-12), that means you’ve missed …	This is equivalent to finishing school in …
1 day every fortnight	20 days	4 weeks	Nearly 1½ years	Year 11
1 day every week	40 days	8 weeks	Over 2½ years	Year 10
2 days every week	80 days	16 weeks	Over 5 years	Year 7
3 days every week	120 days	24 weeks	Nearly 8 years	Year 4

Therefore, with more days being required to be missed through illness, it is important that children do not miss school days for other non-essential reasons. Some non-essential reasons for absences include: birthdays, shopping, haircuts, … If your child needs a medical or NDIS appointment, try to make them outside of school time, or towards the end of the school day, to reduce the time they spend away from learning.

Current attendance rates, per class:

CLASS	%ATTENDANCE
Reception	90
1/2	90
2/3	91
3/4	93
5/6	88

Our attendance rates for most classes are ‘not too bad’, but there’s always room for improvement. Teachers will always actively follow up absences, by asking for reasons and, where there are extended absences due to illness, a medical certificate may be requested.

If you are experiencing any difficulties in getting your child to school, please do not hesitate to ask for our support. We are always here to help and we can offer advice on strategies or work with you to find solutions.

Gail Holland

Principal

School Routines and Procedures – Term 2

IMPORTANT REMINDER: Updating Student & Family Information

So that we can best support your children at school, we ask parents & caregivers to keep staff informed throughout the year whenever there are changes to your family circumstances including:

* home address (residential and/or postal)

* contact phone number

* employment &/or place of employment

* email address

* emergency contacts

* student's medical condition

* shared living arrangements

* custody information

You can let the school know by completing the 'Change of Details' eform on the Audiri App or by email/written notification.

Emergency Contacts:

***Please make sure you provide the school with a list of at least 2 emergency contacts OTHER THAN YOURSELVES that can be contacted if you are unavailable to collect your child due to illness or injury.***

*** Emergency contacts will need to present ID at the Front Office eg Driver's Licence before collecting students ***

Medications on Camp

PLEAE ATTEND TO YOUR CHILD'S MEDICAL NEEDS WELL BEFORE IT'S TIME FOR CAMP IN WEEK 3, TERM 3 (7-9 AUGUST)

If medication has been listed on your child's healthcare information form for camp, a healthcare plan and a medication authority which has been completed by your doctor/health professional, will be required for each medication in order for them to attend. This applies to everything, from off the shelf, to prescription meds.

All medication must be labelled and in the original packaging.

If you have any questions regarding medication for your child whilst they are on camp please contact the Front Office and let your child's teacher know.

Term 2 Class Reports

Year 2/3 Class

We have been reading Mr. Popper's Penguins and learning about narrative structures. In groups, we identified the setting, characters, plot, resolution and coda. After learning about the polar climate, we created penguin habitats and made stop motion movies. We also planted garlic in the vegetable garden and cooked ham and cheese muffins, Weetbix slice, Anzac biscuits and pumpkin risotto. We are looking forward to making quesadillas this week.

Year 3/4 Class

We have had a super busy first half of term two in year 3/4!

In English, we are exploring ‘timeless narratives’, beginning with Indigenous Dreamtime stories and moving to folktales from cultures around the world. The children are enjoying thinking about the messages and lessons being passed down through these stories and comparing different versions that have been written over time.

In Maths, the class have enjoyed exploring multiplication through using arrays and understanding its commutative properties. We have also been learning about perimeter and area, 2D shapes and their properties, which has led into exploring angles.

During Art, we are studying the author / illustrator, Shaun Tan, and his unique artistic style used for illustrations. He often creates unusual and interesting characters, using a combination of animals with everyday common objects. His style and creations have sparked much interest and discussions between the students. They have had a go at creating some creatures, with the added challenge that they only had around 30 seconds per creature and drew in pen so they couldn’t erase or change their work! It challenged everyone to accept their first thoughts and just ‘go with it’ and not expect perfection after the first try. We are currently practising using texture in drawing and building to designing our own interesting creatures in the coming weeks.

School Card 2023

PCW News

Hello,

Well, winter has finally arrived. I hope that you are staying warm and healthy.

We are now in week 6 of term 2. I would like to give a BIG shout out “THANK YOU” to our staff team. We have a great team here at Greenock, all of our teachers go above and beyond to give your children the best opportunities to learn and grow. Please take the time to encourage our teachers as this is now the “pointy” end of their term, reports are being written, the semester is being finished off and data is being collected. This all adds to their already busy workloads and busy famiiy lives. A little note of thanks and encouragement goes a long way.

THANK YOU to all of our parents who have helped make our PANCAKE MORNINGS a success. Our children really love these mornings, they come through the gate with a smile and run to the line to load up on pancakes. I would also like to thank the YOUNG LIFE team as well. They do a great job each time making up the mixture, talking to and playing games with the children. If you would like to be part of these events, whether it be helping or donating ingredients, please contact me or one of the FOG team. We have our NEXT PANCAKE MORNING scheduled for June 27th.

This term I have begun a new group called GirlWise for our year 6 girls. The topics in the program include: Discovering your uniqueness, understanding and developing your character, navigating friendships, developing positive self-talk and more. The topics are relevant and it has been great to talk in a relaxed and open way together, all the while encouraging each other. I have enjoyed getting to know this group of young people on a deeper level and I am looking forward to more fun as we work through the program.

This week in GirlWise our topic was “You Belong!” We identified the different communities that we belong to, this could be: sport, school, families, music or writing groups. There are so many ways we are connected and belong. We are all part of diverse groups or families and the differences make us all special and unique. How about you? Where do you belong? Sometimes situations can be tough and we might feel like we are an outsider in our own community and don’t fit in. We were never expected to go through life on our own, that’s why we have been blessed by being part of a community. This means we always have people in our immediate and wider circle that we can turn to for help, guidance and influence. We are all unique individuals who bring different qualities and contributions to our communities. You are all blessed to be part of this school community. This is a unique place that values people and accepts and helps one another. Belonging with others is a real blessing and we have lots of opportunities here to be connected as a community; playgroup, Governing Council, FOG, Grounds Team and more. Please reach out if you need help to get connected or are feeling like you don’t belong. We are here for you.

Enjoy your week,

Cheers Jo