Binalong Public School

Tracy Ranie

The APCI is a leadership role is designed to work alongside Principals in providing high support to teachers in literacy and numeracy. In this exciting role, I work collaboratively with the leadership team in the implementation of the new English and mathematics syllabus.

I have spent time developing trust and forming positive relationships with the dedicated staff of Binalong Public School. I have assessed all students in all aspects of reading development and shared this data with staff. Together, we have used this data to develop plans of action, to provide learning goals and opportunities for individual students to improve. As a team, we have been involved in professional learning around the current research informing our new curriculum, in particular, learning about how children learn to read.

My role includes working alongside teachers in classrooms to enhance high quality teaching practices. As an APC&I I have demonstrated lessons, participated in team teaching and worked with small groups of students in focused literacy and numeracy tasks. My role is dedicated to ensuring our students have strong literacy and numeracy knowledge.

One of our first focus areas as a school team is the teaching of reading.

At Binalong Public School, we are committed to equipping every child with the ability to read - and read well! Learning to read is such an essential skill to not only find success in school and to thrive in society, but to also experience the joy that reading brings to life. We want every child to be successful in reading!

We are learning more about what research says about how children learn to read, how to make sure every student learns to read, and what to do when a child encounters difficulty in learning to read. The research that we're learning about, and implementing is called the Science of Reading.

Decades of research have determined that reading occurs in a specific way in the brain in all people. It does not occur naturally the way that speech does. The process must be taught. It is a process of building neuropathways in the brain that link sounds of speech to written symbols or letters. The strings of letters are attached to meaning, and then those letter strings with meaning' are stored in the brain's "letterbox" for later retrieval that is instantaneous and effortless. This process is called orthographic mapping and it is our goal to help our students build a giant 'letterbox' of instantly retrievable words. That translates into fluent reading and subsequent comprehension.

Guessing at words based on context does not aid in orthographic mapping, phonic decoding does.

What does reading instruction in our classes include?

Our structured reading and writing approach include:

·         Phonological awareness and phonics skill screening on arrival

·         Explicit teaching of phonological awareness and phonics

·         Automaticity training in the recognition of irregular words/ high frequency words

·         Guided practise to improve fluency

·         Vocabulary development. Including structured morphology

·         Explicit teaching of comprehension strategies

·         Explicit teaching of comprehension questioning technique

Over the course of the term, I will be sharing further information with you through the newsletter.

on Friday 4 August Binalong students were surprised by a very generous delivery!

Author of "Are we there yet?" Alison Lester sent a special package of signed books for the BPS library!

A big thank you to Ms Alison Lester and the Birrell/Truscott family for this special surprise.

Following many weeks of exploring and experimenting with a range of printing techniques during our Tuesday art sessions we are now ready to unleash our creativity and become fashion designers!

Each designer will need:

· One coat hanger (wire is fine)

· An item of clothing (white/pale in colour) which can be printed on. This can be an inexpensive t-shirt (e.g., K-mart), an op-shop treasure or an item from home which can be re-imagined. Please note: it will undergo an extreme makeover, so no precious items. Our designers are being encouraged to be as creative as possible!

· Optional: any other odds and ends from home that your designer would like to upcycle such as left over ribbons, fabric, buttons, etc.

These items will need to be at school for Tuesday Week 5 and should be in a bag (e.g., shopping) labelled with the designer’s name. We want this to be a fun culmination of our learning so please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any trouble sourcing a suitable item of clothing.

Our exclusive designer collection will be launched at a gala fashion event closer to the end of term.

Many thanks,

Sharlee Cassidy

Let us know if your child is absent

The wellbeing of our students is extremely important to us. One way we protect the wellbeing of your child is by fulfilling our responsibilities as both parents/carers and school staff by reporting and monitoring student absences.

Please remember to contact us by phone, email or Audiri app. This is best done early in the morning if your child is going to be away or late for school so your child’s absence can be recorded correctly and we can provide appropriate support for you and your family.

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.  On arrival at school, please go to the Office and sign your child in.

The Baldry Shield is a long-standing tradition for all small schools our region since 1940. 

It was first donated by Aldred and Annie Baldry in memory of their oldest son Kenneth Aldred Mackay Baldry who died during world war one. The Baldry Shield along with many other trophies were donated by the town and district residents. A tradition that continues today.

The Baldry Shield has only been cancelled nine times since its beginning. The first from 1942 to 1947, due to the war. Then recently from 2020 to 2022 due to the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus.

This year Wallendbeen PS are reviving the tradition by holding the first Baldry Shield since 2019.

Being the first year back after the latest break, the Wallendbeen communty are keen to keep this longstanding tradition alive and going!

When: Friday 15 September 

The day will include a march-past, ball games and other events.

Binalong Playgroup will be help on 4 Fridays over term 3 with the community nurse attending 3 of the sessions. 

- 28 July (Nurse attending)

- 11 August

- 25 August (Nurse attending)

- 22September (Nurse attending)

We look forward to welcoming families to the school for play, craft and morning tea!

Please share these details with parents and carers of young ones in our local area, we would love to connect!

At Binalong Public School we are committed to offering a range of activities and spaces for students to access during break times. We have introduced the following alternative activities for students to access throughout the week, and we hope to be able to expand on these throughout the year.

Monday Lunch:     Library Club/ Book Club/Lego Club with Mrs Arabin

Tuesday Lunch:    Garden Club with Mrs Cassidy

                                Bush School with Mrs Edwards

**NEW** Wednesday Lunch: Coding Club (Year 4/5/6 Classroom) with Mrs Walsh (Primary students only at this stage)

The PRC aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. 

The PRC is open to all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 10, in government, independent, Catholic and home schools.

2023 Challenge dates:

27 February 2023 - challenge opens for student entries

Friday 18 August 2023 - challenge closes for student entries - Please note that all students in K-2 have completed the challenge. Students in Years 3 to 6 are required to update their own lists and have been given time throughout the year to do so.

Friday 1 September 2023 - final date for coordinator validations of completed reading records.

(Students can include any books read from the end of the 2022 challenge on their 2023 reading record.)

If students would like to explore books to read you can follow the link below:

https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/studentExperience.html#/ 

See below for upcoming P&C events

Calling all Writers!! Help us celebrate our 41st annual writing competition.

This is the ideal opportunity for writers of all levels of any genre to ‘have a go’ and enter our 2023 Annual Writing Competition.

Entries are now open and close October 13, 2023.

There is no set theme for short stories up to 1500 words (please show word count) and poems up to 50 lines. Let your imagination fly or perhaps dust off that piece you wrote years ago. Don’t let it sit forgotten in a drawer. Writers of fiction, family history, or romance are invited to enter. And don’t forget the poetry; traditional rhyming or free verse as you choose.

Entries from school students are welcome. See entry form for word and line limits.

Entry fee is $5 per entry or free for school students.

Multiple entries are allowed for adults.

Postal and bank details on entry form.

Entries can be posted or emailed. All e-mailed entries will be acknowledged.

Final results, with judges’ overall competition comments, will be emailed to all entrants who have supplied their email address.

How to use LFFAW entry form;

Print entry form, complete details and post to our PO address, together with entry copies

or

Complete entry form on screen, ticking required boxes (signature not required for online entries), “save as” (control – s), new file name, close, then email new file together with entries to lambingflatbranchfaw@hotmail.com