Casula Public School 

 Term 4 ‐ Week 8, 27 November 2017 

De Meyrick Ave, CASULA NSW 2170  .  9602 3170  .  casula‐p.school@det.nsw.edu.au  .  casula‐p.schools.nsw.edu.au  .  @CasulaPS 

A Nut Aware School 

Important Dates  

Term 4 Week 8 Monday 27 November High School Week  

Tuesday 28 November Last day of Scripture Yr 6 Fun Day & Colour Run  

Friday 1 December White Ribbon Day  

Term 4 Week 9 Monday 4 December Yrs 3 & 4 Movie Day   

Tuesday 5 December P&C Mee ng Yrs 1 & 2 Movie Day  

Wednesday 6 December Kindergarten Movie Day  

Thursday 7 December Sport Presenta on Day OC Orienta on A ernoon Parent Forum—Community Breakfast Program 2‐3pm  

Friday 8 December Stage 3 Amazing Race  

Term 4 Week 10 Monday 11 December Presenta on Day  

Tuesday 12 December Christmas Raffle  

Thursday 14 December Year 6 Gradua on Year 6 Farewell 5.30‐8.30pm  

Friday 15 December Casula’s Got Talent Last day for students  

Courier Principal’s Message

White Ribbon this Friday This week we are acknowledging White Ribbon Day this Friday and look forward to seeing our school a ‘sea of white’. All students and staff are invited to wear white clothing. Our schools focus is around respect. Respect for self and respect for others. Kindness and care makes us all feel safe. At our school, we value positive behaviours between friends and acquaintances. When things go wrong responding verbally with anger or physical responses is unacceptable, hurtful and harmful. Physical and psychological wellbeing is important for both men and women, boys and girls. Through education, awareness raising, preventative programs, partnerships and political advocacy, White Ribbon highlights the positive role men play in preventing and stopping violence against women and enables them to be advocates of this social change.

On Friday, we will be participating in activities that support respectful language and behaviour and promote awareness of the White Ribbon ‘Breaking the Silence Program’.

Movie Day Movie Days for Kindergarten to Year 4 are fast approaching! We are seeing: Paddington 2. How exciting! This activity has been planned to celebrate learning and friendship this year. It is a wonderful opportunity for students to engage in this excursion. Positive behaviour is expected in order to attend this excursion. Excursions are a privilege for us to attend.

New equipment on site We are just waiting for the last of the soccer posts to be installed on the playground and the second phase of our playground equipment installation. Our students are loving the opportunity to play and engage with their friends in a wealth of new opportunity. During week 9 and 10 we will have structured opportunities to learn to play and use the equipment on our playground. Wait till you see the mini tennis games too!!

Are you returning to Casula PS in 2018 – final information required A note was sent home to all families seeking clarification about your plans for 2018. I am currently finalising classes and ensuring staffing is correct for 2018. I am aware that a few families are moving house and some are moving interstate. If you are not returning to Casula PS next year could you please confirm that so as we can plan and ensure a smooth transition for your children into their new school.

Parents and Carers on site We warmly welcome our parents and carers on site during mornings and afternoon pick ups. It’s lovely to see you catching up with others and introducing yourself to new families and making them feel welcome at our school.

It is important to remember our school site is a place where all school communities show respect to one another. This is a baseline expectation for all parents and carers. It is timely to remind parents and carers too that under no circumstance are parents to approach children in the playground, at the school gates or on the way home. Students have the right to feel safe at school and parents have the right to know their children are safe when they are dropped off to school. Any issues that concern you regarding conflict children have at school then you are asked to see the class teacher, the Assistant Principals, the Deputy Principals or myself. In doing so we have a climate of safety and re-spect. Many thanks for your anticipated cooperation in this important matter.

Have a great week everyone – 2 weeks to go : )

Robyn Evans

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Casula’s Aboriginal students and their families recently participated in a celebration with other primary and high schools in the Liverpool area. The significant assembly acknowledged each student’s achievement in relation to their Personalised Learning Pathway goal and it was hosted this year by Mount Pritchard East PS. Our students received a special certificate detailing their achievements. This year the major book prize was awarded to Kirsty Maher for showing amazing initiative in mentoring Kindergarten students one day each week. Thank you to all of our dedicated families who attended the celebration and joined us for lunch.

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Well done to our Arabic students, coming before school time to participate in an Arabic guided reading session.

Wonderfly Performance Throughout Terms 3 and 4, I have been involved in a play called Wonderfly, put on at the Australian Theatre for Young People, in Sydney at the Walsh Bay Wharf. The play is set in Gotham City-Sydney, and leaps from the pages of a comic book. Wonderfly, the superhero of the time, has given 12 ordinary kids powers, and a quest to steal the wings from the Red Wasp. Unexperienced and confused, the 12 kids set of the tip, where the play takes place. Little do they know that there ARE others. Will the Red Wasp steal the wings for good and turn the city into waste, or will the kids band together and win? Will everyone just go home? Open auditions for this wonderful play started in August, with call backs a few weeks later. Rehearsals began in September and went for 12 hours a week for 2 months. In the lead up and during Production Week we were called every day. Shows ran for 2 weeks, with a total of 14 shows. It was an absolutely amazing experience with a team of talented actors and friends, and an amazing group of artistic talents to direct us. Daisy M 5/6D

Australian Primary Schools Mathematical Olympiad 2017 This year our school entered 2 teams in the Australian Primary Schools Mathematical Olympiad and one team in the Australian Primary Schools Maths Games. There were 59 talented student Mathematicians from our school entered in the Maths Olympiad competition and another 29 students entered in the Maths Games. All the students had the opportunity to compete in 5 competition rounds throughout the year. In each competition round there were 5 questions that each student had to answer. At the end of the competition rounds the A team were presented with an Outstanding Achievement plaque for finishing in the top 10% of all teams competing in this competition. There are over 1000 teams and 30,954 students in this competition from private and public schools throughout Australia, New Zealand and other Pacific nations.

Yasin achieved a perfect score of 25 in the competition. There were 14 Casula PS students who finished in the top 10% of all students in the competition and another 12 students finished in the top 20% of all participants. James topped the B Team with a score of 20/25 and Danya and Sanjili tied for 1st place in the Maths Games on 13/20.

Congratulations to all of the students who participated in this years Maths Olympiad and Maths Games competitions. Thank you to Miss Carey and Mrs Farquhar who helped to mentor a group.

I hope we see all of those keen mathematicians again next year! Year 6 students are encouraged to ask next year if their high school is involved in the senior division of this competition. Mr Davis

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Mind Marathon The East Hills Mind Marathon Championship Day, at East Hills Boys Technology High School, was a great experience for me. On this day the 18 of the top teams across the state were invited back to East Hills Boys HS to compete against each other. Two teams from Casula PS were invited back.

The challenges were more difficult than I’ve ever seen, but you’ll always get that feeling of satisfaction when you figure out an answer, and the same frustration when your card tower falls down.

On the day, nerves really take over, especially if you don’t feel you belong. The challenges started out easy, but the make-or-break was the engineering challenge. My team and I managed a 71cm tower at the tallest, but was knocked down numerous times before the timer stopped.

One of Casula Public School’s teams finished in third position at the end of the competition.

Going to this event was a brilliant experience for me - I got to know my teammates and others at the competition. A fantastic day for a battle of the brains.

By Faith C 5/6D

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Museum of Contemporary Art Excursion

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