Condong Public School Newsletter

Citizenship Perseverance Sincerity

4 July 2018 Term 2 ~ Week 10

Important Dates! Wed 4/7 Student Half Yearly Reports Fri 6/7 End of Term 2 Mon 23/7 PUPIL FREE DAY Tue 24/7 Term 3 Begins Life Education Van Visit Wed 25/7 School Athletics Carnival Fri 17/8 Science Day @ Tumbulgum PS Wed 22/8 Transition Day @ MHS Mon 27/8 School Swimming Scheme Commences (10 days) Fri 31/8 Public Speaking Finals Thu 13/9 FNC Public Speaking Finals Tue 18/9 Jump Rope For Heart Jump Off Fri 28/9 End of Term 3

Condong Public School

77 McLeod Street, Condong NSW 2484

Phone: 02 66722390

Principal: Mr Brendan Quinn

Website: condong-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Email: condong-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

School Athletics Carnival Our Annual School Athletics Carnival will be held at Murwillumbah High School on Wednesday, 25 July (Term 3 Week 1) starting at around 9.15am. Students can wear a t-shirt in their house colour if they wish otherwise sports shirt and their fastest running shoes of course! Parents and families are very welcome to join us on the day. Travel will be by bus departing school at 8.50am and returning when all events have been completed (probably around 1.30pm). The cost of bus hire is $5.00 per student. Please complete attached permission note and return to school as soon as possible. Thank you to the families that have already done so. Murwillumbah High School will cater with Vege or Meat Burgers for $5.00 each but these MUST BE PRE-ORDERED. Please see attached order form that will need to be returned to school by this Friday so we can place our school order with the high school before the first day of next term. Students (8 years and over) who make the qualifying distance in the field events will be eligible to participate in the Murwillumbah District Athletics Carnival on 9 August.

Term 2 Merit Certificate Rewards Congratulations to the students who have earned enough awards this term to be rewarded with a morning tea with the teachers on Friday. They are Mileika, Clinton, Isla, Jayla, Jazmin, Kallum, Brodie, Charli & Bianca.

2019 Kindergarten Enrolments The school is taking enrolments for 2019. If you have a child that will be attending this school next year or you know of any children of neighbours, family or friends attending next year please contact Mrs Cantwell to arrange the necessary paperwork.

The Life Education Van will be at our school on Tuesday, 24 July (Term 3 Week 1). We have been very fortunate to receive subsidy from Twin Towns Services Club which reduced the cost to $5 per student. Our P&C Association have decided to paid the remaining $5 per student which is very generous. Please complete attached permission note and return to school as soon as possible. We are also attaching a price list of Harold Merchandise that

can be purchased from the educator on the day.

Life Education Van Visit

IGA Donation Thank you to IGA Tweed Valley owners, Brett and Leanne Bugg, our school were extremely fortunate to receive a donation cheque for $110.92 at a recent presentation. Thank you to our school captains and vice captains, Lara, Bianca, Katie-Lee and Charlotte who went along to represent our school. Thank you also to their parents for taking them. We look forward to using these funds to purchase new library books.

Last week we were thrilled to be the first school to be gifted with a beautiful Bears to Schools bear. Bears to School is a national initiative that uses the highly popular collectable bear as flexible learning props to engage all students in the stories of the Great War in our nations build up to commemorating the ANZAC Centenary of the end of the WW1 on Remembrance Day this year. Mr Kevin Cheetham from the National Servicemen’s Association spoke to staff and students and as always, he gave a very insightful and informative speech.

A very big thank you to Lyn Hartley, a former student of Condong Public School who generously donated the Trooper Jones Light Horse

Bear. The donation of this bear will provide students and teachers with a new way to relate to the lessons and events that share our

military and social history, and that they will carry forward a more personal understanding of service. Furthermore, it is a gift that our

school will be able to treasure forever.

Bears to School Presentation

Our teachers attended an after school 3-hour training session at Murwillumbah High School recently. About 170 teachers and principals from the Community of Schools network attended. The new School Director Megan Johnson, spoke about future focussed learners and the need for educators to take the risk to teach differently. Mr Quinn spoke about our funny staff photos and our highly positive, happy and fun staff and students, along with our colourful and inviting school environment. It was fantastic to listen to a representative from every school present about something fun that is happening at their school. We finished with some hands on activities on how to breathe deeply and use a stress ball to relieve tension and stress. This term has continued to be once again a busy term for professional learning for all of our staff. Mr Quinn, Miss Dempsey and Ms Whyte continue their L3 (Language, Learning and Literacy) journey. The S8 Community of Schools professional learning have established various ‘professional learning hubs’, which have been organised by Mrs Ciric. These hubs have been meeting several times each term. Miss Dempsey has been participating in a mathematics hub and Mrs Borton and Mr Quinn have been participating in a spelling hub. Further to this, all staff have been actively participating in stage meetings with the S8 Community of Schools groups regularly here at Condong and Fingal Heads Public Schools. Mrs Cantwell has also been extremely busy with additional professional learning workshops in the areas of finance and administration.

Each stage has been working on a science unit of work, which has been developed in conjunction with the other stage teachers from the

S8 Community of Schools group. The culmination of this unit of work ‘Game Changers and Change Makers’ will be a combined Science

Day which will be held at Tumbulgum Public School on Friday, 17 August. At this day, each stage will have a display set up. As you can

see, learning has been extremely busy, yet fun and rewarding for both students and staff here at Condong!

Staff Professional Learning

Home reading is a fabulous way of developing a student’s love of reading. It should be an enjoyable activity where students practise fluency, build confidence, learn about the world around them and develop their imagination. Home reading is an essential part of our reading program. It provides children the opportunity to practise the skills and strategies they are being taught at school. It is the joy and love of sharing a good book on a nightly basis that sets the foundation for reading success. Providing a regular, reading routine at home assists children in their journey for reading success. Useful reading tips When your child is reading and encounters words that are difficult for them, use the Three Ps technique ‘Pause, Prompt, Praise' to support them. Pause: when your child comes to a word they don't know, wait and give your child time to work out the word. Prompt: - go back to the beginning of the sentence, or read past the difficult word to the end of the sentence - look for a clue in the picture or the words - look at the sound the word begins with, use that clue, and think about what may make sense here? - Look at the pictures. If prompts like these are not working, simply tell your child the correct word. Try not to spend too much time prompting, as your child will find it difficult to maintain the overall meaning of what they are reading. Praise: your child for trying, even if mistakes are made. Praise your child's reading efforts and successes with comments like “I like the way you …..” “Well done”. “You must have been practising”. After Reading Encourage your child to talk about the story, retell parts and discuss what they like or disliked about it. If you would like more information or ideas, please refer to the following website http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/english/english-tips/reading-with-your-child-at-home

Home Reading

Voluntary School Contributions 2018 Voluntary school contributions allow the school to provide an enhanced level of resourcing for all students at Condong Public School. These key resources are highly important to the daily work of each student. The level of school contributions set by the Condong Public School P & C Association for 2018 is as follows: 1st child $48, 2nd child $33, 3rd child $25, 4th and subsequent children are free. It would be appreciated if contributions could be finalised by the end of this term. You can use the Parent Online Payment (POP) option (see below) or pay by cash or cheque at the school office.

Canteen News Full canteen is available on Fridays and lunchtime snacks only are sold on Tuesdays. When ordering on Fridays please ensure that lunch orders/recess orders are written on separate paper bags with child’s name/class clearly marked and money placed inside bags. The Canteen Roster for Week 10 of Term 2 is as follows:

Tuesday, 3 July J. Byrne Friday, 6 July L. Oxley (FULL) VOLUNTEER URGENTLY NEEDED FOR 6 JULY (AM/PM). More helpers will be needed to ensure the weekly running of the canteen. Please contact the school office if you can spare some time, the children really enjoy their canteen days.

Sneaky ways to keep kids learning during school holidays While no child on the planet wants to do maths sheets or spelling quizzes during the break, the holidays are a perfect opportunity for them to keep on learning. It’s a chance to build upon the valuable concepts and skills they’ve gained in school, while also discovering new and cool things beyond the classroom walls. Here are some sly and fun ways to slip in learning, when the kids have slipped into holiday mode. Get messy in the kitchen and bake Have the kids been learning about fractions in school? Then pull out the baking cups and measuring spoons, be-cause it’s time to bring those classroom lessons to life! Scooping, measuring and mixing will have them applying their mathematical knowledge, as well as learning about the chemistry of baking. Pull out a deck of cards Remember how you loved playing Go Fish and Crazy Eights as a child? Guess what? Your kids will too! Introduce them to the fun world of card games and they’ll be practising their number and pattern recognition skills, with-out even knowing it. Thrill them with tongue twisters Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers ... and sent all the children into fits of laughter! Tongue twisters are fun, especially when kids say them as fast as they can, but did you know they are also used as a speech therapy exercise? If your child struggles with reading aloud, or stumbles over words, have them practise some tongue twisters in the holidays. Play board games and puzzles Board games like Scrabble, Monopoly, Pictionary or even Snakes and Ladders, are fantastic for exercising little minds. Pull out a boxed game and your kids will be practising their numbers, letters and shape recognition skills, improving their hand-eye coordination, or honing in on their visual perception and colour identification skills. Happy holidays!

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Condong School Athletics Carnival Permission Note – Wednesday, 25 July, 2018

I give permission for my child/ren _____________________________________________________

to participate at the School Athletics Carnival to be held at Murwillumbah High School

Oval on Wednesday, 25 July.

I understand that travel will be by bus leaving school at 9.00am and that the cost is $5.00

per student.

My child/ren has the following medical condition:

_____________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________ ______________

Parent/Carer Date

Life Education Van Visit—Permission Note I give permission for my child/children ………………………………………………...…….. to attend the Life Education program at school on Tuesday, 24 July, 2018. There is no charge as cost has been subsidised by the Condong P&C Assoc and Twin Towns Services Club. Signed ……………………………………………………. Date ………………………...

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School Athletics Carnival at Murwillumbah High School Oval BURGER PRE-ORDER FORM

Meat Burger with salad @ $5.00 each Quantity Vege Burger with salad @ $5.00 each Quantity FAMILY NAME: _________________________________ Please return this form by THIS FRIDAY for catering purposes.