NEWSLETTER

120 Barnier Drive

Quakers Hill, 2763

To subscribe email: barniernewsletter@gmail.com

7th June 2019

We are now over half way through Term 2. 2019 is racing by at lightning speed! It has been such a happy and very productive term. I’ve taught KS, 2B, 2S, KA, 1T, 3L, 2D and 4B so far this term. Over time, my goal is to teach all 35 classes at least once. I’ve really enjoyed getting into classrooms and spending quality teaching and learning time with our students.

Whole School Assembly

Last week we had a whole school assembly. It was an absolute joy to be there and acknowledge the amazing achievements of our wonderful students. During this assembly, many students were acknowledged for their outstanding application to their learning, exemplary personal qualities and beautiful, respectful, caring behaviour. Well done to all those wonderful students! The behaviour of all students K-6 during this entire assembly was highly respectful and courteous.

Students arriving at school on time every day..

I cannot stress enough the importance of arriving at school on time every day so that precious learning time is not lost. Currently, we still have 30-40 students every day at Barnier who are late to school. I ask all parents to ensure their child/children are at school before the bell. Repeated lateness will impact negatively on a child’s learning. We want every student to achieve their personal best at school and make the very most of every minute of their learning time.

P&C Meeting Monday 17th

June

Our next P&C meeting will take place on Monday 17

th June at 7:30-9pm in the school library. We’d

love to see more parents attend these meetings. Please come along, everyone has something to offer and something positive to share. Being part of this organisation will provide opportunities for parents to further support our students and school. Our P&C recently purchased large mats for our students to sit on during our outdoor whole school assemblies, we are just so grateful!

Principal’s Message

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

Phone: 9837 1600

Fax: 9837 1858

Special thanks also must go to our P&C for their recent and wonderful donation of books to our school library (pictured below). Complaints, Concerns and Issues

Occasionally parents or members of our school community may be concerned about an incident or issue or may have a complaint they would like addressed.

A complaint can simply be an expression of dissatisfaction or it can be a problem that you want fixed.

Sometimes things do not go the way you expect. Sometimes the decisions made or the actions taken need to be explained better. At other times, we need to look more closely at what we did or how we are doing our work.

The DoE has a policy to assist in the dealing of complaints. The policy aims to:

encourage the resolution of problems by informal means wherever possible

ensure that concerns are dealt with quickly, fully and fairly

maintain good working relationships between all people involved with the school

provide effective responses and appropriate redress

be confidential

be unbiased

How to make a complaint

Discuss your concerns with a member of our staff or make an appointment to discuss the matter with the Principal.

You may bring a friend or relative to support you.

If a complaint cannot be resolved in an informal way, you may be asked to put your complaint in writing.

It is important that your written complaint includes specific details of the situation/issue and an indication of what you would like to happen as a result of your complaint.

We can assist you to put your complaint in writing, if you require it.

What can you expect?

Most complaints can be resolved quickly and informally to everybody’s satisfaction simply by talking to the person concerned or the Principal.

Some complaints are covered under another policy or by special legislation e.g. OH&S or anti-discrimination policies. You will be advised if this is the case with your complaint. You will also be told how and by whom your concerns will be addressed.

Occasionally more serious or complex complaints require investigation. These can take a longer time to resolve. If this happens, you should be informed of the progress and outcome of your complaint by phone or in writing at regular intervals until the matter is resolved.

If you have not heard from the person handling the complaint within a reasonable time, call to ask them what is happening.

What are the possible outcomes?

1. Your complaint is upheld (in part or in full) and, where appropriate, one or more of the following actions may be offered to you:

action to remedy or amend the situation

an apology

an explanation

an admission that the situation could have been handled differently or better

an assurance that the event complained of will not recur

an explanation of the steps that have been taken to ensure that it will not happen again

an undertaking to review our policies in light of the complaint.

2. Your complaint is not upheld. The reasons for this should be clearly given.

If you are not happy with the outcome, you may request a review of your complaint. I encourage all parents or members of our school community who have a concern or an issue to approach a member of staff or myself so that matters can be resolved as quickly and effectively as possible.

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF A CHILD IS GIFTED?

All children have talents and gifts, many are clever and quick. But a gifted child is in another league. How can you tell if a child falls under

the definition of a gifted child? This list of characteristics is a useful tool for identifying if a child is truly gifted.

COGNITIVE

Very observant. Extremely curious and enjoys learning new things. Intense interests. Excellent memory. Long attention span. Enjoys intellectual activity. Excellent reasoning skills. Critical and sceptical. Highly-developed powers of abstraction, conceptualisation, and synthesis. Quickly and easily sees relationships in ideas, objects or facts. Flexible thinking. Elaborate and original thinking. Excellent problem-solving skills. Learns quickly and with less practice and repetition. Unusual and/or vivid imagination. Enjoys books and movies meant for older children.

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL TRAITS

Interested in philosophical and social issues. Concerned about fairness and injustice. A perfectionist. Energetic. Well-developed sense of humour. Usually intrinsically motivated. Relates well to parents, teachers and other adults.

LANGUAGE

Extensive vocabulary. May read early. Reads rapidly and widely. Asks ‘what if’ questions.

ASYNCHRONOUS DEVELOPMENT

In average children, intellectual, physical and emotional development progress at about the same rate – that is, in sync. An average three-year-old has similar intellectual emotional and physical maturity to most other three-year-olds. In gifted children, the development of these areas is out of sync. They do not progress at the same rate. The intellectual ability is always advanced. The higher a child's IQ, the more out of sync their development is likely to be. Acknowledgement: Carol Bainbridge in About Parenting

Barnier Public School has a responsibility to educate all students to their potential. We are committed to high quality educational outcomes for all students, including gifted and talented students. We believe we have a responsibility to develop effective and equitable identification procedures

and developmentally appropriate programs for gifted and talented students.

At Barnier Public School we aim to identify gifted and talented students and to maximise their learning outcomes through a variety of programs and strategies, which may include:

Differentiated curriculum - the curriculum is adjusted to suit the needs of the gifted and talented students.

Teaching/learning activities - teaching and learning activities highlight the upper levels of Blooms Taxonomy and higher order thinking skills.

Grouping practices - grouping of like minds and abilities to stimulate discussion, motivation and learning.

Problem Based Learning - the move towards Problem Based Learning provides highly engaging and variable experiences for students to learn and solve real world scenarios.

The use of technology - the ratio of 2:1 computers in each room allows ease of differentiated delivery and programs available to all students. This is also engaging and motivating.

Role of assessment – a variety of ongoing formative and summative assessments.

Both formative and summative assessment strategies are used to allow students to demonstrate knowledge and skills thus providing the teachers with a more comprehensive picture of each student’s abilities.

All decisions regarding the ways in which students are supported in their learning must be informed by a variety of assessments and with deep consideration and understanding of a child’s specific academic, emotional, behavioural and social needs.

The Department of Education has a policy regarding the implementation of strategies for the education of gifted and talented students. It can be found at:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/associated-documents/polgdl.pdf

Have a great fortnight, everyone,

Warmest regards,

Mandy Hollis

R/Principal

Logan W 3B

Amreen K 3L

Tiya B 4/5V

Aanvi G 5S

Asher F 5S

Archie P 1A

Arshi H 1A

Jacob D 1R

Vansh P 1R

Jasmine S 1T

Anirudh A 1W

Srishti D 1W

Harkirat B 2D

Henry D 2D

Nicholas H 2D

Mairav R 2D

Rohan R 2D

Sienna T 2D

Cash D 2M

Leonardo B 2M

Pete N 2M

Elif S 2R

Nathan O 2R

Zarah R 2S

Kayzar L 3L

Jansi K 3S

Daniyal A 3W

Owen C 4B

Oliver L 4M

Sai J 4M

Aarav D 4/5V

Kris P 4/5V

Aayush P 5L

Anshvir A 5L

Ariv R 5L

Isabella P 5L

Khushil K 5L

Makenzie S 5L

Fraser L 5S

Krisha A 5S

Rabab G 5S

Suvaniik G 5S

Archisha T 5T

Diya Rajpal 5T

Ethan H 5T

Ciara C 5/6K

Pranav D 5/6K

Agampreet K 6G

Mishkka R 6G

Noah G 6G

Rhea K 6G

Abigail C 6H

Amitoj K 6H

Jameson C 6H

Joshua H 6H

Simrit S 6H

Ryan P 6R

Platinum Award Recipients

Gold Award Recipients

Week 7

10th June 2019

Queen’s Birthday Public Holiday

12th June 2019

Interrelate - Stage 3

Kindergarten Assembly @ 2pm

13th June 2019

Payment for Round 4 PSSA due to

office by 9am

14th June 2019

Winter PSSA Round 4

Stage 3 Assembly @ 2pm

Week 8

17th June 2019

Sport in Schools Years 3-6

19th June 2019

Stage 1 Assembly @ 2pm

20th June 2019

Payment for Round 5 PSSA due to

office by 9am

21st June 2019

Winter PSSA Round 5

Stage 2 Assembly @ 2pm

Week 9

24th June 2019

Sport in Schools Years 3-6

NAIDOC Day 2019

25th June 2019

Stage 1 School History Incursion

26th June 2019

Kindergarten Assembly @ 2pm

27th June 2019

Payment for Round 6 PSSA due to

office by 9am

28th June 2019

Winter PSSA Round 6

Stage 3 Assembly

Week 10

1st July 2019

Sport in Schools Years 3-6

3rd July 2019

Stage 1 Assembly @ 2pm

4th July 2019

Payment for Round 7 PSSA due to

office by 9am

Whole School Assembly

5th July 2019

Winter PSSA Round 7

Stage 2 Assembly

Term 3

Week 1

22nd July 2019

Staff Development Day

23rd July 2019

All Students Return

24th July 2019

Kindergarten Assembly @ 2pm

25th July 2019

Payment for Round 8 PSSA due to

office by 9am

28th June 2019

Winter PSSA Round 8

Stage 3 Assembly

Event Reminders

Last Thursday, our wonderful Prosperitas students attended the Halfway

Presentation evening held at Quakers Hill High School.

Amaya D 5/6K, Emily G 5/6K, Sienna H 5/6K, Sadhula W 5/6K, Akane P 5/6K,

Katie L 5/6K, Taylor C 5/6K, Andrew G 5/6K, Amitoj K 6H have all been busy

working on their fantastic projects and were proud to share their amazing

work on the night.

Students are now back to work ready to present their final projects at the

Presentation Evening held on Thursday August 22 from 6.30pm-8.00pm at

Quakers Hill High School.

We look forward to seeing these innovative, creative and exciting projects!

Prosperitas

On Tuesday 28th of May, Barnier sent 31 students to the Blacktown PSSA Zone Carnival. It was a

beautiful day with perfect conditions for our athletes. Our students were all eager to give their best and

compete against the rest of the schools in our Zone. They are to be congratulated on their great

sportsmanship and their overall best effort! A big thank you to all the support we received from parents

and family members who came out to support the students. They were awesome.

We are proud to announce that 15 of our students will be heading to the Sydney West Cross Country Carnival on the 12

th of June. Barnier was also awarded the overall 2019 Cross Country Champions.

Well done everyone!

Zone Cross Country

P&C coffee morning

Thank you to the parents who braved the cold last Friday morning for the P&C coffee morning. It was pleasing to see some new faces. Thank you to Evelyn Ransom for organising a beautiful array of food.

The P&C have purchased mats for students to sit on during assembly

We would like to thank Kylie Gleeson for her hard work organising the beautiful mats to be used during assembly for our students. A timely purchase coming into winter and will make sitting on cold concrete just that little more comfortable for the students. If you see Kylie around the playground please say thank you. She initially raised this issue on behalf of students and managed it all the way through to completion.

Next P and C meeting

The next P&C meeting is Monday 17th June at 7.30 pm in the library. Everyone is

welcome. We hope to see you there.

Barnier P&C

esafety.gov.au/parents

Children often have access to devices, including smartphones, from a very young age. Whether it’s watching their favourite program through streaming services on your phone, using educational apps or simply viewing photos with you and the family, they are engaging with devices in one form or another.

But when is my child old enough to be given their own mobile phone?

In 2012, the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed children as young as five years old owned a mobile phone – two percent of children aged between five and eight years old, and 29 percent for children aged five to 14 years. This figure is likely to be higher now!

For many parents and carers, five years old would seem too young. For others, it might offer them peace of mind and security to know they can keep in touch with their child—especially in an emergency.

The right age for your child will depend on their level of maturity. It’s worth asking yourself the following questions before handing over a digital device.

For younger children it’s best to start with a mobile phone without internet access, and introduce a smartphone when they demonstrate an appropriate level of maturity. Some younger children might argue that they are ready for a smartphone, especially if their friends already have one. But it’s worth holding out until you feel confident that your child is mature enough.

My child has their first smartphone – now what?

When your child receives their first smartphone it’s a great opportunity to instil safe online behaviours early on, so they can carry these skills through to their teens and beyond.

Here are some tips for getting them on board with good online habits.

Establish rules at the outset with clear boundaries

Talk about expectations and the consequences for not meeting these rules. Depending on the age of your child, you might want to set up a written signed agreement which lists the rules.

Here are some you may want to agree on:

• No phones after a certain time (i.e. 8.00 pm) – unless in an emergency.

• Keep to daily screen time limits (i.e. 1 hour per school night).

• Family time is a no-phone zone (i.e. dinner).

Your child’s first smartphone – are they old enough?

• Does my child have a good sense of responsibility?

• Are they able to stick to the rules?

• Do they show a good understanding of actions and consequences?

• Do they come to me or another trusted adult when they are distressed or encounter problems?

esafety.gov.au/parents

• Do not share your passwords with others – apart from parents.

• Do not share your real name (or full name), age and address when posting, talking to strangers or on sites where anyone can see it.

• Be kind to people – treat people on the phone as you would face-to-face.

• Do not take or share photos of others (including friends) without their permission.

• Tell a parent or another trusted adult if anything makes you feel uncomfortable, or if a stranger contacts you online.

• Do not purchase or download an app or game without talking to a parent first—especially as these often have minimum age requirements.

Use technology tools to help set the boundaries to keep your child safe

Use parental controls to help manage your child’s device and the types of content they can access. Most devices come with parental controls and offer a range of features:

• iPhone: Go to Settings > General > Restrictions. Here you can disable apps or features, prevent access to explicit content and specific webpages.

• Android (Google Play): Go to Play Store > Settings > Parental controls. Most Android phones use Google Play as the digital marketplace for purchasing apps and accessing content. Through Google Play you can restrict the content your child can download or purchase from Google Play.

• Google’s Family Link is an app for parents to help manage their child’s device and account and offers additional layers of protection. It enables parents to set screen time limits, review app permissions (such as their camera, location, contacts), block apps and approve downloads, block sites and filter content.

• You can also check with your mobile service provider if they offer any parental control tools.

Activate any privacy settings and safety features available on the device, in web browsers and apps. In some cases you can do this through parental controls or when installing apps on their phone. Carefully consider permissions and whether apps really need to access your child’s location, contact list, messages and other features.

Help your child set up a pin or password to lock their phone. In addition to protecting their personal information, this will ensure that no one else can use their phone.

Help your child set up strong and unique passwords for their apps and websites. Even if the phone is locked, apps and websites can be accessed from other devices.

Communicate openly with your child, establish and maintain trust

Most importantly, communicate openly with your child about their phone and online use. It’s not possible to supervise your child 24/7 and no technology tool is 100 percent effective in protecting them from online risks. So it’s really important to establish and maintain trust.

• Talk openly and regularly with your child about their online activities. Show them that you are interested in how they connect with friends, who they talk with and the type of sites they visit.

• If you are using parental controls, be upfront about this and get them on board. Let them know that these can be reviewed and changed as they get older and they continue to demonstrate responsible behaviour.

• Talk about positive online behaviour and about respecting others online. Encourage your child to think carefully before they post, text or share comments or photos so they don’t hurt or upset others. Remind them there is a real person at the end of the screen.

• Encourage your child to come to you (or another trusted adult) if they are upset because of an online experience, even if they think they are to blame.