Principal’s Report

Dear Parent/Carer

Computer Research

We all know that getting kids off the

computer and outside to play is

important for their health, however,

researchers at Griffith University

(QLD) have found kids who do extra

curricular activities, such as sport or

voluntary work, tend to be safer online,

encounter less cyber bullying and are

more resilient to harassment if it

occurs.

On the other hand, researchers found

that kids who spent a lot of time online

were:

Isolated in their computer usage

(such as having the computer in

their bedroom),

More likely to take risks,

More stressed,

Likely to report higher levels of

cyber bullying and harassment which

stressed them.

At a glance:

Kids who do extra-curricular

activities encounter less cyber

bullying,

Exercise strengthens resilience,

Socially connected kids are more

able to switch off from online

abuse,

Parents should ask their kids about

their online activities,

Computer should be in a shared area

of the house—not in the child’s

bedroom.

Spelling

When your child is taught spelling at

school, they learn to understand:

How words sound,

How words look,

How words change form, eg from

jump to jumped,

Where words come from.

At school, kids:

Usually spend time each day

studying words,

Learn that spelling is a tool that is

closely linked to writing and reading,

Learn that accurate spelling

matters and that it’s important to

check their writing for mistakes.

What you can do to help your child with

spelling:

Explain to your child that some

words can be sounded out, but not

all English words can be spelt

correctly by ‘sounding out’, eg. the

words ‘you’ & ‘said’,

Talk to your child about how you

spell and what you do when you don’t

know how to spell a word,

Encourage your child to write at

home on paper and on the computer,

eg. filling in forms, writing notes to

family members, writing phone

messages and reminder notes,

making lists, replying to letters and

emails and sending cards.

Provide a dictionary and use it

t o g e t h e r . R e m e m b e r t h a t

dictionaries are more useful if your

child knows about the alphabet and

how a dictionary works,

Encourage your child to first try

spelling unknown words themselves

and then praise the parts of the

word that are correct and suggest

what else is needed.

Say, cover, write, check:

When learning to spell an unknown word,

first talk about what the word means,

then try learning to spell it using the

following technique:

Look carefully at the word,

Say the word, cover the word,

Write it from memory,

Uncover and check your attempt

against the correct word,

Repeat as needed.

What you can do when your child asks

how to spell a word:

Encourage your child to have a go

first and then discuss their effort,

Make sure they have access to a

dictionary (if they have learnt to

read) and how to use it,

Simply tell your child how the word

is spelt and talk about it together.

Should you correct your child’s spelling?

First encourage your child to check

their work and find any mistakes,

If they have made a mistake with a

common word, ask them to try to

fix it without your help,

It’s always useful to show your child

the correct spelling of a word.

The Rock Central School Phone: 02 6920 2132 Fax: 02 6920 2023 Email: therock-c.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Ford Street (PO Box 58) The Rock NSW 2655 Web: www.therock-c.schools.nsw.edu.au

NEWSLETTER Week 9 Term 1 26th March 2014

Canteen News 2014 ROSTER

Wed 2nd Apr Briony Mazzocchi

Thurs 3rd Apr Kath Priest

Fri 4th Apr Deb Emmett

Volunteer hours: 10am—1pm

ATHLETICS CARNIVAL FRIDAY 2ND MAY

LUNCH MEAL DEAL

Please place your order and money in a brown paper bag

and put it in the special Lunch Order box

at the Canteen before Friday 11th April

(last day of term).

If you would like to order for parents, grandparents, siblings, etc.

please order as above, as no other food will be available on the day.

$4.50

+ or

=

Hot dog Muffin Fruit Box or Water

+

What you can do when your child finds

spelling too hard:

Be supportive. Remember that

when your child is learning to write,

they will not be able to accurately

spell all the words they want to

write.

If your child seems to be having ongoing problems, talk to their teacher.

What if you aren’t a good speller?

Yes. Spell checkers can be useful,

but remind your child that they

still need to be thinking when they

use it. Your child will need your

support.

When the word is spelt correctly

but it is not the right word, eg.

‘shore’ and ‘sure’,

When the computer g i ves

suggestions but your child still

doesn’t know which word is correct,

When the computer uses American

spellings.

Donna Rockley, Principal

We celebrated Harmony Day at TRCS with a sausage sizzle

and yummy orange food from the Canteen, dressing up in

the colour orange and participating in class activities.

Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for everyone who

calls Australia home—from the traditional owners of this

land to those who have come from the many countries

around the world. The message of the day is ‘Everyone

Belongs’ - we have learnt and understood how all

Australians (including those from diverse backgrounds)

equally belong to this nation and how we all enrich it.

Last Tuesday, I had the pleasure of

accompanying Years 3 & 4 girls and boys to

this annual competition. The boys played

hard, they never gave up and displayed

excellent team work skills. The scores for

the day were: 2-4 loss; 5-0 win; 4-5 loss. We

are all very proud of these results. The girls

had an exceptional day winning all three of

their games. The scores were: 5-6 win; 3-1

win; 5-3 win. Due to these results, the girls

have made it through to the finals. A date

for these is yet to be confirmed. We wish

the girls all the best for the next round.

Amna Khan, Co-ordinator Photos courtesy of Georgina Gorman

SCHOOL PHOTOS

Wednesday 2nd April

Students must wear full summer uniform

Envelopes can be brought into the office

before the day.

If you require a family photo, please collect an

envelope from the front office.

IMPORTANT:

EVERY STUDENT MUST RETURN

THEIR ENVELOPE (even if not buying photos)

The Rock Deb Ball Friday 4th April

7.30pm The Rock Bowling Club

$25 per head

Tickets available at: The Rock Central School, Butchery and Post Office

BYO Supper nibbles. A light supper will be served Drinks at Club prices. Restaurant service available

All proceeds to The Rock Central School & Pre-school

Ball co-ordinators: The Rock Progress Association

(New members always welcome)

Make up tables of

10

Chillies

$5 a shopping bag

Please see Kim in the Canteen

Wk

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

9

24

PSSA touch trials

Leadership Camp

(Borambola)

25

PSSA Girls Cricket

knockout

Leadership Camp

(Borambola)

26

Aime St Clair talk

K-10 Assembly

2.30pm

27

TRCS AFL clinic

Questacon visit

28

Primary Boys

Football trials

Sec Rugby Union

trials

10

31

League Tag

training

1 2

SCHOOL

PHOTOS

Primary Assembly

12 noon

3

Peer support

4 Deb Ball

Primary AFL final

selection

TRCS X Country/

Fun Run

Recognition

Afternoon

11

7

8 9

Loud & Proud

Festival

Riv Debating Day

(Primary)

10

ANZAC Service

2.30pm TRCS

11

LAST DAY OF

TERM 1

T2

1

28

STAFF

DEVELOPMENT

DAY

29

Students return

30

Easter Hat Parade

1 2

TRCS ATHLETICS

CARNIVAL

Primary Girls

Football trials

2

5

Primary Netball

pre-selection

6

7

Mortimer Shield

8 9

Zone Sec X-Country

Stewart House due

March/April/May2014

Fees are now due.

Return Questacon visit note and money to teacher/Office urgently.

Loud & Proud notes to the office asap.

Return School photo envelopes.

SCHOOL HOLIDAYS