WIRREANDA WHISPER

GROWING IN HARMONY

TERM 3 WEEK 8 2016

www.facebook.com/WirreandaPS

www.wirreanda-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

43 Brocklesby Road Medowie NSW 2318 Phone: 4982 8893 Email: wirreanda-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Principal’s Message This Term, our school will be participating in the Partners in Learning parent survey on student engagement. The survey asks parents and carers questions about different factors that are known to impact on student wellbeing and engagement. Running this survey will help our school understand parents' and carers' perspectives on their child's experience at school. This valuable feedback will help our school make improvements. The survey is conducted entirely online and will typically take 15 minutes or less to complete and is completely confidential. The parent survey will be open until the end of term. Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary; however, your responses are very much appreciated. The link is: https://nsw.tellthemfromme.com/wirreanda On 25th September a number of Wirreanda staff will be participating in the Greater Raymond Terrace Fun Run. Some of us will run the 8km, other the 4km and 2km. We would love to see lots of Wirreanda School community faces joining in the fun too! We hope to see you there. Have you heard about the Ironman World Championship in Hawaii? This event is triathlon’s most iconic event. We are very proud of Mr Pat Hay who has qualified to compete in the championship this year. This is a very exciting time for Pat, his family and the Wirreanda community. We wish him all the best and look forward to following his journey on the world stage. Good Luck Mr Hay!

Yesterday we held our first Yarn Up breakfast for our Aboriginal students and their families. We were fortunate to have Leigh Ridgeway from the AECG and Miriam Avery, M Goals coordinator join us. It was a wonderful morning to share breakfast, discuss learning goals and officially name our snake “Bakal” in the Aboriginal garden. Bakal is the word for brown snake in the Gathang language.

This week we celebrate SASS Appreciation Week. This year's theme is: SAS Staff Essential. Our SASS staff are: our office ladies, learning support officers, library assistant and Mr Davis. Without the support of these staff we could not deliver the services to our school community or operate as efficiently and effectively as we do. THANK YOU! Our end of year Sports Presentation Assembly will be held on the last Friday of Term at 2:20pm Kind Regards, Philippa and staff Deputy Principal’s Message Cup of the Week How wonderful to see the students of 1J receive the Cup of the Week with such enthusiasm last Monday. This week the Cup was presented to KR for demonstrating persistence and organisation during class time. Well done KR.

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Books for Babies Miss Young was joined on stage at assembly by the following students, their new siblings and parents at the week 8 Monday morning assembly:

• Olivia Spelt with baby brother Remi • Chelsea Curds with baby sister Elise • Imogen Hayes with baby sister Allira

Congratulations to the families on their new family members and we look forward to sharing our love of reading with them at a later date. School Attendance It has been evident lately that a number of our students arrive consistently late to school. If children are arriving after the bell it is a requirement that they are signed in by an adult. This means that an adult is confirming that they are aware of where their child has been for this period of absence. Punctuality is also important for teachers and students in setting up the organisation for the day and engaging in the early morning routines that set the tone for the school day. The World of Maths Roadshow Early next term, the World of Maths Roadshow will be visiting Wirreanda. The Roadshow was at Wirreanda two years ago and was a huge success with the students and the teachers who attended. If you would like your child/children to attend this incursion please complete the permission note that was sent home today week. Swim School 2016 Swim School will once again take place in weeks 3 and 4 of next term. Places will be offered to students in Year 2 before being opened up to students in Years 3-6. If your child has not yet learnt to swim this intensive swimming program is a great place to start. A note will be sent home with Year 2 students in Week 9. Life Education - Healthy Harold The Life Education van will be at Wirreanda in weeks 2 and 3 next term. This year the Life

Education program will cover new programs such as:

• Kindergarten – My Body Matters • Year 1 – Ready, Steady, Go! • Year 2 – Growing Good Friends

The Years 3-6 programs will be selected by the Life Education educators to ensure there are no double ups from previous years. The cost of the program will be $10 which includes a student workbook and the 1 – 1.5 hour lesson. A permission note will be sent home in Week 9. Walking to School If your child or children are walking to school unaccompanied, please remind them of the need to engage in safe habits and to walk on the footpath at all times. The school has received a number of calls from members of the public, concerned that students are walking in the drains, very close to the road. Thank you. Regards Sue Wilson Deputy Principal Attendance: Arriving on Time Lessons start at 9:20am – Did you know most days we have a number of students who arrive at school after 9:20am? On some days there are as many as 40 late arrivers or early leavers. Unless there are extenuating circumstances please ensure your child is at school ready to start classes at 9:20am. 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. FACT: IF A STUDENT MISSES AS LITTLE AS 8 DAYS IN A SCHOOL TERM, BY THE END OF PRIMARY SCHOOL THEY’LL HAVE MISSED OVER A YEAR OF SCHOOL.

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Dedicated SMS Messaging The school now has a dedicated number for SMS messaging for notifications of student absences, the number is 0476 857 177. If you receive an SMS about your child’s absence simply reply with the reason for their absence. Parents may use this number, the Skoolbag app, send in a note or phone the school office to notify us of student absences. Payments at School The school office now has EFTPOS facilities but due to time constraints from Westpac and the Department of Education we can only process EFTPOS payments up until 11:00am each day. Cash, cheques or online payments can be done at any time. Merit Awards Congratulations to all of our Merit Award winners Bronze Crystal Shipton, Ashton Holliday, Sienna Clough, Bailey Rollason, Cody Veitch, Porschia Howarth, Talon Fleming, Connor Johnson, Finn Wheadon, Scarlett Darcy, Jessica Hooper, Madison Marsh, Lily O’Donnell, Haylie Thomas, Cory Clayden, Seth Currey, Ethan Cuthbertson, Terrance Grice, Paige Jones, Bailey Clarke, Mitchell Morley, Isobelle Brkich, Chelsea Curds, Ella Grice, Eboni Hollingworth, Olivia Spelt, Ruby van de Wijgaart, Justin Blair, Tyson Hannah-Salerno, Mitchell Hawes, Jack Kennedy, Gabriel Lee, Liam Nolan, Brodie Warner, Maddison Cunningham, Mikaela Neil, Brandon Dennett, Elijah Jensen, Miya Boyes, Kyara Darcy, Jeremy Black, Logan Farley, Travis Lamborn, Liam Salerno, Liam Turner, Max Hoogland, William

Phillips, Joop van de Wijgaart, Mikayla De Lacy Peek, Kiara Geddes Silver Chelsea Dawe, Jade Bittinger, Bronte Bohan, Aidan Castling, Owen Johnston, Jordyn Booth, Evie Dolstra, Taylor Guile, Stephanie Hallam Piper Hodgson, Chloe McNaught, Jessica Smith, Taylor Smith, Kai Hendry, Jacob Horan, Riley Irvine, Bailey Kent, Jacob MacLucas, Noah McKimm, Christopher Richards, Caleb Saxby, Sienna Denholm, Coral Durbin, Kealey Lennon, Stephanie Richards, Arrowyn Carter, Cameron Jones, Benjamin Killick, Daniel Lightfoot, David O’Donnell, Logan Peel, Samuel Rainbow, Joseph Willis-Monk, Andie Archer, Ebony Delafontaine, Eden McAusland, Keelie Perrett, Sibella Rowan, Annabeth Scott-Glassock, Shannon Bohan, Yasmine Mackie, Elizabeth O’Donnell, Lillian Wilson, Selman Hassan, Jai Holland, Bailey Johnson, Toby Laroche Gold Logan Saxby, Kayla Peisto, Jay Clarke, Annabelle Tacon, Ella Clayden, Olivia Webster, Lachlan De Lacy Peek

Hands off Heroes Keeping safe, that’s our goal.

Hands off play, that’s how we roll. Be a hero, yes you can.

Hands off play is, 10 out of 10! Our Year 6 red hat leaders have noticed that in our playground there has been too much unsafe play. Luckily the Hands off Heroes are here to help! Look out for the ‘Hands-off ’o’ meter’ outside the library to keep us on track. Mrs Wilson has set a goal of less than 5 incidents of hands off play each week. If we reach this goal, Mrs Wilson has promised a special reward in week 10. On the red hats leader duty roster, there is now a Hands Off Hero duty. You will notice the Heroes stationed around the school, singing the “Hands off” rap, wearing bright red super hero capes and masks. Their job as Hands off Heroes is to ensure students at Wirreanda are playing safely.

Hands off, hands off, What you going to do?

Do the right thing and have fun at school!

Ella Curtis & Shayley (6H) and Shannon (6P) (Hands off Heroes).

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Canteen News Canteen Roster: Week 8 Thur 8th J Donohue Fri 9th L Matthews, S Patten, L Mildren Week 9 Mon 12th K Bennett Tue 13th J Donohue, K Bennett Wed 14th K Hill Thurs 15th J Donohue Fri 16th L Matthews Week 10 Mon 19th K Bennett Tues 20th J Donohue, K Bennett Wed 21st K Hill Thur 22nd J Donohue Fri 23rd L Matthews, S Patten, L Mildren We still have several days on the roster where we need volunteers. Ideally we need 2 volunteers each day on Monday-Thursday and 4 on Fridays. We would appreciate any amount of time that you can spare ie helping with the morning set up/lunch order sorting or serving at recess or lunch, or spending the whole day with us. The children love seeing a family member or friend behind the counter and it means we can continue to serve our school community. Contact Sharon in the Canteen in you can help. Just a reminder for the children to place their lunch orders at the Canteen BEFORE school starts. Each year we have our menu reviewed by the ‘Good for Kids’ team and I’m pleased to announce that we did really well with the majority of our menu being ‘Green’. Under the ‘Fresh Tastes @ School’ strategy Green items are a healthier choice. ‘Well done’ to all the children who are willing to try something that’s nutritious and yummy. The competition being run with Sydney Markets closes on Friday 16th September; all entry forms must be placed at the Canteen by then. For every purchase of fruit or vegetables the children get a sticker, 2 stickers and they get a pencil and go into the draw to win major prizes, see the poster at the Canteen for more details. Good Luck.

P&C News Uniform Shop As you know our uniform shop is run by our wonderful volunteers who provide our school community with quality, reasonably priced uniform items. Unfortunately Jayne Toby, who currently manages the uniform shop orders and stock, will soon need to step back from her role due to work commitments. She has been an amazing help to our school – thank you Jayne! We are looking for a person/people to volunteer their time to join our uniform shop team so that we can continue to offer this service in our school. The role will involve ordering and organising stock, manning the uniform shop (the shop will open according to volunteers’ availability), reporting to the P&C Committee, and keeping accurate records and accounts. The volunteers will work as a team, supporting and assisting one another. Any interested people should contact P&C President Leisl Kennedy on 0430 224 208 for further details. Having a uniform shop at school means that our uniforms can be supplied at a lower cost as we have rent-free premises, no employees and low operating costs. It also means that our school benefits from the profits made from the uniform shop sales. If the position is unfilled it will mean that the uniform shop can no longer operate on school premises. Without a uniform shop at school, our uniforms will be stocked by Lowes at a much higher price, with NO money returned to our school. WPS Lego Exhibition Only a few weeks to go until Rainbow Bricks hold a Lego fan event at our school! The exhibition will take place in the MPC and the School Hall on Sunday 25th September and will have displays from over 20 exhibitors. The event will attract people from all over Port Stephens and Newcastle. This will be a great opportunity for us to raise funds by hosting a sausage sizzle and cake stall to feed the masses! To do this, we NEED volunteers! You can:

• PLEASE offer some of your time on Sunday 25th to assist at the sausage sizzle and cake stall – there is a volunteer register in the office and we’d love you to sign on to help out (or contact Belinda on 0419 905 487 or

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Leisl on 0430 224 208). All volunteers receive a free sausage sizzle and drink. We would appreciate whatever time you can offer – half an hour, one hour, half a day…whatever you can offer.

• Make something for our cake stall! Cakes, cupcakes, muffins, slices, biscuits, cookies, pastries…bring your donation to the office on Friday 23rd, or to the MPC on Saturday 24th (from 2-4pm) or on Sunday 25th.

PAID ADVERTISING Wirreanda’s newsletter contains paid advertisements, which assist with the cost of publication. The publication of such advertisements does not imply endorsement of any product or service by the NSW Department of Education or Wirreanda Public School.

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Perform-Ability Concert WEDNESDAY 28TH SEPTEMBER, 11AM.

SAINT PHILLIPS CHRISTIAN COLLEGE THEATRE, WARATAH.

120 performers from the Hunter and the Central Coast aged 4 - 67 years, all with additional needs and disabilities will be coming together to put on an amazing show! We would love to see you there to support them and witness some truly incredible talent. There is plenty of disability parking and a friendly cafe at our event. We also have a chill out station with activities such as colouring in, for anyone who may not be interested in watching the full show. The show is estimated to run from 11am-2pm with a 15 minute interval. Tickets are ON SALE NOW at http://tickets.spcc.nsw.edu.au Contact us today to organise a discounted rate for group bookings of 10 or more. We would really love a full audience to support our superstars as they shine on stage and prove that their abilities are truly limitless.

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Term 3 WIRREANDA PUBLIC SCHOOL 2016

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

8 5 September K-6 Assembly

6 September ATSI Parent Breakfast

7 September 8 September Kinder 2017 Interviews

9 September 3-6 Assembly 2.50pm – TBA Bularr Wangga Festival

9 12 September K-6 Assembly

13 September 14 September 15 September

16 September K-2 Assembly 2.30pm – KH

10 19 September K-6 Assembly Kinder 2017 Interviews

20 September 21 September World of Maths $ due

22 September Nuf Nuf Day

23 September Sports Presentation Assembly 2:20pm

Term 4 WIRREANDA PUBLIC SCHOOL 2016

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

1 10 October K-6 Assembly

11 October 12 October World Maths Day

13 October 14 October K-2 Assembly 2:30pm – Host SRC Reps Life Education $ due

2 17 October K-6 Assembly

18 October Life Education

19 October Swim School $ due

20 October 21 October 3-6 Assembly 2:50pm – Host 3G

3 24 October K-6 Assembly Life Education Swim School

25 October P&C Meeting

26 October Kinder Orientation visit 1

27 October Kinder Orientation visit 1

28 October K-2 Assembly 2:30pm – Host KG Day for Daniel

4 31 October K-6 Assembly Swim School

1 November 2 November 3 November 4 November 3-6 Assembly 2:50pm – Host Year 3’s from 2/3B & 2/3E

5 7 November K-6 Assembly

8 November 9 November Kinder Orientation Visit 2

10 November Kinder Orientation Visit 2

11 November Remembrance Day K-2 Assembly 2:30pm – Host KW

6 14 November K-6 Assembly

15 November 16 November 17 November 18 November 3-6 Assembly 2:50pm – Host 3S

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