Nicho News
TERM TWO WEEK ONE
Welcome Back To The Nicho News!
Coming Up At Nicho
- 24 APR 5/6A Anzac Day assembly 9.30 - 10.15
- 4 MAY Debating Day @ Orange Grove PS
- 5 MAY Cross Country Carnival @ Peacock Point
- 7/8 MAY Healthy Herald
*NAPLAN is soon so get ready year 3 and 5
*Band every Thursday 7.45 - 9.00
*Choir every Wednesday 8.00 - 9.00
* Be dressed in house colors for Nicho's cross country carnival
Principal Report
Dear School Community,
I am extremely proud to be given the opportunity to contribute to the first student led newsletter of the term and welcome you back to Term 2 at Nicho. It was a wet, windy and wild start to the term and I would like to congratulate and thank staff, students and parents for the safe, calm and thoughtful approach they have taken dealing with the challenges the weather presented us.
As the rain cleared it was wonderful to be able to spend time in classrooms and on the playground witnessing first-hand how the children interact and enjoy their learning and play spaces. The positive behaviour program running in the school provides students with strategies to sustain our school rules of Care, Respect, Cooperation and Being Safe and it has been great to see these values in action.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate 5/6A for leading their poignant ANZAC assembly. All the students spoke eloquently about and personified the courage, mateship and selflessness that encapsulate the spirit of the ANZAC’s. Thank you to the students of 5/6A and Mr Davies for leading this commemoration and thank you to the members of our community who were able to attend.
I again thank all the students and parents for their warm welcome this week and look forward to seeing you on the playground over the coming weeks.
Finally, please see below my welcome letter that was distributed to the community on Tuesday 21st April.
It is my great pleasure as the new principal of Nicholson Street Public School to welcome you, the families of this wonderful school back for the beginning of what I know is going to be an exciting term for us all. I trust that you all had an enjoyable and safe holiday period and your children have returned to school refreshed and energised.
Firstly, I must thank the whole school community for the warm welcome I received on my initial visit to the school. It really demonstrated to me the passion with which things are done at ‘Nicho’. Leaving a school community is a challenging experience for a school leader but it was one that was made easier for me knowing what awaited me here. I also thank those parents who welcomed me to the Election Day barbeque and congratulate the P&C on their fundraising efforts on the day.
I also thank the teachers and support staff for their efforts over the holidays. It was great to see staff collaboratively engaged in planning and programming for student learning over the break. I also thank each teacher for the welcome I have received this week. Yesterday all staff spent the day undertaking valuable professional learning on P&C initiatives and directions, student well-being, ICT and goal setting in order to best support the needs of the children in our school. I look forward to working with such a dedicated and professional staff.
You may have also noticed that the school has also benefitted from some cosmetic improvements over the break. The freshly painted foyer is looking great, as are the boys and girls toilets. Thank you to John and Karen for your work in these areas over the break.
Over the coming weeks my priorities will be to getting to know the students, staff and community of Nicholson Street; working with our excellent P&C to further foster collaboration, cooperation and communication; gaining your insights into what being a part of this vibrant and engaged school community means to you and working closely with Ms Norrish and Mr Davies to finalise the 2015-17 School Plan and the 2014 Annual School Report.
I encourage anyone I’m yet to meet to say a quick (or long) hello on the playground and share with me your experiences as a member of this community.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ms Lucy Norrish who has led the school so well throughout Term 1 as relieving school principal. Her commitment to the school community and her leadership of the quality teaching and learning programs provided by our magnificent staff has ensured a happy, harmonious and productive start to a school year that I know will throughout the year to come continue to be filled with learning, laughter and life.
Mr Chris Buenen
Principal
Nicholson Street Public School
Earth Hour
“We also measured the candle before we lit it and it was 10cm tall. After we finished a story it was only 8cm tall. I explained to Harper we could read the same story 4 more times using the candle before it completely burnt away. Harper now wants to always read bedtime stories by candlelight (not sure my eyes would be that happy though!)”
Written by Harper's mum.
Harper Enjoying Earth Hour
Harper's Candle
Harper With Her Candle
Don't Worry Be Happy
Wednesday the 1st of April was Don’t Worry Be Happy Day. Each class did a different activity. We were split into groups and sent to classes.
Mrs Garven did dance aerobics. Ms Miller made worry dolls and read a story called Silly Billy. In Ms Glover’s room we read a book called the gratitude tree and coloured in leaves for the gratitude tree.
In Miss Pladson’s room we made vision board that describes what we want to achieve in our lives. In Ms Carson’s room we did yoga.
In Miss Rawson’s we sung and wrote mantras. In Mr Davies room we painted trees with all colours of paint.
By Michael Nash and Justin Vihinen
Aboriginal Artist in Residence
Teacher Of The Fortnight
What has your class been doing lately?
Over the last couple of weeks we have been looking at earthquakes which you may have seen in last fortnights Nicho News. We have also been doing some tricky stuff in maths like multiplication algorithms. we are looking at fractions so proper fractions, in proper fractions and mixed numerals. We began writing imagintive texts which we haven't quite gotten finished so we will do more of that next term. We have also been looking at picture books. In science we have been looking at earthquakes as I said before and the diferent plates and where earthquakes occur around the world. We have also been taking on leadership roles like technology, environment and lots of other jobs around the school.
What did you enjoy about term one?
Term one has been such a smooth term, everybody is really happy. I love my class and i think I have a great class of excited learners. I've loved this term because we have set up our Class Dojo system online. I've really enjoyed being the relieving assistant principal this term so that has been enjoyable to take care of k/2.
Are you excited about term two?
I am really excited about next term and I am excited to show Mr Buenen about our amazing school and the great things we do here at school. I am also so excited because we are going to start learning about electricity and types of energy and persuasive texts. We are also going to write imaginative texts and we are also going to write imaginative texts towards the middle of the term.
Class Of The Fortnight
OUR LEARNING IN TERM ONE
MATHS
We have been learning how to calculate the area of rectangles and other shapes and we have created our own. Some of them were to scale, but not all of them. There are many different measurements you can use to measure the area such as square centimetres, square metres, square kilometres and hectares.
We’ve also been learning about space and geometry. We can name the number of faces, edges and vertices on any 3D object. We learnt that a shape is classified as a 2D shape and an object is classified as a 3D object or solid. A prism has at least one set of parallel lines, where as a pyramid doesn’t.
NUMBER
We have covered long multiplication and how to work it out. We learnt how to multiply 2 and 3 digit numbers.
In addition and subtraction, we discovered that there are many different strategies such as the split, compensation and the jump strategy. We also used algorithms to solve some mathematical problems.
We have been learning about fractions. We figured out the number of girls, boys, year sixes and year fives in the class by using fractions.
SCIENCE
In class we have been learning about natural disasters in science. So far we have learnt about: The Ebola Virus, Climate Change, and Earthquakes.
We have been focusing mainly on earthquakes. We got two pieces of clay to represent two tectonic plates. We pushed the clay in different ways to create different shapes and movements. The first movement we made was the Convergent Boundary, which is when one of the plates overlaps on top of the other. The second movement we made was the Transform Fault, which is when the two tectonic plates go forward and backwards, scraping against each other in the way.
FUN FACT: Did you know that the world is made up of tectonic plates! They cover our world like a cracked eggshell!
PE / SPORT
Last term we participated in a fantastic gymnastics program, that we do every Thursday. We have also been doing sport in class and have had lots of fun doing it.
CREATIVE ARTS
Every Tuesday we have been doing music and mandarin with Mr Cullen and Mr Smith. We have also been doing art in class, for science we painted natural disasters, and for writing we painted ferries, the sea and the sky, and for Earth hour we made candles.
We have had lots of fun this term and can’t wait until next term.
By Chloe, Boyd and Sienna
Technology of the week
The students think that the web tool and application https://www.educreations.com/ is very awesome!
Drama Camp
Drama camp
On the first day of drama camp Emily, Riley, Georgia, Jamie
Jamilah and myself went to see what groups we were in and
started moving towards the rooms we were doing the
activities in. Emily, Riley, Jamilah, and I were in the same
group we had a lesson on emotions and self control, masking
stage combat, and puppetry
The next day of Drama camp we did different activities
Including working on our performing in front of an audience,
Improvisation, theatre sports and building a scene.
By Grace Ashford
Wests Tigers NRL Program
This term students from our school will participate in a new sports program provided by the west tigers NRL team. We will be introduced to rugby league in a safe and fun environment. All the students will be playing in a non contact version of the sport. This program will happen in a seven a side competition against students from other schools for the Paul Sironen shield. All grades are invited and the coaches will visit Nicho to show non contact rugby league
By Ally Peacocke and Noah yom-tov