Berala News
Term 2 - Week 2 - 2021
Updates from BPS
Welcome Back
I would like to welcome all of the families back to Term 2. We look forward to working with our wonderful community again this term. We hope you have had a relaxing holiday with your loved ones.
Year 5 Opportunity Class Placement in 2022 (2021 Year 4 students)
The application process for Year 5 opportunity class placement for entry in 2022 is now open for students in Year 4.
Important dates in the application process are as follows:
* Tuesday 20 April 2021: Online applications opens
* Friday 7 May 2021: Online applications closes (Parents and carers must apply by the due date.)
All students in Year 4 have received an expression of interest note. Once that is returned, you will receive a package explaining the application process. If you require any support, at any point, please contact the school so we can help.
New Staff
I would like to welcome some staff to the Berala PS Team:
Mr Tommy Lam - Mr Lam has taken over 4 Hill for the remainder of the year.
Mrs Sana Zeidan - Mrs Zeidan will be filling various roles within our school.
Mrs Natalie Poole - Mrs Poole will be filling various roles within the school.
Miss Widad Nahhas - Miss Nahhas will be support students through ILSP.
School Cross Country
Our School Cross Country for students in Y3-6 and Y2 students who are 8yr olds will be held on Wednesday this week. Students need to be at school at 8.30am and should wear house colours or their sports uniform. All students should also bring a water bottle & hat. We will return by 1pm so students can still order from the canteen on the day. It is a compulsory event for all Y3-6 students.
Easter Hat Parade
Last term we held our Easter Hat Parade on Thursday 1 April. It was such a joy to have all of the students back together for a whole school event. I would like to thank all staff who supported on the day and a special thank you to Mrs Rees and Ms Kopkoson for organising the event. I would also like to thank the P&C for their support on the day and for organising the Easter Raffle. The highlight of the day was seeing all of the wonderful hats that the students had made. Great work to everyone involved.
Menstrual Hygiene Pilot Program
Our school has been selected to be part of the Menstrual Hygiene Pilot Program. Below is an explanation of this program from the Department of Education.
One of the key goals of the Department of Education is for every student to be known, valued and cared for in our schools. To achieve this goal, it's very important we try to reduce any barriers stopping students from participating fully in school life. The unpredictability of menstruation, potential embarrassment in seeking supplies from the front office and the cost of products may be a barrier for some students. We're also aware of the health risks of using improvised hygiene products. The Department of Education has decided to trial the provision of free menstrual hygiene products in a number of schools. The trial will run for one term commencing 26/04/2021. If the trial is successful it will be considered for rollout across a greater number of schools in 2021.
At Berala PS, we will explain to our Stage 3 female students where the dispenser is located in the school so that they can access it as required. If you have any questions, please contact the school.
Parent Support Group
On Tuesday 27 April, we will start our parent support group in partnership with Accessible Diversity Services. Zumba sessions will also start again the following Tuesday. If you have any questions please do not hesitate in asking at the front office or calling Accessible Diversity Services on 02 87375500. We look forward to seeing lots of parents at each session.
0-3 Year Old Playgroup
Our 0-3 Year old playgroup in conjunction with Accessible Diversity Services will restart this week. The group will be held from 9:00am - 11:00am on Fridays in the After School Care Building starting on 30 April 2021. We encourage all parents with children of this age to attend as it is a great opportunity to meet other families. The playgroup organisers also invite many guest speakers along to the sessions so that parents can develop a strong understanding of the different organisations that exist across our wonderful community that can support families. If you have any questions please do not hesitate in asking at the front office or calling Accessible Diversity Services on 02 8737 5500.
4-5 Year Old Playgroup
This week we will start our 4-5 Year old transition to school playgroup in conjunction with Accessible Diversity Services. The group will be held from 9:00am - 11:00am on Wednesdays in the After School Care Building starting on 28 April 2021. We encourage all parents with children of this age to attend as it is a great opportunity to meet other families and to set your child up for success in kindergarten. The playgroup organisers also invite many guest speakers along to the sessions so that parents can develop a strong understanding of the different organisations that exist across our wonderful community that can support families. If you have any questions please do not hesitate in asking at the front office or calling Accessible Diversity Services on 02 8737 5500.
Facebook and School App
The vast majority of information regarding school events is advertised via Facebook and the School App. If you need support accessing the School App, please contact the office. Facebook is the best way to get last minute notifications so please ‘like’ the Berala Public School Facebook Page.
Road Safety
Some students, with and without parents, are crossing the road in hazardous places rather than the crossings that are provided. This can be very dangerous and could result in serious injury. Please talk with your children about crossing at the pedestrian crossings. Our teachers regularly discuss road safety and pedestrian safety with our students.
Check-in Assessment
This week all Years 4 and 6 students will be involved in the reading and numeracy Check-in Assessment. This is a NSW Department of Education initiative that assesses students' reading and numeracy abilities through two online assessments. The data gathered from these two assessments will support existing school practices to identify how students are performing in reading and numeracy, and assist teachers to respond to student needs in these areas.
NAPLAN Online for Years 3 & 5 Students
Our Years 3 and 5 students will be sitting the NAPLAN Online assessments between Tuesday 11 May and Friday 21 May. NAPLAN is a point-in-time assessment that allows parents to see how their child is progressing in literacy and numeracy against the national standard and compared with their peers throughout Australia. At the classroom level, NAPLAN provides additional information to support teachers’ professional judgement about student progress.
NAPLAN Online is a tailored test that adapts to student responses, providing better assessment and more precise results.
NAPLAN this year falls at the same time as Eid so we have tried to structure NAPLAN around this important community celebration. Our arrangements should mean that students who celebrate Eid will still be able to complete the NAPLAN tests.
Parents can read more information about NAPLAN Online by clicking on the link below:
https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/parent-carer-support
Eid
As there will not be a newsletter sent out before Eid, I would like to take the opportunity to wish all of our families a happy Eid. I hope you enjoy Eid with your loved ones! Eid Mubarak.
Brad Lanham
Principal
Calendar Updates
27 April - Check In Assessment (Y4 and 6)
27 April - Parent Support Group - 9:00am - 11:00am - After School Care Room (Accessible Diversity Services)
27 April - Sport in Schools starts
28 April - School Cross Country
28 April - 4-5 year old playgroup - 9:00am - 11:00am - After School Care Room (Accessible Diversity Services)
30 April - 0-3 year old playgroup - 9:00am - 11:00am - After School Care Room (Accessible Diversity Services)
4 May - Parent Support Group - 9:00am - 11:00am - After School Care Room (Accessible Diversity Services)
4 May - Sport in Schools
5 May - 4-5 year old playgroup - 9:00am - 11:00am - After School Care Room (Accessible Diversity Services)
5 May - Multicultural Speaking Final (Stage 3)
6 May - Multicultural Speaking Final (Stage 2)
7 May - 0-3 year old playgroup - 9:00am - 11:00am - After School Care Room (Accessible Diversity Services)
11 May - Parent Support Group - 9:00am - 11:00am - After School Care Room (Accessible Diversity Services)
11 May - NAPLAN Writing
12 May - 4-5 year old playgroup - 9:00am - 11:00am - After School Care Room (Accessible Diversity Services)
14 May - 0-3 year old playgroup - 9:00am - 11:00am - After School Care Room (Accessible Diversity Services)
Grip Leadership Day
On Tuesday 23rd March, the student leaders braved the pouring rain and attended the Grip Leadership Day at the Ken Rosewall Tennis Arena, Sydney Olympic Park. The day was engaging and fun for our school leaders. They participated in many activities designed to see them become the best leader they can possibly be. They took part in activities relating to being a responsible leader, an organised leader and how to step forward and lead when putting forward an idea to improve the school. The students were extremely well behaved and represented Berala Public School in an outstanding manner.
Extracurricular activities at Berala PS - Art Space
This week we would like to showcase Art Space run by our fabulous teachers, Ms Kopkoson and Miss Kwong. These teachers use many of their lunch breaks to provide additional opportunities for our students. Art gives many of our students a chance to develop their creativity!
We are so lucky that many of our teachers give up their break times to provide these occasions for your children. We would like to thank all of the teachers involved for providing these events for our students at Berala PS.
Reading at Berala PS
Stage 3 have been tracking their home reading last term. In total Stage 3 read for 350 hours from Week 6-10 of Term 1. A magnificent effort and one that everyone should be proud of. Keep up the great work, Stage 3.
ANZAC Day
EHP
About Berala PS
Email: berala-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: berala-p.schools.nsw.gov.au
Location: 216 Harrow Road, Berala NSW, Australia
Phone: 02 9649 7146
Facebook: facebook.com/BeralaPublicSchool