Prestons Post
Term 1, Week 9
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to our Week 9 newsletter. I hope that everyone has managed to stay safe and dry with the recent rainy weather. I wanted to thank our amazing teachers and SLSOs for always putting the needs of our students first and standing out in the rain each morning and afternoon with umbrellas ready to help our children move to and from their cars at the Kiss and Ride zone. This is the care and dedication that make Prestons Public School a great place to be.
School times
Just a friendly reminder that school starts at 9am and finishes at 3pm. Students need to be at school by 9am ready to start learning with their class. All children, with the exception of Gate 1 - Kiss and Ride, are dismissed from their class at 3pm. Please ensure that you let your child know where you will be collecting them from so that there is no confusion at the end of the day. Our teachers continue to work after 3pm and often have meetings to attend, we appreciate your support in collecting your child on time so that our teachers can continue with their meetings without delay.
Kiss and Ride Zone
You will notice that there are new Kiss and Ride signs on our gates near Gate 1. To help with the traffic congestion each day we do start moving students to their cars at 2.50pm. We appreciate parents keeping this gate free and clear so that we can safely move students to their cars.
Learning at Prestons
We have so many intervention programs to target learning at Prestons Public School. Our Intervention teachers, Mrs Singh, Mrs Hyde, Mr Montgomery and Mrs Kinniburgh work in classrooms with their stage and provide exceptional support to our students. We also have our fantastic Intense Learning Program - Mini Lit and Multi Lit which provides intense small group support to our students. We love seeing our students shine in these groups.
NAPLAN
This is a reminder that students in Year 3 and Year 5 will be sitting NAPLAN tests early next term. Our Year 3 and Year 5 student will be sitting some coordinated practice tests this week on Thursday.
Harmony Day
Harmony Day was celebrated at Prestons on Monday this week. Despite the rain, our school shone brightly as everyone joined in with wearing orange to recognise this day. The theme of Harmony Day is Everyone Belongs and this truely is what Prestons Public School is about. We come from many different backgrounds and yet we always come together as one. We celebrate inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for all from the traditional custodians of the land to those who have come from many countries around the world.
National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence - Bullying No Way
Last Friday our school recognised the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence. With a key message to all students that bullying and violence are never ok, our students spoke openly about bullying and learned strategies to stand up and stop bullying when they see it. Our message of Bullying, No Way was reinforced as every student signed a pledge to say no to bullying.
Have a wonderful week and don't forget to ask your child what they are learning at school.
Liz Van Der Meulen
Principal
Dates to Remember
26th March 2021 - Year 6 Shirts - Notes and Payment due
31st March - Easter Hat Parade
1st April - Last Day of Term 1 and NRL Jersey Mufti Day
2nd April - Good Friday Public Holiday
5th April until 16th April - School Holidays
19th April - Staff Development Day
20th April - First Day of Term 2
Spotlight on Learning
Wellbeing update from Mrs Lloyd
Attendance
PSSA Summer Sport
Parents are permitted to attend games and must social distance at all times while attending.
Friday 26th March
Sports events will be held at the following locations:
* Oz-Tag - Woodward Park, Liverpool
* Newcombe Ball - Homestead Park, Chipping Norton
* Soft Ball - Hammondville Oval, Moorebank
Please ensure that your child has their hat, sunscreen and plenty of drinks. Students depart school at 9:15am and will return to school by 12:15pm
PSSA Summer Sport - Payments
Payments can be made by cash or EFTPOS at the front office. Alternatively you can also make your payment online.
Cross Country
Unfortunately due to extreme weather conditions, the K-2 Cross Country Fun Run had to be postponed. The Fun Run will hopefully be rescheduled to a later date this term, decided upon by each Stage when the weather and grounds permit. Due to the nature of these circumstances and short notice, the event will proceed with your child’s grade, without spectators. Teachers will upload photos of the event to Seesaw.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Kind regards,
The Cross Country Committee
Year 6 Shirts - Final Week for Orders and Payments
1 Giraffes
1 Giraffes have had a great start to the year! We love learning in our classroom with 1 Lions. We continue to increase our stamina when we do read to self, work on words and work on writing! We are always so proud when we get to colour in the higher minutes on our stamina chart!
We have been very busy during phonics groups learning to segment and blends words to help us read and write. Mrs Garland and Mrs Wall congratulate all the students in 1 Giraffes who have been bumping up in sight words, phonics and monster groups! In writing we are learning to use nouns, verbs and adjectives to make our writing interesting.
We have really enjoyed participating in gymnastics on Friday afternoons. We have been practicing tumbling, stretching, balancing, jumping and strength.
On Friday week 8 we said No Way to Bullying along with all the students of PPS. We always try to be kind bucket fillers in 1 Giraffes.
NAPLAN 2021 Information
Students in Years 3 and 5 will be participating in the NAPLAN testing in May. They will complete three tests – Language Conventions (including reading), Writing and Numeracy. The testing period begins on Tuesday 11 May and finishes on Friday 21 May 2021. Students will complete these tests online, using school computers.
Why do students do the NAPLAN tests?
The assessment provides parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are performing at the time of the tests. NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process – it does not replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance.
What can parents do to support their child?
You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is just one part of their school program, and by reminding them on the day to simply do their best. On its own, NAPLAN is not a test that can be studied for and students are not expected to do so.
To find out more about NAPLAN Online, visit www.nap.edu.au or contact the school.
4 Bluebottles
4 Bluebottles have had a very busy start to the year. We have been working on homophones and plurals during our word work activities. We have been learning a variety of spelling rules to help us spell these words correctly. On Fridays, Bluebottles and Killer Whales have been using iPads to create sketches using Sketches School. We have experimented with taking a photograph and editing it using a variety of sketching and painting tools using the app. During the schools Grow Your Mind launch day we had a fun day of activities that introduced us to mental health. We went on a scavenger hunt through the playground to find Guard Dogs, Sifting Sooty’s, Wise Owls and Elephants. We also designed our own new characters for resilience and gratitude. During science, we have been investigating shadows and how the rotation of our Earth changes the way our shadows look. We are looking forward to continuing our learning throughout the rest of 2021.