Guildford West Public School
NEWSLETTER - 2019 Term 4, Week 10
Principal's News
Presentation Day Address from Ms Weston
Well another year has flown past. Our school has seen many amazing things happening in our school both inside and outside classrooms. The Secretary talks about Every Student is known, valued and cared for in our schools. At our school we have the great privilege to get to know the students in our school and know them well. Each teacher can talk to me about each and every one of their students in their class. I hear their passion, their high expectations and care that they have for each and every one of you.
I have the pleasure to get to know each and every one of our students. I see their love of learning in the classrooms, their happy faces in the playground and especially their pride when they walk into my office to show how much they have learnt. They can articulate their learning goals and tell me what they have been learning about in class.
This year we have had some amazing programs running in our school that are unique. Our fabulous bike track/netball/basketball courts, a $310,000 joint project with the Schools Sports Unit and the Department of Education. The students at GWPS now have the opportunity to ride their bikes to school and on the bike track at school. Some students have also learnt to ride a bike. We will now be able to train and host home games for netball for PSSA sport. Every day our students get to play on the basketball courts. We may even have future students representing in basketball, you never know.
Last week was the official opening of the Multisensory playground which has been a very long community project. This amazing playground has been a joint venture through a grant to support students with a disability from our local member Mr Guy Zangari, The P&C, The Jayden Alame Foundation, The Holroyd Rotary club and the Department of Education Disability grant. This project that Mrs Furness, Mr Shaw, myself and the support unit staff lead by Miss Giles have worked tirelessly to ensure our students get the best value for money. A big thank you goes to Mr Shaw who without his knowledge, experience and expertise it would not be the amazing playground that it is.
As you may also notice we have had additional equipment added to our playground so that all of our students are actively engaged during recess and lunch. A big thank you to Northholm Grammar School, who with their affiliation with our school have provided the gardens and playground equipment for our students. I’m sure you noticed the latest additions to our K-2 playground. With over $7,000 spent on sporting equipment, over $14,000 in Sporting schools Grants funding sports programs such as Wanderers soccer clinics, AFL clinics, basketball clinics, Bike Ed courses for teachers and then the purchase of bikes. In addition 50 students had the opportunity to attend the Surf Education program at Manly beach to learn and practice water safety at the beach. These skills may one day save their life so they know how to identify a rip and how to remain calm if caught in a rip.
Our staff have been participating in professional learning to assist our students in reading and writing. This has resulted in again 30% of our students in the top 2 bands in Naplan in Year 3. In meeting our reading targets, 70% of students are on track in Kindergarten and Year 1 and 87% in Year 2. These results tell us as a school our L3 and Daily 5 has made a big impact on our teaching practices and students reading and writing. Next year will see us as a school focus on Numeracy.
Our students have continued to show ‘On Track’ values. I am hearing from our community members, visitors, external agencies and parents how our school has such a positive respectful tone. This is a result of a whole school approach to our Positive Behaviour for Learning. On Monday all of our students will be rewarded for their ‘On Track’ behaviour with our Fun day.
I thank you all for taking time to come here today to celebrate not only your child’s awards, but each and every one of the students in this hall. I’d like to thank our distinguished guests for taking the time to acknowledge and celebrate the outstanding work of our students here today. I would like to thank all of the staff who work tirelessly so that each and every one of students are known and cared for. All of the staff go above and beyond to make every day the students come to school a good one. I would like to wish all staff who are leaving us this year the best of luck in their new schools. We have many staff who travel long distances and have chosen to move to schools to be closer to their homes. So, we farewell Mrs Hetherington, Mrs Lobocki, Ms Slattery, Mr Maxwell, Miss Cobbin, Mrs Gummer and Miss Baysari.
As these teachers leave we welcome new staff to GWPS. We have Mrs Lang joining us as the newly appointed Assistant Principal, and teachers Miss Clarke, Miss Johnson, Miss Vrtkovksi Miss Dillon,, Miss Milana, and Miss Baxter.
Year 6, you have been a memorable group of students and I hope you take all that we have taught you this year about respect, responsibility and resilience into high school. As you can see it has been an amazing year for both staff and students. I ask you as you leave here today, take time to stroll around the school and look at our village.
I would like for us to spare a thought for those fighting the fires and trying to save their homes. I hope we all keep this in mind these holidays when we are out and about and be extra careful in what we do.
I’d like to wish each and every one of you a happy and safe holiday and we look forward to seeing you next year on our new and exciting challenge.
Ms K. Weston
Principal
Support Unit News
Last week was an exciting week in the Support Unit, with the official opening of our new Multisensory Playground. This playground has been a long term project which has been made possible thanks to Community Building Partnership Program, Guildford West P&C, The Jayden Alame Foundation, Holroyd Rotary Club, Northholm Grammar and the Department of Education Disability grant. This project would also not have been possible without the support of Mr Shaw, Ms Weston and Mrs Furness who have had such a huge part in designing the space and overseeing the project. The Multisensory Playground has been specifically designed to promote language, provide play opportunities and meet a broad range of sensory needs. Some of the special features of the playground include a sensory path, an in-ground trampoline, disk swing and a water wall. A big thank you to Mr Guy Zangari who officially opened the playground last week, Cansu and Faysal from S Bligh who presented a short speech about the playground on behalf of all students in the support unit, and Justin from S Thomas who cut the ribbon with Mr Zangari and Ms Weston to open the playground.
Early Stage One News
What a busy and fun end to the year it has been for Kindergarten. Students went to Northholm Grammar School on Friday the 6th of December with S Cottee and S Thomas. They had an absolute blast. Students got to go to their hall and do an obstacle course, play musical instruments, visit the cows on their farm, collect eggs from the chicken coop and even patted a donkey! They were also provided with a delicious morning tea and sausage sizzle for lunch.
K Lock have enjoyed working with their buddies this term, working on their fundamental movement skills. We have been practising our throwing, catching and kicking skills with S3 Flannery. In Week 9, students also participated in Hour of Code with their buddies, helping them play ‘The Grinch’ game and code a dance party. Thank you to the parents who came along to watch and support!
All the Kindergarten teachers are so proud of how much all the students have grown throughout the year! Each student should be so proud of their achievements and we know they are all ready to take on new and exciting challenges in Year 1 next year.
Stage One News
This term, Stage One students have been learning about the different ways we can protect Australia’s natural resources. We had an in depth look at Uluru, the Daintree Rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef and the problems that each place faces. The students worked on mini research tasks to identify these problems and looking at some of the ways that Australians can help these places flourish in the future. We have made artworks of these unique places in Australia and created presentations to explain our understanding of Australia.
In week 10, we were lucky to take part in the ‘Hour of Code’ with our class mates and families. Thank you to those parents and supporters who could come along and have some fun with us. Stage One completed the ‘Dance Party’ and ‘The Grinch’ activities. The students were able to apply their problem solving skills that they had developed from using the Dash and Blue Bots this year to complete the ‘Grinch’ activities. Thank you to the Stage Two helpers who assisted our students.
Well done to all Stage One students on a wonderful year. They are all ready for the challenges, experiences and adventures that the 2020 school year will bring.
Stage 2 News
This term, Stage Two students have been learning about how we can use places and environments more sustainably. In class, we have been carrying out experiments and scientific experiments to learn more about the rubbish we produce and what happens to it in a landfill.
We collected the amount paper, plastic, metal and glass rubbish which was produced from our recess and lunch. Students discussed why recycling is important to reduce our impact on the environment.
We have also made landfills in a bottle by placing various items of rubbish along with soil in a bottle. Students observed what happens to the rubbish over time and discussed how long it can take for rubbish to break down.
Students have also been preparing a presentation for the students and teachers to explain a project which could be implemented at school. They have been looking at different ways the school can improve their sustainable practices. Some of their ideas include: a fundraiser for the children’s hospital following the bush fires and also encouraging students to save water by turning off taps.
In week 10, we were lucky to take part in the ‘Hour of Code’ with our class mates and families. Thank you to those parents and supporters who could come along and have some fun with us. Stage Two completed the ‘code combat’ which involved writing lines of code to create and improve a game online. It was great to see the students developing their problem solving skills and giving it a go. They were able to help each other and celebrate when they worked out a problem or issue. Well done Stage 2.
Stage 3 News
What a term it’s been! Stage 3 have been busy wrapping up their year of learning. We have had camp, another Merrylands High open day, our leadership team speeches and voting, many fundraisers and hour of code.
On Tuesday We celebrated the year 6 graduation and farewell and our 2nd last day with our year 6 students! There were many tears all around. They will be missed.
It’s been such a wonderful year – please enjoy a poem by Joshua Hope. You will also find photos of our fundraisers this year – thank you for all your support!
Our Generation – by Joshua Hope
Our generation will be known for nothing,
Never will anybody say,
We are the peak of mankind.
We are useless
That is wrong, the truth is,
Our generation was a failure.
This generation will do nothing good
Thinking that we actually succeeded,
Is a waste.
This generation shouldn't think it did good.
And we know, living for only money and power,
Is the way to go.
We should only live for fame.
Being loving, respectful and kind,
Is a dumb thing to do.
We should not be good people.
Forgetting about that time will be hard,
But we will try.
We must forget what is good.
Changing our world for the better,
Is something we never did.
We don't do what is right for the world.
Giving up was how we handle our problems.
We don’t try to do things.
Working hard was a joke.
We didn’t like to do things.
We knew that people thought we couldn't come back.
We know that people don’t believe in us.
That might be true,
Unless we turn things around.
We may get better.
Now read backwards…
Surf Education
50 students from years 3-6 had the opportunity to travel to Manly Beach to participate in a surf education program. The students had instructors who showed them how to paddle and catch waves on foam boards, wade in the ocean and safely swim between the flags. All the students had a blast and worked really hard to get through the different activities. Their favourite activity was paddling out and catching the waves back to shore. There were so many squeals of excitement and by the end of the experience, all students could catch the wave back to shore by themselves or with a little bit of help. It was safe to say that the students were exhausted after a day out in the sun.
Here are some of the student’s experiences from the day.
Salma’s Experience
To be honest, I was pretty nervous at first because I was unsure of the creatures that lurked beneath the water. But when I got there, it was nothing like what I imagined. It was a beautiful beach with crystal clear waters and white sand that was soft to walk on. We were introduced to the lifeguards who taught us about the safety requirements around the surf. We went surfing, swimming, surf racing and we splashed around in the waves. It was pretty amazing! I wish we could go again. What an awesome experience.
By Salma Bitar
Natasha’s Experience
This was an amazing experience. The waves were huge which made me nervous, but when I went into the water and had fun it wasn’t that bad. I had an amazing time. I learnt how to surf and how to get out of a current/Rip. I was scared because I thought there would be sea creatures in the water, It turns out that there wasn’t any and I had the best time. When I started to Surf I thought I would be one of those people that fell into the water but I didn’t and I had the time of my life.
By Natasha Safadi
Blake’s Experience
I was scared because of not knowing what to expect. We arrived at Manly Beach and met the lifeguards. They taught us about the beach and the dangers and how to swim and save ourselves from rips in the water. It was a hot day and it was nice to take a dip in the cool water. We learned about safety in and around the water, how to surf on a board, dolphin diving, relay races and enjoy our time at the beach. We all had fun and it was an amazing day.
By Blake Goller
Road Safety
Holidays
Going on holidays is an exciting time. Travelling to different places often means new surroundings and traffic conditions. Roads, footpaths and pedestrian facilities may look different in holiday areas. Whether it's a holiday by the beach, in the city or the bush, chances are there will be different road conditions. While you may be relaxed, it is important to talk to your child about the differences in the road and traffic environment. Holiday parks and camping grounds also bring their own set of road safety challenges for your child. There will be more children out walking and riding bikes and scooters.
Remember:
● The best way to keep your child safe on or near the road is to hold their hand.
● Talk to your child daily about road safety.
● Remind other adults and carers about this too.
School Banking
First Day resumes Friday 7 February 2020
Guildford West Public School
Email: guildfordw-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: www.guildfordw-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
Location: 23-51 Palmer Street, Guildford West NSW, Australia
Phone: (02) 9632-9942
Facebook: guildfordwestps
CANTEEN News
Tender Packs can be requested via email guildfordw-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au