Wassup Woonona
Newsletter 2 December 2020
Woonona Public School
Email: woonona-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: https://woonona-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/
Location: 5a Gray Street, Woonona NSW, Australia
Phone: (02) 42844316
Principal's Corner
BUSY FINISH TO THE YEAR
As is always the case, at this time of year, the next few days and weeks will be extremely busy. Year 6 will be coming and going, with the Year 6 to 7 Transition day yesterday, Year 6 Celebration Day next Tuesday and Year 6 Farewell on the horizon, along with other school events. The Colour Run and Picnic Day this Friday, along with the Talent Show and other school events, such as our first live-streamed Presentation Assembly, will certainly see the remaining time at school fly by. Please make sure that you are across the events that are occurring, as it will impact many students across the school. Information has been distributed to those students involved and can also be found on our school website.
The final day for students this year will be Wednesday 16 December 2020. Students in Years 1-6 (2021) will resume school on Friday 29 January 2021, with Kindergarten (2021) to begin school on Tuesday 2 February 2021.
THANK YOU
It is at this time of year that we would usually be holding our Volunteer Morning Tea, but unfortunately due to ongoing restrictions, this is not possible. While this year has certainly seen less volunteering, there are still many who have continued to support our school throughout 2020. For all of those who have given so much… you know who you are… Thank you!
PRESENTATION ASSEMBLY
Next Wednesday 9 December, we will be holding our annual Presentation Assembly where we celebrate the 2020 successes of Woonona Public School with our school community. The assembly begins at 9:30am and is being live-streamed to our community via a Zoom webinar.
Parents of the award recipients for this event have been informed via email and by mail, but our whole community is invited to join us virtually as we recap the 2020 school year and celebrate the successes of many students from across our school.
Due to COVID restrictions, we will be aiming to keep this assembly as short as possible. There will not be the usual special guests and performances, and all speeches will be kept to a minimum.The webinar will be made available to our community via School Enews on Monday 7 December and will also be available on the school website www.woononap.schools.nsw.edu.au.
The recording of the event will be posted at a later date, after the presentation, and will also be located on the school website.
2020 SCHOOL LEADER SPEECHES
Congratulations to Jemma, Sabina, Jayda, Michaela, Ella, Courtney, Angus, Bentin, Mitchell, Jett, Byron and Lachlan for presenting such quality speeches in their pursuit of a school leader position for 2021. It was fantastic to listen to the students reflect on their positive experiences at Woonona Public School and the qualities and values they have learnt. The high standard of presentations certainly made the selection process very difficult. All 12 candidates would make outstanding school leaders and I wish them all the best. The 2021 School Captains, Vice Captains and Prefects will be announced at our Presentation Day Assembly.
COLOUR RUN IS FINALLY HERE
The day has almost arrived! How exciting for all our students to take part in an explosion of colour, this Friday! Lots of fun is planned for the day, with students assured of having a blast. Please remember that students are encouraged to wear white/light clothes that you won’t mind being stained. They may stay in these clothes for the duration of the day.
ACADEMICALLY GIFTED CLASS VISIT
Last Thursday, many students and staff were able to join our Year 5 students who were part of this year’s WPS Academically Gifted class. A modified version of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” was performed throughout the day, and a variety of quality, differentiated and deep learning was on display. I know Mrs Hanes was very sad to say goodbye to such a special group, after her extended time at our school.
Mrs Hanes has not only worked with these students, but has also been working with staff to build their capacity in supporting High Potential and Gifted students across our whole school. We are excited by the opportunities that lie ahead for improving the learning experience for our highest performers.
PARKING IN THE CHURCH GROUNDS
We have had some “close calls” recently in and around the Church carpark. In some instances, visibility is limited due to parked cars. Please take your time, show patience and extreme care when entering or exiting the Church carpark. The safety of our students and community is our highest priority and recent incidents have caused great concern.
SCHOOL ENROLMENTS 2021
In order to have accurate numbers for next year, it is important to notify the school office if you know your child will not be returning to Woonona Public School next year (other than Year 6). This information helps us to plan for 2021.
Alternatively, if you know of friends or family members who intend to enrol their children in Woonona Public School in 2021, please ask them to contact the school office to fill in the necessary documentation.
FINAL P&C for 2020
Wednesday 9 December, is our final P&C Meeting of the year and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our P&C, in what has been a very challenging year. There is no “meeting” as such, but rather an end of year dinner at Headlands Hotel, beginning at 7:00pm.
I would like to make special mention and provide a huge thank you to Mrs Marg Nichols. Marg has been our P&C President for the last two years and has done an outstanding job in working closely with the school. Her calm, common sense approach has been genuinely appreciated and we thank her for her significant contributions in further uniting the school and community by building a positive culture of trust and respect in her role.
Marg and her family are off to new and exciting adventures and we wish them all the very best for the future and what lies ahead.
REPORTS HOME ON MONDAY 14 DECEMBER
Reports happen twice per year at all public schools in NSW. Last semester, our reports were modified, due to COVID-19 regulations. This semester our reports return to the format that has been traditionally used over the past few years. Our staff have written extensive reports that cover all Key Learning Areas. These subjects have all been assessed through a range of techniques, with students’ abilities compared to relevant syllabus outcomes for each Stage of learning.
Remember:
- Teachers plan teaching and learning programs using syllabuses developed by the NSW Education Standards Authority.
- The syllabuses describe standards that apply across the state for each learning area.
- Your child’s teacher uses their knowledge of syllabuses and knowledge of the children in their class to plan their teaching and learning programs.
- Teachers use their professional judgement, internal and external data gathering about each child’s achievement against the statewide standards to award the grade.
If your child has achieved a Sound on their report then he/she has achieved what is generally expected. If your child has achieved an Outstanding or High then he/she has achieved more than is generally expected. If your child has achieved a Basic or a Limited, then he/she has not yet achieved what is generally expected compared to other children of a similar age.
Enjoy your week!
Mr Tim Fisher
Principal
Kindergarten 2020 COS speech representatives
Amanda Bleeker
Assistant Principal/Instructional Leader
Athletics Fun Day
Congratulations Sophie
Virtual Talent Show 2020
Our Talent Show Finale will be held on the last day of School, Wednesday 16 December, with finalists' video uploaded onto the school website at a later date, for our school community to enjoy. Students are encouraged to wear costumes for their act but this is not compulsory.
Videos uploaded onto a USB are to be provided to the Talent Show coordinators by Wednesday 9 December.
Happy filming!
Thanks
Mrs Ney, Ms Bailey, Mrs Boyd & Miss Sibley.
Kindergarten 2021 Orientation Day
It was wonderful to meet all of our new 2021 students who are starting Kindergarten next year.
All of the students participated in a range of fun activities and watched a special video about our school. This video had special messages from our Principal Mr Fisher and 2020 Kindergarten students.
Our P&C provided every new Kindergarten student with a school hat as a special welcome gift from the school.
We are very excited to see all of our new Kindergarten students again at the beginning of next year as they begin their school journey at Woonona PS.
See you soon
Mrs Bleeker
Assistant Principal
2021 Kindergarten - Group Photos
Library News
What a busy year we have had in the library. Students had their final library lesson for the year, last week, as the library is now closed for the rest of the term for stocktake. I have loved having the opportunity to share my love of reading with students this year and it has been very satisfying to see an increase in students visiting the library, borrowing and engagement with reading texts. I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday and healthy 2021.
Book Fair
Most children should have received their book orders from our Book Fair restock last week. However, there was approximately 40 books still on back order and these will hopefully arrive this week. I will sort and deliver orders to students as soon as they arrive.
Library Loans
The library is now closed for the rest of the term for stocktake. Overdue notices were sent out in Week 6 and an additional reminder was sent out last week. Please take the time to help your child locate and return their books this week.
If you received an overdue loan notice and the book is lost please let us know so it can be wiped from our system. Notices will also list the book price which parents can pay to the office for purchase of a replacement copy. If you receive an overdue notice and the book has already been paid for previously or has already been returned please send the slip back in with this noted down. Our library computer system will automatically create notices for any overdue books from this year. Thank you to those students who have already returned books or notified me about lost books.
Thank you for your cooperation with this matter.
Mrs Carroll
Librarian