Prestons Post
Term 1, Week 4
Principal's Message
Swimming Carnival
We were very excited to be able to hold our swimming carnival with only a few small changes to meet COVID restrictions. Our students had a great time and the teachers were very impressed with their enthusiastic participation throughout the day. Thank you to our amazing and dedicated teachers for organising this wonderful day. Thank you also to the teachers who cared for our students who remained back at school.
P & C
Our first P&C meeting for 2021 was held last Tuesday. Unfortunately we did not have enough people in attendance to officially hold the meeting. I wanted to take this opportunity to let you know all of the wonderful things that you can be involved in as a member of our P&C.
- being a valued part of our school planning and consultation process
- sharing your hopes and dreams for your child so that we can ensure that we are meeting the needs of our school community.
-being involved in a forum where important school issues are able to be discussed in a respectful way
- getting to know other families from our school
- supporting our school by being involved in valuable fundraising to purchase equipment or resources for our students.
We would love to see many of our families at our next P&C meeting which will be held on Tuesday 16 March at 6.30pm. We are able to meet onsite but there will be a zoom meeting option for those unable to attend in person. We look forward to seeing you all.
Gates and afternoon dismissal
We thank everyone for their ongoing support and understanding as we work to ensure that our students are dismissed in a safe and orderly manner each afternoon.
- Please note that for the time being, Kindergarten will continue to be able to be collected from Gate 4 only from 2.50pm
- Gate 1 (Kiss and Ride) will commence dismissal from 2.50pm. Students using Kiss and Ride will be bought to Gate 1 for dismissal once their family car moves to the front of the Kiss and Ride line. Although the line seems long, if everyone follows the rules we move through quite quickly and safely.
- Parents and carers are not permitted to do u-turns along Box Road or Kurrajong Road. This extremely unsafe practice puts our students at risk and it not acceptable. Our number one priority is keeping our students safe at dismissal time. Thank you for caring for our students and keeping them safe.
- Kindergarten students who are being collected from Gate 1, 2 or 3 will be dismissed at the same time as other students. Gates 2 and 3 are opened at 3pm when the bell goes.
PSSA
We are now able to resume PSSA (Primary School Sports Association - inter-school sport competition for students in Year 3-6. Parents and carers are asked to ensure that they follow the COVID restrictions at PSSA so that we can continue to provide this school event for our students. Unfortunately Round 1 was cancelled due to the forecast for rain.
Back at School Sport
Students in Years 1-6 are loving our Back at School Sport Program run by Sportspro this term. We have a quality games and skills based program for students in Years 3-6 and gymnastics for students in Years 1-2. Kindergarten students will be participating in gymnastics in Term 4 .
Teacher Professional Learning
This week our wonderful staff stayed back at school for two hours of professional learning. We all completed our CPR and anaphylaxis face to face training (with a 1 hour online theory session completed prior to this). Our teachers also engaged in our 2021 introductory professional learning session about Grow Your Mind. Grow Your Mind is our wonderful social and emotional learning program at Prestons Public School. We teach our students to recognise and learn to regulate their own emotions. You may hear about the following animals who help us to learn about our brain:
- Guard Dog - (our amygdala)
- Wise Owl - (prefrontal cortex)
- Sifting Sooty - (reticular activating system)
- Elephant - (hippocampus)
We are learning strategies for emotional regulation - (breathe, think, act) and are learning to develop a growth mindset.
Next week (Monday 22 February) we are holding our Grow Your Mind Launch day. Students will be engaging in fun activities such as; learning about our animals, scavenger hunts, sports challenges and engaging in simultaneous storytime to hear stories about growth mindset and perseverance. Thank you to our amazing teachers for organising this launch day.
Have a wonderful week and don't forget to ask your child what they are learning.
Liz Van Der Meulen
Principal
Dates to Remember
18/2/2021 - Swimming Carnival Yrs 3 to 6
19/2/2021 - PSSA Commence Yrs 3 to 6
19/2/2021- Issue 1 Book Club Order due
Swinging into 2 Monkeys
This year, 2 Monkeys are super excited to learn in one of our new buildings with all of Year 2! We share a classroom space with 2 Toucans and Mrs Quinn, and have nicknamed ourselves the 'Toukeys'. Every morning we check-in with all of the Year 2 students and teachers in our campfire space where new learning is shared.
We have been super busy getting to know each other, making friends and settling into Year 2 life. We are getting to know all of our new learning spaces such as campfires, watering holes, caves and mountain tops, where we can learn in bigger groups, in small groups, with a partner or independently. So far we have loved getting into Daily 5 by starting with Read-to-Self and working in our outdoor learning space!
We cannot wait to see where the year will take us!
Mrs Calabro & the 'Toukeys'
Classroom Chat with 6 Eagles
We cannot believe how quick this term is going! We have loved getting settled into our classroom, choosing where we get to sit using our flexible seating and building relationships with our new classmates. We have started the term strong and have all been wearing the correct school uniform.
Our novel study, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, has been such an engaging way to begin the term- some might even say it is our favourite part of the day! We are very eager to read the rest of our novel to see how the story ends. Not only have we been learning comprehension skills but we have learnt so much about visualising and summarising a text. Our English concept for the term is about analysing a text from a certain perspective. We have already learnt so much about looking deeper into texts, films and pictures to see the finer details.
We have been working very hard in maths learning about the area of a triangle and how to use the formula. This week we will be attending the Swimming Carnival and we are so excited to cheer our class mates on!
Until next time,
6 Eagles
Introducing Mr Edwards
"Hello Prestons school community.
My name is Liam Edwards. I am very excited to join the Prestons Public School teaching team. I have recently completed my Bachelor of Primary Education at the University of Wollongong. My interests include sports, particularly surfing and soccer. I look forward to working across the school community and building strong relationships in supporting student achievement. Please feel encouraged to say hello.
I have already been made to feel very welcomed.
I look forward to meeting you all."
PSSA Summer Sport - Friday 19th February
Parents are permitted to attend games and must social distance at all times while attending.
Sports events will be held at the following locations:
* Oz-Tag - Woodward Park, Liverpool
* Newcombe Ball - Homestead Park, Chipping Norton
* Soft Ball - Please refer to the draw below for locations.
Please ensure that your child has their hat, sunscreen and plenty of drinks. Students depart school at 9:30am and will return to school by 12:15pm
Book Club - Issue 1
Orders for this issue close Friday 19th February 2021.
Voluntary School Contribution 2021
What is a Voluntary School Contribution?
This is a voluntary payment from parents that is requested each year by schools to supplement existing funding. Our school relies on these contributions to provide additional resources to ensure our students have the best possible learning opportunities and learning environment.
How Much?
The voluntary contribution for 2021 is $30 per family.
Payments can be made at the office by cash or through EFTPOS or through POP (Parent Online Payments - this accessed through the schools website).
All money raised from these contributions will go directly towards the purchase of school resources and related technology to enhance the teaching and learning across our school.
Breakfast Club
Crunch & Sip
Crunch & Sip gives student the chance to re-fuel with fruit or vegetables to improve physical and mental performance and concentration in the classroom, as well as promoting long term health.
Update of Information
Kinder to Years 2
School Canteen Online Ordering
Community Language Classes
For more information please call Houda 0404 940 416
Return & Earn
Students are encouraged to recycle their containers at school in their classroom bins and in the orange bins on the playground. Every Friday at the Box Road gate students can bring in a bag of recycling to go into the draw to win some exciting prizes.