Glenealy School Newsletter
26th September 2019
Message from Chris
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
It has been a busy week indeed here for the fabulous Glenealy community. It is a testament to the whole community that we have so much going on during every week of school!
Last Friday the Year 6 Parents hosted our first Bake Sale of the year, which was extremely successful - raising a huge amount of money in a very short period of time. They raised more than $14,000 in just one hour! All money raised goes to the PTA, who then invest that money into the work of the school. The Year 6 parents did a fabulous job of entertaining and feeding the children and I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the parents involved for their incredible efforts and for making it such a great Friday experience for our community!
If you want to find out more about the work of the PTA and how they support the school, we would like to remind you that the PTA AGM will be held this evening from 5:45 - 6:45 pm in The Centre. Parents of all year groups are very welcome; there will be nibbles and drinks provided. This important event summarises the work of the PTA, and forms an important function by formally ratifying the PTA Executive Committee for the new year. We look forward to seeing you all there.
As an additional reminder we would also like to flag that we still have another day for nominations for a Parent School Council member, with nominations closing tomorrow (Friday 27th September) at 3:00 pm. Please nominate possible parent candidates using the online form which can be found here.
Year 3 children had a fantastic camp experience yesterday with the Treasure Island Team on Lantau. The children undertook beach challenges, coasteering, learned about sea safety and went surfing. The children developed their social and team building skills along with making their own lunches. All had a fabulous experience and were very tired upon their return. We want to thank the teachers for organising the camp, and in particular Ms Lavery, our camp leader, for arranging such a successful day.
With regards to parking outside the school at drop off and pick up times, we would like to thank parents for their consideration this week. Please can parents ensure they do not park on the pavements on Hornsey Road, which forces families to walk on the road. Parking on the pavements puts our children’s safety at risk. Thank you for your ongoing consideration during these busy times of the day.
Finally, I would like to remind parents that school will be closed to children on Monday 30th September and Tuesday 1st October next week. We look forward to seeing you all back at school on Wednesday 2nd October. We also look forward to seeing many of you at the Three Way Conferences later next week. From all the staff here we wish you a fantastic long weekend.
Best Regards
Chris.
Dates for your Diary
Thursday 26th September
PTA AGM 5:45 pm - 7:30 pm in The Centre (adults only)
Friday 27th September
Year 1 and Year 6 Immunisations
Monday 30th September
ESF CPD Day- no students in school
Tuesday 1st October
National Day - public holiday
Wednesday 2nd October 3:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Three Way Conferences
Thursday 3rd October 3:30 pm - 7:00 pm
Three Way Conferences
Monday 7th - Friday 11th October
Mid Term Holiday
Friday 22nd November
PTA School Fair
Friday 29th November
Sports Day
Friday 13th December
End of Term 1 - school closes at 12:00 noon
Book Week
A mini Book Week will take place from the 16th-18th October 2019. This is the week straight after mid-term break. As always, this will end with a character dress-up parade. All parents are welcome to attend this event on Friday 18th October at 8:40 am in the Lower Playground.
You should have received The Library Newsletter a few days ago which will have shared with you more details about our visiting authors, competitions and events.
Mr Sangster
PTA News
PTA Annual General Meeting and Parents’ Drinks Evening
The Glenealy School PTA AGM and Drinks Evening is tonight!
Start Time: Doors open at 5:45 pm, wrap up by 7:30 pm
Date: Thursday 26th September 2019
Place: The Centre at Glenealy School
Come along and join us for delicious finger food, soft drinks, beer and wine as we briefly review the past year and thank you all for your support. Please note that this is a parent/teacher only evening, so come ready to mix, mingle and enjoy the hospitality!
Please RSVP using the short Google Form here if you have not already done so.
For copies of the Agenda, the 2018-19 Report & Accounts please contact Becky on pta@glenealy.net.
Thank you to Year 6 for kick starting the year group fundraising events for the school year with their hugely popular carnival styled Bake Sale last Friday. The children loved all of the fun activities and delicious food. A whopping $14,624 was raised which will go towards the playground renovations. What a great team effort and end result. Well done Year 6!
From the Nurse
For those Year 1 and Year 6 students who are having their immunisations tomorrow, please wear short sleeve school shirts so that the top of their arms are easily accessible.
Also please be reminded that students with fever should be kept at home for 24 hours fever free.
School Uniform
Recently we have noted a small number of students who have been coming to school wearing non-uniform items. We have been observing students wearing school shoes that are not completely black, headbands, ribbons or scrunchies that are not in the correct colours or socks that are not plain navy or plain white. We will be following up with the students about this at the school assembly tomorrow with a presentation from our Year 6 assembly leaders. Please click here to go to the school website for more information about the uniform guidelines.
A Message About Our Counselling Service
Each Tuesday, Erin will work at school to provide counselling for students. The school has a budget to assist in part payments of counseling services so that it is more accessible for all. If you would like to seek further information about the service for your child please contact your child's teacher or one of the management team who can assist you. Erin has a strong background in counselling across a number of areas. Please read her bio (below) to find out more.
Erin Donahue received a joint degree in Psychology and Sociology and a Masters of Education in School Counselling from the University of Massachusetts, Boston. She obtained a Post-Masters certificate in Mental Health Counselling at Cambridge College in Boston, Massachusetts.
Erin has extensive experience working in the school setting as a counsellor for children, pre-adolescents, and adolescents of varying backgrounds and needs in both the USA and Hong Kong. Before moving to Hong Kong, Erin was the lead counsellor in a behaviour program for students with dual diagnoses in a public school setting for children ages 5 to 12 in Massachusetts. Additionally, Erin worked at a community clinic for an under served population and a private practice.
Erin uses a systems approach to counselling, focusing on strengthening relationships within the network and building emotional stability in individuals. Erin encourages families and extended networks to be part of the counselling experience when necessary and works closely with parents throughout their child’s counselling experience. She uses evidence-based forms of talk therapy, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Solution-Focused Therapy, and Family Systems Therapy. Erin has worked with individuals facing a range of issues including anxiety and depression, stress, behavioural issues, grief, separation and/or changing family circumstances. She is skilled at helping children learn strategies for managing their emotions and forming healthy peer relationships. Her main clientele is made up of children, adolescents, and parents.
Tetra Paks Collection
We had our 3rd tetra pak drive this Monday. We collected 42.5 kg of tetra paks. That is 42.5 kg of tetra paks we saved from the landfill. We will be having another collection next month. Huge thanks to all the kids and families who have helped us collect the tetra paks at the collection booth on the day - Well Done Everyone!
So far altogether we have collected 108.5kg of tetra paks in all our collections.
Our next collection will be Monday 21st October, so please keep collecting at home. Don’t forget to cut open, wash and dry your tetrapaks ready for the next collection. Please watch the video link to see how to prepare your tetra paks if you don’t already know.
Parents as Partners 2019/20
We would like to thank parents for their survey suggestions for our Parents as Partners events this year. We may add to this programme over the year, but wanted to share the initial schedule with parents at this time.
Details of timings, and registration for each workshop, will be announced closer to each event.
Teaching of Maths at Glenealy
Parent Circle
Wednesday 23rd October 2019
Assessment at Glenealy - Building Understanding for Parents
Workshop
Wednesday 12th February 2020
Inquiry at Glenealy
Parent Circle
Wednesday 4th March 2020
Social Emotional Learning at Glenealy-Building Resilience
Workshop
Wednesday 29th April 2020
Understanding the Teaching of Language at Glenealy
Parent Circle
Term 3 - Date To be confirmed
Year 1 Admissions - Important information for parents
The Year 1 Central Application period for children born in 2015 has commenced on 1st September and will close on 30th September 2019. Please click here for Year 1 key dates.
Important Reminder
Has your child's visa status changed?
As a reminder, all children attending an ESF school need the appropriate and valid visa status to do so. Please inform the school if your child's visa status changes. For more information, you may refer to the Immigration section on the ESF website.
Useful School Forms
Medical Authorisation Form - required should your child need to take medication whilst at school, on a school trip or camp