Prestons Post
Term 1, Week 8
Principal's Message
Dear Parents and Carers
Welcome to our Week 8 newsletter. We have had another great week of learning.
Learning at Prestons
Our students and teachers are busy working hard to achieve learning goals. Across the school we have been focusing on reading. Our amazing teachers have established consistent teaching practices across the whole school so that explicit teaching in reading skills, fluency and comprehension are happening in every room to meet the needs of the children in each class. We have amazing targeted interventions taking place in all classes as well. Our Stage Interventionists work closely with the teachers in their stage to look at student learning progress and design intervention programs to support targeted students achieve their learning goals. We are also fortunate to have received additional funding this year to provide additional learning support to students who may have fallen behind during the period of learning from home. This funding has allowed us to employ Mrs Kinnavong, Mrs Haque and Mrs Azzi to deliver the MultiLit program at Prestons. We also have Miss Jess and Miss Leah who are working each day with students to practice the reading skills that are being taught during MultiLit lessons.
P & C
Tonight was our P&C AGM and general meeting. We had a great turn out on a rainy evening and had a fantastic discussion about our new school improvement plan. Thank you to everyone for your contributions and feedback which will help us to sharpen our focus and truely meet the needs of our students. Our AGM saw the election of a new P&C executive and I look forward to working together to ensure that we are always doing what is best for each and every child at our school.
Thank you to the 2020 P&C executive for your ongoing dedication and commitment to the needs of all students at our school.
President - Bronwyn Sweeney
Vice President - Jeda Browne
Secretary - Amanda Michelli
Treasurer - Neil Prasad
Congratulations and welcome to the newly elected P&C executive for 2021:
President - Jamie Gibson
Vice President - Bronwyn Sweeney
Secretary - Amanda Michelli
Treasurer - Neil Prasad
Our next P&C meeting will be a day meeting and will be held on Tuesday 11 May at 1.30pm. We look forward to seeing many new faces on this day.
Cross Country
Today we held our annual cross country. It was particularly exciting because it was our first school event that we were able to welcome parents and carers back onsite. Thank you to everyone who came along and congratulations to our amazing students who showed grit and determination to run many laps of our school. We are proud of each and every one of you and send a special congratulations to those who were successful in qualifying for the zone carnival. Letters will be sent home shortly to those who qualified. Unfortunately rain put a dampener on our afternoon and the K-2 fun run had to be postponed. We will be sending a letter home shortly to advise of the new date.
Assembly
Monday morning assemblies are now able to be held with our whole school. We invite parents and carers to join us on Monday mornings at 9am to celebrate the learning and achievements of our students. Thank you for modelling respectful behaviour to our students during assembly by not having side conversations and joining in when we sing the national anthem. We look forward to seeing you next Monday.
Gates
As we move back to a sense of normality, our staggered drop off and pick up times are no longer being used. Please note that this means all students need to be at school by 9am when the gates are locked. Students arriving after 9am will need to enter via Gate 2 and proceed to the front office for a late note. All students need to be collected at 3pm when school finishes and students are dismissed. If you are not able to collect your child at 3pm, please make alternate arrangements for their care. Cubby House provide onsite before and after school care and families are able to contact them to book in a spot. The details for Cubby House are listed further on in our newsletter.
Learning
At Prestons we are dedicated to ensuring that our students have the best possible learning experiences to achieve success. Our teachers work hard and plan explicit teaching in literacy and numeracy each day. Regular attendance at school is important so that children don't miss out on important concepts in learning. Learning starts straight away each morning so we ask our families to please ensure that their children arrive at school on time and make appointments outside of school hours. The morning session (9am - 11am) is dedicated to English learning and the middle session (11.40 - 12.30) is dedicated to Mathematics learning. The whole school is focused on learning during these times and we are limiting interruptions by not sending messages or making announcements and wherever possible organising events outside of these hours. Thank you for supporting us to value learning at Prestons Public School.
Road Safety
I have become increasingly concerned with some unsafe practices around our Kiss and Ride zone. Please do not walk your child across the road through the Kiss and Ride zone, this area has cars constantly moving along and pedestrians should not step out in front of cars. Thank you for helping us to keep your child and other children safe.
Parent Concerns
Our staff care deeply about ensuring that Prestons Public School is a safe and happy place where all children can come to school and feel valued and cared for. Communication between school and home is very important and highly valued by our staff. If families have concerns about their child, whether it be about learning, safety, wellbeing or other, we ask that you let us know so that we can work with you to solve the problem. The first point of call is your child's classroom teacher. Teachers can be contacted on Seesaw or by calling our office and leaving a message for the teacher to call you back. If you feel that your concerns have not been addressed adequately you are welcome to contact the stage supervisors (Mrs Naicker for Kindergarten, Miss Higgins for Stage 1, Mrs Thomas for Stage 2 and Mrs Busuttil for Stage 3). While we are confident that our teachers and stage supervisors will be able to help you with your concerns, there may be times that you need to speak with our Deputy Principals, Mrs Beavis and Mrs Lloyd or myself. We are always happy to listen and work with our families to ensure that the students at Prestons feel safe and happy at school.
Have a wonderful week and don't forget to ask your child what they are learning at school.
Liz Van Der Meulen
Principal
Spotlight on Learning
School Canteen Online Ordering
Dates to Remember
18th March 2021 - Issue 2 Book Club Orders due
19th March 2021 - Year 7 Expressions of Interest form due
19 March 2021 - National Day of Action Against Bullying
26th March 2021 - Year 6 Shirts - Notes and Payment due
31st March - Easter Hat Parade
1st April - Last Day of Term 1
2nd April - Good Friday Public Holiday
PSSA Summer Sport
Parents are permitted to attend games and must social distance at all times while attending.
Friday 19th March 2021
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.
National Day of Action Against Bullying
Year 7 Expressions of Interest Forms
Year 6 Shirts - Final Week for Orders and Payments
Library News
In the library this term, our work is centred around Indigenous Studies. Students are learning about how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples feel connected with their land and country and the importance of this connection. One of the activities included children discussing the Aboriginal flag and its meaning. To end the lesson, students designed a flag of their choice with our STEM kits and explained the meaning of the colours they chose to use. They were able to collaborate in groups or work independently. The results were wonderful.
Our Premiers Reading Challenge has started in the Library this week. The aim of this Challenge is to encourage a love of reading for leisure in students while exposing them to quality literature. The Challenge closes on August 20, 2021 and we are aiming to complete this during library time this year. Children are more than welcome to borrow books off the booklist and read these at home.
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.