Sherwood Ridge Public School
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34 Rosebery Road
Kellyville NSW 2155
Subscribe: https://sherwoodrps.schoolzineplus.com/subscribe

Email: sherwood-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Phone: 02 8824 3333
Fax: 02 8824 5700

24 February 2023

Newsletter Articles

A NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Classrooms are buzzing with excitement and activity as we head into the second half of the term. Developing student agency is fundamental to maintaining a sense of belonging and increasing engagement in learning. Students have been presenting their ideas about leadership to their peers and nominating for various leadership roles across the school. We will induct the student leaders into their 2023 role during our annual induction ceremonies in Weeks 8 and 9 of this term.

This week, we held our Meet the Teacher sessions and it was wonderful to welcome our parent and carer community into classrooms to share important information to ensure that your child is set up for success for the year ahead. As parents and carers you are an important and valued part of our school community. We understand that student learning progress and wellbeing are directly linked to a positive partnership between school and home. If you would like to speak with your child’s class teacher about his/her specific needs, please contact the school office to arrange an appointment. We are committed to ensuring a safe and happy environment for your child.

In staffing news, we wish Mrs Kate Raines all the best as she takes leave to prepare for the upcoming birth of her baby. We thank Kate for the work she has put in this term in providing support to the Intensive Learning Support Team - our staff and students appreciate her expertise.

Kind regards,

Mrs Jody Sullivan
Principal

Sherwood Ridge Public School I From Each Their Best

Sherwood Ridge Public School, an inclusive school where wellbeing and student growth and achievement for all is at the centre of what we do. Students and teachers actively engage in learning, with parents and carers as partners in this journey, all striving together to create a future generation of strong, capable and driven lifelong learners. At Sherwood Ridge every student, every teacher and every family is known, valued and cared for. SRPS School Vision 2021-2024

SPORT SUPERSTAR

Congratulations to one of our new students, Kaya K who is proving to be a cricketing superstar with a passion and talent for the sport. She is an all-rounder demonstrating skills in both batting and bowling. We cannot wait to see what she achieves in this sport in the coming months and years - go Kaya!

LITERACY LEGENDS

5/6A students have been using descriptive language to enhance the meaning in their poetry. They are literacy legends!

By Logan H 5/6A

Blazing Sun - Haiku

The blazing sun a
Bright yellow star floating in
Space spitting large flames

It is just starting
To get extremely sunny
Autumn is gone and

Summer is coming
I can feel the warmth already
And it is the best.

by Savindu G 5/6A

HAIKU - MACY

Hopping happily,
Sprinting energetic’lly,
To come back inside.

Underneath my bed,
Are sounds of cute, silent snores,
Light-brown fur resting.

She’ll never cause pain,
Though is sometimes aggressive,
Blueb’rries all she wants.

I forgot to say,
That this girl is Macy, and,
Macy’s my rabbit.

by Jasmin N 5/6A

ATTENDANCE - EVERY DAY MATTERS

We want to do all we can to be sure your child achieves their potential and enjoys being in school. Being at school every day boosts student learning and confidence and helps them build and maintain friendships. One way we can help make this happen is to be sure your child attends school each day unless they are sick, have COVID-like symptoms or are absent for a justified reason.

Protecting the wellbeing of our students through the reporting and monitoring of student absences is the responsibility of both parents/carers and schools. Notifying the school either before or on the day that your child is away helps us keep accurate student attendance records to support you and your child.

When your child is unwell

If your child is unwell they will need to stay home, get tested for COVID-19 if they are experiencing symptoms and only return to school when symptom free. Isolation when positive for COVID-19 is no longer compulsory, however, parents and carers are still required to explain the absences of their children from school. An explanation for absence must be provided to the school within 7 days of the first day of any period of absence. Our school has a daily SMS (text) system to make this process easier for families.

Medical appointments

Families are asked to make medical appointments outside of school hours, this includes paramedical appointments such as therapies. Medical certificates must be provided to explain the leave and if the principal accepts this explanation then leave will be approved. Without a medical certificate, the leave will be registered as an explained, yet unjustified.

Applications for Leave

We have recently had a large number of requests for approval to take leave to go on a family holiday. A reminder that holidays should only be booked during school breaks and students should be at school every day during the school term, right from beginning to end. Please be advised that holidays taken by students outside of school holiday periods will now be registered as absences. A Certificate of Exemption can no longer be granted for this purpose.

A Certificate of Exemption may be issued by the school in advance of the leave period if an explanation of the absence has been accepted by the principal. This may be due to: misadventure or unforeseen event; participation in special events not related to the school; domestic necessity such as serious illness of an immediate family member; attendance at funerals; or recognised religious festivals or ceremonial occasions.

Missing a day here or there may not seem like much but absences add up and can impact your child’s learning more than you think. When your child misses one day a week over a year, that’s 40 days of school, 8 weeks of lessons and 2.5 years over their school life lost. As your child’s education has already been interrupted through periods of learning from home due to COVID-19 over the last few years, now is the time to prioritise face-to-face learning and making the most of every school day.

Our school strives for the expected attendance rate which is above 95% of students at school each day over the year.

We know that school is the best place to learn and regular attendance means students can stay on top of their schoolwork and get the most out of their learning. If you are having trouble getting your child to school every day or on time, please talk to our school staff so we can work together, because every day counts.

COVID-SMART MEASURES

We are continuing our COVID-smart measures into 2023. While the community continues to transition towards living with COVID-19, NSW Health advised that the unpredictable nature of the virus will continue to present a health risk to the community, with new waves of transmission expected this year. Our school will continue to operate with baseline COVID-smart measures in place this term to minimise transmission. These include a combination of layered safety measures, such as:

  • Staying home if unwell and test for COVID-19 if showing any symptoms
  • Boosted day cleaning of high-touch areas in our schools
  • Strongly encouraging masks to be worn by all students, staff and visitors, particularly when indoors or outdoors when physical distancing is difficult to maintain
  • Requiring masks for staff and volunteers who interact with students at greater risk of serious illness if they were to contract COVID-19 – including in SSPs, support units and some mainstream settings
  • Strongly encouraging up-to-date vaccinations for our staff and students, including COVID-19 booster shots for anyone eligible
  • Maintaining natural ventilation with windows and doors open whenever possible, including when cooling/heating systems are in use
  • Continuing to provide RATs and other hygiene products to schools free of charge.

Masks continue to be required at all times for staff, volunteers and other workers who support our students who are at greater risk of serious illness should they contract COVID-19. This applies whether the students are in schools for specific purposes (SSPs), support units or mainstream classrooms. Schools should be particularly conscious of managing the risks to vulnerable students.

In certain circumstances, NSW Health and the Department of Education may recommend that additional COVID-smart measures be temporarily reintroduced at our school. We will provide further details of any changes to COVID-smart measures at our school, if and when required.

Please continue to notify our school if your child tests positive to COVID-19 as we will continue to regularly notify the school community of any known positive cases, to prioritise student and staff safety and wellbeing. Although no longer mandatory, NSW Health recommends you register your result with Service NSW; this helps you to access medical support from NSW Health, including antiviral medicines, if you're eligible.

For further information about the COVID-smart measures in place this term, refer to Advice for families -

https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families

Non-COVID-19 vaccinations reminder from NSW Health

Due to the ongoing pandemic and stay-at-home orders in previous years, NSW Health have noted that some children and young people have missed out on the non-COVID school-based vaccination programs that they would have otherwise taken part in. The department would like to remind parents and carers to make sure that all of their child’s vaccinations are up-to-date, including other non-COVID vaccinations. If you are unsure about whether your child has missed any vaccinations, speak to your GP or go to NSW Health’s Immunisation requirements in primary and secondary schools .

Parents and carers who have children with persistent or ongoing symptoms of COVID-19 are encouraged to have these assessed by their local health care professional. These symptoms may be related to other illnesses that require treatment and management by a doctor. For more information on vaccinations refer to Vaccination requirements for school sites or the Australian Governments COVID-19 vaccines .

Telephone interpreter service

If you need further information please call your school principal. If you need an interpreter to assist you with your enquiry please call the Telephone Interpreter Service on 131 450 and ask for an interpreter in your language. Tell the operator the phone number you want to call, and the operator will get an interpreter on the line to assist you with the conversation. You will not be charged for this service.

We thank you for your support in helping to keep our students, staff and community safe.

SHERWOOD RIDGE AWARDS

K-2 Assembly Badge Recipient Lists

Green

Red

Blue

White

Bronze

Silver

Gold

3-6 Assembly Badge Recipient Lists

Green

Lillian Z 3A

Red

Beryl L 4R, Emma L 3A

Blue

Tinoush S 3C, Isla H 3C, Willow R 3S

White

Ibrahim H 4S 2022, Leala C 4S 2022

Bronze

Lucy F 4S 2022, Evie W 4R

Silver

Gold

K-2 Merit Award Recipient Lists

Class

KBC

KK

KLM

K/1W

1C

1K

1V

2A

2E

2N

2T

SBL

3-6 Merit Award Recipient Lists

Class

3C

Jackson S, Milan C, Tijana T, Ankang Z

3A

3S

Joshua C, Nelisa U, Albert L, Lene G

3/4M

Rozelyn T, Zehab A, Miranda K, Sophie H

4B

Jennifer W, Thomas C, Tyler W, Charlotte C

4L

NFP, Chloe Y, Anosh S, Aditi P

4R

Elyssa S, Jesse P, Charlotte C, Jenson T

5D

Larry H, Jenson R, Alison R, Ruby B

5R

Sophia L, Charlotte Q, James H, Shashank R

5S

Tiffany G, Kaira M, Blake N, Arjun T

5/6A

Kian T, Kevin Y, Lily R, Angela L

6MB

Mackenzie H, Leo L, Ali A, Tiffany H

6G

6T

Catherine C, Flynn M, Esther R, Aarav S

SJ

SR

Bianca J, Zac M

SBL

Caught You Being Good

Kindergarten Caught You Being Good

Stage 1 Caught You Being Good

Luca P 2T, Lucas L 2T, Miranda B 2E, Zayne S 2N, Holly S 2A, Ayaan K 2A, Tatum G 2T, Sartaaj SM 2E, Tyler S 2A, Talvin J 2A

Stage 2 Caught You Being Good

Stage 3 Caught You Being Good

Gajan T 5/6A, Pravan T 6G, Lavans B 6G, Ishaan P 5S, Mila S 5S, Yasarnee S 5/6A, Ryan K 6MB, Shaalya R 5/6A, Keira L 6T, Benson W 6G

FROM THE TEACHERS

NAPLAN INFORMATION

NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.

As students progress through their school years, it’s important to check how well they are learning the essential skills of reading, writing and numeracy.

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time.

NAPLAN is just one aspect of a school’s assessment and reporting process. It doesn’t replace ongoing assessments made by teachers about student performance, but it can provide teachers with additional information about students’ educational progress.

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy.

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through their regular school curriculum. Students sit assessments in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. The questions assess content linked to the Australian Curriculum: English and Mathematics.

What can I do to support my child?

Students are not expected to study for NAPLAN. You can support your child by reassuring them that NAPLAN is a part of their school program and reminding them to simply do their best. Some familiarisation and explanation of NAPLAN is useful to help students understand and be comfortable with the format of the tests. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the types of questions in the tests and will provide appropriate support and guidance.

ACARA does not recommend excessive preparation for NAPLAN or the use of services by coaching providers.

See the types of questions and tools available in the online NAPLAN assessments at the Public Demonstration Site. We encourage all students to use the Public Demonstration Site from the link below to familiarise themselves with the structure and format of NAPLAN. Our students will use this site in class and we encourage families to access the site at home as well.

https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site

When is NAPLAN online taking place?

All students in Years 3 and 5 will participate in the four NAPLAN tests across the testing window starting from Wednesday 15 March through to Monday 27 March 2023.

K-2 Curriculum Reform

What is curriculum?

The curriculum is a plan for learning based on mandated and approved syllabus documents and current departmental policies and procedures.

The NSW curriculum refers to the suite of resources that are the syllabuses and the support resources to support teachers to implement the syllabuses. This includes, but is not limited to, resources including teaching and learning advice, assessment resources, and syllabus-specific materials including scope and sequences, units of work, standards materials and work samples.

What is curriculum reform?

The NSW education system is reforming the curriculum which will be taught in all classrooms from Kindergarten to Year 12. The new curriculum, as a result of the NSW Curriculum Reform, will give students more time to focus on key learning areas so that they can acquire a deeper understanding of central concepts. It will ensure students develop strong foundations for learning, life and work in a complex and fast-changing world.

This reform has been informed by extensive consultation with teachers, parents and education experts, and is underpinned by extensive research. Curriculum reform involves change that spans many aspects of schooling, including teaching, learning, assessment and reporting to parents. New syllabuses provide schools with a unique opportunity to re-focus and place curriculum at the heart of school planning. Key curriculum changes include:

  • building strong foundations for future learning with new English and mathematics syllabuses for Kindergarten to Year 2
  • an entirely new curriculum from 2022 with new syllabuses focused on what is essential to know and do in early and middle years of schooling, and key learning areas in the senior years
  • providing more time for teaching by reducing the hours teachers spend on extra-curricular topics and issues and compliance requirements
  • strengthening post- school pathways with new learning areas for Years 11 and 12 that clearly link learning to future employment and study options.

The new curriculum will ensure every student develops strong foundations for learning, life and work. The reforms are vital for the young people in our schools today, and for those who will arrive in the years to come. More information can be found on the NSW Department of Education and NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA)

How are we supporting our teachers in implementing this reform?

Curriculum reform has been part of the Strategic Improvement Plan since the beginning of 2022. Last year, all teaching staff participated in over 10 hours face to face training along with an additional 10 hours of online learning in preparation for the new syllabus implementation in 2023. This provided all staff with the opportunity to understand the purpose of the reform, the key focus areas for reform and how this would impact their day to day teaching. It also prepared all K-2 classroom teachers to implement the new English and Mathematics syllabus documents from the start of 2023.

This year, our teachers are continuing to engage in regular online learning opportunities provided by the NSW Department of Education and within our Strategic Improvement Plan we are building in time for classroom teachers to participate in regular collaborative learning and planning. Each classroom teacher spends half a day on a four weekly cycle working with the English syllabus and student progress data with Mrs Bryant and Mrs Brodie looking at where our students are at, what their next steps are in learning and how to use the syllabus to plan for their next cycle of learning. In Mathematics, classroom teachers meet fortnightly for 45 minutes with Mrs Blacker and Mrs Brodie during Data Talks looking at assessment results, syllabus documentation and planning lesson sequences. This is providing ongoing professional development and support in not only curriculum implementation but the use of data to inform teaching and learning.

We are excited by the Curriculum Reform and the opportunities it provides to further refine our teaching practice and best meet the diverse and individual needs of our students.

Year 7 2024 Expression of Interest Process

Dear Parents and Carers,

Your child has entered the final year of their primary schooling and it is already time to start planning for the transition to high school next year.

The first step in this process is to complete an Expression of Interest online application. Whether you are planning to send your child to the local high school, an out-of-area school or a non-government school, all parents of current Year 6 students must complete this process.

The online EOI process will open on Monday 6 March, 2023 and must be completed by Thursday 6 April.

We will be holding a Parent Information Session online via Zoom on Tuesday 7 March, 2023 at 4pm. During this session we will guide parents through the requirements of the EOI process and offer support to those who would like assistance or have questions. At the end of this session, you will have sufficient information to submit the forms online yourself.

Further details of the Zoom session, such as the meeting code and password will be shared on the Parent App and School Facebook page prior to the event.

Greg Luther
Stage 3 Assistant Principal

Healthy Canteens

Canteen Payments

May we ask if you are paying cash for your child's order or sending spending money, where possible please send coins or smaller value notes.

We have limited change available and struggle to change large notes of a morning.

FlexiSchools is a cashless option to order Recess or Lunch and removes the worry of lost change or forgetting to hand in the order.

This can be done for any Item on our menu including ice blocks.

Please tell your child if they have a recess order as these need to be collected from the canteen, they use the "Express Line".

Lunch orders are sent to classrooms, your child will need to come to the canteen to collect the following items if ordered (using the Express Line)

Noodles
Ice Blocks
Jelly

FlexiSchools orders can be placed online days or even weeks in advance.

If your child doesn't attend school that day, cancel in app or SMS Healthy Canteens Office 0405 129 242 before 10am:

Please cancel
Sherwood Ridge
Childs Name
Childs Class

We will cancel the order and funds will return to your FlexiSchools account.

Thank You for supporting our canteen services.

Healthy Canteens

FROM THE LIBRARY

Library News

The Library at Sherwood Ridge is a pivotal part of our school, fostering a love of reading and engagement with texts.

Students will be provided with class time each week where they can borrow books to take home to read.

Information about class borrowing days will be communicated by the class teacher.

Scholastic Book Club is an easy and affordable way to buy books kids love. Book Club books are age appropriate and well-priced. Every book purchased earns bonus coupons which the school uses to purchase books for the Learning Centre. Please note that there is no obligation to buy Book Club books.

Twice per term children will receive Book Club catalogues to bring home. Parents and children may choose which books they would like to purchase. Payment options available for your child’s Book club order are:

ONLINE: Place your order online by going to the link below.
PHONE - Call toll free 1800 021233 (Hours are: Monday to Friday - 8:30am - 5:30pm)
BY MAIL - send your order and cheques payable to Scholastic Australia:
Book club Scholastic Australia, PO Box 579, Gosford, NSW 2250

https://bookclubs.scholastic.com.au/

The effectiveness of our Library depends greatly on our volunteers and we would love it if you could provide some time.

This could be to;

  • Assist with the return of books each morning (approximately 30 minutes)
  • Covering new books with plastic / contact (these can be taken home)

Training will be provided at no cost!

Volunteers or parents who have direct contact with children in the provision of administrative, clerical or providing assistance in the school ie: classrooms, library, canteen etc. will need to complete their working with children’s check.

A Working With Children Check is a prerequisite for anyone in child-related work. It involves a national criminal history check and review of findings of workplace misconduct. The result of a Working With Children Check is either a clearance to work with children for five years, or a bar against working with children. Cleared applicants are subject to ongoing monitoring, and relevant new records may lead to the clearance being revoked. The Check is fully portable which means it can be used for any paid or unpaid child-related work in NSW for as long as the worker remains cleared.

Go to the following link to find out more information and apply online:

https://ocg.nsw.gov.au/working-children-check

Regards
Mrs Keller

Library Volunteers Return Slip

If you can help in the Library please fill in your details and what you would like to help with.

Book Covering

   

Yes/No

Morning Returns

   

Yes/No

Preferred days

   

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY HURSDAY FRIDAY

The NSW Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is an initiative of the NSW State government. It aims to encourage in students a love of reading for leisure and pleasure and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student - to read, to read more and to read more widely.

In order to complete the Challenge, students must read the following number of books based on their Challenge Level:

Challenge Level

Number of books you must read

Minimum number of PRC books

Maximum number of Personal Choice books

PRC booklists you can read from

K-2

30

20

10

K-2, 3-4, 5-6

3-4

20

10

10

3-4, 5-6, 7-9

5-6

20

10

10

5-6, 7-9

7-9

20

10

10

5-6, 7-9, 9plus

3-9 (see rules on PRC site)

20

10

10

All booklists

2023 Challenge dates

Students can include any books read from the end of the 2022 challenge on their 2023 reading record. Key dates for the 2023 challenge are:

27 February 2023 - challenge opens for student entries
Friday 18 August 2023 - challenge closes for student entries.

How do students access the challenge?

A link to the Premier’s Reading Challenge website can be found in the Student Portal under the Learning section. Students are also able to add a link to the PRC in the My Link List section to make the PRC easier to find. The URL to use is below.

https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/studentExperience.html

Public school students can also log in directly to the  PRC website  using their Department of Education (DoE) username and password.  These are the same details a student would use to access the  Student Portal  and the computer network at school.  If you are unaware of your username and/or password, please contact your class teacher and ask for your Student Portal username and/or password.

Being safe @ SRPS

Pedestrian Safety
Stop! Look! Listen! Think! every time you cross the road
Always hold a grown-up’s hand
When a grown-up’s hand is not available, hold a pram, bag or their clothes
Always cross the road with a grown-up
Hold a grown-up’s hand when you cross the road
Hold a grown-up’s hand when you’re on the footpath
Hold a grown-up’s hand when you’re in a car park
Use a safe place to cross the road

The Hills Chinese School

The Hills Chinese school have returned to face to face classes at Sherwood Ridge Public School.

For any enquiries or enrolments please contact Mary Yan Li - Principal - 0411 085 882.

Hills Community Aid

Hills Community Aid is here for you!

At this time we are practicing physical distancing while encouraging social inclusion.

We are providing over the phone, email and video support for a range of our services.

If you would like to speak with one of our staff please call and leave a message on our answering service (02) 9639 8620 or email and a member of staff will be in contact.

Follow our Facebook page to stay up to date with our social support services

EMERGENCY CONTACT NUMBERS

Lifeline 13 11 14
Kids Helpline 1800 551 800
Link2Home 1800 152 152
DV Support Service 1800 737 732
Beyond Blue 1300 224 636
MensLine Australia 1300 789 978
COVID-19 Helpline 1800 020 080

The Hills Community Aid and Information Service Inc.

390 Windsor Road, BAULKHAM HILLS NSW 2153
Phone: 02 9639 8620      Office hours 9.30am – 3.00pm 
Fax: 02 9686 3100

http://www.hca.org.au/

P&C News & OTHER GOOD STUFF TO KNOW

Email: srpspandc@gmail.com

SHERWOOD RIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL P&C FACEBOOK PAGE

Please like our official P&C page on FB ... a great way to know what is going on at our school and keep up to date with news and views from other parents and members of the school community.

The new P & C executive for 2023 are:
President: Leanne Hagerty
Vice President: Vacant
Treasurer: Kathryn Pollastrini
Secretary: Corinne Keane
2nd hand uniform Coordinator: Nicole Susic

UNIFORM SHOP INFORMATION

Uniform shop has reopened for over the counter sales and fittings.

Website: https://k12uniformstore.com.au/srps/
Email: srps@k12uniformstore.com.au
Phone: 02 9894 7213

TRADING HOURS

Monday - 2.00pm - 3.30pm
Wednesday - 8.30am - 10am

THE HILLS SHIRE COUNCIL PARKING PENALTIES & RULES

SYDNEY ACADEMY OF CHESS

COOL KIDS MUSIC

NORTHMEAD CREATIVE AND PERFORMING ARTS HIGH SCHOOL

High Potential and Gifted Academic Program

Open Day – Tuesday 14 March 2023

KELLYVILLE HIGH SCHOOL OPEN NIGHT

CROSSING SUPERVISOR – JORDAN SPRINGS PUBLIC SCHOOL