The Punchbowl Press

2022 Term 2 Week 5

26 May - National Sorry Day

15 June - The Fathering Project Launch - Paper Planes and Pizza  (5:00 -6:30pm)

22 & 23 June - School Photos K-6

1 July - Term 2 Ends

Term 3

19 July - School Resumes for all students P-6

Principal's Message

Dear parents and carers,

We have made a flying start to Term 2 across the school.  Unfortunately, the weather has prevented PSSA from getting underway, but we look forward to the finer weather drying out our fields and the students building some momentum around that competition.

This week our debaters participated in the Debating Gala day.  Students developed their debating skills through this targeted workshop, working with teachers and students from across the

Strathfield, Granville and Holroyd networks.  Mrs El Esh travelled with our students to Guildford Public School for the event.  I look forward to the debating competition getting underway.

On Wednesday this week, we held a very successful parent workshop facilitated by Mrs Rana and Miss Williams on the day, supported by Mr Tasker Miss Stojceska.  The workshop showcased how numeracy is being taught in our classrooms, demonstrated through practical activities with our parents and students.  The feedback was overwhelmingly positive from the participants, and we look forward to holding more workshops in the future.

On election day, our community sausage sizzle fundraiser for Year 6 was a huge success raising just over $1100 to support events later in the year.  Parents, students and teachers were working side by side to deliver a delicious sausage on a roll.  Thanks to Mrs El Esh and the team who turned sausages, chopped onions and served the community. Follow the link to watch a highlights video of the day.  

Yesterday, the school marked the beginning of Reconciliation Week with Sorry Day.  Across the school, we deepened our understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait culture through connecting to art, stories, language, bush tucker, stories and dance.  We also hosted the Bankstown Aboriginal Education Consultative Group at our School as a Community Centre.  The NSW Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Inc. is a non-for-profit Aboriginal organisation that provides advice on all matters relevant to education and training with the mandate that this advice represents the Aboriginal community viewpoint.  We welcome their guidance and feedback as we move forward.

Later this term, all our students will be receiving their half yearly reports.  We will also hold our formal parent-teacher interviews towards the end of June.  Keep your eye out for information on Skoolbag.

Mrs Donna McGeary- Principal

Schools as Community Centre (SaCC)

We have started off Term 2 with quite a few programs and activities for parents and children and it has been wonderful to see our SaCC room full of excited participants. 

The Tweens Kids Create program is art program which runs from 3:00-4:45pm every Tuesday.  Students designed their t-shirts as an introduction activity with their names on it and had pizza for afternoon tea. We thank Belmore Youth Resource Centre and Breakthru for their partnership and delivering this program to our families at Punchbowl. 

Tweens Kids Create

Floristry Course

The TAFE Statement of Attainment in Floristry has started and the group meet on Mondays in the SaCC.  Participants are learning about different flowers, arrangement styles and have already started to create their own masterpieces. We look forward to continuing this program throughout term 2. 

Bush School - Playgroups

Our Friday playgroups are enjoying their visits to Centennial Parklands to participate in the Bush School program. The children, along with their parents and educators are exploring learning in the great outdoors. They are practising their language, fine and gross motor skills and are having a heap of fun along the way. We thank Centennial Parklands Education Centre for providing this FREE learning experience for our community. 

Bush School - Playgroups

Parent Workshop - Mathematics

On Wedensday 25 May, Mrs Rana and Ms Williams held a parent workshop to share knowledge and skills in mathematics. Together, the participants explored patterns and learnt about the importance of students having the ability to understand, relate and connect with numbers.

The participants enjoyed the hands on learning experiences and we look forward to more opportunities to connect with parents in the future. Research shows that student learning is enhanced by collaboration between the school and the home. Visit the Everyday Maths Hub for some brilliant resources to support your children with maths at home.

The Fathering Project - Attention Dads & Kids Paper Planes and Pizza Launch Event!

Attention Dads & Kids Paper Planes and Pizza Launch Event!

Come along and meet other dads and father figures at our first Fathering Project Event!

For students and their dads, father figures and carers

When:       Wednesday 15 June 2022

Where:       Punchbowl Public School

Time:          5:00 - 6:30pm

These activities provide fathers and father figures with an opportunity to bond with their kids and connect with other fathers. Stronger families and communities mean brighter futures for our children.

If you have any questions please see Mrs Kontakos or Mr Shearer

Preschool & Early Intervention

Early Intervention has had a lot of new faces join us, so routines are being retaught with the existing students having new friends to meet and play with. Students are becoming more settled, and goals are being achieved. When outdoor play is possible, preschool and EI are mixing and getting to understand each other’s differences. Sharing and turn taking is a focus this term. 

 Earlier this month, it was lovely to have our mums come into Preschool for a stay and play Mother’s Day morning. Our mums joined in many play experiences such as making bracelets, hand printing, making play dough and free choice play. The children were very excited to have this opportunity with mum.  

Early Stage 1

A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A KINDERGARTEN STUDENT! 

Our morning starts with phonics! So far, we have learned lots of different sounds including m, s, t, a, p, i, f, r, o, c, d and h. During phonics, we work on the carpet and in small groups. Recently, we have really been engaged in activities where we listen for the beginning sound in a word!  

Next, we move on to our story book lesson! This is when we make predictions and learn new vocabulary. We have been focusing on retelling stories ourselves.  

After recess it's time for maths! We have been focusing on counting forwards to 30 and backwards from 20, and recognise numbers to 20 in lots of different ways.  

Our afternoons are filled with so many wonderful things! We learn about science, history, creative and performing arts, sports and health!  

IT'S FUN TO BE IN KINDERGARTEN! 

K/6 Owls & K/6 Kookaburras

Come & Try Excursion 

We would like to kindly welcome Mr Eliaali who has joined our team in the Support Unit as the classroom teacher of K-6 Kookaburras and Relieving Assistant Principal - Special Education. We are fortunate to have such a dedicated professional on our team. 

We have had a fun start to the term. Owls and Kookaburras went to the ‘Come & Try Athletics’ excursion organised by the Sutherland District Basketball Association. We all had a great opportunity to participate in and experience a variety of races and events during the day. We learnt about different skills and enjoyed competing with other students from a range of schools. 

We all enjoyed the experience. We tried our best and were amazing stars. It was an unforgettable day!  

Stage 1

Students in stage 1 have been learning about various artists in our Creative Arts unit this term. They were particularly inspired by Australian artist, Ken Done and his incredible artistic and child-like like representations of Sydney in his artworks. During their study, students learnt about Ken Dones history, where he lives and why he represents Sydney Harbour in lots of his artworks. Check out some of their amazing work!! 

Stage 2

Stage 2 have been learning about non standard renaming of numbers. For example we can ay that 38 is 3 tens and 8 ones. Or we can rename and say it is 2 tens and 18 ones. Or 1 ten and 28 ones. 

First we looked at numbers and created them using MAB blocks in groups of ten and ones. Then we swapped the tens for ones to rename the number. 

This was a bit tricky at first but now we are getting to be fantastic with smaller number and are ready to move on to larger numbers. Look at Stage 2 go! 

Stage 3

Students in Stage 3 have been learning to apply what they have learnt about concepts in the artworld to their own artmaking. More specifically, students have been investigating the way that artists use colour to evoke different feelings and emotions in the people who are viewing their work. They referred to the work of Andy Warhol and how he used warm and cool colours in his artwork. Students enjoyed experimenting with different colours to create an artwork. Fantastic job Stage 3! 

  

Community Language - Arabic

Students in Stage 1 are learning about family members. They are learning to say, write and read the Arabic words for mother, father, me, brother, sister, grandfather and grandmother. They enjoyed learning through songs, role plays and making a booklet about the family. In addition, they are supported by the ELLA application where they can independently learn about the family and interact through listening and repeating the words. 

Debating Gala Day

Students in Stage 3 were fortunate to participate in a whole day Debating Gala Day with over 20 other schools from across Sydney. This debating training day consisted of them developing a deeper understanding of the importance of debating, clarifying the roles of the speakers, tips on how to prepare for a debate, revising what makes a strong argument, attempts at ping pong rebuttals game and meeting lots of other debating students from across Sydney. They were also greeted by the Director of the Auburn Network Mr John Kennedy. 

Have a closer read of what the students now think of debating: 

Kevin: “Before the Gala day, I honestly didn’t know much about debating. Then, during the training day we were taught about the 3 components being manner, matter and method. Everything became clear and I’m not worried about writing a speech anymore. In fact, I can’t wait for our first debate in this inter-school competition”.  

Areej: “Initially being selected on the debating team, I felt nervous about preparing a debating speech. However, now that I’ve completed this training, I feel confident and can’t wait to show off my teamwork skills with my peers on the team”. 

PSSA Updates

Did you know that Punchbowl is part of the Wiley Park PSSA? 

Wiley Park PSSA is made up of all of the schools that we compete with for winter sports, swimming, cross country and other sporting activities out of school during the year. We are very lucky to have Mr Shearer as the President and Mr Ludlow as the treasurer. Also several of our incredible teachers run winter sports including Mr Tasker (rugby) and Miss Birgin (girls soccer). Our local PSSA could not operate without their awesome work behind the scenes. We have some pretty incredible sports achievements that have come from our PSSA zone.

You can keep up with things that are going on by becoming a member of the Wiley Park PSSA Zone - Facebook group. We would love as many people from the Punchbowl community to join and become part of the group. You can also download the Stack Team app, sign up, log in and search for our zone and keep up to date with sports that way as well. If you ever have any questions please direct them to the office and your message will be directed our way. It's an absolute privilege giving the students great sporting opportunities in and out of our school setting and we thank you for your support. 

Punchbowl Public School Wiley Park PSSA Representatives  

PSSA - Join the TEAM App

Download Team App from the App Store or Google Play, register as a Team App member,search for your team 'Wiley Park PSSA' and request to become a member. You can also join via www.teamapp.com 

Download

An important message from the school office

A new system has been introduced and you will now receive your Statement of Account  including School Voluntary Contribution (invoiced at $46 for one student or $54 per family) and other school fees such PSSA, Excursions/Incursions via the email contact address you have registered with the school.

Please note that the School Voluntary Contribution is not compulsory and remains voluntary. We thank the families who choose to contribute, these funds will be used to support programs in a number of learning areas to enhance student learning. 

The email contains a link to the online payment system where you can make secure payments via debit or credit card.

Contact the school should you have any questions. 

Let me introduce you to Huey the Bookbot. 

Huey is a brand-new way for children to find books they love. It’s like a chatbot. Huey was created by two inspiring women, Meena Tharmarajah and Caroline Kinny-Lewis, that wanted to bring great reading experiences to children. They created Huey so that it could help children find a book that matched their reading ability. Meena and Caroline both worked with The ABC and created some other awesome apps such as ABC Play School Art Maker, Bananas in Pyjamas and iView. 

Huey has been integrated to our school’s library catalogue and is ready for students to use. It will now be much easier for our students to find books that they will love reading! Click HERE to see how Huey can assist, remember to give Huey a few moments to load. Alternatively, you may scan the QR Code. With Huey’s book suggestions your child can search for a book at home and be ready to request it once they attend their library session. Students may also borrow during recess daily EXCEPT on Fridays. 

NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge:

The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) aims to encourage a lifelong love of reading for pleasure. The chosen titles allow students to experience quality literature. It is open to all students in NSW from kindergarten to Year 9. 

In recent years most of our students completed the challenge and were awarded a certificate from the NSW Premier’s office acknowledging their efforts. Let’s work together to ensure all our students complete this year’s challenge. Students may borrower PRC books from the school library or your local library. For more information about libraries in the Canterbury Bankstown area click on the link. 

https://www.cbcity.nsw.gov.au/community/library-knowledge-centres/locations-memberships 

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)

Dear parents, guardians and carers

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:

·       year of schooling

·       category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional

·       level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.

This information assists schools to:

·       formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools

·       consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools

·       develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability.

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability.

The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.dese.gov.au/about-us/resources/department-education-skills-and-employment-complete-privacy-policy-0).

Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://www.nccd.edu.au).

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school.

FUN Kids OSHC - Before School Care, After School Care and Vacation Care

Fun Kids operates on the grounds of Punchbowl Public School. The program is FREE for families who qualify for the government voucher. 

For more information contact Fun Kids directly to register. 

Phone: 0422 968 085 Email: punchbowl@funkids.com.au

 

School Hats

School hats are available at the front office for $19. These are the new style bucket hats. Caps are no longer available to purchase from the school. 

Payments can be made online by visiting the school website and selecting 'Make a Payment'. Enter your details and include a note in the 'Payment Description' school hat.

Alternatively place $19 in an envelope labeled with your child's name and class and mark it with 'School Hat'. Please note the office does not keep change. Please include the correct money!

The office will make sure your child receives their hat. 

Covid Close Contacts are able to school

From the beginning of Term 2, students and staff who are identified as close contacts will be able to attend school at the principal’s discretion with the following risk mitigations in place:

-Parents/carers and staff must notify the school if they or their child is a close contact and intends to attend school or work

-Students and staff should conduct a daily rapid antigen test (RAT) and receive a negative result each morning before attending school for 5 subsequent school days

-Staff and high school students identified as close contacts must wear a mask in all indoor settings when at school

-Primary school students identified as close contacts are recommended to wear a mask in all indoor settings when at school

-Close contacts are not allowed to enter SSPs, support classes, assisted transport or attend overnight excursions for 7 days from identification as a contact.

For the latest Covid advice for families please visit the NSW Department of Education website https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families 

This page provides the latest advice for parents and carers on the department’s response to the pandemic. This guide is updated regularly based on advice from NSW Health. Please check this regularly. 

Did you know that the newsletter can be translated to many different languages?

- Scroll all the way to the bottom until you see the ‘Select Language’ option. Select your preferences language

You can now read the news in your chosen language.

Local Community News and Events

Motiv8sports Canterbury Bankstown Sports

At Motiv8sports Canterbury Bankstown, we get kids excited about sport and help them learn about teamwork and sportsmanship in safe and fun settings. We offer awesome party packages, school programs and of course, the coolest kids’ sports camps on the planet.

Our incredible team of coaches are selected based on their love of sport, using their experience, knowledge and energy to inspire the next generation. All of our coaches have undergone Working with Children checks.

Camps are held every school holidays at local venues.

We create events that motivate children to play, where no one sits on the bench and everyone’s treated like a superstar. Check out our events page for an event near you.

Visit https://motiv8sports.com.au/locations/canterbury-bankstown/ for registration and more details 

UNSW - Shaping bright young minds

The Junior Scientia program is designed for gifted and talented primary school students in Years 3-6. To participate in the program, students will select one three-day workshop from a range of options.  

All workshops are developed and presented by experienced teachers who are qualified or experienced in gifted education. They possess the expertise and skills to encourage the interests and pique the curiosity of gifted children.  

To provide an appropriate level of rigour and challenge for gifted students, the level of difficulty of the workshops is set two years above the enrolled school level of the child. The workshop structure is also designed to further develop social skills and provide an opportunity for gifted students to meet like-minded peers with similar interests. 

Visit the link for more details.