Principal's MessageWith only one week left until the school year ends, we have certainly much to celebrate There are still some exciting events to look forward to for all our students, staff, and families. These include celebrations to end an era, I am extremely proud of the achievements we have made in 2023. Reports Student reports got sent home on Thursday 14 December. The teachers have been working on assessing and finalising these documents throughout term four. This process involves a multitude of considerations including triangulating data on each child and meeting as a stage team to ensure consistent teacher judgement is applied. Congratulations to all students on their achievements. P & C- Thank you! A big thank you to our P&C president Lisa and her executive team and membership for their ongoing hard work and dedication in working with our school to enhance the teaching and learning opportunities for our teachers and students. While yet again another complex year to navigate, it has been very successful, with the P&C finding ways to enhance the things we are doing, while providing many valuable experiences and opportunities Thank you to everyone involved. School Enrolments 2024 Currently we anticipate our enrolment figure to be approximately 380 students for 2024. This includes the additional students in our newly established Autism support class for 2024. To have accurate numbers for next year, it is important to notify the school office if you know your child will not be returning to Unanderra Public School next year (other than Year 6). This information helps us to plan for 2024. Alternatively, if you know of friends or family members who intend to enrol their children in Unanderra Public School in 2024, please ask them to contact the school office to fill in the necessary documentation. We look forward to welcoming all our new community members to UPS. Presentation Day On Monday, Unanderra Public School hosted the annual school Presentation Day Assembly. This is a formal assembly, and all our students wore the correct school uniform and their behaviour throughout this extended time was outstanding. Parents/carers were discretely notified if their child will be receiving an award. Congratulations to all students and their families! Gold Assembly This important assembly was held on Friday 1 December in the hall. Mrs McCabe and her team of staff worked hard to prepare for this event, along with our great school leaders. There is a lot of planning and organisation that goes into hosting these assemblies and so I thank Mrs Mc Cabe and the administration staff for all that they do in making this so successful for our students. Parents Helpers Morning Tea This important occasion was held at school on Tuesday 5 December 2022 to recognise the incredible work our volunteers do to enhance the learning opportunities for all our students. We thank all our volunteers for their dedication and time in supporting our great public school and the amazing children and staff we have. Food Fairness Illawarra Considering the rising costs of many items including groceries, I have shared with you all a link for information about access to low and no cost food over the Christmas period. https://foodfairnessillawarra.org.au/low-cost-free-meals-directory-printable/ Leadership Speeches Recently a small group of Year 5 students presented their speeches for the role of captain or vice-captain in 2024. Each of the students prepared well and spoke very articulately, with confidence. They should feel very proud of their achievements and the successful candidates were recognised today with the handing over of the school blazers. Another official role has been formally created which is called the SRC Leadership team. Although these students were unsuccessful candidates, it was determined that each of these students were so impressive in addition to their speech that they were worthy of this title. Year 6 Farewell Evening On Tuesday 13 December the students in Year 6 will be celebrating the end of primary school with an evening of dinner, dancing, and a few short speeches. We look forward to this Farewell at Wests Leagues Club starting from a red-carpet arrival at 5.30pm and concluding at 9pm. Year 6 Graduation Assembly On Tuesday 13 December Unanderra Public School will be hosted a formal Year 6 graduation assembly in the school hall. The families of Year 6 were invited to attend with the proceedings beginning at 11.30am. It was an excellent event and congratulations to all students and their families. Last Day of School- 15 December 2023 Just a friendly reminder that the final school day for students is Friday 15 December 2023. The teachers will be participating in professional learning on Monday 18 December and the school will be non-operational from Tuesday 19 December 2023. Staff Leaving in 2023 Congratulations to Mrs Matt who will be taking extended leave in 2023 UPS pending her well earned retirement. Mrs Matts has been teaching at UPS for over fifteen years and been a public-school teacher for forty years. I am sure you will agree that her unwavering commitment to teaching and learning and the consistent sense of calm that she has, provides reassurance and understanding during even the most challenging of days. Mrs Matts has made a significant contribution to Unanderra Public School, and we have been incredibly fortunate to have her knowledge and expertise in the classroom, to achieve so much throughout her time at UPS. We congratulate Mrs Matts on her significant contribution to public education and wish her all the very best in her future endeavours. We thank Mrs Brecely Di Noro for her work with Stage 3 during the past two years. We were fortunate to have her expertise and dedication to public education as part of the UPS staff team. Her commitment to the students in her class has been greatly appreciated and we wish her all the very best in her future endeavours. We also thank and acknowledge the contribution of Miss Smith who has been a dedicated kindergarten teacher over the past two years at UPS. Miss Smith is always working hard to ensure her class is learning and is working towards achieving their personal best. Miss Smith has made a positive contribution to UPS, and we wish her all the very best in her future endeavours. Jamberoo- Stage 3 Excursion Stage 3 students participated in an excursion to Jamberoo on Tuesday 5 December 2023. The students demonstrated their understanding of staying safe and followed the school values of being safe, being respectful and being responsible throughout the day. Thank you to the teachers for taking the students and congratulations to the fantastic Stage 3 students who attended. Colour Explosion The UPS Colour Explosion was recently held, and we were so happy that the rain held off. Parents were invited to watch the run. Children were able to leave early with their family once they signed out via the front office. We enjoyed many colour stations that will be headed by parent helpers, SLSO staff and SRC representatives. We are most appreciative of the support and work done behind the sense from the P & C committee. Ice-blocks were provided to students once they completed the running course. It was a super fun day! Once again, I thank students, staff, and families for their unwavering commitment to our fabulous school. I wish you all a safe, happy, and restful holiday break and look forward to seeing you all in the new year! Anissa Rajendra Throughout the year, 1P regularly engage in a range of learning experiences using concrete materials. The young learners enthusiastically explore the world of knowledge through hands-on play. Through tactile and visual aids, such as linking cubes and counters, these students are not only learning foundational concepts but fostering a love for learning. In 6V, we have been looking at the different types of Australian Aboriginal art, including rock art, dot painting, fibre art, wood carving and bark painting. Please enjoy some of the information reports we created. 5D Immersed in Aboriginal CultureEver since 5D participated in learning about the Aboriginal culture they have been very inquisitive and are incorporating it into their every day. We are creating different types of Aboriginal art, we have learnt how to say hello in Dharawal language and we are currently implementing what we have learnt about our local community into designing the year 6 school shirt for next year. During the Aboriginal education program, they all learnt how to throw a boomerang, some learned the skill quickly others we had to stand clear of. The students were fascinated with all the artefacts, they learnt about bartering or trading between mobs in the highlands and on the coast, and learnt the value of using animal skin and shells. They got to handle hunting and eating tools and experienced the difference between our cultures. The students were amazed at what native plant life could be used for such as brushing hair, moisturising skin, eating, cooking with or using to make items such as bags. When experiencing bush tucker, the look on some of their faces showed that some things tasted great and others were best left for cooking. A lot of fun was had when we all participated in face/ body painting and traditional dance. We learnt that some designs were just for girls or just for boys, and some were for educators. We can't wait for the next time we are involved in the Aboriginal Culture and Education program. Yarning in the iLibraryWith the aim of promoting some amazing Indigenous literature, our wonderful library has a designated section with a display case for books by Indigenous authors and for books with Indigenous themes. This ever growing collection is designed to support classroom teaching and learning to incorporate Indigenous perspectives into student learning as well as to entice students to read some of the beautiful stories and learn about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. This is supported by book displays to mark special weeks in the annual calendar, such as Reconciliation Week and NAIDOC Week. In addition, during Book Week this year, Years 3-6 examined the shortlisted book ‘We Are Australian’ by Wiradjuri man Duncan Smith and multi-award-winning author Nicole Godwin. A finalist in the Book Week New Illustrator category, we discussed ideas of belonging and the many different ways of being Australian. We explored the way Aboriginal artist and Yorta Yorta man, Jandamarra Cadd used colour to convey these ideas in his paintings. Here are some of our self portraits, inspired by Cadd. Years K-2 explored the gorgeous book ‘Our Dreaming’ by Gunai woman, Kirli Saunders and illustrated by Bigambul man, Dub Leffler. We used our knowledge of visual literacy cues to identify how the illustrator showed movement and direction in the illustrations using vector lines and the use of ‘offer’, the idea that when a person or character ‘gazes’ or ’looks’ at an object, it encourages us to look at that object too. We then went for a walk outside to look and listen and think about our favourite things on Country. Ms Prior Teacher Librarian Deadly Shoutouts1. PLP BBQ: In Week 5, UPS held its annual PLP Reflection BBQ. This was an amazing opportunity for our Aboriginal families and Community to come together and discuss the progress of our Aboriginal students throughout the year. It was such an incredible turnout and many discussions were had, regarding the achievements and future steps for our Koori kids at UPS! 2. PLP Achievements: We have had several students achieve a number of their PLP goals throughout Term 4! Firstly, Caleb in KE achieved his aspirational goal which revolved around joining in with games for recess and lunch. Yager, in KE, also achieved his educational goal by challenging himself while writing. In 3/4S, Diesel achieved his educational goal of obtaining his pen license and his cultural goal, which revolved around refereeing games of Buroinjin during Social Sport. Well-done gentlemen, fantastic work! K-6 AssemblyKB Merit: Coby.C & Zali.S Student of the week: Ellira. dW KS Merit: Student of the week: KE Merit: Mia H & Oliver W Student of the week: Ellie L 1/2R Merit: Harlee G & Ashlee A Student of the week: Daniel L 1M Merit: Dylan M & Hollie Le. M Student of the week: Lyla R 1P Merit: Luna W. & Skylar-Rose T. Student of the week: Aria K. 2L Merit: Cohen. O & Lola. W Student of the week: Evie. B 2N: Merit: Archer B & Olivia H Student of the week: Leo D 3/4C Merit: Latia. J & Bronte W Student of the week: Lola M 3/4S Merit: Miranda J & Jaylen L. Student of the week: Lara V-L. 3/4D Merit: Nabiha M & Ollie B Student of the week: Keyara W. 3/4M Merit: Student of the week: 5D Merit: Anastasia W & Madeleine W Student of the week: Chase C 5L Merit: Stefan J & Marshall F Student of the week: Kayla C 6V Merit: Mohamed M & Logan W Student of the week: Layla H 6S Merit: Zahlia L & Siara P Student of the week: Zane H Bronze & Silver AwardsBronze Awards: Stage 1: Savannah V, Leo L-G, Lily B, Cohen. O, Chance M (no publish), Jemma C, Emiliano M, Olivia H Stage 2: Cyrus H Stage 3: Audrey Y, Lincoln Q, Dakota B-H Silver Awards: Kindergarten: Estelle.L, Skylah.C, Ellira.dW, Dominic.Y, Evelyn.T, Zali.S, Oliver.M, Jude.G, Ziggy.E, Jaida.L, Leo.O (No permission), Yager W, Mia M, Harvey H, Mia H, Hunter W Stage 1: Hugo D, Ava D, Aaliyah. H, Isla A (no publish), Willow W, Jemma C, Jackson C, Eva M, Abraham M Stage 2: Lola R-V Stage 3: Luca R, Stefan V, Harper K, Zara W, Charlotte S Term 4 Gold AssemblyColour RunThank you to all the participants for making our Colour Explosion School Run 4 Fun a huge success. Together we raised $12,139.20! A big round of applause for Zoey Cunningham who raised the most money for our Colour Explosion School Run 4 Fun. Thank you for raising $2,060 that will go towards our athletics carnival and equipment for the school. This year, prizes have all been processed automatically. Every student who has raised $10 or more will receive at least 1 prize. Thank you again for your support and generosity. Food Waste Audit & Food Awareness DayKhatiya, Maddi and Serena in 5L are all extremely passionate about lessening food waste in the local community. On the 20th to the 24th of November, they held a food waste audit at Unanderra Public School. A food waste audit is a way to calculate how much food Unanderra Public School throws away in a week. They collected, measured, and weighed the school’s weekly food waste and worked out that approximately 75% of this food waste could have been composted or put into a worm farm. The food that was collected over the week weighed 29.5kg, which equates to approximately 1534kg each year. After completing their food waste audit and thanks to a donation from Bunnings, Khatiya, Serena and Maddi were lucky enough to put together two 245L compost tumblers and a worm farm that Unanderra PS can begin using to compost their fruit and vegetable scraps. Maddi, Serena and Khatiya then hosted a Food Awareness Day on the 7th and the 8th of December to educate students and staff on the importance of reducing our food waste. On Thursday 7th they worked with Early Stage 1 and Stage 1 and on Friday 8th they worked with Stage 2 and Stage 3. These days included reading stories, designing garden spaces, waste sorting, planting, science experiments, and learning about composting and worm farming practices. Serena, Khatiya and Maddi hope that these days made staff and students more passionate about reducing their food waste and taught them some simple ways they can do this at school and home. HPAG Extend ProgramOver the past 25 school weeks, 240 students, from Helensburgh to Kiama, have engaged in our HPAG Extend classes, run once a week at 8 host schools across the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. These sessions are about fostering curiosity, discovery, and creativity among High Potential and Academically Gifted students. This year, we proudly acknowledge the dedication of the following students from our school Audrey, Chase and Emily. A few weeks ago we celebrated the end of the program with an exhibition where guests were treated to amazing interactive presentation stations that were constructed with creativity, continually developing knowledge and thoughtful organisation. They were able to engage in learning through artwork, coded games, film trailers, animations, song, models, information posters, quizzes, dioramas, escape rooms and much more. Congratulations to these exceptional students for being so brave to embrace a new learning environment and challenging themselves academically, socially, and emotionally. We commend their efforts in thinking about concepts far beyond the primary curriculum from the universe's captivating evolution, including the Big Bang, star formation, and the emergence of new elements, mathematical concepts they are normally introduced to in years 7-9, to the intrigue of cryptology—exploring codes and ciphers used in real life—our students have been on a journey of intellectual exploration. Thank you to all the participating schools, our amazing host schools, and our dedicated team of school executives who make this all happen! Erin Lam Lifelong Learner School Library Refresh We have been very excited about our newly refurbished UPS library, this year. Over the 2022/23 summer break, the iLib was freshly painted with a new colour pallet and all the furniture was replaced with more modern and natural furnishings. All bookshelves are now along the outer walls and the Circulation desk moved to the centre of the library creating an open, more welcoming space. Students have enjoyed using the new seating in the Storytime area, though we still love our Waterways rug from the Aboriginal company, Emro. Students have given a big thumbs up to the ottomons at our new learning desks, replacing the previous plastic chairs and there is now more relaxed seating spread throughout the library. Our Computer Lab has also been updated with mobile desks replacing the previously static pod desks, a new COMM Box added and a set of 26 brand new laptops being incorporated into this 21st century learning space. National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) NSS took place on the 25 May this year and we celebrated with 2 million other people around Australia reading the book 'Speedy Sloth' by Rebecca Young at 11.00 am. Students were welcomed to the iLib by Library Monitors with Speedy Sloth masks and we were lucky enough to have Buster Bee in attendance. To keep the excitement going, K-2 students participated in a Speedy Sloth scavenger hunt in the school playground at lunchtime. Book Week 2023 - Read Grow Inspire Always a highlight, the theme for Book Week this year was 'Read Grow Inspire' and students across all stages engaged with the shortlisted Book Week books during library lessons during Term 3. During Book Week itself, our library hosted many happenings and events to celebrate books and reading. These included:
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