Principal's MessageWelcome to the end of yet another productive and busy week at Unanderra Public School. I was overwhelmed with the positive feedback from parents/carers about the parent/teacher interview processes we trialled last Tuesday. The teachers were flooded with positive support, and it was a privilege to chat with as many parents as I did. My thanks are extended to our parents and carers who made the long evening of parent/teacher interviews so positive. The teachers expressed how appreciative of the conversations they were which makes teaching your children even more special. Mother’s Day Stall I hope that everyone had the opportunity to celebrate Mother’s Day in their own special way. For many of you, I hope it was made that little bit more special with a small gift from your child, purchased at our Mother’s Day stall. To all those parents who coordinated this event, particularly Lisa, I thank you on behalf of all the excited children and their very happy gift recipients. Our P & C committee’s dedication to making this event a huge success for our students and whole school community is deeply appreciated. District Cross Country A huge congratulations to the students who competed in this event. It is a challenging event, and I was super proud to hear of the amazing achievements our students made on this day. Several teachers and other adults commented on the high level of respect and responsibility our students demonstrated to other competitors. You should all be extremely proud of your accomplishments. P & C Meeting Please note that our next P & C meeting date is Monday 5 June at 7pm at Mt Kembla hotel. All parents/carers and local community members are welcome to join us. Kindergarten 2024 We are so excited to be taking enrolments for kindergarten 2024. If you have a child ready to start kindergarten in 2024, please contact the school administration office to obtain a Unanderra Public School enrolment package. Mrs Rajendra is always available to meet with families if they feel they would like to. If you know of a child ready to start kindergarten in 2024, please encourage them to contact the school for further information. Kindy Expo! We will be hosting our annual Kindy Expo on Tuesday 20 June at 4pm in the school hall. This will be an opportunity for Unanderra Public School staff and students to showcase the vast array of valuable teaching and learning, and extra-curricular experiences we have to offer for any prospective parents/carers of children looking to enrol their child in kindergarten for 2024. A short tour of our school grounds will be offered to see what fabulous things UPS has to offer. Thank you to Mrs Bell for organising this event. Please share this information with your family, friends, and neighbours. We look forward to meeting everyone! Drop Off and Pick Up Zone Just a friendly reminder to our parent/carer drivers that you are not permitted to park in our neighbours’ driveways (even if it is for a short time) to collect your child. Thank you! Parents must remain in their car unless they need to buckle in their child into a seat. The staff member on duty will call out the family name over the microphone for your child/ren to move to the car. Children will not be dismissed if parents have double parked. If a parking space is not available, parents will need to drive around the block until a space becomes available. We remind drivers to remain patient and never to park in the drop zone area during afternoon or morning pick up and drop off times. Parking and walking to the school to collect your child/ren where possible is also encouraged and appreciated. Thank you for assisting to ensure that all our children exit and depart the school grounds safely. Coming Up
COVID- 19 and Non COVID Related Vaccinations Update Thank you for your continued support in helping to keep our students, staff, and community safe while COVID-19 is still circulating in the community. With winter approaching, we will also see an increase in respiratory illnesses and by working together, we will keep our school community healthy this term. Our COVID-smart measures continue to be in place to help reduce the risk of transmission for students and staff members and are vital in allowing us to keep our schools operational while prioritising student and staff wellbeing. These measures include:
Due to previous COVID-19 restrictions, 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 schoolsExternal link. Parents and carers who have children with persistent or ongoing symptoms of COVID-19External link 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 vaccinesExternal link. Dance Festival Unanderra Public School dance troupe are performing in the South Coast Public Schools Dance Festival 2023. We would love you to come along and support our school. Tickets will go on sale on Friday 19 May at 10:00am and can be purchased via the Illawarra Performing Art Centre website: https://merrigong.com.au/venues/ipac/ Southern Stars Unanderra Public School Students will be performing in Southern stars in the mass dance ensemble and in the Aboriginal dance ensemble- Yanggaa Garaba. We would love our school community to come along and support them. Please see below for further information. Have a wonderful fortnight ahead! Anissa Rajendra KB and Healthy HaroldKB had a fantastic time visiting the Healthy Harold Van last Monday. During our time with Harold, KB learnt about the importance of building positive friendships and how we care for one another in a respectful way. KB used body clues to identify unsafe situations and discussed who could keep them safe in different scenarios such as crossing the road, swimming at the beach and playing at the park. We really enjoyed visiting Healthy Harold and cannot wait to see him next year, especially for more hugs! During Term 2, 5L are engaging in learning to develop an understanding of places by the state, local governments and Aboriginal perspectives in Australia. 5L students are studying questions to guide an inquiry about a local place which is of interest to them. They will collect relevant information from primary and secondary sources, organise and represent data in a range of formats, consider different viewpoints, including Aboriginal knowledge, history and perspectives. Furthermore, students will present their findings in a persuasive text format either promoting a particular place or persuading the audience that action must be taken at a significant landmark. K-6 AssemblyKB: Merit: Gabriel R & Evelyn T Student of The Week: Dominic Y KS Merit: Josephine K & Tilliana R Student of the week: Hunter CR KE Merit: Caspian T & Ellie L Student of the week: Mia H 1/2R Merit: Ashlee A & Lily B Student of the week: Oakland H 1M Merit: Austin W & Ramon G Student of the week: Lara V 1P Merit: Bowie C & Stefania G Student of the week: Jett W 2L Merit: Matilda H & Daisy K Student of the week: Sophia G 2N: Merit: Emiliano M & Winter-Rose M Student of the week: Mackenzie C 3/4BA: Merit: Lexi C & Amelia H Student of The Week: Freya S 3/4C Merit: Eva H & Ela Student of the week: Isabela F 3/4M Merit: Kayla S & Sam H Student of the week: Dominic S 3/4S Merit: William P & Emrah S Student of the week: Asher G 5D Merit: Dakota B-H & Chloe O Student of the week: Aliye S 5L Merit: Cooper E & Brianna M-M Student of the week: Madeline O 6S Merit: Braxton Z & Ella R Student of the week: Zahlia L 6V Merit: Oscar T & Layla H Student of the week: Penny H Bronze & Silver AwardsBronze Awards: Stage 1: Jax T Chance M Stage 2: Nabiha M Cali F Ayah S Charlotte B Dominic S Amelia Eva H Cayle J Nabiya Charlotte B Aya S Callie F Stage 3: Evie D Zahlia L Silver: Stage 1: Kyen C Hollie M Emelia J Stage 2: Sam C Bentley C Kiara C Baylee T Hands In Harmony - Nan Tien TempleOn Friday 12 May, our school SRC and Leadership Team had the opportunity to attend an experience at the Nan Tien Temple in Berkeley. This unique Australian Indigenous and Buddhist intercultural program focused on sustainability and Care for Country. This was the first time Nan Tien Temple hosted the Sea of [Lotus] Hands. Our students had the unique opportunity to place their reflection card (with lotus symbol, drawing and/or name) on their ‘Hand’ before planting into the ground to create the Sea of [Lotus] Hands. The lotus represents purity and strength. The installation is symbolic of respect, inclusion and resilience. Each hand will help form the 2km long rainbow serpent to show the cultural exchanges between Australian Indigenous people and Buddhists on Dhawaral land. All the students who attended on the day were also treated to a delicious vegetarian lunch and we all took something away from the day. A fabulous and worthwhile experience. Multicultural Public Speaking School FinalsWe are very fortunate to have many talented speakers at UPS. Stage 2 finalists were Oliver O, Bronte W, Lola R-V, Allira P, Lexi C, Amelia H, Brodie K, and Sam C. Stage 3 finalists were Emily P, Chase C, Khatiya M, Serena R, Sophie G, Adina M, Ruby H, and Aliesha F. It was a nail-biting competition, with the students speaking about different topics relating to Multiculturalism. They all showed maturity, knowledge and awareness when delivering their speeches. The students clearly researched their topics, took pride in their speeches and all should be proud of their efforts. The schools' adjudicators were Mrs Brecely Di Noro, Mr Scotland and Mr Lloyd. Stage 2 UPS MPPSC final winners were Lola R-V and Lexi C. Stage 3 winners were Khatiya M and Serena R. These students will be representing Unanderra Public school at the Local Finals at Mount St Thomas PS on the 16th of June. At the finals they will deliver their prepared speeches about multiculturalism, and also will be required to complete an impromptu speech. If the students make it through the local finals, they then have the opportunity to participate in the State Finals. Notes will go out to the finalists with further information. Congratulations to all participants. District Cross CountryCongratulations to all of the children from Unanderra who participated in the District Cross Country on Monday 8th May at Kembla Joggers. All of our children finished the long and difficult course successfully and represented our school proudly. Thank you to the family members who came to support their children on the day and helped cheer on all the students. Ten of our wonderful runners will now go on to represent the district at the Regional Carnival on Thursday 8th June at Cambewarra. Good luck to the following children: 8/9 Year old boys and girls: Parker P Lola RV Freya S 10 year old boys and girls: Sam C 11 year old boys and girls: Lucas M Madeline W 12/13 year old boys and girls: Isaac F Jaymes D Matilda C Amy S Congratulations to all of our competitors! Renae Scruby Sports Coordinator Representative SportOver the past few weeks, we have had students trialling for District and South Coast Teams for Rugby Union. Sam (6S), Isaac (6V) & Decklyn (6V) went down to Batemans Bay on Friday 12th May to trail for the South Coast team and were all successful in getting on the team! Congratulations to all of you on this outstanding achievement. The South Coast Region is a huge area and selection in these teams is something to be very proud of. Good luck and have fun at your training sessions down in Goulburn and State Carnivals! Renae Scruby Sports Coordinator NSWPSSA Netball Knockout CompetitionOn Wednesday, nine Stage 3 students attended the Netball PSSA knockout games. although the competition against Nareena Hills proved challenging, the girls showcased resilience and gave their utmost effort throughout the game. Despite falling short of victory, their spirit remained undeterred, making it a fun day for all involved. The girls exemplified the core values of Unanderra Public School, representing our school with determination, perseverance, and sportsmanship. Their conduct on and off the court was truly commendable, leaving a lasting impression on all who witnessed their performance. Congratulations to these girls for their hard work, who should take immense pride in their achievements. PSC at Figtree High School - Leaders in SportA group of 20 students attended Figtree High School on Monday 15 May to take part in the Premier's Sporting Challenge. This program is designed for students who display leadership qualities in sport. Our school was one of the 6 local schools that attended. Students in Year 10 were the coaches and mentors who took us through the skills of OzTag, Dance, Soccer, Basketball and AFL. Our students immersed themselves in the activities and each took away some of the skills and qualities necessary to be a leader in sport. Everyone worked well together to achieve a common goal in the different sports and had a really fun day. Scholastic Book Fair SuccessA big thank you to our amazing school community for supporting our first full Book Fair since before the pandemic, last week. The Book Fair went extremely well in our newly redesigned iLibrary with the fair being placed inside our renovated Computer Lab, so as not to disturb lessons. Our families were very complimentary on viewing our new library space and were excited to support their children’s love of books and reading. Many books were bought and students were excited about the wide variety of books in the fair. We have been able to purchase many of these books for our school library as a result of the commission UPS makes from every sale. Our commission from this Book Fair has allowed us to purchase books up to the value of $1 500. What a great way to start Term 2. A big thank you to my library monitors and the teachers that helped run the Book Fair. It is definitely a team effort. A special thank you must also be made to those students and families that donated books to the school library. Students will have a personalised book plate placed inside the book they purchased. Due to the success of this Book Fair, we will run another in Term 4. From Ms Prior Teacher Librarian
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