Principal's MessageDear parents/carers, What a wonderful fortnight we have had. We have really celebrated in style. Congratulations! During the Smoking ceremony and Reconciliation assembly several visitors joined us to recognise this important week. Each guest commented on how respectful and polite the students at Unanderra Public School were. Of course, I wasn’t surprised, but I was certainly very proud of every student at our school. Our students demonstrated outstanding behaviour and ensured that our staff, visitors, families, and school community members enjoyed the day. Reconciliation Week Thank you and congratulations to our Aboriginal Education Committee for a most impressive Reconciliation week assembly and whole school Smoking Ceremony to commemorate significant milestones in the reconciliation journey- the successful completion of our new Cola area. Asking everyone to play their part in building relationships and communities that value First Nations peoples and their history, culture, and their future is embedded in the theme ‘Be the Voice for Change’. I know that our school community will continue to persevere to encourage and model brave actions in their daily lives where they work and socialise to make positive change for all. I extend my thanks to Mr Scotland and his team who have worked incredibly hard to make this week one to remember in commemorating Reconciliation week. Regional Cross Country Several our UPS students will be participating in the Regional Cross Country next Thursday. A big thank you to our parents and teachers for encouraging and coordinating the attendance of these selected students. Congratulations to all participating students. We are so impressed with your achievements, and we look forward to hearing of your results when you return. Kindy Expo The Kindy Expo will be held on Tuesday 20 June 2023.Thank you to Mrs Bell and all and involved in the preparation and presentation of this great event. I am very appreciative of the P & C representatives and the staff who spent time preparing for the evening and who will welcome the prospective 2024 kindergarten parents. Our school community are looking forward to showcasing our great school. Coming Up
At times we recognise that decisions made by the school staff and/or principal are not fully understood by parents and carers. When this does happen, we ask that respectful communication is done respectfully to the teachers and school staff. Parents/carers are always welcome to contact the school to clarify any information. Our communication platforms such as Seesaw are intended for short but essential messages. Any concerns or questions requiring context and longer conversations need to be done either over the phone or face to face. Parents and carers are always welcome to contact their child’s teacher to arrange a meeting at a mutually convenient time. Conversations using respectful language is always expected when speaking with teachers and other school staff. We appreciate your support and understanding. Pie Drive There is always so much work involved in organising a fund raiser for the school.I extend my thanks to the P & C for the incredible work that was done to prepare and deliver the orders from the bakery. The pie drive involved lots of organisation and hard work. Thank you! Casual Teachers at UPS When a teacher is sick, or their child is sick we employ a casual teacher where possible to take the class. If the class normally has library or another teacher for the RFF program on that day, we intend for this to go ahead unless there are unforeseen circumstances that prevent us from doing so. At times, it has been very difficult to consistently book a casual teacher and at times we need to split the class for the day. Stage appropriate workbooks have been created and the students are allocated set time frames to complete these set tasks during the day with classroom teacher guidance. Casual teachers are utilised for classroom teachers to complete school business. At times the teachers participate in professional learning and have days where teachers are off together in their stages to collaborate and plan together for the next learning cycle to ensure there is consistency with assessment and programs. Whole school events such as the athletics carnivals and special initiatives days, require significant organisation including risk assessments and safety plans. Teachers, at times, will be allocated time off class to prepare for these efficiently. When the classroom teacher is off class due to school business, they will leave the work for the casual teacher and provide the communication of all essential information relating to their students. Class specific casual folders are provided to all casuals on arrival with timetables, class lists, and information needed about students for the casual on that day. This allows the casual teacher to try and follow class timetables if the work has not been left due to sickness. Additionally, the assistant principals of each stage and teachers in classrooms near the casual teacher, check in throughout the day to ensure the casual teacher and students are well-supported to have a successful day. The parents/carers of UPS have and continue to provide our teachers and staff with great support and understanding and we are always so appreciative of this. Full School Uniform. We are all proud to be a part of the Unanderra Public School community and as such expect that each of our students to wear their uniform with great pride. As the weather becomes cooler, I understand that additional clothing may need to be worn. Parents/carers are reminded that only school jumpers are to be worn to school and long colourful socks or colourful jumpers are not permitted. UPS are always willing to discreetly support families with school uniforms etc where necessary. Families requiring support are encouraged to contact the school for further information. Please also note that all children who are representing UPS such as attending high school master classes etc are expected to wear their full school uniform. Once again, thank you for your continued support. 2L have been working hard in literacy lessons this term and have been using their creative skills to list character traits in response to a variety of quality texts. They have then used these character traits to build noun groups to include in short stories to enhance their descriptive writing skills. Nangambi Mudjingaals! This means ‘hello friends’ and in KE we love greeting each other this way everyday. We also love taking our learning outside to be on Country particularly with our mathematics lessons. We often walk around and look for the different shapes and objects in our natural environment to assist with our learning. Earlier this term, we were looking at shapes and how we can use different things from the land to make them. We went to the Yarning Circle and walked around looking for leaves, sticks, flowers and rocks to make a house. As you can see we all had different ideas of what our house should look like and used many different materials to create them. We had a lovely time taking our lessons outside and using natural resources to learn. K-6 AssemblyKB: Merit: Ziggy E & Estelle L Student of The Week: Nour J KS Merit: Omari & Pheniox Student of the week: Findlay KE Merit: Luna J & Nicholas W Student of the week: Chloe P 1/2R Merit: Daniel L, Harlee G & Amaleah B-S Student of the week: Camellia G 1M Merit: Student of the week: 1P Merit: Ahmed O & Amelia D Student of the week: Skylah Rose - T 2L Merit: Arlo. M & Fletcher. N Student of the week: Ella. O 2N: Merit: Emilio V & Cody J Student of the week: Ruby Rose S 3/4BA: Merit: Callum R & Abbie B Student of The Week: Jett K 3/4C Merit: Dominic W & Baylee T Student of the week: Memphis H 3/4M Merit: Parker P & Isabelle M Student of the week: Eden W 3/4S Merit: Asher G & Lola R-V Student of the week: Emrah S 5D Merit: Ayse H & Kaitlin A Student of the week: Kimberley T 5L Merit: Cameron J & Jackson K Student of the week: Khatiya M 6S Merit: Jaymes D & Sam F Student of the week: Siara P 6V Merit: Brayden H & Alex W Student of the week: Matilda C Bronze & Silver AwardsBronze Awards Stage 1: Zayden M Airlie S Stage 2: Andrew W Callie F Lily Elise S Stage 3: Luca R Eliott S Stefan J Decklyn H Penny H Alex W Taliah C Jarvis J Isaac F Stefan J Eliot S Silver Awards Stage 1: Ramon M Stage 3: Khatiya M Cooper E Ruby J Madeline O Sedra S Matilda C Leanne C Adina M Mohamed M Alana G Ryley NS David O Dakota B Callum L Lincoln Q Athletics CarnivalNational Simultaneous Storytime - 2023Last Wednesday was National Simultaneous Storytime and UPS and the iLib were excited to participate in this annual reading event. Every year, children listen to the same story being read at the same time all around the world. An Australian book is always chosen and this year, the story was ‘The Speedy Sloth’ by the Australian author, Rebecca Young. At 11.15 am, our library filled with students who were excited to take part in the event and even more excited when Buster Bee arrived to share in the fun. Students were welcomed by our library monitors lining the entrance with their sloth masks before listening to our teacher Librarian, Ms Prior, read the story. The children thoroughly enjoyed this story about a sloth who is excited to participate in a race and finish. Spike surprised everyone by reaching the finish line, though Spike herself had always been confident in her ability to complete the race, no matter how slow, and had never doubted herself. A great lesson for us all. At lunch time, students returned to the iLib to play a Kahoot focusing on sloth facts, colour in sloth bookmarks and take part in a playground scavenger hunt, with students from K-6 locating all 20 of the Speedy Sloth cards hidden around our playground. National Simultaneous Storytime is organised by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). The event is designed to build a love of stories and books in children and encourage everyone to pick up a book and read. The research is clear, students who read for pleasure, have more academic success at school, so make sure you keep up those bedtime stories no matter how old and read aloud with your children. Not only is it a bonding experience you can share but if you can show that you value reading, your children will do so also. From Ms Prior Teacher Librarian
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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 Principal's MessageDear Parents and Carers, It is amazing to think that we are already in week 2 of term 2 and nearly halfway during the calendar year. On the first day staff returned to school we focused on Aboriginal Education and reviewed the UPS Reconciliation Action Plan as a whole staff. Mr Scotland led this professional learning day which was extremely productive and enjoyable. The afternoon session was filled with stage planning meetings and organisation for the term ahead. The students arrived at school last Wednesday filled with excitement and lots of chatter about their fun filled Easter holidays. It was so fabulous to hear of the camping trips and family adventures that many of them experienced. These holiday times are so precious, and I am always heartened to hear of families spending time together and taking the time to share life experiences. Already this term we have acknowledged ANZAC day with an assembly under our new cola area and we also used our new flagpole area. We look forward to the old school bell being placed near these flag poles and the area around these monuments being manicured and completed as a formal space in the school playground. Last Thursday our students enjoyed participating in the Cross Country which was so much fun. Many families and visitors attended to support the children and we thoroughly enjoyed the community vibe and encouragement. We have a lot to look forward to this term including the annual Book Fair which will be held next week in the library and Ms Prior is so excited to be preparing for the enthusiastic purchasing of books and other items that will be available. The Life Education Van will be visiting next week. Although we had originally planned not to include this event in 2023, it became a free option and we felt we should accept this generous offer. It was important that it be directly related to the topics focused on in each stage. The outline is below. Kindergarten- Harold's Friendship Year 1- Harold's Friendship Year 2- Growing Good Friends +1/2R Year 3/4- Friends and Feelings Year 5 & 6- Relate, Respect The class newsletters will be sent out next Monday and parent/teacher interviews will be held in week 4. The parent/teacher interviews will take place all in one night and parents will be invited to choose a time to meet with their child’s class teacher. The Parent Reading Project will continue from week 2. This term we welcome parent readers into kindergarten! Applications for Opportunity Class placement tests close on Monday 15 May 2023 for students in year 5 for 2024. Applications for opportunity class placement are considered on the results of the Opportunity Class Placement Test. Students who wish to be considered for placement are required to sit the Opportunity Class Placement Test on Thursday 27 July 2023.Parents/carers must apply online between Thursday 30 March and Monday 15 May 2023 at: https://education.nsw.gov.au/oc.Parents/carers must use their own email address and not one belonging to their child. Late applications are not usually accepted. If parents/carers do not have internet access, they can apply at a public library or at your child’s school. If you have a disability that prevents you from using a computer, you can contact the Unit for assistance after 30 March 2023. Parents must submit only ONE application for each student. Coming Up
Staffing - Term 2 We welcome Mr Lloyd who has returned to UPS in a permanent capacity as Assistant Principal supervising Stage 3. Mr Lloyd is teaching Year 5 and we acknowledge and thank Mrs Old for her contribution to UPS and the students in this class. Mrs Newman will be taking extended personal leave throughout term 2 and we look forward to seeing her back at school in the second part of the year. Mrs Bell will be relieving as Assistant Principal supervising K-2 with the additional support of Mrs Natalee Brennan for term 2. Mrs Vujasin will remain teaching her Year 6 class and we thank her for the work she does to ensure that the learning is exciting and the final year of school for her students is consistent and supported. 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! Full School Uniform We are all proud to be a part of the Unanderra Public School community and as such expect that each of our students to wear their uniform with great pride. As the weather becomes cooler, I understand that additional clothing may need to be worn. Parents/carers are reminded that only school jumpers are to be worn to school and excess jewellery, long colourful socks or colourful jumpers are not part of the school uniform. Our school is always willing to discreetly support families with school uniforms etc where necessary. Families requiring support are encouraged to contact the school for further information. A respectful reminder that public education sport representative jumpers are only to be worn on Fridays. Correct school jumpers are to be worn otherwise. Please also note that all children who are representing Unanderra Public School such as attending high school master classes etc are expected to wear their full school uniform. Communication Sharing correct and timely information to our families is extremely important to us. There are three main channels of communication we use so you can keep up to date with what is happening at UPS: SENTRAL Parent Portal- used for notes, reminders and reporting absences. All correspondence will be posted on the portal and important dates will be added to the calendar. Seesaw- used for communication between teachers and families. Teachers may choose to send reminders through this app. Facebook- used to advertise the wonderful things happening at UPS. This webpage can be seen by the greater community. Parent-Teacher Interviews Teachers are looking forward to meeting with parents/carers on Tuesday afternoon/evening in week 4 for the formal parent-teacher interviews. The interviews will take place on Tuesday 16th May, with times allocated from 3.20pm to 7.30pm. Interviews will be held in the hall for Stages 2 and 3, and Early Stage One classrooms for Kindergarten and Stage 1. Parents will be able to book a face-to-face interview through the Sentral Parent Portal from today. Bookings will close on Friday 12th May 2023 at 3:00pm. Parents/Carers who have already registered for the Sentral Parent Portal are encouraged to continue accessing the portal by logging on using the application or the URL: https://unanderraps.sentral.com.au/portal Please know that this is not the only time you can discuss your child’s progress with the teacher, and we understand that not all families will be available to t make a booking. Our teachers are available where reasonably possible and can be contacted through the Seesaw app, via email to the school or by contacting the front office to make an appointment. We encourage families to stay in touch with the teacher as best they can and are always welcome to discuss any issues that may arise. Mother’s Day Stall Thank you to our amazing P&C who have spent time preparing a variety of gifts for our Mother’s Day stall. We are always appreciative of the many hours and work they put into our school to ensure that special days can be celebrated by everyone. Thank you! Student leave during the term We understand that at times students are required to take extended leave during a school term. Families are encouraged to holiday or travel during school vacation period rather than during the school term. Holidays taken by students outside of school vacation periods are included as absences. Please be aware that the accepting or declining an application for leave is at the discretion of the principal. If the principal does not believe the absence is in the student’s best interests and does not accept the reason, the absence will be recorded as ‘A’. In this case, a Certificate of Extended Leave – Holiday will not be issued. This will always be communicated with the parent/carer. We thank you for understanding and look forward to continuing to work in partnership in your child’s learning journey at UPS. Southern Stars Our school is excited to be once again participating in Southern Stars in 2023. After the excitement and success of last year we are again offering students in Years 4-6 the opportunity to participate in Mass Dance Ensemble at this year’s Southern Stars Performance. We are pleased to advise that Unanderra Public School will also participate in the Yanggaa Garaba Aboriginal Dance Ensemble at this year’s Southern Stars Performance. We are offering students in Years 2 – 6 the opportunity to be part of this fun and exciting event. Participation in Southern Stars is a huge commitment from both students and parents as there are many rehearsals and additional costs involved and we thank you for participating. Southern Stars is a wonderful event that provides students with a passion for performing arts to engage with a professional and accomplished production. We wish all the students participating all the best as they work hard in the coming months to prepare for what will be an event they will remember for life. Dance Festival Miss Bell and Miss Ryman have been working hard with our school dance troupe in preparation for multiple performance at the Illawarra Performance Centre in Wollongong during week 8 of this term. We wish them all the very best of luck and look forward to watching this great performance. District Cross Country Many of our students have been selected to represent Unanderra Public School at the Dapto District Cross Country Carnival to be held at Integral Energy Cross Country Park (Kembla Joggers), Darkes Road, Brownsville on Monday 8th May (Week 3, Term 2). Time: The carnival starts at 9:00am (roll call with School Team Managers) and should conclude by 2:00pm. Transport: Travel to the carnival will be by private transport. Cost: The cost for competitors is $5.00, which covers the cost of the hire of the venue, and PSSA carnival levy. Wear: Sports shorts, running shoes and school shirt Bring: Water, hat, recess, and lunch (small canteen will be provided), warm clothing and something to sit on. Spectators are welcome at the venue to support their children. Please keep in mind that official judgements are final, and no video or photographic evidence will be considered in making final decisions on the day. Parents are NOT to park in the museum car parking area. The public needs to go to the very end of the driveway and use the grass area on the right. Because of safety and supervision concerns, the playground equipment is ‘OUT OF BOUNDS’ for all competitors. Disregarding this expectation will result in disqualification. The first 7 place getters in each age group will represent the South Wollongong District at the South Coast SSA Regional Cross Country Carnival at Willandra Cross Country Course, Camberwarra on Thursday 8th June 2023. Congratulations and wish all our student representatives lots of luck and enjoyment for this day! Drop Off and Pick Up Zone Our routines for drop off and pick up are continuing. It is our preference that parents ‘kiss and drop’ at the gates in the morning and pick up in the afternoon as per current routines. Morning supervision commences at 8:30am, parents are asked not to drop their children off until this time. The morning bell rings at 8:55am, students arriving after this time will collect a late note from the school office. The routine for afternoon dismissal is: • Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2 and any siblings will depart at 2.55pm • Back gate will exit from 2:55pm • Students Years 3-6 will continue to finish at 3pm. To assist with the safe arrival and departure of students in the pick-up zone, all families have been given a laminated card with their surname on it this week. Families may also create their own sign if they wish. We encourage users of this zone to clearly display the surname of the child/ren they are picking up on their dashboard. Please display family cards on the dashboard on the passenger’s side of the car. This will allow for a quick and safe collection of students. Please email or call the office if your family requires a card or you require a replacement card. 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. SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS: • Always drop-off or pick-up your child from the designated area, following the school's procedures. • Make sure child/ren use the footpath-side door when getting in and out of a car. • Make sure the hand brake is applied when the vehicle is stationery. • Never double park. • Never Park across a pedestrian crossing or driveway. • Never undertake a U-turn in close proximity to the school. • Never reverse when in close proximity to the pedestrian crossing. SAFETY TIPS FOR STUDENTS • Stay buckled up until the vehicle has stopped in the ‘Drop-off and Pick-up' area. • Make sure your school bag and other items are in a safe position, e.g., on the floor. • Be ready to get in or out of the car with your belongings when the car has stopped, and you have unbuckled your seatbelt. • Always get in and out of the backseat of the vehicle through the safety door – the rear footpath-side door. • Wait until your name has been called out before going to meet your parents. Have a wonderful fortnight ahead! Kind Regards, Anissa Rajendra In 2N, we are very excited to return to school for another term of learning and growing in and out of the classroom. Our Visual Arts unit has been focused on utilising constructive feedback, provided by our teacher, peers, and selves, to enhance our artistic abilities. Specifically, we have refined our skills by producing several drafts of a bird portrait. This valuable lesson on the importance of feedback will guide us in our pursuit of creating the most exceptional bird portraits imaginable! Our next challenge involves selecting an object of choice, locating a photo on the laptops, replicating it, and producing multiple drafts using the same process. We are eager to continue our journey of development and strive for excellence in all of our work. In 3/4M we have enjoyed taking our maths lessons outside to learn on country. This week's lesson on 3D shapes was embedded with Aboriginal pedagogies for teaching and learning. The students used images to represent 3D shapes and symbols to tally the number of 3D objects we found in the environment. We connected with the environment when we found a tree that grows its own cylinders (Banksia Tree) and of course we enjoyed sharing our discoveries in a yarning circle. In 3/4M we love a fun lesson, especially when we get to go outside and find real world examples of what we have been learning. K-6 AssemblyKB: Merit: Aya S & Ellira DW Student of The Week: Coby C KS Merit: Hamish & Finley Student of the week: Layla KE Merit: Evie A & Harvey H Student of the week: Kenzi M 1/2R Merit: Felicity B & Caige J Student of the week: Tyler L 1M Merit: Jax F & Emelia J. Student of the week: Abraham M 1P Merit: Otis M. & Luke W. Student of the week: Chase K. 2L Merit: Lola W & Oliver Y Student of the week: Jarli L 2N: Merit: Leo D & Olivia H Student of the week: Jemma C 3/4C Merit: Nate. W & Kaimia. W Student of the week: Alyson. A.W 3/4S Merit: Brock D & Loralee H. Student of the week: William P 3/4BA Merit: Amelia P & Cali F Student of the week: Kaleb MM 3/4M Merit: Tempe W & Keira G Student of the week: Kiara C 5D Merit: Elise W & David O Student of the week: Emily P 5L Merit: Piper B Student of the week: Arinya L 6V Merit: Mohamed M & Alana G Student of the week: Isaac F 6S Merit: Charlotte W & Levi R Student of the week: Levi R Bronze and Silver AwardsBronze Awards: Stage 1: Caige J, Lily B, Sage C, Lola W, Brianna J, Fletcher N, Chance M Stage 2: Brock DW, Lucy W Stage 3: Adina M Silver Awards: Stage 1: Evelyn W, Ava D, Hugo D, Savannah V, Daniel L, Austin W, Jarli L, Max R, Evie B, Annabelle C Stage 2: Abby D, Lani M, Millie B ANZAC Day AssemblyOn Wednesday 26th of April, we were lucky enough to spend time in class and as a school to reflect on ANZAC Day and soldiers who have fallen for our safety. We made wreaths as a class and attended our ANZAC Day assembly hosted by Miss Ryman and our school captains and vice captains, where we learned about the history of ANZAC Day and what this means for us. K-6 Cross CountryLast Thursday, all students in K-6 participated in the Cross Country Carnival. It was a wonderful afternoon and all students demonstrated sportsmanship and perseverance as they ran around the cross country course. K-1 also had the opportunity to play some fun tabloid games and activities. There was a parachute, egg and spoon race, sack races, 3-legged races, and obstacle course and an Indigenous game called Kai-Wed. It was a really fun day had by all! It was lovely to see heaps of families come along to the carnival to support their children. District Cross Country for those students ages 8 and up will be on Monday 8th of May at Kembla Joggers. Miss Scruby and Mr Lloyd will be there to cheer and supervise the students on the day. PBL Term 1 UpdateLast term students engaged in various lessons such as learning and refreshing our school values of being safe, responsible and respectful. Students were reminded about our ‘Zones of Regulation’ and classes were able to discuss the settle space and different tools to use when students were outside of their green zone. Our Kindergarten students met Buster Bee for the first time and learnt what a ‘busy bee’ is as well as how to be legendary. The school community watched students receive their bronze or silver award at our fortnightly assemblies. After a busy term working towards collecting as many busy bee’s as possible, we were able to celebrate with a rewards day. Our rewards day this term was surrounded by the theme of ‘Old Fashioned Games’. Students participated in relays, egg and spoon races, a game or two of rob the nest and games with parachutes. Classes from different stages were able to team up and all students participated within the rotations. It was a ‘bee-utafil’ day! Mrs Rebecca McCabe PBL Co-Ordinator Healthy HaroldHealthy Harold & the Life Education van will be visiting UPS next week. The program this year is fully funded which means our entire school will have the opportunity to visit Harold. For more information please chick on the link. Road SafetyEthics Scripture |
Unanderra Public School
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