Principal's MessageIncredibly we are at the end of yet another busy fortnight at UPS. The students and staff have enjoyed participating in play time clubs including dancing on the gorgeous grass, building in lego club and creating amazing art and craft pieces with Mrs Mc Cabe. The staff continue to encourage the children to participate in an activity of choice throughout each play time and to build on their friendship skills by turn taking, agreeing on the rules of the game and recognising when to take a break. At times situations may arise where children disagree and feel that they have been unfairly treated by a peer or a teacher. Our school is guided by the Department of Education Behaviour Code for Students and utilises Positive Behaviour for Learning as the framework underpinning classroom and playground expectations. All students are guided and supported to use strategies that keep them safe and heard when necessary. There are many teachers and support staff on the playground during each break time wearing florescent vests who are always available to assist. Please encourage your child/ren to go to these adults if they would like help to resolve a situation in the playground. The staff at UPS are committed to ensuring that each child is truly known, valued and cared for and we ask that parents/carers contact the school if they have any concerns or questions as usually these can be resolved quickly and successfully. Thank you to our P&C Congratulations and thank you to our incredible P&C who have been working hard to prepare Father’s Day Stall gifts for our students to purchase. The organisation and preparation is always very involved and we thank all who were part of this great fundraiser. Toys Please remind your child/ren not to bring any toy or treasure to school that they may lose or break etc. We are happy to have children bring a small toy to play with during break times, however it must not be too precious or irreplaceable as accidents do happen and the staff are not always able to monitor the whereabouts and care of these belongings. Food Containers It is great to see children choosing to eat fresh fruit and vegetables for snacks and lunch. Please ensure that your child/ren does not bring a metal can to open as these lids are dangerously sharp and can become slippery when wet. Place all the contents from these metal tins in a plastic sealed container to avoid injury. Due to health and safety please do not send lolly pops, poptops and sherbets or wizzfizz sweets to school with your child. Thank you for your support and understanding. Afternoon Dismissal Procedures. The staff at UPS send a huge thank you to all of our parents/carers who assist in the smooth afternoon departure procedures. Please remember that the drop off zone is not a parking area and drivers must remain in the car. Students will not be permitted to enter any car outside of the safe area for stopping. Drivers are respectfully reminded to park and turn legally around the school and to refrain from manoeuvres such as U-turns and three-point turns which are dangerous during busy school drop-off and pick-up times. We understand that at times this can be frustrating however the safety and wellbeing of our children and the families is paramount. The children are doing a great job when leaving the school grounds and I thank them for this. Dance2Bfit Matinee and Evening Performances- 13 September 2022. The Dance2Bfit tickets have been distributed. Please check that your child has brought them home. Although we were limited with the number of tickets (4 per family) allocated for distribution we are pleased that this performance has been strongly supported by our school community. Planning around COVID Smart guidelines, ventilation and the need for social distancing were among the many considerations that needed to be made for this event to proceed. We acknowledge that some families may have not be given their first option however with this being our first face to face event in over two years, we are appreciative of the opportunity to hold such a momentous shared school community experience. We have also been fortunate to have the P & C support this event and host food and sweets sales on site before both the matinee and evening performances. Unanderra Public School acknowledge the significant donations made by South32 and the continued efforts from our fabulous P & C executive and membership. The children are very excited to show off their many talents and perform on our school stage in a few weeks! Extra-Curricular Sporting Activities There have been several PSSA and regional athletics events, state cross country, soccer and football trials and additional extracurricular activities for many of our representative sporting students. Congratulations on these great accomplishments to those students selected. I also commend your respectful and sportsperson ship while competing and representing UPS! Thank you to Mr Le Breton and the administration staff for their work behind the scenes in following up with the organisation for these events. We always look forward to hearing your personal best achievements! Aboriginal Education The Aboriginal Education Committee have been working very hard and have made a positive impactful to build the culture of understanding and embedding Aboriginal perspectives in our day to day teachings and routines. Thank you to Mr Scotland, Miss Bell and the team. All classes across the school have been successfully integrating units of work. Kindergarten have focused on the bush and desert through play-based learning and created art works that represent Country as the knowledge holder. They have also read the Dharawal book in the Yarning Circle and used playdough to building on their understanding. Stage 1 have enjoyed very successful mathematics lessons doubling numbers using Aboriginal symbols and images. Stage 2 have enjoyed successful mathematics activity tasks embedding Aboriginal perspectives using symbols to tell stories and to solve number problems. Stage 3 have enjoyed success focusing on Narrative Mountains: Symbols and images and by creating their own symbols as well. In addition, using Country as the teacher and storytelling in number talk. 5/6M start their morning with a Yarning Circle reflecting on what they are grateful for. Smart Start This pre- kindergarten program began last week. We welcomed more than twenty-five local children including some from the local pre-school which was a great success! Thank you to Mrs Newman for the coordination of this and to all of the other staff involved. We look forward to the next four sessions. We have already had great feedback! Southern Stars A big congratulations to Mrs Jackson, Miss Ryman, Mrs Elston and Mrs Brennan and all of our wonderful students who performed in Southern Stars this year. Students from Unanderra Public School performed in both the combined Choir and the Aboriginal dance group. Rehearsals for this spectacular show began many months ago and required a long-term commitment from not only the students and teachers but also from the families who were responsible for transporting their children to and from the venues at all hours of the day and late evening. It was an amazing community event to celebrate public education inclusive of all and an opportunity to showcase the many talents of our students across over 130 public primary and high schools. We thank the coordinators of Southern Stars and recognise that without all of the volunteers and hard work behind the scenes none of this would be possible. Congratulations everyone! We cannot wait for next year! Have a great fortnight ahead! Anissa Rajendra 2L has been enjoying reading and learning in the Yarning Circle, especially when the weather is nice. This term 2L has been learning about persuasive texts, students have had to learn how to express their own opinion about various topics with a focus on health. We have been reading and viewing a variety of texts this term to explore what students both like and dislike. This allows students to express negatives and positive aspects on a given topic and build their vocabulary to implement in their writing. This term, KN have been engaging in a variety of exciting lessons within our ‘Wilderness Explorers’ integrated unit of work and learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, histories and perspectives. We have explored how our special places and spaces are used as well as different plants and their varying uses when in the bush. It was exciting to find lots of paperbark in our nature walk in the back playground. KN added this and other dry leaves to our ‘Koala in a Tree’ artworks. We have included Dharawal words for different animals in our writing while understanding the importance of Country. We are also very proud of our Kindergarten Acknowledgement of Country which references Grandfather Mountain and Grandmother Mountain – both of which we have learnt more about their significance this term. Assembly AwardsKB Merit: Wren A.R & Romano.G Student of the week: Bonnie.A KS Merit: Loretta S, Ramon M.G. Student of the week: Daniel L KN Merit: Evelyn W, Lyla R Student of the week: Skye S 1/2AP Merit: Lindzee LB & Leo D Student of the week: Myles S 1M Merit: Zayden M & Oliver Y Student of the week: Brianna J 1P Merit: Student of the week: 2L Merit: Ayah S & Keyara W Student of the week: Tempe W 2B: Merit: Kiara C Student of the week: Lola R 3/4D Merit: Kymani J & Abby D Student of the week: Nate M 3/4S Merit: Jake B & Izaiah L. Student of the week: Ava C. 3/4J Merit: Lucas M Student of the week: 3/4R Merit: Elliot S & Chris G Student of the week: 5/6D Merit: Yarra M & Rhydian J Student of the week: 5/6M Merit: Isaac F & Taliah C Student of the week: Aiden M 5/6S Merit: Matilda C & Oscar T Student of the week: Anjali K Bronze and Silver AwardsKindergarten and Stage 1 Bronze Awards: Abigail J Bonnie.A Saxxon M.S Oliver Y Jarli L Mariah G Abigal J Tyler L Silver Awards: Mackenzie C Aaliyah H Cameron K Stage 2 and Stage 3: Bronze Awards: Ryan H Cameron Amelia B Holly L Lindsay D Daniel P Billy P Lexxi T Lexi C Kymani J Oliver B Silver Awards: Memphis H Zara W Jasmine D Brooklyn R Jasmine Ridit T Elliot S Brock DW
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Principal's MessageDear parents and carers, The middle of the term is certainly creeping up on us and we still have so many exciting events ahead. It has been great to finally enjoy some dry weather and give our grass a chance to dry and the children time to play outside. Cola Roof Construction As you are aware work has been underway to complete the cola roof in Area A. The work is currently ahead of schedule and we certainly appreciate the way this has been managed by the project manager. Currently the concrete has been cut and the holes are now ready for the concrete pour which at this stage will happen on Friday 19 August between 9.15am and 1.30pm. The front gate access will be restricted and an alternative pathway into the administration building will be created for this short period. During this time there will be concrete trucks blocking the front entrance, however this should all be completed before pick up on this afternoon. Thank you for your patience during this time. Dance2BFit The children have been participating in Dance2Bfit lessons each week with a qualified dance instructor. This is part of our school curriculum and I am impressed with how positive all of our students and teachers have embraced this opportunity. UPS will be inviting parents and carers to a performance in week 9 of this term. There will be a matinee and evening performance with further details to be shared in the coming weeks. Afternoon Dismissal Firstly, I thank all students, staff and parents for their patience each afternoon during pick up time. The care, safety and supervision of all of our students and school community Is paramount. This is a reminder that students are to follow the safety instructions provided by the supervising teacher at all times. Unfortunately, we have had some neighbour complaints that students are walking in gardens and knocking on residents’ doors. Please remind your children to walk sensibly to their destination and to always remain on the grass or pathways rather than walking on to private property. I also ask that all parents and carers using drop zone wait patiently while children get into cars, remain in their car where possible and refrain from reversing anywhere near the crossing area. Thank you for your support in this. Book Week – Week 7 In two weeks, we will be holding our book week celebration. Start planning your child’s costume for what is always a great highlight. The book parade and literature rotations will be happening on Friday 2 September and Dapto Library will visit for a book presentation to K-2 students. A big thank you to Miss Prior for your enthusiasm and passion for books and learning in bringing this event together. Southern Stars Our Southern Stars performers have been preparing and working hard for this fabulous event, which will be held at the end of Week 6. The students and teachers involved have been attending many rehearsals and participated. To everyone involved, enjoy the moment. The experience will be one that I am sure all involved will remember for life. Thank you to Mrs Jackson, Mrs Elston and Mrs Brennan for their work in coordinating the choir and our Aboriginal Dance Group. Kindergarten 2023 We have already had a number of students enrol for Kindergarten 2023 which is so exciting. If you are planning on enrolling your child next year, or know of a family considering this who lives in our school drawing area, please complete the enrolment, by visiting our school website https://unanderra-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/ for more information. We look forward to welcoming all the new families to UPS in 2023. Wollongong City- Play Experts On Tuesday 9 August, some children were selected to be a ‘play expert,’ and invited to share their ideas on playing and playgrounds with Wollongong City Council. The council is looking to revive our local playgrounds. As part of this process, they met with a group of students from Unanderra Public School across a number of stages, children were aged between Year 1 and Year 6. On the day, they worked in small focus groups. Each focus group had an aerial plan Unanderra Park and Skate Park, and the students were tasked with goal of making park more child and family friendly, accessible for people of all abilities and to improve the functionality of the park. In addition to making suggestions, they voted on the types of play they like engage in when they go to the Park. Their ideas and feedback were practical, creative and spectacular! The representatives will now compile the information we shared and will come up with a plan for the play space with a Landscape Architect. Later this year, if their project runs on time, they will return to get the children’s opinions of the draft plans. If there is an official opening of the playground, the students will be invited to attend the opening including our Year 6 students, who will be in high school next year. This was an exciting opportunity for the ‘play experts’ in our school, we look forward to working with Wollongong City Council on this project. My thanks are extended to Mrs Rebecca McCabe for coordinating this exciting opportunity. Have a fabulous fortnight ahead. Kind Regards, Anissa Rajendra 3/4D Yarning CircleThis week, we participated in a learning experience on Country. We kindly greeted each other and settled into the non-judgemental environment. As a class, we discussed the meaning of respect. We made connections to respect ourselves, each other and respect for Country. In 5/6M we have been embedding Aboriginal perspectives throughout our routine. We start our day by building community links through our morning yarning circle. Where we share stories, get to know each other and discuss what we are grateful for. In writing, we have been using symbols to plan our quest narratives. We draw our plan, using symbols, then share it with our peers for feedback and in maths we have been using symbols to help solve our number talks. One of our favourite ways to celebrate Aboriginal culture and perspectives is around our 'campfire.' Here we share our work with each other, provide our peers with feedback and apply that feedback into our work. Sometimes if we are lucky, we share a marshmallow or two around the campfire too. We enjoy embedding Aboriginal perspectives and culture into 5/6M, but most of all we love how it has enhanced our classroom community. K-6 AssemblyCongratulations to the follow students for receiving a student of the week award and merit awards for this weeks assembly; KB Merit: Stefania G & Mmuti T Student of the week: Luke.W KS Merit: Zach S Student of the week: Ashlee A KN Merit: Thoolika & Hugo D Student of the week: Ava D 1/2AP Merit: Noah P & Cody J Student of the week: Axel H 1M Merit: Sophia G & Jemma C Student of the week: Lily B 2B Merit: Isabella F & Amelia P Student of the week: Bronte W 2L Merit: Will T & Maddison W Student of the week: Ella M 3/4D Merit: Ryan H Student of the week: 3/4S Merit: Aliye Sen & Jordi O Student of the week: Cooper E 3/4J Merit: William. P & Audrey.Y Student of the week: Latia.J 3/4R Merit: Kaitlin A & Lachlan C Student of the week: Loralee H 5/6K Merit: Zander H & Izzy H Student of the week: Taytum Z 5/6D Merit: Kylah-Rose T & Oscar W Student of the week: Daniel P 5/6M Merit: Aya S & Max T Student of the week: Lily E 5/6S Merit: Charles H & Ella H Student of the week: Peyton M-L Bronze and Silver AwardsEarly Stage 1 and Stage 1 Bronze Awards Felicity B Ashlee A Abigail J Bowie C Zach S Jasper. W Skylar-Rose.T Mmuti.T Wren A.R Romano.G Ariella.G Jax.F Stefania.G Amaleah B.S Luke..W Abraham.M Evie.A. Silver Awards: Axel H Stage 2 and Stage 3 Bronze Awards: Brooklyn R Shari J-P Asher. G Victoria S Jarvis J Amelia H Isaac F Lexie S Aya S Silver Awards: Mandela M Ella H Matilda C Pearce W Nevaya T PBL UpdateThe focus for weeks 3 and 4 is “Let’s be safe and respectful in the playground!” This focus looks at the changes that are occurring in our playground due to the construction work that is currently happening. It is important that our students are aware of these changes and understand their expectations whilst being outside the classroom. With this focus, teachers are having classroom discussions surrounding the school values of respect and safety. Students are learning how to move safely around construction areas, how to communicate to teachers if the noise becomes overwhelming at times, how to share the playground and how to help others in the playground. Students are also engaging in conversations about how to be respectful to the workers. An example of this is ensuring that they are not calling out to the workers whilst being in the playground or walking around the school. The PBL Team Library Updates from Ms Prior! |
Unanderra Public School
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