- Goolwa Primary School

“Quality Education in a Caring Environment”
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
STAFF PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Gardiner Street
GOOLWA SA 5214
Telephone: 08 8555 2261
Fax: 08 8555 3899
Email: dl.0157_info@schools.sa.edu.au
Website: goolwaps.sa.edu.au
On the Student Free Day staff attended a Professional Development session facilitated by
Sandy Russo from SPELD (Specific Learning Difficulties). Sandy delivered a session on
strategies to support students with learning difficulties. The two main areas discussed in the
session were Dyslexia and Working Memory. She explained that Dyslexia is a learning difficulty
that has a wide spectrum. It may have an effect on learning to read, spell and write. It may
even have an impact on a child’s ability to develop mathematical skills. Each child is different
and so is the degree of difficulty. A child may have only one area of difficulty. Dyslexia is not an
intellectual disability, nor is it connected to sight. Many children and adults can have problems
with Working Memory, but this does not mean they have Dyslexia, however sometimes they
can have both. Due to this Sandy presented strategies and resources which can be used to
support our students with their learning. She explained how important it is for students to learn
strategies that will support them, as they move through to secondary school. We looked at what
is available on the SPELD website that can be used by teachers, students and parents. It was
an extremely informative session and we hope to have further sessions with SPELD to look at
other areas of learning difficulties. One of the areas that a number of students have difficulty
with is Working Memory. It is an area that is linked to the development of language at a very
young age. Our DECD Speech Pathologist has provided us with a simple explanation on
“WHAT IS WORKING MEMORY?”, and how we can support children through games. Please
take some time to read the article further in this newsletter. You will see how easy it is, to fit
some of these games into daily activities as a family. Look out for some more ideas on how to
support your child in the next few newsletters.
The afternoon session was run by Australian Curriculum Advisor, Jane Davies, who worked
with staff on the initial stages of preparing a Whole School Literacy Agreement. It is anticipated
the information collected will be collated next term, as we continue to frame this Agreement.
LEARNING TAKES MANY FORMS
JUNE 15
FOR YOUR DIARY…
JUNE…
No. 10
14 -16
Tree Planting
15 Governing Council Meeting
16 Pie Drive Orders DUE
20 SRC’s Parliament House
21 Port Adelaide Football Club visit
22 Kenmore Park Camp departs
23 Yr 6/7 Maritime Museum
24 Room 13/14 Farm Barn
27 Yr 6/7 State Library & Bounce
29 Room 6/7 Excursion
29 Yr 4/5 SAPSASA Basketball
30 Pie Drive orders arrive
July
01
05
06
08
25
NAIDOC March
Kenmore Park Camp returns
Student Reports
End of Term 2
Start Term 3
Both Julie Stevenson and myself attended a conference recently that looked at the benefits of
allowing children to experience failure. By always being successful in what they do, there is no
opportunity for the children to develop the skills to work through problems and work on
alternative solutions. Mention was made of the skills needed in today’s workforce and problem
solving is regarded very highly by employers. Of course, in a classroom environment, teachers
are always supportive if they see a student has incorrectly completed a task, by using language
along the lines of, “Can you think of another way to work this out?“ or “What might be another
answer for this problem?” By always being supportive, a great deal can be learnt from making
mistakes.
Kind regards,
Kym Palka
Acting Principal
Julie Stevenson
Acting Deputy Principal
Letitia Hayward
Counsellor
KENMORE PARK
7 sleeps to go
Mr C-B, Isaac and Kate recently received swag for the Kenmore trip, donated from Wade and Sue Kruger
of South Coast Marine and Caravan Upholstery. Thank you for your support.
The countdown is well and truly on! Lots of nervous excitement is being felt as the Year 7’s get ready for
their trip to Kenmore Park next week. Kenmore Park students will be visiting Kings Canyon, Uluru and
Kata Tjuta along the way. Packing of bags and swag rolling practice is also happening. For many this is
their longest trip away from their families and first camping trip, but a trip they have been looking forward
to since starting school. An update of their adventures will be posted on the front office window each
day. We wish everyone a very enjoyable and safe adventure!!
PARENT NETWORK
SAPSASA
Pie Drive Fundraiser order forms and money must be returned to
the front office by
On Wednesday 1st June 2016, the Year 5/6/7 SAPSASA Netball
Carnival girls teams travelled to Victor Harbor Netball Club, to
compete against other schools along the Fleurieu Peninsula. On
the day we played against Yankalilla, Investigator, Mt Compass,
Victor Harbor Primary and Eastern Fleurieu. We had 16
enthusiastic girls, who had been busy training twice a day for
several weeks. Goolwa Primary School was represented in
Division 1 and 2. The girls were unfortunate not to win any
games, but they came very close. All the girls showed great
sportsmanship and determination throughout the day.
Thursday 16th June.
NO LATE ORDERS WILL BE ACCEPTED.
Pies are baked with pride by Heritage Pies & Pastries and will be
ready for collection at school on Thursday 30th June from 3 p.m.
onwards. The money raised as part of this fundraiser will go
towards purchasing new SAPSASA sports uniforms for the
school.
COLOURING ALPACAS SUCCESS
The SAPSASA Squad for 2016: Becky, Ella, Hayley, Chontelle,
Gabby, Kasey, Charlotte, Ebony, Jorja, Elouise, Makailla,
Sabrina, Isis, Shakaya, Asha and Jessica.
Thank you to the parents and families for supporting the girls and
everyone who helped on the day. Special thanks to David
Hamilton and Ashley Bald for umpiring, Sally Perry for scoring
and Lauren and Anita for coaching.
Students in our early year’s classes had an opportunity to
participate in the art section of the Australian Alpaca Association
of SA Colour Classic Show. The show was held from 13th-15th
May at the Strathalbyn Harness Race Club. Each participating
student completed a colouring sheet which featured two alpacas.
In the 5 to under 6 year old section: Indiana received an ‘I love
alpacas’ sticker. Matilda, Oliver, Bella, Ruby W and Indee
received a SA Colour Classic ribbon. Dee received a SA Colour
Classic Ribbon for 4th place.
In the 6 to under 7 year old section: Kedan, Jade, Elizabeth and
Oscar L received an ‘I love alpacas’ sticker. Erin, Urshuler, Ebony
and Oscar Y received a SA Colour Classic ribbon. Callum M
received a SA Colour Classic ribbon for 5th place.
In the 7 and under 8 section: Justin, Caleb, Annabel, Nuala, Ella
H, Natalie, Clarice, Summer and Django received an ‘I love
alpacas’ sticker. Grace, Sarah, Chloe L, Amahlee, Mia N, Connor
R, Chloe R, Rhett and Blair received a SA Colour Classic Ribbon.
Jayden E received a SA Colour Classic Ribbon for 4th place.
Demi received two ribbons – one SA Colour Classic Ribbon and
one for SA Colour Classic Supreme Junior Art Exhibit.
Thanks go to Ms Susan Haese for collecting the entries and then
returning them to our school, so parents are able to see their
child’s prize and entry.
Thanks also to Kate and Isaac for presenting the students with
their prize at JP News.
The Goolwa Primary School football team travelled to the
Encounter Bay Oval on Wednesday, June 1st for the annual
Southern SAPSASA Football Carnival. Ten schools from the
Southern SAPSASA District competed in a 14-side competition,
with teams split into two pools of five teams each. Our team
fought hard against some tough opposition, especially against
some of the larger schools in the District, but unfortunately came
away without a win. Some tenacious play from several players
resulted in some good passages of play throughout the day. Well
done to all the players for the way they represented the school at
the carnival.
LIVING SAFELY WITH PETS
ROOM 6 & 7 EXCURSION
The Responsible Pet Ownership Education Program on Friday 3rd
June provided students with an excellent resource, for educating
children about the responsibilities of pet ownership. Lisa with the
aid of her Springer Spaniel, did an informative presentation with 6
classes in the school gym.
During Week 7, students in Year 5 and 6 from Mr Weatherill and
Mr Foote's classes went on another local environmental
excursion.
These are some comments made by our students:
“Look down when a dog is angry.” By Rohan
“Don’t be silly with dogs. You should be nice and don’t scare
them. By Taeya
“When a dog is angry be quiet as a mouse and put your arms on
the side.” By Callum
“When you’re walking past someone’s gate, don’t touch their
gate.” By Dylan
SCHOLASTIC BOOKCLUB
Orders for Issue 4 are due back
Friday 17th June
Orders are expected to be delivered in the next few weeks. Any
queries can be made through the front office.
Students explored 500 year old Tea Trees and a marshland
covered by Ruby Salt Bush.
We learnt about the endangered Orange Bellied Parrot, which is
more endangered than Panda Bears.
Students were also shown a Golden Wattle Tree with malformed
nuts. We learnt the nuts had the larvae of tiny native wasps
growing inside them. When inspected, we could see the tiny
white larvae inside.
We are all looking forward to our next excursion, as part of the
"Our Place" series, in Week 9.
DISCO
DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
“The Term 2 Disco was a success! Just like every disco. We
thank all the staff members, the DJ, the Parent Network Group,
Isaac, Chontelle and I (Kate) for all the hard work and effort we
all put into making sure everyone had a great time. A big thank
you to Mrs Hayward for organising absolutely everything, we
couldn’t have done it without you. On the day we had a sausage
sizzle with juice boxes, cupcakes and water. They were
delicious. The balloons and lights inside were terrific and the
children enjoyed themselves. So the overall experience was fun
and the atmosphere was great.”
By Katie.
The iPads in Mr Kube’s class have been used on a daily basis for
a variety of purposes by the Year 2/3 students. Students have
been using apps to further their understanding of mapping.
Spelling their list words, practising their mathematics and making
movies are a few of the practical applications the students enjoy
using.
TREE PLANTING
On Tuesday 14th June, the Year 6/7 classes went to the Old
Goolwa Cemetery for a day of tree planting.
The weather was fresh in the morning, but it warmed up to be a
very pleasant day. Thankfully there was no sign of rain! There
was a lot to do, so children, parents and teachers were quickly
set to work folding tree guards and placing bamboo sticks
through them. Following a quick refresher lesson on how to plant
trees the right way, children were set to task raking away weeds,
making holes, planting, placing tree guards and hammering in
bamboo sticks.
YEAR 6/7 EXCURSIONS
While the majority of Year 7’s are away at Kenmore Park, the
remaining Year 7’s and Year 6’s are planning a couple of
excursions.
Thursday 23rd June –Maritime Museum Port Adelaide.
Monday 27th June – State Library and Bounce.
Please note departs 8.45am sharp and return 3.30pm.
Thursday 30th June – Marion Bowling and Aquatic Centres
Monday 4th July – Monarto Zoo.
Please remember to wear school uniform, bring morning tea,
lunch and drinks.
There was a huge range of natives to plant, including acacia’s,
native grasses and ground covers such as Ruby Saltbush. By the
end of the day, students had successfully planted 1000 trees! A
fun day and a brilliant job assisting in the restoration of local
habitats.
Well done to all our year 6/7’s.
PASTORAL SUPPORT WORKER
COUNSELLOR NEWS
Amy Nicholson, our Pastoral Support Worker (PSW), has
undergone her first year review with an external panel. We have
been delighted with her work with our community. Following are
notes the staff and students have made about Amy’s contribution
to the school.
Does your child have a chance of
being successful?
Amy’s role is mostly appreciated, and is most beneficial to
our school community in the following areas:
1:1 student well-being support, small group student well-being
support, co-ordination of the Breakfast Club, supporting the
“What’s the Buzz’ program, organising lunchtime activities, as a
classroom support/presence, pastoral support for staff, support
for families.
Missing school 1 or 2 days a week doesn’t
seem much but...
What is the most significant change of difference in the
school community you are aware of due to Amy being in the
role?
Amy’s student well-being support is certainly a strength. Her
work with students who have been traumatised is to be
commended, Amy has a supportive role to disadvantaged
students, Amy has slipped into the role perfectly with very little
disruption, Amy relates really well with the students, she is a
trusted person in the school, the children can turn to, kids have
an extra person to go to
That equates to 20 days or
Do you have any other comments you’d like to make?
‘Amy is an asset her calm, compassionate and insightfulness is
inspirational’
If your child
misses 1 day per fortnight
4 weeks per year
Over 13 years of schooling that’s nearly
1.5 years
If your child
misses 1 day per week
That equates to 40 days or
8 weeks per year
Over 13 years of schooling that’s nearly
‘Amy, you are doing a great job’
2.5 years
‘Goolwa PS are so lucky to have you’
‘Great job Amy’
If your child
misses 2 days per week
Students Yrs R-7
What is good about having Amy at your school?
‘Amy is very kind to others and will never leave people out, she is
helpful and caring and always willing to have a go.’
That equates to 80 days or
‘Amy is helpful because she is always there to listen or the lend a
helping hand’
Over 13 years of schooling that’s more than
16 weeks per year
5 years
‘She helps with problems and is good to talk to’
‘Amy helps everyone and helps with PALS (Play at lunchtime)’,
If your child
‘She is a great helper and good to talk to’
‘It is good to have a spare teacher to talk to when Mrs Hayward is
busy’
misses 3 days per week
That equates to 120 days or
24 weeks per year
‘She is amazing at solving problems’
‘She helps you when you need help and if you are sad’, ‘She is
very kind’
Is there anything else you would like to say about Amy?
‘Amy is a very nice teacher that will help students in need’
‘Amy is a very respectful person and is fun to be around, it is an
honour to have her at GPS’
‘She is good to trust’
‘She is an amazing help at GPS’
‘She is kind, caring and most of all she is always trying to help’
‘If you are sad, she calms and talks with you’
‘She is kind and friendly to everyone in the whole school’
Over 13 years of schooling that’s nearly
8 years
Being at
Goolwa Primary School
EVERY SINGLE DAY Counts and
MAKES A DIFFERENCE!!
WORKING MEMORY AND ORAL
LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES
Working memory is the short term memory that allows children
to remember verbal and visual information long enough to use it
for a given task (eg following an instruction, copying words from a
whiteboard, remembering what happened in a story).
Oral language is the language we use when we’re speaking,
including the sentences we make (questions, simple statements,
sentences joined by and/because, to explain etc), the grammar
we use (tense, plurals, adjectives etc) and the vocabulary used.
Good foundational oral language development is needed for
students to become literate, as they need to be able to use and
understand complex language in the oral form before they can
use or understand it in a written form.
Below are some strategies that can be used in daily activities or
in games to help improve these areas of difficulty.
Oral Language Activities
Using pictures to tell a story
To help your child understand that pictures are linked to the story,
you can emphasise the pictures in whatever books you are
reading at home.
One way to encourage your child to tell his/her own stories is to
show them a photo of themselves and ask him / her to tell you
what happened in / before / after the photo was taken. Prompt
your child to give you more detail with questions such as, “what
happened next?”, “why did you do that?” or “how did that make
you feel?”
“Read” a favourite story that your child knows well using only the
picture. Tell them that you will use the pictures to tell the story
and point to the pictures as you tell it. After you’ve “read” a
couple of pages ask your child to “read” a page using the
pictures.
Explaining game
This is an easy dinner table / car trip activity that multiple people
can play. Have one person think of an action / scenario (as
simple / silly as you like) and then have someone else think of a
reason for why it happened.
Familiar concepts will be easier at first, things like “I ate my
dinner”….”because
I
was
hungry”,
or
“I
went
swimming”….”because I was hot”. Work up to harder more
abstract reasoning like “the cat says woof” ….” because it was
talking to a dog”.
Policeman hat
Either use a real or imaginary hat and make up a silly policeman
voice. When your child makes a choice or a statement about
preference (e.g. I don’t want to do that) put on the hat and voice
and ask her to tell you why she made that choice. You could say
something like “Police Constable Explainalot here, having
identified a young person who hasn’t explained themselves.
Excuse me Miss/Sir, why did you choose that?” If your child
answers with something like “because I like it”, ask him/her why
they like it, to try and elicit more detailed answers.
Working Memory Activities
Shopping
If you’re shopping with your child, read a couple of items off the
list and ask them to repeat them.
For example “we need to buy apples and carrots, Silly me, I’ve
forgotten – what did we need to buy?” Start with one item, and as
your child improves remembering these, increase the number of
items you tell him/her at once.
Story reading
Point to simple things in books and once you’ve turned the page,
ask your child what they were.
For example you could ask “what animal was on that last page?”
or “what happened on the last page?” or “what was the man
called?” etc.
Simon Says
This is a listening game where players have to listen to 2 (or
more) bits of information. The leader (Simon) calls out a simple
instruction (e.g. touch your toes), but players only do the action if
the leader starts the instruction with “Simon says”. Therefore
players need to listen to whether “Simon says” was said, and
then the instruction afterwards.
This can be made harder by adding two instructions, for example
“Simon says touch your toes and clap”.
I went to the zoo
This is an easy game to play in the car. Players take it in turns to
add information to a statement and must remember all the parts
that came beforehand.
The first person says, “I went to the zoo and I saw a tiger”.
The second person says, “I went to the zoo and I saw a tiger and
a snake”. And so on.
Variations include: I went shopping and bought….. I went to the
moon and I packed…… I went to the park and saw…
Copy the sound
Have different musical instruments (real or saucepan lids, rice in
containers etc) on the floor and make a noise with one, get your
child to repeat it.
Increase this up to two, three, four and five sounds in a row as
he/she is able. You can also make it harder by having him/her
close her eyes and only listen to the sound, rather than being
able to watch you touch the instruments.
COMMUNITY NEWS
2016-2017
ENTERTAINMENT BOOKS
ARE ON SALE $65 EACH
AVAILABLE FROM THE
FRONT OFFICE OR VISIT
THE WEBSITE
www.entbook.com.au/9g15
541
Funds raised through the
sale of the book go
towards supporting our
annual Year 7 Cultural Exchange trip.
SOUTHERN CROSS CULTURAL EXCHANGE
Southern Cross Cultural Exchange is still URGENTLY trying to
find families for the last 7 French students and 1 Italian student
arriving on the 6th July. Can you please help?
Host families do not need to have a child the same age to have a
student, what we require is people with a kind heart and a
willingness to help bring different cultures closer together.
Anyone interested to know more could contact me on
(08)83230973 or email me jeh1313@bigpond.net.au
Jenny Hanson, State Manager, Southern Cross Cultural
Exchange