Term 3 Week 10 2015 - Bankstown North Public School

Bankstown North Public School
Innovation, Opportunity, Excellence, Success
322 Hume Highway Bankstown NSW 2200
T: 9709 5506 F: 9790 0945
E: bankstownn-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
W: http://www.bankstownn-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
Issue 15 Term 3 – Week 10
Are you reading with your child
every night?
If not, why not??
It’s important!
Please contact your child’s class
teacher if you need assistance with
reading strategies.
Tuesday 15 September 2015
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
This weeks Principal Award recipients are:
• Jamal Tabbah – 3/4A
• Muhammad Mujtaba – 5/6W
• Rebaz Abdullah – 3H
• Mikail Khodr – 1W
This weeks Certificate of Excellence recipients are:
• Amara Mikati – 1W
• Kevin Nguyen – 2W
• Hareem Shahid – 3/4A
Congratulations to these children. These awards will be
presented to the children at this weeks K-6 Assembly on
Thursday from 2.00pm. All parents are welcome to
attend.
Bankstown North Public School New
School Uniforms
Diary Dates
Term 3 – Week 10
Tuesday 15 Sept
Newsletter
Wednesday 16 Sept
Playgroup 9.30 – 11.00am
Thursday 17 Sept
Whole School Assembly
Thursday 17 Sept
After School AFL Program
Friday 18 Sept
Know Waste Program
Kinders, Stages 1 & 2*
(* Swim scheme students)
Friday 18 Sept
PSSA
Friday 18 Sept
Last day of Term 3
Term 4 – Week 1
Tuesday 6 October
Staff and students first day
of Term 4
Wednesday 7 Oct
Playgroup 9.30 – 11.00am
Friday 9 October
PSSA
I am very pleased to announce to our school community
that the P&C Uniform Committee has voted, and
selected the new Bankstown North Public School
Uniform.
From the commencement of 2016 ALL Kindergarten
students will be required to wear the new school uniform.
For students enrolled in years 1-6 there will be a two
year transition period. Students in years 1-6 will have a
period of two years before they are expected to be
wearing the new school uniform. If parents and
caregivers would like their child in years 1–6 to wear the
new school uniform from the beginning of Term 1 2016
they are able to do so.
The uniform supplier is Yeronga School Uniforms
located at:
900 Canterbury Rd
(between Flora St and Remly St)
ROSELANDS
Ph: 9759 7555
Yeronga School Uniforms is the only approved
supplier of our new school uniform. Yeronga School
Uniforms will also be offering an online ordering facility,
however this will not be available until later in Term 1
2016. There will be an information session on using the
online facility before it is introduced.
Yeronga School Uniforms will have all sizes available for
purchase by providing a one off onsite visit to the
school on Thursday 10 December 2015 (Annual School
Presentation Day). This will allow all parents and
caregivers (K-6) to purchase the new uniform without
having to go to the supplier.
Please be aware that our school hats will also change.
The new school hat will now have a red trim instead of
the sky blue. The reason for this change is because the
red trim coordinates well with the colours of our new
school uniform. A limited supply of school hats will also
be available for purchase at the school office. School
bags with our school logo will only be available through
Yeronga School Uniforms.
Attached to this newsletter is the current price list of all
items in the new school uniform range. I am aware that a
number of our parents and caregivers may be
concerned about the costs associated with a new school
uniform, however I can assure you that both the P&C
and myself have liaised with Yeronga School Uniforms in
securing a price that is both fair and reasonable.
The new uniforms are slightly higher in price to the old;
however the QUALITY of the new uniform is superior. I
am sure you will agree that the current school uniform is
of poor quality and therefore does not last or wash well,
hence the price reflects the quality.
In addition, head scarfs for our Muslim girls will continue
to be sold by the school P&C committee. The correct
school uniform colour will be sky blue. No other colour
will be acceptable in accordance with the schools
Uniform Policy.
If you have any questions regarding the new school
uniform please see either myself or Mrs Tracey Quick
(Assistant Principal).
Please see Yeronga Uniform price list and photos of our
new school uniform further in the newsletter.
Current School Uniform Sale
In order to make way for the new uniform, we have
reduced all of our current uniform items by 50%. This is
a great way for students to top up their uniform at a low
cost, especially our older year 5 & 6 students in their
final years at school. The uniform shop is open Tuesday
and Thursday mornings or orders can be placed through
the school office.
Lateness
Please be aware that there are still a number of students
arriving late for school each day. If your child is not at
morning lines by the time teachers have finished their
announcements, they will be considered as officially late
for school and the roll marked accordingly. If your child
arrives after morning lines they are to go straight to the
school office and are to provide the office staff with a
satisfactory explanation to receive a late note.
Teachers will not be accepting any child into the
classroom after morning lines that do not have a
valid late note.
If your child continues to be late for school, the matter
will be reported to the Home School Liaison Officer
(HSLO) and a letter sent home requesting a meeting
with you. It is your responsibility to ensure that your child
arrives on time for school each and every day the school
is opened.
Kindergarten Orientation and
Enrolments
Our Kindergarten Orientation dates for this year are
Thursday 15 October and Thursday 5 November
2015. Invitation letters will soon be mailed out to parents
and caregivers of students who have already enrolled.
Please be reminded that we are now accepting 2016
Kindergarten enrolments from eligible siblings. Children
must turn 5 before 1st August 2016 to be able to enrol for
next year. If you are aware of any parent of a child who
is eligible to enrol please ask them to contact the school
ASAP.
Swim Scheme
Congratulations to all of the students who participated in
this year’s Swim Scheme, and to our parents and
caregivers for enabling their child to attend. Swimming is
a necessary life skill and many children drown each year
as a result of not being able to swim, therefore being
able to swim is vital. Thank you to Miss Katy Howland
for organising this important annual event.
Parking Across Driveways
A reminder to all our parents and caregivers not to park
across the sports unit driveway of an afternoon. By
doing so, you are blocking the entrance used by student
taxi transport and preventing drivers from entering and
exiting the school grounds. Your attention to this matter
is appreciated!
Cyberbullying
A reminder to all our parents and caregivers that it is
strongly recommended that children under the age of 13
should NOT be using social media sites of any kind. By
doing so, children run the risk of cyberbullying and are
generally not mature enough to be able to deal with
cyberbullies or run the risk of implicating themselves by
responding inappropriately to the perpetrator.
Cyberbullying is commonly defined as the use of
information and communication technologies to support
repeated and deliberate hostile behaviour intended to
harm others. It is sometimes used as an extension to
other forms of bullying and can result in the target of
bullying experiencing social, psychological and
academic difficulties. (ACMA).
FORMS OF CYBERBULLYING:
Flaming – heated exchange
Harassing and threatening messages eg: ‘text
wars’, ‘griefers’
Denigration – sending nasty SMS, pictures or prank
phone calls, ‘Slam books’ (websites or negative lists)
Impersonation - Using a person’s screen name or
password eg: message to hate group with personal
details
Outing or trickery – sharing private personal
information, messages, pictures with others; Posting
‘set up’ images/video eg: ‘happy slapping’
Ostracism – Intentionally excluding others from an
online group eg: knocked off buddy lists
Sexting – sharing explicit material by mobile phone.
How Common Is It?
“We know that 50 per cent of [United States] children
report they were cyberbullied. In Australia it’s 10 per
cent and that’s tracking up two to three per cent every
year.”
(Prof Donna Cross 2009).
Effects Of Bullying Behaviour
Research indicates that students who are bullied are
more likely than students who are not bullied to
experience impaired social and emotional adjustment,
poor academic achievement, anxiety, depression,
poorer physical health, higher absenteeism, increased
loneliness and low self-esteem.
Research also shows that students repeatedly bullying
others were likely to have the same symptoms as the
students experiencing the abuse.
The students bullying were just as likely to have
elevated levels of anxiety, to be disconnected from
school and to have higher levels of depression as the
students who were being bullied. (Prof Donna Cross)
Bystander Behaviour Matters
Most bullying takes place when bystanders are
present, although most bystanders do not act to
discourage it. When a bystander does act there is a
good chance (around 50%) that the bullying will stop.
Students who are ‘defended’ are better adjusted and
report less peer victimisation one year later.
Reconciliation is more likely when bystanders intervene
than when teachers intervene. The majority of peer
interventions are effective.
Is it a school responsibility?
The Student Discipline in Government Schools Policy
makes plain “the school discipline policy may apply
outside of school hours and off school premises
where there is a clear and close connection between
the school and the conduct of students”.
The Suspension and Expulsion of School Students –
Procedures provides that behaviour that may warrant
suspension includes “hostile behaviour directed
towards students, members of staff or other persons
including verbal abuse and abuse transmitted
electronically such as by email or SMS text message”.
Addressing cyberbullying is a whole-of-community
responsibility, and requires a whole-of-community
response.
Some Websites for you to look at to assist your children
with understanding the enormity of their actions on the
worldwide web:
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http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/technolog
y/cyberbullying
•
http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/technolog
y/cybersafety
•
https://www.esafety.gov.au/
•
http://www.dec.nsw.gov.au/students/primary/
years-3-6/get-cybersmart
Update Kiss And Drop Zone Road Safety
A meeting was held last Thursday 10 September 2015
with Department of Education (DoE) Road Safety
Officer, Mr Ric Tester to engage his assistance in
devising suitable strategies to improve our Kiss and
Drop Zone.
Mr Tester has written to council requesting that the
signage be changed on the kerbside of Beresford
Avenue indicting that it is now a designated Kiss and
Drop Zone. A further meeting with Bankstown Council
has been scheduled for later this week to discuss the
proposal of using the cul-de-sac, or part thereof, of
Beresford Road as our Kiss and Drop Zone instead of
the school grounds.
A further proposal to introduce staggered pick up times
for parents and caregivers each afternoon will be trialled.
This will significantly reduce the flow of traffic onto the
Hume Highway during our peek pick up time of 3.003.30pm by reducing the congestion which occurs at the
traffic lights on Beresford Road and the Hume Highway.
A survey was sent home to parents and caregivers
yesterday who utilise our Kiss and Drop Zone to
complete and return to school by this Friday 18
September 2015. The responses provided will be taken
into consideration when allocating you a timeslot with
which to pick up your child. If you have any further
questions about the new proposal please see me or Mr
Anthony Murphy.
passion for teaching drama and have recently attended
a two day workshop (Friday and Saturday) at the Opera
House to further their skills in drama. The Drama Club
will be held one lunch time per week in Term 4 and will
run as a workshop including various games which
promote creative thinking, role playing and team
building. A roll will be taken weekly so as to identify
those students willing to regularly commit to the club.
ICAS English Test Results
In Term 1 2016, the Drama Club will be conducting
performance rehearsals with identified students. It is
envisaged that later in semester one, the selected
students will perform in a school play. For further
information about the Drama Club, please see Mr Jordan
or Mrs McCheane.
Congratulations to the following students for their
excellent results in the recent ICAS English tests:
Distinction
Rudy Pan
Darren Mok
Yr
4
3
Sherry Lin
Yr
3
School Environment
Credit
Henry Diep
Mia Phan
6
3
Adeeba Rahman
Jeremy Del Rosario
3
3
Merit
Natalie Vuong
Naureen Imran
Amy Le
5
5
4
Jana Hassan
Sara Khchaich
Aldrin Del Rosario
3
3
3
Participation
Umar Bin Amjad
Ashar Nadeem
Daniyal Naeem
Anthony Nguyen
Joseph Wang
Fatehy Naqvi
Qasim Khan
Verica Minovska
Maryam Farid
Camille Del Rosario
Mohammad Altaf
Manura Ariyathilake
6
6
6
6
6
6
5
5
5
5
5
5
Esma Bayraktar
Harris Qazi
James Lu
Pania Leefe
Sama Hijazi
Ehab Talib
Khidash Naqvi
Inaya Hassan
Mona Bakkour
Faaris Abbasi
5
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
Father’s Day
I sincerely hope all our dads had a terrific Father’s Day! I
did see a number of Father’s Day cards that students
had made which I am sure put a smile on their dad’s
faces when they received them, along with the fantastic
gifts purchased from our P&C organised Father’s Day
stall. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our
invaluable P&C for their time, terrific support and effort
involved in purchasing and wrapping the great range of
quality gifts that were available for your child to
purchase. As a result of gift sales the P&C raised
$435.85
Drama Club
Mr CJ Jordan and Mrs Kristyn McCheane will be
commencing Drama Club with all students in Years 2-6
commencing in Term 4 this year. Both teachers have a
Our school environment team - comprising of Mrs
Anastasia Avgoustis, Mrs Vanessa Oros and our
casual general assistants Mr Danny Parnell and Mr
Rob Morgan, along with our student gardeners - are
busy bees with big plans for improvements! You may
have already noticed the improvements to our school
garden beds? If not, I encourage you to take the time to
have a peek! The school grounds and garden beds are a
work progress and to assist our team, notes were sent
home requesting assistance from parents, grandparents,
neighbours and friends in our community who may have
an interest in gardening and are willing to donate their
time. If so, please see our school office staff.
In addition, requests were also made for the donation of
plants that could be propagated like daisies, lavender,
ferns, bulbs and succulents. If you are able to donate
plants then please see school Environment coordinators, Mrs Avgoustis and Mrs Oros.
Fun Run
The children had the pleasure in participating in the first
ever Bankstown North Fun Run on Thursday 3
September.
A very exacting course was laid out for the participants
and they found themselves having to traverse all around
the school. It was great to see all the children come
dressed in mufti and participate to the best of their
ability. As a reward each child received an ice block to
help quench their thirst.
Many thanks to those families who sponsored their
children. The money raised will go towards obtaining
educational resources for the school.
Term Dates
The last day of this term is Friday 18 September 2015,
which is the end of this week. School resumes for all
student’s K-6 on Tuesday 6 October 2015.
Public Speaking
Congratulations to the following students that
represented our school at the District Public Speaking
Competition, held at Chester Hill North Public School
last Wednesday 9 September:
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ES1: Archer Quick - My hero
S1: Mackenzie Quick - It's great to be a child
S2: Allegra Oros - Let me tell you a story
S3: William Dang - Things that make my blood boil
Well done to both Mackenzie and Allegra who made it
through to the next round.
Regional Spelling Bee Results
Congratulations to all our students who competed in the
Regional Spelling Bee held at Georges Hall Public
School last Tuesday 8 September.
Our Stage 2 students, Rudy Pan and Hashir Saeed
competed against 44 students and were out in Round 2
along with 10 other students.
Stage 3 students were Ashar Nadeem, out in Round 6
with only 16 students left & Henry Diep out in Round 8
with only 6 students left. A tough competition, however a
terrific effort made by all of these students.
School Holiday Road Safety Reminder
For Families
With the school holidays approaching, daily routines will
soon change. Different play locations and holiday
destinations means different traffic environments.
So to help keep our children safe, families are reminded
about these key road safety points:
Stop, look, listen, think every time you cross the
road.
If your child is aged 8 years or younger hold their hand
when walking near or across roads. If your child is 9-10
years old always actively supervise them.
It’s the law that everyone wears a helmet when
riding a bike in a public place.
It makes sense to wear a helmet when riding scooters
and skateboards too!
Click clack front ‘n back every person for every trip.
Everyone in the car must be securely buckled up in the
right seatbelt or child restraint.
Talk to your child about being a safe road user.
Reinforce safe road behaviours by being a good role
model! Children learn safe road behaviours from the
adults who care for them. Talk about what you are doing
to be safe when near roads, in the car and when riding.
Point out road safety differences and dangers in new
environments.
This is especially important when on holidays in different
surroundings. Roads, footpaths, parks, carparks, bike
tracks and bike lanes may look different in holiday areas.
The best way to keep your child safe is to
actively supervise them.
Talk and teach your child about road safety
every time you are out an about.
Remind other adults who care for your children
to do this too.
You can find out more at:
• Safety Town
• Department of Education
• Transport for NSW
Staff Changes Term 4
Mrs Kareena Williams will taking maternity leave from
Wednesday 7 October 2015 and will be replaced by Ms
Lucy Wilkinson on Class 2W. Ms Wilkinson will be
following Mrs Williams’s class program so a smooth
transition will occur. Ms Wilkinson has been teaching
RFF (Science) in our school
since Term 1 this year and
will now be replaced by Ms
Layelle Ayoubi (Monday)
and Ms Jenner Beeche
(Tuesday, Wednesday and
Thursday). We welcome Ms
Beeche back next term
from her maternity leave.
Ms Layelle Ayoubi
P&C Meeting
Our next P&C meeting is Wednesday 21 October (Term
4, Week 3) at 9.15am in the staffroom. We look forward
to seeing many of our parent and caregivers attend so
we have a good representation of our school community
present.
Formal Assembly
Our next whole school formal assembly will be held on
Thursday 17 September in our school hall at 2.00 –
3.00pm. Your attendance at our assemblies is always
welcome!
As this is our last newsletter for this term, I would like to
take this opportunity to wish each and every one a safe
and happy holiday!
Thank you for continued support.
Jon Godwin
Principal
Spelling Bee
On Tuesday 8 September, I had the pleasure of
escorting our best FOUR spellers; Hashir Saeed, Rudy
Pan, Ashar Nadeem and Henry Diep to the District
Spelling Bee Final at Georges Hall Public School. This
was the first time I had been to a spelling bee final and it
was extremely nerve-wracking but also extremely
exciting. As I sat and watched I couldn’t help but get
involved as I spelt the words in my head and there were
some that I found a real challenge. I was certainly glad
to be in the audience encouraging our students rather
than having to spell words aloud in front of a judge.
The first session was the Stage 2 competition which ran
from 9.30am until 11.30am beginning with 44 students.
They began with a demonstration and then Round One
officially began and lasted 30 minutes with two students
out. Round Two lasted 20 minutes with ten more
students out including Rudy and Hashir. The Stage 2
competition continued for another 40 mins and
concluded with the Winner Hansel Zhang from
Peakhurst Public School and the Runner-up Harrison
Cotty from Croyden Park Public School. Rudy and
Hashir learnt a lot from the experience and will be even
more confident next year. I loved how they were
listening intently as the competition continued and
shaking their heads as they knew someone had made a
mistake. They definitely knew how to spell the majority
of words, but it takes a great deal of concentration to
spell words out loud under pressure. I think it was
wonderful to see them challenging themselves and
they’ll both be even more prepared next year.
All four boys competed confidently and bravely and I
admire them for the courage they displayed throughout
the competition. I think they all benefitted from being
challenged and I hope they continue to look for ways to
challenge and extend themselves in their learning. They
represented our school magnificently and I thank them
for their commitment and support of each other.
Mrs Oros
Rudy and Hashir
The second session began promptly at 12.30pm until
2.30pm beginning with 40 students. Round One lasted
19 minutes with three out. Round Two lasted 15
minutes with five more students out. Each round got
gradually shorter and shorter and more and more
students were knocked out. With each round that
passed I could see Ashar and Henry secretly celebrating
that they were still in. They looked my way and I’d
acknowledge their achievement and communicate my
congratulations with a secret thumbs up or a smile.
Unfortunately Ashar left at the end of Round Six with
only seven students remaining out of the original 40
students. Henry managed to last until Round Eight with
only four students remaining. Ashar and Henry were
both pleased with their achievement, as they both
managed to go further this year than last year, which
was their goal going into the competition. It’s always
important to focus on what has been achieved. The
Winner from Stage 3 was Vivian from Bankstown Public
School and the Runner-up was Kurt from Newbridge
Heights Public School.
Ashar and Henry
Bankstown North
Public School
Uniform
(Please keep as a reference along with the Yeronga Uniform Price list)
OUR GREEN TEAM ACHIEVEMENTS
Written by Mrs Oros
Congratulations to the students who have been working hard as part of our GREEN TEAM to help improve our school
environment. The students have enjoyed working as a team and solving problems to complete challenges along the way.
Both Mrs Avgoustis and I have noticed “authentic learning” taking place as students have become interested and
motivated to achieve a goal. Our students have been demonstrating what engaged learners look like in the OUTSIDE
learning environment. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful environment at our school, and it is improving every day.
We thank parnets
What are students LEARNING while they are GARDENING?
Students are LEARNING ;
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to build and maintain a COMPOST
to make and look after a WORM FARM
to PROPAGATE plants
to tell the difference between WEEDS and QUALITY PLANTS ( the
ones that we actually want in our garden beds)
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the VOCABULARY of GARDENING including the names of TOOLS
and PLANTS
to VALUE the ENVIRONMENT
to CO-OPERATE and help each other
to work as a TEAM
We have both witnessed students;
• working together
• following instructions
• asking questions
• learning and using new vocabulary e.g a rake is not a broom
• solving problems
• using initiative e.g using a wheelbarrow saves a lot of time
• demonstrating leadership
• using organisational skills
We’d like to make special mention of some students who have displayed outstanding skills throughout this process and
have demonstrated a high level of responsibility and motivation working on our gardens at every opportunity including
recess and lunch time. We are very lucky to have these students who have demonstrated “Skill with Honour” to help us
work towards achieving our environmental school goals.
Peter Mitreski
Taha Abdulkhalek
Kaiya Oaariki
Ayham Darjazini
Daniel Ali
Abass Fakih
Jad El-Ali
Corey Caltabiano
Louay Zreika
Adam El Kabbou
Selina Kurkomaz
Nana El Akkaoui
Jamal Jbara
Ezekiel Saili
Melissa Ali
Wafa El Dannaoui
So far we have ACHIEVED;
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THREE operational compost bins
ONE operational worm farm
TWO vegetable gardens with VEGETABLES growing!
TWO vegetable gardens ready to plant seeds/vegetables
ONE bare garden bed planted with native grasses.
TWO garden beds planted with flowering plants.
THREE garden beds WEEDED and re-covered with CARDBOARD and BARK to minimise weeds
PROPAGATION of lavender, succulents and daisies
PATHS in our Little Forest/Mini Rainforest
a hole for our FROG POND
ONE LARGE BUG MOTEL 1m X 1m X 1m
ONE MINI BUG HOTEL
SUPPORT from our COMMUNITY
a WATERING routine for our new plants and new garden beds
the successful REPOSITIONING of many plants to better positions
PLANTING our first RAINFOREST PLANT called a BIRD’s NEST in our MINI RAINFOREST
a STRATEGY to STOP students walking in our gardens
Keep your eye on the TORCH newspaper for the photos of our Bug Hotel as well as a story.
Grandparents Day
Bankstown North Public School will be holding a
Grandparents Day on Thursday 29 October.
Do you have a photo of your child with one of their
grandparents?
We would like to make a school video presentation at
assembly on this date, so we need you to look for a
photo that your child can bring in. Choose the clearest
one you have and put it aside.
Next term we will be asking you to send it in for just one
day. All photos will be returned.
Mrs Hawryluk
District Public Speaking
Last Wednesday 9 September, I had the privilege of
adjudicating at the District Public Speaking Competition
held at Chester Hill North Public School. The schools
being represented were Bankstown North Public School,
Chester Hill Public School, Yagoona Public School,
Bankstown Public School, Chester Hill North Public
School and Bankstown West Public School.
In my role as adjudicator, I was given the difficult task of
deciding on the students that would progress to the next
round of the competition. Students were judged on
different aspects, including the content of their speech,
the originality of their ideas, the manner in which they
spoke and how their information was organised.
Our Early Stage 1 representative Archer Quick, spoke
about the affection he has for his sister in his topic ‘My
Hero’. Archer’s speech was warm and he demonstrated
great courage in his first year of public speaking.
Mackenzie Quick from Stage 1, had wonderful stories
to share about her own life and gave us good insight into
why she believes ‘It’s great to be a child’. Mackenzie’s
speech and her ability to reach out to an audience
meant that she was one of the two winners chosen from
her Stage.
Our stage 2 representative Allegra Oros, whose topic
was entitled ‘Let me tell you a story’, also won a place in
the next round of competitions, delivering an
unforgettable speech about her great nana! I think we’d
all like to have known this wonderful character brought
to life in Allegra’s speech!
Finally, William Dang, and his unique speech on ‘Things
that make my blood boil’. William’s wit and dry humour
were certainly on display, as he took the audience
through a mock radio show listing the top ten things that
really get his blood boiling. I was most impressed with
William’s use of the English language to demonstrate
sarcasm.
I would like to congratulate the students mentioned
above for their CALM PRESENCE ON STAGE. As
adults, we can appreciate how difficult it is to speak
publicly in front of others, and how especially daunting it
is when you are speaking in front of an UNKNOWN
audience.
Honourable mentions go out to Allegra Oros and William
Dang for their impromptu speeches. These speeches
always prove a challenge for students, given that
students are allowed only five minutes to prepare a
speech on an unseen topic. Allegra shared her thoughts
on two events in her life which made her proud of
herself, whilst William attempted to convince the
audience that technology is making us lazy. Both
students spoke for the required time and there was
sense and purpose in what they said.
Well done Archer, Mackenzie, Allegra and William. I am
certain this was an experience you will not soon forget!
Mrs Papadakis
Swim Scheme
Swim Scheme has been running for just over a week,
and it’s amazing to see the amount of progress all our
swimmers have made in such a short time!
I would like to thank Mrs Morgan and Mrs Gadd for
accompanying the swimmers each morning to the pool.
A special thank you goes to Ms Tariq (Ali 4/50), Ms
Aslam (Harris 3/4A) and Ms Hashmi (Shayan 2P) for
coming as spotters.
Miss Howland
Camp
The closing date for camp deposits has now passed. For
those students who have booked their place at camp, it
is now time to begin making payments towards the cost
of camp.
Early next term, a note will come home to these students
regarding medical information for camp. Please be on
the lookout for this note, and return it as soon as
possible to Miss Howland.
Miss Howland
Camp Organiser
Stage 2 21st Century Learners
This term I had the absolute pleasure
Jeremy Del Rosario (3H), Adeeba
Sherry Lin (3/4MG), Darren Mok
Khchaich (3/4A), Mia Phan (3/4A),
(3/4A) & Hareem Shahid (3/4A).
of working with
Rahman (3H),
(3/4MG), Sara
Aymel Husain
I would like to sincerely thank and commend them for
their outstanding enthusiasm towards learning. I have
been very lucky to work with these 21st century learners
and as such we have set up a blog to share some of the
ways we have been extending our learning. We would
love for you to see what we have been up to this term by
visiting our site at the following web address.
•
http://extendyourlearning.weebly.com/
Junior T-Ball
vs
Birrong PS
Player of the Match
Encouragement
Award
Score
-
Evangelista Saili
-
Allegra Oros
-
9-5
The Junior girls were looking so much more confident
and were able to apply all of the skills they have been
practising during training. Azalia Samasoni was chosen
as captain and she did a wonderful job of organising
positions, as well as planning the strategy and
communicating with her team during the game.
Azalia chose Evangelista Saili as Player of the Match.
Evangelista must be congratulated for her outstanding
level of play, not only in her pivotal position as pitcher
but also her hard hitting, to score not only a home run as
first batter, but also an amazing hit to get three of her
team mates home as the last batter. Allegra Oros was
chosen as Most Improved due to her ability to hit the ball
confidently to a brilliant position, which made it difficult to
stop. Her great hits helped achieve points for our team.
Well done Allegra!
Remember we have training on Monday and Tuesday
afternoons and the girls are also pushing to add an extra
training session on a Friday morning.
Miss Wilkinson
Stewart House
To help those in need, a Stewart House Bag (eldest
child only) was sent home with the last newsletter.
The bag can be filled with clothing in good condition and
is not to be used for other items you wish to dispose of.
These bags are to be returned to the hall doors by
Thursday 17 September
PSSA
T-Ball and Softball - Week 8
What an encouraging first week with two fabulous
games won against Birrong Public School. A big thank
you to all players that returned their NOTES and
MONEY on time. Just a reminder that the girls require
SHIN PADS with LONG RED SOCKS. It was great to
have girls that were organised to play which shows not
only responsibility but a commitment to your team. Well
done girls!
A special thank you to both Evangelista Saili and
Azalia Samasoni for playing with the Seniors this week.
Unfortunately we did not have enough Senior players.
Luckily both girls have been coming to both T-Ball
training and Softball training to improve their skills, so
they were eager to accept this challenge.
Congratulations girls! Another great example of “Skill
with Honour”. It’s great to see you challenging
yourselves girls.
Senior T-Ball
vs
Birrong PS
Player of the Match
Encouragement
Award
Score
-
Talia Jbara
-
Elissa El Chami
-
6-4
Talia Jbara led her team confidently and organised the
positions and ordering of batters. She discussed
strategy and reminded her players of some of the rules. I
could definitely notice the difference in her confidence as
Captain with the extra skills she learnt as a District
Representative.
Congratulations to Sajah Jbara who Talia chose as the
Player of the Match. She did a great job on first base
and managed to hit the ball very well! Sajah has also
demonstrated a big improvement since becoming part of
our District team. Elissa El Chami was chosen for our
Encouragement Award. Although she started the
Softball season extremely nervous and quite anxious,
she has worked hard improving her skills by coming to
training. Elissa managed to hit the ball and make it all
the way home twice. A fabulous effort Elissa! Keep up
the great work girls.
Our next skill to practise is to keep running while the
ball is out of the pitcher’s hands. This was a skill Birrong
was very good at. Our aim is to learn and improve a
particular skill every week.
Vanessa Oros
AFL - Week 8
Junior AFL
vs
Condell Park PS
Player of the Match
-
Jad Derbas
Score
-
31-7
marking and scoring. Condell Park were not going to
give up without a fight, making a comeback in the last
third. Luckily, time was on our side and the game was
over before they could cause any damage. The final
score was: 30-21, our way.
A HUGE thank you to these junior players for helping us
out again! For this first return game, I chose the players
of the match.
They were:
Junior player of the match - Jad Derbas for
consistent effort
Senior player of the match – Zac McIlwraithCampbell for his skilful kicking and passing
Last Friday, 11 September, we had a bye, so we used
the afternoon as an extra training session which always
comes in handy! Our focus was kicking with accuracy,
as it’s not just about being a great kicker BUT kicking
within the posts and kicking to players who can best
carry the ball forward towards the goals.
Friday, 4th September, marked the return matches for
summer PSSA teams. Our Junior and Senior AFL teams
played against Condell Park Public school at Thurina
Park.
I can’t wait for our next match in Term 4 boys! You
definitely inspire me with your enthusiasm and it’s a
pleasure to be able to coach you!
Mrs Papadakis
Given the amount of time that had lapsed since their last
official game earlier in the year, I expected this initial
encounter to be a challenging one. I had told the players
that they should prepare themselves for difficult matches
and to use this first round as an opportunity to revise
their knowledge of the game. All I can say, is that I was
most pleasantly surprised with every passing minute that
our players were on the field. They managed to
remember all the skills we had practised earlier in the
year AND displayed an overwhelming determination to
prove themselves on the field. That they did, easily
securing wins in both the junior and senior games.
Shine A Light Performance
Our junior team beat our opponents by 31-7! An obvious
weakness in Condell Park’s defence meant that our
boys were able to pass the ball easily between players,
who kept looking for opportunities to score. The boys
were relentless in their efforts and neither heat nor injury
could get in their way!
Senior AFL
vs
Player of the Match
-
Score
-
Condell Park PS
Zac
McIlwraithCampbell
30-21
Many of the junior players were then ‘played up’ and had
a very short time to catch their breath before they were
back on the field, playing with the seniors. This game
proved to be as intense as the first, with some excellent
Our book week ‘Shine a Light’ performance was held
last week and all the children who attended had an
enjoyable time.
Mrs Moro
School Fun-Run
Mozart
The children enjoyed their first ever Bankstown North
Public School Fun Run. The weather was perfect for the
event and we thank the families who have already
returned their sponsorship money. If you have any left at
home, please send into the office ASAP.
We are very excited to announce that all students in
Years 3 to 6 will be attending a Shakespeare theatrical
performance in Week 2 of Term 4. Students will be
entertained by professional actors from the Bell
Shakespeare company in a production titled ‘Just
Macbeth! (abridged)’.
A perfect introduction to Shakespeare for primary
students, Just Macbeth! (abridged) is a really fun and
entertaining version of Shakespeare’s great big gory
tragedy. We are extremely fortunate that the Bell
Shakespeare company are offering this experience free
of charge! We can’t wait for our students to experience
this high quality production.
Mr Jordan and Mrs McCheane
ABORIGINAL
MURAL
COMPETITION
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
As part of our plan to improve our school environment, we have been given
permission to create our first MURAL. We think our first MURAL should pay respect
to our Aboriginal elders past, present and future and demonstrate a strong
connection to the Gadigal people of the Eora nation. These are the people who were
the original custodians of the land on which our school was built.
We would like to create our mural with the support of community groups including;
The Bankstown Art Society, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory
Committee and Bankstown Council. We would also like to use the wonderful and
creative ideas of our students.
We invite ALL students K-6 to create an original piece of artwork to be used to help us
create our first mural. Students can work in class with the help of their teachers or at
home with the help of their parents. Finished artworks will be due in Term 4 on Friday
of Week 4, so you have all of the holidays to get thinking, do some research and start
creating.
Do you want to create an artwork using earthy, traditional colours?
Or do you want to experiment with a range of different colours?
Do you want our mural to look like a traditional cave-painting?
Or do you want it to be more modern?
Maybe you would like to see a combination?
You might like to explore how we can use hand-prints?
Certificates and prizes for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th will be awarded to students in each
Stage.
Artworks will be judged according to; COLOUR, DESIGN, SPACE,
ORIGINALITY and ABORIGINAL ELEMENTS.
We would like our MURAL to tell a story or have a message. We would like SYMBOLS to
be used to create MEANING. We want COLOURS to be chosen for a reason to create an
EFFECT. We have very talented students at our school and we would like to utilise all of
your wonderful ideas to design a meaningful and beautiful mural created by our present
students to pay respect to elders past, present and future and demonstrate the value
our Aboriginal culture.
. Jon Godwin
Principal
Vanessa Oros & Anastasia Avgoustis
Environmental Co-ordinators
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN 3/4MG?
POETRY…..
I Remember Poems
I remember I sat on my big new mat.
I remember at school playing cricket with a ball and bat.
I remember that I jumped in my pool.
I remember I was walking then I found a tool.
I remember buying a budgie at the bird shop.
I remember cleaning my house with a mop.
I remember that I bought a jumper with a hood.
I’m glad I can remember these memories are good.
By Rani
I remember my cousin playing with me.
I remember falling on my knee.
I remember Faaris being my friend.
I remember drifting around bends.
I remember my first day of school.
I remember swimming at Birrong pool.
I remember at school, making new mates.
I'm glad I can remember, these memories are great!
By Darren
Dylan Thomas Portraits
Have you ever seen a fish?
Scaly skin, egg laying, swaying tail.
By Mohamad
Have you ever seen a phoenix?
Fire covered, mythical bird, red-coloured.
By Sherry
`
CHARACTER DESCRIPTIONS…..
Have you ever seen a cat?
Fluffy fur, pink nose, lightweight.
Cute animal.
By Sama
Have you ever seen an xo?
Green and white, smart device, fun
games.
By Hashir
Louie is a homeless, lonely
dragon. He is a purple
dragon and has dark, blue,
sharp spikes going down his
spine. Louie has big, red
eyes who also has sharp,
black, long claws and is kind
and generous.
By Lyn
Louie is a lonely, homeless little dragon
who has purple skin with orange spots. He
also has scaly skin. Louie has spikes
along his spine and he also has a tail that
looks like an arrowhead. Louie has big
black eyes that shine. He has big floppy
ears that hang down like a dog. Louie has
four sharp claws that are very long. Louie
is a sad and lonely dragon who has no
friends but is very friendly to people.
Louie is a lonely, homeless dragon. He is a purple dragon
By Layla
with spots and really scaly skin. Louie has sharp claws,
spikes across his spine and black eyes. His ears are really
floppy and he has a spiky tail. Louie found a friend called
Bron. He saved the day because a mean, nasty dragon tried
to eat the teacher. Louie bit the dragon’s tail and it turned into
a statue.
By James K
WHAT’S BEEN HAPPENING IN 3/4MG?
ABORIGINAL ART……
STYLES
Elements of Art
Dot Painting
Studying
X-Ray Painting
Cave Painting
Traditional
&
Contemporary
Boomerang
Colours