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Page 1 of 13
DATES FOR YOUR DIARY (please see Skoolbag for further details and copy of notes)
Term 4 – 2017
Week 4
31 Oct Yr 6 Koori Transition to High School
P & C Cupcake Day
Week 5
13 Nov Remembrance Day Service 9.00 am
Week 6
14 Nov Band Tryouts
15 Nov Girls School Leader Elections
16 Nov Boys School Leader Elections
Week 7
21 Nov School Spectacular Week
Week 8
27 Nov K-2 Gold Principal Award Assembly
Wahroonga PS Band Performance
Yr 3 Intensive Swimming for 10 Days
28 Nov Yr 6 Parent Information Night at the
Forster Campus 6pm, Students Welcome
29 Nov Yr 6 Play Rehearsal
30 Nov Yr 6 Play Performance for Parents
1 Dec 3-6 Gold Principal Award Assembly
Week 9
4 Dec Yr 3 Intensive Swimming cont.
5 Dec Yr 6 High School Orientation
6 Dec Choir/Band Tour
7 Dec K-2 Concert Rehearsal
8 Dec K-2 Concert for Parents 10am-12pm
Week 10
11 Dec Presentation Assembly
Yr 6 Farewell
13 Dec P & C Christmas Raffle Drawn
15 Dec Yr 6 End of Year Excursion and Farewell
Arch
Last Day of School
Term 1 – 2018
30 Jan Students Return to School
12 Feb P & C Meeting 5.30pm Staffroom
Principal’s / Deputy Principals’ Report
Term 4
Term 4 is always a very busy term at Forster PS. It
is a term when we enjoy celebrating the
achievements of our students in 2017 and
showcasing their talents through various
performances. The calendar at the start of this
newsletter has many key dates for your diary.
Sportsathon 2017
Finally, a year when Sportsathon did not need to be
postponed due to rain! The week leading up to the
day had us all worried, but the sun shone and fun
was had by all. Teachers have all commented on the
beautiful and cooperative behaviour of students
taking part in the events, and teachers themselves
enjoyed a day out on the town.
All grades showed fantastic enthusiasm for fund
raising, with most grades raising about $1200.00.
Year 4 topped the fundraising charts with the
grade raising nearly $1400.00. All up, the students
have managed to raise a total of more than
$8200.00 with the top fundraisers for the grades
raising $904.50 between them. What an amazing
effort, especially given the relatively short period
of time we had to generate sponsorships – well done
everyone!
We had some great prizes, and they were awarded
to:
Skateboard (Ghanda) Chloe – 4/12
Bodyboard (Drawform) Jemma– 4/14
Backpack (Forster Surf & Sport) Deanna – K25
Forster Public School A vibrant, caring and successful learning community
Respect Personal Best Safety
Find us at: Head Street, Forster Tel: 6555 6766 Fax: 65556374 Email: [email protected]
Term 4 Week 3 Friday, 27 October 2017
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Major Prize Winners Elizabeth – 5-6/7 & Kai –
1-2/19
The students who managed to raise the highest
amount for their grades, receiving a bag of goodies
and vounchers dontated by a range of local
businesses were:
Cooper 3-4/11, Dallas 5/3, Lucas 4/14, &
Paul – 3-6/5(absent)
Charlotte 1/17, Billy K22 & Blayke 2/30
Thanks goes to those business who supported the
day by offering their sports facilities at no cost or
reduced rates on the Sportsathon day and we would
like to acknowledge their contribution:
Lion’s Club for the use of the trampolines & mini
golf
Forster Ten Pin Bowling
Forster Tuncurry Golf Driving Range
And a massive thanks goes to the businesses who
sponsored the event by donating goods or vouchers
to offer as incentive prizes: Forster Photos & Frames Manning Shoes
Forster Cycles Zen Candles Village News Forster Ten Pin Bowling Gloria Jeans Lion's Club Drawform Just Cuts Hot Bargains
Occasions Jewellers Priceline Pharmacy
Stash House Great Lakes Dental Clinic Amcal Max Forster
Salty Empire Forster Surf & Sport
Howard Cinemas Ghanda
Stormriders Hog's Breath Café
Sinners & Saints Ice Creamery
Suesse's Natural Raw Honey
Wharf Street Gourmet Butchery
Forster Tuncurry Golf Driving Range
We appreciate their support for our event and
their interest in making sure sports and the skills
of social team games are a part of our local youth’s
lives. Without their huge contribution, we would not
be able to offer such great prizes.
Thanks to all staff, students and parents who
shared in the fantastic day, and to all those who
helped out in the organisation and planning process
of Sportathon 2017.
Mrs Melanie Ward.
Sid Award Winners
Congratulations Murphy, Katie, Ecko, Lashara,
Annabelle and Jacob
Students not returning in 2018
Our staffing allocation is based on our enrolment, it
is extremely important that you let the school
know, in writing before Friday 17 November 2017, if
your child will not be continuing their education at
Forster Public School in 2018 (2017 Year 6
excluded). Please disregard this notice if you have
already made contact with the school. If you are
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taking an extended vacation please inform the
school in writing of the date your children will be
returning to school in 2018.
Attendance
Some students and parents do not see that regular
and punctual attendance at school is important.
Nothing can be further from the truth. Besides
missing out on valuable content, students miss out
on information, discussion and skill development
that are the pathway to success and the
development of high self- esteem.
The following chart highlights the impact of non-
attendance and partial attendance over time.
Viewed in this context, the implications of regular
absenteeism is startling. This chart shows the
cumulative effect of persistent non-attendance
over the period of compulsory schooling from
Kindergarten to the end of Year 10.
Days Absent Total
Days
Number
of
Terms
Number of
Years Missed
1 per week 451 9 2 years 1 term
1.5 per week 676.5 13.5 3 years 1.5 terms
2 per week 902 18 4 years 2 terms
3 per week 1353 27 6 years 3 terms
5 weeks per term 1127.5 22 5 years 2 terms
Ave 5 days per term 220 5.5 1 year 1.5 terms
Ave 10 days per term 440 8.8 2 years 1 term
Partial Absences
1 hour late per week 75 days 1.5 terms
½ hour late per day 188 days 3.75 terms Almost 1 year
1 hour late per day 376 days 7.5 terms 1 year 3 terms
It is also a legal requirement that ALL absences
from school be explained. Each week letters are
generated for unexplained absences for the week
before. If your child is absent please inform your
child’s teacher as quickly as possible with the
reason for the absence. This can be done by letter,
phone call to the school or by accessing the e-form
on the Skoolbag app.
Extended Leave for Travel
The Department of Education and Communities has
a policy regarding Student Attendance in
Government Schools. This policy states that if you
are intending to take a family holiday during the
school year, you need to apply to the Principal for
approval before you leave on the vacation. Once
the Principal has approved the period of leave, your
child will be marked as “leave” on the roll and you
will be issued with a Certificate of Extended Leave
– Travel. You need to carry the Certificate of
Extended Leave – Travel with you as you may be
asked to present it. Application for Extended Leave
– Travel forms are available in the front office. A
sample of the form can be viewed on Skoolbag.
As we approach the end of the year, you may be
making plans for a family vacation during school
time. As mentioned above, if this is at the beginning
of the 2018 school year, please make sure you have
informed the school in writing of the date that
your child / children will be returning to school and
complete the Application for Extended Leave –
Travel form.
Student Invoices - Urgent
I would ask that any outstanding amounts be
cleared as a matter of urgency. We have sent home
two reminder notices to date.
Students Tell Them From Me survey
Recently 297 students from Year 4, 5 & 6
participated in the Tell Them From Me survey
designed to provide an insight to guide school
planning and identify school improvement initiatives.
On average our students’ responses are comparative
to the State norms;
The survey indicated that;
72% of students had a positive sense of
belonging compared to the state norm of
81%.
81% of students had developed positive
relationships compared to the state norm of
85%.
95% of students believe that schooling is
useful in their everyday life and will have a
strong bearing on their future compared to
the state norm of 96%.
51% of students do homework for their
class with a positive attitude and in a timely
manner compared to the state norm on 63%.
86% of students believe that they display
positive behavior at school compare to the
state norm of 83%.
89% of students believe that they try hard
to succeed at school compare to the state
norm of 88%.
8 out of 10 students find the classroom
instructions relevant to their lives
compared to the state norm 7.9 out of 10.
7.9 out of 10 students feel classroom
instruction is well organized, with a clear
purpose, and with immediate feedback that
helps them to learn compared to the state
norm 8.2 out of 10.
8.1 out of 10 students feel teachers are
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responsive to their needs, and encourage
independence with a democratic approach
compared to the state norm 8.4 out of 10.
32% of students believed that at some
stage they were subjected to physical,
social, or verbal bullying, or were bullied
over the internet compared to the state
norm of 36%.
86% of students believe that they display
positive behavior at school compare to the
state norm of 83%.
Student’s perceived participation in sports
and extra-curricular activities however
were significantly below state average. 44%
of students felt they had a high level of
participation in sport compared to the state
mean of 83%. 30% of students reported
that they participated in extra-curricular
activities or school committees compared to
the state norm of 55%.
Communicating and Engaging with Our Community
Next week (week 4) you may notice some students
and teachers with clip boards, both in the mornings
and afternoons. The purpose is to gather
information about our school and welcome feedback
from you. The focus questions should only take a
few minutes and we would greatly appreciate your
support to gather this information. Information
from the focus questions will assist us in planning
for our next three year school plan.
Mathematics Champion
Congratulations to Jordan Blake in Year 6 on
receiving a special award for his outstanding
achievement in the Newcastle Permanent Primary
Mathematics Competition. This is a wonderful
achievement and we are extremely proud of Jordan.
Jordan will be presented with his award by a
member of Newcastle Permanent at a date to be
advised.
Welcome to our new Deputy Principal
We welcome our new Deputy Principal, Mrs Lorelle
O’Brien. Mrs O’Brien joins our team with a wealth of
expertise and has been an Instructional leader at
Tenterfield. Mrs O’Brien replaced Mr Dave Graham.
We are very pleased to have her.
Rick Clissold Principal
Karen Austin Deputy Principal
Lorelle O’Brien Deputy Principal
Katrina Pettet Instructional Leader
Keryn Stone Instructional Leader
Support Unit State Athletics Championships
Olympic Park was the venue for the NSW schools
state athletics championships. The championships
were held over two days and students from across
NSW public, Private and Independent schools
attended.
With nine students coming from Forster Public
school, our school was one of the few schools across
NSW to have such a large representation. Our
Hunter region representative were Matthew, Izac,
Geoff, Wiley, Tahlia, Nikkita, Shayanne, Kaitlyn and
Crystal.
All the students who represented their school and
region did so with pride and respect. The
championships were an outstanding success for all
those who competed.
In the junior events Matthew competed in the
Finals of the Boys 8-10years 100, 200 and 800m
track events. Nikkita had two podium finished with
third place in both the 100 and 200m finals. Kaitlyn
had an outstanding event with finals in the Long
Jump, 100 and 200m finals. Tahli competed in her
first ever representative track carnival and
achieved a great result, making the final of the
100m.
In the senior events Shayanne competed in the
Final of the 100m. Crystal competed in the 200m
Final. Wiley and Geoff also ran well in the senior
boys track events. Wiley competing in the 100 and
20m finals. Geoffrey competing in the 200m final.
The championships were a huge success for our
students and a massive congratulations to Nikkita,
Geoff, Crystal and Wiley who were all selected in
the NSW Athletics Team for the Pacific School
games in Adelaide later this year.
Happy Hallidays Camp
“This is excellent, this is just very perfect!”
This was Nait’s observation, moments after
stepping off the bus at Happy Hallidays and how
prophetic these words were. Our camp was
absolutely brilliant.
Happy Hallidays has great facilities for kids, indoor
and outdoor pools with water fountains, a giant
jumping pillow, a movie room and train rides. The
friendly staff were warm and generous in making
sure we enjoyed our stay.
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The kids enjoyed the camp on so many levels. The
activities were exciting of course, but more than
anything, I think they enjoyed spending time with
each other. The conversations were wonderful,
especially from the bunk beds as they drifted off
to sleep at night. It was a real bonding experience
and for the most part, the kids retained their good
humour, even on Friday when they were tired and
ready to go home. They were wonderful and a credit
to their parents.
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and are already
looking forward to next year’s camp.
Sincere thanks to our Learning Support staff who
generously gave their time to organise and attend
camp.
Thanks also to our parents for supporting us and
trusting their children to our care.
Scott Machon
Assistant Principal Support – Relieving
Early Stage 1 Principal Award Winners
At our school we have Principal Award Winners, who
are students who make the right choices regarding
their behaviour at School.
Principal Gold Award Winners are announced once a
term and are rewarded with special awards, ribbons
and presented at a Special Assembly to which their
parents have been invited.
Students K-2 being congratulated by Principal,
Mr Rick Clissold on their Principal Gold Award
Achievements
Khan, Rhys, Brierley, Willow, Latisha, Mia Belle,
Eddie, Lily-Belle, Shontae, Lara & Libby
Saving Water
Whizzy the Waterdrop from Mid Coast Water
visited K-2 students during water awareness week
to share some tips on the importance of saving
water.
Did you know that it takes between 450-1000 years
for a single use water bottle to break down?
Liam K24 wins a water bottle!
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Chase and Kealeigh K23 meet Whizzy
Out and about
Kindergarten explored the local area during the
annual Sports-a-thon! We climbed the sand hill,
enjoyed a picnic in the park and rotated around
activities, fixed equipment and sand modelling at
Palm Grove Park.
Students have been congratulated on their
outstanding behaviour.
Addition and Subtraction
Kindergarten students are using concrete materials
to add and subtract numbers. You can support your
child at home by playing games involving numbers.
Snakes and ladders, trouble and card games are a
great place to start.
K23 walk along the headland and even spotted
two whales!
Students wear themselves out on the sand hill!
Students show their creativity through sand
modelling.
Tianne Buderus
Assistant Principal – Relieving
Stage 1 School Swimming Scheme for Year 2
The School Swimming Scheme for all Year 2
students will be commencing in Week 6 and continue
during Week 7 of this Term, at the Great Lakes
Aquatic Centre. It will run from 13 November until
the 24 November.
The program is a learn to swim program that
develops water confidence and provides students
with basic skills in water safety and survival. The
program provides opportunities for students in Year
2 to attend daily lessons of 45 minutes over 10
consecutive days. More competent swimmers will
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have the opportunity to complete the Royal Life
Saving Society Swim and Survive Awards.
Please note: Pool entry will cost $3.40 per day,
unless your family is a Gold Card Member when
costs will be NIL. Total cost for the 10 days will be
$34.00. There is no cost for the lessons, only the
entry to the Aquatic Centre. All Year 2 Students
will be invoiced for pool entry so if you have a
membership number merely return the invoice with
your member number.
Please ensure your child avails themselves of this
opportunity and takes advantage of these lessons to
acquire this important life skill. We find it is the
really frightened child and/or the less experienced
swimmer that convinces their parent they do not
wish to participate so I am hoping all Year 2
students will attend.
Please remember to return medical information,
grading level and permission notes promptly.
Anne Evans
Assistant Principal
Stage 2 School Swimming & Water Safety Program
Students in Year 3 will be commencing the School
Swimming Scheme in weeks 8 and 9 this term. The
program is a learn to swim program that develops
water confidence and provides students with basic
skills in water safety and survival. The program
provides opportunities for students in Year 3 to
attend daily lessons of 45 minutes over 10
consecutive days.
Year 4 swimming for sport will commence this term.
This will be each Friday with 4/14 going first for
three weeks. 4/15 will be starting their three
weeks on Friday 3 November between recess and
lunch and 4/14 will be going on the same day for
their last day of swimming.
Sportsathon
This was a fulfilling and enjoyable day. Stage 2
students put on their walking shoes and walked by
the beach to the trampolines and minigolf.
A top day had by all!
The sand modelling on the beach was fabulous with
creative ideas from the students and a backdrop of
whales breaching and splashing. The walk over the
bridge to the park was also a highlight as a dolphin
came to the surface and had a good look at the
students as they were crossing.
The winning sand model
Lynelle Patterson
Assistant Principal
Stage 3 Stage 3 have come back refreshed and ready for an
action-packed Term 4.
Sportsathon
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The whole-school Sportsathon was a huge success.
The Year 5 group bowled up a storm at Forster
Entertainment Centre and the Year 6 had a soccer
gala at school followed by a long, fast-paced walk to
Tuncurry and back. Needless to say, they all arrived
back at school exhausted, but grinning from ear to
ear! On the whole, the students were beautifully
behaved out in the community and we had quite a
few members of the public comment on how lovely
they were.
Newcastle Permanent Mathematics Competition
Every year, all of the Year 5 and Year 6 students
from across regional NSW have the opportunity to
test their numeracy and problem-solving skills in
one of Australia’s longest running annual
mathematics competitions, the Newcastle
Permanent Mathematics Competition. The
competition attracts 19,000 students.
Page 9 of 13
Last week Jordan Blake of 6/4 received a great
honour when he was announced the overall winner of
the Great Lakes District. This is a huge
achievement and we are all very proud of Jordan!
Jordan and his family are invited to attend the
annual awards presentation on 1st November.
High School Transition
Year 6 have begun their High School transition
program, with our Koori kids attending the high
school for the first time last Tuesday. Their nerves
soon turned to excitement as they got to meet the
newly hatched chicks and feed “Mitchell” the sheep.
They learned about the fantastic cultural programs
they will have access to through the High School.
Year 6 Farewell
Year 6 students are also preparing for their
farewell and we are still waiting on quite a few
photos to come in for the slideshow. Each child
needs to bring in a baby photo and a photo of
themselves now. The students love that part of the
evening and it would be such a shame for any of
them to miss out, so please get them in!
Election
Year 5 are also preparing for their year ahead as
they begin the election process for School Captains
and School Leaders. If your child is interested in
becoming a part of this prestigious team, they need
to begin preparing their speech and election
campaign now. The competition is fierce, but it is a
very worthwhile process for the children to
participate in: they grow as leaders and grow in
confidence just by partaking. More information will
be forthcoming as it draws nearer.
2019 Selective School
Year 5 students who are interested in attending a
selective school in Year 7, 2019 need to begin the
application process now. Letters have been sent
home to fill out as an intention to apply. The
intention to apply needs to be returned to the
school as soon as possible. The application process
then takes place online as explained in the letter.
Susan Gonzalez
Assistant Principal – Relieving
Sport Australian Netballer
Abbey McCulloch, an Australian netball
representative and current Captain of the Sydney
Swifts in the national Suncorp Super Netball
competition, visited during the last week of term 3.
Abbey came as part of the NSW Premier's
Sporting Challenge to present an inspirational talk
to the students about striving to achieve sporting
goals. Sharing her journey left the students
spellbound and excited to learn more about her
achievements. Abbey shared her success, both on
and off the netball court, including details of her
rise through the ranks in netball and of her
educational preparation for life when her
representative careers comes to a close. Following
her presentation, questions came thick and fast
from the students.
School Netball Team Maya, Sarah, Willa, Laren,
Katie, Hayley, Lily, Crystal, Yasman, Zara,
Paige, , Indi, Kym, Mikayla, Kaitlin and Aimee
with Abbey
Premier's Sporting Challenge Award winners with
Abbey - Kye, Ngarangi, Hayden, Riley, Travis
Godby, Tommy, Geoff, Leroy, Crystal, Jzye,
Kai, Tim, Jessica, Zarli, Darren, Jay, Tagolao,
Weston, Lauren, Jae and Carlyiel
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Organising Teacher of The Premier's Sporting
Challenge, Ms Jacqui Riley, has her Year 1-2
Class with Abbey
Paula Drew
Sport Organiser
Library Well, where has the year gone? We are starting our
end of year stocktake in Week 6, with preparations
for stocktake being made in week 5. This means
that borrowing will finish up at the end of week 4
and ALL library books MUST BE RETURNED by the
end of week 5. The first 6 classes to have no books
left at home by the end of week 5 will receive
something special.
If a book is unable to be returned because it has
been damaged or lost, please see Miss Eggins to
find out what you need to do. Keep an eye out for
reminders that will be coming home about books
borrowed.
Premier's Reading Challenge certificates will be
distributed over the next few weeks.
Congratulations to those students who completed
the Challenge this year. It's never too early to
start reading for your next Premier's Reading
Challenge. Make sure you record the title and
author of any books you read over the holidays and
Miss Eggins will add those to your list next year.
Library lunchtimes have been very vibrant and
happy this year, especially since starting our Chess
Club. The library will only be open at lunchtimes up
until we start our stocktake preparations, but we
would like to welcome everyone back to our library
at lunchtimes next year where we will be bringing in
some more exciting activities for each day.
Thanks to all our wonderful borrowers for this year.
Kellie Eggins & the Library Team
Band News In Week 1, interested members from the Forster
Primary School Bands attended a workshop with the
Hunter Wind Ensemble. Organised by Tanya from
Bass’n’Blues, Taree, the workshop was held at
Tuncurry Bowling Club. It was an exciting
opportunity for students from different schools in
the Great Lakes area to receive expert tuition from
experienced conductors and gifted musicians.
All students had a good day and were inspired to
keep persevering on their musical journey. It is
hoped that this will be an annual event but this can
only happen if there is enough interest from
students. Thanks to the families who supported
this musical experience.
In other news, band tryouts will be happening on
Tuesday 14 November. A note will be going home
with interested students. Please ask at the office if
your child does not receive a note or refer to
SkoolBag.
Leah Pasierbek and Marissa Holland
Band Co-ordinators
Kitchen/ Garden Program Well it is that time of year again that the Kitchen
Garden Program has their annual fundraiser to keep
our wonderful program chugging along. This year we
are going to have our own stall at the Blackhead
Bazaar on Sunday the 5 November. If the weather
is not favourable and the market is cancelled the
stall will be held on the December market day.
The children have been busy making preserves and
saleable items to sell at our stall over the last
months. In the Kitchen we have made Balsamic
Beetroot Relish, Tomato Relish, Orange Marmalade,
Rhubarb and Strawberry Jam, Rosemary and Sage
Salts, Choko Pickles, Preserved Lemons and
Flavoured Oils. We will also be making beeswax
wraps which can replace gladwrap in your kitchen!
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In the garden the children have been making plants
and funky succulent mugs. Great for Christmas
presents!
We hope to see you out there to support us in our
endeavours.
Trina Smith
Kitchen Specialist
P & C News Movie Night was held on Thursday 21 September
and was a great success. We raised $750-. Thank
you for your support. If anyone would like to help us
with our fundraising, please contact Lesley on
0427 548 957.
We will be having a Cupcake Day Tuesday 31
October 2017. If you can help by making cupcakes,
please leave them at the canteen in the morning.
We have given a donation of $10,000 to the school.
This would not be possible without the support of
our students, parents & families. Thank you for all
your contributions, small or large. Any help is
greatly appreciated.
Our next P & C Meeting will be held Monday 12
February 2018 in the staffroom at 5.30pm. We
have decided to have our meetings earlier to allow
more people to attend. Feel free to come along.
Uniform Shop is open Tuesday & Thursday 8.30am
to 9.30am. You can collect an order form from the
front office.
Lesley Campbell
P & C President
Community News
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