Tournament of Minds

Sarah Redfern Public School

Newsletter 5 Monaghan Street, Minto, NSW 2566 www.sarahredfe-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Email: sarahredfe-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Phone: 9820 1499 Facsimile: 9820 2912

Upcoming Events: Wednesday, 20

th September – Preschool transition – Waranwarin

Wednesday, 20th september – Preschool St Andrews Fire Brigade visit

Thursday, 21st September – Multicultural Day

Friday, 22nd

September – Star Level Assembly K-2 @ 12.30pm

Friday, 22nd

September – Star Level Assembly Yrs.3-6 @ 2.00pm

Monday 25th September – Friday, 6th October – School Vacation Monday, 9

th October – School resumes for teachers and students

Monday, 9th October – Coffee and Chat

Wednesday, 11th October – 2018 Preschool Orientation

Tuesday, 24th October – Preschool Play Day – Group 1

Wednesday, 25th October – Preschool Play Day – Group 2

Issue No. 6 – 20th September, 2017

Success for all in a respectful, safe and united learning community

On Saturday 26th August, fourteen amazing students represented Sarah Redfern Public School at the Tournament of Minds. We completed an engineering and mathematical challenge at Western Sydney University. We had two teams compete and they were both fantastic. Our presentation was about a lottery to win a trip to Mars. Our challenge was to create a lottery machine that could be engineered to choose the winner without being detected. Both our teams worked so hard over the past six weeks. We had to miss our playtime and we went through tears, laughter, sadness and pride. Having a growth mindset helped us to succeed. We are so proud that we made it this far. The comments and feedback we received from the judges was amazing and it was so good that we felt very proud of ourselves. Team 7 Gumdrops and Team SKALTIF supported each other and we were so proud that Mrs McGettigan, Mrs Wannell and Mrs Petrie came to support us on the day. Our teams are extremely happy that we were brave enough to perform and literally we want to say a big thank you to Mrs Lockhart and Mr Mullen for helping us make it this far and for supporting us proudly.

Maisha I. (4/5C)

Hello Parents and Carers,

Congratulations on a wonderful term! It has been very busy, full of excursions, community events and lots of hard work from our students, parents and teachers. I am very proud of our community and the outstanding achievements we continually make. It is truly an honour to lead this school. NAPLAN Results and PLAN data We recently received our NAPLAN results and I am very pleased with the efforts of our school. We have had excellent growth in the achievement of Year 3 to Year 5. This shows me that we are working hard to add value in our Stage 2 teams. Our PLAN data is again, excellent. Our achievements in Years K – 3 have excelled and shows that our students are working very hard. Most importantly, both of these assessments allow our staff to work together to see what we need to do better in our teaching to ensure our students continue to get the very best. Grandparents Day A few weeks ago we held our first Grandparents Day. The weather was stunning and the children were so excited to welcome our families into our school.

Grandparents are an important part of every family. They provide history, comfort and love to our little people. For many families, Grandparents live a long way away, so we welcome every opportunity to share our learning with our most respected members of our community.

External Validation As mentioned in the last newsletter, we had our external validation in Week 8. All members of our community had the opportunity to participate in this important opportunity to reflect on our progress. We had two experienced Principals analyse our evidence and listen to our story. We were able to highlight our areas of success and our future plans and thoughts. The Principals were very impressed with our evidence and our journey over the last 3 years. They were excited to see the innovative and caring environment we provide for our children. Thank you to everyone who participated in providing feedback. You allow us to grow to be the best we can be. A copy of the report can be accessed through our website.

Multicultural Day Tomorrow is Multicultural Day. It one of the biggest events on the Sarah Redfern calendar. It allows us to celebrate our stories, our histories and our cultures. It allows us to share our journeys that brought us to this place and time. I look forward to celebrating tomorrow. Please join us tomorrow for the many events. Preschool Immunisation Today we received advice regarding new immunisation laws. Please see below.

NSW Vaccination Enrolment Requirements for preschools from 1st January 2018 On 14

th September, 2017 Parliament passed an

amendment to the Public Health Act 2010 to strengthen vaccination requirements in early childhood education and care services. The changes mean that from 1 January 2018:

children who are unvaccinated due to their parent’s conscientious objection will no longer be able to be enrolled in preschool

it will be an offence (with a penalty of $5500) for an approved provider to fail to comply with the ECECS vaccination enrolment requirements in section 87

it will be an offence (with a penalty of $5500) for a person to forge or falsify a certificate that is required to be provided under these requirements

the temporary exemption (for 12 weeks after enrolment) will be extended to Aboriginal children and those in out of home care.

Children who are already enrolled in preschool before 1 January 2018 will be unaffected by the changes. For 2018, if a child has fulfilled the processes for enrolment in 2017 with a position offered to start in 2018, the current regulations apply and a conscientious objection form can be accepted. After 1

st January, 2018 the school cannot enrol

children in preschool who are not immunised. Updated advice about these changes is available on the NSW Health website at http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/childcare_qa.aspx.

Donna Barton Principal

Award Winners Congratulations to the following children who are

recipients of a Bronze Award for outstanding achievement:

Joseph S. – 3/4H Xander D-J. - 3/4H Marcus G – 1/2D Sayed Z. – 3/4H Arjun D. – 1/2D Bailey M. – 3/4H Alif F. – 2G Tijana K. – 5/6B Jacob M. – 3/4H Saihj H. – 3/4H Selena C. – 1/2B Ben R. – 3/4H Taimania I. – 3/4H Sunyta K. – 3/4H Katelyn P. – 1/2B Jasmin Z. – 3/4H Naila M. – 1/2D Aanya S. – 1/2D Trisha K. – 5/6J Mia C. – KB Leonardo M. – KB Jordy K. – KB Riley R. – KB Md. Ayaat R. – KB Andrew V. – 3B Arika H. – 3B Muhammnad M. – 3B Karlia F. – K/6W Wikitoria I. – KB Zarar O-A. – KB Antwon S-A. – KB Asrita G. – 3/4H Ella-Nevaeh S-A. – 3/4H Zaara A. – 3/4H Vy T. – 3/4P Bishash K. – 3/4P Reema E. – 3/4P Tashfia R. – 1/2K Jemimah K. – 1/2K Ryan R. – KM Abdullah A. – KM Adib C. – 3/4H Shafeel K. – 3/4H Tannabi R. – 1/2K Wareesha M. – KM Hamayan H. – 1/2B Julius T-M. – 5/6B Justis P. – 1Q Linda A-T. – 1Q Lynis K. – 5/6B Ethan A. – 4/5C Dibbah B. – 3/4H Lynis K. – 5/6B Tijana K. – 5/6B Sanuli R. – KM Manha K. – K/1S Jai J. – 1/2D Sahib S. – 3/4H Joseph S. – 3/4H Nishat T. – 3/4H Kingston T. – 3/4H Victoria N. – 5/6J Swapnil A. – 3B Zaqwaan J. – 3/4P Liam B. – 3/4P Emaan A. – 3/4P Andrew V. – 3B Zaara A. – 3/4H Zara K. – 1/2D Teysharn G. – 3/4H Aryan F. – 3/4H Shafeel K. – 3/4H Abid C. – 3/4H Sialei F. – 3/4H Xander D-J. – 3/4H Israa C. – 3/4H Risha P. – 3/4H Sela B-T. – 3/4H Mackenzie M. – KF Aiesha T. – KB Farhana R. – 3/4H Venessa C. – KB Jun H-R. – 1Q Tanisha R. – 3/4H Arisha S. – 3/4H Sara S-A. – 1Q Seini B-T. – 1Q Linda A-T. – 1Q Jawdah M. – 3/4P Chealsea N. – 3/4P Claire A. – 3/4P Charan B. – 3/4P

Congratulations to the following children who are recipients of a Silver Award for

outstanding achievement:

Bailey W. – K/6 Orange Arisha S. – 3/4H Gracie F. – 3/4P Afra A. – 3B Sahib S. – 3/4H Mutasim T. – 3B Risha P. – 3/4H Aryan F. – 3/4H Sameeha A. – 1/2B Akif S. – K/6W Angela S. – 5/6P Blake P. – 3/6M Noah D. – 3/6M Soane B-T. – 3/6M Paige A. – 3/4P Leoden P. – 3/4P

Silver Award Winners cont. Asma R. – 3/4P Trish K. – 1/2K Joseph V-R. K/1S Violet V-R. – 4/5C Seth P. – 3/6M Bailey W.–K/6 Orange Jemimah K. – 1/2K Ryan F. – K/6 Blue Isobel L. – K/6 Blue Riley S. – K/6 Blue Aleena R-H. – 3/6M ___________________________________________

Jumping for the Stars Congratulations to Isaiah R.(5/6P), who recently competed in the Zone Athletics carnival and came 1

st in the

Junior Boys High Jump event. Isaiah now competes at State level in October and we wish him well in his event.

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Pacific Island Awards

A few weeks ago three hardworking and talented Stage 3 students were nominated and won their respective categories at the recent Pacific Awards evening. This prestigious event extends across the whole of NSW and is open to anyone of Pacific Islander cultural background. Once again, Sarah Redfern PS was proudly represented in three categories.

Natalia P was the winner of the Primary Performing Arts category.

Arden-Lee H was runner up in the Primary Education category.

Gabriel P was runner up in the Primary Visual Arts category.

In addition, Heaven-Leigh’s mum was also a winner for her service to the Campbelltown community. Congratulations, Mrs Strickland! ___________________________________________

Fundraising

Thank you to everyone who gave generously to our recent Father’s Day Stall. We raised $456.00, which will go towards the Year 6 present to the school.

Also, the recent Jersey Day raised a total of $711.35, which will be put towards the Year 6 Farewell.

Parent Group Activities

Currently the parent group is contributing to the organisation of the Year 6 Farewell.

Fundraising is being organised to help with the cost of the farewell and formal. Detailed activities are available in the minutes from the meeting on the school website.

Multicultural Day is underway for next week. Food tasting will be organised for students and the community. There will be performances by diverse groups and class parades. Bilingual book readings will also be done by the parent group. All community members are welcome.

Coffee and catch up are held every Monday, where parents get together and discuss or organise current activities. The next parent group meeting will be held on Monday, 30

th October, 2017 at 9.15am. All are welcome.

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SRPS Handball Champions Congratulations to our 2017 Sarah Redfern Public School Handball Champions. With more than 60 students entering the competition, the finals proved to be a very competitive event. All competitors showed great sportsmanship and we were able to raise $200 towards the Year 6 Farewell. Ours stage winners were:

Kindergarten: Corey S. K/1S Stage 1: Sam W. 1Q

Stage 2: Charan C. 3/4P Stage 3: Hunter H. 5/6J

Preschool News Last term we started to learn about emergencies and emergency workers. To follow up on this learning, Mrs Peka arranged for a special visit to SRPS Preschool. On Friday 15th September, Platoon D from St Andrews Fire Station visited Group 2. Fire Fighter Rhett talked to the children about fire safety and showed them how to 'Stop! Drop! and Crawl!' if ever they are in a fire or smoke filled room.

The children then got to go outside and see a real fire truck. Every child had a turn at sitting in the truck where Fire Fighter Mark showed them the masks and oxygen tanks worn by all fire fighters. We saw the boss' red helmet and the other fire fighters' yellow helmets. We also saw their uniforms because all the fire fighters were wearing them. Fire Fighter Rhett helped each of the children use the hose. The children all agreed it was very powerful! Platoon D left a showbag for each child, which included an activity book, sticker, balloons and a tattoo. We loved the opportunity to connect with our community and learn more about fire safety.

Group 1 students will meet the fire fighters today. ___________________________________________

Early Stage 1

Time flies when you are having fun - LEARNING! Kindergarten has had a busy few weeks.

Literacy Program- The term may be coming to an end but we continue to practise our reading and writing every day. Our students are continually working hard to improve their reading habits and writing skills. This work sample from term three shows great results from our writing program.

Book Week- We had a wonderful time celebrating our favourite book characters. Thank you Mrs Toro for reading a childhood favourite ‘Peter Pan’ in Spanish.

Grandparent’s Day- Thank you to all the families who came to participate in the festivities. It was lovely to see generations coming together and appreciating each other.

Handball Tournament- Congratulations to Rishan Iqbal (KM) and Corey Sheddon (K/1S) who played in the ES1 grand final. Both boys played a respectful game.

Public Speaking Competition- Public speaking is an important yet sometimes scary skill to practise. All of ES1 were given the opportunity to present a class speech. Some skills we focus on are eye contact, volume, body language and presenting engaging information to a wider audience. Congratulations to all the brave students who presented a class speech and well done to Amy Pinto (KF), Sanuli Rajapakshe (KM), Mia Cai (KB) and Harmony Cleal (K/1S) who were chosen to present their speech at our foyer assembly. Harmony Cleal (K/1S) will be representing ES1 at an upcoming public speaking competition. ______________________________________________

Stage 1 This term Stage 1 has been focusing on procedure as our writing goal. Our audience is our peers within the Stage. Procedural writing provides a step by step instruction to either make a craft item, following a recipe or play a game.

K/6W decided to play the games Snap and Quoits. We followed the rules, collected the equipment we needed, sequenced our steps and had lots of fun. ______________________________________________

Stage 2 Healthy Eating At Sarah Redfern students are encouraged to eat healthily and participate in 'Crunch and Sip’, where we give our minds and bodies energy and power to be active learners. In stage 2 we are now encouraging our healthy habits to go further. We are learning to pack well balanced food for lunch and recess.

We looked this week at some of the students’ healthy lunch boxes and want to share their great ideas. Here’s some ideas: Sandwiches, wraps, salads, samosas, soups, sushi rolls, fried rice, fruits such as mangoes, grapes, apples and oranges.

Sayed from 3/4H had an apple cut up for fruit break, a sandwich for lunch and another apple for recess. To go along with this, he had a bottle of water to stay hydrated. He's our healthy eater of the week.

So we are giving Sarah Redfern a challenge! Can you pack healthy foods? Why not try something new! Stage 2. ___________________________________________

Stage 3 Stage 3 have had such a busy term!

Most students have now presented their History projects to their class and the teachers are pleased at what an amazing job they have done!

Also, many students prepared and delivered a speech on the topic of their choice to their class. The range of topics was fantastic, from Friendship to Books That Have Captured My Imagination. Congratulations to the finalists and to our winner, Julius Toailoa-Mohetau from 5/6B, who will be representing our stage and our school at the Ultimo Operation Directorate Public Speaking Competition next term.

Last week, Year 3 and Year 5 students trialled the NAPLAN online testing platform. Year 5 were given a Writing test and an Omnibus test which consisted of a mixture of sample questions from the Reading, Language Conventions and Numeracy tests. The majority of students enjoyed the process and reported that they preferred the new online system.

This term, Stage 3 students have been participating in Program Achieve and are able to talk about the 5 keys to success and happiness: resilience, confidence, persistence, organisation and getting along. They can tell you what these qualities and behaviours look like at school and how they can help them to be successful and happy students.

Stage 3 teachers are beginning to think about and plan for end of year processes and celebrations.

The Farewell Committee, consisting of teachers and community representatives, has been brainstorming ideas and are excited about the theme for this year’s Farewell. Plans are well underway to make this night special and amazing for our Year 6 students. Notes will be going out with all necessary information in Week 1 next term. Save the date – Thursday, 30

th November.

Early next term we will also be beginning the Student Leadership Elections for 2018. All students, and especially those who are interested in becoming student leaders, should be demonstrating that they are the best people they can be, each and every day.

By now, most Year 6 students have enrolled at the High Schools that they have been accepted into. If you have not yet completed the enrolment paperwork for your child, please do so as a priority and return it to the high school. ______________________________________________