CLARENCE TOWN PUBLIC SCHOOL

82 Queen Street, Clarence Town NSW 2321 Phone: 4996 4156 Fax: 4996 4392 Email: clarenceto-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website: www.clarenceto-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Kindness Honesty Effort

CLARENCE TOWN PUBLIC

SCHOOL

Clarence Town Public School Newsletter Term 1 Week 11

From the Relieving Principal, Mr. David McGaw. The newsletter this week sees the conclusion of what has turned out to be a very different term of schooling and education than what was expected at the beginning of the year. Clarence Town commenced the school year welcoming 133 students into 6 classes with an excited and motivated teaching team supported by a diligent administration and leadership team. Our staff have shown all term the lengths they are prepared to go in supporting your child/children, every day in every classroom. The year commenced with the temporary departure of Ms Blakemore, your beloved Principal of 10 years as she was seconded to Braxton Public School for term 1. She was followed by Mrs Wade, Mr. Lofts, Mrs. Allen and Mr. Wells who is convalescing at home following surgery. With the departure of some staff comes the arrival of fresh faces and the welcoming of Kylie Caffery and David Delforce to the classroom and Marguerite Roberts to the office has already enabled a fresh perspective in several areas of the school. This term we have had several significant moments to celebrate with positive weekly assemblies, a school disco with a record crowd in attendance and a new P&C committee fully subscribed in all positions with dedicated parents operating our canteen three days per week. Clarence Town students participated in community events such as Clean up Australia Day, National Ride to School Day, the Mark Hughes Rugby League Shield, Premiers Debating Challenge, Newcastle Jets Football Clinic and so much more. The current situation surrounding COVID-19 and the world wide health emergency it has presented is unprecedented and the last time the school was interrupted from its daily learning schedule was July 22, 2011 when a fire in the laundry saw the school evacuated for just a few hours. Currently almost 90 percent of all students are learning remotely and offsite along with the vast majority of staff. Term 2 will see the New South Wales Department of Education charter a new course underpinned by remote learning using largely digital platforms. At the time of writing our staff are carefully studying and implementing new modules, digital workspaces and online resources to the Clarence Town community at a rapid pace. In December 2019, I was offered the opportunity to engage in a temporary relieving role as Principal for 11 weeks at Clarence Town Public School and I am personally so pleased to have taken the chance to do so. Working in Clarence Town has been a wonderful experience with such a great group of classroom teachers, backed by a caring and close knit community. Above all, enjoying the company and interactions with your wonderful children in the playground and learning spaces every day has been memorable. I was asked to do two things when arriving in Clarence Town by the Director of Educational Leadership; to engage the community with a new energized commitment with high level visibility and secondly; to be in every classroom, every day, in some capacity to support our most priceless assets, your children. It has been very enjoyable spending a 55 day adventure in Clarence Town and as I return to New Lambton Public School as Assistant Principal for years 5 and 6 with 250 students and 10 staff while balancing the busy role as leader of Mathematics, High Potential and Gifted Education as well as Aboriginal Education, I must admit that some days when surrounded by 720 students on a small inner city block, my mind will most likely wander back to the green open spaces and rolling hills of Clarence Town. Farewell and Happy Easter.

The Week 11 Newsletter is a community celebration of all that is great about Clarence Town Public School. This includes many photographs to celebrate Term 1 and some of these pictures were taken and published in previous editions well before the days of social and physical distancing became commonplace.

Term 1 Special Recognition The role of the School Learning Support Officer (SLSO) is immense and critically important to providing a quality education and learning environment in all classrooms for all students. Their task is incalculable with direct one to one teaching and instruction, leading small group activities and managing many of the common tasks our classroom teachers face on a daily basis without the prestige and recognition they often deserve. At Clarence Town public School, we are privileged to have Michelle Milburn and Kathryn Jones who commit to this position with their hearts and minds. Our students adore them and their caring nature coupled with the high expectations of ensuring students complete work, manage their classroom behaviour and continue to socialize well in the playground is just a few of the roles these ladies perform in our school. The staff at Clarence Town wish to say thank you to Michelle and Kathryn for their ongoing dedication towards the students at Clarence Town Public School.

Student of the Week: Seton Colefax S3GD

Seton has improved so much this term and this is due to his diligence and hard work. He is learning to get ready for high school by refining his skills in writing quality narrative stories and mastering the multiplication of a variety of numbers including larger numbers. His behaviour in the classroom is

consistent and respectful. In the playground, Seton is seen helping younger students and ensuring they are happy, have their lunch and have someone to spend time with when playing. Seton also has

leadership responsibilities in ringing the school bell and organising sporting equipment.

Week 1 commencing January 28 We start 2020 with the arrival of our Kindergarten students to start the first of thirteen years of public education, sporting house captains are elected in Karuah, Williams, Hunter and Paterson while school leaders met the Principal and got down to the business of leading the school.

Week 2 commencing February 3

Week 2 commencing February 3 Our school leaders host their first assembly, the playground equipment is finally reopened and the annual swimming carnival was superbly organised by Mr Kemp and held at the Clarence Town Swimming Pool in a day of fun and competitive friendliness with Hunter, Karuah, Williams and Paterson all swimming well.

Week 3 commencing February 10 PBL lessons surrounding safety, learning and respect commence in all classrooms, the Newcastle Jets come to Clarence Town, our students head off to the Port Stephens PSSA Zone Swimming Carnival and the Premiers Debating Challenge while teachers celebrated St Valentine’s Day to end the week.

Week 4 commencing February 17 The annual ‘Back to School’ disco was a huge success with a record crowd of friends and families enjoying a happy evening in the hall, the P&C met for the first time in 2020, we enjoyed some much needed rainfall and we welcomed Mrs Kylie Caffery to the school taking over teaching year one and our sixth class.

Week 5 commencing February 24 Our OOHSC service is well underway and offering before and after school care on a daily basis for our students, over $20000 worth of books arrive to be used in classrooms from term 2 and Clarence Town did a great job participating in Clean Up Australia Day leaving our classroom clean, tidy and free of rubbish.

Week 6 commencing March 2 This week we reached the half way point of the term with 6 classrooms now full of hard working students and the return of our Ms Blakemore to announce the massive news Mrs Jenny Allen after 31 years of service to Clarence Town PS as a parent, volunteer and school administration officer is heading off to retirement.

Week 7 commencing March 9 Drumcorp came back to Clarence Town to give us a special performance we will not forget. Clarence Town Public School also showed its support for the annual National Ride to School Day with over 60 students and family members supporting the cause riding to school by bike, scooter, pram and horse.

Week 8 commencing March 16 A massive week at Clarence Town with so much quality work appearing in all classrooms, recognition of National Day against Bullying and the retirement of the much loved local manager of our Outside of Hours School Care, Mrs Sue Terry who cooked her last breakfast club for the kids on Friday 20th March.

Week 9 commencing March 23 This week saw the beginning of COVID-19 affecting our community and the rapid production of online learning tools to prepare for distance education while our students brushed up on technological skills to use home learning packs distributed to our families with Clarence Town quickly moving to 21st century learning.

Week 10 commencing March 30 Attendances were affected in week 10 with the NSW Government encouraging parents to keep their children at home, although that did not stop the first outdoors assembly award presentation held with physical distancing guidelines. Autumn arrived and more follow up rain came as daylight savings ended.

Week 11 commencing April 6 Term 1 has ended with 11 weeks of full learning and quality teaching activities under our belt. Term 2 may look different at this stage with the NSW Department of Education recommending online learning and distance education may be here for at least part of term 2. We also say farewell to Mr David McGaw.

To the students and families of the Clarence Town community, we wish you a safe and Happy Easter and holiday period with term 2 commencing when staff return Monday 27th April and students from Kindergarten to Year 6 return on Tuesday 28th April. Have a safe and healthy holiday with your families.