erina heights public school · 2019-10-25 · recruit a new principal to start at the beginning of...

Erina Heights Public School Developing happy, healthy, successful, lifelong learners.

Term 4, Week 3 – 2 November 2018

Erina Heights Public School, Phone: (02) 4367 7608 2 Serpentine Road Erina Heights 2260 Relieving Principal: Greg Francis www.erinahts-p.schools.nsw.edu.au [email protected]

Class of the Week – S1/2K

Term 4 has given S1/2K the opportunity to join the Invictus Games family, because we are lucky enough to

have a real-life hero as one of our S1/2K dads. A true hero, especially one as humble as ours, is something very few schools really do have.

Now, I know many of you have probably read about our excitement to be part of the whole lead-up experience and to visit the games for a school excursion (a truly ‘once-in-a-life-time’ opportunity), but you may not realise how this translates into learning connections for us, the students in S1/2K.

Let me explain…

This week in Child Protection, students were brainstorming what ‘protecting ourselves from harm’ meant to them. As their teacher I felt satisfied to hear the students talking about physical injury AND mental injury, because we had previously learnt about these aspects of the Invictus veterans. Not only did the students talk about helmets and sunscreen (for protection), but they talked about bullying and the injuries it can cause, they talked about the loss of a loved one, they talked about the importance of talking to improve their own mental health. Students were actually discussing the importance of protecting their own mental health and brainstorming ways they can help protect themselves from harm!

True learning happens when we make connections and can translate our new-found knowledge into other areas. I’m sure you will agree that S1/2K are simply amazing!

http://www.erinahts-p.schools.nsw.edu.au/

mailto:[email protected]

Friday 2 November 2018 Term 4 Week 3

A newsletter for the Erina Heights Public School Community.

A Message from Mrs McNamara To the amazing, students, staff and wider Erina Heights community. It is with a heavy heart I write my final newsletter contribution as your current Substantive School Principal. Due to my current health setbacks, in the best interests of the school, a decision has been made to declare the principal position vacant and to recruit a new principal to start at the beginning of the 2019 school year. Due to these circumstances, heartbreakingly, it is necessary for me to cease my duties in this position. Remaining as a principal with the Department of Education, I look forward to my next challenging and successful chapter when fully fit. I commend the leadership team for their leadership in implementing our highly consultative 2015-2017 strategic school plan to

Coming Events Term 4 – Week 4 Wed 7 Nov Kinder Transition Fri 9 Nov Remembrance Day

Assembly

Term 4 – Week 5 Wed 14 Nov Kinder Transition

Celebration

Term 4 – Week 6

Fri 23 Nov Helpers Afternoon Tea – 1pm

Term 4 – Week 8 Fri 7 Dec 125 Years Anniversary &

Grandfriends Day

Newsletter Attachments • Kids Day Out

P&C Dates to Save • Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 November –

Erina Bunnings BBQ • Next P&C Meeting Tuesday 13

November 7:00pm • Tuesday 20 November – Caseys

Christmas Fundraising Shopping Night

move the school forward, and to lead and build on these improvements to develop the comprehensive 2018-2020 plan. This has ensured our vision for continued improvement and success as a school is built upon and continued into the future. My intention was to always remain your substantive principal but regrettably this is unable to occur. Under my leadership tenure since 2012, I am particularly proud of our collaborative achievements: we collectively and extraordinarily improved the school culture (in response to the recommendations of the 2011 formal school review), improved student engagement, the authentic consultation practices with the entire school community, started the school beautification program, implemented PBL, L3, Focus on Reading and all teaching staff completing Action Research projects to improve teaching practice. These few initiatives led to measurable and continued improved student learning outcomes. It must be acknowledged these improvements could not have been achieved without the dedicated and talented team of teachers we are fortunate to have. A team who goes above and beyond to ensure your children excel. I will miss you all. I wish you all well into the future, particularly the new substantive principal, I am sure it will not take them long to figure out how blessed they are to lead the EHPS community, where students remain at the core of everything we do. Kind regards, Sue McNamara PRINCIPAL As Relieving Principal of Erina Heights PS, on behalf of all staff, students and parents I would like to wish Mrs McNamara all the very best for the future both professionally and personally. Karen Jones (Director, Educational Leadership – Brisbane Water Network) will be working closely with the staff and the P&C through the merit selection process to ensure the next substantive School Principal continues the wonderful work that Sue and the leadership team have implemented over a number of years. It is anticipated that this selection process will take place this term with the new Principal expected to commence at the beginning of 2019. Greg Francis – Relieving Principal



Every day the teachers at Erina Heights PS make a difference as they inspire and engage their students to learn and succeed. World Teachers' Day is an important day internationally to acknowledge the skills and efforts of teachers in an increasingly complex and ever-changing society. Internationally, World Teachers' Day is celebrated on the first Friday in October. However, this day usually falls during the October school holidays, so Australian schools generally celebrate this event on the last Friday of October each year. I would like to take this opportunity in recognising and thanking the wonderful staff at Erina Heights PS for the way they nurture, inspire and empower our students to become the leaders of tomorrow! As mentioned in a previous newsletter, Mrs Lisa Bolte was nominated this year to receive a World Teachers Day award by her colleagues. Thank you Lisa, your compassion and dedication to engage and support all students at our school makes a world of difference to the lives and minds of young learners! If you get a chance in the coming weeks, you just might want to say thank you to your teacher for being so dedicated, supportive and caring. They do an amazing job each and everyday and work hard to meet the individual needs of their students!

Staffing News Mrs Lanning will be away on long service leave for the next two weeks and will return to school on Monday 19 November as she celebrates the birth of her grandson – congratulations La Verne! Mr Power will be relieving on S2/3L during this time. Congratulations to Mrs Diggins and her husband Rick on the birth of their daughter, Alice, on Wednesday 24 October. Both mum and baby are doing well. We look forward to a visit from the proud parents and their gorgeous baby in the near future!

Personal Best Awards Congratulations to the following students who have recently received a ‘Personal Best Award’ for achieving one of their personal goals: • S3B – Abigail G, Owen B (x2), Olivia H,

McCabe S (x2), Kiah C, Harry E, Jeremy P, Ella G and Logan Mc

Principal’s Puzzle As there was no winner with last week’s Principal’s puzzle I have included it again in this week’s newsletter – good luck! The first student with the correct answer written down next Monday can come and claim their prize! Q: What object is thrown out when you want to use it, but taken in when you don't want to use it?

Kinder Transition This week was ‘Week 4’ of our Kinder Orientation program, which saw our Year 5 buddies come down to support our new Kindy students during free play and discovery activities. Miss Ardagh and Mrs Bolte read a story to the students before they undertook some fine motor activities including the use of the school’s iPads. The session finished with some signing in preparation for the Kindy concert which will be held during their graduation assembly in a few weeks time. My thanks also to Mrs Stahl, Corinne and Amanda who all assisted with our Kinder Transition Program this week!

World Teachers’ Day Congratulations to all of the teachers at our amazing school as we celebrated World Teachers Day earlier this week. A huge thank you to Amy Ferrier and the other P&C members who kindly organised a morning tea for our hardworking and compassionate teachers.



Opportunity Class (OC) Placement Well done to all of our Year 4 students who applied for the OC placement in 2019. Opportunity classes cater for highly achieving academically gifted students in a unique setting. These schools help gifted and talented students to learn by grouping them with other gifted and talented students, teaching them in specialised ways and providing educational materials at the appropriate level. I am pleased to report that 7 students from our school sat the OC Placement Test with 1 student being offered a place in the OC at Gosford PS, and another student being offered a placement at Wyong PS. We congratulate the successful applicants and wish them all the very best in 2019!

Selective High School - Application process Online applications for placement in Year 7 at a selective high school in 2020 will close on Monday 12 November 2018. The online link is – https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-7 A ‘letter of intent’ outlining the application process was distributed to all Year 5 students at the end of Term 3, however, another copy is attached to this week’s newsletter. Parent information booklets are available from the front office, however a limited number are available. You can also download the information pack from the aforementioned website. In NSW there are 17 fully selective high schools, 25 partially selective high schools, 4 selective agricultural high schools and a virtual selective class provision, offering selective placement in Year 7. All applicants are required to sit the Selective High School Placement Test to be held on Thursday 14 March 2019.

School Vandalism – Graffiti It is terribly disappointing for all school users when a senseless act of vandalism impacts upon the school’s physical environment and detracts from the wonderful school community we work, learn and play in on a daily basis. Unfortunately, the school was subject to some significant graffiti last weekend which has had a substantial impact upon the financial and physical resources of the school. My thanks to our hardworking GA, Craig Ward, and Assistant Principal, Lee Baldock, for minimising the

disruption that this incident had upon the students of Erina Heights PS through their due diligence and organisation. We continue to work with local police and the School Security Unit to find the culprits of this latest act of defiance and have requested additional patrols in the coming weeks. We suspect that recent additions to our bench seating in the COLA area to prevent skateboarders from grinding on, and damaging, this seating has prompted this latest bout of vandalism. As always, I remind all families that it is not safe, nor permittable, for students to enter school grounds after hours and encourage all parents to reiterate this message to their children. I ask all families to report any suspicious activity, or anti-social conduct, on our school grounds to Gosford Police (4323 5599) or the School Security Unit (1300 880 021). We continue to work hard to maintain a school environment that the staff, students and parents can be proud of and it would be a sad indictment upon the culture of Erina Heights PS should this behaviour be repeated. I thank those families and community members who continue to promote the positive partnerships we have developed over the years and thank you for your ongoing support and contributions!

School Planning – 2019 Our planning and preparations for the 2019 school year are well underway. A big thank you to those families who are keeping us well informed about new arrivals or have indicated a change in circumstances for their own family and children’s future education. If you know of anyone else moving into our area, please remind them to contact our office staff as soon as possible. Also, if you are moving away from the area and require a transfer to another school, could you inform the office in writing. We need to take this into consideration when forming classes for 2018. As reported upon in previous newsletters, based upon a predicted enrolment of 331 students to start the new school year, various class models have been identified to determine the best structure to support our students' wellbeing whilst optimising learning environments which engage students and

https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-7





improve learning outcomes for all. Please remember, if you have any concerns pertaining to your child’s class placement next year, please take the time to write to your child’s class teacher, or one of our Stage Supervisors (Miss Chappell - K-2, Miss Baldock - Stage 2 and Mrs Stahl - Stage 3) so we can ensure we are addressing any requests when classes are being established. I must stress, that any parents who request specific teachers will be left disappointed, however, I am happy for parents to outline aspects of their child’s learning and development that may need special consideration when forming class compositions, which may impact upon their academic, social or emotional wellbeing.

Student Wellbeing and Health Care We welcome information from parents about your child's health, even if you are not requesting specific support from our school. Our school asks for medical information when you enrol your child. It is also important that you let us know if your child’s health care needs change or if a new health condition develops. Information about allergies, medical conditions such as asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes and other health care related issues (including prior conditions such as medical procedures in the last 12 months) should be provided to the school by parents. Please provide this information in writing to the principal. This will greatly assist our school in planning to support your child’s individual health and wellbeing. Please also remember to notify staff in the school office of any changes to your contact details or to the contact details of other people nominated as emergency contacts. We appreciate your assistance in this regard and assure you that any information you provide the school will be stored securely and will only be used or disclosed in order to support your son or daughter’s health needs or as otherwise required by law. When a medical practitioner has prescribed medication that must be administered during the school day, parents are responsible to request the school’s support in writing.

Students must not carry medications unless there is a written agreement between the school and the student's parents that this is a planned part of the student's individual health care support. Please consider the following points when communicating with our school about your child’s health care needs:

liaise with the child's medical practitioner about the implications of the child's health condition for their schooling.

where medication is prescribed, ask the medical practitioner whether the medication is available in a form which minimises or eliminates the need to provide the medication during the school day.

convey all relevant advice and information from the medical practitioner to the school

provide prescribed medication and 'consumables' for administration by the school in a timely way and as agreed with the principal and described in your child’s Individual Health Care Plan.

collaborate with the school in planning to support the child's health needs at school including updating information and reviewing plans.

Please contact the front office (4367 7608) should you require a note requesting the school’s support for your child’s personal health care needs. Those parents who have already provided the school with this relevant information need only inform the school if your child’s health care needs have changed.

Central Coast Kids Day Out (Elderslee Foundation) The Elderslee Foundation Central Coast Kids Day Out is being held this Sunday 4 November at the new venue Narara Valley High School from 10.00am - 3.00pm. This year’s theme “Let’s Play Together!” emphasises the importance of play between parents and their children. Central Coast Kids Day Out is all about our Central Coast kids, their families, the services and ways to enrich our families lives on the Central Coast. The event has heaps of exciting entertainment throughout the day, many informative stalls and lots of tasty food stands. CCKDO entry cost is only $8 per adult and $4 for kids. Have fun!



Invictus Games Excursion – Recounts 6:30am. Morning Mrs Lanning! Ready for the I AM games? Yes, but what does “I AM” mean? Don’t you know? The ‘I’ is in Invictus and the ‘AM’ is in Games. INVICTUS GAMES! And then we were off! On the bus I sat next to…no one, but anyway… 2 HOURS LATER…. Finally we were at the Aquatic centre. Time to have some recess and some fruit. (Honey soy chicken chips and 2 mandarins for me). We got given some souvenirs such as Invictus Games hat, bag and sunglasses. The teachers gave us our posters and that’s when I started cheering for the Australians. Luke Hill came 2nd in 50m freestyle, 2nd in 50m backstroke, 2nd in 50m breastroke and 2nd in 100m freestyle heats. We had lunch at the Cathy Freeman Park right near the cauldron where she lit the Olympic torch in 2000. For lunch we had a sandwich with lettuce, mayonnaise and chicken. We also had a piece of fruit and a bottle of water. Then we went on the bus back to school and I sat next to Carmen. When we got back to school everyone got picked up by their parents. Overall, I think it was really FUN! By Olivia in S2/3L Everyone was cheering on Luke when it was his time to race. People were cheering people in last place. We were cheering for everyone…no one comes last. So everyone is nice, no one cares if you come last because you’re a hero any way. Luke came in 2nd in 50m freestyle, 2nd in 50m backstroke, 3rd in breastroke. Everyone is a hero in the Invictus games. It’s amazing to see people race with no arms or one leg. It was at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic centre. We had lunch at Cathy Freeman Park. It was a lot of fun though. By Connor in S2/3L

On Tuesday 23 October 2018 my class and myself came to school at 6:30am to embark on a journey to the Sydney Aquatic centre to watch Luke Hill race against many other people. First of all, you’re probably asking what is the Invictus games? The Invictus games is a program for army soldiers all around the world to compete and show what they can do. Now back to the story. When we arrived at school we were put into 4 lines. 2 for bus 1 and 2 for bus 2. We eventually went on the bus and were ready to go! After 2 hours we arrived and ate our recess. Then we started to walk to the centre. When we arrived we got really cool shades and a cap. After we entered we sat down and watched the races, they were very heart warming. I saw at least 20 competitors without arms or legs. We finally saw Luke Hill in the 50m freestyle. He did so well. He came 2nd. We also saw him in 50m backstroke (he came 2nd) don’t forget breastroke! And last but not least 100m freestlye with an outstanding 2nd place. After all the races we went outside for lunch. We had to wait a good half an hour. We had chicken, lettuce and mayonnaise sandwiches. We went on the bus to go home. When we departed we were all given a minty and had to make the best Australian map out of the wrapper. In conclusion, I am so grateful to have the privilege to go to the 2018 swimming Invictus games. By Gabriel in S2/3L

Luke Hill Speaking to the school about his

Invictus Games experience and showing us his Bronze Medal. An inspiring and motivational

opportunity for our students.



Helpers Afternoon Tea The staff would like to show their appreciation to all members of the school community who have assisted in many areas of school life during 2018. We value all those who volunteer their time helping in the classrooms, Scripture/Ethics, sporting events and the Fete to name a few. Please join us for afternoon tea on Friday, 23 November at 1pm in the Library.

Band Recap On Sunday, 28 October, the EHPS Band performed at Band Fest – a competition where Central Coast school bands perform in front of a formal crowd and compete against each other. Training Band played a selection of short, catchy songs and were awarded a Silver Award! This is an awesome achievement for their very first competition!

Concert Band played Kerncraft, Thriller and African Marching Song. They were the only band to play by themselves, without a Conservatorium tutor joining in with them. Concert Band did an amazing job and were awarded a Bronze Award!

Our biggest compliment of the day was how professional we looked in our band uniform (all other bands just wore their school uniform!)

Thank you to the band students who came along and performed, and thank you to the families who supported us!

Dates To Remember: Monday 5 November: Instrument Testing for interested students Yr 2-5. Wednesday 21 November: Band Recruitment Parent Information Night, 6pm.



Ball Games Yesterday we took 72 students from Stage 2 and 3 to compete in the Ball Games Carnival against eight schools in our region. Each team competed in 3 heats of Captain Ball, Over and Under and Tunnel Ball. The students had a blast, enjoying competing against different schools and all were particularly competitive in Tunnel Ball. It was fantastic to see most teams able to come first, second or third in at least one heat on the day. At the end of the day we were pleased to find out that we had come 5th! Mrs Thaler and Miss Faulks

Term 4 PBL Rewards Day Tuesday 11 December will be the Term 4 PBL Rewards Day. This is an exciting day for our students when we celebrate student achievement throughout 2018. There will be a range of activities for students who have achieved Bronze, Silver, Gold or Silver level during term 4. The top four students in each class at 2:00pm on the cut off day on Thursday 6 December, will receive a note to attend the bonus excursion being paid for by the school. The excursion is to Clip “N” Climb at the Central Coast Leagues Club, Gosford. This will be held on the rewards day. Further notes regarding the rewards activities will follow closer to the day. Congratulations to all students on a fantastic year and we look forward to celebrating their achievements with them.

P&C Fundraising Erina Bunnings BBQ

Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 November Please come along and support our school. We are looking for helpers for two hour shifts on Saturday. Please contact Sarah on 0414 515 754 if you can lend a hand.

125 Years Anniversary & Grandfriends Day

On Friday 7 December we will celebrate our ‘Quasquicentennial’ on the current Erina Heights Public School site. If you or anyone you know have any photos of our school, we would love to take a copy of them. Please see Mrs Anderson if you can assist.

Library Stocktake Students will be unable to borrow after Friday 23 November. Please ensure all outstanding library books are returned by Friday 30 November so stocktake can begin. Thank you Mrs Anderson



Offering lessons to all ages and stages in a supportive nurturing environment. Convenient location near bus

stops on Kings Ave. Easy parking.

Beverley Haley B. Ed (Primary) Mobile 0434 264 471

www.terrigalpianostudio.com

Find Terrigal Piano Studio on Facebook

http://www.terrigalpianostudio.com/

Christmas Fundraising Shopping NightTuesday 20th November 2018 6 - 8pm

Caseys Toys Erina, 24 Karalta Road Erina

Support your school by doing your Christmas shopping at Caseys - it’s that easy!

Erina Heights will receive 20% of the total spend in gift voucher form (10% hobbies) while you get to take advantage of;

Champagne & Light Refreshments

Quiet child free shopping environmentBring family & friends

Access to our famous specials Support your School & Local Business

Please join us & RSVP to [email protected] by Sunday 18th November. We look forward to seeing you there!

Caseys Toys and erina HeigHTs PubliC sCHool warmly inviTe you To our annual

erina heights public school · 2019-10-25 · recruit a new principal to start at the beginning of...

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