Ropes Crossing Public School Pulley Drive Ropes Crossing NSW 2760 T: 9833 7615 F: 9833 1065 E: ropescross-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Dates to Remember

TERM 4   

Tuesday, 30 October  Kindergarten 2019 Orientation – Session 2 

Wednesday, 31 October  Year 6 Chifley Testing 

Thursday, 1 November   Stage 3 Arcade Fundraising 

Monday, 5 November  CPR Help 

Tuesday, 6 November Kindergarten 2019 Orientation – Session 3 

CPR Help 

Wednesday, 7 November  Positive Behaviour Learning (PBL) Launch Day 

Thursday, 8 November CPR Help 

Koomurri Aboriginal Cultural Experience 

Friday, 9 November  Koomurri Aboriginal Cultural Experience 

Monday, 12 November  Being Brave Incursion 

Tuesday, 13 November  Kindergarten 2019 Orientation – Session 4 

Wednesday, 14 November  Stage 3 Camp (Wednesday to Friday) 

Monday, 19 November   P&C Meeting – 6.30 

Tuesday, 20 November  Kindergarten 2019 Orientation – Session 5 

Thursday, 29 November  Sydney Kings Basketball visit 

Wednesday, 12 December  Year 6 Farewell 

Wednesday, 19 December  Last day for Students 

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

Principal’s Message

Welcome back to our final term for 2018. Term 4 is always busy with lots happening! There will be many events and activities over the eight weeks, as we work towards the conclusion of the 2018 school year.

~ safe and sensible, respectful, excellent learners ~

Issue 16 Term 4, Week 2 Thursday, 25 October 2018

This term we warmly welcome our 2019 Kindergarten students who will be visiting each Tuesday morning for the next 5 weeks. Thank you to all the parents who came along to our Kindergarten Expo last Tuesday. We hope that you found the visit informative.

Could I pass on our sincere thanks to the P&C for the enormous amount of work they put into today’s fun run. Students had a great deal of fun. Thank you to the P&C for agreeing to use these funds to purchase much needed mathematics resources for our classrooms. Thank you to all families for supporting this fundraising event.

There are a number of excursions and school events coming up during the next few weeks. The PBL launch day is an event that we are looking forward to. Additional information about this event can be found in this newsletter. On Monday, 12 November, Brainstorm Productions will be visiting the school to present a live theatre production titled ‘Being Brave’, which will help students accept change, deal with their emotions and bounce back when things go wrong. A note has been issued for this activity. If for some reason, your child did not receive a note, please contact the office.

I would like to remind parents that the Selective High School Applications are open on the High Performance Students Website. The website closes on Thursday, 1 November. All Year 5 students have been issued with a note showing more detailed information. If you did not receive a note, please contact the office.

Last term The School Photographer visited the school and took photos of our sporting, leadership and creative arts groups. These photos are on display at the office. If you wish to order a photo, please come and have a look. Details about how to order are included in this newsletter. This year there is new option for the first time, a booklet that contains all of the sports/special photos for $30.00. Families may find this a more economical way of purchasing the photos.

Congratulations to the Ropes Crossing representatives in the Mt Druitt/Minchinbury Public Speaking Finals held this week. All students spoke beautifully and we are proud of your efforts. Congratulations to: Rhea, Kevin, Josephine and Lavena.

Belinda Davies Principal

Foyer artwork by 3-4K – Week 2

School Office Hours

Our School Office is open from 8:30am to 3pm daily. When school finishes for the day best practice is that parents and carers collect their child by 3pm. The School Office will contact you to collect your child after this time. We understand that on occasion situations do occur and you are not able to pick-up your child on time. It would be greatly appreciated if you are running late a phone call advising the school office be made at your earliest convenience allowing the office staff time to relay the message to your child’s class. There is available Before and After school care facilities at Go Bananas and Cherrybridge Station.

Please phone before 2:45pm with any messages for your child. We do our best to get messages to children however, it would be appreciated if you could ensure there are alternative procedures in place.

Stage One Excursion to Riverside Theatre to see ‘Gruffalo’s Child’

On Tuesday, 23 and Wednesday, 24 October students from Stage One caught two buses to travel to Parramatta’s Riverside Theatre to watch a theatrical adaptation of ‘Gruffalo’s Child.’ On Tuesday students from 1A, 1J, 1S, 2D, 2H and 2K travelled to the theatre ‘by the river’. On Wednesday students from 1B, 1M, 1G, 2W, 2B and 2G attended.

Julia Donaldson’s books are a core feature of Stage One’s Literacy Unit this term, in particular ‘The Gruffalo’ and its sequel ‘The Gruffalo’s Child.’ Students have been learning about literary features such as characterisation, text structure and rhyming, rhythm of poetic texts and how all of these can be adapted into a stage play that is one hour long.

Student’s comments after attending included – ‘I liked how The Stick Man was also in the play because he is pictured in The Gruffalo’s Child’ and ‘We saw lots of props and costume changes and I liked seeing Parramatta River.’ Some students expressed how interesting watching a stage show as it is different to watching a movie and some children had never been to a theatre before.

Michelle Dawson Assistant Principal Stage One

Mt Druitt Minchinbury Public Speaking Competition

On Wednesday, 24th October 2018 Ropes Crossing Public School hosted the Mt Druitt Minchinbury Public Speaking Competition. The competitors from Years 3 to 6 delivered outstanding speeches on given topics and free choice topics. The representatives from Ropes Crossing Public School were, Josephine Dixon 3F, Lavena Rampal 4A, Rhea Multani 5-6H and Kevin Joshua Anand 6C. Lavena earned herself 3rd place.

An honourable mention to Minchinbury Public School for winning a variety of achievements such as first, second and third places in a range of categories, including best overall school.

All students were congratulated and received a medal for participating in this event. The winners were awarded trophies for their extraordinary achievement. Although Ropes Crossing Public School students did not place overall, we would like to acknowledge their high levels of public speaking skills.

By Rhea Multani and Mason Solomona (5-6H)

Positive Behaviour for Learning at Ropes Crossing

Here at Ropes Crossing Public School we have some exciting plans for Term 4 that we cannot wait to share with the community!

On Wednesday, 7 November our new signage for Positive Behaviour will be launched and the winner of the Ropes Roo mascot will be announced. The students have been awaiting this news eagerly and are looking forward to this day as it coincides with the Sport Houses being officially named.

Classes have been planning and making some art to display for Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) and they have been completing lessons in the Core Values of Safe, Responsible, Respectful, Excellent Learners.

This week’s lesson is Staying Safe in the Sun – Wear a Hat and classes have been devising a poem or a ‘rap’ about wearing a hat in the sun. We are lucky at Ropes Crossing Public School as we have a large undercover COLA for children to play if they have misplaced their hat.

Also on Wednesday, 7 November our Sport Houses will be officially named after Australian Sport Representatives and Athletes. All sportspeople representing Ropes Crossing Sport Houses are originally from Western Sydney and some still reside locally to our area. A formal assembly is planned for the day after recess and the community is invited to attend.

Hadley House (Red): Paige Hadley – Australian Netball Diamond and NSW Sydney Swifts Netball Player. Paige started her sport career in St Clair and played in the Penrith District Netball Metro Area Association during all her junior sport life. Paige will be attending on the day and donating memorabilia for the school to frame and display.

Fox House (Blue): Jessica Fox – affectionately known as ‘Jess’ she is the current C1 and K1 World Champion in the Canoe Slalom event. Jess still lives in the Blue Mountains and went to school in Western Sydney. Jess is attending on the day and will bring medals that she has one for the students to look at and she will donate memorabilia to Ropes Crossing PS for us to frame.

Khawaja House (Yellow): Usman Khawaja – Current Australian International Cricketer and from Western Sydney. He is extremely excited to be honoured with a House named after him and has already written a letter to the school. He is contracted to play against South Africa that week however, he has promised to visit the school in the off-season for cricket.

Beale House (Green): Kurtley Beale Current Australian Rugby Union Wallaby and he lives locally. His niece Laniah is in 6C and they are both excited for this honour. Mr Beale is also contracted to play against South Africa that week but he will visit the school at a later date.

To say that our students are excited for this day is an understatement! They have been researching, drawing pictures and writing letters to their favourite sports people and we almost need to employ someone to deal with the fan mail for

the sportspeople! This will be a momentous day for Ropes Crossing PS, the students and the community and one we will remember for a long time.

Mrs Dawson PBL Committee

P&C Fun Run Fundraising Day

Here are some photos from are Fun Run Fundraising Day.

Ropes Crossing Vegetable Garden

During last term, a special garden club, with students from Stage 1, 2 and 3, started a school garden with Mr C and Miss Horvat. We knew that Spring was coming and it would be the perfect time to grow some delicious vegetables. It was an exciting time, some of us had never grown our own vegetables before! We had lots of questions we needed answers to. What would we grow? How would we grow it? Would it grow above or under the ground? How long would it take?

We read all about soil. We knew that we would have to improve the soil in the garden beds, at the back of the school, if we wanted anything to grow. We started by adding some special fertilisers to replenish the soil. We waited patiently for the perfect time to plant some seeds. We looked at seasonal growth charts and decided on some of our favourite herbs and vegetables to grow. We planted tiny basil, parsley, carrot and lettuce seeds. We planted medium sized cucumber, spinach seeds and big beans!

We watered and waited. Luckily it also rained…the seeds loved the nitrogen from the rain! All of a sudden, the seedlings sprouted. We had tiny carrot, radish and lettuces plants galore! Then the beans, the spinach and cucumber plants sprouted. After not long at all our herbs started to grow. We monitored the garden with excitement, measuring and observing how much the seedlings had grown. We kept watering and waited for harvest time.

Soon, it was time for our first harvest! The radishes and lettuce grew the quickest. We carefully pulled the biggest radishes from the ground and washed them ready for eating. Some of us tried white radishes for the first time. They were a bit spicy! We picked green, purple, curly and tall lettuces to eat in our salads. Who knew vegetables could be so fresh and delicious!

We have learned so much about how plants grow and harvesting vegetables. We are looking forward to harvesting our spinach soon and making some delicious treats! Maybe some of us will also try making our own small vegetable gardens at home!

THE KINGS ARE COMING!

Ropes Crossing Public School have the amazing opportunity to be involved in a primary school initiative called GAMETIME by Kmart. The initiative aims to bring the Sydney Kings game night experience to the school yard. The Sydney Kings players will take on the Ropes Crossing Public School basketball team in a friendly game of basketball, played in front of the entire school. With prizes, half time games and an MC our GAMETIME by Kmart event is sure to be a fun afternoon for all students, teachers and Sydney Kings players.

The GAMETIME by Kmart event will take place on:

THURSDAY, 29 NOVEMBER at 2:00PM

As a thank you, the Sydney Kings have provided our school with a discount code which entitles all students, friends and families to access $15 Silver Tickets via Ticketek.com.au.

Code: PORTER

This code will be applicable for the following games (every Sunday game of the 18/19 season):

Sunday, 28 October vs Cairns Taipans Sunday, 18 November vs New Zealand Breakers Sunday, 23 December vs Melbourne United Sunday, 13 January vs Illawarra Sunday, 27 January vs Perth Sunday, 3 February vs Brisbane

I hope to see you, your friends and the whole family at the courts!

Miss Porter

 

CALENDAR OF EVENTS – TERM 4, 2018

WEEK MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

October 1

15 Students return P&C Meeting – 6.30 Library

16 Kindergarten 2019 Orientation Expo 4-6pm

17 18

19

2

22

23 2019 Kindergarten Orientation Stage 1 Excursion 1A,1J,1S,2D,2H & 2K

24 District Public Speaking Final Stage 1 Excursion 1B,1G,1M,2B,2G & 2W

25 P&C Colour Run Fundraiser

26

October 3

November

29 30 2019 Kindergarten Orientation

31 October Year 6 Chifley Testing

1 November Stage 3 Arcade Fundraising

2

4

5 CPR Help

6 2019 Kindergarten Orientation CPR Help

7 PBL Launch Day

8 CPR Help Koomurri Aboriginal

Cultural Experience

9 Koomurri Aboriginal Cultural Experience

5

12 Being Brave Incursion

13 2019 Kindergarten Orientation

14 Stage 3 Camp

15 Stage 3 Camp

16 Stage 3 Camp

6

19 P&C Meeting – 6.30 Library

20 2019 Kindergarten Orientation

21

22

23

November 7

December

26

27

28

29 Sydney Kings visit

30 November

8

3 December

4

5

6

7

9

10

11

12 Year 6 Farewell

13

14

10

17

18 19 Last day for Term 4

20

21

Wednesday, 19 December 2018 – Last day for Term 4

Wednesday, 30 January 2019 – Students resume for Term 1