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Term 1

Week 10

Inside this Issue

Click on the link

Principal’s Message

The Future of Learn-ing

Year 5 Opportunity Class

Easter Hat Parade

School Calendar

Lost Property

PSSA Sport

Crazy Hair Day

Merit Awards

ABHS Scholarship

Program

Collecting Your Children After School

As our school continues to grow the volume of parents/carers dropping off/

collecting children each day also grows. We ask that if you are collecting your

child from school each day, that you wait under one of the two Covered Out-

door Learning Areas (COLAs) or other parts of the school away from classrooms.

This will allow teachers to maximise teaching time, without parents and pre-

schoolers disturbing lessons. If you have a need to see your child’s teacher,

make your way to the classrooms after the 3.15 bell rings or better still to en-

sure a suitable time for both parent and teacher to meet book a time. We love

parents being involved at school, but we want to minimise disruptions to les-

sons, particularly in the afternoons.

NAPLAN

NAPLAN assesses literacy and numeracy – important skills that each child needs

to succeed in school and life. The NAPLAN tests are designed to help us make

sure students are on track with their literacy and numeracy development. Stu-

dents in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in NAPLAN tests for reading, writing, con-

ventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. From

Monday 14 May – Friday 24 May our school will participate in NAPLAN Online.

All students in Years 3 and 5 will complete their tests using the online platform,

except the Year 3 writing test, which will continue to be a paper based test. Stu-

dents do not need to be computer experts to take the NAPLAN test online.

Making sure students have computer skills is part of our school curriculum, and

our teachers will ensure your child is familiar with the online format. To see the

types of questions and interactive features of NAPLAN Online, visit the public

demonstration site -

http://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact your child’s teacher.

MiniLit and MacqLit

We are very fortunate that our Learning and Support Teacher, Mrs Anthonisz,

has been trained in the highly successful literacy-enhancement programs

known as MiniLit and MacqLit (both developed by Macquarie University).

Both programs are aimed at giving students targeted skills to enhance specifi-

cally identified literacy needs. MiniLit and MacqLit now form part of our every-

day (continued over)

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suite of programs implemented to complement classroom-based literacy and numeracy learning. The stu-

dents involved in MiniLit (K-2) or MacqLit (3-6) have been recommended by teachers. If your child indi-

cates that he/she is part of one of the programs, there is no need to worry, our intention is that we in-

volve as many students as possible throughout the year. It is exciting that we

can involve many of our students in these programs. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact

your child ’s teacher or Mrs Anthonisz.

The Future of Learning

As today's society changes at an increasingly rapid pace, it is the individuals who are committed to contin-

uous professional development and a philosophy of lifelong learning that are best able to adapt and

thrive. In a nut shell its about personalization of learning.

It means that some of the old Traditional methods of teaching/classroom organization have to make way

for the new. To the majority of us traditional classrooms were sitting at desks either in rows or as a small

group of 6. Sometimes we ventured outside of that group for reading or numeracy but predominantly our

desk was of working space.

The research done by Sommer and Marx, Fuhrer & Hartig and more recently Gremmen and Segers has

shown that flexibility in the classroom and flexibility of learning spaces i.e. indoor outdoor or particular

learning environments leads to students being able to maximise their learning and enable teachers to per-

sonalises the learning.

So, what does personalization really mean? It’s a combination of different structures, instructional strate-

gies, and curricular approaches that allow a child to have access to what they need when they need it, to

know what their next steps are in their learning, and to pursue areas of strength and interest.

The idea of flexible learning spaces involves many aspects, some of which can include

Working standing up

Floor work – open space

Independent work

Brainstorming (whiteboard surfaces)

Different levels – laptables, tables, cushions, stools, etc.

And some of these strategies are utilized by the student to facilitate improved learning

Use of ICT

Small, large group and whole class

Pair work

Independent work

Discussions

When people think of a flexible learning environment, they often think only of the physical space. While it

is true that the space is flexible in nature, there is much more to a flexible learning environment than just

the physical floor plan or furniture choices. Modern flexible learning environments also address other ele-

ments of the learning environment such as how students are grouped during learning and how time might

be used more flexibly during the day. Many of us question what does the child really learn, wont they only

do the fun things—how can they read laying on the floor –their writing will deteriorate— they can’t focus

on the task with others doing different tasks and so on. Here are some of the benefits according to the

research.

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Benefits to teachers

We make better decisions and perform better when we have a partner, or team to support us. The same

happens with teachers. When they are working more collaboratively together, the benefits are substantial.

Teachers learn from each other and get more regular feedback on their instructional practices. The level of

transparency in a more flexible environment encourages teachers to work at the highest level possible.

Some say that the flexible environment ensures they bring their “A game” daily. The teachers feel a sense of

collective responsibility for all students’ learning.

Benefits to students

Students are more engaged in their work, Classrooms look and feel more engaging

Students who have difficulty focusing are able to employ strategies to help them focus (stools and stand up

working spaces).

Students are able to make choices about their own learning – what space will be best for the task at hand.

Teachers can assign suitable spaces more conducive to different tasks (small group, independent, individual,

etc.)

The flexible layout promotes collaboration and communication. The very nature of the furniture allows this

to happen more organically.

Students love working in the flexible spaces. They enjoy being able to choose their working space according

to the task they are completing.

Year 5 Opportunity Class Placement in 2020 The application process for Year 5 opportunity class placement in 2020 is about to begin. Important dates in the application process are as follows: Tuesday 30 April 2019: Online applications open Friday 17 May 2019: Online applications close (Parents and carers must apply by the due date.) Wednesday 31 July 2019: Opportunity Class Placement Test Parents and carers must apply online between Tuesday 30 April and Friday 17 May 2019 at: https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-5 Interested parents and carers must read Information about applying for Year 5 entry to an opportunity class in 2020 available at: https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-5/information-for-applicants

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Easter Hat Parade

Easter is quickly approaching and we are looking forward to our annual hat parade on Monday 8 April begin-

ning at 9:30am in the infants COLA.

Parents and children are asked to prepare a hat with an Easter theme. This

year we are hoping to be thoughtful to the environment and budget. We

are asking that Easter Hats are made from recycled or reused items from

home to try to reduce the amount of waste generated.

Year 6 students will be drawing the Easter

raffle prizes during the parade. Tickets are

available before school and at lunch time.

School Calendar

The Calendar is updated each week. Please check regularly for any additions or changes which will be

marked in red for your convenience.

Term 1 2019

March

Wednesdays To April 10 Gymnastics Wks 2 –11

April

Friday 5 Crazy Hair Day

Monday 8 Easter hat Parade

Friday 12 ANZAC Assembly

Friday 12 Last Day of Term

Tuesday 30 Students Return to School

May

Thursday 2 Cross Country Carnival

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Lost Property

Once again we have an accumulated amount of lost property and we need the assistance of parents to col-

lect any items there. Please go to the walk through area of the rooms at the end of KH. This is facing the

playground equipment at the front of the school. At the close of term, Friday 12 April, all remaining items

will go to either the uniform shop to be sold as second hand uniforms, or to a clothing charity if non-school

items. Non clothing items will be disposed of.

PSSA Sports

First games start 9.30am last games finish 11.00am

Venues tomorrow:

Netball : Mt Colah School

Boys Football/Soccer : Parklands Oval

Girls Football/Soccer: Parklands Oval

AFL: Foxglove Oval, Mt Colah

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Crazy Hair Day Crazy Hair Day is coming to Wideview this Friday 5 April! So go wild & wacky with your hair… spray it, style it, wig it, whatever! To join in the wild hair fun, we’d love you to send in a small gift for the school fete to help us create some incredible prizes. We’re looking for new gifts for babies, kids, Mums & Dads. There's no need to buy anything new... you might have something in the present drawer, or may want to 'regift' something you received. Otherwise, a box of chocolates or bottle of wine would be fabulous (there will be a parent from the fete committee collecting wine at the Wideview entrance from 8.30am Friday).

KS Alanna B, Darcy T KGM Sebastian M, Maddie S KH Leo D, Axl A

1L Lumi M, Isobel T 2F Cooper G, Emma F 2C Jade F, Tara L

3C Ewan W, James F 3H Maddie S, Rupert T 4AF Caleigh R, Tom I, Lily M

4LM Alex S, Zara R 4/5C Shawn J, Molly S 5J Sammie B, Zoe R

6H Kayla K, Isabella H, Jake S 6T Nicholas G

ASQUITH BOYS HIGH SCHOOL

Download the application package from the website www.asquithboy-h.schools.nsw.gov.au

or phone the school on 9477 3508.Applications close Friday 28 June 2019, 3pm.

2020 Scholarship ProgramAsquith Boys High School provides opportunities for students to pursue high quality academic, creative arts and music programs, whilst studying curriculum developed by NESA (NSW Education Standards Authority). Scholarship opportunities are offered at Asquith Boys High School to encourage and acknowledge students in excellence across academic and creative arts subjects.

Year 7 2020 Instrumental Band Scholarship applications are

now open