Principal Award - Leo - Garden Suburb Public ...

Term 1 Week 9 2021

                 Principal Award – Leo
                 Leo arrives to school each day with a happy, positive attitude and has made
                 an excellent start to Year 1. He is a kind and caring friend who always works
                 at making the classroom a happy place. Leo loves being at school, works
                 hard and gives his best efforts at all times. He is responsible and reliable
                 and has taken on the role as our PBL Ambassador with pride. Leo is helpful
                 to both teachers and other students and brightens up the day for all who meet
                 him. Congratulations Leo!

                  Congratulations Mrs Brewer!
                    A big congratulations to Mrs Brewer who was nominated and has been
                    awarded the SASS Staff Award for the Regional North Operational
                    Directorate, Executive Director, School Performance Excellence Awards. Mrs
                    Brewer has been recognised for the outstanding service she continues to
                    show our students, school, community and Public Education. Mrs Brewer
                    and I will attend the award ceremony on Monday 29th March at the
                    Department of Education’s Gateshead West Office. I look forward to sharing
more of the wonderful things Mrs Brewer does for our school at the ceremony. I know you will
all join me in congratulating Mrs Brewer on this outstanding achievement.

Thank you!
Thank you to the P&C who donated $8000 to the school to purchase a new mobile interactive
whiteboard for our library and new technology equipment (iPad case’s, iPad chargers and
laptop charges).

                  Welcome Mrs Broadley
                  I am delighted to announce that Mrs Broadley has joined our team and is
                  taking over from Mrs Maggacis whilst she is on maternity leave. Mrs Broadley
                  will work on the Rockets class on Wednesday and on the Meteors class on
                  Thursday and Friday for the remainder of the year.

School Holidays
School holidays will commence next Friday 2nd April, 2021. School resumes for students on
Tuesday 20th April, 2021. We hope that everyone has a safe and happy holiday period.

Accessing School Grounds
Please remember that when accessing our school grounds to drop off or collect your child/ren
you are required to complete the Service NSW COVID check in. If you are attending a meeting
or attending events such a special assembly you are also required sign in at the front office. If
you are coming on site it is essential that you remain socially distanced at all times. Thank you
for your ongoing understanding.

Arriving at School
When students arrive at school they are required to sit quietly under the COLA until the play bell
rings at 8.45am. The equipment under the COLA and the sandpit are not to be utilised before
and after school. If students are arriving late to school or are being collected early, parents and
carers are required sign students in and out at the office. Parents and carers are asked to come
to the office and not the students’ classrooms.

Parent Portal School Calendar
We are continually updating the parent calendar on the Sentral Parent Portal. Please look here
for any upcoming events within the school.

Easter Hat Parade
We are delighted to announce that we will be holding an Easter Hat Parade on Thursday 1st of
April. Students need to make their hats at home and bring them to school on the day. The
parade will commence at 9.30am. If parents need any support or ideas on how to make a hat
please let your child’s teacher know.

Easter Hat Raffle Out of Uniform Day – Monday 29th March 2021
To support the P&C’s Easter Raffle the school is holding an out of uniform day where students
wear their casual clothes and bring in something to contribute to the Easter Raffle. One
donation per family is adequate, we appreciate all donations received.

Easter Raffle
Tickets have gone home for the P&C Easter Raffle. Please ensure all books and money are
returned to the office or placed in the P&C box in the foyer. If you would like additional tickets
please see the office. The Easter Raffle will be drawn at the Easter Hat Parade.

Voluntary Contributions
Last week statements were sent to families for book packs. This is a voluntary contribution, not
a fee as the Department of Education does not charge school fees. As always, these
contributions continue to be voluntary. Apologies for any confusion or stressed caused to the
community. If you have any further questions please contact the office.

Halogen National Young Leaders Day
Traditionally our eight student leaders would travel to Sydney to attend the Halogen National
Young Leaders Day however this year the school made the decision not to attend the event due
to the ongoing COVID climate and the potential risks associated. Instead we are looking into a
local team building activity for our school and sports leaders to attend. Mr Smith and Miss
Fitzgibbon will inform our leaders when the excursion is finalised.

Lake Macquarie North Student Leaders Day
On Wednesday, all 8 leaders of Garden Suburb Public School went to Biddabah Public School
to their Leadership Day. In the morning we had the Captain of the Newcastle Jets, Nigel
Boogaard, come and speak to us about what it meant to be a leader. After this, we were put into
groups with other schools. We did three activities that focused on different skills, such as Public
Speaking and Writing. All the activities focused on ways that we can become better leaders for
our school. After lunch, the leaders of the High Schools in our area came and answered any
questions we had and spoke to us about their leadership skills. We all had the best day!

Harmony Day/Purple Day for Epilepsy
Harmony Day is a day to celebrate our cultural diversity. It is about inclusiveness, respect and
belonging for everyone. On Monday 22nd March students were invited to wear orange, purple
or a cultural themed outfit to celebrate Harmony Day and raise money for Epilepsy Action
Australia.
Despite the wet weather, students participated in a range of classroom activities such as
reading cultural stories, learning how to say ‘thank you’ in different languages, exploring cultural
clothing, craft activities, and discussing all the wonderful places our families are from. Thank
you to students and staff for a successful day of celebrating diversity across our community. We
raised a total of $221.30 for Epilepsy Action Australia.

Harmony Day fast facts
     Did you know that since 1945 over seven million people have migrated to Australia?
     Harmony Day takes place on the United Nation’s International
      Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
     Did you know that Harmony Day began in 1999 and since then
      more than 25,000 Harmony Day events have been held across
      the country?
     Australians identify with over 270 ancestral backgrounds.
     Often, before an event, function or meeting takes place,
      Australians will acknowledge the traditional custodians of the
      land they are on. This is called an ‘Acknowledgement of Country’ and it pays respect
      to Aboriginal culture and heritage.
     Events celebrating Harmony Day can be held by schools, sporting clubs or community
      groups.

GSPS Harmony Day 2021

The National Assessment Program

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an annual national
assessment for all students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. All students in these year levels are
expected to participate in tests in reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar and
punctuation) and numeracy.
NAPLAN is the measure through which governments, education authorities, schools, teachers
and parents can determine whether or not young Australians have the literacy and numeracy
skills that provide the critical foundation for other learning and for their productive and rewarding
participation in the community.
The tests provide parents and schools with an understanding of how individual students are
performing at the time of the tests. They also provide schools, states and territories with
information about how education programs are working and which areas need to be prioritised
for improvement.
All students in Australia are encouraged to sit NAPLAN. Every effort is made to ensure it is an
equitable experience, regardless of a student’s language background, school location or
disability.
Key Dates:
NAPLAN practice test window: 22nd March – 23rd April
GSPS is running the practice tests – Thursday 25th March

NAPLAN 2021 test window: 11th–21st May (Term 2)

Upcoming Events
 25 March 2021            NAPLAN Practice Test

 29 March 2021            Out of Uniform Day - Easter Hat Raffle/ Rewards Day / Last Day for Easter
                          Donations

 30 March 2021            Sport in Schools

 1 April 2021             Easter Hat Parade 9.30am / P&C Easter Raffle Draw 10.45am / Last day of
                          Term 1

 2 April 2021             Start of School Holidays

 20 April 2021            Start of Term 2 – School resumes

 3 May 2021               P&C Meeting

Classroom News – Novas

This term students in the Novas have been focusing on descriptive writing and using adjectives
to make their writing more interesting. We read the story ‘Where the Forest Meets the Sea’ and
used the book cover to complete the following opener:

                    I follow a creek into the rainforest. On the bank of the creek, the vines and
                                            creepers try to hold me back.

 I sit very still, I hear the squeaking ground and see the glamorous water flowing across the river. I feel
 the ground shaking. I sit down and I was lost. I follow the creek and I find my Dad. It was fun to go on
 an excursion.                                                    By Matisse
 I feel the scrunching leaves under my feet. I follow the creek and then I hear the birds chirping. I see the
 sparkling waves flowing on the sand. I stay there forever.                   By Savanna
 I follow the creek into the rainforest. On the bank of the creek the vines and creepers try to hold me
 back. I sit very still, I hear the birds squawking and flying in circles. I can see a scary red back spider
 and I see a wild cassowary climbing an old and really broken tree. By Dominic J
 A crystal clear ocean and a bird chirping. I see an old tree. I climb inside, its dark. The only thing I can
 see is a spider. In the distance I hear a storm. It was close to me. I went past the vines and creepers
 back to my Dad. He made a shelter for me. He also made a campfire to eat. I had some fish and my
 Dad had some too. I took a flower to remember it. I asked my Dad if I can come here again. I wonder if
 it will still be here.                             By Elisa
 I follow a crooked, old river which is over a century old!! I ran as fast as Sonic. I jumped over a tree, and
 landed. My head fell in a web and a spider bites my eye. It’s a tarantula; according to Wikipedia they
 bite really hard. I rush to my Dad and say What the!!! It’s a cassowary! They get geared up… attack!!
 Ahhhhhhh!! We get in the cruise ship.                            By Harrison
 I hear the cute birds, I hear the spooky thunder and I see the rain coming. I get shelter. I feel the smooth
 dirt. It is sticky. I hear the cockatoos; the cockatoos are noisy. I catch fish in the river. I hear the waves.
 I want to live here. I love the rainforest.                         By Ella
 I hear the water beneath my toes. I feel old leaves. I can see a huge, creepy spider in an old web. I feel
 the scratchy bark. I see colourful flowers in a million trees that are so humongous. I see bugs crawling
 amongst the trees that are all over the place. I walked back to my Dad and we got back into our boat
 and we went home.                                            By Mylee
 I hear the beautiful, clear, cool giant waterfall. It’s a calm, gentle waterfall. It’s also very spooky listening
 to thunder and rain. There are lots of cute animals and lots of scary animals like spiders and tigers. The
 Aboriginal people lived in the rainforest. It would have been lots of fun living in the rainforest.
 By Ena
 I sit very still. I hear the absolutely amazing, beautiful sea. I feel the vines in the jungle. I see the huge
 crocodiles snapping their terrible snaps. I crawl under a fallen tree and see a terrifying spider. In the
 distance I hear the monkeys laughing in the trees along the twisting vines. I follow the creek along until
 the end and I can see scales from the rainforest fish.                 By Boe
 I sit very still, I hear the wishy-washy waves in the rainforest. It was explored by a little boy named Goldy.
 He found a creek, he explored it and heard thunder. Bang! Bang! So then he raced through the rainforest
 and saw a very old tree. He went inside and then he thought for a second that this must be where the
 Aboriginal kids used to play. Then he was lost but luckily he heard the ocean and he raced to his Dad.
 By Leo
 I sit very still, I hear the blue, sparkling waterfall and I see a dark tree. I feel some old, crunchy leaves.
 By Zoey

Classroom News – Martians

Classroom News – Milky Ways
The students from the Milky Way Class have been working very hard each week to improve
their writing skills. This week we wrote a descriptive text on cars, followed by experimenting with
the green screen to create the visual effect of siting in our car. The students loved hearing
themselves on video and found it quite entertaining seeing themselves reading their piece of
writing in front of the green screen. Following this we created a beautiful piece of art to
accompany our writing task.

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)
Week 10 - Rewarding Positive Behaviour

Our PBL rule of the week is showing respect, responsibility and
our personal best during rewards day.

Congratulations to all the winners, who were lucky enough
to share a milkshake with Mrs Dunn this fortnight.