Term 3 Week 6 Newsletter 2021
From the Principal
STAY SAFE!
As we commence the eighth week of life in lockdown and the sixth week of learning from home, it's timely to remind ourselves to look after ourselves and to look after one another. Therefore a focus for this week's edition of our school newsletter is on wellbeing.
The DoE continues to update advice for schools and families based on new information and advice received from NSW Health. Here is a link to the advice for familes: https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families?deliveryName=DM17466
Please regularly check the NSW Government COVID-19 news and updates for the venues and locations and adhere to advice where required.
LET'S REMIND OURSELVES...
Mums, dads, carers and significant others are a child's first. most enduring and most important teachers.
Children learn so much from you every day for many many years.
While lockdown seems to be dragging on, this is just a moment in your child's life.
No one expects you to fulfill the work of a trained school teacher.
We ask that you keep on being you and doing what you do best - being a mum, dad or carer.
Be kind to yourself - does it really matter if you can't help your child with a task right now? Does it really matter if you don't do the housework today?
Reach out to our fabulous teachers - that's what they are there for and they truly want to help.
There are times when the minimum requirement of turning in one English and one Maths sample is plenty.
Whether you are juggling working at home, working at your regular workplace/s, life with toddlers, learning from school, learning from home, or some other circumstance, please take time out with your precious child/ren to:
- play a game
- kick a ball around
- enjoy a book together
- cook a meal
- go for a walk in the afternoon sunshine
- sing along to your favourite songs
- spend time in the garden
- make something together
When we are kind to ourselves and to each other, chldren learn to be kind to themselves and to each other. That's what we all need right now - maybe just a little bit more than deadlines and expectations. Maybe this is what we want children to learn through the tough times - caring for ourselves, our family and our loved ones is what is most important. This is the message we want to teach today.
Mums, dads and carers - you really are the most wonderful teachers in your child's lives!
JOHN PURCHASE VALIDATED AS AN EXCELLING SCHOOL
Last week our school participated in the external validation process, which is an initiative that supports excellence in NSW public schools. The process involves our school conducting a rigorous self-assessment and analysis in terms of student learning, teaching and leadership practices, as described in the School Excellence Framework. This document clearly describes explicit and evidence based practices which facilitate ongoing improvement in the areas of student learning, teaching and leading. Our school regularly collects, analyses, responds to and evaluates a range of quantitative and qualitative data, as part of our ongoing self-assessment practices.
The external validation meeting enabled us to present and discuss the evidence sets which had been submitted two weeks prior, to the external panel. An important step in the process involves the panel confirming the school's judgements. The external validators were very praiseworthy and found that our school demonstrated high quality practice across the 3 areas of learning, teaching and leading.
We are extremely proud that our school has received such outstanding results, as outlined in the table below. The excellent outcomes are the result of the work, commitment and achievements of our students, staff and parents, so a big ‘thank you’ to all for making John Purchase such an ‘excelling’ school. The assessment categories are:
- delivering,
- growing and sustaining and
- excelling
Validation occurs in schools every four years, however the assessment, planning and implementation cycle is ongoing.
What a delight to share further commendation of our fabulous school:
I just wanted to thank you for the positive EV meeting we had this morning.
As I mentioned, it was my absolute pleasure to be your lead panellist and hear about the outstanding processes and practices that you lead at your school.
I could feel the passion, dedication and commitment from yourself and your team.
It is an absolute credit to you all for the betterment of your students and your whole school community.
Congratulations on the work you are doing and for being affirmed as a very high performing school.
Please pass my congratulations onto your team.
WEAVING WELLBEING INTO THE WEEK
Our thoughtful teaching team have woven some wonderful wellbeing practices into the weekly plans, in an effort to support our students connect and have fun during the lockdown period. Here are some of their ideas:
- Crazy hat day with kids and teacher wearing a crazy hat to the zoom session
- Kahoots
- Maths Jeopardy
- Lunch time social zoom
- Friday games sessions
- Lockdown Olympics challenges – putting the footage together for kids to see each others’ feats and keeping a medal tally
- Invite a pet to zoom
- Gratitude day
- Individual messages to students
- Video from teacher with message
- Mindfulness
- Zumba lessons
- Motivational podcasts
- Craft activites
WEAVING WELLBEING INTO THE WEEK
TIPS FOR PARENTS & CARERS
Refer to the infographic below for some tips about staying on top of learning from home.
TIPS FOR STUDENTS
Here are some tips for the kids to help them adopt some helpful routines.
CELEBRATING SCIENCE WEEK
National Science Week runs from 14th to 22nd August and gives us the opportunity to appreciate and enjoy science. The teachers have incorporated some motivating science activites in their learning plans this week, but there are thousands of other activites students may want to try out. Visit the science week website for ideas: https://www.scienceweek.net.au/
This week our kindy kids are learning how the weather effects the clothes we wear and will be designing and making an outfit to match the weather.
Stage 1 are learning about the forces of push and pull and are identifying objects in thier environment that they push or pull in order for them to move. Stage 1 students are also encouraged to conduct a range of interesting experiments throughout this week, to celebrate science week.
Stage 3 are learning to identify recycled materials and are developing an understanding of the importnace of making and using environmentally friendly materials. They will be creating an artwork from recycled materials.
Surveys
Once again, I would like to thank our wonderful parent community for the feedback you have provided about learning from home. After chatting to each of our school leaders about the results for their grade, they have responded with some wonderful ways they can hopefully further support you and your child/ren.
I know some parents have already noticed amendments to the plans and we thank you for the most wonderful acknowledgement being given to the teachers and our senior leadership team. I have been overwhelmed by the positivity, commitment, professionalism and 'can do' attitude. The results and subsequent actions will be sent home during the week.
Parenting Ideas
This article was released last year when Victoria was six weeks into a level 4 lockdown, and is sadly now pertinent to us. It is written by parenting expert Michael Grose and may provide helpful reading.
USEFUL WELLBEING INFORMATION
Last week some of the exceutive team attended a virtual course about wellbeing, and the information can be applied to life in general. I would like to share some of the key information.
Positive wellbeing is characterised by
- people realising their potential
- coping with normal stresses of life
- working productively and fruitfully
- making contributions to the organisation / family
What are the signs someone needs support?
- Physical - e.g. tiredness, change of appearance or dress, rapid weight loss or gain, health issues such as headaches
- Behavioural - arriving late. not taking lunch breaks, not meeting deadlines, being more introverted or extraverted, acting out of character, taking time off, not joining in banter
- Emotional - irritability, sensitive to criticism, loss of confidence, loss of sense of humour
- Cognitive - more mistakes, unable to concentrate, performance decline, problems with decision-making
- Organisational - increased absences, increased staff turnover, working longer hours, decrease in motivation
How can we support someone needing support?
- starting a conversation - are you okay?
- listen
- encourage action
- keep checking in
- refer to the many resources available, as appropriate. There are some below and these are also on our school website
Reference: This information was summarised from the course booklet. Macleod,C. (2021) Creating mentally healthy workplaces. Particpant toolkit 2021. NSW Government. Education
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT WELLBEING AND LIFE DURING LOCKDOWN
The following resources have been put together to support students/parents & carers who are learning remotely. These links have also been placed on the school website https://johnpurch-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/online-learning.html
This is a great resource to support your child's learning from home.
Here are some additional resources for parents during the Covid-19 period:
- your doctor
- Organisations such as Beyond Blue
- Crises Support such as Lifeline on 131114
Until next week, keep safe, happy and well!
Mrs Leonie Black
From the Deputy Principal
Dear Parents, Carers and Students
It’s Week 6 of Term 3!
Are you okay?
Reach out and have a 'wellbeing' conversation with those you love. What positive practices have you and your family engaged in over the past seven weeks?
This week, I invited Ethan, Chloe, Charles and Mahira, our four student leaders, to share some of their own insights about life in lockdown. Ethan has recognised five things that he is grateful for. Personally, I feel so grateful to live in a neighbourhood filled with magnificent trees, to enjoy walks, (while trying to ignore my mobile phone) and try to be mindful of the way I’m feeling; not always achieved but it's good to set goals! I've noticed how neighbours are leaving little baskets at letterboxes, filled with home-grown citrus, surplus to their needs. Those little acts of kindness are so heart-warming. The deciduous magnolias in bloom at the moment, are my absolute favourite. I have a little dog too, who is especially fond of taking his ‘mother’ out for a daily walk. (Apologies for the two self-indulgent snaps below!) Professionally, I am grateful to work with such a dedicated team of people, who are trying so hard each day, to cater for the needs of every student at JPPS. I am so proud to be part of this 'excelling' school!
Caring for pets and regular exercise are proven benefits to positive mental health. The 'Got It' team also recommends having a hug, which you can peruse in the flyer below.
I truly hope that you can find some positives in your lives this week and lots of things to be grateful for. If you would like to email me a 'What I'm grateful for' thought, for sharing, I might publish some of these in future newsletters!
Take care of yourselves, your families, and stay safe.
Mrs Adela King
Deputy Principal adela.king@det.nsw.edu.au
What are our student leaders up to?
Hello teachers, students and parents
I hope you are keeping busy during this lockdown and finding new things to do. I miss seeing you all at school and hope that we can be back together again soon! During lockdown, I have enjoyed making up new games with my sisters, spending time with my dog, doing jigsaw puzzles, going on bushwalks with my family and riding my bike. I have found a new interest in listening to audiobooks. I am currently listening to The Hobbit. I have also started writing short stories online with my friends. The first story is about a man who has mysterious dreams and receives notes that predict the future. My mum gave me a home haircut using our dog clippers. It is much shorter than usual and doesn’t look great.
I have realised that even though we are in a lockdown at the moment, there is still so much to be grateful for.
Five things I am grateful for:
- Sunshine, so that we can enjoy beautiful weather
- Living next to an oval and being able to have lots of bush tracks to walk on
- I am so pleased that I got a new phone, so that I can easily keep in touch with my friends.
- Having a trampoline so that I can keep active
- My family and my dog - to play with and keep me company
I hope that you are all keeping well. Enjoy the chance to sleep in a little.
Best wishes to you all,
Ethan C
Hi Everyone!
Lockdown can be very annoying but it doesn't mean you can't get out and have some fun with a family member. I miss getting out, hanging out with my friends and being able to go to school, but at least I can spend time with my family.
Me and my dad go on a bike ride every weekend and we go exploring at the bottom of the mountain! In this photo, I'm at Georges Creek at the Dural Nature Reserve. I had so much fun going there with my dad because I love exploring creeks or lakes. There was one annoying thing though. We rode through the bush there and to get up to the main road there were like a billion stairs! On the ride back, we came across this pipe, that looks so scary to walk across for me but my dad helped me get across it and it turned out to be really fun!
When in lockdown, it can be really boring but always know you can get outside, take your dog for a walk, or spend some time with family because that's what I do, to keep myself happy!
Chloe D
Lockdown has been tough for many people and families and has been very restricting for all of us. Although we are in a lockdown, there are still really fun things you can do and I am going to tell you what I have been doing in this pandemic.
I have been enjoying doing outdoor activities like playing in my backyard and having a jog around my local park. These activities allow me to stay active and let out some of my energy that I have been keeping, staying indoors. Playing handball outside with my brother is something that I really enjoy and it can really boost my mood. I also like playing nerf with my brother in the backyard and it is just really fun and entertaining. Something that I can do when I need to take a break from screens is play indoor basketball, which my brother joins in occasionally.
Playing video games with my brother is really fun because it's a time where me and my brother get to connect in the small amount of time we have. I also like to connect with my family more and get to know them, which allows us to understand each other better. An activity that we did until the olympics ended was all sit on the couch and relax, while enjoying the sports on the television. My dad personally liked badminton and table tennis more because he likes to play those sports and has always had an interest in them.
Going to my backyard to do sports and physical activities is keeping me from going crazy and I hope that you can do the same. I think what is most important for me is taking advantage of the situation and connecting with my family and just having a good time.
Charles L
When we first started lockdown, I was so upset that I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere! However, once the lockdown had extended for a while, I finally got used to it and even started to like it because I’ve never been so in touch with my family, or nature, or even just with myself. Lockdown has taught me a lot. I thought that I would share something special of what I did last weekend!
There is a small, local playground near my house. My mum, dog and I like walking to the park and just play and talk there. I suggest that you get outside and walk around, even to a local park.
Another special thing I got up to was making delicious banana and honey muffins! Not a lot of sugar was included in these because we made it with honey! And since we could all use some sweet muffins during lockdown, I will share with you how to make them!
Banana and Honey Nut Muffins
Ingredients:
½ cup of sliced almonds
⅓ cup (plus one tablespoon) honey
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1½ cups of all purpose flour
1½ teaspoons of baking powder
½ teaspoon of salt
1 stick of unsalted butter
⅔ cups of granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 mashed banana
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
⅓ cup of whole milk
Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 180°. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable cooking spray. In a small bowl, toss the almonds with the 1 tablespoon of honey and the cinnamon until the almonds are evenly coated. In a medium bowl, mix the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter with the sugar and the remaining 1/3 cup of honey until fluffy. At medium speed, add the eggs one at a time and beat until fully incorporated between additions. Beat in the banana and vanilla until blended. At low speed, beat in the dry ingredients in 2 batches, alternating with the milk.
Step 2 - Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and sprinkle with the almond topping. Bake the muffins until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Let the muffins cool for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Get baking and enjoy!
Mahira M
Our John Purchase community is representative of many cultural backgrounds. Parents please be advised that the SBS portal provides Coronavirus information and updates translated into 60 different languages. I have shared the link below.
Expectation of the Week
Responsibility: exercise every day
Congratulations to all students, demonstrating our school expectations of Respect, Responsibility and Aspire.
Purchase Pride Badges
When students receive ten Purchase Pride award cards, these should be left in Mrs King’s ‘award shelf’ in the administration corridor. The ten awards need to be bundled together and clearly labelled with the student’s name and current class. Purchase Pride cards have a tear off strip. This strip may be removed by the recipient and placed in the appropriate stage box outside Mrs King’s office, to go in the lucky dip draw for a canteen voucher. Badges recipients, whose names have already been published, will be presented with their awards when we all return to school.
Class Awards System
JPPS has an incremental class awards system. When a student has received ten class awards, these should be left on Mrs King’s ‘award shelf’ in the administration corridor. The ten class awards need to be bundled together and clearly labelled with the student’s name, current class and award level reached:
10 Class Awards = Bronze 20 = Silver 30 = Gold 40 = Bronze Medallion
50 = Silver Medallion 60 = Gold Medallion 75 = Platinum Medallion and Principal for the Day!
A clear, snap lock bag is ideal for this purpose!
With the exception of Bronze Awards (which are published at the end of the term and presented at a Principal’s morning tea for students and parents), all awards received by 3pm on Thursday afternoons, are ‘stamped’ and published in the next school newsletter, which is usually on the following Monday. At this time, I indicate when these awards will be presented at the next Thursday afternoon assembly.
Students need to be responsible for their own awards, as replacements are not issued. Please note: During the learning from home period, teachers are issuing awards remotely and they will present these to students, when we all return to school.
Bronze Award (10 Class Awards)
Bronze Awards currently held at school, will be presented at the Principal's Morning Tea at the end of the term. Recipients' names will be published closer to this time.
Where is Johnny Purchase? Chapter 3
Johnny Purchase has been getting his exercise this week! What an adventure; nibbling herbs that have been growing beautifully in 3/4B's garden, climbing on the row of box trees, practising public speaking in the hall, counting Purchase Pride badges in Mrs King's office and even discovering a brush turkey, scratching about, next to the Year 3 classrooms.
Where is Johnny Purchase? Chapter 2
Can you find Johnny Purchase, our school mascot, as he explores the Year 1 picnic area, knocks on the principal's door, has a sleep outside 6C, finds a book to read from the Library, relaxes in the Library ampitheatre and gets some exercise shooting goals in the K-2 playground?
Where is Johnny Purchase? Chapter 1
Johnny Purchase escaped from Mrs King's office! Can you recognise where he visited on his adventure?
Missing school? Take a 3-minute fly through tour!
From the Teachers
Kindergarten 2022
Do you have a child enrolling in Kindergarten at John Purchase Public School in 2022?
With the year flying by, it is time to start thinking about Kindergarten enrolment for 2022.
If your child will be starting Kindergarten at John Purchase Public School in 2022 please go to the link below and complete the online school enrolment application.
https://enrol.education.nsw.gov.au/#/?schoolCode=4572
Dates and details regarding information evenings and transition will be provided in the coming months.
We look forward to welcoming our new students to John Purchase Public School in 2022!
Miss Claire Eiffert
Relieving Early Stage One Assistant Principal
GOT IT ‘Resilient Kids’ Seminar
We are lucky to still have the wonderful ‘Got It’ team still working in our school until the end of this year. They are presenting a new and different online seminar ‘Resilient Kids’.
This seminar is for all parents and carers of students from Kindergarten to Year 6.
Please see the flyer below for details of the course and a registration link.
Mrs Leonie Cole
Learning and Support Teacher/Coordinator
Working with the school
Many young people report they do not tell an adult when they are experiencing cyberbullying because they are afraid of how adults will respond. Young people report their parents often over-react and try to take control of the situation. Young people need adults to help them to deal with the problem for themselves by acting as a facilitator, listening non-judgmentally and providing support and advice when asked. Ask your child which (if any) strategies she/he has already tried, if they were helpful, what other people have tried and their usefulness, and what they would try next time.
It is important to also let the school know about the bullying situation. However, before approaching the school, ask your child how s/he would like to talk about this issue with the school and discuss what outcome he/she wants as a result of involving the school.
Consider:
• Phoning the school and asking who is best placed to help your child
• Making a time to talk with this person at school
• Explaining what you know about the situation
• Describing strategies your child has tried to date
• Asking for a plan of action that can be implemented at the school and at home
• Consider setting a date and time for a follow-up meeting
• Discussing with your child what happened and what the agreed strategies are.
Leonie Cole
Learning and Support Teacher