Term 2 Week 2 Newsletter - Monday 6 May 2024
From the Principal
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Term 2 Week 2
YOU ARE INVITED TO A PARENT MASTERCLASS!
10 TOOLS TO HELP YOUR CHILDREN BECOME POWERFUL THINKERS AND LEARNERS
We are incredibly fortunate to have Simon Brooks working with our school to further develop a culture of thinking across classrooms K to 6.
This session being held this Wednesday 8 May from 9am to 10am in the annexe.
Please refer to the flyer below in the From the Teacher section, for further information.
STRANGER DANGER
One way we try to protect children is to talk to them about strangers and suspicious behaviour, and by having them take precautions. Here is some information, which may assist parents:
Who is a stranger?
Children are in the company of strangers all the time – at the shops, in parks and many other places. Mostly, strangers are regular, nice people, but not all strangers are.
A stranger is anyone that you do not know very well. Young children often believe that ‘bad strangers’ look different – scary and/or ugly like the villains in stories they have read. This isn’t true as ‘bad strangers’ can be good looking and well dressed. When you talk to your children about strangers, explain that no one can tell if strangers are nice or not nice just by looking at them and that they should be careful around all strangers.
It’s tricky to avoid giving the impressions that all strangers are bad, as there may be times when a stranger may be helpful eg if a child is lost. It may help to emphasise to go to a public place for help and to show them which strangers are okay to trust, such as police officers, teachers and librarians. You may also want to show young children homes of family friends.
Recognising and Handling Dangerous Situations
We try to teach children to be wary of potentially dangerous situations – this will help them when dealing with strangers as well as with known adults who may not have good intentions. Help children recognise the warning signs of suspicious behaviour, such as when an adult asks them to disobey their parents or do something without permission, asks them to keep a secret, asks children for help, or makes them feel uncomfortable in any way.
You can talk to your children about how they should handle dangerous situations. One ways is to teach them “No, Go, Yell, Tell.” If in a dangerous situations, kids should say no, run away, yell as loud as they can (eg I do not know this person”), and tell a trusted adult what happened right away. Make sure that your children know that it is okay to say no to an adult in a dangerous situation and to yell to keep themselves safe. It’s good to practice this in different situations so that your children will feel confident in knowing know what to do. Here are a few possible scenarios:
- While walking to the shops, a strangers asks for help finding their lost dog.
- A woman who has just moved into the street, invites your child into her house for a snack.
- A stranger approaches the child and sdays your mum has been held up and wants me to drive you home.
- Your child thinks he or she is being followed.
- An adult your child knows says or does something that makes him or her feel bad or uncomfortable.
- While your child is walking home from a friend’s house, a car pulls over and a stranger asks for directions.
What Else Parents Can Do
- Know where your children are at all times. Give your children your phone number so they can reach you at all times.
- Point out safe places. Show your children safe places to play, safe roads to take, and safe places to go if needed.
- Teach children to trust their instincts. Explain that if they ever feel scared or uncomfortable, they should get away as fast as they can and tell an adult. Tell them that sometimes adults they know may make them feel uncomfortable, and they should still get away as fast as possible and tell another adult what happened.
- Make sure they know that it’s okay to say no to an adult and to run away from adults in dangerous situations.
- Encourage your children to play and walk with others. There can be safety in numbers!
YEAR 6 SELECTIVE HIGH SCHOOL ENTRANCE TEST
If your child has applied for placement in a selective high school for 2025 and will be sitting the entrance examination, you are reminded that you have access to the Test Authority letter through the application dashboard.
You will need to log into your application dashboard, download and print the Test authority letter (and reasonable adjustments letter if applicable) and give it to your child to take to the test.
This information would have been sent to you previously from DoE, as well as from a school email.
The test centre this year is Castle Hill RSL Club.
CONGRATULATIONS RISHI
An enthusiastic congratulations to Rish in Year 3, who has won Bronze at the Brazilian jiu-jitsu competition at the end of school term holidays for under 8, under 33kgs.
He has been practising the sport from January 2021 and has obtained a grey white belt from his academy.
What a fantastic accomplishment!
EVERY DAY MATTERS!
Consistent attendance improves student outcomes, increases career options, and helps students build relationships and confidence.
ATTENTION YEAR 4: OPPORTUNITY CLASS fOR YEAR 5 2025
OC Year 5 entry in 2025: Applications are open from 4 April to 20 May 2024
What are opportunity classes?
Opportunity classes are one of the ways the NSW Department of Education supports high potential and gifted students. The classes help students learn by:
• grouping them with other gifted students
• using specialised teaching methods so students can learn concepts in more detail and more quickly
• supporting their wellbeing needs.
Most students in opportunity classes enjoy learning with peers who have similar abilities and interests. Opportunity classes are not zoned.
Where are they located?
There are 86 primary schools with Year 5 opportunity classes in NSW each year.
• 54 schools are located in metropolitan Sydney
• 31 schools are located in rural or regional centres
• a virtual class, Aurora College, for rural and remote students is available in over 600 authorised host schools.
Students successfully placed attend the opportunity class full time in Years 5 and 6 at the relevant public school. In most cases, students who have accepted a place in an opportunity class will leave their current school to attend the school with the opportunity class.
Should you apply?
If your child learns with greater ease and speed than their classmates, they may benefit from placement in an opportunity class. High potential and gifted children need to be challenged so they remain engaged with their education. Discuss the opportunity with your child and look through the
information together on Opportunity classes (Year 5 – 6).
If you would like to discuss whether you think you should apply, please contact your child’s teacher.
Equity provisions
The Equity Placement Model helps to make access to opportunity classes fairer for the following under-represented groups:
• students from low socio-educational advantage backgrounds
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students
• students from rural and remote locations
• students with disability.
The Equity Placement Model holds up to 20% of places at each school for students from these groups to support an increase in their participation.
Students from these groups may be considered for equity placement if their test performance is within 10% of general applicants for each school. Learn more about the placement process and the placement test at Opportunity classes (Year 5 – 6).
Ready to apply?
Apply online at: education.nsw.gov.au/oc
2024 Term Dates & Holidays (repeated)
PLEASE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ARRANGE TRAVEL DURING SCHOOL VACATION PERIODS, RATHER THAN DURING THE SCHOOL TERM
Term 2 2024- Monday 29 April 2024 (students return Tuesday 30 April) to Friday 5 July 2024.
Winter school holidays - Monday 8 July 2024 to Friday 19 July 2024
Term 3 2024 - Monday 22 July 2024 (students return Tuesday 23 July) to Friday 27 September 2024
Spring school holidays - Monday 30 September 2024 to Friday 11 October 2024
Term 4 2024 - Monday 14 October 2024 (for staff AND students) to Wednesday 18 December (for students) and Friday 20 December (for staff) 2024
From the Deputy Principal
Term 2 Week 2
Monday 6th May 2024
Welcome back to Term 2!
We had a wonderful response from parents, to our invitation to attend interviews, at the end of Term 1. I trust that your conversations with teachers, proved insightful! Naturally, our staff are always available to discuss important issues about your child/ren, throughout the year.
Our school community commemorated ANZAC day last week and our student leaders proudly represented JPPS at two services held at Cherrybrook Technology High School.
The term calendar is filling rapidly, with a myriad of school events planned. I have included a summary of the latest calendar dates below, for your reference.
I simply couldn't resist sharing an image of my dear little grandson, this week, as we look forward to recognising Mother's Day, on Sunday; a great time to reflect, and cherish what's important in life. Family.
In a world where you can be anything, be kind.
Adela King
Deputy Principal
P & C Volunteers Needed
Members of our P & C make an outstanding contribution to JPPS! The recent Easter Raffle and hot cross bun drive, were a huge success, thanks to a small band of enthusiastic parent volunteers, some of whom, are pictured below.
This Thursday, 9th May, is another P & C project: the Mother's Day Stall. Can you lend a helping hand?
Inquiries: email the P & C President, Richard, at richardw@jppspandc.org.au
Lest We Forget
Our school community commemorated ANZAC Day at a service held last Tuesday.
Lest We Forget
Our four student leaders represented JPPS at two CTHS ANZAC services held last week.
Lest We Forget
Diary Dates correct as at 29.4.24
- Thursday 9th May - Selective High School Testing Day
- Thursday 9th May - P & C Mother's Day Stall at school
- Monday 13th May - 7pm P & C Meeting
- Tuesday 14th May - 9:30am Volunteers' Training Session via Zoom
- Thursday 16th May - 1:35pm Awards Assembly & Stage 1 item
- Thursday 23/5 Zone Cross Country Carnival @ Galston
- Friday 31st May - Winter PSSA Competition commences
- Tuesday 4th June - Concert Band morning rehearsal and evening performance at The Hills Band Festival
- Wednesday 5th June - Year 6 Fundraiser Mufti Day
- Thursday 6th June - Premier's Spelling Bee Stage 2 and Stage 3
- Thursday 6th June - 1:35pm Awards Assembly under COLA
- Monday 10th June - King's Birthday Public Holiday
- Thursday 13th June - JPPS Athletics Carnival @ Greenway Oval
- Monday 17th June - 7pm P & C Meeting - To be confirmed
- Wednesday 19th June - 9am Parent Information Session Student Reports
- Thursday 20th June - 1:35pm Awards Assemby and Stage 2 Item
- Thursday 27th June - planned publication of Semester 1 student reports
- Monday 1st July - 11am Bronze Medallion Morning Tea with Principal
- Tuesday 2nd July - 10:30am Bronze Awards Principal's Morning Tea
- Wednesday to Friday 3, 4, 5 July - Year 6 Excursion to Canberra
- Friday 5th July - Last day Term 2
Our School Expectations
Congratulations to our students who have demonstrated our school expectations of Respect, Responsibility and Aspire.
This week's expectation is:
Responsibility: Wear my winter school uniform with pride
Purchase Pride Badges
Purchase Pride awards recognise positive student behaviour on the playground and in the classroom. When students receive ten Purchase Pride award cards, these should be left in the boxes on the ‘award shelf’ inside the school office foyer. Each set of ten awards needs to be bundled together and clearly labelled with the student’s name and current class.
Purchase Pride cards also have a 'tear-off' strip. This strip may be removed by the recipient and placed in the appropriate stage box in the award shelf, to go in the lucky dip draw, for a canteen voucher. Canteen vouchers are drawn by our SRC representatives, at the end of each term. Students are notified directly, if successful.
Award recipients will be presented with a coloured Purchase Pride badge, the week after their name is published in this newsletter, during term time. This badge may be worn on the school uniform. Students are encouraged to hand in their awards regularly and not 'stockpile' them.
Congratulations:
Sophia C (5D), Aryan (4D)
Class Awards System
In addition to Purchase Prides, JPPS has an incremental class awards system. When a student has received ten class awards, these should be left in the boxes on the ‘award shelf’ inside the school office. The ten class awards need to be bundled together and clearly labelled with the student’s name, current class and award level reached. A clear, snap lock bag is ideal for this purpose! Students need to be responsible for their own awards, as replacements are not issued. Students are encouraged to hand in their awards, rather than 'stockpiling' them until Term 4, so they don't miss out on special celebrations, such as the Principal's Morning Tea.
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!
All awards (including Bronze) now received by 9am on Thursday mornings, are ‘stamped’ and published in the next school newsletter, which is usually on the following Monday, in term time. At this time, I indicate when these awards will be presented. Silver Awards, Gold Awards and all Medallions, are presented at whole school assemblies. Please note that Bronze Awards are only presented at the end of each term, at the Principal's Morning Tea.
Bronze Award
The Term 2 Principal's Morning Tea, will be held in the hall, at 10:30am, on Tuesday, 2nd July. Parents of recipients are cordially invited to attend.
Congratulations:
Satvik T (3B), Erisa L (2L), Kristy M (3B), Advait G (1B)
Silver Award
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:35pm on Thursday 16th May, under the COLA. Stage 1 students will be presenting an item at this assembly. All parents are cordially invited to attend.
Congratulations:
James K (3N), Olivia O (3N), Claire H (3N)
Gold Award
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:35pm on Thursday 16th May, under the COLA. Stage 1 students will be presenting an item at this assembly. All parents are cordially invited to attend.
Congratulations:
Emily S (6MW), Taylor S (5/6H)
Bronze Medallion
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:35pm on Thursday 16th May, under the COLA. Stage 1 students will be presenting an item at this assembly. All parents are cordially invited to attend.
A morning tea for the term's Bronze Medallion recipients, will be held for students in the principal's office at recess, on Monday, 1st July.
Silver Medallion
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:35pm on Thursday 16th May, under the COLA. Stage 1 students will be presenting an item at this assembly. All parents are cordially invited to attend.
From the Teachers
Sports Report
Summer PSSA results
Stage 2 vs Darcy Road Public School
Tee Ball
JPPS Boys 3 lost to DPS 9
JPPS Girls 11 lost to DPS 14
League Tag
JPPS Boys 8 tied against DPS 8
JPPS Girls 2 lost against DPS 9
Stage 3 vs Beecroft
Softball
JPPS Boys 7 lost against BPS 8
JPPS Girls 2 lost against BPS 4
League Tag
JPPS Boys 7 won to BPS 3
JPPS Girls 7 won to BPS 4
Miss Laura Davidson
PSSA Sports Coordinator
From the Office
Lost Property
Please check the lost property boxes out the front of the administration building for any of your child's lost property.
The office staff will go through these items each week and distribute any that are labelled clearly to student classrooms. Sometimes the labels have faded and are unrecognisable.
Please check regularly and clearly mark your child's clothing.
From the P & C
The next P & C meeting will be held on Monday 13th May.
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
Are you interested in volunteering?
At John Purchase Public School, there are many opportunities to be involved and to support our P and C.
- P & C positions
- Special events
- Canteen
- School Uniform Shop
Volunteering helps you connect with people in the community.
If you would like to get involved, please put your name down at the canteen (for volunteering in the canteen), email our president, Richard at richardw@jppspandc.org.au or at the front office (for volunteering for other P and C roles).
P & C Volunteer Sign Up Form
Please remember to sign up to volunteer using the volunteer sign up form. This will assist in planning for next year. See the below link to the sign up form.
JPPS Uniform Shop
Opening hours: 8:30-9:30am every Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Friendly reminder: To shorten your waiting time in the shop, we recommend all parents order uniforms online and arrange pick up. Items can be changed if there is a sizing issue.
https://uniforms.jppspandc.org.au/
Thank you.
Pace
Uniform Shop Manager
From the Community
Please note our school publishes community information for the convenience of families but does not endorse any activity, organisation, person or product.
JOHN PURCHASE PUBLIC SCHOOL accepts no responsibility for content on third-party websites and providing a link does not imply that the school endorses that website.
Want to do something life-changing in 2024? Why not volunteer at JOHN PURCHASE PUBLIC SCHOOL as an Ethics teacher!
Ethics classes can only be offered as an alternative if we have volunteer teachers. Volunteers can come from our parents, grandparents, friends and local community, from every walk of life. Primary Ethics offers full, free training, lesson scripts and teaching support.
Ethics encourages children to listen closely and to develop their opinions through ethical reasoning. Ethics helps kids develop confidence and empathy. As an ethics teacher, you’ll get a lot out of it too!
If you have an hour a week and want to ensure children at our school can access this valuable program, go to: https://primaryethics.com.au/volunteer/ethics-teacher/