Term 3 Newsletter - 25 July 2022
From the Principal
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TERM 3 WEEK 2
Welcome to Term 3. I do hope you enjoyed the winter break, and shared special and memorable moments with the children.
It has been an eventful holiday period for some of our teachers with another three babies born during this winter break. Read below for the baby news!
I will be going on leave for the next few weeks and thank Adela King for filling in as principal during that period.
CONGRATULATIONS MRS SALAZAR
An enthusiastic congratulations is extended to Mrs Stephanie Salazar, assistant principal and instructional coach at John Purchase, for being awarded a 2022 Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award. This is a highly prestigious and competitive award and Stephanie is such a well deserved recipient. It is wonderful to have Stephanie's work as a teacher, an instructional coach, and as an educational leader and mentor, being recognised in this way.
You may have seen Stephanie being interviewed by ABC Weekend Breakfast on Sunday or you may have seen her in the Herald on Saturday. Her responses were passionately and articulately conveyed.
Stephanie has had an incredible impact on teaching and learning, not only at John Purchase, but throughout NSW and even Victoria. There have been many professional learning initiatives that Stephy has either initiated, led or has actively contributed to including but certainly not limited to: a highly effective and supportive early career teacher program, formation of the New Teacher Tribe, instructional coaching, parent masterclasses and most recently, she has commenced her next project, to work shoulder to shoulder with new and experienced school executive members. This work, which is now being supported by the Commonwealth Bank Teaching Award, will further facilitate coaching practices, with leaders in our school further developing their capacity to support teachers to further support their students' learning around differentiated leader, teacher and student goals. This aim is to ensure our instructional coaching program is sustained and extended.
We are incredibly proud of you Stephy and look forward to sharing the next chapter in your highly successful career.
GET UP! SHOW UP! STAND UP! NAIDOC WEEK 2022
Last term I shared some of the children's learning around NAIDOC Week, and I proudly share further learning, completed in the last week of last term.
Kindergarten students have been learning about Special Places (Under the Sea) and the country that we live in, how we care for those places and why that's iimportant. They care for country. They have been pondering:
• What are places like?
• What makes a place special?
• How can we look after the places we live in?
Word Work: One of the digraphs they've been focusing on has been 'sh' (shell). In the text it talks about collecting and making shell necklaces with the Maireener shell.
Building Vocabulary: iridescent
Building Knowledge about the culture and traditions of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This involved looking at the text Sea Country by Aunty Patsy Cameron & Lisa Kennedy. The children discussed where this story is based (Flinders Island).
Blurb...Aunty Patsy Cameron generously shares the stories and traditions from her family’s seasonal island life in Tasmania. With evocative text and stunning illustrations, Sea Country lets the reader know when to pick ripe wild cherries, when the moon (mutton) birds fly home and how the nautilus shells smell like the deepest oceans.
When reading Sea Country by Aunty Patsy Cameron and Lisa Kennedy, the students heard about the stories and traditions from her families seasonal island life in Tasmania. Students learned about the Maireener shell, its jewel like qualities and brilliant iridescence.
Visual Arts: Exploring dot painting techniques (image of hands) and learning about the meaning behind the colours of the Aboriginal flag.
COVID-SMART MEASURES FOR TERM 3
Many of our existing COVID-smart measures continue into Term 3, including:
- staying home if unwell, even if you have a negative RAT, until you are free of symptoms
- rapid antigen testing for symptomatic students and close contacts able to return to school
- strongly encouraging mask wearing, particularly for the first 4 weeks of term
- strongly encouraging all eligible students and their families to get vaccinated for COVID-19 and the flu
- maximising natural ventilation
- good hygiene practices
- strict requirements for close contacts attending school
- responding to local COVID-19 conditions
Some things are changing this term:
COVID-19 vaccination policy update – the mandate requiring COVID-19 vaccination will be lifted for staff in most school settings from 1 August 2022. We will continue to encourage all staff, students and our school community to keep up to date with their vaccinations, including getting a booster shot when eligible.
Boosted day cleaning – our cleaning model has shifted slightly and will now be more concentrated during school hours.
Thank you again for your ongoing support.
Please find The NSW Government Term 3 COVID-smart Settings in Schools Fact Sheets for Parents and Carers below.
CONGRATULATIONS MR JOHNSON & MS LEAHY
Congratulations on the birth of your gorgeous baby boy, Angus Miles. Angus weighed in at 3kg and measured 52cm.
CONGRATULATIONS MS O'BRIEN & MR VEITCH
Congratulations on the arrival of beautiful Poppy Elizabeth, born on Monday 11 July at 11.22am. Poppy weighed in at 8.3 pounds and measured 51cm. Mum and dad are delighted.
CONGRATULATIONS MR & MRS WINSTON
Congratulations on the arrival of Bailey. Bailey was born on the 9th July at 1.33pm, weighing 3.07kg and measuring 48cm.
How delightful that Bailey (left) and Poppy (right) have already met - both born in the same hospital, just two days apart!
ADMINISTRATION BUILDING GETS AN UPGRADE
Our long awaited administration renovations provide us with invaluable additional space, including two much needed additional staff toilets.
KINDY SANDPIT
A big thank you to our P and C for securing funding from the Community Building Partnership grant through their successful application, and for generously providing additional funds so that we could upgrade the kindergarten sandpit area. I'm sure there will be many kindies who will very excited to use this very attractive area. Thank you to Mrs Cattell, our business manager, who organised quotes and coordinated the work with the contractors.
SCHOOL CROSSING SUPERVISOR - REPEATED
Unfortunately we are still without a School Crossing Supervisor (SCS) at the crossing on Purchase Road before and after school.
Our school may have a staff member at the crossing on most days to promote safety from approximately 8:40am to 9am and from approximately 2:50pm to 3pm.
We therefore ask parents to consider the children's safety and to remind children of the following:
- Cross the road at the designated pedestrian crossing facility
- Stop! Look! Listen! Think! when crossing the road
- Take care whenever you cross
- Don’t run across the road
From the Deputy Principal
Monday 25th July 2022
Dear Parents and Carers
It's Week 2 and this Thursday, we plan to hold a K-6 Assembly, where Stage 2 students will perform an item (postponed from Term 2). Stage 2 parents and parents of award recipients (also postponed from the Term 2 event), are cordially invited to attend, at 1:35pm under the COLA.
This Thursday, 28th July, is also the Opportunity Class (OC) testing day for some Year 4 students. Mrs Musgrove is coordinating this external testing program, in the school hall.
Students who received Bronze Awards, were hosted to a special morning tea at the end of Term 2. They are pictured proudly holding their awards, below.
Next week, commencing Monday 1st August, is 'Education Week' in all NSW public schools. At this stage, visitors are still permitted to visit on school grounds, so I have published our plannned program for 'Open Day' on Thursday 4th August, below.
We kindly request that parents observe the Covid-safe protocols we will have in place, this year. Particularly, we are limiting adult visitors in classrooms to one per family, at staggered times, and we are strongly recommending that visitors wear face masks in classrooms.
Visitors to classrooms are asked to nominate a visit time using the same booking site we use for parent interviews. Please refer to the booking link in the flyer below. The booking site will open tomorrow morning, Tuesday 26th July.
Regards
Mrs Adela King
Relieving Principal
Our School Expectations
We have established expectations for different areas of the school. The K-2 playground is the focus this week.
Purchase Pride Badges
Purchase Prides recognise positive student behaviour on the playground and in the classroom. When students receive ten Purchase Pride award cards, these should be left in Mrs King’s ‘award shelf’ in the school administration corridor. The ten awards need to be bundled together and clearly labelled with the student’s name and current class.
Award recipients will be presented with a coloured Purchase Pride Badge, the week after their name is published in this newsletter.
Purchase Pride cards also 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.
I will present the Purchase Pride Badges recorded below, next Monday morning.
Congratulations to:
Isabella (1P), Caroline L (2E), Noor (1B), Eunjo J (5F), Aaron G (3N), Vennela I (4S), Ellen (1S), Anya (4M), Lucy (5F), Ekansh G (4S), Shreyas K (2S), Aadi N x2 (4S), Alex (2C), Ario Y (2Y), Janelle F (4G), Nirvi (1P), Schvelle (4M)Bella E (4S), Archer L (3/4B), Priscilla P (1P), Mia (5F), Sasha (2S), Florence L (5F), Charlene (1B), Weldon (3/4B), Jade (1P), Ellie (1P)
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 school 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. A clear, snap lock bag is ideal for this purpose! Students need to be responsible for their own awards, as replacements are not issued.
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!
This year, all awards (including Bronze) 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. Depending on Covid guidelines, 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
These awards will be presented to recipients at the Principal's Morning Tea at the end of Term 2. This event is planned to be held at 10:30am on Tuesday, 20th September. The morning tea will be held in the hall and parents of recipients, will be invited to attend.
Congratulations to:
Eloise S (2Y)
Silver Award
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:35pm this Thursday 28th July, under the COLA. All parents are cordially invited to attend.
Congratulations to:
Diya A (5S)
Gold Award
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:35pm this Thursday 28th July, under the COLA. All parents are cordially invited to attend.
Congratulations to:
Rachel B (3/4B)
Bronze Medallion
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:35pm this Thursday 28th July, under the COLA. All parents are cordially invited to attend.
The Bronze Medallion morning tea for recipients and Mrs Black and Mrs King, will be held at recess on Wednesday, 21st September.
Congratulations to:
Amelia B (6DW)
From the Teachers
OC TESTING
The OC Test will take place on Thursday 28 July 2022 at John Purchase Public School for year 4 students who have already nominated to sit the test.
All candidates should bring a plain water bottle, two sharp lead pencils, an eraser and a pencil sharpener. Students are also reminded to provide for their own medical needs as required such as asthma puffers and reading glasses.
All candidates must present their Test Authority Letter prior to sitting the examination.
No other equipment should be brought to the exam. Calculators, computers, books, smart devices and any form of written or digital forms of communication are not allowed.
Candidates should be at school no later than 8.55am to begin the test at 9.30am. Students should meet Mrs Musgrove and Miss Griggs outside the school hall at 8.55am. Please note that no additional time will be allowed for students who arrive late.
Please see updated draw for Stage 2 and 3 Winter PSSA below.
From the P&C
Community Announcements
Please note our school publishes events for the convenience of families but does not endorse any activity, organisation, person or product.