21 February 2024

Principal’s Introduction

Dear families,

It has been a very positive start to the school year and our students have quickly settled into their classrooms and the engaging learning environments our staff have created. I would like to thank all our incredible staff members for their remarkable efforts in building positive relationships and in supporting students, and parents, in a smooth transition back to school. 

It has certainly been a busy couple of weeks with everyone getting back into our Newborough routine and reconnecting with each other. I have loved welcoming students to the office, to acknowledge the excellent work and strong behaviour choices they are demonstrating. The values of the school are evident at every level with kindness shining through in these early days of the school year.

Seeing and hearing the students learn and play across the school is music to my ears, and I am confident that it will be a great year as we work collaboratively to achieve our school vision through challenging and supporting our students in their pursuit of excellence in a safe, positive and inclusive environment.

Noongar Season: Bunuru

The hot weather of the past few weeks reminds me that we are currently in the Noongar Season of Bunuru. Bunuru is the hottest season with little to no rain, but with a glorious abundance of sunlight and exceptional heat. Bunuru showcases spectacular stars shining in the night sky as we have clear skies above us, so I encourage you to go for a walk one evening and stop to take in the stars shining above. Stop and reflect on what a beautiful connection we have with the land around us. I also encourage you to take a walk through the Nature Playground as you leave school one day this week, to view the blossoming Banksias in our garden as a reminder of how Newborough Primary School sits on Noongar Boodja and our connection with the land, especially as we enjoy the cool sea breeze that we are so lucky to have most afternoons.

First Assembly 2024 & Welcome Back PowerPoint

We held our first assembly for 2024 last Friday, where we celebrated some well deserving students with honour certificates, presented our student leaders with their badges and shared some family and class photos with the community. I was struck with how proudly our students stood in full school uniform, singing the National Anthem with pride, and demonstrating a high level of respect and enthusiasm for our school. I was extremely impressed with how our students sung in Noongar and have challenged myself to learn this version for our next assembly on Friday 1 March.

For our parents who were unable to attend the assembly, please feel free to follow the link to our Photo slideshow, which showcases the photography and technology talents of Ms Karen Tucknott. Please enjoy.

2024 Term Dates 

To assist parents with planning for holidays the following are the school term dates for this year. Parents are asked to be mindful of the below term dates when booking family holidays.

Term 1: 31 January to 28 March
Term 2: 15 April to 28 June 
Term 3: 16 July to 20 September 
Term 4: 8 October to 12 December

2024 Student Free Days (Curriculum Days) 

Each year schools are allocated six student free days (when student instruction does not occur) for professional development, school planning and administration, curriculum development and student assessment and reporting.

As mandated by the Department, Newborough used the first two days on Monday 29, and Tuesday 30 January for staff development, and the following four days have been approved by our School Board for 2024:

• Term 2: Friday 31 May 2024
• Term 3: Monday 15 July 2024
• Term 4: Monday 7 October 2024
• Term 4: Friday 13 December 2024

Students do not attend school on these days.

Class Meet & Greet Sessions – Thank you!

Thank you to all our parents who attended our Classroom Meet and Greet sessions over the past fortnight. These sessions provided an opportunity for our teachers to meet you as well as share important information about the year ahead, their classroom routines and our whole school practices. We saw many families in attendance this year and I enjoyed spending some extra time with your children in the library or music room! If you were unable to attend a session, please contact your child’s teacher for a hardcopy of some of the information shared. Thanks!

On-Entry Assessments: Pre-primary Students

Over the next few weeks our Pre-primary students will be participating in the On Entry assessments which we complete in Term 1 each year. The purpose of this assessment is to provide teachers with an opportunity, early in the year, to collect information on the essential literacy and numeracy skills and understandings of each child in their class. This will assist your child’s teacher to develop informed and intentional play-based teaching programs, designed to reflect individual needs and foster each child’s learning.

Further information can also be found on the On-entry Assessment Program website at the following address:

NAPLAN

NAPLAN assessments will be conducted in Term 1 again this year. Students in Years 3 and 5 will be participating in the national assessments between Wednesday 13 March and Monday 25 March. Students complete four tests focused on assessing core literacy and numeracy skills and understandings using the online platform (with the exception of Year 3 writing). The information provided through the outcomes of these assessments help us as a school judge how we are tracking in relation to schools of a similar context across Australia, and the areas that we need to focus on improving.

For parents interested, there is a public demonstration website from the link below available to students to familiarise themselves with the NAPLAN Online platform. Further information will be provided later in the term through classroom teachers, but if you have a child in Years 3 or 5 please note these dates in your diary.

Deputy News

SCHOOL PHOTOS – WEEK 6

Newborough Primary School’s School Photos will be taken on: Wednesday 6^th March and Thursday 7^th March 2024 by MSP Photography. Students will be given an individual Shoot Key they will bring home prior to the Photo Day and we will send home more information in the next week or so. Please see the Photo Schedule below. Our apologies but the Photo Schedule can not be changed to suit family absences.

Edu-dance coming in Term 2 – Kindergarten to Year 6

This year, we have organised a fabulous, fun dance program called Edu-dance for Term 2 for all students Kindergarten to Year 6. The program teaches each class a dance over 9 weeks which they then perform at a concert at the end of the program. The concerts will be in Week 10, Term 2. More information will be emailed home this week about Edu-dance and the cost.

P&C News

Canteen

Hello All,

Well we've certainly been busy in the canteen, especially with cold drinks and icy poles in this weather!

Check out our healthy Salad Bowls, they were a hit.

We are in desperate need of volunteer assistance and would love to hear from you!

We are now only asking for volunteers on a Friday and are happy if they come in straight after school drop off to make it easier for them.  We can get a load of lunch preparation done in that time.  Just an hour of your time will make the biggest difference to our ability to get the food out and offer specials each week.

Those that volunteer enjoy the experience - We have a coffee and a chat, make sandwiches, prepare recess, cut up fruit and vegetables, it's all very easy!  And you get to see your child come to the counter to collect their recess!  The kids love it. Pre-primary parents, this is your first year of canteen ordering, and we would love to have your assistance in the canteen. 

Every parent is welcome to volunteer and all we ask is that you complete two short training sessions online which can be done in your own time. These sessions can be accessed at no cost to you and consist of ‘Food Handler’ training as well as an ‘All about Allergens’ training session to help keep our students safe. These training sessions can be used by you in all food handling positions in the future as well as your volunteer work at the school.

Please use the following link to sign up or just drop in on a Friday after you've dropped your child off. volunteersignup.org/JLHEL

As long as we have volunteers, we can add specials to the menu each week.

This week we're planning canteen made Sushi.  Your choice of chicken/cucumber or Tuna/cucumber or a vegetarian option is available.  Small $6 for 6 pieces, Large $8 for 8 pieces.  Check them out on this video!

https://youtube.com/shorts/wWBhng_6xb0

https://youtube.com/shorts/Q7G4p3LuAd8

Scholastic Book Club

The first issue of Scholastic Book Club has come home with the children. Thank you for all the orders - the first order has been finalised and these should be delivered within the next few weeks. The order arrives in multiple boxes (20-25 usually) and over a number of days. Please be patient whilst I sort through and distribute them to each class over a few days.

Every order placed earns credits for the school. Each term, this goes towards new books for the library to improve their selection and replace older/damaged books. Last year, the library received almost $2000 worth of books from the rewards, so it is an excellent way to maintain the library and keep it fresh and new for children at all stages.

Please let me know if there are any worries with the orders/books. Please also tick if you would like the book to be a gift and I will ensure it is kept with the class teacher for you to collect, instead of given to your child.

Thank you for the ongoing support - the next issue will be at the start of term 2

Laura Haston, Book Club Organiser

Uniform Shop News

School Directory

No Animals (Including Dogs) on School Grounds

DoE Security

Keep an eagle eye on our school!

School Watch encourages the school community to report any suspicious activity in and around school grounds, after hours and on weekends, as well as during school holidays.

Telephone 1800 177 777 (free call) or 13 14 44 (WA Police).

Please do not approach any individuals, just contact security and they will investigate the situation or contact the Police. Working together will help protect our school.

Community News

CHURCHLANDS SHS

BARNES KARATE

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