Week 7 Term 4 Newsletter 2024

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers

Summer is on its way! Thankfully our classrooms are lovely and cool and a nice place to retreat after recess and lunch. Intensive swimming lessons have begun, and everyone is enjoying the water and learning experience. Primary swimming for sport has also commenced and will continue for the next few weeks. Don’t forget to bring swimmers on these days.

We wrapped up another successful Kinder and Year 6 Orientation last Thursday, thanks to Mrs Pengilly, Miss Rinaldo and Miss Lander as well as the Canowindra HS staff.  We are looking forward to the next cohort of children starting their education at Canowindra Public School next year and sad to see our Year 6s leave us.

The results from the Tell Them From Me Survey are in. Thank you to the 42 parents who completed the survey.  It is important to our school and I that our community has a voice. I can assure you that the information gathered will be used to increase the bond and communication between home and school. This information will also inform our planning for next year. I have included a summary of the results from parents and staff below, which shows that our school is above state average for all NSW Government Schools in all areas. This is also evident in our academic performances across all schools in Australia. The MySchool website for schools will be released later this year for 2024 comparisons.

Scripture and Ethics concluded for another year with a church service/ performance in the Anglican Church. Once again, our students’ singing and acting skills were on display, and they all did a wonderful job.

Don’t forget to RSVP to the P&C Christmas dinner next Monday. It’s a chance to catch up with other parents and celebrate another great year of fundraising as well as having a night out. All parents/ carers are invited, see invitation below in P&C News.

Have a great week!

Kind regards

Sharon Hawker
Principal

100% Attendance Gallery

Congratulations to Alana Crowe, Makk Bowman and Andy Wright on 100% attendance in Week 6. Keep up the great work!

Upcoming Events

Term 4 

  Week 7 - 10 day Swim School Program begins   

               - Primary Swimming for Sport each Friday (Don't forget swimmers) 

               - Assembly Friday 29th November 2pm

Week 8 - 10 day Swim School Program continues

             - ALL Library books are due to be returned

School Assembly - Friday 29th November 2pm

Kinder                   Lucy Davis, Annabelle Cooper, Thomas Gregory-Jones, Violet Fitzgerald

Year 1/2                 Cooper Riley, Jasmine Nash, Ruby Bates, Eli Forbes

Year 1/2 A              Brodie Fliedner, Betty Wythes, Archer Maere, Kai Thornberry

Year 3/4                  Brennon Hughes, Ada Carpenter, Toby Henry, Macie Wells

Year 3/4 B               Ivy Milton, Kyah Smith, Emmeline Nicka, Byron Walker

Year 4/5                   Ruby Fellowes, Kayden Smith, Grace McSpadden, Jack Trengove

Year 5/6                   Eva Dunn, Sam Markcrow, Will Ryan, Lara Cheney

Year 6                     Indie Palmer, Alyssa Thompson, Indiana Millar, Bronte Lawrence

Library News

• Week 7 - is the last week for borrowing
• Week 8 - All library books are due to be returned. 
• Week 9 - Overdue notices will be printed in. 

Class in Focus

Each week one of our classes will be chosen to showcase the great learning that is happening in our school. This week our class is : 1/2 A

Book Club - Issue 8

Issue 8 Book Club forms went home with students last Wednesday. All orders MUST be paid for via LOOP. The school does not accept cash for book club orders.

Visit www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP

Orders close Monday 2nd December 2024.

Aurora College Applications Open

Selective high school and opportunity class applications are open from:                               7 November 2024 to 21 February 2025

Selective high school Year 7 entry in 2026: Apply when your child is at the end of Year 5 or the beginning of Year 6.

Opportunity class Year 5 entry in 2026: Apply when your child is at the end of Year 3 or the beginning of Year 4.

Selective high schools and opportunity classes are 2 of the ways the NSW Department of Education supports high potential and gifted students.

What are their benefits?

• Students learn alongside, and form friendships with, other high potential and gifted classmates.
• Special teaching methods allow students to learn at a quicker pace and in more detail.
• Research shows that students benefit both academically and socially when learning with classmates who have similar abilities.

Selective high schools and opportunity classes are not zoned so you can apply to ones outside your local enrolment area.

Is a selective high school or opportunity class the right fit for my child?

A selective high school or opportunity class might be a great fit if your child. Please contact your classroom teacher for further clarification.

• learns quickly
• asks complex questions
• is highly motivated
• has a good memory
• is intensely focused in their area of interest

Where are selective high schools (Year 7-12) located?

There are 4 types of selective high schools:

• fully selective high schools, where all students attending the school have high potential or are gifted
• partially selective high schools, where there is a mix of students who have high potential or are gifted and local area students
• 4 agricultural selective high schools, including 3 boarding schools
• Aurora College, which provides online selective classes for rural and remote students in their local host schools.

Search for a selective high school near you at Find a selective high school.

Where are opportunity classes (Year 5-6) located?

There are 2 types of opportunity classes:

• full-time opportunity classes in selected primary schools
• Aurora College, which provides online opportunity classes for rural and remote students in their local authorised host schools.

Search for an opportunity class near you at Find an opportunity class.

Students successfully placed attend the opportunity class full-time in Years 5 and 6. 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.

Discuss the opportunity with your child and look through the information together on the Selective high schools and opportunity classes website and in the student resource hub:

• Applying for a selective high school: Student resource hub
• Applying for an opportunity class: Student resource hub

Fair and equitable access

The Equity Placement Model helps make access fairer for more high potential students in our community.

We know that some students may be missing out because they experience educational disadvantage.

Under the model, up to 20% of places in each selective high school and opportunity class are held for:

• students from low socio-educational advantage backgrounds
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students
• students from rural and remote locations
• students with disability.

These students still receive offers based on their performance in the placement test.

Learn more at Fair access.

The application process

Complete the online application.

Applications close on 21 February 2025.

Once your application has been submitted and processed, your child will need to sit a computer-based placement test. Learn more at Application process.

Ready to apply?

Apply online at shsoc.education.nsw.gov.au

Further information

Visit Selective high schools and opportunity classes.

PBL Focus - CPS Wellbeing Program

Our Learner Qualities

The Resilience Project - Empathy and Kindness

This next presentation from The Resilience Project is all about Empathy and Kindness.

Empathy is our ability to put ourselves in the shoes of others to feel and see what they do. We practice this through being kind and compassionate towards other people.

Brain imaging data shows that being kind to others registers in the brain as more like eating chocolate than like fulfilling an obligation to do what’s right (e.g. eating brussel sprouts)!

Research shows that practicing empathy, such as performing acts of kindness, taps into our brain’s ‘mirror neurons’, builds compassion and our behaviour becomes more social and community-based.

View Part 3 of the series here

Part 3 - Empathy: https://theresilienceproject.com.au/2023-parent-carer-hub-inspire-martin/

Here’s an activity to practise empathy and kindness:

1. Reflect on someone in your life who could benefit from an act of kindness today. It could be a friend who would love some affirmation about their work, your pet who deserves an extra treat, or a family member who would love a phone call or text message.
2. Make a plan for who you are going to gift an act of kindness to, and what you are going to do.
3. If you want to add accountability to your plan, share it with someone else and encourage them to do the same thing.
4. Follow up with each other in a few days' time, to ask how it went!

Sources: Psychology Today, UC Berkeley, Greater Good Science

For mental health resources and support information, visit The Resilience Project’s Support Page.

Sentral Parents App

Please ensure you have your notifications TURNED ON (check in settings). We use this app to send push notifications for all school activities.

The HUB - Canteen Lunches

Can parents please update their child/s class or details before placing an order. Any enquiries please call Sheryn : 0402 441 263

Healthy Snippets

Healthy "Snippets" from NSW Health covering a range of topics including; healthy eating, lunchbox ideas, drinking water and food budgeting. 

P&C News

Community Notices

Live Better will be delivering Before and After School Care at Canowindra Public School at the beginning the 2025 school year. They are in the process of seeking applicants for the positions.

Complete the application process via the links below:

• Canowindra Educators: https://career10.successfactors.com/sfcareer/jobreqcareer?jobId=5776&company=livebetter
• Canowindra Coordinator: https://career10.successfactors.com/sfcareer/jobreqcareer?jobId=5778&company=livebetter