Week 4 Term 1 Newsletter 2025

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

I would like to extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the students who participated in the swimming carnival last Friday. It was a fantastic day, marked by numerous first-time participants and many personal bests, along with the exciting achievement of breaking two records. A special thank you to Miss Dixon and our primary staff for their exceptional organisation, and to all the parents who offered their support on the day. You can find a full report in this week’s newsletter.

I am delighted to warmly welcome Jacqueline Hodges, our new school counsellor for this year. Jacqueline will be at our school every second Thursday and will be supported by several remote counselling teams to enhance our resources.

Effective communication is essential for fostering a happy and harmonious school environment. To streamline our communication, we will be using email and the Sentral Parent Portal App as our primary channels. All class teachers will share key messages through these platforms, so please ensure your notifications are enabled or check the app regularly for updates.

We commenced the week by capturing a whole school photograph to commemorate the 150-year celebration of public education in Canowindra. This photograph will be included in a book that is set to be published and available for purchase around Easter. We encourage you to stay tuned for the book launch scheduled for Term 2! Additionally, the photo has been shared on our school Facebook page, thanks to Mrs. Townsend for her expertise in operating the drone!

At the start of each school year, we conduct emergency drills. If your child mentions an evacuation or lockdown, please be assured that it is just a practice exercise. In the event of a real emergency, we will promptly inform parents through our established communication channels.

We also have several pieces of surplus furniture, including cupboards, storage units, desks, and chairs, that we are giving away. Please take a look at the photos in the newsletter and contact the office if you are interested in viewing them during school hours. Additionally, we will place some items in the church car park for collection over the weekend for added convenience.

Wishing you all a wonderful week ahead!

Kind regards,

Sharon Hawker
Principal

OOSH UPDATE!

Live Better will be delivering Before and After School Care at Canowindra Public School at the beginning the 2025 school year. Unfortunately, they have been unable to fill the coordinator and educator position. They are still in the process of seeking applicants for these positions. For any further information please contact Jenny Nalder.

Jenny Nalder - 0428 620 236

If you require Before and After School Care for school aged children in a safe and enriching environment at our school please register via the QR code above. 

100% Attendance Gallery

Congratulations to Kenna Scifleet, Nadia Godwin and Will Ryan on 100% attendance in Week 3. Keep up the great work!

Upcoming Events

Week 4 - Issue 1 Book Club Orders Close - this Thursday 20th February

Week 5 - Wednesday 26th February District Swimming Carnival - Cowra, School Assembly - Friday 28th February at 2.00pm

Week 6 - Friday 7th March Western Swimming Carnival - Dubbo

Week 7 - Tuesday 11th March PSSA Cricket - Blayney

New Bell Times

Swimming Carnival

Congratulations to all children who participated, we saw lots of fantastic swimming and some wonderful cheering.

Gaps in the results chart may indicate no entries or a disqualification. First and second place have made to through to District.

Place ribbons will be handed out at Assembly on Friday 28th February.

Grenfell Public are hosting the Cowra District Carnival at Grenfell. This will be held on Wednesday 26th February from 9am-3pm. You will be need to transport your child/children to the carnival via private vehicle or make alternate arrangements. Notes will be sent out via the Sentral app, please indicate whether your child can attend as soon as possible.

A huge thank you to parents who gave up their time to volunteer, your help is greatly appreciated. Thanks to Canowindra Swimming Club for the use of their equipment once again. Also, a special thank you to those parents who helped with organisation and setting up when I was having technical difficulties. Lastly, thank you to Ruey at the High School for the loan of your laptop!

3 records were broken this year, congratulations swimmers!

Kai Thornberry – 8 years boys 50m Freestyle

Noah Grey – 11 years boys 50m Breaststroke

Kayden Smith – Senior boys 50m Butterfly

Relay Teams for District will be:

Junior Boys – Kai Thornberry, Archer Sharp, Taliesin Bullock, Makk Bowman

Junior Girls – Kyah Smith, Anna Morrow, Emily Skipper, Scarlet Stanbury

Senior Boys – Noah Grey, Jack Daly, Kayden Smith, Oliver Maunder

Senior Girls – Evie Daly, Cora Ryan, Eva Dunn, Sophie Payne

Aurora College Applications for 2026

Closing 21 February 2025

Selective high school Year 7 entry in 2026: Apply when your child is beginning Year 6.

Opportunity class Year 5 entry in 2026: Apply when your child is beginning 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.

Book Club - Issue 1

Issue 1 Book Club Order forms went home with students last week. 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 this Thursday 20th February 2025.

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: Yr 2

Our Learner Qualities

We are proud to reintroduce our Visible Learning qualities, which are essential traits that empower our students to thrive both academically and personally. These qualities include:

• I Am Resilient: Our students learn to bounce back from setbacks and challenges, developing persistence and determination in their pursuit of success.

• I Am Creative: We encourage creativity by inspiring students to think outside the box and approach problems with innovative solutions.

• I Seek Feedback: Our students understand the value of constructive feedback as a tool for growth, actively seeking input to improve their learning and performance.

• I Embrace Challenge: We foster a growth mindset, encouraging students to take on challenges and view them as opportunities for learning and development.

• I Am Self-motivated: Our students take ownership of their learning, setting personal goals and striving to achieve them with enthusiasm and commitment.

These Visible Learning qualities are integral to our educational approach, helping students become confident, capable learners who are prepared for future success. Together, we will cultivate these qualities to create a supportive and engaging learning environment.

The Resilience Project continued....

Why are resilience and wellbeing important?

● Research shows us that there is a direct link between wellbeing and academics, therefore children who are not emotionally healthy will have difficulty learning. When we are stressed, the part of our brain responsible for learning does not function effectively.
● Calm children can focus and retain more information.
● Resilience enables children to take safe risks without fear of failure.
● The statistics indicate that the number of adults struggling with mental ill health has increased over the years. Statistics also tell us that mental ill health is affecting young people at alarming rates and the onset is getting earlier. Prevention is the key to seeing these figures improve.

SAVE THE DATES:

Digital Wellbeing for Families - Wednesday 19th March 

Parent Webinar - Thursday 31st July

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.

We are excited to introduce the Sentral Parent Portal app to all our new parents, designed to enhance communication and engagement between our school and families. This user-friendly app provides parents with easy access to important information about their child’s education and school activities. With the Sentral Parent Portal, you can view your child’s attendance records, academic progress, class schedules, and upcoming events—all from the convenience of your smartphone or tablet. Our goal is to foster a strong partnership between home and school, ensuring that you stay informed and involved in your child's learning journey. Download the Sentral Parent Portal app today and experience a seamless connection to our school community!

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. 

Community Notices

Art Mentoring 2025

1^st Term -9  Free art lessons given by Sue Hodge 

All welcome  7 yr old and up 

Starts Tues afternoon 18^th February

from 4 -530pm for 9 weeks.

Contact Sue Hodge ph. 0419571761 to Register