17 August 2015
Newsletter Articles
Principal's Message
Over the last fortnight, we have witnessed many Personal Best achievements from the SIPPS learning community. I was very proud to see our recorder ensemble perform in The Festival of Instrumental Music at the Sydney Opera House last week. This festival exemplifies the vision that highly motivated and engaged students, led by exceptional staff, realise their creative potential, thus enriching learning in and beyond the school. Our students were among over 4,000 students from more than 400 of our state's public schools to be part of this concert series. Their performance in the Acacia concert featured the world premiere performance of a specially commissioned work called 'The Swans of Lir'. Congratulations to Mrs Cipollone and our talented recorder ensemble.
Thank you to parents and staff who attended the P&C 'Comedy for A Cause' evening. I would like to acknowledge the hard work of the organising committee who generously gave much time, effort and enthusiasm towards the event. Thank you everyone involved for your support in the fundraising efforts to benefit all SIPPS students.
The sporting talents and enthusiastic participation of our students where showcased at last week's Zone Athletics Carnival. Our team was well prepared thanks to the fine coaching their received from Kirsty Curnow and Miss Beaumont Jones in the weeks leading up to the carnival. I would like also to thank the great team of parents who assisted with the transportation of our team to Narrabeen for this event.
Congratulations to the winners of The Premier's Spelling Bee school final which was held this afternoon. These students will now go on to represent our school in the regional final at Lindfield East Public School on Tuesday 15 September.
Thank you and well done 2FD for your class item at our last K-6 assembly. The song choice coincided beautifully with our wintery weather. Congratulations Mrs Field, Mrs Duggan and Year 2 students. Our next K-6 assembly in on Wednesday 26 August at 2:20pm in the hall and will feature a performance from 5/6S. Parents and carers are also welcome to join us for our Book Week parade which will be held on Thursday 27 August at 9:30am under the top COLA. Please see Library News for more details.
Best wishes to our school choirs who will be attending combined choir rehearsals. Tomorrow 18 September, the senior choir will travel to Chatswood High School to rehearse repertoire for The Arts Alive Primary Choral concert. On Wednesday 19 August our junior choir will travel to Pymble Public School to join ten other schools in rehearsing songs for The Festival of Children's Music.
Finally congratulations to the following students who were winners of our Catch Card draw so far this term. They are Eva KM, George 2FD, Lily KM, Oscar 2FD, Patrick 5/6S, Brandon KM, Nathan 1C Amelia 1C, Grace KA, Patrick 5/6S, Ellie 1C, Sam 1C, Lara 2FD, Scarlett 1C
Students earn Catch Cards when they demonstrate behaviour consistent with the school expectations of Respect, Responsibility and Personal Best. All Catch Cards go into a weekly draw from which four are drawn for a special treat from the canteen and a house point towards the annual points tally. Points earned from Catch Cards this year have increased Banksia's total by 25 points, Waratah's total by 26 points and Grevillia's total by 18 points.
Notes from Office
- SIPPS Senior Choir – Arts Alive Primary Choral concert at the Opera House. The preliminary rehearsal will be held at Chatswood High School on Tuesday 18th August. All permission notes and levy must be at school by Monday 17th.
- SIPPS Junior Choir – performing at the Festival of Children's Music at Willoughby. The Information/permission note went home to all choir participants on 6th August. The first rehearsal is Wednesday 19th so all permission notes and levy must be returned to the school by Tuesday 18th August.
- If you have a child starting school in 2016 please assist us with our planning by completing an enrolment form as soon as possible. If you know of any children who will be starting school next year and have not yet completed a form, please ask them to collect a form from the office or to simply telephone and we will post one to them. Thank you for your assistance.
School Photo Day
This is scheduled for Thursday 3rd September. Photo order envelopes have been sent home for each child. Please follow the instructions on the outside of the envelope if you wish to order photos. All photo envelopes must be returned to the school prior to Photo Day.
Woolworths Earn and Learn Sticker Collection
Our school has a collection box outside Woolworths at St Ives Shopping Village. Stickers can be dropped in the box there, or brought into the school office for collection. The sticker sheets can be downloaded from the website woolworths.com.au/earnandlearn. This program finishes on Tuesday 8th September.
Inspiring & Nurturing Successful Lifelong Learners
Stage 3 'Future focused' Learning
Throughout 2015, Stage 3 student development has been successfully based on the premises of "Future Focus" and "Project-based" learning within a meaningful whole-stage environment. With a successful implementation of our BYODD program, we have been able to incorporate 21st Century technologies to personalise learning in order to build the school curriculum around the learner and more flexibly meet learners' needs.
Furthermore, by collaboratively learning how to use technologies effectively to develop deep knowledge has valuably led to enhancing an inclusive and flexible learning environment across both 5/6G and 5/6S, importantly addressing students' needs, strengths and interests, whilst increasing student motivation and resilience. Our 'Future Focus' has thus increased the engagement of our students and beneficially supported assessment and evaluation processes providing immediate and responsive information and feedback to students.
The BYODD program has also been enriched by collaborative 'Project-based' and 'Connected' learning, providing a dynamic approach to achieving self-motivated results, in which students explore real-world events, problems and challenges. With this type of active and engaged learning, we believe our students have been inspired to obtain a deeper knowledge of the topics or themes they're studying.
Some of our Project-based learning has been focussed on themes of the 'Gold Rush', Space Sciences', 'Matter' and 'Global Environments', and recently incorporated within our study of 'Antarctica', our most valuable Connected Classroom experience to date. On the 29th of July, our students experienced a live and interactive video discussion and presentation with scientists and technicians from Casey Station, Antarctica.
Below are some excerpts from student recounts about using iPads for 'Future Focused" and "Project-based" learning, as well as their enjoyable 'Connected' experience with Casey Station.
Mr Guzman and Mrs Swift
This year we started off using our iPads for the first time… In the first term we started to learn about "Space", we created StopMotion presentations about how the planet Earth rotates around the Sun. In our motion orrery, we included constellations like Scorpio and Orion to video using iMovie to explain their position too.
Josh & Joe (Year 6)
On 29th of July 5/6G and 5/6S had a video conference in the connected classroom with three of the staff of Casey Station in Antarctica. We had learnt about what each staff does in Antarctica and what experiences they had. We had met a doctor, an engineer and an explorer. Before the video conference we had drawn a diagram of a vehicle that would be suitable for using in Antarctic environments. We showed them our designs and they showed us and told us about the Casey Station. The view of Antarctica was amazing and we got to see their vehicles and the huge red station there...We thought that this video conference was informative and enjoyable. It was like we had been in Antarctica. We really would like to thank Mr Guzman and Mrs Swift for making this opportunity to learn in detail by seeing and listening to the staff in Antarctica and making our learning great fun.
Iris & Irisia (Year 6)
We designed Antarctic vehicles and labelled them…We also got to ask them (Casey Station) a question. Our question was what is the most common injury? and what is the worst injury that has happened in Antarctica? and they said the most common injuries were sprains, cuts and bruises.
Talia (Year 5)
We have been using a lot of apps like 'Edmodo'...'Numbers' for maths. 'Keynote' for presentations. 'Pages' and 'Popplet' for writing down ideas and brainstorming. 'iMovie' for making trailers or movies about our different subjects. 'ibooks' for reading. 'Pic collage' for posters. 'Garage band' to compose in Music. 'Book Creator' for publishing our writing with pictures. 'Strip designer' to make comics and 'Showbie' is used to deliver everything that you did to the teachers!
Patrick (Year 5)
A few days before the video conference both classes designed our own Antarctica vehicles. We added heating in the wheels, extra strong doors and windows and an avalanche button. Our vehicle looked really cool! We were lucky enough to show our awesome vehicles to them (at Casey Station).
Joanna & Juliette (Year 6)
This year we have been bring our own iPads to school every day with a number of educational apps like 'Book creator' which is used for publishing writing into e-books, 'Explain Everything' used for maths because it records everything you do on the program. We also use a movie making app iMovie. There are many more apps too…Over all, this year is different and hard but fun.
Zoe (Year 5)
In this term we have been starting to write myths or fairy tales. We also have been analysing pictures to see what the camera angles are, and the eye levels, the setting, salience or even the colours to make our own stories and present them using our iPad apps.
Lua (Year 5)
Music News
Week 3 was an eventful week in Music for our school! On Monday 3rd August, the SIPPS recorder ensemble performed at the Sydney Opera House at the Festival of Instrumental Music along with hundreds of other students from public schools all over NSW. It was an amazing concert and an exciting opportunity for our students. They worked really hard to learn the music by memory and performed extremely well. I was very proud of them!
The Arts Alive Choir will soon have their turn at performing at the Opera House, but first they will attend a preliminary rehearsal at Chatswood High School next Tuesday. During Music lessons last term, the whole of Stage 2 learnt the repertoire for a different choral festival called 'The Children's Festival of Music'. The children from these classes who were interested in being part of this festival, have now formed a choir and has begun rehearsing at lunchtime. They will be having their first combined schools rehearsal next Wednesday at Pymble Public School. If your child hasn't yet returned their permission slips for these Choral concerts, please do so as soon as possible.
On Tuesday the 4th August, our whole school enjoyed a wonderful performance of Cinderella put on by Oz Opera. This was an entertaining performance which the children thoroughly enjoyed. It expanded their musical experience, exposing them to a style of music they may not often listen to.
The children had the opportunity to ask the performers from Cinderella some questions at the end of the show. Through this question time, the performers were able to discuss with the students some of the important skills and aspects of performing on stage. This was very useful as all of our students will be performing at our annual SIPPS Spectacular at the end of this term. We've recently formed a Drama and Art club (run by Mrs Cameron). This group has started meeting at lunchtimes in order to prepare the script for the concert, as well as creating the back drop and set. All of the classes have been working hard on their songs and choreography, and it is shaping up to be a wonderful concert!
Mrs Cipollone
Library News
Children's Book week is approaching and SIPPS has some exciting events to help students celebrate. This year's book week theme is 'Books light up our world' and students have been engaged with this theme whilst reading the Children's Book Council Awards short listed books throughout terms 2 and 3.
The 3 events coming up are:
1. K-2 will experience a musical performance entitled 'Shine a Light!' on Friday August 21st. It is described as "both a gateway into accessing the best in Children's literature and a tale that explores the theme of self-esteem, 'Shine A Light!' celebrates the CBCA Theme BOOKS LIGHT UP OUR WORLD."
http://www.performmusicals.com/
2. BOOK PARADE! On August 27th students are invited and encouraged to dress up in a home-made costume as their favourite storybook character to march in and around our school to celebrate books and reading. At 9:30am families are invited to cheer on the children, their classes and the joy of reading.
"Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a
door opens to allow in more light."
–Vera Nazarian
3. Steven Herrick is Australia's most popular poet for young people. He has also written novels including 'Bleakboy and Hunter Stand Out in the Rain' which is on the 2015 short list for the CBCA Book of the Year for Younger Readers. He will be visiting SIPPS and performing for years 3-6 on Thursday, August 27th a show entitled 'Poetry, to the Rescue.' He offers an innovative and energetic performance which provides students with "a unique opportunity to appreciate the sound and humour of Modern Poetry".
http://youngaus.com.au/images/drama/POET2014.pdf
Children's Book Week is a time for students to celebrate literature and a love of reading, which is one of the central roles of the school library.
I hope students are excited and ready for a wonderful week of celebration.
Miss Muddell
Parents & Citizens Association
STOP PRESS: Due to problems with credit card facility access, the P & C were unable to process the credit card vouchers for the voluntary contributions to the P&C for some months. Access issues have now been resolved and the credit card vouchers were processed early in August.
Unfortunately, the Bank have used the reference on this payment as "St Ives Primary" instead of "St Ives Park Primary P & C Association".
This has understandably caused confusion – as the debit has appeared long after the vouchers were written and also the wrong school named as the payee. The matter is being investigated by the P&C with the credit card processors to ensure the correct reference is placed on future transactions.
Comedy Night organised by Kindy Class 2015!
A fabulous, fun-loving crowd from our SIPPS community laughed the night away at the comedy event last Saturday at the Bowling Club. Six comedians took to the stage in a two hour comedy festival! It certainly was a great social event for our school. We would like to thank Comedy for a Cause for organising a seamless night of entertainment.
A special big thank you goes to all of our very generous sponsors donating the many interesting silent auction items.
Special thanks to:
Ãœber Photography
Top Marx Personal Training
Authentic Empowerment
Twine Plover
BoVine Brasserie - St Ives
Cavallino Ristorante - Terrey Hills
Terrey Hills Swim School
Dennis Pontin Swim School
Eden Cafe - St Ives
Microsoft
This was all made possible by the committed committee of kindy parents: Chrissie, Sony, Sonya, Tiesja, Melissa, Stephanie, Pui and Adel.
Plus so many kindy families donated the amazing prizes for the POP-A- PRIZE game.
Well in excess of $2000 was raised by this event. The final figure will be released soon once all the silent auction money has been received.
Tennis Courts
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SIPPS Tennis Courts available for permanent
and casual hire. |
Uniform Shop
The uniform shop is open every Wednesday in the odd weeks of term – the next date being Wednesday 26th August 8.30am – 9.30am. This information is also now shown on the newsletter calendar.
Bare Creek Trail Run
Sunday 1st November 2015
BCTR Call For Immediate Action!
The BCTR may be four months away BUT to give the event every chance of success we need your immediate action:
- Enter you and your family to participate or volunteer www.barecreektrailrun.com
- Encourage as many of your friends and family as possible to enter the event now
Here is a link to our facebook page BCTR event
https://www.facebook.com/events/401434973378467/
This is a great and simple way to encourage people you know to join us on
race day please 'invite' people you know to attend the event.
Don't forget early bird prices end 2nd August 2015, register now to get your personalised running bib!
If you want more information contact info@barecreektrailrun.com
Community Notices
Primary Summer Soccer
Primary Soccer is a not-for-profit club offering summer soccer for primary aged children.
It works as a cooperative between a number of local soccer clubs including;-
Gordon, West Pymble, St Ives, Kissing Point, Wahroonga etc
Games are played one afternoon a week, for 16 weeks breaking for school holidays
Total cost $130 per player.
All games have qualified referees.
Games start Early September
For more information visit
http://www.primarysoccer.com.au
