30 May 2016

Newsletter Articles

PBL Focus for June

Principal’s Message

New OOSHC playground open

Last Wednesday OOSCH students enjoyed playing on their newly completed playground for the first time. This playground was a gift from the former Acron Road OOSCH. Thank you to Liz Kilpatrick who came along to our K-6 assembly to officially ‘hand over’ the playground to Virginia Ringrose, the coordinator of our new Helping Hands OOSHC. Thank you to our School Captain Sean for speaking on behalf of current SIPPS students who utilise the OOSHC service.

Good sports at SIPPS

Last week I enjoyed the chance to see how students were engaging with the many excellent sports programs we offer at SIPPS. Last Friday at school, I was pleased to see students participating enthusiastically in the new orienteering program. Orienteering is a lifetime fitness sport that also challenges the mind. It offers the obvious development of individual skills in navigating by reading maps and compass points while problem solving to locate each checkpoint or control.

I also visited Canoon Road to see our junior and senior netball teams using their skills and team work to achieve personal best efforts. This included a great win from the Senior A team. Congratulations girls! Thank you to Kristy Curnow for coordinating parent umpires for the remainder of this year’s netball competition. We would love to hear from any other parents would like to help with umpiring netball.

Last Tuesday I watched the Stage 2 and 3 students practising key athletics skills with the coaching and equipment provided by the Sport in Schools program. Thank you to parents for funding the cost of this weekly sport program.

Also successful was our Zone Cross Country squad who ran exceptionally well on the challenging course at St Ives Show ground last Thursday. Congratulations to Emily B and Zoe W who have been selected in the Area Carnival team.

STEAMing ahead at SIPPS

Our futures-focused learning priority aims to give students at SIPPS the necessary skills for the economy and society of the future. That’s why we are focusing on developing a comprehensive strategy to integrate quality teaching and learning in Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM). We are already making good progress through the current implementation of programs such as Primary Connections Science, Spectra Science Challenge, ScopeIT coding program, iMaths program and Maths Olympiad.

On the evening of June 1, teaching staff will attend a STEAMPunk Conference at Wahroonga Public School with keynote speaker Amanda Fox, from Savannah Georgia USA who is a leader in STEM education and practical applications. The STEAMpunks Teacher conference is designed to tackle five specific areas for developing a STEAM strategy:

1. How to boost student engagement with STEAM
2. Designing teacher professional development in STEAM subjects incorporating creativity and critical thinking
3. Ideas for the integration of the digital technologies curriculum with STEAM
4. Connecting with your STEAM community
5. Engaging primary schools in STEAM.

Professional Development for staff at SIPPS is organised for teachers to meet the school’s strategic directions for 2015-2017 (see below). Professional development for teachers on June 1 will complete half of the prerequisite number of hours set aside for professional development normally held on Monday December 19. This date is one of two days set aside by the Department of Education following the student’s last day on Friday December 16.

Financial & administrative changes for NSW public schools

The NSW Department of Education is currently implementing a standardised finance system (SAP) and new financial processes for all NSW Public Schools as part of the Learning Management and Business Reform (LMBR). There is also a new Student Administration and Learning Management (SALM) system that is being adopted at the same time.

As such, changes to Customer and Supplier invoicing and payment arrangements are being introduced to schools over 2016 and 2017. Our school is in the process of making the transition to this new system so that we will be ready for our ‘go live’ date of September 5, 2016. In Terms 2 & 3 Mrs Morris, Mrs Aylmer and Mrs Tegg will be attending off site training to enable the school’s smooth adoption of the LMBR reforms.

Please continue to read The Patter carefully especially ‘Notes from Office’ for ongoing updates. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this transition.

Poll results

SIPPS students are doing a wonderful job at reducing litter and waste at school. They are showing that they can take responsibility for putting litter in the bin and look after their personal belongings. Each class has a waste reduction target and certificates will be awarded to those classes who achieve their personal best in this initiative. Thank you to parents who are also supporting this important initiative.

Thank you to those students, teachers and parents who visited our online poll to vote for our enviro-mascot’s name. Please see the results below. From now on we will know the mascot as Pluto Platypus. Pluto is currently in KM and will be awarded to classes as they achiever their litter reduction targets.

National Reconciliation Week 27/5 to 3/6

Each year National Reconciliation Week (NRW) celebrates and builds on the respectful relationships shared by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and other Australians.

The theme for NRW 2016 is Our History, Our Story, Our Future.

‘Our History’ reminds us all that historical acceptance is essential to our reconciliation journey.

‘Our Story’ reflects the fact that the journey towards reconciliation forms a significant part of Australia’s story. It also encourages each and every one of us to make reconciliation part of our own story.

‘Our Future’ reinforces that reconciliation must live in the hearts, minds and actions of all Australians as we move forward, in the knowledge that we believe in fairness for everyone, that our diversity makes us richer, and that together, we are stronger. More information can be found at the following link.

Best Wishes
Gillian Tegg

Inspiring & Nurturing Successful Lifelong Learners

Learning for life

The school’s eco-committee have met with the non-profit organisation Seed Harvest Spoon to commence planning a future-focussed learning project with them. We believe that the program offers great benefit to the children (and families) as a way to:

• increase an understanding of sustainable living practices, environmental protection, healthy eating and nutrition and connection with the land;

• provide opportunities for integrated learning to develop practical skills and understandings that encompass literacy, numeracy, science, Arts and Health and personal development;
• provide students opportunities to refine and practice essential skills of communication collaboration, critical & creative thinking.

We can confirm that in Semester Two all SIPPS students will enjoy a comprehensive program delivered by Seed, Harvest, Spoon.

Proposed timetable for class lessons that run on a fortnightly basis over 8 weeks in Terms 3 and 4. The program content will cover the following topics.

Fundraising and grants have financed the Term 3 program and we thank the SIPPS P&C for fully supporting this program.

Child Protection Education

K-2 had a wonderful time at Ditto's Keep Safe Show, especially meeting Ditto the baby lion and singing songs. Here are the reports that Sofia, Noam, Daniela and Scarlett wrote about what they learnt and their experiences of the show.

Notes from Office

Permission Notes

A number of notes have been sent home recently. Please check that you have received all appropriate notes and that they are returned to the class teacher by due date. Copies of notes marked with an * have been uploaded to the school’s webpage if you cannot locate your child’s copy.

*K-2 Excursion to The Old Schoolhouse – Monday 6th June: An information and permission note was sent home last week. Please return consent form, along with excursion fee $25 by Wednesday 1st June so we can finalise numbers.

*Grade 3 & 4 Excursion to Kalkari Visitors Centre, Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park - Monday 27th June. Notes were sent home last week - permission notes and payment are due in by Thursday 9th June.

*SIPPS Dancers: We now have dates and times for the dress rehearsal, matinee and performances for the North Sydney Dance Festival. Notes have been sent home to all dancers. Please return the permission note, costume hire and bus levy, transport note (junior dance only) and the Dance Festival General Information & agreement form by Thursday 9th June.

Semester 1 invoice/Statement – We have had a good response with many parents trying out the new POP online payment system. There are still a number of payments to come in so we are sending out a further print-out of outstanding invoices and would ask that all payments be cleared by Thursday 9th June. If, for some reason any family is having difficulties with payment of their account or would like to pay by instalment please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Tegg so that alternative arrangements can be made.

Library

Students in Kindergarten and Year 1 and Stage 3 have been involved in National Simultaneous Storytime.

National Simultaneous Storytime is an annual campaign that aims to encourage more young Australians to read and enjoy books. Now in its 16th successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children’s book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Grades 1 to 6 and the pre-school Early Learning Years Framework.

The 2016 National Simultaneous Storytime book is: I Got This Hat

Students in stage 3 worked with the younger students to design, create and describe all manner of crazy hats. This was a team activity using an iPad and the I Got This Hat app which was specially designed for the NSST event. It was great to see the collaboration and cooperation shown by the students throughout this creative task.

Virgina Allman
Teacher Librarian
Kambora P.S and St Ives Park P.S

Music

MUSICA VIVA

Boom, boom, boom. We had Musica Viva come to our school and it was amazing. We got to dance, sing and listen to the South American performance. They played many different instruments that I had never seen before like the zamponas, bombo, kena, cajon and the charango. We listened to songs based on legends that were very unique. I really enjoyed the performance.

Sabrina Mulhearn, 3/4F.

When Tigramuna came and played for us the Sailing Sounds of South America my favourite instrument was the zamponas, they are like pan pipes. The legend of how the zamponas were created was very interesting. A man and woman were walking through the desert when the woman became unwell. The man found her shelter under some bamboo. He lay the woman there and went to find help. When he returned the woman was gone, so he got some of the bamboo, cut it into different lengths and tied the pieces together. He blew into them to call out to her as he searched for her.

Gabi Rostirola, 3/4F.

Musica Viva

On Monday the 23rd of May Musica Viva came and played music and also sang at our school. Some instruments were soft and some were loud. The band was very interesting. Everyone in the band was from Latin America. When I heard the last song it straight away popped into Izzy and my head, we heard it before but we don’t know where from.

Julia Van Der Linden, 3S

Musica Viva

On Monday, 23 of May, a band came to SIPPS. There were lots of musical instruments like the kennel, there were also two musical instruments similar to the banjo and lots of other different types of drums. Most of the members of the band were from Latin America except for one of them who was from Australia. We also did a few dance moves that went along with the music. I think that, that WAS THE BEST BAND I HAVE EVER HEARD!

Jack Churchhouse, 3S

Helping Hands OOSHC

Thank you to Acron Road OOSH

On behalf of Helping Hands, the children, parents and educators at St Ives Park, we would like to sincerely thank the previous OOSH provider, Acron Rd OOSH for their generous gift to the school and the OOSH service.

The new play space outside the OOSH provides unlimited opportunities for the children to move, explore, create and imagine. In the first afternoon alone the new play space has been used for climbing, balancing, building, driving toy motor bikes, a game of Uno and the stepping stones have been used to avoid lava!

We are looking forward to many days of fun and learning through play in this wonderful new space. We are very fortunate to have this space provided for us and we will be working with the children to use it safely and to make the most of it!

Virginia Ringrose

Parents and Citizens Association

Tennis Courts

Kindy Open Day – Thank You!

Big thanks to Felise, Sonya, Linda and Lizzy who helped out at the Kindy Open Day last Tuesday. The incoming Kindy parents felt very welcome with the delicious morning tea which was provided, and I’m sure that they appreciated being able to speak to parents who already have children at the school.

P&C to subsidize the Swimming Scheme by $1,000

The P&C would like to acknowledge Sonya Acton’s contribution in advocating for SIPPS to be a part of the Department of Education Swimming Scheme. We are also grateful to Kathie Anderson and Gillian Tegg for following up on the Swim Scheme.

The P&C would love to see more students actively participating in the School Swimming Carnival so this intensive swim course, designed for Year 2 students, will help facilitate their participation in future school swim carnivals. The 10 Day intensive program is free of charge, however, we understand that the cost of transport can be prohibitive, so we have voted to subsidize the transport by $1,000. This will bring the cost of transport down by $33 - $50 per child.

Volunteers Needed

Could you spare some time to volunteer your services for the P&C?

We have had a recent reshuffling of roles in the P&C Executive. The position of secretary is now open as Lizzy Simunovic is stepping into the role of Class Parent Coordinator. If you are interested in volunteering to be Secretary of the P&C, please contact Sony on sony55@hotmail.com

The Role Of The Secretary

The Secretary is responsible for carrying out the administrative tasks related to the decisions of the meetings as resolved. The Secretary prepares, in consultation with the President, all meeting agendas. The Secretary is required to attend P&C Association meetings and take notes of the discussions in order to produce a set of Minutes for subsequent distribution to members and for receipt, possible amendment and adoption at the following meeting. (In the absence of the Secretary the meeting should elect a person to take the Minutes, this person should be identified in the Minutes.) Further, the position includes receiving and tabling all correspondence as well as writing and dispatching outgoing correspondence as resolved/appropriate. The Secretary also issues notice of all meetings and maintains official records of the P&C Association such as the constitution, by-laws, rules of subcommittees, Incorporation Certificate, ABN details, list of financial (voting) members, Minutes, Attendance book.

Uniform Shop

The uniform shop will be open fortnightly – the next date being Wednesday June 8.