22 August 2016

Newsletter Articles

PBL Focus for August

Principal's Message

The Arts are Alive at SIPPS

Congratulations to our choir who recently sang in the NSW Public Schools Arts Alive concert at the Sydney Town Hall. Our choristers enjoyed the opportunity to be part of a wonderful night of inspiring music performed by over 500 students from many schools across northern Sydney. Mrs Hayllar, Mrs Price and I were very proud of their performance and behaviour.

On Wednesday the 10th of August, members of the Festival of Children's Music choir and Miss Emerson participated in the first combined choir rehearsal at Pymble Public School. The choristers learnt a lot and had a wonderful time singing with their peers from other Sydney metropolitan schools. Everyone sang beautifully and it was great to see all their hard work coming together.

Tonight the SIPPS recorder ensemble will be performing in the Festival of Instrumental Music. The Festival of Instrumental Music presents four concerts of diverse and challenging repertoire, as well as some especially commissioned works by Australian composers, at the Sydney Opera House. Tonight is the Acacia Concert and once again SIPPS students will be playing in Sydney's most iconic performance venue to bring the joy of music to the hearts of many.

These concerts are a tribute to the hard work and talents of students and teachers in our public school system.

GOLD, GOLD, GOLD

The Olympics isn't the only place where gold medals have recently been won. Right here at SIPPS we awarded Jamie with his SIPPS Gold for his great effort in excelling in learning and behaviour consistent with our schools expectations of Respect, Responsibility and Personal Best. Congratulations Jamie!

Premier's Spelling Bee

Congratulations to all of our junior and senior school finalists in the Premier's Spelling Bee 2016. Best wishes to the following students who will be attending the Regional final.

Junior (Stage 2) Competition Winners:

Amy
Maximus

Senior Competition (Stage 3) Winners:

Jay
Sean

International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS)

Over one million student entries are accepted from over 6,300 schools in Australia and New Zealand annually. In addition, students from over 20 countries including Hong Kong, India, Malaysia, Singapore, South Africa and the USA participate in ICAS each year.

Congratulations to the following SIPPS students for excellent results in this year's ICAS Writing competition.

Distinction

Emelia 3/4F
Jack 3/4F

Credit

Tamara 3S
Mia 3/4F
Katherine 3/4F
Aden 5/6H

Merit

Sarah 5/6G

NAPLAN

In May 2016, more than a million Australian school students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 undertook common tests across the country in Reading, Writing, Spelling, Grammar and Punctuation and Numeracy. The NAPLAN tests provide a 'point in time' account of how each student is performing compared to children of the same age across Australia, with the overall school results valuable for planning future directions in our curriculum. Individual results, once received, should not be viewed in isolation, but should be considered with the various forms of assessment provided by class teachers throughout the year. Parents of students in Years 3 and 5 received envelopes containing reports last Friday 19 August.

Three Wishes Poll

Thanks to the committed members of the SIPPS P&C and their fundraising plans students will enjoy future access to enhanced learning spaces and resources. Students and parents are invited to vote for their favourite option in the Three Wishes Poll which is in this edition of The Patter.

Thank you P&C

SIPPS staff would like to thank the P&C for generously funding the installation of an air conditioner into the staffroom. Our whole school is now fully air conditioned so all students, staff, parents and visitors can enjoy optimal learning and working conditions every day.

Thanks also to Linda Croft and parents who have coordinated the rescheduled P&C Bush Classroom Working Bee. The assistance and support of Ku-ring-gai Council's Bush Care officers is also greatly appreciated by the whole school. Apart from helping with the care of our school those who attend will no doubt learn much about how to care for our native flora by joining in on Sunday 28th August.

Book Week Parade

This week we are celebrating Australian Children's Literature. This Thursday 25th August, come and see our parade of characters inspired by this year's Book Week theme: 'Australia, Story Country'. Our Student Representative Council have also organised SIPPS involvement in 'The Great Aussie Book Swap' which helps to support indigenous literacy. The parade starts at 12:15pm.

Kindergarten 2017

We are now enrolling for 2017. The first steps into the education system shape your child's love and enthusiasm for learning. St Ives Park Public School's Kindergarten program encourages children to achieve academically, socially and to become independent and creative learners. Our Kindergarten team are passionate, caring and focused on teaching the school values of Respect, Responsibility and Personal Best. Classrooms are quality learning environments where your child is given the opportunity to learn social and academic skills through active and educational play that integrates the latest technology and teaching practice. If you have a child who is turning 5 before July 31, 2017 and is starting school in 2017, please assist us with our planning by completing an enrolment form as soon as possible. Please see our Kindergarten Orientation flyer later in this bulletin.

Best Wishes
Gillian Tegg

Inspiring & Nurturing Successful Lifelong Learners

In Year One's STEAM unit this term we are exploring wind. During Science Week 1E designed kites in an attempt to discover, define and 'play with' wind like the boy in "Ollie and the Wind" by Ronojoy Ghosh.

Miss Emerson

Growth Mindset – 1 K/A

1/KA students were recently reflecting on what they learnt about achieving their Personal Best from reading a book called 'The Magnificent Thing'. Please enjoy the following writing samples from 1/KA.

5/6H have been looking at found poetry. This type of poetry is created by taking words and phrases from other sources and putting them together to give them a new meaning. The students studied different examples of found poetry and then had a go at creating their own.

2FT

In Science this term 2FT are exploring the way animals and plants grow and change. They have been investigating the life cycles of butterflies and frogs and have learnt that they undergo a process called metamorphosis. On Open Day they made their own amazing butterfly life cycle using various materials (see attached photo). Soon 2FT will be holding a baby-guessing competition and growing grass-heads as part of this unit.

Notes from Office

LMBR Training

We are now on the countdown to our "Go Live" date on Monday 5th September. Final cheques are being issued and we are following up final student payments as our bank account will shortly be frozen and then closed. The new financial, student welfare and administration procedures incorporate the biggest change to school administration in many years and we would ask for your patience as we familiarise ourselves with the various elements of the new packages.

Photo Day – Monday 5th September

Photo order envelopes were handed out a fortnight ago to all students. The easiest and preferred method for ordering school photos is online. If you wish to order school photos and pay via cash/cheque please follow the instructions on the envelope and return the envelope to the school. Sibling group photos can be ordered online or you can collect a separate 'Sibling' order envelope from the office. Students who represented the school in PSSA, or at Zone sports carnivals will need to bring their sports uniforms and joggers to school (in a named plastic bag). Please ensure your child is wearing the correct winter uniform on the day with ties, belts and black school shoes.

Library

All families and friends are invited to join us on Thursday 25 August to celebrate Book Week.

We will be having a Book Parade at 12.15pm with our friends from Sir Eric Woodward school.

All students are asked to dress as their favourite book character: human, animal or other! Students can wear their costume to school on the day, but may need to bring any props or extras that they need to carry for the Parade. As the weather can be cold in August please send along warm clothing if the costume is "summery" in nature. This is a fun event which does not require a hired or expensive costume. Students will need to carry a copy of their book or a sign stating who they are. If you need any inspiration please see your class teacher or myself as we are only too happy to make some suggestions. Often it is easier to find a book character that matches a costume you already own rather than try to make a complicated costume of a particular character. No onesies please.

Following the parade, families are invited to share a picnic with their children in our school grounds. The canteen will be selling some special Book Week treats. A note will be sent home closer to the day listing items and prices.

The SRC will be running a Great Book Swap with the funds raised donated to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

Prior to this day, students will be encouraged to bring in a gold coin donation and a book that they have finished reading. The book must be in excellent condition and at a suitable reading level for a student in their class. Students will be able to swap their book for another book on the day of the swap. The SRC will be updating students in the lead up to this event.

So mark the date in your diary, charge up your camera, plan your picnic lunch and join us on 25/8/16 to celebrate Book Week.

Virginia Allman

Parents and Citizens Association

Tennis Courts

Bush Classroom Working Bee

Thankyou to everyone who volunteered for the Bush Classroom Working Bee last term. Unfortunately, the Working Bee was cancelled due to rain but the good news is that we have rescheduled for Sunday 28 August.

Please join us for a great morning regenerating our Bush Classroom for our children and then enjoy a FREE Sausage Sizzle lunch!

Linda Croft

BARE CREEK TRAIL RUN IS BACK…WITH A NEW ORGANISER AND A NEW EVENT!

Dust off your running shoes and start limbering up for the Bare Creek Trail Run on Sunday 27th November!

10KM, 6KM and NEW 2KM DASH!

This year the event will include the 10KM Run, 6KM Run/Walk for anyone over 5 and will introduce a new 2KM DASH so that families with children under 5 can also hit the trail! The 2KM event will be held after the 10K and 6K events so that parents can run their own race and then take the kids on the fun and easy 2K DASH.

BENEFITS FOR SIPPS

No cost to the school! The Bare Creek Trail Run will no longer cost our school as ex-SIPPS parent and founder of the event Lisa Murphy has agreed to take on the run from now on via her company Bare Events.

Fund Raising Opportunities!

• Payment to the School - Bare Events has paid to use the school facilities.
• Early Bird Registration Rebate – If we can get 200 SIPPS runners to register before 15th October,SIPPS P&C will receive a donation for every single SIPPS registration so make sure you spread the word to your family and friends!
• SIPPS Sausage Sizzle – The P&C has the opportunity to run a sausage sizzle on the day to raise funds for our school.

Great PR!

The Bare Creek Trail Run is a positive, healthy, family event that attracts local residents, businesses, other schools, runners, and the media to our school. This raises awareness about our school and showcase its many great assets.

Enter now and tick the SIPPS BOX on the registration form to get the best entry price, support our school, and have your name printed on your running bib!

Uniform Shop

The uniform shop will be open fortnightly – the next date being August 31. Traditionally, summer uniform is worn in Term 4 so now is a great time to check your supplies and visit the uniform shop on August 31 or September 14.

Community Notices