21 September 2020

Newsletter Articles

September PBL Focus

Principal’s Message

Dear parents and carers,

I just wanted to take a few moments to reflect on Term 3 at St Ives Park.

Although our conversations in the playground or at the classroom door are on hold, I know the teachers really appreciate the ‘new normal’ street side conversations that have been taking place with our community. it is lovely to see so many smiling faces of students as they enter into school each morning. I enjoy chatting with parents and families each Friday as I welcome our students into school via the K-2 gate. Please remember parents are able to call the office or email teachers to make virtual appointments to discuss student learning.

I have started speaking with small groups of students across the grades to ask them to reflect on their sense of belonging and their day to day school life. This will continue for several weeks and I will report back to our community, students and staff the general themes and messages shared with me during these conversations.

Early next term I will ask parents to complete school based surveys concerning the programs and activities you appreciate for your children. I will also seek input from parents regarding our communication strategies and your thoughts on areas of strength and areas for review. This information will be utilised and combined with in-school information and DoE expectations to form part of the next school plan.

The staff have been raising expectations in classrooms and supporting student learning throughout the term. Educational research indicates that high expectations of students in regard to learning, behaviour and achievement is vital to support student development.

The SRC (Student Representative Council) are planning a Pyjama Day for this Wednesday to finish the term on a high note. 

School Plan 2021-2024 – St Ives Park PS

Reflection on existing teaching and learning practices, student learning and assessment undertaken at the school level to inform our future directions in planning. Students and the community will also have opportunities to share their thoughts and then our forward plan will be formulated.

2020 Athletics carnival

The staff and students at SIPPS were a wonderful team in organising and conducting the SIPPS 2020 athletics carnival. Although parents were unable to attend due to current guidelines, our senior students really stepped up and took on roles of responsibility with many shining in their roles! An enormous thank you to the students and staff for their enthusiasm on an unusually warm day in September. Miss Emerson has once again pulled another wonderful carnival out of the hat as chief organiser! Well done everyone.

Thank you to the P&C for the ice blocks which cooled everyone down at the end of the day. So thoughtful, caring and timely at the end of the very warm day. A perfect ‘pick me up’ for all concerned.

P&C striving for improvements at SIPPS
Shade Sail Project and SIPPS 50th birthday pavers projects

The shade sail project is underway and with the Asset team at the Department of Education. There have been several site meetings and surveys of the play area prior to installation in the coming weeks. Thank you to the SIPPS P&C for this addition to the school. We cannot wait!

The shade sails will be located approximately where the red box around the play equipment is drawn in the photo. (Please refer to the photo below).

Adjacent to the administration block you can see a blue dot where the flag pole will be relocated. This is to the right corner of the garden bed which is under construction in this area. The 50th birthday pavers would become a feature adjacent to the garden bed and flag pole and be a feature of future ANZAC Day and Remembrance day assemblies. (Please refer to the photo below).

Stop Press !!!

The shade sails are to be installed in the school holidays beginning Monday 28th September.

Professional Learning @SIPPS

Continuing the network professional learning for staff in Term 4, Terry Hills Public School and SIPPS will collaborate on several occasions.

Week 1: SIPPS and THPS Executive teams will join with the LEED facilitators from CESE to explore Evaluative Practices and learning evaluation planning.

Week 2: SIPPS and THPS staff will again consider student writing samples to ensure Consistent Teacher Judgement prior to report writing.

Week 3: SIPPS and THPS staff teams will gather together for ‘socially distanced’ learning focussing on Evaluative Practices and teaching and learning programs.

Week 3: SIPPS Executive may have an opportunity to meet with staff from a range of local schools exploring visible learning and collaboration with John Hattie. This will lead nicely into areas for development in the new school plan.

OOSH Tender underway – Before and After School Care

Do you use Helping Hands as a before or after school care provider for your child? Please read below.

The Department of Education is conducting a formal tender process for the Out Of School Hours Care (OOSH) at SIPPS as the existing contract has expired. This process was to take place earlier in the year, however it has been delayed due to Covid19 restrictions. Helping Hands in the current provider. At the conclusion of the tender process our community will be informed of the successful applicant, their practices and documentation requirements.

YES … we need to hear from you!

It is that time of year again when we ask our parents to complete the Tell Them From Me survey. This survey offers parents the opportunity to share their thoughts on the teaching, learning and facilities at St Ives Park Public School. Please complete the survey by 23rd October, 2020.

In 2019 I reported back to our community the highlights and areas for consideration in the newsletter. This will occur again for the information provided in 2020.

Kindergarten Orientation Planning

Our SRC students and I have been in discussions planning snapshots of information and video for our new Kindergarten students and their families which will introduce them to our school. This will support families, should we have restrictions in place in Term 4 during our Kindergarten orientation timeframe.

Year 6 end of year event options

Thank you to Mrs Robson and her team of parents who are working quietly behind the scenes to facilitate a Year 6 end of year event. The team have multiple scenarios and options in mind depending on the Departmental restrictions in place.

The restrictions for Year 12 formals have been revised and we are hoping the Year 6 graduation restrictions will be advised early next term. I will update the community as soon as possible.

Tennis Courts – Pressure Cleaning

Last Tuesday the tennis courts were pressure cleaned to remove the mould and built up grime from the surface of the court and surrounds.

Canteen in Term 4

Canteen will operate at lunch time only in Term 4. Please continue to order online via Qkr! Thank you to Mrs Robson who has been leading the canteen during the challenging Covid 19 restrictions.

Summer Uniforms and Hats

The weather is now warmer and all students are welcome to wear their Summer uniforms each day. As the weather is now warming up, all students are expected to wear their hats each and every day in the playground during recess and lunch play times.

Students have been consistently reminded of their responsibility to be organised and have their hats with them for each play session. Staff have reinforced this message for the last two week and students now need to demonstrate their responsibility and wear their hats daily.

Just a final note, John Marsden, a well known Australian children’s author, made some interesting statements about how to support children in the changed world we find ourselves navigating. I recently posted these on the SIPPS Facebook page for people to privately reflect on with family and friends.

Wishing all our families a very safe and healthy two week holiday.
Looking forward to an action packed Term 4.
Warm wishes,
Caroline English

Art

Art Exhibition 2020

It's the most exciting time of the year in the art room when we get to celebrate the students achievements by exhibiting their wonderful artwork in the gallery space at St Ives Shopping Village. The art exhibition will be up on Monday 12th October, the first day back after the holidays and will be on display until Sunday the 25th October. It would be wonderful if you get a chance to visit the exhibition to help celebrate the amazing artwork that the students create here at SIPPS. I know the students are very excited that their work will be on display to the public and are looking forward to showing it off to family and friends.

Yvonne Stone
Art Teacher
St Ives Park Public School

Inspiring & Nurturing
Successful Lifelong Learners

Music News

Music has certainly been different this term, with no group singing or recorder playing. Students have enjoyed playing all sorts of percussion, making soundscapes, composing rhythm patterns and playing Ukulele instead. Many classes have also had the opportunity to hear their class-mates play the piano as we have a number of excellent pianists at our school.

One of the up-sides of the current situation is that many institutions such as the Sydney Opera House are making staged performances available to view on line free of charge.

You can go to the Sydney Opera House website or click on this link to find out more.

https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/visit-us/bring-the-kids/for-the-kids.html

Learning support

This week I am going to look at the work of Speech Pathologists / Speech Therapists and how they support children. The two terms are interchangeable and refer to the same profession.

A speech pathologist / therapist is a university-trained health professional who works with anyone who has trouble communicating. Speech pathologists / therapists help people find the best way to communicate to meet their needs. This might include strategies to improve speech clarity or fluency.

Why your child might see a speech pathologist / therapist?

• Problems being understood by other people
• Problems understanding what people say
• Frustration because he/she can’t say what he/she wants to say or can’t be understood by others
• A husky voice that’s hard to hear
• Stuttering.
• Dyslexia and literacy difficulties
• Challenges with writing and getting thoughts onto paper
• Children with diagnosis like Autism or Down Syndrome.

You don’t need a GP referral to see a speech pathologist / therapist, but talking to your GP is a good place to start if you’re worried about your child’s health or development.

Before going to a speech therapist it’s important to understand why your child needs to see them. You might like to write down any concerns or questions you have about your child’s speech or language, so you’re ready for your visit.

There are countless reasons a child’s development may be slower than usual, and many of these will not impact their quality of life in the long term. But it is always best to address any potential issues as soon as possible. If you suspect your child may be having difficulty, play it safe and seek professional advice. The only way to improve communication difficulties is by finding and addressing the cause of the difficulties.

Regards,
Adrienne Reid
Learning and Support Teacher

Student Representative Council

Pyjama Day

On Wednesday the 23rd September, we will be holding a

Pyjama Day to raise money for our local Hornsby Ku-ring-gai

Hospital’s Covid Fund. Dress up in your favourite PJs and

bring a gold coin or more to donate to our hospital.

Remember to wear Enclosed Shoes, Appropriate PJs and No

Slippers. Ugg Boots are fine.

The SRC Team

Notes from the Office

Please make sure all school uniforms, lunch boxes – lids and containers, bags, drink bottles are labelled with your child/children’s name.

Uniform Shop

Uniform orders need to be in by the Wednesday evening.

Goods will be handed out to your child just before the end of school on the Thursday afternoon. If you have any questions please call the school office or send an email to the uniform email address below.

School Uniform items can be purchased every week by using the QKr! App.

sippsuniform@gmail.com

Canteen

CANTEEN NEWS

3/4 Aqua & 3/4 Purple have been doing a wonderful job choosing healthy salads for their lunch orders! If you have any suggestions for other vegetables for us to include in the garden salad please send us a note via the office addressed to ‘canteen’ or in your lunch order bag.

1/2 Yellow & 1/2 Emerald are the best classes in the school at remembering their reusable lunch bags - great for the canteen volunteers and the environment. Thank you stage 1!

You can buy your own reusable canteen bag for $10 (under ‘general’ tab in the Qkr! Menu), with the move to Qkr! Only orders we are using more one-use only items in the canteen - every little bit helps :)

Real fruit slushies are on the menu while stocks last, only $2 and for lunch time order only.

A reminder that due to covid-19 restrictions we are NOT accepting cash in the canteen at the moment. Until further notice there will be no recess orders. All Orders are to completed using the Qkr! app.

Thanks you for your support.

Sony Robson
P& C Canteen Co-ordinator

Helping Hands OOSH & Vacation Care

Helping Hands Network are the company who provide before and after school care at St Ives Park Public School.

All information about Before and After school care can be located on their website. Please click on the link below.

Community Notices

Scope IT

St Ives Park have engaged ScopeIT Education over the last term to teach students the digital technologies curriculum. We would like to invite interested students to take part in our International Tech Tournament Competition 2020.

Students can enter a digital technologies project (robotics, electronics, 3D printing, coding, app or website) that they have created themselves and be in the running to win prizes including iPads, drones and Google Home Minis across two age groups, 7-10 and 11-15 years old.

To find out more, see the flyer attached or visit at the link below.

St Ives Library – at St Ives shops

School holidays are looming and St Ives Library will be busy delivering a number of school holiday programs online for children, including technology sessions and storytime streaming.