Five Dock PS Newsletter Term 4, Week 8, 2023
We learn on Wangal Country
Principal's Report
Presentation Day
Today it was my pleasure to attend my very first presentation day assemblies as Principal of Five Dock PS. I was so proud of all the students' exceptional behaviour and respectful listening that was displayed. It was wonderful to recognise the achievements and efforts of all our students. It has been wonderful to watch the students at Five Dock grow, even over just six months. I congratulate all the award winners for their effort and persistence throughout the year. I would also like to acknowledge that all students have worked hard to achieve set learning goals and recognise their efforts throughout the year. The students are indeed a shining light at Five Dock PS, always interacting in a respectful and kind manner, consistently showing kindness, gratitude and empathy. I look forward to watching them continue to grow and develop next year.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Deb O'Loughlin for all of her organisation to enable the assemblies to run smoothly and efficiently. Events like this do not just happen and I appreciate the attention to detail provided - the assemblies were outstanding. Deb was ably assisted by our executive staff, Michelle Holmes, Cathryn Alessi, Terry Justic, Donna Tay and Losh Reddy. I thank them all for their collaborative efforts.
Student Leadership Team 2024
It was a pleasure to induct our new school leadership team at the assemblies today. Congratulations to our school captains, Ethan Hsu and Isobel Bendall, as well as our prefects Fred Thompson, Zadie Cahill, Jaden Belotti and Naomi Cahill. I look forward to working with the team in 2024 and watching their leadership grow.
Kindy Orientation
Last week we wrapped up Kindy Orientation for 2023. It was extremely successful and students who are coming to Kindy next year had a wonderful time experiencing life in Kindergarten. It was lovely to meet new and old parents and connect with them via our three sessions. This year we also held one to one interviews with families and it was a great way to get to know students and their families. I would like to thank Mr Justic for all of his organisation with this event, as well as office staff who supported him with the administration work required to enrol families.
Gardening Club/ Cooling the Schools
On Saturday November 18, Mr Sharp initiated and held a working bee at the school to rejuvenate the Indigenous garden. He was supported by Tahlia Crehan's grandad, Elise Waters' mum and Eli Macdonald's dad, as well as Mrs Holmes and Emily Walton. They did an amazing job and the garden is looking fabulous at the moment. We thank them for their efforts in supporting the maintenance and aesthetics of the school grounds. On Monday of this week, our Cooling the Schools program incursion occurred. On this day, three different groups participated in planting many trees and native plants around the school, with the help of Mr Sharp. The students did a fantastic job and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. This program will not only add to our aesthetics, but also provide valuable natural shade for our playgrounds. Well done to our gardening club, SRC and the two students who were chosen from each class to participate. They all did a wonderful job.
Statements of Account
As it is the end of the year, we are in the process of finalising our financial accounts and as a result, Carla, our School Administration Manager will be issuing one final statement next week. If you have any outstanding fees, we would appreciate these to be finalised before the end of the year. There are some students in Year 6 with no siblings who actually have a credit on their account. You are encouraged to log into School Bytes and check to see if you have a credit and apply for a refund online or email the school to let us know you would like a refund. We do understand and appreciate that not all of our families are comfortable with using School Bytes, but we are grateful for all of your support in trying to make it work. It is a system that I use myself as a parent (even before I used it at a school) and once you navigate your way through it, it is a simple platfrorm to use. We are here to provide support for you if you are still experienceing difficulties. The Department of Education has actually ceased its previous platform and most public schools are now using School Bytes for finances and permissions.
Transition/ Classes 2024
On Monday December 4, we will be having transition classes for 2024. This is merely a trial and may or may not be the class your child will be in for 2024. Once we observe the classes, we may make some changes depending on observations. At this stage, we will have either 13 or 14 classes. We will transition with 14 classes on Monday but at this stage we are unsure exactly how we will proceed in 2024. This uncertainty is purely based on numbers. As mentioned in a previous newsletter, staffing is allocated using a formula. Children in the earlier years (K-2) receive a higher allocation so fewer students are entitled to a full time teacher. However, we must remember that staffing is calculated on the TOTAL number of enrolments in the school, not the number of students in a particular year. Consequently, depending on the way in which numbers fall, this will determine whether composites are required. Often this is out of our hands and we are required to follow the Department of Education's guidelines. At the moment the way the numbers are falling, we will either have 14 straight classes, or 13 classes, with three composites in Stage 3. We are investigating using funds to purchase an extra class, however, this depends on our ability to finance this as it now costs close to $150,000 to do this, therefore we don't know whether it is a viable option or not. We have received feedback about this in the latest survey we sent out with some parents requesting no composites, however, this is something that we often have no choice about.
Survey
Thank you to the parents who have completed the survey to provide feedback on our new Strategic Improvement Plan. The process involves schools working with communities, parents, staff and students to identify needs of each stakeholder and to make some decisions about future directions for schools, with a view to improving the quality of teaching in schools and outcomes for all students. This strategic document places an emphasis on improvement and a key role in developing this is consultation with the community.
We are seeking your input into this planning process and would appreciate you spending some time completing the survey so that we can understand what you value in the education of your child and to help us define our directions over the next three years.
We value your feedback and contributions and appreciate the time you take in completing this survey. Working together, we can make a significant contribution to the learning outcomes for all students. We would like as many parents as possible to complete this survey so please, if you haven't completed it, we would greatly appreciate you taking 10 minutes to do so. Use this link to access the survey: https://forms.gle/wFWZfpSn8nVkigkV9
School Band
This week I attended the band concert that celebrated their growth and development throughout the course of the year. It was wonderful see the progress they have made, even in just the six months that I have been here. They did a wonderful job and it was a pleasure to see the students perform and be so proud of their progress in front of their parents. As mentioned in the previous newsletter, music is such an integral part of learning.
We recently held a Band expo fo Year 2 students and we encourage as many children as possible to consider joining the school band next year. Learning an instrument is an extremely valuable extra-curricular activity and supports learning in other areas as well.
This blog will provide you with 10 benefits to learning an instrument: https://moderntonestudios.com/blog/10-reasons-every-child-should-play-musical-instrument/#:~:text=Learning%20to%20play%20an%20instrument%20stimulates%20the%20brain%20cells%2C%20improving,for%20creativity%20and%20their%20emotions.
Please consider enrolling your child in the band for 2024.
Surf Ed
Years 3-6 had an amazing time at Dee Why Beach for their end of year fun activity. They made sandcastles, surfed and had a wonderful day with friends and their teachers. We have included photos and a video of the day for you to enjoy. Thank you to Mrs Alessi for organising the day.
High School Transition
This week our Year 6 students had their high school transition day. From the conversations I have had with students, most students enjoyed the day. This transition is an enormous one for students and it can be an exciting time, but one that is filled with nerves. This is understandable as it is a huge transition. Here is some information you can access about conversations you can have with your child about the transition and how you can assist them.
https://guidetothrive.lifeed.org.au/
Christmas Bus
The students who were selected to participate in decorating the Christmas bus had a wonderful time this week. The students absolutely loved the experience. These students got on the bus, with decorations, tinsel, and transformed it into a dazzling Christmas spectacle. Thank you very much to Doris Reid for providing our students with this fabulous experience, one in which they will remember for years to come.
Students Not Returning in 2024
If your child will not be returning in 2024 could you please complete the google link below. This information is very important because it has an impact on our class structures and staffing of the school.
https://forms.gle/HoqTpysQGNCgKzFx6
I hope each and every student enjoys the last two weeks of 2023.
Suzi Chosid
Principal
Surf Ed
Christmas Bus
Library News
Congratulations to the recipients of this year’s Library Awards.
Early Stage 1 -Daisy Ryburn - Yarra
Stage 1 - Oliver Middleton - Murawung
Stage 2 - Drew Tenoyo - Guwing
Stage 3 - Sophia Deacon - Bulu
Support Unit - Benjamin Natoli – Yarang
The 104 students who completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge this year will soon receive their certificates, either in their report before the end of term or in class with their teachers.
Students can continue reading throughout the holidays and those books can be counted towards the 2024 Premier's Reading Challenge, which commences in Term 1 next year.
It is worth making a special mention of the 32 students who are receiving an extra special Premier’s Reading Challenge Award this year.
Premier’s Reading Challenge Gold Award
Congratulations to our 27 students who have achieved their Gold Premier’s Reading Challenge Award, which recognises students who complete the challenge for 4 consecutive years.
2 / 3 Burra – Giselle Hamill, Benjamin Michel, Blake Munro
3 / 4 Guwing – Dylan Allan, Charlotte Baidjurak, Yasmeen Maqboul, Lucas Vallini
3 / 4 Birrung - William Ballesty, Eloise Bitmanis, Ruby Carter, Angel Donato, Niam Gadhia,
Ilaria Knoblauch, Grace Millett, Xavier Willis
3 / 4 Yanada - Dylan Barrington, Nicholas Feder, Kerem Karakose, Sian Lim, Olive Milner, Zoe Munro,
Marcus Seabrook
5 / 6 Warin – Sienna Knoblauch, Nina Stajcic
5 /6 Bulu- Sophia Deacon, Fehoko Fotofili
5 / 6 Guru – Luca Goti
Premier's Reading Challenge Platinum Awards
Special congratulations to our five Year 6 students who have completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge for 7 consecutive years and achieved their Platinum Award.
5 / 6 Warin - Violet Tamsett, Troy Tenoyo, Oscar Uematsu, Naomi Wright
5 / 6 Guru – Abbey Hilton
Robyn Christopoulos – Teacher Librarian
OOSH News
We are almost nearing the end of year! Here are some important updates for the families and children
Children’s Christmas Party
We will be having our end of year Children’s Christmas party on Thursday 7th of December!
Time: 3:00PM – 6:00PM
Events: Disco, Face Painting, Pinatas and many more!
If you’re child does not attending on Thursday, you are still more than welcome to attend and stay around! But be reminded that you will need to look after your children whilst on premises! IF not, feel free to book them in for a casual! Space available
December 2023/January 2024 Summer Vacation Care
We still have positions for our Summer Vacation Care! Don’t miss out.
Booking forms are available on the school website.
Forms must be returned by December 1st 2023.
Continuation of Re-enrolment 2024
If you wish for your child to attend FDPS OOSH P&C in 2024 please fill out the Continuation of Enrolment 2024 Google docs form below.
You can access the Google form via the link below
https://forms.gle/uLtXMrKRBfQ65Rjy5
If you have any problems accessing, please email us at fdpsoosh@tpg.com.au and we will send over a copy.
Thank you all for your continuous support and allowing us to care for your children here at FDPS OOSH P&C.
Continuation of Enrolment form must be completed by Monday the 11th of December 2023.
Discontinuation of enrolment in 2024
To all children who are graduating, leaving the school and do not require OOSH in 2024 please remember you MUST ATTEND your last booking date in order to receive CCS.
Please contact to let us know if your child will not be continuing OOSH in 2024 which also includes Vacation Care.
Kind regards,
FDPS OOSH Management
SRC News
The SRC are currently running a campaign to support the Reverend Bill Crews Foundation. Please support their initiative by either donating money or other items (se image below). The Rev. Bill Crews Foundation provides assistance to address the cause and effect of homelessness and poverty, as well as unemployment. They succeed in achieving this through a combination of caring services like food provision, social welfare and education support. Thank you so much to our SRC for getting involved in this campaign. We appreciate the important work you are doing in spreading knowledge about this important issue in our society.
