Five Dock PS Newsletter Term 1, Week 6, 2024

We learn on Wangal Country

Principal's Report

Welcome to Week 6! We are at the half way mark of the term and I am so impressed with the way in which students are learning in each and every classroom around the school. Students are engaged, focused and ready to learn each day. Alongside this readiness to learn, it is pleasing to see our high attendance rates. Recently we were visited by the school's Home School Liaison Officer who regularly checks the attendance of schools. Our school's attendance rates are quite high and have shown improvement since this time last year. We now need to focus on justifying absences. When your child is absent it is important you let the school know, including the reason why, on the day or the day before. This helps make sure we know where our students are and offer support for you and your family if needed.

Missing a day here or there may not seem like much, but absences add up and can negatively impact your child’s learning and wellbeing. When your child misses one day per fortnight, that's 4 weeks of missed learning in one year. Over an entire school journey this adds up to 1 year of lost learning.

Help us make sure your child is achieving their best and stays ahead in their learning with regular school attendance. The more time your child attends school, the greater their opportunity to learn, make new friends and improve their wellbeing. Together, let’s build positive attendance habits for a lifetime.

Some students are attending school regularly, however, are also coming to school extremely early in the morning. Please be aware that supervision begins at 8:30am, so we would appreciate it if students do not arrive prior to this time. 

Pulse Alive

This week Ms Bakoulis and Ms Tay accompanied our Pulse Alive chor participatnts to their rehearsal prior to the big performance next Friday 15 March. Students had a wonderful time and and are excited about the performance next week. They are prepared and ready to perform for the audience at Sydney Olympic Park. We wish all the students all the very best and are very proud of their achievements and participation. Thank you Ms Bakoulis and Ms Tay for their efforts in preparing the choir for the big day. It is wonderful that our students have this opportunity. 

Mobile Phones/ Smart Watches 

Recently we have been made aware that some students have been wearing smart watches. Last year we updated our policy for mobile phones and smart watches. We have attached the policy for your reference below. Please be aware that: 

1.1 Mobile Phones:

• Mobile phones are allowed on school premises but must remain turned off and always stored in students school bags during school hours.
• Students are strictly prohibited from using mobile phones during class time, including instructional periods and break times.

1.2 Smart Watches:

• Smart watches, including those with communication capabilities, are also prohibited from use during school hours, including break times. 

Class Parents 

We are still looking for class parents for the following classes: Support Unit Classes, 1FC, 2K, 3K, 3B, 4M, 4S, 6M. If you are interested in being your child's class parent, please complete the following form: 

https://forms.gle/XMJnAhy7MKtHZnEMA

Professional Learning 

Next Wednesday 13 March all staff will be involved in three hours of professional learning after school from 3-6pm. This will make up half a day for the last day of school (which is a School Development Day) on Friday 20 December. We will hold another three hour session after school on Wednesday 8 May from 3-6pm to make up the other half of the day. The first session will focus on explicit teaching. Recently the NSW Department of Education delivered a new plan for education. We have attached this plan below in a PDF. A significant part of this plan focuces on explicit teaching asking schools to deliver effictive teaching practices that include explicit teaching and effective feedback underpinned by high expectations. On Wednesday staff will explore explicit teaching strategies to support this plan and be provided with follow up activities to trial these in classrooms. Explicit teaching is also being implemented via our InitialLit program in Kindergarten to Year 2, where teachers are explicitly teaching phonics and phonemic awareness. 

Helping your child with Literacy 

This week we held a parent information session on supporting your child with literacy. For those who were unable to attend the session, we will be publishing the slides on sentral. We will be holding another session on Wednesday 8 May at 4pm and this time it will be about supporting your child with numeracy. Please save the date for this session. 

If you would like to suggest any other ideas for future sessions, please let us know via this form: https://forms.gle/7nMBuo42Xx9HJpt26

Have a wonderful fortnight 

Suzi Chosid

Principal

Learning and Support

Learning and support resources are available in every mainstream school to help any student experiencing difficulties in learning in a regular class. This includes for students with: 

• learning difficulties
• mild intellectual disabilities
• language disorders
• behaviour needs
• autism spectrum disorder or mental health disorders.

Primary schools are provided with funding support for these purposes, which largely contributes to providing School Learning Support Officers. Schools will be guided by the assessment needs of the students when deciding how to use these funds. This year we have two dedicated Learning and Support Teachers. Mrs Michelle Holmes works four days a week to support K-2 (one day is to lead Curriculum Reform) and Ms Loulou Virgona works three days a week to support Years 3-6. In addition, we have School Learning Support Officers (SLSOs), who support a number of students at our school. Approximately 1% of our students have integration funding support and the school pays for additional SLSOs to support students who have additional learning needs, but do not meet the criteria for funding.  Mrs Holmes and Ms Virgona will provide intensive support to groups of students using the Minilit Sage and MacqLit program, an evidence-informed program developed via Macquarie University. MiniLit Sage represents the latest scientific research and evidence based on effective reading instruction and intervention. The program has also been revised to align with the scope and sequence of InitiaLit – MultiLit’s whole-class initial literacy instruction program for Kindergarten to Year 2. As mentioned previously, this is the whole class program we are implementing this year in Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2. MacqLit is an explicit and systematic reading intervention program for small groups of older low-progress readers. It provides teachers with a comprehensive sequence of lessons that includes all the key components necessary for effective reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension. It is ideal for students who fall in the bottom 25% of a standardised reading test or curriculum-based measure, and who have particular difficulties in the area of word recognition and specifically aimed at struggling readers in Year 3 through to high school.

We also have some additional funding for small group tuition, which was previously known as the ‘COVID Intensive Learning Support Program’. This program will provide small group tuition for students who need it most in Stage 1. We will use these funds to employ additional support staff who will deliver small group tuition. 

Our Learning Support Team has spent a considerable amount of time going through all of the students that require additional support and have allocated support, prioritising their needs. Students will receive either support from the Learning and Support Teacher, support from an SLSO or support via the small group tuition program. Some will receive quality differentiation from the classroom teacher. 

Some students may require additional support or adjustment to teaching, learning and assessment for learning activities. At Five Dock we use our allocations of learning and support resources to personalise the learning for the individual needs of students. Our policy is aligned with the Department of Education’s philosophy, which is based on early intervention. We provide intensive support to students who require additional support from Kindergarten to Year 4. The learning and support resources are limited and unfortunately do not allow for us to provide intensive support for each child who has additional needs. The way in which we select students for the groups is by looking closely at the data, and making considered and collaborative decisions about students who are not making the progress that may be expected of them for their stage. As you can appreciate, whilst we would like to provide more individualised group support for more students, our resources are still limited and we do the best that we can with the funding we are provided, along with additional funds which we supplement as a school. Furthermore, we will be ensuring that we rotate support groups to ensure that more students receive access to this intensive support. 

Differentiation is one of the keys to supporting students with additional needs. Some students may require additional support or adjustments to teaching, learning and assessment for learning activities. Differentiation strategies may include:

• providing key vocabulary
• developing individual learning goals
• including learning centres to facilitate guided or independent learning
• providing a variety of stimulus materials in a range of mediums. 

Teachers may differentiate the learning activities by making modifications to instruction and student groupings.

Teachers may differentiate the learning environment by considering the physical, virtual and social context where learning takes place.

Differentiation strategies may include consideration of the:

• structure and organisation of the classroom, including class routines
• ways students interact with and work with others by providing opportunities for individual, collaborative and whole class group work. 

Teaching and learning can be adjusted in many ways, based on every student's unique needs, to enable students with a diagnosed disability or additional learning and support needs to enjoy the same opportunities and choices in their education as their peers. All of our teachers at Five Dock work hard to ensure that they differentiate and make appropriate adjustments for students with additional learning needs; this includes students who may be identified as having high potential or giftedness. 

Learning Support Team

Every NSW public school has a learning and support team that works with students, parents and carers, classroom teachers and other professionals to identify students who require extra support.

Learning and support teams includes specialist staff and executive  involved in supporting students with disability and additional learning and support needs. If your child’s teacher is concerned about your child, they will make an appointment with you in order to discuss their concerns and their intention to refer to the learning support team for further advice. You will then be provided with a consent letter that provides permission for the school counsellor to support the teacher and child. Conversely, if you are concerned about your child and would like to either refer your child to the learning support team or see the school counsellor, please contact your child’s teacher and they will provide you with a referral form where you can record your concerns. It is important that we follow this process to ensure that we track and monitor students when teachers or parents and carers express concerns about their learning and development. Please do not call to speak to the counsellor, without a referral, unless it is an emergency. Our counsellor, Lucy McLean works three days each fortnight and works extraordinarily hard to manage the heavy caseload we have at Five Dock, which includes the Support Unit, therefore it is important that we follow the Learning and Support Team cycle of referral and then consultation. 

If you have any questions about this information or require clarification on anything or you would like to discuss your child’s learning or behaviour, please do not hesitate to contact myself. As a school it is our responsibility and commitment to support the individual needs of all students so that all students make the educational gains that are expected of them at each level. It is the partnerships that we forge with parents and carers  that will assist us with this endeavour, so if you are unsure, please contact us to discuss any questions you may have. 

Good News Story - Olive Milner

Olive Milner has been selected as one of the youngest featured artists in Pulse Alive 2024!  Congratulations Olive - we wish you all the best and we are extremely proud of your achievement. Well done!

Young Leaders Day

This week I had the absolute pleasure of attending Young Leaders Day with our Student Leadership team. It was an opportunity for them to hear motivational speakers that they admire, who spoke to them about resilience, fear, self-doubt, persistence, pushing yourself through challenges, facing criticism and boldness by getting out of your comfort zone. It was a fantastic day and they enjoyed the opportunity to hear these messages and interact with thousands of other students from all around NSW. Young Leaders Day occurs every year and provides students with the opportunity to be in the same room as their heroes and role models. It provides a unique opportunity for students to gather at world-class event venues to hear some of Australia's most high-prolfile people share insights from their own leadership journey. Sonja Blom wrote a wonderful review of the day, but some of the other comments include: 

Isobel -Don't give up on your dreams

Naomi - Persevere and keep pushing - remember the 5Ps - Have a positive perspective, push yourself, be playful, persevere

Zadie - Every cloud has a silver lining

Fred - Be bold, be resilient

Young Leaders Day

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Save the Date! Easter Hat Parade

Our annual Easter Hat Parade will be held on Thursday 28 March from 9:30am - 10:30am. Our P&C will be selling hot cross buns and running a bake stall. Please join us to spend time with your children and support our school and the P&C's fundraising efforts. 

P&C Day

The first Wednesday in March is officially P&C Recognition day.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank our active and hard working P&C who make it possible to achieve so many things for our students. Every year members of our P&C volunteer an endless amount of hours to make important contributions to this school. There is so much about public education that is made possible by P&Cs. At Five Dock PS this includes essential, evidence-informed literacy resources, technology upgrages and vital improvements to the school grounds in the form of shade sails and upgrades to our all-purpose court. 

P&C Associations are important not-for-profit organisations that support public schools and assist the school to promote the interests of the entire school community. On behalf of everyone I would like to sincerely thank our  supportive and collaborative P&C that always puts our students first. If you have not yet had an opportunity to connect with our P&C, please come along to our first meeting of the year, which will be held next Wednesday 13 March at 7pm. 

Moving into High School

All NSW Government schools have catchment intake areas to ensure local school enrolments. Your child’s residential address will determine which school is your child’s local school. There are other school options available such as out of area schools, specialist schools and selective schools.

To enrol your child in Year 7 for 2025, you will need to complete an Expression of Interest (EOI) for Year 6 to Year 7 transition. The EOI lets you indicate which school(s) you would like your child to attend in Year 7.

The EOI process is available online. After you submit an EOI and it has been assessed, your child will be offered a place at a high school.

https://year7.enrol.education.nsw.gov.au/?schoolCode=1920

If you are unable to complete a form online, a paper copy is available in the office.  The paper forms need to be returned to the school on or before 24 March 2023.

High schools will advise the outcome of applications.

If your child will not be attending a NSW Government high school next year, please let us know by completing a Placement Not Required form.

If you are unsure whether they will be attending a NSW Government school (you've applied for a private school, or you are moving interstate), we ask that you still complete an EOI and follow up with your school once a decision has been made.

The online process will guide you through your options and collect the information required to make the process as smooth as possible.

For more information about the process please click on the following link

https://year7.enrol.education.nsw.gov.au/?schoolCode=1920

Online EOIs close Wednesday 4 April 2024.

All Year 6 students must have a completed EOI or Placement Not Required Form.

School photography day

School photography day is coming up soon. Group and portrait photographs can be purchased by following the link below. If you prefer to order using an envelope please visit your school office, collect an order envelope and hand your payment to our photographer on school photo day.

2 easy ways to purchase:

1. Visa, MasterCard or PayPal
2. Cash – complete the envelope supplied and return it to our photographer on photo day

Order school photos here

Or visit: www.advancedlife.com.au
And enter online order code: Z3R A87 LHJ

School photography information:

• Online orders - do not require an envelope returned to your school
• Sibling Photos - Don’t forget to pre-order your sibling photos online up to 24 hours before photo day. We provide your school with a list of sibling orders right up to the day of photography, so no one misses out. If you miss the online order deadline, you can submit a completed sibling order envelope first thing in the morning of the day of photography, so your school is aware you want the photo taken and can bring your children together in time for it. Sibling photographs only apply to children enrolled at your school. Please note not all schools offer sibling photos
• Late fees - a late fee will be applied to each package purchased after photo day due to the additional cost of producing these packages separately.
• Package delivery - School photographs will be returned approximately 6 weeks after the day of photography. Please note this delivery timeframe is dependent on proofing and additional photography days at your school.
• Previous Years’ photos - Past years’ photographs including sports, co-curricular and representative groups are also available to order under the “previous years or group photo” tabs at your school’s advancedorder site when you click on the “Order School Photos Here” button above. You can also order past packages, portrait images and gifts from your child’s unique, individual and secure advancedyou image archive site using the unique 9 digit image code found on packages you have ordered in the past.

In the classroom - KR

KR have had a wonderful start to the year and are settled in their new class and school routines.  They have enjoyed art and craft activities, learning about numbers and letters, writing sentences and participating in sport activities.  Most of all KR have had lots of fun at recess and lunch times. They have enjoyed exploring the playground, making new friends, playing with their buddies and have loved the challenges of the playground equipment.

In the classroom - 3B

During Term 1, 3B have been exploring the concepts of narrative and characterisation in the book Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl. We have created a number of fox artworks linked to the text while exploring different mediums and techniques. Students have been creating their own narrative as a short sequel to the story which they will publish.

 As part of our weekly Reading groups, students have been working on a research task on foxes, answering questions including where are foxes native to, what do they eat and when were they introduced to Australia. 

3B Photos

SRC News

Five Dock Rubbish

Yesterday, both the year 4 classes cleaned up our school for clean-up Australia day and found a lot more rubbish than we wanted. Five dock is a great place to live, play and learn but not so good at throwing rubbish in the bin! The rubbish was so big that when we were supposed to sort it for our science, we ended up having to just throw it all in the bin! So, if you have rubbish think before you chuck it on the ground, every piece of rubbish you throw ads to the millions of pieces every one else chucks and the hundred of innocent animals it kills. The SRC are trying to improve the amount of rubbish on the ground and trying to make it clear as to which rubbish bin to throw it in. We hope everyone can work together to keep out school clean and tidy. 

-SRC students 

SRC News

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Swimming Zone Carnival

On Tuesday 5^th March students from Five Dock proudly represented our school at the IWPSSA Zone Swimming Carnival. Everyone who participated did an amazing job competing and we can be proud of the way they displayed great competitiveness in a respectful way. We are very excited that two of our students have progressed through to the Regional Carnival. Congratulations goes to Reggie Palmer for his 50m Freestyle swim that qualified him for the Regional meet in the 8 year old boys. A big congratulations also goes to Sian Lim for qualifying for the 50m Freestyle, Butterfly, Backstroke and the 200m Individual Medley. In addition to this, Sian was also awarded the 11 year Old Girls Champion! We can all be very proud of her effort and achievements. Thank you to all the Five Dock students for their exceptional behaviour and participation that made the carnival a fun and exciting day.

International Women's Day

This Friday 8 March is International Women's Day. The purpose of this day is the hope for a gender equal world. A world that is free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. The theme for this year is "Inspire Inclusion". It is up to all of us to help celebrate the achievement of women and raise awareness of discrimination. International Women's Day belongs to everyone, everywhere. Particularly for Stage 3 students who are encouraged to think critically about world events, this day should be acknowledged, discussed and have students express their opinions on. 

NSW Premier's Reading Challenge

The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is not a competition but a challenge for each student to read, read more, and read more widely. The program involves nearly 400,000 students and more than 2,600 government, non-government and home schools. The PRC booklists open doors to a rich collection of children’s literature representing a range of books, including fiction, non-fiction, picture books, poetry and drama, and a wide variety of Australian authors.

Students are encouraged to read a certain number of books depending on their year level from a set list. These books can be readily found in our Library and at your local council libraries.

Concord High School High Potential and Gifted Education Applications

Please find attached a promotional flyer regarding our HPGE Program and the application process for Year 7 - 2025.