Five Dock PS Newsletter Term 2, Week 2 2024

We learn on Wangal Country

Principal's Report

Welcome back to all our students and their families to Term 2. I hope everyone enjoyed the Autumn break. 

The term has started off extremely smoothly and students are settled in their classroom learning and enjoying being with their friends. It has been wonderful to walk into classrooms and see the students' engagement and learning in action. This term already has many items on the agenda and to ensure that you are aware of what is happening you can: 

* access the school's Facebook page to receive a weekly "What's On"

* access the school's Sentral calendar where you will be able to see the dates of things that are happening

* view the Term 2 calendar which will be published in each newsletter

* The visual below will give you a snapshot of "Communication @ FIve Dock". 

Student Learning Goals 

We are introducing student learning goals this year. Each stage has been engaging in professional discussions around how to identify these goals so that they align with students' individual needs, engage students in the process and use data to identify next steps/ common goals  in learning for the grade. 

Personal learning goals allow students to articulate behaviours, knowledge or understandings that students identify as being important to their own learning. Depending on the stage the students are in, teachers will scaffold the development and articulation of a literacy and numeracy learning goal. The purposes of students participating in the design of learning goals include: 

• being active participants in the learning process
• empowering them to become independent learners
• motivating them to achieve their full potential. 

Goal setting has a strong influence on learning. Setting goals requires students to understand their current level of performance and a vision for where they need to go. 

At the end of the term, when we publish the Semester One reports, we will ask students to reflect on these goals. The reflection at this point in time will focus on progress with their goals rather than achievement of them. This process will continue to be adapted as we work through goal setting with students. The emphasis is for students to start being involved in their learning and owning it. We will continue to provide you with updates for how we are going as a school with this implementation. 

In the meantime, we encourage you to engage your children in discussions about learning at school. We have provided a few links which will provide you with questions that you may use to spark conversation. 

https://raisingchildren.net.au/school-age/school-learning/school-homework-tips/talking-about-school#:~:text=Talking%20about%20school%20with%20children,and%20positive%20questions%20about%20school.

https://www.scholastic.com/parents/school-success/10-questions-to-ask-your-child-about-his-day-school.html

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/how-to-say-it-questions-to-ask-your-child-about-school

Professional Learning 

On Monday of last week, all staff engaged in professional learning around the implementation of the new literacy and numeracy curriculum. The sessions staff engaged in included: 

• The implementation of learning intentions and success criteria. Learning Intentions are descriptions of what learners should know, understand and be able to do by the end of a learning period or unit. Learning intentions are the basis for tracking student progress, providing feedback and assessing achievement. In addition to learning intentions, students may also have individual learning goals that they address in their learning. Success criteria are the measures used to determine whether, and how well, learners have met the learning intentions.
• Exploring the assessment of writing across the curriculum.
• Examining evidence-based approaches to the explicit teaching of reading across 3-6. 
• The Early Years Learning Framework and high quality preschool learning environments
• Mathematics K-6: Effective teaching approaches

This Wednesday 8 May, our school will be engaged in the second of our twilight professional learning sessions, that will replace the School Development Day set for Friday 20 December. During this session, staff will engage in professional learning that is directly aligned to our new Strategic Improvement Plan. These include: 

• Engaging in data literacy and data analysis to monitor whole school improvement - this includes NAPLAN and check-in data.
• Drawing on the research behind explicit teaching and reflecting on the implementation of cold calling. Cold calling is a questioning strategy where the teacher calls on students to answer questions without putting their hands up. It focuses on the teacher ensuring that they are giving all students the opportunity to elicit their thinking. 
• Reflecting on the school's implementation of number talks and engaging in further professional learning around the implementation. 
• Exploring the explicit teaching strategy of connecting learning. This is where teachers actively support students to make connections to prior learning and experiences. Students need to connect new learning to their existing knowledge. 

YSafe - Online Cyber Safety

Last year we organised an online cyber safety session for parents with YSafe. YSafe has become Australia's leading provider of cyber safety education. They are known for their experienced team of child psychologists, ex-police officers and teachers who specialise in cyber safety. Our engagement with YSafe included a session for students, a session for parents and a session for staff. The staff one was held late last term and at that session, we were reminded of the fact that our school has access to YSafe's specialised resources until October of this year. These resources can be accessed using this link: https://fivedock-p.onlinesafetyhub.com.au/

Please use these resources to support you to engage in meaningful conversations around online safety. 

How to use the hub

Developed by our team of world-renowned Online Safety Experts, the Hub is designed to engage and align the community on online safety and wellness by providing up-to-date and evidence-based information to all key stakeholders of a child’s life. 

Parents will find a rich library of helpful resources, including app reviews, how-to guides and advice on an array of online safety topics. School staff and leaders have access to an array of practical guides and information that can be used in the classroom or to inform school governance. 

Multipuprose Court 

The school would like to thank the P&C executive responsible for this upgrade. It is a wonderful addition to the school and significantly improves the aesthetics. The kids love it and have thoroughly enjoyed using it.

Amplify Music Program

The school will engage the services of Amplify, where they provide:

• High impact teaching strategies that meet all curriculum outcomes
• Easily accessible online
• Contemporary and engaging delivery that both students and teachers will love

Over 500 schools use it around NSW and it will be included in the Term 3 invoices. We will provide updates and support students to be able to talk to you about the program at home. Teachers are really excited about it. Why are we doing this? We are showing that we value Creative Arts and for students they get a rich and well-rounded classroom learning experience, increased happiness and well-being, supporting Strategic Direction 3 in our SIP and a deeper connection to education.

Press Gang News 

This week 22 students from Years 4-6 began a new High Potential Gifted Education initiative, called "Press Gang News". Press Gang News is a multi-school, online newspaper that showcases the work of public primary school kids involved in "The School News Project". 

The School News Project runs a program called, Press Gang, which revolves around the running of a School Newspaper.

During each session, which will be held on Tuesday afternoons, a School News Project facilitator will help Press Gang members create our school newspaper. This includes everything from naming the paper and deciding what to put in it, to writing and editing and fact-checking the stories, to distributing the paper.

The philosophy of Press Gang is that during the session the kids are journalists working in a newsroom. They’re not playing at being reporters, they are reporters!

The School News Project helps to develop important skills such as media literacy, critical thinking and collaboration. It also empowers kids by giving them a platform to share their work with a real audience.

This initiative also aligns with the Department of Education's High Potential and Gifted education policy. The guiding principles of this policy are: 

• All students, regardless of background or personal circumstances, require access to learning programs that meet their learning needs and support to aspire to, and achieve, personal excellence.
• Our commitment to high expectations for all students includes high potential and gifted students.
• Achieving excellence for high potential and gifted students is underpinned by effective school environments including quality teaching, learning and leadership.
• Potential exists along a continuum, where differing degrees of potential require differing approaches and levels of adjustment and intervention.

The first session went extremely well and students were engaged, motivated and excited about the project. We will continue to update you on how this initiative is going. 

OOSH and our School's Playground after school

As you are all aware, our school has a before and after school care facility on site. Part of the agreement is that the facility is able to use the school grounds for children to have an opportunity to use areas in and around the OOSH rooms. Could we please ask that all parents and carers leave the school grounds as soon as possible and in particular, do not remain in the top playgound, as it can and does interfere with the staff's ability to adequately provide the duty of care that they are responsible for. Please ensure that you do not play in the top and middle playgrounds after school and leave as soon as possible and be aware that OOSH staff may ask people to leave to enable them to supervise children adequately. 

Public Speaking 

Over the next two terms, our school will once again be participating in the Metropolitan South Public Speaking competition. More information will be coming about this competition, and Mrs Rago will be organising this and providing information about process and guidelines. 

Term 2 planner 

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day celebrates the impact and contribution of mothers of all kinds to families and communities. In Australia, Mother’s Day is recognised on the second Sunday in May which is this coming Sunday. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all mums a very happy Mother's Day and enjoy the day in whatever way you wish. Thank you for the love, support and encouragement you provide to your children to enable them to thrive in a complex and ever-changing world. 

Five Dock RSL Art Competition

Recently the Five Dock RSL Sub Branch held an art competition and our school had many students enter. Congratulations to the following students who won a place in their grade and were invited to attend the ceremonly last week. 

* Monique - 1FC

* Haylie - 2T 

* Travis - 4S 

* KR - who won the President's Award. 

Thank you Ms Caputo and Ms Edwards who atteneded the ceremony and to Ms Christopoulos who organised the entries. 

Good News Story

Congratulations to Naomi Cahill who won the gold medal for first place in the NSW Artistic Swimming Championships under 12s, held in Sydney, for the duet competition, and was awarded second place in the figures competition.Well done, Naomi! 

Have a wonderful fortnight. 

Suzi Chosid 

Our new multipurpose court

ANZAC Day Artwork Competition Ceremony

P&C News

We had a fantastic day with our annual Mother's Day stalls. We raised just over $2100.

Thank you to the students who all came with wonderful manners and enjoyed shopping for their special Mum, Aunty or Grandma.

A special thank you to our amazing helpers, Tania Tenoyo, Ashleigh Carter, Charmayne Wright, Josephine Murphy and Siobhan Hady.
These amazing events could not run without volunteers and we appreciate all of your help.
We have some fantastic events coming up this term and we hope to see you there!

Thank you.

Beth Collinge

P & C President

SRC News

SRC Return and Earn Day

Return and Earn Day

SRC Return and Earn Day

Who are our School Leadership Team?

Who are the Student Leaders at Five Dock PS? Below you will find information on who our leaders are as well as their favourite food, what they enjoy doing, their leadership position and what they are most excited about. Our student leaders are doing a wonderful job in their positions and we are very proud of their commitment to the role and the diligent way in which they undertake it. Thank you to our student leadership team! 

In the Classroom - 1LC

1LC have had a wonderful start to the term. They have enjoyed participating in Zing Activ lessons where they have been taught the skills of discus throwing and sprinting. In English we have been studying the book "Dont Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!". We have created our own version and the children will publish their work by placing it into a class book.

In the Classroom - 3K

Australian Early Development Census

The Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) is an Australian Government Initiative. It measures the  developmental progress of children as they start their  first year of full-time school and reports on groups of  children in the community, not individuals.  The census involves Teachers of children in their first  year of full-time school completing a research instrument, the Australian version of the Early  Development Instrument (AvEDI). The AvEDI collects data relating to five key areas, or domains, of early 
childhood development:
• physical health and wellbeing
• social competence
• emotional maturity
• language and cognitive skills (school-based)
• communication skills and general knowledge

Our school will be involved in this census this year and Kindergarten teachers are provided with one additional day to collect and complete this data. 

Please use the links below for further information. 

Five Dock PS Junior and Concert Bands

Last term, our Junior and Concert bands were engaged in their first performance of the year, where they presented their progress to parents and carers. This was well-attended and it was a pleasure to observe their progress so far this year. I was very proud to observe the students' confidence and skill development and greatly enjoyed watching the performances. As indicated in previous newsletters music is an excellent addition to support students' learning. 

From an international survey of the research, Mandy Stefanakis and Robin Stevens identified these benefits:

• Music contributes to students’ personal wellbeing through developing self-image, self-confidence, self-esteem, etc.
•  ‘Music primes the brain for learning’. Musical activity activates and integrates activity across many parts of the brain and this may account for its broad developmental benefits.
• There is special benefit from beginning to learn a musical instrument as a young child. There is a more pervasive effect on the development of the brain (brain plasticity) than with learning that takes place as an adolescent or adult; however, there is still plasticity in the adult brain. Sustained, structured practice with delineated outcomes enhances this plasticity.
• Music contributes to students’ cognitive development including abstract thinking, aural and spatial awareness, verbal understanding.
• Music contributes to students’ kinetic / motor skill development.
• Although the reasons are not fully understood there is a great deal of evidence to show that there is a correlation between music learning and enhanced abilities in a range of areas:
  • Music contributes to students’ rational thinking — reasoning, critical thinking, logistical thinking and interpretive skills
  • Music contributes to learning in other knowledge and skill areas such as numeracy, literacy
  • Music contributes to students’ concentration, memory, time management.

If you are interested in your child being a part of the band, please contact the school for more information. 

Band Open Mornings

Year 5 Opportunity Class Applications

Applications for Year 5 Opportunity Class placement in 2025 open 4 April and close 20 May 2024. 

The tests will be held in designated Government high school test centres or other facilities.  

Key Dates: 

• Thursday 4 April to Monday 20 May 2024 - Applications open for Year 5 entry to opportunity classes in 2025. The application link will be published via this link on 4 April: https://education.nsw.gov.au/s...
• Thursday 1 August 2024 - Candidates sit the Opportunity Class Placement Test.

Attached you will find four documents. The first provides information for applicants and the second is a form that we request all parents/ carers to complete if they wish to apply for a place in an OC class. The third document supports you to make a decision as to whether this process is right for your child. The final document provides clear details for how to apply. 

We have included information that details this process in a visual timeline. 

Small Group Tuition Program

The NSW Government has funded program Small Group Tuition, a permanent literacy and numeracy program which builds on three years of the COVID Intensive Learning Support Program. The program is currently funded for four years.

The program provides short-term support for students Needing Additional Support (NAS) as identified by the new NAPLAN standardsExternal link or department, and school-based assessments. Small Group Tuition is available in every NSW public school.

Each school in the state was given an individual amount based on several key factors to ensure that no child was left behind.

School executive has been meeting to discuss the best and most effective way to spend this money, updating and improving our plan of action to develop the right program for our students and school. We are committed to recruiting and training the best staff and identifying those students who would benefit from the program which will again focus on literacy and numeracy.

Library News

Concord High School - High Potential and Gifted Education Classes

2024 MERIT AWARDS