Five Dock PS Newsletter Term 4, Week 6, 2023
We learn on Wangal Country.
Principal's Report
Welcome to Week 6; the weeks are flying by and before we know it, we will be having the Summer school holidays.
Selective High School Applications
The applications for Selective High School applications for Year 7, 2025 close on Monday November 20. This is a reminder for all families who wish to apply to get your applications in. Please see the message with information below regarding this.
Students in Year 5 who would like to apply need to follow the process. Please find attached two documents:
1. Information for applicants who wish to apply
2. An "Intention to apply for Year 7 placement in a selective high school in 2025" letter. This tear-off slip should be returned to the school, but it is only notifying the school and not the application itself. The application itself needs to be completed by parents/ carers. The Selective High School Placement Test is NOT expected to be held in primary schools in 2024.
Key dates:
- Applications close on 20 November 2023 at the Selective High Schools and Opportunity Classes Year 7 website.
- All candidates are required to sit the Selective High School Placement Test on Thursday 9 May 2023.
Please visit the Selective High Schools and Opportunity Classes website for updates and complete information about the placement process.
Please contact the school if you have any further questions.
Student Progress Reports
Student reporting is the process of communicating information about student learning, their level of attainment and the progress they have made. Student reports show progress and allow this progress to be monitored over time.
Reporting provides feedback to students, parents and other teachers about student progress. The A–E grading scale or equivalent provides a common language for reporting. Teachers use the grading scale to report student levels of achievement.
The Common Grade Scale describes performance at each of five grade levels.
A
The student has an extensive knowledge and understanding of the content and can readily apply this knowledge. In addition, the student has achieved a very high level of competence in the processes and skills and can apply these skills to new situations.
B
The student has a thorough knowledge and understanding of the content and a high level of competence in the processes and skills. In addition, the student is able to apply this knowledge and these skills to most situations.
C
The student has a sound knowledge and understanding of the main areas of content and has achieved an adequate level of competence in the processes and skills.
D
The student has a basic knowledge and understanding of the content and has achieved a limited level of competence in the processes and skills.
E
The student has an elementary knowledge and understanding in few areas of the content and has achieved very limited competence in some of the processes and skills.
Teachers at all schools are now working extremely hard writing their Semester Two Student Progress Reports. They are spending many hours not just writing the reports, but analysing work samples, collaborating with others to form assessments, discussing work samples, liaising with their supervisor and team about grades….the list goes on. Much of this work goes on outside of work hours, but also during recess and lunch times. Parents can be reassured that teachers take this process very seriously and approach the task with a high degree of professionalism. A lot of thought goes into the content of the report; this includes the grades students are given, their effort levels and the written comments.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our teachers for the time and effort they are taking in preparing these reports.
The Department of Education has a syllabus for each curriculum area that outlines the outcomes to be achieved in each Learning Area.
Schooling in NSW is organised into seven stages of learning across primary and secondary school
Primary School from Kindergarten to Year 6 (K-6) encompasses four stages of learning.
Early Stage or Foundation = Kindergarten (starting from five years of age)
Stage 1 = Years 1 and 2
Stage 2 = Years 3 and 4
Stage 3 = Years 5 and 6
As you can see, apart from Early Stage One, each stage represents two grade levels. This means that it may take two years to achieve the outcomes outlined at each stage. When students enter a new stage of learning in the syllabus (Year 1, Year 3, Year 5 in Primary School), they will begin working with a new set of outcomes that may take two years to achieve. It is for this reason that when students enter a new stage, it may seem as if they have gone ‘backwards’, particularly if they achieve a sound in their academic report, after receiving a higher grade the previous year, where it was the final year of the stage level. The first thing to remember here is that they have entered a new stage level and secondly, a sound grade means they are achieving what is expected of them at their age. Please do not be alarmed if this is the case with your child. Rather, it would be useful, if you were concerned, to have a chat with your child’s teacher who will explain the above information and explain what is happening with your child’s learning at that particular time. As a 'sound' grade represents students are achieving what is expected of them at their age, this means that the majority of the class will more than likely receive this grade. A smaller portion will receive either an A or a B and a further smaller portion will receive a grade below this.
For more information about the NSW Primary Syllabus, use this link to download the booklet.
YSafe Resources
Please use the link below to access online resources from YSafe following their online cyber safety session two weeks ago. The hub includes some fantastic resources and information, so please make use of them.
Christmas Bus
Wonderful news for Five Dock PS! We have been invited to participate in a very special event. Please see details from Mrs Alessi who is the school facilitator for this.
Five Dock PS have been invited to participate in the Leichhardt Depot Christmas Bus Decoration Day. Students will hop aboard the bus to decorate it and then take a short ride around the block to enjoy their decorations they installed. This festive event promises to bring holiday cheer as children unleash their creativity to transform the bus into a dazzling Christmas spectacle.
On the 29th of November, 20 students selected from Year 4 students will gear up for the Leichhardt Depot Christmas Bus Decoration Competition! These students will hop aboard the bus, armed decorations, tinsel, and boundless holiday spirit, transforming it into a dazzling Christmas spectacle. In alignment with the High Potential and Gifted Education policy, this initiative recognises and encourages the talents of creative young minds.
Stay tuned for updates on this merry endeavour! 🎄🎁🎅
Students from Year 4 will be selected who demonstrate talent or skill in the Creative Domain, as articulated in the High Potential Gifted Education policy. This is a departmental policy that the school will consider including as part of the new Strategic Improvement Plan. What is this policy?
It describes a framework to develop the talent of high potential and gifted students. The policy provides advice to implement effective learning and teaching practices.
The policy promotes engagement and challenge for every student in every school across intellectual, creative, social-emotional and physical domains of potential, while explicitly identifying and addressing the learning needs of high potential and gifted students.
The creative domain of potential refers to natural abilities in imagination, invention and originality.
https://fivedock-p.onlinesafetyhub.com.au/
Five Dock PS will also be involved in decorating one of the buses, and it's an opportunity for our students to showcase their creativity and spread some holiday cheer.
We'll be hosting Christmas Crafternoons on November 22nd and 24th in the hall during lunchtime. Each class has the opportunity to nominate four children who are interested in participating in these craft sessions. These sessions will focus on creating decorations for the bus. Once again, teachers will select students according to the Creative Domain in the policy.
I would like to thank Mrs Alessi who is coordinating this for the school, and would also like to thank Doris Reid for the opportunity she has presented to the school and to Beth Collinge for supporting the students and Mrs Alessi.
Statements of Account
Last week our School Administration Manager emailed the Statements of Account, as per previous communication. Statements of Account will be emailed in Week 1 and Week 5. We will endeavour to give you as much notice as possible for each term's events and accounts. We are currently in the process of organising this for Term 1 2024 and we should be able to give you a clear guide as to what payments will be required for Term 1 to enable you to plan for these finances. Statements will have all the payments due on the one page and then you will be able to log onto School Bytes, make the payments and ensure that permissions are up to date. One week prior to an event, a reminder will be sent if payment is overdue. These statements are sent through email. If you would like to discuss any payments that are due, we are more than happy to have you make an appointment to have a conversaton about support that can be provided.
2024 Class Planning
The school leadership team have begun the process of planning for 2024. Creating classes is an extremely rigorous process that teachers take very seriously. Our aim is to consider academic, social and emotional needs for all students. You are able to share information that is relevant for this planning process. The school will consider this, but is unable to guarantee that all requests will be considered due to the complexity of the process. Many factors are taken into account when creating classes and decisions are always made in the best interests of students. Most students have the ability to successfully transition into new classes, with new peers and a new teacher.
There are departmental guidelines when schools are forming class groups. Staffing is allocated using a formula. Students in K-2 receive a higher allocation. However, staffing is calculated on the TOTAL number of enrolments in the school, not the number of students in a particular year.
This means that schools with certain enrolment numbers will be unable toi create straight classes because the numbers simply do not allow for it.
Evidence shows that it is the quality of teaching, combined with student interest, engagement and motivation that has a greater impact on learning than class organisational structures. At Five Dock PS, and indeed at many public schools in NSW, quality teaching is supported by mentoring, instructional leadership, collaborative practices amongst teachers and professional learning. This has a much greater impact on student learning outcomes than the structure of classes. As mentioned above, the What Works Best document outlines evidence-based practices that we will be committed to implementing as part of our Strategic improvement Plan, which will ultimately have the biggest impact on student learning.
Please use this form to record any important considerations. Requests for specific teachers will not be considered as part of this process. Please complete this form by Friday 17 November.
https://forms.gle/S4e9G6KtkVXmLWbA8
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
Appetite Cafe
The school shares a wonderful relationship with the local Appetite cafe and they have been extremely generous to Five Dock PS. We are grateful that this small business supports our students and school by providing students with lunch on a daily basis. We are conscious that when lunch orders are forgotten, we do not have an immediate on-site alternative in the form a school canteen. To that end, we have had discussion with both Appetite and the school P&C who run the on-site OOSH. If you have forgotten to order your child's lunch, plese call the school and we will arrange for your child to have a lunch made up for them. Orders from Appetite will now be open until 9:30am to help you in case you do forget. After this time, rather than calling Appetite, please call the school to make arrangements as Appetite are required to have a strict cut-off time to enable them to manage their customers and the orders for Five Dock PS. No order will be taken after 9:30am from Appretite cafe; please call the school after this time.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Appetite Cafe for all of their support for Five Dock PS. We appreciate the connection and support We would also like to thank the P&C for supporting us with a solution for when students forget their lunch.
Parenting Tip
Are you feeling exhausted right now? As parents this time of the year is always a challenge as there is so much going on at work and so much going on with your child at school. Have a read of this article for some tips on what you can do when you're suffering parental burnout.
https://theparentswebsite.com.au/4-signs-of-parental-burnout-and-what-you-can-do-about-it/
Have a wonderful fortnight!
Suzi Chosid
Principal
Sport News Update
This Friday we had three teams in PSSA semi-finals! The Junior Basketball team will play Russell Lea at Richard Murden Reserve multipurpose courts, Hawthorne Parade, Haberfield. Game starts at 12:15.Both the Boys T-Ball and Girls T-Ball teams will play at Henley Park, Enfield, games starting at 12:30. All other PSSA teams will be playing skill development matches this Friday and next Friday also.
Congratulations to the Junior Girls T-Ball team who made the Grand Final! Well done to the student in the team - we wish you all the best for the grand final.
Stage 1 Swimming Program
Learning to swim is a skill for life and I wish to thank the school community for supporting the Intensive Swimming Program at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. The students have been placed in small groups according to their swimming ability. These groups range from non-swimmers to style correction and endurance skills. The students have had a wonderful time and were highly engaged throughout each lesson. Due to the Privacy Act, photography is not permitted within the SOP Aquatic Centre, however; the students will enjoy demonstrating their swimming skills to family and friends during the summer holiday break.
Fiona Thompson
Intensive Swimming Program Coordinator
In the Classroom
Early Stage 1 - Preschool & Kindy
Stage 1 - Year 1 & 2
Stage 2 - Years 3 & 4
Stage 3 - Years 5 & 6
Library News
As we fast approach the end of the year, I would like to thank the families who have taken the time to help their children look for long-overdue books and to have them returned in recent weeks. I will send another overdue reminder next week via email to those students with books still outstanding. Please return the books as soon as possible as I will be undertaking stock take in the last few weeks of the term.
2023 Premier’s Reading Challenge
433,502 students across NSW took part in the PRC this year, with over 313,000 students completing the Challenge. Students read a combined total of 8,658,738 books - with this year's most read book being The Speedy Sloth by Rebecca Young and illustrated by Heath McKenzie. The 2023 National Simultaneous Storytime book was read around the country on 24 May as part of ALIA's goal to promote the value of reading and literacy - and the students of NSW certainly did their part, with over 70,000 students adding this to their 2023 reading records!
We are now preparing certificates for students who took part in this year’s Premier’s Reading Challenge. These certificates will be going home with reports later this term
Gift Ideas
It is the time of year when we start to think about gift giving and there really is no better way to spend the summer holidays than to relax with a book.
Here are my Top 10 recommendations.
1. Runt by Craig Silvey
2. The 169 Storey Treehouse by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton
3. Dharma the Christmas Llama- by Matt Cosgrove
4. No Brainer: Diary of a Wimpy Kid- by Jeff Kinney
5. Percy Jackson And the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods by Rick Riordan
6. The Bad Guys Episode 18: Look Who’s Talking by Aaron Blabey
7. The Blunders by David Walliams
8. Blueback by Tim Winton
9. The Twits by Roald Dahl
10. Guiness World Records 2024
Robyn Christopoulos
Teacher Librarian
OOSH News
The Summer December 2023/January 2024 school holiday program at Five Dock Public School OOSH is out and available for you to book!
Vacation Care Period
· Vacation Care Week 1: Monday 18th December – Thursday 21st December 2023
· Vacation Care Week 2: Monday 15th January – Friday 19th January 2024
· Vacation Care Week 3: Monday 22nd January – Thursday 25th January 2024
· Vacation Care Week 4: Monday 29th January – Wednesday 31st January 2024
· Public Holidays: Friday 26th January 2024 (The centre does not operate on public holiday.
We have so many fun packed activities and excursion planned and our educators cannot wait to share the fun times with all the children!
You can view our AMAZING program from the link below
You can download the BOOKING form from the link below
Or access through the Five Dock Public School Website
https://fivedock-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/supporting-our-students/after-school-care.html
Physical copies will be available at the centre
Important reminder that all booking form must be returned physically or digitally to fdpsoosh@tpg.com.au by Friday 1st of December 2023.
Kindy 2024 can attend from the Monday 15th of January.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us on 9712 3260 or fdpsoosh@tpg.com.au
Kind regards,
Andrew and the FDPS OOSH Team
Please use the links above to access the Summer vacation program and booking forms.
Five Dock PS Christmas Stall - Save the Date!
Our P&C Christmas Stall is coming up and we will have a selection of Christmas hampers, gifts and so much more. It is an event not to be missed!
Gingerbread Houses
Don't forget to place your order online via QKR before the 18th November. There are 3 options to choose from and you can also purchase lollies (gluten-free!) to decorate your house!
Orders will be sent home with your child on the 7th December.
Five Dock PS Band 2024
