f an interesting point. You

Seven Steps to Writing Success

Why Seven Steps?

Over the last 2-3 years we have noticed our school based and NAPLAN writing growth data stagnating. Although all curriculum content is taught thoroughly, the excitement and interest in writing seems to have diminished slightly. Some believe this is due to a decline in handwritten documents and others believe digital technology has been embraced and is

faster, easier and instant. All beliefs aside and after rigorous discussions, evaluation of teaching and learning programs, and data analysis, we needed to try something different and evidenced based. Writing is an important skill and at Gloucester Public School, we value the art of writing and want to find a way to enthuse and excite our students. `Seven Steps to Writing Success is a writing program that empowers teachers to inspire their students to rapidly improve their writing skills, and most importantly, learn to love writing! Seven Steps creates more engaging classrooms where students learn to love writing and become lifelong communicators. Our journey so far:

• Professional learning for a few staff in Newcastle to see if Seven Steps is the program for us. Staff returned excited, enthused and ready to start.

• ‘The Coaches Course’ attended by one staff member will ensure continuous implementation and lead change in our school.

• All teaching staff attended a full day of professional learning with Seven Steps presenter Pina Serino at GPS. We invited local schools and some staff from Gloucester HS and Stratford PS attended.

• We committed to the program for 3 years (2018-2020) and started implementing the program K-6. The program comes with online resources and support,

PTO…

Gloucester Public School Newsletter Opportunity - Innovation - Excellence

Find us at: 45 Hume Street, Gloucester 2422 Tel: 65581303 Fax: 65581655 www.gloucester-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Term 1 Week 7 Tuesday 13th March 2018

Dates to Remember 20/3 Magic Flute – Oz Opera

21/3 – 29/3 Parent Teacher

Interviews for all classes K-6. Notes

were sent home yesterday. Please

check for notes, times and dates. We

encourage you to make time for interviews.

22/3 Cyber Safety Visit 29/3 Easter Hat Parade K-2 30/3 Good Friday 2/4 Easter Monday 10/5 Mother’s Day Stall 23/5 – 30/5 Life Education 27/6 – 29/6 Yr 4 Excursion 27/8 – 30/8 Stage 3 Canberra Excursion Assemblies 16/3 Week 7 – 3/4T 23/3 Week 8 – 1M 30/3 Good Friday 6/4 Week 10 – 1J 13/4 Expectation Awards Canteen Roster 14/3 Louise Thurgood Amanda Dixon 16/3 Ange Parish Erica Ribbons 19/3 Erin Campbell 21/3 Leanne Anderson Liz Davis 23/3 Casey Gooch Kim Haschek

classroom modelling, toolkits, posters and software to track our success and measure our school-wide (K-6) success with before and after testing using a marking criteria linked directly to the National Curriculum.

I have been in classrooms and the dialogue and writing has improved dramatically. The Seven Steps are like building blocks to great writing. Isolating writing into individual steps ensures students aren’t getting ‘bogged down’ with writing the whole piece. Our students are gaining confidence in each building block, and then they pull it all together to become creative and engaging writers.

Step 1: Plan for Success Step 4: Dynamic Dialogue Step 2: Sizzling Starts Step 5: Show, Don’t Tell Step 3: Tightening Tension Step 6: Ban the Boring Step 7: Exciting Endings I encourage you to talk to your child/ren about what they are learning each week in writing. Snippets of information will be included in the newsletter each week. I would be very interested in any feedback from parents/carers regarding the program. Thank you

Yours in Education Leanne Wakefield

This week we are focusing on:

Weekly Sounds: t T, a A, m M, and s S Weekly Vocabulary Words: cheerful, wise, exhausted. Literacy Focus: linking weekly sounds to their letters, handwriting new sounds, blending sounds and recognising beginning and end sound m Numbers: counting forwards from 1-30 and backwards from 20 -1, writing from 1-10 Maths Focus: whole number and fractions (recognising equal halves) Parent Teacher Interviews: These will take place in weeks 8 and 9. A note will come home providing options for interview times.

Susie McLeod and Loryn Bratfield Kindergarten Teachers. Class Awards – Week 6

KB Peter Clinch Ryan Hodgess Chloe Sabanal Jade Everett (E) KM Sahara-Rose Genoli Tiffany Harris Urban Holden Indi Brenton (E) 1J Keith Borradaile Emily Clarke Justin Booere Isabella Fisher (E) 1M Layla Collins Ellie Cameron Connor Hodge Cory Everett (E) 2G Bradley Higgins Kiala Hrdy Amelia Wooster Lara Taylor (E) 2S Brodie Baker Holly Davies Emma Latimore Christopher Bolton (E)

Schools Spectacular Rehearsals and Audition Video

Our Schools Spectacular team has been rehearsing the audition item for Schools Spectacular 2018. The audition is due on Friday 16 March, which is the end of this week. Rehearsals have been happening during Thursday lunchtimes. The video was taken this morning and students sounded fantastic. Fingers crossed!!! It’s time to wait now for the outcome which is not until the end of May. Special thanks to Mrs Burrows for supporting us all and accompanying us on the piano. Good luck Schools Spectacular choir!!!! Susie McLeod Schools Spec Coordinator OZ OPERA Don’t forget that the amazing Oz Opera will be visiting our school next week (Wednesday 20 March). Please return your permission note and money so you don’t miss out. Book Club Brochures will go home today or tomorrow for our first Book Club for the year. This is a chance for you to boost your child’s home reading library as well as helping our library purchase books through points that we earn. The easiest way to order is online in Book Club Loop (all the information is in the brochure) but orders must be received by Monday 19th March as that is the day that the order will be placed. No late orders will be accepted. Kim Macdonald Teacher Librarian

Kindy Corner

3-6 Assembly

Friday 16th March 2.10pm in the hall

Hosts/Item = 3/4T

Everyone is welcome to attend.

PLEASE! Do not miss your opportunity to see Cyber Safety Expert, Susan McLean Gloucester High School is hosting renowned Cyber safety expert, Susan McLean next Thursday 22nd March at 7pm. If you have not yet put aside this date, please make sure you do.

This session is not about whether you, as a parent, like using social media, use the internet, or whether you are a technology whiz or hater.

Your children are growing up with massive exposure to technology through phones and other devices and it is certainly tricky ground to navigate as a parent/carer.

It is your role to support your children, know what they are doing and provide a safety network in which to support their interactions when online. Every time they are using their phone, tablet or computer, do you know what they are viewing or who they are communicating with? What implications are there for your child online?

If not already, your child WILL be communicating with others through social media and the internet in the near future. Have you prepared them for this as a parent?

I cannot recommend Susan McLean highly enough. She will certainly open your eyes to what is out there. It will be both confronting and informative.

Care will be available for your child/ren at the high school whist you attend the meeting. Please do not miss this opportunity. All are welcome.

Rod Maggs Assistant Principal (Stage 3)

Big Ticket Items in Stage 3 this week and next Expression of Interest forms for high

school are due no later than this Friday 16th March.

Entry forms for ICAS Academic Competitions due this Friday 16th March.

Permission notes and $70 non-refundable deposit for Canberra excursion is due this Friday 16th March.

Homework research task on ‘Climate’ due Wednesday 21st March.

Oz Opera visit to GPS on Wednesday 21st March.

Susan McLean parent/carer seminar on Cyber safety next Thursday 22nd March.

Please see your child’s class teacher or myself for more information about any of these items or check previous notes. Rod Maggs – Assistant Principal (Stage 3)

Cross Country Carnival- Years 3-6: Our annual school cross country carnival will be held on Friday 6th April (Term 1, week 10) at Gloucester District Park for all students in years 3-6. More information and a

parent/carer volunteer note will be sent home with students in the next week. In case of inclement weather, a back-up date has been set for Friday 13th April 2018. Emily Dries and Alicia Taylor Cross Country Coordinators

Premier’s Reading Challenge 2018 The ever popular Premier’s Reading Challenge has begun. This is a great scheme that runs until August to encourage a love of reading in students from Kindy to Year 6. It is important to note that this is a challenge, not a competition. GPS library carries many of the books that are on the PRC list so participating is as easy as borrowing a PRC book (or 2) from the library each week and keeping a log of books read. A separate permission note will go home about this later in the week. If you have any queries please see me in the library Monday to Thursday. Kim Macdonald - Teacher Librarian

PSSA Tennis Yesterday, Gloucester Public School played Barrington Public School in Round 1 of the PSSA tennis. GPS was admirably represented by Shania Richards, Mackenzie Schafer, Sam Collie and Joseph Hogan. Despite three out of four team members not being regular players all four performed above and beyond and were a credit to themselves and our school. Unfortunately we lost 5 games to 3 but the sportsmanship shown by players from both schools was outstanding as was the friendly nature in which the matches were played, as is always the case between these two schools. Congratulations and good luck to Barrington who now progress to Round 2. Kim Macdonald and Eve Green - Tennis Coordinators

Sporting Schools

For: Students K-6

When: Tuesdays and Thursdays @ 3:00pm-4:00pm

Where: Meet outside the Library

What: Please bring your hat and a water bottle

Term 1 from: Tuesday 20 February to Thursday 5 April (inclusive)

Sports: Orienteering and Table Tennis

PE HOME FUN ACTIVITY This year students are being encouraged to complete Physical Education (PE) activities at home. These activities are designed to be done with family members and will assist students to become competent and confident performers. The second Home Fun Activity is Monkeys and Baboons. The activity card explains the learning experience and organisation and highlights teaching tips for learning the nominated Fundamental Movement Skill (FMS).

DODGE HOME FUN Monkeys and Baboons

Learning Experience Organisation Teaching Tips • One person is the ‘monkey’ and the other is the

‘baboon’. Monkeys have tails (something tucked into their waists) and baboons do not. Everyone moves in a defined area using any movement (e.g. run, slide etc.). Baboons have to try and get the monkeys tails by pulling the braids away from the monkeys (who can dodge or weave, but cannot push or hold baboons). Monkeys who lose their tails become baboons, and the game continues.

Equipment: Anything to act as markers and anything to act as a tail. Set up: In pairs. 20m X 20m grid Time: 3 minutes

Correct DODGE technique: -Changes direction by bending knee and pushing off the outside foot. -Change of direction occurs in one step. -Body lowered during change of direction. -Eyes focused forward. -Dodge repeated equally well on both sides.

I hope you are enjoying being active at home! – Melissa Seale, PE Teacher

NSW PSSA HOCKEY KNOCKOUT COMPETITION We have started hockey training in preparation for the NSW PSSA Hockey Knockout Competition this year. Our boys will play Wingham Public School in Round 1 and the girls will play Tinonee Public School in Round 2. Several students have displayed an interest in playing in the knockout competition and students will be notified ASAP once the teams have been

selected. We are holding training sessions on Thursday at lunchtime and all interested students must attend. Please bring a mouthguard to school for all of our training sessions as mouthguards are compulsory when playing hockey. Shin pads and sticks will be provided but there is a limited number of both so please bring your own if you can. Melissa Seale Hockey Coordinator

HOCKEY TRAINING EVERY THURSDAY

- Girls and boys, 3-6 - All welcome

- No experience needed - Participants MUST have a mouth guard

CONTACT Mrs Seale

Gloucester Junior Hockey

Gala Day

Sunday 25th March 2018 9.30am for 10am start - Cook Park, Gloucester

Are you new to Hockey? This is the perfect chance to come and try for free!

We have Sticks and Shin pads available to use – just bring your own mouthguard!!

Age groups: 16 years & under, 13 years & under, 6 years & under

BBQ lunch and canteen facilities will be available

All players and supporters welcome!

Comp starts Wednesday 4th April 2018, 3.45pm to 5pm at Cook Park Further information regarding registration fees can be found on our Facebook page.

If you have any questions phone Ollie Rinkin on 6558 1556 or Paula Blanch 0400 581 972 Email: ghclub17@gmail.com or Follow us on Facebook: Gloucester Hockey Club

Oz Opera presents The Magic Flute – NEXT TUESDAY 20TH March

Oz Opera is coming to Gloucester Public School to perform Mozart’s The Magic Flute, a story of truth and light, friendship and forgiveness, told with enchanting music. The cost is $8 per student and can be paid at the office or sent in with your child/ren to their class teacher. This performance is a great opportunity for our students so don’t miss out!

Susie McLeod, School Performance Coordinator

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OZ Opera Permission Note I give my child/ren permission to attend Oz Opera’s performance of The Magic Flute on Tuesday 20 March 2018. Please find enclosed $8 per child. Total Amount: $_______________

I have paid online using the code 057001 Name/s: 1. __________________________________________ Class: __________ 2. __________________________________________ Class: __________

Signed: ______________________________________ Date: __________ Name (please print): ________________________________ Phone Number: ______

2018 ICAS Permission Form

Please return this form with your payment, to school no later than 16th March I give permission for my child, Child’s name Class to participate in the following 2018 ICAS assessments. Please select the subjects you would like your child to participate in:

Subject/Paper School

Year (circle)

Official Sitting Date Participation Fee Fee

Enclosed

Digital Technologies 3 4 5 6 8 May 2018 $9.00

Science 2 3 4 5 6 29 May 2018 $9.00

Writing 3 4 5 6 14 June 2018 $18.00

Spelling 2 3 4 5 6 13 June 2018 $12.00

English 2 3 4 5 6 31 July 2018 $9.00

Mathematics 2 3 4 5 6 14 August 2018 $9.00

TOTAL

Students must sit on the official sitting date for each subject to be eligible for UNSW medals. Please find enclosed for payment of the total fee. Amount

I have paid online using the code 056002. My receipt number is ____________________

Name of Parent/Carer (please print) Date

Signature of Parent/Carer

HOT DOG DAY THURSDAY, 12TH APRIL

A special Hot Dog day is coming! The date has been set for Thursday, 12th April. More details and order forms will be in the upcoming newsletters so stay tuned.

Lisa Norrie, Canteen Supervisor

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