Week 3, Term 3 2019 Education Week We have had a wonderful week at Sherwood Ridge celebrating success and showcasing all that we do during Education Week. Education Week is an annual state-wide event celebrating public education. The theme this year is Every Student, Every Voice which was displayed in full at Sherwood Ridge this week through the many programs and events that promoted student engagement and wellbeing. On Monday our Creative Arts programs shone bright on Centre Stage at Castle Towers where our dances spun, twirled and danced the time away. Our talented musicians played in harmony and our choirs sang their hearts out. Our 220 students were full of energy, joy and commitment and it was wonderful to see so many turn out to see their performances. At Sherwood Ridge we are passionate about providing all students the opportunity to shine in their chosen field whether it be performing on stage or on the sporting field, writing code, building robots or extending their ability in the various curriculum areas. This year our Open Day held on Tuesday was all about showcasing the programs we offer at SRPS that amplify student voice and support student learning and wellbeing. Our showcase was followed by a family picnic that filled our grassed areas across the grounds and highlighted our wonderful community spirit. We then capped the day off with open classrooms where some exciting grade activities were planned and students and parents could share their learning. We finished our Education Week events with the K-2 Athletics Carnival which is a hype of excitement for younger students. The joy of running as fast as you can on the top grass while your peers yell and shout your name is something that all students relish. Between the sprints, tabloid games and the war cries our K-2 students had a fantastic day. Overall, we felt overwhelming community support this week with over 70% of students having a family member attend one of our events to celebrate their learning. We are proud of the positive relationships that we have with our community and would like to thank our parents, grandparents and carers for joining us in creating a buzz and contributing to our school spirit at Sherwood Ridge.

Robotics Year 2 Dance Group

Travis P. and Nanna

K-2 Athletics Carnival

Festival of Instrumental Music, Opera House Performance On Tuesday 30th July, Mrs Cardwell had the wonderful opportunity to attend the annual concert, 'The Festival of Instrumental Music' for New South Wales Public Schools students coordinated by the Department of Education's Art Unit at Sydney's Opera House. This concert provides a unique opportunity for students and their teachers from across the state to celebrate and enhance their music education by accessing high quality repertoire, professional learning and a world class performing experience. Our talented, violinist Elisa P. represented Sherwood Ridge in the String Quartet along with 200 students from NSW public schools. It was such an amazing experience listening to Year 3 to Year 6 students showcase their creative talent and excellence in music. It was simply breathtaking! Miss Quinn, along with her entertaining and engaging recorder group participated in, 'The Combined Recorder Ensemble' throughout the night. This group was a feature of this concert with 700 recorders involved in the performance. Miss Quinn has worked extremely hard with her recorder students and many hours of rehearsing by the students to prepare for this concert did not go unnoticed. Mrs Cardwell said, "the recorder ensemble was magical, listening to over 500 students play this instrument." Thank you to Miss Quinn and the following students for being part of this amazing opportunity and representing Sherwood Ridge with pride. We look forward to being part of this wonderful opportunity again in 2020!

Shiran, Annabelle, Kathleen, Hugo, Charles, Amani,

Mattheus, Ben and Joel.

Elisa P.

Festival of Instrumental Music Stage 3 Art Throughout semester 1 Stage 3 classes spent some time learning about appreciation and appropriation of famous art works. A requirement of this unit of work was for students to complete an independent research task at home. Student were required to complete the task in three parts:

• choose an artist and complete a biography of their life • appropriate a piece of art of their chosen artwork • present a short oral presentation on their chosen artist

The research tasks were completed to a very high standard with some amazing pieces of art created. We seem to have some very talented artists in Stage 3 who in many cases created exceptional pieces or art. We are very impressed by the quality of the completed tasks and have displayed many of the art works throughout the school. Thank you Stage 3 students for sharing your amazing artistic talents.

Sophia R.

Kinder Excursion On Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd August, Kindergarten students went on an excursion to the Field of Mars Environmental Centre. Our students had a great time using their mapping skills to explore special places in the bush. They listened to an Aboriginal Dreamtime story about a blue tongue lizard and even got to pat a live one named Gary! Magnifiers were used to look closely at the wildlife living in these special places. Our students then used teamwork and problem-solving skills to build shelters, just out of big sticks - It was hard work! They all had such fun on their first excursion and they cannot wait for the next one!

Nicholas Q.

Lillian E, Oliver G, Madeline C, Olivia H, Jackson H,

Miranda L, Olivia P, Samuel P and Miabelle D.

Explained Absences Our sick bay has been a busy place this past fortnight with students presenting with stomach pains and runny noses. A friendly reminder to parents and carers to keep unwell children at home until their symptoms have improved to minimise the spread of germs to other students and to ensure that your child recovers quicker. All student absences must be explained to the child’s class teacher within two days of the absence. We thank parents for their ongoing support and understanding.

2020 School Organisation The school will soon begin the complex process of organising class structures for 2020. In order to ensure that the needs of students are met, parents are invited to forward information that you believe should be considered in regards to the formation of classes for next year. Requests can include information regarding medical conditions, requests to have particular children separated and or any other aspect that you feel may have an impact on your child’s learning. Parents are asked to forward requests to the Principal in writing no later than Friday 27th September 2019 to ensure that your child’s needs can be considered. Please note that consideration for placement with specific teachers and or students are UNABLE to be considered due to the size and complexity of the school.

Starting Kindergarten in 2020? If you have a child starting school next year it is important to enrol your child and to attend our Kindergarten Orientation held in Term 4. We are currently taking enrolments for 2020 and you are encouraged to contact the office staff if you have not yet completed an enrolment application or if you require assistance. Preparing for Kindergarten Parents can do a lot to help prepare their child for Kindergarten before the big 'first day'. Below is a list of skills that will be useful for children starting Kindergarten. We recognise that not all children will have these skills as everyone develops at a different pace, so this is intended only as a guide so that starting school may be just a little easier. Encourage your child to attempt the things mentioned below, but don't worry if your child can't do all of them. Talk to the Kindergarten teacher, and together you can support and assist your child's learning. Personal/Social Skills • uses the toilet independently • can say own name and address • adapts to unfamiliar settings and new experiences • can finish a task, and tidies up afterwards • plays cooperatively with other children - shares and takes turns • can sit still to listen to a story for a few minutes • participates in imaginative play Mrs Jody Sullivan Relieving Principal Sherwood Ridge Public School A collaborative, creative and inclusive environment from which each give their best.