Week 9, Term 3 2019 As the end of term approaches, I’d like to congratulate and thank our staff on the tremendous work that they put in to always striving towards excellence and for their support for our students to achieve their best. This term has been a celebration of student and staff wellbeing, achievement in student learning across KLAs and a wonderful community spirit. I’d like to take this moment to wish our students, staff and parents a safe and relaxing school holiday break. We are looking forward to hearing about holiday adventures and good news stories when the students return to school in Term 4 on Monday 14th October. Year 6 Canberra Camp On Wednesday 4th September, 136 students and 6 teachers set off bright and early for our much anticipated trip to Canberra. We had a great 3 days together, learned a lot and enjoyed experiencing the many sights and attractions that Canberra had to offer. Amongst many venues, we visited Parliament House, the War Memorial, the Dinosaur Museum with the highlight of the trip definitely being Questacon and The Australian Institute of Sport. All the students enjoyed the opportunity to experience living life - mum and dad free, the delights of camp food and sorting and organising their own things for 3 days. We arrived back at school on Friday night, with lots of stories to tell but happy to be back with our home comforts. The teachers were also happy to hand the students back to their parents and were very much looking forward to a full night’s sleep. The students were very well behaved and were excellent representatives of Sherwood Ridge Public School. ~ Year 6 Teachers

The Australian War Memorial Questacon

The Australian Institute of Sport Staff Twilight Professional Learning Session Last week, our staff participated in our third Twilight professional learning session where we looked at exciting and engaging ways to teach the Digital Technologies component of the new Science and Technology syllabus. It involves developing computational thinking and computer programming. Computational thinking is the thought processes involved in formulating a problem and expressing its solution(s) in such a way that a computer – human or machine – can effectively carry out. The Digital Careers organisation says that students need experience and skills in computational thinking and computer programming (coding) to be successful in their future careers. The NSW syllabuses provide a range of opportunities to develop students’ understanding of computational thinking and coding. Our staff spent 3 hours gaining a deeper understanding in this area and engaged in hands on activities in both computational thinking and computer programming. We are excited to extend on the work we are already doing in this area as we plan teaching and learning for Term 4 and 2020. Regional Spelling Bee Final On Thursday the 12th of September, four students represented Sherwood Ridge Public School in the 2019 Premier’s Spelling Bee Regional Final at Quakers Hill Public School. Yovelle J and Ethan S competed in the junior division, while Alman H and Gurleen K competed in the senior division. The students competed against students from other schools in the region, spelling words from seen word lists and unseen word lists. Yovelle progressed to round 7 and Ethan to round 8 in the junior regional final. Alman progressed to round 5 and Gurleen to round 8 (coming equal 6th place) in the senior regional final. All four students at Sherwood Ridge did an outstanding job in such a tough competition and should be congratulated for their efforts.

Yovelle J and Ethan S Gurleen K and Alman H

Preschool Visits at Sherwood Ridge – Coming to Big School! Over the past four weeks, we have been fortunate to have children who will be starting Kindergarten in 2020 from Goodstart Early Learning Centre come and visit our amazing school. The children and their teachers have visited the library, listened to stories and made a bookmark to further encourage their love of reading and literature with some of our Year 6 students. Last week, KE and KSC hosted the children in their classrooms. Our students had the opportunity to be a ‘buddy’ and assist their preschool friends with a craft activity. They also had the opportunity to eat lunch together and show them around our beautiful school grounds. Our Kindergarten students enjoyed meeting and welcoming our preschool friends. We can’t wait to meet some of them again at our Kindergarten Orientation days next term.

Library News Book Fair Thank you to everyone who supported this year’s Book Fair. It was awesome seeing the students and teachers so excited about books. We sold over $15 000 worth of books which provided the school with $4400 in funds to be spent on school resources to support teaching and learning. Premier’s Reading Challenge Congratulations to the 342 children who completed the 2019 Premier’s Reading Challenge, they should be proud of themselves for reaching their goal. Those children who have completed 4 Premier's Reading Challenges will receive a Gold Certificate and those children who have completed 7 Premier's Reading Challenges will receive a Platinum certificate.

SRC Longest Coin Line for a Leader Fundraiser The challenge was set to raise funds for the 2020 student leadership and the generous community of Sherwood Ridge answered. On Tuesday 10th September each class got their rulers and put their mathematical thinking hats on. They had to make three lines; $1 coin line, $2 coin line and a $1 bundle of silver coins line. Congratulations to all students who made a contribution to their class lines. In the end there was only 1cm difference between first and second in the K-2 competition. It was not that close in the 3-6 results due to some very savvy and clever thinking by the students in 4D. Well done to 4D and 2/3E who won a delicious pizza lunch. An impressive $2528.00 was raised by the SRPS community. Thank you to everyone for their contributions! K-2 results 1st 2/3E with 300cm 2nd 2J with 299cm 3rd 2D with 278cm

3-6 and Support Class results 1st 4D with 435cm 2nd 6C with 377.5cm 3rd 4A with 368.5cm

Class KE Class 2/3E

Class 4D Class 6A

Spectacular Wins for our Stage 2 and Boys Dance Group dancers With the buzz and excitement of another Eisteddfod competition, on Sunday 15th of September, our Boys and Stage 2 dance groups headed to Dural to participate of the Hills Dance Spectacular. After months of intense dance practice our dancers gave their all on the day. With big sections, tough competition and in spite of missing some of our dancers, the Stage 2 and Boys Dance Groups danced their hearts out on stage delivering fantastic performances. With a score of 92 our Stage 2 Dance Group received the prestigious 1st Place trophy for a very exciting and energetic performance with impressive use of acrobatic tricks. And with a score of 83.5 our Boys Dance Group received 3rd Place for good use of acrobatics, lifts and levels of choreography. It was a wonderful experience for students and a very proud moment for our whole school community. Thanks to all parents and families involved for their commitment and support. Above all, thank you to all the dancers for working so hard and representing the school so well. Well done for the incredibly professional performances and magnificent results, we are so very proud of you all! - Ms Corso, Miss Saunders, Miss Millgate and Mrs Carter.

Boys Dance Group – Jordan L, Lucas S and Aaron R Stage 2 Dance Group

Crazy Hair and Sock Day On Tuesday 17th September there were some crazy hair styles and wacky socks worn to school to support the ongoing efforts of Year 6 to fundraise for the Year 6 Farewell and Graduation. Many students and staff enjoyed the opportunity to add some colour to a dreary and wet Tuesday by teasing, colouring and tying their hair and finding the most colourful socks they could. Thank you to all the students who supported us in our ongoing fundraising efforts.

Lucy M, Jade M, Montana L and Dana A BYOD Parent Information Evening for Stage 3, 2020 On Wednesday 18th September, SRPS hosted a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) Parent Information Evening attended by our Year 4 and 5 parents who will have students in Stage 3 next year. On the night, parents learnt about the BYOD program and how it is currently being utilised in Stage 3 classrooms. We shared our knowledge on the effectiveness of the program and how important BYOD is in developing the skills of our students through collaboration and communication online. Thank you to our supportive parents who came along and asked their very thoughtful questions. We greatly enjoyed sharing our thoughts and the program with you. If you have any further questions regarding the program, please do not hesitate to contact our BYOD Coordinator Ashleigh Gorjup on 8824 3333.

Family Law and the School Important information for parents and students The department recognises that family breakdowns take place. Unless there is formal notice otherwise, it is assumed that both parents have shared and equal parental responsibility for their children and both parents have been involved in decisions regarding their children’s education. This also means the school recognises that each parent has equal duties, obligations, responsibilities and opportunities relating to matters involving the school. If changes occur in your family relationship which might impact on the relationship between the school and your family, you should advise the school immediately. This includes providing copies of any relevant court orders.

Attendance Reminder Regular and consistent attendance is a key element to student progress and social development. All teachers monitor their class attendance on a daily basis and follow the Department of Education’s School Attendance Policy as well as our school’s attendance process and procedures.

All students are expected to attend school. When a student is absent, the parent/carer will notify the class teacher. Teachers are the first point of contact with parents/carers if there is a concern about inconsistent attendance. Teachers contact parents/carers if a child is absent for two days without notification or should a concern be evident in the overall attendance of their child.

Sherwood Ridge Public School is supported by a Home School Liaison Officer (HSLO) who monitors school attendance and follows-up on individual cases where there are concerns about attendance. Attendance rates are reviewed each fortnight and term and students of concern are referred to the Learning and Support Team.

Regular attendance at school is essential to assist students to maximise their potential. Schools, in partnership with parents, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students.

School Uniform Review Survey Last week a note was sent home informing families that we are now at the next step in the review of our uniform policy. This involves a rigorous whole-school community consultative process where students, staff, parents, our P&C and suppliers will be given the opportunity to be part of this decision-making process. In accordance with the NSW Department of Education’s guidelines, the school’s Uniform Committee are asking for your feedback on each item of our current school uniform, including the school’s summer and winter uniforms for both boys and girls. We encourage all parents to complete the survey so that we have accurate data that reflects the feedback of our whole community. Below is a link to our parent survey and a QR code: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1NHEzy2UEcZY_HDF22gkWZ5aig0Y_18RplIkJVsLtc4M/edit

This survey should take no more than 10 minutes to complete and will close on Monday 23rd September at 3pm. Below is the link to the school’s uniform shop website to further assist with viewing the current school uniform: https://www.k12uniformstore.com.au/srps/product-category/summer-uniform/ This week and next our staff and K-6 students will also be completing a survey about the school’s summer and winter uniforms for both boys and girls. Thank you for your support with this next step to reviewing our uniform policy and for taking the time to provide feedback. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs Cardwell on 8824 3333. Variation of Term 4 School Development Days School development days are used by schools to improve the skills of our teachers, school leaders and school administrative support staff. They improve the learning outcomes of students by: providing targeted professional learning activities aligned to school strategic directions and Department of Education priorities. Each year through consultation with our staff, our school reschedules the two Term 4 SDD’s to four half-day twilight sessions where teaching staff attend one evening professional learning session each term in order to replace the Term 4 School Development Days. Parents are advised that due to the rescheduled school development days in Term 4, the school will be non-operational on Thursday 19th and Friday 20th December.

New Enrolment Policy – What does this mean for your family? The Department of Education have launched a new Student Enrolment Policy which will take affect as early as Term 4 2019. A Parent Information Brochure will be sent home to all families in Week 6. The new enrolment procedures come into effect at the beginning of Term 4, Monday 14th October 2019. Parents who are concerned about the changes should contact the school Principal for more information.

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.

Kindergarten 2020?

Kindergarten Orientation Program Our ‘Orientation Program’ begins soon and we can’t wait to meet our Kindergarten students for 2020! Our Orientation Program dates are; Tuesday 22nd October, Thursday 31st October, Thursday 5th November and Thursday 14th November from 9:30am-10:30am. It is important to enrol your child by September so we can place them into their Orientation Group. You are encouraged to contact the office staff if you have not yet completed an enrolment application or if you require assistance. We look forwarding to welcoming our new students for 2020. If you require further information regarding our Kindergarten Orientation Program, please contact Mrs Cardwell our Deputy Principal, on 8824 3333. Important Road Safety Reminder for Parents and Carers These Holidays As the school holidays approach, it is important to remember when walking near roads, on footpaths, near driveways and in car parks always:

• hold your child’s hand. Until they are at least 8 years old children need to hold an adult's hand. Until they at least 10, children should be closely supervised by an adult and hold hands when crossing the road.

• talk to your child about road safety. Talk about how to be safe when near roads. Be a good role model.

• point out road safety dangers and differences in new environments. This is especially important when on holidays in different surroundings. Roads, footpaths and pedestrian facilities may look different in holiday areas. The best way to keep your child safe on or near the road is to hold their hand. Talk with your child daily about road safety. Remind other adults and carers about this too. You can find out more at Transport for NSW. http://roadsafety.transport.nsw.gov.au/stayingsafe/children/pedestriansafety.html Have a safe holiday break! Mrs Jody Sullivan Relieving Principal Sherwood Ridge Public School

A collaborative, creative and inclusive environment from which each give their best.