Fassifern Flyer 9 Miller Road FASSIFERN NSW 2283

Phone: (02) 49592708

Email: Fassifern-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Term 3 Week 6

Care Share Achieve Regina

Students of Year 6, our leaders of the school, are sporting their new signature shirts. This class of 2020 is destined to shine! (Left to right: Liam, Ruby, Mia, Tia, Lyla, Sasha, Lachlan and Elijah)

Yesterday (Monday) class teachers and our Instructional Leader for Literacy and Numeracy, Mrs Baker, came together for scrutiny of the data around student learning that has been collected. As we all know, the time of learning from home was not ideal. Our staff, teachers, SLSOs and Mrs Hum-phris, put in a mighty effort, but it didn’t work for all families. We are encouraged by what our data is telling us. Most students are working hard in class, eager to learn and achieve growth. All students have learning goals and, for the most part, they are being met. Teachers are seeing some very effective learning strategies in the classroom and, generally, independent workers are committed to producing quality work. Learning is not a one-way street… of course, teachers have the role of leading learning in the class-room, planning and preparing to meet individual needs of students. Students have a role of engaging with the work, applying their knowledge and the strategies they have learned to build a bank of learning. No-one else can hold the learning and how students apply themselves will be the determi-nant of their progress. For each student, it’s about “what I can do”, not what everyone else is doing. And sometimes that requires patience, understanding and being willing to change.

Science time is fun learning in Pirama… This group mixed water with other liquids to

see if they combine. Water and dishwashing liquid mixed well but oil and water separated.

Families will be able to discuss the Wish List and make purchases online. Details of this process will be provided with the Wish List.

Thursday, September 10th.

Come dressed as a book character!

This year, our Book Fair will be quite different. Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, families will not be able to come into the school and browse the books and mer-chandise offered. All students will be able to spend time in the Library, looking at the books and hearing the stories. They will then have a Wish List they can com-plete and take home.

Awards: Term 3 Week 4 and 5

CLASS WEEK STUDENT AWARD

Wilai 4 M J Nixon Lovely, careful

tracing.

Wilai 4 Jensen Richards Working hard in

mathematics.

Wilai 5 Elizabeth McKen-

na

Working hard at

developing her

maths strategies.

Wilai 5 Sophia Sarnelli Being a kind and

helpful class

member.

Pirama 4 Jesse Condran His outstanding

effort in dance.

Pirama 4 Lilly Teasdell Her outstanding

effort in dance.

Pirama 5 Halaina Pex Fantastic effort in

science with Mr

Elliott.

Pirama 5 Kayla Winter Great enthusiasm

in geography.

Makoro 4 Samuel Orr Improvement in

times tables.

Makoro 4 Jack Tonks Setting a good

example.

Makoro 5 Kobi Berry Great effort at

writing.

Makoro 5 Mahlah Cassell Working well with

fractions.

Student of the Week

Term 3, Week 5

Liam Seiver This young man is a quiet achiever. He confidently completes his times table challenge, without any errors. He is happy to lend any of his things to anyone that want to borrow them. He is very reliable and we trust him to lock our school toilets everyday. Liam is re-sponsible, whenever asked to do a job, he can be counted on to complete it to the best of his ability. This boy always upholds the school values.

BULLYING ONLINE

A significant number of parents have

advised me that students are receiving

inappropriate messages through a social

media chat platform for children. This

has taken the form of cruel and hurtful

comments to abusive and threatening

messages. Of course we teach students

about cyber-bullying but this is outside

the realm of our authority. However, I

have advised parents to contact the e-

Safety Commissioner, who will investi-

gate the incidents. I have posted the

website address below. Please don’t

hesitate to report inappropriate messag-

es; your child’s happiness and wellbeing

is at stake.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/report/

cyberbullying

Student achievement is acknowledged at whole-school

Assembly on Friday afternoon.

GOOD

WRITER

AWARD

Dingo

Classification: over many years, dingos scientific

name was: canis lupus Dingo (a subspecies of the

wolf), canis familiarises (a domestic dog), canis din-

go (its own species within the genus Canis.

Appearance: The body fur is short while the tail is

quite bushy. It’s dog-like appearance with a rela-

tively broad head and erect ears, makes the dingo

Australia largest mammal carnivore. With canine

teeth longer than those of a domestic dog, the

dingo’s muzzle is also longer and tapered.

Habitat and description: from harsh to lush rainfor-

est, the highly adaptable dingo is found in every

habitat and state of Australia except Tasmania.

Dingoes favour edges of forests next to grassland.

In desserts, access to drinking water determines

where the animals can live.

Diet: Dingo hunting is opportunistic. Animals hunt

alone or in cooperative packs. They pursue small

game such as rabbits, rodents, birds, and lizards.

These dogs will eat fruits and plants as well.

Life styles and facts: dingoes are a type of feral

dog native to Australia. Dingos annually breed

once, after a gestation period of 63 days, females

give birth to 4-5 pups. Dingoes are medium sized

dogs. Dingoes live up to 10 years.

Hugh, Year 5

Red Kangaroo

Classification-A red kangaroo is a mammal which is where they give birth to live young. Appearance-The world famous red kangaroo is the largest marsupial and the largest Australian mammal. They have brown fur and big pointy ears and a long tail.

Habitat and Distribution-The red kangaroo is found across central Australia and while some of them are found in groups. Some live alone but most live in groups of ten.

Diet- they eat green grass and herbage. They feed mainly at night and can last a long time without wa-ter.

Koala Classification Koalas are a type of mammal called marsupials, which give birth to underdeveloped young. They are differ-ent from any other marsupial however, they have been classified into their own family, called Phascolarctidae. Appearance Koalas are well-known for their large round head, big furry ears and big black nose. Their fur is usually grey-brown in colour with white fur on the chest, inner arms, ears and bottom. They have no fur on their nose or the palms of their paws. Habit and Distribution Koalas live over a range of open forest and woodland communities but ultimately their habitat is defined by the presence of a select group of food trees. Koalas are found in higher densi-ties where food trees are growing on more fertile soils and along watercourses. Diet An adult koala eats between 200 to 500 grams of leaves each day. Koalas eat mainly eucalyptus leaves (gum leaves). Occasionally they will eat the leaves from some other native Australian trees, and they also use certain trees just for resting in. Koalas live in tall open eucalypt (gum tree) forests. Lifestyle and Facts Koalas live in the eucalyptus forests of south eastern and eastern Australia. When not sleeping, they're usu-ally eating. They rely on the eucalyptus tree for both habitat and food. Koalas can eat more than a pound of eucalyptus leaves a day.

Tia, Year 6

Red-Belly Black snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus)

Appearance

The Red-Belly black snake is known for its red belly

and glossy black top, and a completely black tail. It

also lacks a well-defined neck, so its head merges

with the body seamlessly. The Red-Belly black snake

grows up to an average of 1.25m long. The largest it

once got up to individually is 2.55m long. Males are

generally longer than females and like all elapid

snakes it is proteroglyphous (front fanged).

Habitat and Distribution

The Red-Belly black snake is mostly found near bod-

ies of water. Snakes must regulate their body temper-

ature by tanning in the sun or retreating to cool,

shaded areas. They may also retreat to private gar-

dens that are adjacent to water courses. You may

sometimes find them basking under a rock or under-

neath timber and abandoned burrows. The species

are endemic to Australia. They are mostly found at

the east cost of Australia, where it is one of the most

frequently confronted snakes.

Diet

The Red-Belly black snake species prey on frogs, rats,

mice, lizards, birds, fish, eels and sometimes other

The Red-bellied Black Snake can be found all along

the east coast of Australia, and northern parts of Vic-

toria. Mating occurs in the spring time. Males have

been known to travel long distances in search of fe-

males. They are also known to fight over a poten-

tial mate.

Lyla, Year 6

Sugar glider Classification

The sugar glider, or Petaurus breviceps, is a small, ar-

boreal and nocturnal mammal. It’s like a possum but

it can glide!!

Appearance

The sugar glider is generally 5 to 12 inches long. with

a tail that is 6 to 9 inches long. Their fur is bluish-grey

with a pale belly and a stripe down there back. And

it’s beautiful cute eyes and fluffy fur. It has flaps of

skin to glide.

Habitat and distribution

The sugar glider prefers old-growth forests and has

never been found in rainforests. It can flourish in both

wet and dry forests and woodlands. And they usually

live in trees. They live in Tasmania, half of south Aus-

tralia a little bit of NSW Queensland Northern Territory

the top of Western Australia.

Diet

sugar gliders are omnivorous and eat a wide variety

of foods, including saps and gums from acacia and

eucalyptus trees, nectar, pollen, fruits, and insects.

And other stuff.

Lifestyle

They can live up to 10-15 years When a sugar glider is

angry, it will warn the opponent by leaning back and

emitting a chattering sound, which is quite similar to

that, produced by a small, yapping dog. If the at-

tempt was unsuccessful, the animal will take drastic

measures, striking the opponent with full force.

Jack, Year 5

The Eastern Brown Snake Classification It was first described by André Marie Constant Dumeril in 1854. The adult eastern brown snake is up to 2m long with slender build. Its variable upper parts can be several shades of brown, ranging from pale brown to almost black, while its underside is pale cream-yellow, often with orange or grey splotches Appearance The eastern brown snake (pseudonaja textilis), often referred as the common brown snake, is a highly ven-omous snake of family Elapidae, native to eastern and central Australia and southern New Guinea. Habitat and distribution Eastern brown snakes will make homes in a variety of habitats such as savannah woodlands, eucalypt for-ests, arid scrublands, health of coastal ranger, and inner grassland the snake is absent from wet areas nor does it live in extremely dry habitats Diet Eastern brown snakes eat small vertebrates, mainly mammals, frog, birds and reptiles such as skins and geckoes, as well as well as other snakes. They have developed a preference for introduced rodents such as rats and house mice, and are useful predator around farm life! Lifestyle and facts Eastern brown snakes are generally solitary, with females and younger males avoiding adult males. They are active during the day, though they may retire in the heat of hot days to come out again in the late afternoon.

Lachlan, Year 6

Kevin’s Great Adventure

Sydney Harbour, as the sun rises, Fred is getting ready for work. Fred works as a coal loader on the har-

bour. The harbour is a dirty, run down dock. It is located under the Mooney Mooney Bridge. The air is thick

and smells like rotten eggs.

As Fred was getting ready for work Kevin was starting to meow. He was scratching the door to come in-

side. Fred opens the door and Kevin pounces onto Fred’s leg. Fred goes to the kitchen to get Kevin some

food.

While Fred is in the kitchen Kevin sneaks into Fred’s work bag and falls asleep. Fred calls out to Kevin to

come and get his food. Kevin doesn’t hear Fred and stays asleep in the bag. Fred yells out, “I’m going to

work. Your food is in the kitchen.” Fred grabs his bag and heads off to work.

Fred arrives at work. He puts his bag in the kitchen, grabs his hat and starts work. Steve, the ship’s captain,

goes to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. Kevin wakes up and realises he is not at home. He runs crazi-

ly through the kitchen. CRASH! Kevin slams into the pots and pans hanging over the bench.

Steve jumps when he hears the crash, spilling coffee all over his shirt. He reaches for Kevin. Kevin scratches

Steve’s arm. Steve finally gets Kevin and takes him to his office. Steve calls out over the loud speaker,

“Does anyone own a black and white ball of fluff?”

Fred hears the captain over the loud speaker. “Surely that’s not Kevin.” Fred heads towards Steve’s office.

As Fred enters the office he sees Kevin. He takes a deep breath anmd says, “How did you get here?”

Steve says, “Get this cat off my ship!” Steve drops anchor and tells Fred to take the lifeboat and take Kev-

in home.

Fred takes Kevin home where Kevin goes to the kitchen and eats the food put out for him earlier that day.

Jace, Year 5

You will most likely have seen or heard references to students having a growth mindset towards their learning. It’s about changing an attitude or a perspective of a concept or a task, and having a positive expectation of an outcome. Here’s how you can perpetuate that at home.

As time goes by...

Fassifern was first developed as a result of sawmill and coal mining operations in the area. The railway siding and station was first built in 1887 to serve the Northumberland Land and Coal Company (Newstan Colliery).

Fassifern Public School was built in 1922, designed to cater for 60 students. The initial enrolment was 40, drawing from Lorne, Blackalls Park and Fennell Bay. Apparently, the current building was the second school to be built in the area, the first one being established around the time of that of the railway, about a mile (2.2kms) further on.

(Newcastle Morning Herald and Miners’

Advocate, September 25th, 1922)

This is an un-named and undated

photograph, presumably of the

school’s head teacher and students.

Any clues of who and when would be

welcome.

Centenary ‘22

Conversations, which will lead to

plans, will begin next year for cen-

tenary celebrations. Please be a part

of this wonderful tribute to Fassifern, its

school and community.