Sir Eric Woodward School newsletter€¦ · you want to rock and roll’. Class 5 and 6 kicked of...
Transcript of Sir Eric Woodward School newsletter€¦ · you want to rock and roll’. Class 5 and 6 kicked of...
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School contact details
address: cnr Ayres & Acron Rds St Ives NSW 2075 telephone: 9449 6003 fax: 9983 9334
email: [email protected] ABN: 98 951 675 254
Sir Eric Woodward School newsletter 14th December 2018 Volume 7 Issue 103
In this issue:
SEWS annual Presentation Day
Chris – World Champion
thank you Sydney Grammar
Killara High School community
placement
Principal’s message
Deputy Principal’s message
diary dates
birthdays
news from the classrooms
mailto:[email protected]
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Annual Presentation Day celebrations
On Friday 7th December Sir Eric Woodward School opened their doors to their school community
for our annual school presentation day celebrations. This year our theme was ‘We rocked 2018’ -
Celebrating the hits! and we decked out the area with vinyl to suit the theme. It was great to see
such an amazing turn out of families and friends. The students danced through the ages and
delighted the audiences with their many talents. The 60’s were present and Class 3 was under the
sea in a ‘Yellow Submarine’, ACDC hit the stage with Class 4 rocking to ‘It’s a long way to the top if
you want to rock and roll’. Class 5 and 6 kicked of their Sunday shoes and danced through the 80’s
to Footloose and Class 1 found the profound message and some Michael Jackson moves
performing to ‘Black or White’.
Not only was the audience taken on a journey of music and dance through the decades, they were
on a journey that highlighted our students’ 2018 successes recognising the ‘hits’ across another
great learning year. All our students were recognised for their most outstanding personalised
learning goal or yearly achievement. Special awards were given to students in the arts, sporting,
Principal and Deputy Principal Awards and community all-rounder awards. A big congratulations to
all our students for their great gains and successes across 2018.
Our school community is integral to the operations of our great school and they were also recognised
on the day. We pride ourselves on the friendships and connections we foster and they are reciprocal
in nature. SEW recognised the significant contributions to our school and our community
partnerships with partner schools, clubs, local businesses and our parent bodies and Association.
SEWS Year 6 and Year 12 graduates were celebrated and congratulated for this milestone in their
education. A ceremonial cake cutting signified this very important acknowledgement for Year 12.
We wished them well for the next chapter they are taking.
At the end of the formalities of the Presentation Day a great finale took place. We journey the
audience’s journey into the current day – the 2000’s. Jacob M, one of our amazing DESU students,
sung and the whole school performed to ‘Can’t stop the feeling’ to dance dance dance and that’s
exactly what we did and we did it with so much enthusiasm and fun!
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Chris
World Champion! Chris has gone and done it! In breaking news our very own student Chris is the new world champion
junior steer rider. In a tense final in Las Vegas Chris rode in front of a crowd of thousands to clinch
the title after 2 previous blisteringly successful rounds. Chris who has only just fought his way back
from injury took the prize by riding for over 8 seconds and score 83 points.
He travelled to the States with friends having previously been in July to compete in the world high
schools finals where he was ranked 9th in the world. He’ll certainly be climbing those rankings now.
Well done Chris, we are all so proud of you at Sir Eric Woodward School.
World Champion Chris
The National Finals Rodeo, the world’s biggest rodeo event
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Thank you Sydney Grammar
Sydney Grammar Preparatory School continues to be our wonderful friends. They attend our school
as buddies where their Year 6 students buddy up with individual students over lunch play time
periods and form a friendship and engage our students in play during recreation activities. More
than anything these young men’s’ characters are of the highest calibre. They are always polite,
respectful and endear themselves to all the students they build rapport with. A very big thank you to
Ian Roberts, Headmaster, and Gary Audas, program supervisor, for continuing this vital program.
The wider school also rallies their support, by holding fair days, fun days and school concerts with
funds raised being donated to SEWS.
This year a Year 6 fair day raised $2505.15 and the Arcangelo Strings charity concert, performing
chamber music and solos raised $749.00. Sydney Grammar kindly donated a large sum of
$3254.15 to our school. This very generous donation will go towards the installation of a shade sail
over our new playground equipment. Four Grammar students attended the school with their teacher
and met with SEWS Principal Jo Gardiner to present the cheque. Our friendship with Sydney
Grammar is second to none and one our school values and fosters. On behalf of the SEWS students,
staff and wider community THANK YOU! Sydney Grammar for their ongoing partnerships with
SEWS and this wonderful financial donation.
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Killara High School Community Placement
In Weeks 7 and 8 Sir Eric Woodward School supported a group of 24 Year 10 students from Killara High School during their Year 10 Service Learning Program.
The Year 10 students provided invaluable assistance in preparation for our school Presentation Day as they engaged in painting and decorating of props, helped students rehearsing their performances, and saved the day with some amazing technology support!
Killara students watch on as Class 2 students taste ‘Australian’ food
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Principal’s message
This is the last newsletter for 2018 and what a year it has been! A few highlights:
Sir Eric Woodward School is now one year into our three year school planning cycle and I am happy
to report, all project teams are forging forward. We adopted the attitude, you say, we’ll do with
greater community and staff consultation. The project teams for this planning cycle are Community
Links, Assessment, Positive Behaviour for Learning, Quality Teaching Key Word Sign, and Garden
Based Learning. These were all areas of focus from community and staff consultation and self-
assessment.
The Community Links project team has been working to link the school and family communities
closer together and this will be done through technology and exciting events like a family fun day
and excursions.
The Assessment project team has been developing two projects; 1. a SEWS English, maths and
functional skills assessment framework, and 2. online assessment and reporting tools. In 2019,
assessment framework development will continue, and trials of the online assessment and reporting
tool will commence.
The Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) project team has started the implementation of positive
behaviour for learning as an evidence based whole school process to improve learning outcomes
for all students. The team will be developing consistent systems to discourage unproductive
behaviour. PBL will establish strong school wide universal systems that promote early intervention
and the teaching and acknowledging of social emotional skills.
The Key Word Signing team has worked hard to give a consistent approach to communication
across the school and community. We have learnt many new signs and incorporate these into our
school day in both the class rooms and other learning environments.
The Garden Based Learning project team have soared this year. You only have to walk around the
school and notice the difference in our outdoor learning spaces. This team is creating garden based
learning spaces at both Sir Eric Woodward School and at the homes of some of our DESU students.
With particular mention to Cab-ra-nanga a new Aboriginal garden area meaning resting minds. This
area with yarning circle and natural sensory plants is a great way to connect us with the Aboriginal
culture. The garden based learning team connected with multiple community members to make this
happen. These included the local Aboriginal community and a strong friendship with Bunnings
Belrose. The garden based learning team also has a focus on numeracy and learning math through
garden based learning. An amazing effort from this team, this year.
The installation of our new playground all-inclusive equipment was another highlight. We had a
vision to create a functional interactive outdoor learning space to cater for diverse abilities. The
structure was specifically designed to meet the needs of all students to ensure wherever we could
that inclusive practices were at the forefront of all our play opportunities. The playground equipment
design has many functions including supporting our students’ sensory experiences. There are
limited inclusive playground available to cater for all abilities so we are very proud at Sir Eric
Woodward School to have one installed on our grounds. The new playground equipment gives our
students the opportunity to improve muscle tone, as well as further develop their gross motor skills
and hand and eye coordination, not to mention the joy of being outside and playing. There is a vital
connection between play and learning. Play not only teachers critical life skills such as resilience,
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teamwork and creativity, it is central to a child’s enjoyment of their childhood and this is why so much
significance was placed on prioritizing the installation of this equipment.
A notable moment this year was when our school was highly recommended by our Executive
Director, Cathy Brennan to be visited by Murat Dizdar, Deputy Secretary School Operations and
Performance. Murat was inspired by his visit and all the outstanding quality teaching and learning
at Sir Eric Woodward School. He was so inspired that he wanted us to continue to have the best
resources to teach our students. Murat granted the school $40,000 which was based on seeing
Class 4’s STEM lesson on shelter. The boys wrote about not having adequate shelter to support
play and learning outside, and put together a proposal with an attached budget. Murat met half this
budget with the $40,000 and we were over the moon by this. I am happy to report if all goes to plan
next year we will be installing an all-weather covered outdoor learning area (COLA). Murat also
heard that our wifi was often not user friendly and this interfered with programs, especially some of
our DESU programs. Murat contacted people and worked with the Sir Eric Woodward School
technology team and this is on its way to being connection friendly.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our community. There is strength in our school
community from our families, to partner schools, service clubs, local businesses and community
clubs and of course to those community members that sit on school boards including our
Association, branding committee and P&C. It is a community that genuinely cares about each other
and shares a vision to provide the best educational experiences for all our students. This year we
were proud to foster new friendships with the Commonwealth Bank St Ives and Rotary Club Ku-
ring-gai and a new reciprocal inclusive practice school Masada College.
Congratulations to Louise N and Rama! Louise N was successful through merit and is now the new
face to face School Administration Manager, and Rama was successful through merit and is now a
substantiative teacher in our DESU. Both Louise N and Rama have been working at the school for
a number of years but we congratulate Louise N on her new position and Rama on her full time
teacher position.
So that’s a wrap as they say, for our last newsletter for 2018! I wish all our students, families and
wider school community a great festive season or holiday period. I look forward to the safe and
happy return of all our students in 2019. To the staff at SEWS, you are all truly gifted educators and
I thank you for your dedication and commitment to our school. The passion and care is second to
none and our team is strong because of all of the strengths each staff members bring to their career.
I hope you all have a much rested and well deserved break and I look forward to seeing you all after
the holidays and soaring in 2019!
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Deputy Principal’s message
As this is the final newsletter for 2018 I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of the SEWS
community a safe and festive Xmas and a happy New Year. I hope you are able to relax and spend
some time with family and friends. I look forward to working with you all in 2019.
In recent weeks the Garden Based Learning project team has been introducing our DESU and F2F
students to outdoor learning utilising our newly established sensory gardens. The gardens are a big
hit, both at school and in student homes. Class 1 are now experts in planting dwarf beans, hopefully
these will be ready to harvest when we return to school next year.
Congratulations to all our students who pulled out all stops to dance their way through the decades
at our annual Presentation Day. This day could not happen without the commitment and creativity
of our teaching and support staff. I thoroughly enjoyed being invited to support a number of classes
with their dances. You all rock!!!
Finally, I would like to wish our graduating Year 12 DESU students Jarrod and Tim, all the best for
the future. We will miss you at SEWS. I hope you both enjoy the next exciting chapter in your life.
Sian
Class 1 planting dwarf beans
Goodbye and good luck Jarrod and Tim
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school concludes Term 4 Wednesday 19th December 2018
school resumes Term 1 for staff Tuesday 29th January 2019
school resumes Term 1 for students Wednesday 30th January 2019
Birthdays
Happy birthday to those students and staff who have celebrated their birthdays since the last
newsletter, AND who will celebrate their birthdays in the holidays:
students: Alexis, Azra, Darcy
staff: Amanda, Deborah, Louise N, Brenda
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News from the classrooms
Class 3
Class 3 have had a very busy, but fun end of year. The boys have been studying the properties of
magnets. They were delighted to ‘magically’ make models levitate and move by the strong invisible
force and composed a long list of objects that tested as magnetic. In maths they have been
practising division and measurement. In addition to classroom programs the boys rehearsed
enthusiastically for their wonderful Presentation Day performance of Yellow Submarine. They were
very proud of their piece in the show and were delighted with the wonderful submarine that was put
together by Mr Goodsell. On Presentation Day Thomas and PJ welcomed visitors as they arrived to
our school, and Joshua read the Acknowledgement of Country with excellent diction and volume.
We all feel intensely proud of each student’s achievements this year. Everyone has worked
consistently and made great progress in their personal goals as well as their academic outcomes.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank the parents of Class 3 for their support throughout
the year and wish all the SEWS community a safe and happy holiday and 2019.
Miss Lee & Mrs B
PJ welcoming Daryl Perry Playing kazoos is lots of fun
Joshua finding a magnetic pole Thomas finding another magnetic pole
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Class 6
It was exciting to be back in Class 6 and observe how well the students had adapted to new staff
members while I was on leave. All the students have grown and matured and after looking at their
programs I was impressed with their participation in some interesting class projects. We have been
fortunate to have some volunteer support in Class 6 from the Killara High School students who have
helped design backdrops and props for Presentation Day. It was a pleasure to have the volunteers
in the class working alongside our students. Sophie and Brooke were very excited to have their hair
curled and to change into prom dresses for their Presentation Day performance. Both girls looked
spectacular and participated enthusiastically in the dance. They were also given a special honour
for 2019 as Sophie was made school captain and Brooke vice-captain. Congratulations also to Lucy
who received a special Richard Kidziak Art Award commendation for her artwork.
Sandy & Sophie
Brooke happy to be Vice captain Sophie smiling with excitement
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Sharon’s class
I am very proud to celebrate student success in 2018.
Leroy is to be commended for his positive attitude towards developing his independence in routine
activities in both the home and in the community. He has effectively used visuals for communication,
helped prepare meals at home with his family, developed independence in many personal care
activities and been an asset to his family as he participates in many more activities within the home.
Leah has had an exceptional year developing her fine and gross motor skills and has achieved her
personal learning goals. Leah has developed confidence experiencing new environments and as a
result has had many outings to the library, farm, visiting cafes and socialising with family and friends.
I have enjoyed seeing the many photos of Leah engaged in sensory play. Leah has learnt to select
her special interest activities using choice cards and is developing and understanding some key
word signs.
Nadine has worked well and made steady progress across her educational program. She has
enjoyed completing practical activities, using number to play games, gardening, exercising,
shopping in town and visiting the library. I am very pleased with her efforts to stay safe to look both
ways when crossing a road. Nadine’s fine motor skill development has improved greatly and
favourite activities include threading beads and completing puzzles.
Ethan has made great progress in his school work this year and has continued to develop his
communication, reading and writing skills. It has been a pleasure to speak with Ethan and read his
emails weekly. He has shared with me results of his design projects, downloaded music and apps
he has enjoyed listening to and interacting with, movies he has viewed and purchases he has made
at the shops. The skills Ethan has developed across all subjects, especially using money and telling
the time, are awesome.
Thank you all for working so well throughout the year. I have enjoyed being your teacher. Wishing
everyone a safe, healthy and happy holiday.
Sharon
Leah engaged in sensory play
Ethan has received this incredible husky
Ethan has received this incredible husky
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Amanda’s class
Tim is in his last few days at school. He came to Presentation Day and looked very mature as he
came to the end of his year as a SEWS school captain. Tim has decided that he likes bow ties and
wore one with great style on Presentation Day. On the day, Tim and Luc, the Year 6 vice-captain,
took charge of selling the packs of cards that featured artwork from across the school. They were
challenged with selling $200 worth of cards and blitzed this with a final profit of $330. Tim took
charge of selling the cards at the table while Luc ‘worked the crowd’. Great teamwork, Tim and Luc
to raise vital funds to support the learning of all our students. Tim plans to spend a lot of time working
on his swimming in 2019 which is a wonderful idea. We wish you all the best for the future, Tim!
Sharif and Kayla are both continuing their programs and I am sure are looking forward to the
holidays. Sharif has been helping his mum in the kitchen by using his switch to operate a mixer. He
was able to whip cream although it took a bit of time and was tiring. However, Sharif’s sense of
achievement was great and he will no doubt be helping in the kitchen again over the holidays.
Kayla and her mum watched a video on how to paint a wave. Kayla then painted a lovely picture,
complete with the foam as the wave breaks. You can almost hear and smell the ocean! Great
painting, Kayla.
Raymond is settling into his DESU program. He has been having fun making slime, not only as part
of a science topic on hard and soft materials, but also demonstrating that he is able follow a
procedure which is part of his English school work. An excellent start to your time at DESU-SEWS,
Ray.
Amanda
Kayla’s painting of a wave
Tim selling packs of cards at Presentation Day
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Rama’s class
We are in Week 9 and nearly at the end of the final school term! I congratulate all my students on
their tremendous achievements this year.
Tyson has had a great year of learning and always tries his best with his school program. He knows
the importance of recycling and helps by tallying up the plastic bottles and calculating the amount
he will get at the Return and Earn Centre. Tyson has effectively used visuals for getting ready when
he is going out. He understands and uses some key word signs. Tyson enjoys music and plays a
number of songs on his keyboard. He is a responsible older brother and plays sensibly with his
younger sibling.
Jayden has made great progress with his personal hygiene goals. He remembers to wash his hands
after using the toilet and reminds his family members to do the same. Jayden helps his grandma
cook and can independently prepare a few recipes. This year he has compared the mass of different
items to understand the concept of hefting. Jayden has enthusiastically participated in Aboriginal
focussed art activities and dipped sticks in paint, to paint his very own didgeridoo and boomerang.
Isabella has had an exceptional year of learning and her efforts saw her receiving the Principal and
Deputy Principal Award for an outstanding 2018 school year. She has varied interests and her
interests include learning about the USA, the human body, Queen Victoria and fossils. She donned
the hat of a palaeontologist and dug out minerals using a mineral palaeontology kit. Recently I had
the opportunity to visit Isabella, her OT and her supportive family. Isabella is developing excellent
life skills and understands that people are different and it’s OK to have different likes and dislikes.
Fionn has had an outstanding year of learning, and is the 2019 DESU school captain. He has all
the amazing personal qualities to make a great school captain. He has been diligently learning
driving road rules and practising the online learner driver test. Fionn took his Learner Driver Test
recently and passed on the first attempt! He independently read the questions and thought about
the correct responses. In preparation for his post school life, Fionn has enrolled in a Primary
Industries VET course in 2019. Fionn is an amazing artist and a champion tennis player. He knows
the importance of sportsmanship and is a role model to his younger siblings. Congratulations Fionn.
A big thank you to all my students and their families for all their hard work this year. Wish you all a
safe, healthy and happy holiday.
Rama
Fionn got his Learners Drivers Licence Fionn with his school captain’s badge
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Isabella found minerals using a palaeontology kit
Jayden painted his didgeridoo
Barbara’s class
Congratulations to Alex, Chris, Georgia and Jacob, and their dedicated tutors, for another wonderful
year of hard work, successful learning and fun!
It was great to see both Georgia and Jacob attend Presentation Day last week. Their families were
clearly very proud as they watched both students received multiple awards. Georgia and Jacob
enjoyed singing and dancing to rock out the year with the rest of the school.
I look forward to working with Alex, Georgia and Jacob again next year and welcoming Azra to our
class. Chris will stay with Nicole as part of her 2019 class.
We wish our students and tutors a safe, restful and exciting holiday break – see you all in 2019!
Barbara & Nicole
Test driving the new stroller
Alex attended her brother’s assembly
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Xmas cooking! Georgia and Jacob walking up to get awards
Melissa’s class
Here we are at the end of the school year for 2018. It has been a wonderful year with Braydon
continuing in my class and the introduction of new students to my class - Logan and Alicia. It has
been so rewarding to work with all of my students and their tutors. They have all achieved so much
this year and I look forward to another year of outstanding achievements in 2019.
It was wonderful to be able to have two students and their families attend Presentation Day. Alicia
had an exciting day accepting her class award and trying out the new school playground equipment.
Alicia and her family have been regular attendees at school events throughout the year and I am so
thrilled that they are able to visit the school on a regular basis.
Braydon travelled quite a distance in not so favourable traffic to be with us on Presentation Day. He
was there to accept not only his class award but also the Kiwanis Terrific Kids award. Braydon has
worked so hard this year and completely epitomises all of the qualities outlined in the Terrific Kids
‘terrific’ acronym. He is thoughtful, enthusiastic, respectful, responsible, inclusive, friendly, inquisitive
and capable!
Although Logan was not able to be physically present on the day due to distance we were able to
successfully FaceTime him so that he was able to ‘virtually’ accept his school vice captain’s badge.
It was terrific to see how technology can bridge the gap so that our distance students are able to be
present at a school event. Logan was thrilled that he was able to be part of the day and remarked
how happy and proud everyone was of him. We definitely are, Logan! I look forward to supporting
Logan to be an active participant in the school in his new role of school vice-captain. We are currently
discussing ways that Logan can support younger students, such as teaching key word signing or
reading, through FaceTime sessions.
Have a wonderful and safe holiday everyone! I look forward to exciting developments in 2019.
Melissa
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Braydon accepting his Kiwanis Terrific Kids award
Logan accepting his school vice captain’s badge
Alicia trying out the new playground equipment
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Class 1
The last three weeks have been as busy as ever for the boys of Class 1. Between Presentation Day
preparations (which paid off with an amazing performance on the day) and our regular classroom
programs we have been lucky enough to have had a handful of exciting opportunities come our way.
Our friends from Gordon East Public School were kind enough to extend an invite to their K-2 concert
dress rehearsal last week. As audience members, we explored a variety of wildlife through song,
including koalas, wombats and penguins. The students of Gordon East demonstrated just how hard
they have been working on their singing and dance skills. Thank you to Acting Principal, Ruth White,
for extending the invite to us at SEWS, it was a very enjoyable experience for both students and
teachers. Thank you also to Greg for supporting our travel.
We also had our final visit of the year from Christchurch Preschool. Together we played, made Xmas
cards and celebrated our new friendships. Thank you to Director Lauren Kelly for fostering this
friendship again this year and to the wonderful staff who are always so accommodating. It has been
a fun year and we can’t wait to foster this initiative again in 2019.
Finally, we can’t close the year without acknowledging the fantastic student achievements in Class
1! Will, Leon, Heath, Jacob, Kai, Xavier and Joshua have all shown phenomenal progress in their
reading, writing and maths. They have developed some incredible friendships with peers, buddies
and with students at Christchurch Preschool. The boys of Class 1 shine in any given situation and
we can’t wait to see what 2019 has in store for them. Until then we wish our boys, class parents and
our extended community a happy and safe holiday. See you all for a fresh start in the New Year!
Cassandra & Paula
Class 1 playing ‘What’s the Time Mr Wolf?’ with
our friends from Killara High School
Joshua hit the jackpot when harvesting
vegetables in Cab-ra-nanga with Mr Watt
The boys working together to decorate the
classroom Xmas tree
Kai and Leon building a cube as we explored 3D
shapes in mathematics
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Class 5
The last few weeks have been very hectic for Class 5. We have been lucky enough to have the Sydney
Grammar Boys, Boston students Candy and Yinxing, and Killara High School students work alongside us.
Daniel, along with other members of Class 5 loved the interaction from people from our wider community.
Also, Class 5 have been enjoying their extensive PDHPE program. Each student has been working extremely
hard and the results have been amazing, all coupled with lots of smiles for everyone.
It has been a fun and productive year for Class 5. I wish each and every one a merry Xmas, and a prosperous
2019.
Clare & Trish
Telecaster and Oliver enjoy team work during PDHPE Daniel enjoying a sensory story from a
Sydney Grammar Boy student
Daniel working hard to achieve his PLP goal
Oliver moving his body to our numeracy song
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Louise’s class
By the time my students and their families are reading this newsletter you will be on holidays and
beginning to enjoy a well-earned break! I would like to thank Owen, Ned and Rhiannon for all their
hard work this year as they worked towards achieving their individual learning goals. I would also
like to thank my fabulous tutors (and other family members) for always supporting their children to
achieve their personal best. Enjoy your down time before the learning whirlwind takes off again 30
January 2019!
Louise S
Ned has demonstrated great progress using his
functional number skills
Rhiannon should take pride in the great results
she achieves
Ned works hard to ALWAYS achieve his best!
Owen will be using his great communication and
‘people’ skills when enjoying spending the
holidays with family
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Dawn’s class
It is hard to believe that another school year is coming to an end, but what a great year it has been!
I would like to commend all my students for their hard work and dedication to achieving their
educational goals this year.
Andrew has been whizzing through Set work this last term and he has been tackling his learning
activities with enthusiasm! Great work Andrew! Andrew can now mentally add two digit numbers
using the vertical method and is starting to join sentences using a conjunction. Andrew continues to
enjoy listening to music and is now researching some of his favourite musicians on the internet to
complete a fact file about them.
Usman continues to work on his communication goals and is positively interacting with his baby
sister by smiling and gently touching her when she crawls over to him. It is great to hear that you
are playing the big brother role so well, great job Usman!
Ben has continued to work hard to achieve his goals and he is enjoying practising his typing skills
to complete Set work on the computer. Ben has recently wowed us with his money skills and
demonstrated his understanding of calculating change from a $20 note. He has also impressively
been calculating the perimeter and area of shapes and has quickly learnt how to recognise
different angles and calculate missing angles in a triangle. Ben has also been creating simple
dishes and weighing items using a kitchen scale to weigh the ingredients.
I have already started working on Lexi’s Set work for next year and have created a Book of
Orange which will provide Lexi with a fun and engaging way to work on her learning goals. This
book will be multisensory with many pages to engage Lexi with all things orange. These books
support learning in many goals such as communicating a preferred choice out of two, counting,
positional language and recognising body parts.
I hope everyone has a fantastic break! Happy holidays everyone!
Dawn
Andrew’s addition work Ben weighs the banana while completing a cooking task
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Karen’s class
I can’t believe we are almost at the end of another year! A big congratulations to my students for all
their hard work and determination over the course of the year. They have achieved amazing results
and in most instances have smashed their Personal Learning Plan goals.
Seth has been learning about the seasons and the weather associated with them, and recently
completed a fabulous artwork depicting each of the seasons. He also has a good understanding of
the different types of clothes to wear depending on the weather. Seth has been highly engaged
across all Key Learning Areas this year. I am especially proud of the progress he has made toward
independent writing.
Justin has been using a range of different communication tools to make his preferences known, one
of these being key word signs. He has learnt to recognise and use a number of key word signs this
year, including numbers 1-10 which he uses on a daily basis during his maths activities. Justin has
been steadily increasing his engagement in community outings and now participates in them on a
regular basis.
Jules is a very busy young woman. She participates in a weekly cooking group, Girl Guides, Zumba,
swimming and community access activities. She shares responsibility around the house to cook,
clean, wash, weed and mow the lawn. Whew! Amazingly, Jules still finds time in her busy schedule
to do school work too. Congratulations on all your achievements this year Jules.
Nathan engages in all aspects of his program. He is a great listener and is very good at following
directions in activities. He excels at counting and uses this skill to determine how many biscuits are
in a packet, or how many coins he has to put into the Mario Kart racing game he loves to play. He
enjoys being outside and going for drives in the community.
A big thank you to my students and their tutors/ carers/ families for a wonderful year. Wishing you
all a restful and happy holiday.
Karen
Seth’s season tree artwork Numbers 1-10 signs
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Class 4
Parents can be proud of their child’s achievements this year, culminating in a spectacular
Presentation Day.
On the day, Class 4 revealed their inner ‘rock star’ and what a performance it was! It was humbling
to see the sheer delight and, at times, emotion shown by friends and family to their child’s ‘concert’
and to their personal achievement awards.
It has been deeply rewarding for all staff, including dedicated RFF teacher, Christine, to see the
progress each student has made this year across all aspects of their learning.
We look forward to doing it all again with you in 2019!
To all our families, we wish you a safe and happy Xmas and New Year.
Sue, Amber & Taylor
Luc selling cards Class 4 ‘rocks’
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Class 2
Class 2 started Term 4 looking at all things Spring, focusing on flowers and insects in our artwork
and in our literature. ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ and ‘The Very Busy Spider’ soon became familiar
characters in the classroom as we explored the words of Eric Carle. The students used a variety of
painting techniques to create artworks inspired by these books as well as incorporating a variety of
counting and number activities as they collaborated to make their own hungry caterpillar.
Sunflowers made us smile. We used sunflower seeds to make our own sunflowers with coloured
card and glue. We explored the feel of the seeds in our hands and we planted some seeds in the
hope we could grow our own sunflowers. However, we discovered that sunflowers don’t like too
much water and ours had too much, so unfortunately the seeds did not grow and we will need to try
again!!
We have had a lot of fun with our friends from Masada College who have visited us each fortnight
and always sing and play music for us. It has been valuable to build relationships with our visitors
and this culminated with the Masada students performing for us on their last visit and giving each
student in Class 2 a gift of musical instruments: bells, maracas and tambourines! This highlighted a
very musical term following on from our Rock n’ Roll Presentation Day.
Class 2 have embraced their inner ‘rock star’ as we grooved our way through the term practising
our song for Presentation Day with guidance from Kiri. The students used drums, bells and chimes
to keep the beat to ‘It’s a long way to the top if you want to Rock n’ Roll’. We made musical notes,
drums and Stars of Fame to reflect the whole school theme and had fun decorating our records with
the amazing help of our in-house photographer, Jennie!!
We have made sensory playdough and clay dough and used these to roll, squish and press out
shapes with cookie cutters. We have enjoyed sensory stories based on the books ‘Possum Magic’
and ‘Wombat Divine’ by Mem Fox.
This week we have begun creating Xmas decorations using a variety of tactile craft materials such
as pom-poms, glitter pipe cleaners, bells and paint. As you can see all students in Class 2 have had
a very busy term and they all deserve a well-earned break! Happy holidays to all from Class 2!
Lisa (for Jo C) & Jennie
Yash receives a Christmas card! Quinn and Ariel opening their presents!
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Deborah’s class
Congratulations to my students for their efforts this year. It was great to see Toby at our Presentation
Day, where he received his class certificate and a special Ku-ring-gai Rotary Award for his
achievements.
Toby’s major Design & Technology project this term has been to design and install a Xmas light
display for his family home. This required considerable planning and the construction of wooden
supports. Toby has also constructed various models to demonstrate some sources of energy in
Science. His latest Air Turbo model demonstrated how air can be generated to provide power.
Tommy has been using a screw driver to construct several items of household furniture for Design
and Technology. He recently assembled a wooden display ladder by following the instructions on a
kit.
Bethany has engaged in new textures in Creative Arts, using bubble wrap dipped in paint. She is
enjoying the comfort of a new car booster seat, and last week travelled by car to Coffs Harbour with
her family.
Ramona has been developing her number skills by counting objects 1 to 3.
As this is our last newsletter for the year, I would like to thank my students and their families for the
privilege of being part of this fulfilling year of growth, fun and learning.
Wishing everyone a happy festive season and a safe and replenishing holiday.
Deborah
Toby’s Xmas lights display
Tommy and his display ladder
Bethany’s bubble wrap art
Toby demonstrating air power
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Jon’s class
Another fantastic year is coming to an end. A big thank you to tutors, and congratulations to students
for all the fantastic work and goals achieved this year.
I visited Jacob last week. It was a pleasure catching up with his family. Jacob and I had great fun
working together on his computer and making lunch together. I also had the chance to work closely
with his tutor to plan his learning goals for 2019.
Mohamed’s results continue to improve. He has had great success with his mathematical work.
Mohamed is now able to confidently add/ subtract coins and is working towards calculating the
change he would receive from purchases. I am sure his reading skills will continue to improve during
the holidays, as he loves reading for leisure.
Cruz has had a busy couple of weeks on the farm attending to the animals and horse riding with her
dad. She recently created a beautiful butterfly painting and enjoyed exploring all the colours and
textures used in this artwork. I have no doubt Cruz will have a fantastic Xmas break with her sisters
on school holidays.
Jayden has been enjoying the summer sun with many outings to the beach and the local parks in
his area. He has been working hard in all areas of his school work and I will ensure the next Set
continues to interest and challenge him!
Merry Xmas and a relaxing holiday to all.
Jon
Jacob and Jon’s selfie Jacob’s new herbs
Jayden helps cooking
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Doug’s class
Congratulations to all my students for achieving their program goals this year. Many thanks to the
dedicated tutors for their consistent commitment to support students to participate in a range of
learning activities.
Nathan and Harry will continue in our class next year. We will welcome Andrew and Jayden A-B!
We wish May and Azra all the best in continuing to experience achievement as they move into
different classes in 2019.
I’m looking forward to visiting our students early in Term 1, 2019 to develop Personal Learning Plans
to support our students in the next stage of their education journeys.
Thank for a great year working together, and best wishes for a safe and restorative break.
Doug
Harry (with the support of Charlie) planting a Blueberry Ash tree in his edible native garden
Happy birthday to Azra who
celebrated her birthday
Harry using LEGO heads as
MAB blocks to make groups of
ten
Azra trying out her new
lounger chair
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Charlotte’s class
Presentation day was both a happy and proud day as I saw Jarrod graduate school and collect a
stack of awards and certificates. Jarrod has developed into both a gentle and cheeky young man.
He was awarded one of our highest awards, the Caltex Award for all round effort. It was a proud
moment for me to see Jarrod gain his HSC Life Skills and know that next year he’ll be attending
TAFE to complete a signage course and apply for a part-time job with the help of Afford through the
DES scheme. Well done Jarrod, you smashed it!
Katana has had a busy week both completing a range of Xmas artworks and revising her transport
unit by getting out and about in the family UTE. As you can see by the photos Katana is very content
to be all strapped into her seat. I was so pleased to see a video of Katana giggling and laughing.
She was having the best time, she must know it’s the end of term soon!
Nikolina has been working on her program, ever the stealthy student she quietly makes her own
progress each week. With a new bathroom renovation nearly completed Niki will gain a new sense
of independence and experiences as she explores the shower and toileting arrangements. I’m so
pleased for her.
Chris has been rather busy this week winning a world title as the best junior steer rider in the world.
His class work for the week was to take photos of the event and share them with me on my visit to
see him this week. I’m hoping not to be blinded by his shiny medals and instead to be amazed by
the stories of his travels. I can’t wait to catch up with him.
Charlotte
Jarrod collecting his Caltex Award
Katana enjoying a day out
Merry Xmas from Katana!
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