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27th November 2020

NEWSLETTER

Week 7 Term 4

VALUE OF THE WEEK

Show RESPECT

Manners

We are teaching for:

Week beginning 30th November 2020

Saying the magic words ‘please and thank

you’

Covering your mouth when you cough or

sneeze

Using 5L’s to listen to our teachers and peers

Keeping hands and feet to ourselves

SCHOOL CONTACT DETAILS

Principal: Ms Emma Jamieson

Deputy Principals: Miss Jackie Joseph Mrs Kylie Callan

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

Web: dalmeny-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Address: Cnr San Marino & Dalmeny Drives, Prestons NSW 2170

Phone: 02 9826 9033 Fax: 02 9826 7433

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A message from the leadership team

SCHOOL CAPTAINS

From Sara

Hello and welcome to the Dalmeny Public School newsletter. It’s been a very fun filled past few weeks with Stage 2 and 3 wellbeing excursions and the Year 6 colour run.

As most of you know we have recently been able to have the chance to vote for our favourite boy or girl candidates for captains. We would like to extend our congratulations to those students who have made it this far.

We would also like to wish K – 2 students best wishes for their wellbeing days.

Thank you for your time.

We hope you have an amazing next few weeks.

See you next time.

From Kingston

Hello

I quickly want to start by saying congrats to not only the twelve candidates that made it so far and to the future school and vice captains but also to the people who put their hand up to even try because it is a very brave thing to do.

On the other hand I hope you all had fun at your wellbeing days Stage 2 and Stage 3 at Aquatopia.

Hope you have a great weekend.

SCHOOL EXECUTIVE

Main Oval

Work on the oval is scheduled for the school holidays. We hope to return to school to see some nice changes for the children’s play area.

Out of Hours School Care

We thank Cubbyhouse Childcare for their service to our families over the last five years and wish them well.

2021 welcomes the OSHClub to Dalmeny and look forward to developing a close working relationship with their service in the care of our families.

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Special Education

The school is grateful to have been given the opportunity to establish two new special education classes for the start of 2021. Arrangements are in place to upgrade school amenities and buildings to facilitate the additional classes.

Special Education Playground

As we are adding two new classes the playground is to be redesigned to increase the existing play space. It will be lovely to provide a bigger play area for the children.

At this stage the NSW Department of Education continues to manage COVID-19 where all

schools must exclude students and staff with even mild symptoms of COVID-19 and

encourage them to seek testing immediately.

Parents and carers are reminded regularly that students must not come to school if they are unwell. Even with very mild symptoms. If a student is unwell, staff must refer the student to the sick bay or other appropriate area where they can be isolated and the school must arrange for the parent or carer to take the student home.

Flu-like symptoms include fever, cough, sore or scratchy throat, shortness of breath, loss of taste, and loss of smell.

If a student or staff member has been absent due to flu-like illness or develops flu-like symptoms while at school, they are not to return to school until they have a negative COVID-19 test result and are symptom-free.

The negative COVID-19 test result must be sighted and received by the school for both students and staff members before their return to school.

Parents of symptomatic children will still need to provide evidence of a negative test result on their child’s return to school.

In the case of seasonal allergic rhinitis or other condition that presents similarly to COVID-19 and in the presence of continuing symptoms, the child will need a negative COVID-19 test result and a letter from their GP confirming that the child should be permitted to return to school. If the child’s symptoms change from their usual symptoms, repeat COVID-19 testing should be performed.

All teachers, coaches and volunteers should continue to ensure they maintain physical distancing during, before and after school or sporting activities.

Good hand hygiene practices should continue to be supported.

Non-essential adults should continue to be excluded from sporting activities held during the normal school day.

Covid-19 Regulations Update

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Our Year 6 formal will proceed for Term 4. The venue, for Dalmeny Public School Year 6

children is The Liverpool Catholic Club on Tuesday 15th December 2020 at 6pm. Notes

have already been sent out to all Year 6 students.

This week, another note has also been sent out to Year 6 students outlining current NSW

Department of Education Covid-19 guidelines that apply for all school graduation events.

End of Year Presentation Assembly

Staff have looked at a number of ways we could include parents on site, however, all options breach COVID-19 restrictions such as distancing and non-essential personnel on site.

It appears the best way to share in the day as a community is through a virtual celebration. This maintains a safe environment for every member of our school community.

We will live stream the end of year assembly at school to involved families and friends as a way of sharing this major milestone.

Further information will be sent out to you in order to access the live stream. Thank you Mr

Melissari for helping us out with your terrific technology expertise 😊

Physical distancing of children in schools is not required by the AHPPC guidelines. Schools should restrict activities to year groups where possible to limit close contacts to those within year groups. Schools should avoid activities where students visit other school sites.

Non-essential adults are still not permitted on school grounds or at school events. This includes parents and carers except for face-to-face parent/teacher meetings that are essential (e.g. to discuss disciplinary or other welfare matters).

Parent volunteers to support educational purposes are welcome for scheduled activities such as reading groups and kitchen garden programs. These volunteers must sign an external visitors form upon entry to the school.

Scripture volunteers may attend. Classes are restricted to a maximum of 50 for no longer than one hour. Groups of 30 to 50 students should be held outside. Groups of more than 50 students limited to 15 min and to be held outside where possible. Students to remain in cohort groups where possible.

End of year reports will be as usual. We hope to have reports to you during week 9 of Term 4.

COVID-19 and 2021 Arrangements

We too are looking forward to positive information about return to school protocols and vaccines for 2021.

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When we are notified by the NSW Health, The Ministers Department and Department of Education as to requirements we will pass the information on to you.

Classes 2021

The school is currently in the process of establishing classes. We hope to have class allocations out to you by the end of Week 9 (11th December). Children will have the opportunity to meet their teacher and know their classroom before the end of term.

Classes will be taught according to stages of development. This aligns with NSW State Syllabus.

Kindergarten is Early Stage 1, Years 1 and 2 are Stage 1, Years 3 and 4 are Stage 2, Years 5 and 6 are Stage 3.

The only stage of development that is structured for 1 year of development is Early Stage 1 or Kindergarten.

The learning stages for Years 1 to 12 take, on average, an 18 month to 2 year period of time to achieve a stage of learning. There are children who work through stages of development faster than others just as there are children who require additional time to achieve a stage of learning development.

Syllabus is designed to be implemented according to student need. The teacher uses learning assessments, the syllabus, the school’s scope and sequence for learning for all key learning areas and the progressions for literacy and numeracy to determine the learning needs of individual students, groups of students and the class as a whole.

While it is a complex and well-informed cyclical process it can be simply put as:

where are the children now? (assessment)

where do I take them next? (syllabus, scope and sequences)

how do I take them there? (teaching strategies)

how do I know when they get there? (assessment, and learning progression descriptors for mathematics and literacy, syllabus)

We highly recommend having a look at how syllabus is structured so you can see that it is not formatted to Kindergarten, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Tear 4, Year 5 or 6. This may help answer questions you may have.

All syllabus documentation is accessed through the National Education Standards Authority (NESA)

Syllabus A–Z | NSW Education Standards

The organisation of classes is complicated and time consuming. Teachers spend a great deal of time looking at and considering information provided by:

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sociograms or who the children ask to be with in regard to friends. Whilst teachers do try hard to place children with their friends they also need to assess whether those placements are conducive to learning for both the children. Sometimes children work more positively and productively with others and their choice of who they want to be with needs to be a playtime dynamic.

the knowledge they have of their students’ social interaction. Teachers try to arrange class placements to engender a class that works well together.

knowledge of their students’ emotional needs.

assessment in learning and behaviour data. It is important that we establish balanced classes. Students need to be with peers that are both similar and different in learning, where they can learn from each other, where they can support each other. Ideally, classes need to be constructed around diversity in learning and social cohesion that is couched in a supportive culture of safety that promotes emotional wellbeing.

Teachers establish classes together, across the stage. Once classes are organised teachers reassess, reflect on the classes and again discuss placements. This process occurs over weeks.

As principal I understand that the teachers know their students within the context of the school setting. I know that teachers make determinations in the best interests of the children.

We also acknowledge that mums, dads and carers know the children in ways we may not, outside of the school setting and your input is valued. If you are aware of something that you feel can help us with the placement of your child please talk to us.

We ask that you trust in our teachers’ decisions.

When we start moving students from one class to another we often destabilise the dynamics for both classes. It is that stability that the teachers worked so hard to create for the children that we remove in these situations.

We also ask you to consider that often when one student is moved it impacts on another student who may need to move out of the class due to numbers or the social dynamics of the class.

We expect to support the placement of students into 44 classes in 2021. It is a very big picture we work with. We often cannot share all information with our community as the respect for students and their families is paramount and often it is this information you may need in some situations to understand our decision-making process.

The school, however, will always listen to and try to accommodate a parent request where we can see why the request is being made and how that request is in the best interest of the child.

In situations where we cannot identify that the movement of a student is in their best interest we ask for your support in supporting your child. The best outcomes for students is

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Public Speaking 2020

Congratulations to the Dalmeny Public School Stage Finalists who completed in a COVID STYLE

competition this year.

Anaya, Pepetua, Zac and Sophie went on to participate in the Local Network Final in Term 4 with

Anaya and Sophie being awarded as Highly Commended and Zac was announced as the winner

of the Stage 2 Network Final, Well done to all.

when they know and understand that their school; their teachers and staff work together with home; their mums, dads and or carers.

Let’s make 2021 a great start to the year together for the benefit of all our children.

Stay tuned next week for news about the results of the student elections for school captains.

Warm regards from all of us here at school,

Emma

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Healthy Canteens Online Lunch Orders

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What’s Happening? Term 4 October 12 – December 18

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Nov Wk 8 Dec

30 1 K-2 and Support Unit Water Fun incursion

2 K-2 and Support Unit Water Fun incursion

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4

Dec Wk 9

7 Presentation Day

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Reports home this week

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Dec Wk 10

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Year 6 Farewell

16 Students’ Last Day of Term 4

17 Staff’s Last Day of Term 4

18 School Closes

Reminders

PERMISSION NOTES AND PAYMENTS

Payment options include EFTPOS at the office, cash in a sealed envelope with your child’s name clearly marked,

amount enclosed and reason for payment or online at www.dalmeny-p.schools.nsw.edu.au $Make a payment

Due:

Parents remain off site on our return to school in Term 4 until further notice

Staggered afternoon departure remains in place: Siblings leave at 2.30pm, Kinder to

Year 2 leave at 2.40pm, Stage 2 leaves at 2.50pm, Stage 3 leaves at 3.00pm.

Students catching buses or walking home or going to after school care remain in

class until 3pm.

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NEW ONLINE ENROLMENT SYSTEM

We are excited to announce we have rolled out the new Online Enrolment System from

Monday, 14 September 2020.

The Online Enrolment System is designed to provide flexibility for our parents to submit

an enrolment application online and at the time that best suits you. The application can

be accessed on all browsers and mobile devices including iOS and Android.

The online application process is currently restricted to:

Enrolments into local schools only

Children who are Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens or permanent residents

Children who live in NSW.

We offer our support and encourage you to complete your application to enrol online. If,

however, you do not feel comfortable completing an application online, a paper copy

will be available for collection from the front office or can be downloaded from the

Department’s going to a public school site.

Further information about online enrolment

can be found on our website here.

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