This is how we Learn and Live!€¦ · Learning to Live, Living to Learn Page | 1 25 Wentworth St...

Learning to Live, Living to Learn Page | 1 25 Wentworth St The Ponds 2769 • 61 2 9626 7511• [email protected] • www.riverbank-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

SCHOOL NEWSLETTER • 4 March 2020 • TERM 1 WEEK 6 This is how we Learn and Live!

Week 6 Term 1, 2020 Week 6 Thursday 5 March 1.45pm Year 2 Assembly – 2FN Friday 6 March PSSA

12.15pm Stage 3 Assembly – 6R 1.45pm Year 4 Assembly – 4J

Week 7 Thursday 12 March Maria Locke Hub Welcome Ceremony 10am

1.45pm Year 1 Assembly – 1N Friday 13 March PSSA

1.45pm Year 3 Assembly – 3J Week 8 Book Fair Wednesday 18 March Educational Support Parent Workshop 9am School Hall Thursday 19 March Sydney West Swimming Carnival

1.45pm Year 2 Assembly – 2J Friday 20 March Harmony Day

PSSA 12.15pm Stage 3 Assembly – 6M 1.45pm Year 4 Assembly – 4C

Week 9 Wednesday 25 March K-2 Cross Country Thursday 26 March Years 3-6 Cross Country

1.45pm Year 1 Assembly – 1D Friday 27 March PSSA

1.45pm Year 3 Assembly – 3I

Calendar Dates


SCHOOL NEWSLETTER • 4 March 2020• TERM 1 WEEK 6 This is how we Learn and Live!

PRINCIPAL’S REPORT Welcome Picnic Thank you to our wonderful P&C for welcoming our new families on Sunday 16 February. Students, staff and community enjoyed the morning activities, especially the delicious cakes and complimentary coffee van. Boundary Change for local High Schools There has been a revised boundary catchment for secondary schools in the area. Please find included in this newsletter information from Ms Helen Davis, Acting Director Educational Leadership, The Ponds Network. The area affected for students currently enrolled at Riverbank Public School are those residing within and around Alex Avenue. Please use the School Finder link to confirm your child’s local High School. https://my.education.nsw.gov.au/school-finder/index I am available to meet with any families to address your concerns or alternatively please contact your local high school or the department’s Nirimba Education Office on 9208 7611 if you have any queries or require support. 2020 High School Applications Forms 2020 High School application forms were sent home on 25 February . All forms are due back to school by 20 March. Zone Swimming Carnival Congratulations to our students who represented Riverbank PS at the Ridges Zone Swimming Carnival. The students displayed wonderful sportsmanship in and out of the pool. Congratulations to Matin, Summer, Lily, Makenze and Evie for qualifying to compete at the Sydney West Swimming Carnival on Thursday 19 March.

https://my.education.nsw.gov.au/school-finder/index



Clean Up Australia Day Students at RPS have participated in activities linked to Clean Up Australia. We take great pride in ensuring our playground is clean on a daily basis. The students created artworks, completed sorting activities about waste, recycling and composting. Students discussed why it is important to keep our environment clean every day and wrote some very persuasive arguments. Some classes also surveyed their lunchboxes to see what they could recycle, what could be composted and the need for nude food. The results were very interesting! Our environment team are currently incorporating greater recycling facilities within the school. Harmony Day Riverbank PS is a diverse and supportive community with students from 56 different countries. Our diversity makes Australia a great place to live. Harmony Day is a celebration of our cultural diversity – a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home. The message of Harmony Day is “Everyone Belongs”. Harmony Day aims to engage people to participate in their community, respect cultural and religious diversity and foster a sense of belonging for everyone. This year, Riverbank Public School will be celebrating Harmony Day on Friday 20 March. Students are encouraged to wear their cultural dress or orange – the Harmony Day colour. National Young Leaders Day Our school leaders attended an inspirational National Young Leaders Day at the International Convention Centre, Darling Harbour. They were totally enthralled by stories from John Coutis (born with a severe intellectual disability), Erin Molan (a trailblazer for women in sports media), Bianca Chatfield (former Australian netball captain) and Rove McManus (comedian and TV presenter). All speakers mentioned how having a growth mindset, developing resilience, stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking responsibility of your actions can help the leaders of today achieve their hopes and aspirations. Our Riverbank Information Booklet link:

https://riverbank-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/about-our-school/parent-information/parent-information-booklet.html

https://www.facebook.com/cleanupaustralia/?__tn__=K-R&eid=ARB_oQEhKAeXlqkrHFTNmg3woqaJ4BBJXiCEPOPNHtDaMt4-uArcCiW940K8BcLm4G1HLF3diZli2D_E&fref=mentions&__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARAAD-EZRvd_ssYCjByfzndd2wb8qN0TQnva4D8AJ4Jh3cEsS5PIFnwsaMGXy6yr4u1yNpvatzxkDVPtpWmuPTttKeSvM5XdqsOL3XSoC4y5QbAbwaYjTfLjfYmEXabnMAbLctKLAKn9Q_aDwur2IaLOkVfcrcMCjeaz5ZGaA3SKZk6XqIR6mf44NqoR0GWFgYsIzAfJS5Zp_jWJeFhkhcx0-lBYH-aKCK8zBJsD1GCkG2VfjUkghdyJPdpI5NoanXd1Kb18QQrXcQ4KmPoepPaZARW5pCpEwyadacQNWKPtmyo_sS67ZvWyb5VK_Uk3Sl61tZ1H1e5V2DuKi4cmh9SybA





Kiss and Ride

The school’s Kiss and Ride area is within the “No Parking” zones located on Wentworth Street and Riverbank Drive. You are only allowed to stop your vehicle to set down or pick up passengers and must not stop for more than 2 minutes. The driver must not be more than 3 metres from the vehicle. Highway patrol will be regularly patrolling our perimeter. Thank you for ensuring the safety of all of our students when entering and leaving the premises.

Allergies Anaphylaxis is a potentially life threatening, severe allergic reaction which occurs after exposure to an allergen (usually to foods, insects or medicines), to which a person is already extremely sensitive. We have a number of students at Riverbank Public School with anaphylaxis and similar allergic conditions and our staff undertake face-to-face and online training in providing an emergency response to this condition. The parents of our anaphylactic and allergic students work hard to educate their children about the risks of sharing food, as do our teachers. As this is a potentially life-threatening condition, we ask that you please consider these students before sending high-risk products such as peanut butter, Nutella and seafood in school lunchboxes. Please talk to your child about the potential risks of sharing food and ask them to wash their hands after eating any nut-based or seafood products. Thank you for your understanding, our anaphylactic children and their families appreciate your support.

Practical help for parents and carers - Our new families in particular may be interested in accessing the useful information for parents and carers provided for 2020 here: https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/practical-help-for-parents-and-carers.

Online Reports After consultation with the community at last week’s P&C meeting, it has been decided to move our semester reports online, rather than printed copies as previsouly distributed. Riverbank Public School uses Sentral (Sentral is Australia’s most comprehensive cloud-based school management platform trusted by more than 3,000 schools) internally to check attendance, complete student reports and record wellbeing. The reports will be available using the SENTRAL Parent Portal which has been used previsouly at Riverbank. The Portal allows parents to inspect their child’s attendance data, review their past reports completed using Sentral and review NAPLAN data that is available. Information on how to access the Parent Portal will be sent out soon.

https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/practical-help-for-parents-and-carers



Premier’s Reading Challenge Riverbank Public School will be encouraging all students to participate in the Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC). This is a wonderful opportunity for you to interact with your child in a meaningful way and for them to experience a variety of quality literature throughout the year. The challenge is now open and runs until 30 August 2020. For further information, please refer to our library newsletter. https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html

National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence RPS will be joining schools across Australia and taking action with the 10 year anniversary of Australia's key anti-bullying event for schools. The theme for 2020 is Take Action Together. Our School leaders will be addressing our assemblies on Friday 20 and 27 March. Change of Address If you have changed your phone number, address or other details over the holidays please let us know so we can contact you if/when needed. An updated student details form is included below. Please complete and return to the office if any of your details have recently changed. School Invoices and payments Thank you for paying your Term 1 school fees. Please ensure payment is made by the end of term. This year we will not be able to take late payments for any excursions or events. Please remember to pay on time, as schools pay in advance for buses and venues prior to an event. It is important parents do not miss deadlines. Bolong ‘aia Maria Locke Innovation and Inquiry Hub - Thursday 12 March 10am – 11am I am looking forward to our school community attending the opening of our new Bolong ‘aia Maria Locke Innovation and Inquiry Hub together with our Darug Elders and our local Aboriginal community leaders.



Parent – Student - Teacher Interviews This year we are inviting our students to attend parent teacher interviews known as Three Way Conferences. Interviews with your child’s classroom teacher will be held in Week 10 (week beginning 30 March). Our booking system will be via schoolinterviews.com.au. A note will be going home next week with specific details of how to enter your details, selecting teachers and appointment times. Bookings will open in Week 7 and will close at the end of Week 9. Interviews will be 10-15 minutes and it is especially important that parents and carers arrive on time for their interview. Unfortunately, if you are late, teachers are unable to extend the time of your interview, as it creates a flow on effect for other appointments. Mobile Phones At Riverbank Public School, students may only bring mobile phones to school if there is a need for them to be able to contact their parents either before arriving at school or in the afternoon after leaving school. Upon arrival at school, the phone is to be checked in at the office if the student is in Year 3 or 4, and placed in the mobile phone box for Years 5 and 6, where it will be turned off and kept securely for the day. It is the student's responsibility to collect the phone at the end of the day. In the event that a student has a mobile phone at school that has not been checked in, the phone will be taken from the child and the parent/caregiver contacted. Educational Support - English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EALD) Parent Workshop The Riverbank PS English as an Additional Language/Dialect (EALD) team will be running an information session on Wednesday 18 March at 9am, in the school hall. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn about how our EALD teachers provide support to students at Riverbank PS. Parents and caregivers will develop an understanding of how students are identified for support, and the impact EALD teachers have on student learning in meeting curriculum outcomes. At Riverbank, we value open communication channels in our school. You are more than welcome to make an appointment to meet with me by contacting the School Administration Staff at the front office. Alternatively, I am in the playground most mornings and afternoons and I always welcome feedback. Have a lovely fortnight. Mrs Jeanie Brown Principal



RPS Medical Procedures To our new and existing families please take note of the following medical procedures for our school. Prescribed Medication: When a medical practitioner has prescribed medication that must be administered during the school day, parents/carers must: • notify the school • provide up to date information as required • supply the medication and any 'consumables' necessary for its administration in a timely way • complete the Riverbank Public School Medical Permission Note (please see the office for a

copy of this note). The administration of prescribed medication in schools is carried out by staff who volunteer and who are trained. Students must not carry medication unless there is a written agreement between the school and the student's parents/carers. Individual Health Care Plans: An individual health care plan must be developed for: • severe asthma, type 1 diabetes, epilepsy and anaphylaxis • any student who is diagnosed as having a condition that may require an emergency response • any student who requires the administration of health care procedures

If your child has any health conditions and does not already have an existing individual health care plan, please contact the office to collect the required forms. If your child has an adrenaline auto injector (EpiPen) prescribed by a medical practitioner, an Action Plan for Anaphylaxis must be completed. If the school does not have a current, Action Plan for Anaphylaxis please have your child’s doctor complete one immediately. If your child has allergic reactions where no adrenaline autoinjector is prescribed by a medical practitioner, an Action Plan For Allergic Reactions must be completed. If the school does not have a current Action Plan for Allergic Reactions please have your child’s doctor complete one immediately.

https://www.allergy.org.au/images/stories/anaphylaxis/2020/ASCIA_Action_Plan_Anaphylaxis_EpiPen_Red_2020.pdf

https://www.allergy.org.au/images/stories/anaphylaxis/2020/ASCIA_Action_Plan_Allergic_Reactions_Green_2020.pdf



If your child has been prescribed by a medical practitioner as having asthma, an Asthma Action Plan is required. If the school does not have a current Asthmas Action Plan please have your child’s doctor complete one immediately.

2020 Assembly times

Kindergarten assemblies will commence in Term 2

Year 1 – 1.45pm Thursday odd term weeks commencing week 5

Year 2 – 1.45pm Thursday even term weeks commencing week 6

Year 3 – 1.45pm Friday odd term weeks commencing week 5

Year 4 – 1.45pm Friday even term weeks commencing week 6

Stage 3 – 12.00pm Friday even term weeks commencing week 6

https://assets.nationalasthma.org.au/resources/341-NAC-Written-Asthma-Action-Plan-2015_Colour.pdf

https://assets.nationalasthma.org.au/resources/341-NAC-Written-Asthma-Action-Plan-2015_Colour.pdf



Parent Communication We use a variety of platforms to communicate information about upcoming events and highlight the great things that happen at Riverbank Public School. School Enews App Important notifications are posted and emailed on the School Enews App. School Enews is a free app available for all mobile devices. Just download the app from the App Store or Play Store by searching for Riverbank Public School. Please ensure that push notifications alerts are turned on so that you can receive information as soon as it is distributed. School Website Our school website is updated frequently. Some notes such as the Canteen Price List, Uniform Shop and our newsletter are all available online. Our school website is https://riverbank-p.schools.nsw.gov.au Facebook Riverbank Public School has its own Facebook page where we celebrate student’s achievements. Parents are unable to post any news items, but can comment on reports and photos. The page is designed to keep the community up to date regarding all the wonderful things that happen at Riverbank Public School. Twitter In addition to Facebook, Riverbank Public School use Twitter to share events as they happen throughout the school. You can follow us on Twitter @RiverbankPublic.

https://riverbank-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/

https://twitter.com/RiverbankPublic



Restorative Practices Restorative Practices form the relational basis for Quality Teaching and Learning at Riverbank Public School. Our Restorative Practice Framework, because of its explicit nature, offers a common language and practice capable of fostering healthy relationships. Student achievement is enhanced through Restorative values being embedded as a way of being and learning together. Our approach fosters individual responsibility and helps develop empathy. Inappropriate behaviour or choices and mistakes can be viewed as an opportunity for insight, learning and development in both the academic and social domains. The explicit framework is inextricably linked to the Quality Teaching Framework and includes the following sets of questions to be asked by children, teachers and parents. When Things Go Wrong…..When Someone Has Been Hurt • What happened? • What were you thinking of at the time? • What have you thought about since? • Who has been affected by what you have done? In what way? • What do you think you may do to make things right? • What did you think when you realised what happened? • What impact has this incident had on you and others? • What has been the hardest thing for you? • What do you think needs to happen to make things right?

The process is empowering as it takes students from the past to the present and gives them hope for the future. It empowers them to make things right and heal any harm that has been done. A restorative classroom setting is one that values dialogue through an inclusive approach where everyone expects to be heard and through this participatory process, students develop the capacity to learn that emotions are an important and legitimate expression of healthy dialogue. This process helps students to deal with conflict, tensions and difference in respectful ways that engender trust and foster healthy relationships.



School Motto The school’s motto, ‘Learning to Live, Living to Learn’, reinforces a broad and enriching curriculum, which not only focuses on the development of literacy and numeracy skills but also on the social and emotional wellbeing of the students whilst respecting a culturally diverse community. Riverbank Public School Code of Behaviour • We share the voice space by listening actively to others and expressing ourselves confidently. • We follow instructions by being in the right place, at the right time, doing the right thing. • We use build-ups by saying encouraging, affirming things to others. • We keep our hands, feet and objects to ourselves so that everyone is safe. • We own our own behaviour because we choose how we behave. Our Help Increase the Peace (HIP) Keys – School Rules: Our school values will incorporate the ‘Help Increase the Peace Keys’ to promote a harmonious, nurturing and challenging living and learning environment.

The HIP program offers a whole school approach to building relationships through communication, co-operation, trust building and conflict resolution.

YELLOW KEY Care for Others GREEN KEY Think Before Reacting BLUE KEY Respect Yourself RED KEY Work Together for a Non Violent Way BLACK KEY Expect the Best



Congratulations to our Term 1 Week 5 Kindergarten Merit Awards recipients

Class Class

KB – London, Indie KM – Aric, Kaia

KC – Sroop, Mackenzie KN – Ayush, Azra

KE – Neeraj, Pushti KP – Olivia, Riaan

KHM – Dhriti, Ayaan KS –

KK – Alexis, Kimara KT – Jack, Hannah

KL – Alvira, Adam KW – Evleen, Laksh

Congratulations to our Term 1 Week 5 Year 1 Merit Awards recipients

Class Class

1A – Sunniva, Jacob 1B – Ruby, Lucas

1D – Affan, Yukti 1F – Loukya, Aariv

1L – Naturelle, Reon 1M – Jada, Isobella

1MC – Braxton, Ishraaq 1N – Scarlett, Louis

1T – Shi Nee, Maddie 1W – Makenzie, Eric

Congratulations to our Term 1 Week 5 Year 3 Merit Awards recipients

Class Class

3J - Prisha, Pritham, Benjamin 3I – Akshadha, Natalia, Atif

3W – Maveen, Miguel, Vidhi 3K – Anushka, Srinika, Taqee

3R – Zach, Sanjit, Neil



Tell Them From Me Surveys Our school, like many other public schools in the state, will participate in a Department of Education initiative: Tell Them From Me student feedback survey. The survey measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices. More information about the survey is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au

The survey is a great opportunity for our students in Years 4-6 only to provide valuable and timely feedback on what they think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. More than 6,300 schools in Australia and around the world have used Tell Them From Me to survey 5.4 million students. Capturing the voices of our students will help improve how we do things at our school.

The survey is confidential, conducted online and will typically take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours between 16 March and 8 May with participation in the survey being entirely voluntary.

A opt out form and FAQs for parents/carers about the survey was sent home with students on Monday. If you do not want your child or children to participate, please return the form to school by Monday 16 March. Copies of the form and FAQs are available in 23 languages from: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents.

Sports Update Ridges PSSA The first game of the Summer Ridges PSSA competition has been played. All the students were enthusiastic and eager to compete in their first game of the year. Each coach was really proud of how each student placed their entire effort into the game and showed fairness and positivity towards the other teams. Weekly draws, results and locations can be found at : https://ridgespssa.com.au

http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents

http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents

https://ridgespssa.com.au/



Round 2 – 28 Feb NRL Tag Juniors L 2-5 Seniors L 5-11 AFL Juniors W 14-13 Seniors L 8-15 Cricket Juniors L 43-55 Seniors W 79-34 T Ball / Softball BYE Ridges Teams Congratulations to the following students for being successful at the Ridges Zone trials for these sports. Basketball – Cael AFL – Justin and Joshua Cricket – Paarth We wish them all well at the upcoming Sydney West trials. Have a Go Basketball Clinic On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday of this week, Stage 3 students will be participating in a basketball clinic organised by Hill Hornets basketball. During each 40 minute sessions students will learn and practise a variety of fundamental basketball skills. Ridges Swimming Carnival It was a fantastic day in the pool for Riverbank at the Ridges Zone Swimming Carnival on Tuesday. Our team cheered each other on and each competitor worked very hard to achieve their personal best. All the hard work of our swimmers was culminated at the end of the day in a nail-biting second place finish by our Senior Girls Relay team! A big congratulations to Matin, Summer, Lily, Makenze and Evie who will be competing in the Sydney West Swimming Carnival. We wish these students the best of luck when they compete on Thursday 19 March at the Sydney International Aquatic Centre. Results: Matin – Senior Boys Breaststroke – 2nd Place Summer – 50m Freestyle Age event – 3rd Place Senior Girls 50m Relay team (Summer, Makenze, Evie, Lily) – 2nd Place Jarad Lonsdale Sports Organiser



Creative and Practical Arts (CAPA) Sign-ups and auditions for our 2020 Creative and Performing Arts groups are now complete. We are very excited that over 600 of our students have been successful in gaining a position in a CAPA group this year. If your child has been successful in joining a CAPA group they would have received a commitment note in the last couple of days. Could you please return these notes to your child’s class teacher as soon as possible. CAPA rehearsals have begun this week and all groups were excited to get started. We look forward to various auditions being prepared for Synergy, Hill Performing Arts Festival and Schools Spectacular in the coming months. Class teachers will be reminding children what rehearsals are on daily. Our CAPA groups on offer this year include; Dance: Kinder Dance (Mrs Collard & Miss Tyburski) Kinder Dance (Miss Nagle, Miss Kim & Miss McAlister) Year 1 Dance (Miss Dalton, Miss Davis & Mrs Cooper) Year 1 Dance (Miss McDonald & Miss Wu) Year 2 Dance (Mrs Bird & Miss Wade) Year 2 Dance (Miss Maher & Miss Wickens) Year 3 Dance (Miss Ignatovic & Miss Renshaw) Year 4 Dance (Miss Dennis & Mrs Oldman) Year 5 Dance (Mrs Blackshaw & Mrs Rozanc) Year 6 Dance (Mrs Meakins & Mrs Seward) Years 3-6 Bollywood (Ms Sallan & Mrs Dasi) Years 3-6 Dance Troupe (Miss Dennis & Miss Jones) Years 3-6 Boys Dance (Mr Gray & Mr Currie) Drama: Stage 2 Drama Group (Mrs Worrall & Miss Keogh) Stage 3 Drama Group (Mr Vincent & Mrs Redman)



Music/Instrumental Groups: Kinder Choir (Miss Brown & Ms Margiotta) Year 1 Choir (Miss Do & Miss Edwards) Year 2 Choir (Mrs Kement & Miss Campbell) Stage 2 Choir (Mr Lawrence & Miss Molnar) Stage 3 Choir (Mrs Green) Years 3-6 Band (Mr Chan) Visual Arts: Kinder Art (Mrs Winthrop & Mrs Mathews) Year 1 Art (Mrs Baracz & Miss Matthews) Year 2 Art (Mrs Smooth & Miss Campbell) Year 3 Art (Mrs Jacobsen & Miss Renshaw) Year 4 Art (Mrs Wallis & Mrs Ronquillo) Year 5 Art (Mrs Griffiths & Mr Vincent) Year 6 Art (Mr Lonsdale & Miss Maher) Band: We are pleased to announce that Teaching Services Australia will be running a band program at Riverbank Public School in 2020. They attended the P&C meeting in Week 5 to discuss the program which includes flute, clarinet, saxophone, trombone, trumpet and percussion at a flat rate of $195 per term. Band is a great opportunity for our students to be a part of. Expression of interest forms and more information will be coming home with student’s in Years 3-6 in the coming weeks. Danielle Green CAPA coordinator



School Banking School banking resumed on Tuesday 12 February. We would love more volunteers so please contact Kate McPherson via the Riverbank Public School Parents Group Facebook page if you can assist on Tuesdays or for any other banking queries.

Dropping Off and Picking Up students A ‘Kiss and Ride Zone’ or ‘Drop-off and Pick-up’ area utilises existing 'No Parking' zones around schools. In these areas, drivers may stop to drop off or pick up children, however No Parking rules apply:

• Maximum stop time is 2 minutes • Driver must remain in or within 3 metres of the vehicle • Vehicle must not be left unattended

Additional safety tips for school zones:

• Always drop-off or pick-up your child from the designated area, following the school’s procedures

• Make sure children use the footpath-side door when getting in and out of a car • Make sure the hand brake is applied when the vehicle is stationary • Never double park • Never park across a pedestrian crossing • Never undertake a U-turn in close proximity to the school.



Safety Tips for Students: • Stay buckled up until the vehicle has stopped in the ‘Drop-off and Pick-up’ area • Make sure your school bag and other items are in a safe position, e.g. on the floor • Be ready to get out of the car with your belongings when the car has stopped and you have

unbuckled your seatbelt • Always get in and out of the backseat of the vehicle through the safety door - the rear

footpath-side door.

No Stopping What does it mean? You cannot stop in this area FOR ANY REASON (including queuing or waiting for space). Why is it there? Keeps clear sight lines between drivers and children/pedestrians. Penalty $330 + 2 Demerit Points (School Zone)

No Parking What does it mean? You can stop in a NO PARKING zone for a maximum of two minutes to drop off and pick up passengers. If no spaces are available, you cannot queue on the road way or in any other zones while waiting for a space. You will need to drive away and park elsewhere, only returning when there is space to pull up. You must stay within three metres of your vehicle at all times. Why is it there? To provide a safe place for children/pedestrian set down and pick up. Penalty $183 + 2 Demerit points (School Zone)

Bus Zone What does it mean? You must not stop or park in a bus zone for any reason (including queuing or waiting for a space) unless you are driving a bus. Why is it there? To provide a safe place for large buses to set down and pick up school children. Penalty $330 + 2 Demerit Points (School Zone)



Pedestrian Crossings You must not stop within 20 metres before a pedestrian crossing or 10 metres after a crossing unless there is a control sign permitting parking. Why is it there? To ensure that children can be clearly seen by vehicles approaching the crossing. Penalty $439 + 2 Demerit Points (School Zone). Footpaths, Driveways and Nature Strips

You must not stop on any footpath or nature strip, or even a driveway crossing a footpath or nature strip FOR ANY REASON. Why is it there? You could easily run over a child or force pedestrians onto the road to get around you. Penalty $183 + 2 Demerit points (School Zone)

Double Parking

You must not stop on the road adjacent to another vehicle at any time even to drop off or pick up passengers. Why is it there? Double parking forces other cars to go around you causing traffic congestion and reduces the view of drivers and children crossing the road.

Penalty $330 Demerit points (School Zone) The school is very fortunate to have dedicated volunteers who assist in the safe pick-up of students in this area. Please follow any instruction given to you by these volunteers in order to keep the children safe.



Lost Property Our lost property tubs are located outside the staffroom and are checked daily. Lost

property which is labelled will be returned to students the following day.

Please ensure that all uniforms, lunchboxes and water bottles are labelled with your child’s name.



Riverbank P&C MOTHER’S DAY HIGH TEA

We have the warmest sweetest mum in the world. Let’s show her just how much we appreciate her endless love and support

with a special tea party in her honour! Event includes: Lucky door prizes, Fun games and a lot more Menu: Boutique tea, Barista made coffee, four types of sandwiches, scones with jam & cream, two savoury options and three desserts (Vegetarian options are also available). Student Name: _________________________________________ Class: ______ Number of tickets: ________ Payment $40/pp or $380 for table of 10 Payment Options:

o CASH o Bank Transfer: BSB 112879 ACC 494048100

EFTPOS is also available Last day to buy the tickets 9th April 2020.

DON’T DELAY AS SEATS ARE LIMITED.

For more information feel to free to contact on [email protected] , [email protected] or call Shefali on 0412 093 634

Order form to be returned to the Front Office in a labelled envelope. Looking forward to seeing you all.

P&C

mailto:[email protected]


LIBRARY NEWSLETTER

T1W6/2020

Off the Shelf

WHAT’S NEWS?

BORROWING HAS STARTED! Our first borrower of 2020 was Jaskaran with his Mum Puneet who popped in before school. He had his pick of any book in our entire collection! Puneet loved the Library so much she came back later in the day to sort some books into alphabetical order! Thank you Puneet! Don’t forget your child needs a Library bag and the school bags are preferred! Library bags are available from the online uniform shop for $12. https://cowanlewis.com.au/product/library-bag-22/

BOOK CLUB Thank you to those who ordered from Book Club. Apologies to those who had to wait for their order. 6 boxes efficiently arrived within the week of Book Club closing and 2 boxes decided to take a holiday to Perth!!! They have now arrived and have been handed out to happy students! LIBRARY PREFECTS Our enthusiastic Library Prefects received their badges at the Leadership Induction Assembly. They have already been very busy: They have handed out Book Club orders, tidied shelves, scanned returns and their favourite, helping classes with borrowing! All Prefects are rostered on before and/or after school and during one of their break times to assist K-2 classes with borrowing.

LIBRARY NEWSLETTER

T1W6/2020

Off the Shelf

DARUG SONGS As part of our Yr 1 – 4 Library Program, we are continuing to show our respect to the traditional owners of this land, the Darug People by learning some of their language. We have been learning Heads Shoulders Knees and Toes! Ask your child if they remember any of the body parts! They will remember the word for NOSE! Here are some stars of 1T teaching their peers! BOOK FAIR Twice a year Riverbank Public School hosts a Book Fair. This provides the students the opportunity to buy books during their Library lesson or before and after school. In Term 1, we host a Book Fair from Carnival Books, an Australian owned and operated company from Sydney. By buying a book from the Book Fair, not only is it a great purchase for your child, it also benefits the school as we receive a generous commission from each item sold so please support our Book Fair! PREMIER’S READING CHALLENGE

The Premier’s Reading Challenge commences on March 2nd! More information about the PRC will be in the next newsletter. For now, all you need to do is read read read! The 2020 PRC design is by the wonderful Mick Elliott, an illustrator/author who visited Riverbank last year during Book Week! Happy Reading! Library Team Ms Kennedy, Mrs Beazley, Mrs Sousou and Mrs Byrnes.

Kindergarten and year 1:

Mrs Olivia Wolff

K-1 STEAM teacher

This fortnight our clever kindergarten and year 1 students were introduced to coding with a fun lesson about following instructions. The students coded a path of movements and actions for student ‘robots’ to follow. They learnt how important it is to be clear with directions of left and right to move their robots successfully.

The students worked in pairs to code a BlueBot, a programmable floor robot, to move around the mat in an ordered sequence from a storybook. They used the buttons to code the robot to move forwards, move backwards, turn left or turn right. It was a lot of fun to watch the robots move through the programs made by the students.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Art & Maths

news...

BlueBot

Year 2 to year 4

STEAM has been all about coding this fortnight. Students have learned some key vocabulary and the importance of giving clearly sequenced, specific instructions to the BeeBot robot (year 2) and the Dash Bot (year 3-4). They have had a challenging, but fun time watching their robots complete the tasks they wanted them to by following the code they had created.

The students in year 2, helped their BeeBots navigate through the woods to get to grandmas house safely, avoiding the big bad wolf! Tragically, some BeeBots became wolf lunch, but the students quickly identified bugs (problems) in their codes, and fixed them to give the BeeBot a second chance to get to its destination safely. They worked very well!

Stage 2 students were excited to work with Dash. They used a coding program called Blockly’ to complete challenges in order to obtain their ‘Dash Licence’. They gave Dash instructions to move in various directions, wait until Dash heard voice instructions, speak and respond. The students felt very accomplished when Dash did exactly what they wanted and a great sense of achievement when trouble-shooting successfully to fix bugs in their code.


news...

BeeBot Dash Bot

Jodi Seward ICT Coordinator/STEAM teacher

Stage 1 STEAM club

Students are learning to use a SPLAT 3D drawing tool for 3D design. They are starting with how to use the tool to draw 3D shapes. From there, students will expand their skills by drawing simple designs to express themselves through various 3D creations.

Miss Wu and Miss Matthews

Stage 1 STEAM club

Stage 2 STEAM club

In the Stage 2 STEAM Club students designed parachutes, using plastic bags and string to allow their LEGO men to safely land. It was challenging for them to keep the parachute on the men and also ensure that they did not break during their landing.

Mrs Francesca Ronquillo

Stage 2 STEAM club


clubs...

12th March 10am

The opening will begin with a Cleansing Ceremonyfollowed by a traditional Welcome to Country byDarug Elders and our local Aboriginal communityleaders. Join Riverbank Public School and our Aboriginalcommunity, as together we officially open andactivate our Innovation and Inquiry Hub.

BolongaiaMaria Locke

Innovation and

Inquiry Hub

You are invited to the official openingand naming ceremony of the RiverbankPublic School Innovation and Inquiry Hub.

25 Wentworth St, The Ponds

Dear Parents and Carers

I am writing to provide you an update in regard to revised catchment areas for secondary schools in the area. I recognise that this can be an exciting time for your family as we support and prepare your child to finish their primary school years and make their transition to high school.

NSW Department of Education secondary schools provide students from Years 7 to 12 with a quality education in a broad range of subjects. As well as comprehensive high schools, some schools focus on a particular area such as creative and performing arts, sports, technology in addition to selective high schools.

In 2015, The Ponds High School opened in our area with a progressive enrolment process. This process was completed at the beginning of this school year, 2020, with the first group of Year 12 students. As The Ponds High School has now reached its capacity, the catchment areas for several high schools have changed as part of a broader strategy to manage growth across the north-west growth corridor.

The new catchment areas apply now for any students enrolling into the following high schools:

Rouse Hill High School, The Ponds High School, Glenwood High School,

Riverstone High School, Quakers Hill High School

As outlined in the department’s enrolment policy, local students who live within the catchment area (found using the School Finder) may enrol at their local school. Schools may accept enrolments from outside their designated local enrolment area only if places are available. Please see Changes to the Enrolment Policy- Information for Parents document for further information.

As a transition arrangement, any students now considered non-local enrolment will be accepted if they have a sibling who is currently attending, who was enrolled as a local student prior to the boundary change and the family has not moved since that enrolment. If a sibling was enrolled as a local student but the family has moved and is now non-local regardless of the new catchment area, the school may only accept enrolment of the other child if the school has capacity.

We appreciate not everyone’s circumstances are the same, and there are instances where exceptional and compelling circumstances will need to be considered. If this is the case, you should talk to the principal of your local high school.

Please contact your local high school or the department’s Nirimba Education Office on 9208 7611 if you have any queries or require support.

Yours sincerely

Helen Davis ACTING DIRECTOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP THE PONDS NETWORK 25 February 2020

METROPOLITAN NORTH OPERATIONAL DIRECTORATE Nirimba Office Nirimba Education Precinct, Building T3C, Eastern Road, Quakers Hill NSW 2763 Telephone: 02 9208 7611 Fax: 02 9208 7635 www.education.nsw.gov.au

https://education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/policies/enrolment-of-students-in-nsw-government-schools

https://education.nsw.gov.au/school-finder/index

https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/public-schools/going-to-a-public-school/media/documents/changes-to-the-enrolment-policy-for-parents.pdf

http://www.education.nsw.gov.au/

CENTRE FOR EDUCATION STATISTICS AND EVALUATION WWW.CESE.NSW.GOV.AU

Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation

Tell Them From Me student surveyFrequently Asked Questions (parents and carers)

1. What is the Tell Them From Me student survey?The Tell Them From Me student survey asks questions about factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other outcomes. It aims to help improve the learning outcomes of students. The survey is designed to measure, assess and report insights from the student point of view at the school and system levels. The focus of this NSW survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices.

2. What kind of questions will the survey ask?The survey questions relate to the following measures for primary schools:

Participation in sports and extra-curricular activities

Behaviour at school

Effective learning time

Use of ICT for learning

Homework behaviour

Teaching relevance and rigour

Sense of belonging

Interest and motivation

Perseverance

Positive relationships

EffortExperience of being bullied

Valuing school outcomes

Skills and learning challenge

Advocacy at school

Positive teacher- student relations

Expectations forsuccess

Positive learningclimate

The survey questions relate to the following measures for secondary schools:

Participation in sports and extra-curricular activities

Homework behaviour

Expectations forsuccess

Skills and learning challenge

Academic self-concept

Behaviour at school

Experience of being bullied

TruancySense

of belonging

Interest and motivation

Effective learning time

Aspirations: finishing Year 12, University, TAFE

Positive relationships

EffortTeaching relevance

and rigour

WellnessValuing

school outcomesPositive learning

climate

Academic buoyancy

Advocacy at school

Advocacy outside school

Positive teacher- student relations

Use of ICT for learning

Perseverance

3. How have schools been selected to take part?The survey is open to all NSW government schools at no cost to them. Your child’s school has decided to participate.


4. How will taking part in this survey benefit my child’s school?The Tell Them From Me student survey will provide school principals and school leaders with insight into student engagement, wellbeing and effective teaching practices at their school, from the perspective of students.

Data collected from the survey responses are quickly compiled into reports for school leaders. Principals can then use this information to help them identify emerging issues and plan for school improvement.

5. What does my child need to do to participate in the survey?The survey typically takes less than 30 minutes and is conducted entirely online through a secure website operated by the survey developers, The Learning Bar. Schools will make computers or laptops available so that students can complete the survey during school hours.

6. Does my child have to participate?No, participation in the survey is optional. Your child will not take part if either you or your child do not wish. If, during the survey, your child is uncomfortable, he/she can choose to stop the survey at any time. The majority of questions in the survey can be skipped. Parents/students have a right to apply for access to, and correction of, a student’s information.

7. Will the school be able to identify my child from their responses?Staff in schools will not be able to identify individual students from their responses. To ensure confidentiality, participating students will receive a unique username and password. Where fewer than five students respond to a question, the results will not be made available.

A small number of staff in the department’s Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) will have access to individual student responses for the purpose of state-wide

analysis. Individual students’ data will be held on a secure server with access strictly limited to CESE researchers. The researchers are interested in trends only – not in individual student responses. No student will be identified in any publication. No school will be identified unless they have given permission.

8. What sort of analysis will be done on the survey data?Once the surveys are completed by students, reports are prepared and in most cases are available to schools within three business days. School leaders can use the data to better understand the experiences and views of students at their school.

CESE will undertake state-wide analysis of the survey data in conjunction with existing student data held by the department, including performance data.

The results will help all schools better understand the relationship between wellbeing, engagement, effective teaching and student learning. Results from CESE’s analysis of this data will also help teachers and principals discuss what works to improve student outcomes. This supports the department’s continuing focus on quality teaching and leadership. The data will be retained for future analysis to help us better understand the nature of student engagement and wellbeing over time.

9. Can all school students participate in the survey?The primary school survey is designed for students in Years 4 to 6. Schools are encouraged to allow as many students as possible in these year groups to participate. Secondary schools are encouraged to allow as many students as possible in Years 7 to 12 to participate.

10. When will the Tell Them From Me survey happen?The surveys will be conducted in all participating schools at the end of Term 1 and (optionally) Term 3/4.


What is CESE?The Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) is part of the NSW Department of Education.

CESE has been established to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and accountability of education in New South Wales. CESE will identify and share what works, creating new opportunities to improve teaching and learning across all of education.

More information about CESE is available at: www.cese.nsw.gov.au

What is The Learning Bar?The Learning Bar specialises in research-based design and facilitation of student assessments and survey solutions for both primary and secondary students. The in-house research team led by the President, Dr J Douglas Willms, undertakes extensive projects used in the school system to affect national policy. It is against this research that the survey, Tell Them From Me, has become the largest national school survey in Canada, used in nine of the ten provinces. Globally, more than 6,300 schools and 5.4 million students have participated in the survey over the last twelve years.

Dr Willms recently held the Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Literacy and Human Development. He plays a lead role in the development of questions on student engagement for the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).

For purely administrative purposes, The Learning Bar will also have temporary access to identifiable student responses to the survey questions. Other than The Learning Bar and CESE researchers within the department, identifiable student responses will not be disclosed to any other person or body other than as required by law.

More information about The Learning Bar is available at: www.thelearningbar.com

If you have any questions about the parent survey, please contact CESE via email: [email protected] or by telephone: 1300 131 499.

After School Activities at Riverbank

The following activities are run by outside providers after school:

Monday

Robotics – Rooms D7 and D8

www.nwsydney.young-engineers.com.au/enrolment

Sport - [email protected]

Collected from Riverbank with activity run at The Ponds High School

Tuesday

Electronics – D9 room




Wednesday



Thursday

Chess – www.sydneyacadenyofchess – Rooms D16 and D17

Mandarin – 0491 164230 (Yok Chen) – Rooms G7 and G8



Friday

Robotics – D10 and D11




Music Tuition is available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday depending

on vacancies. Please enquire at

https://www.primarymusicinstitute.com.au/

http://www.nwsydney.young-engineers.com.au/enrolment





http://www.sydneyacadenyofchess/




https://www.primarymusicinstitute.com.au/

As part of our campaign against fare evasion, and our on-going

commitment to provide the level of service needed to transport

students to and from your school, Busways conducts regular checks

of School Opal card.

All students must be in possession of a valid Opal card or pay a fare.

Students in possession of an Opal card must also tap on/off with their card when boarding our buses.

This is important, because the Opal data collected determines the

level of service we are able to provide to your school. If students

don't tap on and off, the services will appear under utilised and may

be considered for cancellation based on low passenger numbers.

To apply for a School Opal card or to report a lost or stolen card, go

online to www.opal.com.au/en/about-opal/opal-for-school-

students/

Students who are ineligible for School Opal will need to purchase a

Child/Youth Opal card or pay a fare to travel on our buses.

Thank you in advance for your assistance and support.

www.busways.com.au

http://www.opal.com.au/en/about-opal/opal-for-school-students/



16/15 Valediction Road

Kings Park NSW 2148 Phone: (02) 8678 0279

[email protected]

Northwest Community Trust trading as Northwest Community Childcare ABN: 95 244 959 102

APRIL (AUTUMN) VACATION CARE

Our Autumn 2020 Vacation Care Services will be held from Tuesday 14th April to Friday 24th April 2020, and will be held at John Palmer Public School and Riverbank Public School for all families from the local Community. To attend children must be enrolled at a primary school in 2020. We will operate on Monday 27th April 2020 at Riverbank Public School only due to a Staff Development Day. All students from all NWCC locations are welcome. We will operate on Monday 4th May 2020 at John Palmer Public School only due to a Staff Development Day. All students from all NWCC locations are welcome. There will be a limited Vacation care program available at Richard Johnson Anglican School (including Pre Kindergarten) from Monday 20th to Friday 24th April. This will be located on site at Richard Johnson Anglican School, and is only available to students that currently attend this school.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Bookings can be made through the “My Family Lounge” online portal. You can access the portal via our website nwcm.com.au/childcare. Existing families can log on and follow the casual care prompts. New families will need to register on our website and follow the prompts.

BOOKING DEADLINES FOR VACATION CARE: FRIDAY 27th MARCH 2020 - for all April Vacation Care Bookings.

Please be aware that after this date, access to our online booking system for the Vacation Care program will be locked. Booking requests after the deadline date can be requested via email, but places are based upon availability. ([email protected]) If a booking is confirmed after the deadline date, it will incur a late fee of $10.00 per child, per day.

PRIORITY OF ACCESS:

Priority of access will be given to children who attend schools where NWCC currently run an OSHC service. For further details on our services, and their priority of access, please refer to the Parent Handbook located on our website.

FEES: $55 per day per child. Some programmed days will also incur an additional incursion or excursion fee per child, dependent upon the activity. Please refer to the daily program for these amounts. Fees will be charged in advance and are payable via Direct Debit from a nominated Bank Account (Fee Free) or Credit Card (plus applicable merchant fees).



16/15 Valediction Road

Kings Park NSW 2148 Phone: (02) 8678 0279

[email protected]

Northwest Community Trust trading as Northwest Community Childcare ABN: 95 244 959 102

A Direct Debit form for completion is available on our website and will need to be returned prior to care if you have not previously returned this form to us. Please note that CCS will be applied to your Vacation care based upon your personal circumstances and is only applicable to a maximum of 100 hours of care per fortnight.

CANCELLATION POLICY: For cancellations after the booking deadline (27th March 2020) there is a 100% cancellation fee.

OPERATING DETAILS: Hours of operation & Location John Palmer Public School – 7.00am to 6.30pm 85 The Ponds Blvd, The Ponds 2769 Riverbank Public School – 7.00am to 6.00pm 25 Wentworth Street The Ponds 2769

Richard Johnson Anglican School - 7.00am to 6.00pm 2 Corcoran Street, Marsden Park 2769

We provide Breakfast at all services until 8.30am. Morning tea and Afternoon tea is also provided.

WHAT TO BRING:

Lunch – the service is NUT AWARE. Please ensure your child’s lunch is nut free. Refillable Drink Bottles with Water Hat and suitable sun safe clothing Enclosed shoes Please encourage your child not to bring any valuables or electronics to Vacation Care.


Riverbank Autumn Vacation Care Program 2020

PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES

Monday 13th April

CLOSED

Tuesday 14th April

EGGCELLENT EASTER CELEBRATIONS

Today we will be celebrating Easter through lots of fun

crafts, minute to win it games and other activities! Come and enjoy a day full of fun!

Wednesday 15th April

MASTER CHEFS Children transform to chefs! Children will be involved in a hands-on cooking workshop where they will learn about

healthy eating, gain basic cooking skills & get to eat their final yummy result!

Incursion Additional Fee: $15

Thursday 16th April

SUPER SPORTS DAY Today we will be having our

very own NWCC staff running a Super Sports incursion

based on their interests and skills, Yoga, Soccer, Tennis & Dancing will be some of the

sports we will soon be experts at!

Friday 17th April

MOVIE EXCURSION We all love a trip to the movie theatre! Join us for a day full

of fun at Blacktown Hoyts eating some popcorn and having a laugh at a new

release movie!

Excursion Additional Fee: $30

Monday 20th April

EXPLORE THE EARTH AND ITS SURROUNDINGS

3D Immersive Movie “The Earth’s Wild Ride” & a view of a Stellarium all done inside a

big blow up Cosmodome!


Tuesday 21st April

TOON WORLD INCURSION Come on a journey filled with creativity and challenge. We

will design our own wonderful cartoon heroes while

defending the lands against the evil Rubbix.


Wednesday 22nd April

WORLD EARTH DAY World Earth Day is celebrated

by people all around the world, including us! We will

learn about the importance of a healthy environment & a happy world through fun

crafts and games.

Thursday 23rd April

MAD ABOUT SCIENCE There will be giant smoke vortices, levitating beach

balls, flying toilet paper, flour fireballs, hair-raising

electricity, and lots of learning!


Friday 24th April

ANZAC CELEBRATIONS Today we celebrate Anzac Day. It is our chance to say

thank you to the people who have allowed us to live freely together on our land through

discussions and various relatable activities.

Riverbank Autumn Vacation Care Program 2020

PROGRAM SUBJECT TO CHANGE DUE TO UNFORSEEN CIRCUMSTANCES

Monday 27th April

MOVIE DAY Come dressed as your favourite movie/book

character to enjoy a day of watching classic children’s movies in your favourite

character outfit!

Family Day Care VacanciesWE CURRENTLY HAVE VACANCIES IN FAMILY DAY CARE FOR:

3-5 year old Preschool Montessori inspired learning programon Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

After school care Monday - Friday

Play based learning program

Aussie mum, Diploma trained with 20 years experience

Relaxed, loving and nurturing environment

5 minute walk from Riverbank Public School for ASC

CCR available through Little Oz Kids Family Day Care Scheme

Lots of activities for learning and fun!

CALL BECK ON 0478 747 671 FOR FURTHER ENQUIRIES

Hockey Blacktown Wants You!

Catering for 6 year olds to adults, beginners to experienced players

Free Come and Try Sessions – gear supplied

Thursdays 6pm to 8pm February 20 to March 12 Approved Active Kids Rebate Provider

Phone Lyn 0421 798 242

[email protected] http://www.hockeyblacktown.org.au

Blacktown Kings Lalor Park Blue Tongues Seven Hills Scorpions The Ponds Pride Woodcroft Wood Ducks


http://www.hockeyblacktown.org.au/

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