Term 4 Week 10 Newsletter
From the Principal
Dear Calwell Families,
What a year it has been! Who could have imagined the challenges we would face as a school community this year; all things considered I think we have come through it all well and we’ve certainly learnt a lot along the way. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone associated with the school for your flexibility, patience, tolerance and support. While there were differences in the delivery of the educational program and school events, by and large we managed to keep everything going in some form. My sincere thanks to the great team of teachers and support staff for always going the extra mile to make things happen for our students.
Staffing News
Next year there will be minimal staff changes. Natalie Torres is moving to Bonner. Natalie has made a wonderful contribution to the preschool team. Her warm and caring nature, together with the depth of knowledge she developed about each child ensured that the 2020 preschool children in her care had a very positive preschool experience. Ellen Tyrell, from Isabella Plains Early Childhood School will be joining the preschool team. As we will have an additional class next year, we will also be joined by Lisa Jenkins. Lisa has a breadth of experience in upper primary and is looking forward to moving to Canberra from rural South Australia.
It is with very mixed feelings that I let you know that Liz Baker-Matterson our Deputy Principal is leaving to take up a position at Namadji School. Liz has brought a wealth of skill and compassion to student management and wellbeing over the past almost 4 years. She has also been instrumental in leading the preschool team and supporting the team to implement contemporary practices in Early Childhood Education. Liz has also worked closely with the leadership team to review and renew Curriculum documentation, assessment practices and support the implementation of PBL into the school. While we are very sad that Liz will be leaving Calwell, her new role as a deputy at Namadji, will see her being the Year P to Year 6 campus leader, an opportunity that will support a move into principalship. We wish Liz all the very best. Our loss is Namadji’s gain!
At Calwell we will commence 2021 with a leadership team of four - Ashley Coutts as Deputy, Alyssa Owen and Emma Vince as Junior and Senior Team Leaders.
Seesaw End of Year Online Concert
With so many changes to the number of adults allowed on school premises this year, regrettably our end of year concert needed to be ‘reenvisaged’. On Thursday we will be uploading items from each year level from preschool to year 6 to bring the school year to a joyful end with some online entertainment.
2021 what to expect…….
Hall cooling - We had hoped that the hall would be air conditioned this year. This was delayed but I’m pleased to announce it is being installed during the break. A new disabled toilet amenity is also currently being built behind the Corin Unit, ready for the start of the year.
The CARES Room will be relocated to the multipurpose room next to the STEM room. The CARES room will be staffed each day during lunchtime by a member of the leadership team and students who are experiencing difficulty on the playground will be able to go to the CARES room for assistance. We hope this new initiative will further improve and support behaviour management during break times.
A Lunch club will operate every day to provide an alternative activity to playground play. Each day will have a different focus. In term 1 we will start with craft, gardening, sport, gross motor and drawing.
Learning Assets were introduced this year however, we had planned to have a greater focus on sharing why we have adopted these and the role they will play in day to day teaching. Remote learning took over and with parent/carers having limited access to the school our work of engaging the community in this project was put on hold. We are very excited about relaunching this initiative next year and implementing a range of related activities with students and parent/carers.
Week 1 2021
Preschool and Kindergarten children will start school on Monday 1st February. Kinder children and parents will meet in the hall for a brief welcome prior to moving into the Scrivener Unit. Children new to the school or returning to Calwell in years 1-6 will begin on Tuesday 2nd February. Students should line up on the blacktop in their 2020 class groups as they will be starting the day in their 2020 class groups to give them an opportunity to catch up with their classmates and teacher where possible. 2021 classes will be formed during the morning. New classes will commence after lunch.
2020 Wrap-up
I would like to thank all members of staff for their amazing commitment to making this year the best it could be. The team of teachers, admin and support staff work hard every day throughout the year to support students and their families. I am so proud to lead a school whose staff are professional, caring, hardworking and fun. We are all very proud of our students too. Team Calwell are a great bunch of kids and the school is a great place to come to every day.
On behalf of all the staff I wish you a joyful festive season. May these holidays be a truly wonderful time for your family to spend time together. Stay safe, relax, and have fun with the special people in your life.
Linda Neeson
Principal
Preschool
The Magpies, Rosellas and Cockatoos of Calwell Primary School celebrated the end of the year with a lovely lunch. The children felt quite grown up sitting at a table to eat with all their friends. Sausage rolls, party pies, cupcakes and Zooper Doopers were shared. Cookies and chips were also given as treats. The tables were decorated with the Christmas craft they created.
This year has not been without its challenges. Seeing the children’s smiles and hearing their laughter have made it all worthwhile. Although our end of year events may look different, we continue to support and affirm the children and send them off with happy memories of learning in preschool.
The Preschool Team wishes all of the children and their families a safe and happy holiday season.
Scrivener
Kindergarten have been busy writing to their Year 1 teachers for next year. Students have been excited to share a bit about themselves, what they like to do, things they are good at, and things they would like to learn. We have visited the Corin building where we will be learning next year and are looking forward to Year 1.
Corin
Year 1
In Year 1, we are learning about persuasive texts. Students have been learning the importance of formulating their opinions and beliefs using specific language. This week students have been busy drafting their ideas to create a good copy text to try and convince their audience to ‘buy their pet’.
Year 2
This term in English we are learning how to improve our Narrative writing. The purpose of a Narrative is to entertain the audience. We are focusing on using interesting words and adjectives to describe the characters and settings to make our writing more engaging. Students used a thesaurus to research interesting words to include in their writing.
Year 1
Year 2
Googong
Students in 3/4 have been learning about complementary colours and how they are used. Artists use complimentary colours for several different reasons. One thing they use them for is to make Pop Art. When using only complimentary colours in a drawing, the colours tend to POP right off the canvas! Students will understand that using complementary colours next to one another makes each colour appear brighter.
Please enjoy our Sun and Moon artworks demonstrating this skill.
Bendora
In 5/6, we use Maths games on a regular basis to help consolidate new learning and revise previous learning. Some games build number skills, some build logic and problem solving and others explore measurement and geometry topics. These games help develop collaboration between students often requiring them to work in pairs or small groups to solve problems. Maths games are often requested by the students as they are so fun and engaging!
Student Parliament
Last week our 2020 Student Parliament celebrated all of their work and achievements this year with a party. We would like to thank all of the representatives for their contributions to our school.
At the Leadership Assembly we announced our new Student Parliament Leaders for 2021.
Prime Minister – Kelvin S
Deputy Prime Minister – Lucy J
Speaker of the House – Isabella M
Deputy Speaker of the House – Tadija P
Gold Awards
Camp Australia OSHC
Holiday Happenings
