Term 2 Week 6 Newsletter
From the Principal
Dear Calwell Community,
This week is National Reconciliation week which is a time for all Australians to learn about shared histories, cultures and achievements. It has been exciting to see our year 3/4 students developing their own Acknowledgments of Country and discussing the traditional owners of the land in which the school is located. We hope you can join us on Friday at our assembly to hear more about the learning that has occurred this week.
It is with excitement that I can share with you the report from our recent school review. I hope you can take some time to read through the report to gain a deeper understanding of the journey our school has been on for the past 5 years and to celebrate what has occurred. As you can appreciate it hasn’t been without challenges most notably the impact of the pandemic and staffing changes. If you don’t have time to read the entire report, I encourage you to read the last page which outlines the recommendations. These recommendations will form the foundation for our new strategic plan which will be developed over the course of this year ready for implementation in 2024. You can access the review report on our website or via this link External Review Report Template (ed.act.edu.au) I would like to thank the staff and community who met with the review panel while they were onsite to provide valuable insight into the last 5 years. If you have any questions about the review report please don’t hesitate to get in touch with me.
As you are aware last week we experienced a significant number of staff absences due to illness. An email was sent to notify families that we would be undertaking combined classes and at times supervised learning to ensure we could continue school operations. At this stage I anticipate staffing to return to more normal levels this week. Families are encouraged to keep sick children at home to try and stop the spread of illnesses. We currently have a number of nasty viruses circulating in the school including covid, influenza and other respiratory illnesses. Please ensure you notify the school if your child has been diagnosed with covid. Children should stay home while they are symptomatic.
Last Tuesday a number of our students attended the Tuggeranong zone cross country carnival. Despite the cold and foggy conditions, the students ran hard and represented the school with pride. Congratulations to the students who were selected to attend and thank you to families for driving them to the venue and helping on the day.
Over the coming 4 weeks k-6 students will be participating in weekly hockey clinics. A coach will come in each week and children will learn basic skills. These clinics are during class time and are funded through our successful application for a Sporting Schools Grant.
Staffing update
Unfortunately, our School Psychologist Nicola Peaker will be finishing with us this week. Nicola will be moving to Amaroo School. We wish Nicola all the best and thank her for her contribution to the school. Nicola has been with Calwell for several years and has been instrumental in completing student assessments and supporting students and families. At this stage we do not have another psychologist stepping into the role but I am working with the Directorate on options as we move forward.
This term we have employed a Youth Worker, Mr Ryan Kennedy at the school. Mr Ryan as he is known to the students, has spent this term getting to know as many students as possible in classes and at break times. Youth Workers typically work with smaller groups of students and they incorporate a variety of enjoyable activities into their programs to ensure the students look forward to the group each week.
From next term Ryan will be working with small groups of students on a range of topics such as self-regulation, resilience, mindfulness and developing a growth mindset. Students in these groups will work with Ryan to undertake a short course (about 6-8 weeks) of weekly activities on their given topic. Teachers will refer students to the various programs and parents will be notified and given additional information if their child has been referred to the program.
Ryan can be contacted via the Front Office or questions about the Youth Worker program can be directed to Mr Dave Corcoran via the Front Office or at david.corcoran@ed.act.edu.au.
I hope you can stay warm this week and I look forward to seeing you around the school.
Katie Brown
Acting Principal
Calwell CARES
Notes Home/Due & Dates to Remember
A reminder for parent's to please download the SZapp to view our Newsletters and upcoming events. If you access the calendar and click on the date on an excursion/incursion permission notes are attached to re-print if needed.
- Cockatoos Kenny Koala visit Thursday 1st June
- Years 3/4 Reconciliation Focus Assembly Friday 2nd June
- Christian Education in Schools Tuesday 6th June
- Rosella/Magpie Stay and Play 9-9:45am Tuesday 6th June
- Googabinj Incursion Wednesday 7th June
- Cockatoos Stay and Play 9-9:45am Thursday 8th June
- King's Birthday Public Holiday Monday 12th June
- Book Club due date Thursday 15th June
Scrivener
Thank you to everyone that made it to our assembly last week the children enjoyed the experience. In the classroom the children have been working hard on developing their blending sounds to read words. We have been learning that there are many different strategies to help us read and we are currently focusing on sounding out, starting sounds and using the picture clues. The children are also very excited to get back into the hall for gross motor and work on our balance. We loved using the scooters.
Corin
Year One and Two concluded their investigation into the past with an exciting excursion to the National Museum. The children explored various exhibits that were on offer and had plenty of time to interact with some of the hands-on activities. They also had the opportunity to break into smaller groups and engage with the Museum education staff who had numerous artefacts 'from then and now'. The students had to sort and identify objects into different categories; something to keep you warm, something to communicate with and something to play with. They were also exposed to some indigenous artefacts. Thank you to the staff at the National Museum of Australia for their hospitality and insight into the past.
Googong
3/4 have been looking at 3D objects and their properties. Students have collaborated to design a city using nets of 3D objects while some groups used sustainable resources such as
recycled cardboard.
Bendora
In 5/6 we have been learning about the Gold Rush. On the 25/05/2023 gold was discovered in the playground. Now Calwell Primary has been hit with gold fever. Lunch and recess are a frenzy with students searching everywhere for gold (even some of the kindergarten students have been swept up in the search). Some students have even formed themselves into groups in search of the illusive, yet to be discovered 50 pound gold nugget.
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