2022 STEM Program:
We are pleased to announce that our STEM Program in 2022 will continue to grow! In 2022 we will have a specialist STEM Class again in Stage 2 and in Stage 3. Applications for our STEM Class program will be made available to students in Years 2, 3, 4 and 5 when they return to school next week. Applications will need to be returned to the school by Friday 5th November (end of Week 5) for students to be considered for this program. If you would like to know more about our STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) specialist program, contact the school on 49711267 and ask for STEM Coordinators Rob Low and Scott Dornan. In 2022 we are looking to expand our STEM opportunities to our K-2 students…watch this space!
2022 Specialist PE Program:
In Terms 1 and 2 this year we employed a specialist PE teacher to teach every student in the school as part of a trial. For the first half of 2021, every student across the school enjoyed 2 hours per week of specialist Physical Education that focused on fundamental movement skill development, skill acquisition, teamwork, and physical fitness. Our students absolutely loved this program because it was fun, engaging, and they saw rapid growth in their skill development. We are pleased to announce that in 2022 we will be committing to running our specialist PE program for the entire year. We can’t wait for this great program to kick off again (pun intended)…and I’m sure our students can’t wait too!
University of Newcastle – Fundamental Movement Skills Research:
Our school has been chosen to be involved in a PE research project run by the University of Newcastle. This project looks at how physical movement influences and improves learning. At the end of this term, our K-2 students will take part in some practical assessments with the University of Newcastle research team. This is only the beginning stages of this research project, so we are hopeful that we will have a long-standing involvement in this research project, partnering the University of Newcastle PE Faculty and their team. Big shout out to Mr Ricky Andrews for making the connection with the University and creating this exciting opportunity for our students.
Building Stronger Connections with Caves Beach Public School:
As part of a $256 million investment, the NSW Department of Education announced that every public primary school across NSW will receive a dedicated Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction (APCI) allocation in 2022. This permanent position has an explicit focus on leading schools with evidence-based teaching and assessment to improve student outcomes. The APCI role will support strong instructional leadership, coordinate professional learning for teachers, monitor student outcomes, and support families to be key partners in learning. As our school was fortunate to have a 1.2FTE APCI allocation, and that 1.0FTE of this allocation has been filled with Ms Melanie Elks in a full-time capacity, we can employ an additional leader for 0.2FTE (one day per week) to help lift student outcomes. Excitingly, Swansea Public School and Caves Beach Public School have combined their APCI allocations to make a ‘shared full-time’ position. Caves Beach Public School do amazing things in Gifted and High Potential education, so we are looking forward to further strengthen our already great partnership through this shared APCI position. This position will be filled through merit selection over the coming weeks. We can’t wait to have this shared colleague, join our leadership team at Swansea Public School. Very exciting indeed!!!
Tell Them From Me – Partners in Learning - Parent Survey:
This year’s Tell TTFM Parent Survey was due to close on Friday 15th October 2021. As families have been time-poor balancing the complexities of working and supporting learning from home, the survey window has been extended and will remain open after all students have returned to face-to-face learning. At present we have had 49 families complete the survey…40 short of what we achieved in 2020. We are hopeful that by having this survey open for a couple more weeks, families may be able to find the time to give us their valued feedback. Our goal is 100 surveys…if you haven’t completed this survey, please do so and get us one family closer to our target! To complete the survey, click the following link: http://nsw.tellthemfromme.com/swansea2021
Tell Them From Me – Focus on Learning – Teacher Survey:
Each year our teaching staff complete a detailed survey reflecting on our teaching practice and school culture. Over the last two years we have made significant growth in all areas of the ‘Eight Drivers of Student Learning’, so much so that our school average assessment is at or above that of the average for NSW Government Schools in 6 out of the 8 areas as shown in the following table
