The Punchbowl Press

Dear Families, 

What a year it has been, but so wonderful to finish onsite with our students.  We have had a fantastic last seven weeks, reconnecting and reflecting on the year as a staff and also with our students. 

At Punchbowl we have a very dedicated, passionate staff who are putting your child’s learning and wellbeing at the centre of every moment they spend here at school.  Thank you to all our teachers and school learning support officers (SLSOs) who strive every day to improve the educational outcomes for our students.   

To those teachers who are leaving us, we wish you all the best at your new schools or on your next adventure.   

As Acting Principal, I have been privileged to have an equally dedicated leadership team who support our teachers and students across the day in so many ways.  Thankyou to all the Deputy Principals and Assistant Principals who are supporting our students and families to successfully engage in their learning and to support wellbeing. 

In the school office, we have a very skilled administration team.  They are manning our phones, supporting sick students, enrolling new students, checking lunch and recess orders as well as a hundred other little jobs.  Thank you to the fabulous admin team.  We would not be able to do what we do without their tireless work. 

Last week, each stage celebrated the achievements of the students at the end of year Presentation Days. Congratulations to all the award recipients and to all the students at our school on their achievements throughout 2021. Visit the schools YouTube channel to view the video highlights. 

To our students and families, thank you for the trust and support you place in us.  We love what we do and we look forward to 2022.  I wish everyone peace and joy during this holiday time. 

Donna McGeary

Acting Principal

Congratulations to the Punchbowl Public School PBL team for receiving a special Network award from Mr Andrew Fielding, Director of Educational Leadership (Chullora network). The award recognised the outstanding work of the PBL team who coordinate the program throughout our school. 

We are incredibly proud of all your achievements. 

SaCC programs continued throughout Term 4 in a Covid safe way.  Many programs continued online and a few families were able to attend for playgroup. We look forward to 2022 and welcoming exisiting and new families to our centre. 

SaCC would like to wish all members of the community a Merry Christmas and a happy and safe new year. 

All families are welcome to reach out to our SaCC at anytime. Please contact Asenati directly on 0439487865. 

Asenati Mareko - SaCC Facilitator 

We have come to the end of the year and closing our preschool chapter. Out preschool graduation was the highlight of this term. We celebrated children's growth and achievements of 2021. Wishing our pre-schoolers the best in their journey going into Kindergarten. 

Best wishes from your educators

Kookaburras and Owls have been busy as we approach the end of the year. Students have been engaged in Narrative writing for English and learning all about money for Mathematics. We were pleased to welcome back Miss Clare and have enjoyed getting creative in the Garden.  

Over the past 6 weeks students have enjoyed food technology, making fairy bread and Halloween Biscuits. They also had an excellent time celebrating their hard work during the Inflatable world PBL award.  

We wish everyone a happy holiday!

Congratulations to the Owls and Kookaburras on being awarded as WINNERS in this years Watson Greeting Card competition. The winning entry will be printed on Mr Tony Burke (Member of Parliament) greeting cards for 2021. We are incredibly proud of all the students. If you are at The Broadway Plaza, Punchbowl over the next few weeks pop by Mr Burke's office to view the entry which is on display outside his office on Level 1. 

We made it! 

Year 1 and Year 2 have shown incredible resilience and determination this year as they adapted to new modes of learning. This would not have been possible without the support of our amazing parents who supported their children’s learning at home. We are grateful that students were able to spend most of this last term together as they greatly valued the importance of connection and friendship. We hope all students and their families have a safe, happy and healthy break and look forward to seeing you all in 2022. 

Stage 1 teachers  

During Term 4, some Stage 2 students were selected to star in the play, “The Wrong Book”, based off the picture book by Nick Bland. The Drama Group showed great dedication, using many of their lunch times to audition and rehearse. The students showcased their talent at Presentation Day, in front of their peers and teachers. We certainly have some future actors and actresses at Punchbowl Public School. Well done! 

Year 6 Graduation Dinner 

Our students and teachers had a great time at our graduation dinner. Thank you to Mr Noshie and the Stage 3 teachers for organising such a wonderful event.  

Here are some comments made by our Year 6 students; 

Subhaan – It was a really fun experience, especially the talent show. Thank you to all the teachers for being there. 

Foleni - Punchbowl’s Got Talent was an absolute blast! I had a great time. The Graduation Dinner was the highlight of my year and Mr Noshie was so funny on the microphone. 

Shakial – It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. I will always remember our graduation dinner. 

Haneed – The graduation dinner was the highlight of the year. The performances were fantastic! 

Junior – I felt brave doing the Haka in front of my peers and teachers. The food was delicious! 

Aya – The venue was beautiful and the performances were hilarious. I had a great time! 

Mohamed – It was an amazing experience and a great way to say farewell to my friends. 

Jasmine – I loved the farewell video by Ms Simundza and the fancy function room at the Canterbury League Club. 

We are really proud of all Community Language students who worked extremely hard to achieve the best that they can. Congratulations to the students who received awards this year for their commitment to learning Arabic. The last week of school, teachers and students decided to revise and practice their Arabic learning by engaging in online games and worksheets. Students, as you can see in the photos, were happy to consolidate their learning throughout the year using laptops for practicing Arabic typing, an iPad playing Arabic games or making projects. The Community Language teachers (Mrs Roffaell and Mrs Awada) would like to wish all Punchbowl Public School families a safe and a merry holiday. 

The 2021 Premiers Reading Challenge 

The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) booklist provides students with the opportunity to read more widely from a selection of quality literature. Despite all the obstacles this year, all of our students have completed the PRC which involved reading between 20 to 30 books. With the commitment of teachers and parents many students have received a Gold Certificate from the Premier’s Office, acknowledging that they have completed four years of participation. There were a record number of students that have received Platinum certificates for completing seven years of the PRC. Those students need to continue with their reading through high school to be eligible for a Premier’s Medal once they reach the final challenge in Year 9 of high school. 

Congratulations to all our students, teachers and parents for the continued partnership to enable our students to succeed as readers. 

Why not join your local library? 

In recent years Canterbury-Bankstown Council have invested in upgrading its local libraries. The facilities are second to none, it would be worth your while visiting the libraries and Knowledge Centres. Joining your local library would give you access to a huge selection of fantastic books, including online libraries. Of particular interest are: 

Story Box Library – an online ‘Reading Room” where children can connect, engage and be inspired by a range of quality stories read on film. 

https://www.storyboxlibrary.com.au/login 

Ziptales – an online literacy library which consists of educational stories, videos, games and activities. The Ziptales content has been designed by trained teachers with the purpose of making reading a pleasurable experience. 

https://www.ziptales.com/subs/canterburybankstown/ 

Parents, you can register online to access the extensive resources and would need to visit the library within 30 days with photo identification for issuing of a library card. Libraries are located at Riverwood, Lakemba, Campsie and Bankstown, all close to train stations. Check the Canterbury-Bankstown library website for more details and school holiday programs. The link has details about joining the library.  

https://www.cbcity.nsw.gov.au/community/library-knowledge-centres/locations-memberships 

STEM: Minecraft Education Edition, cyber safety and digital citizenship 

“Completing our learning on Cyber safety helped us to know why it’s important not to share personal information online. We have to remember that the way we behave safely in person, we also have to behave safely online”. Roaa, 3 Wondrous 

“I liked using Minecraft because I learnt how to code. It’s so exciting”. Bilal, 3 Wondrous 

“Minecraft was nice. I could build anything I wanted. I learnt to use the chat feature in Minecraft when I wanted to chat to people in my class”. Mohamad, 3 Wondrous 

Cyber safety rules to remember: 

Aliyah: Don’t share personal information online. 

Binna: Don’t click on any advertising asking for personal information. 

Andy: Do not open pop ups. 

Hadia: Use a nickname online to protect your personal information. 

Helen: Always check with a trusted adult before signing up to anything.  

Yacoub: Always look at the terms and conditions.