Panania North Public School

During the school holidays, our senior boy and girl  toilets and junior boy toilets will be having a minor refurbishment. Painting, new partitioning, locked doors and repairs will be conducted. Locks will also be placed in the junior girl toilets. We are still on the list for a major refurbishment to all toilets.

The NSW Government has announced almost $200-million to supercharge a major overhaul of the NSW curriculum and its implementation will be included in the 2021-22 Budget.

Treasurer Dominic Perrottet said the $196.6 million package over four years represented the first major rewrite of the school curriculum in thirty years.

“Education is key to giving our children the brightest futures and this government is investing in education like never before, improving schools inside and outside the classroom, helping our young people reach their potential through a world class education,” Mr Perrottet said.

“Under this reform, the curriculum will be updated and streamlined by more than 200 syllabus experts to ensure it provides a strong foundation in literacy and mathematics, and clearer post-school pathways, linking learning to future employment or study.”

The NSW Curriculum Reform will be delivered on a new interactive digital platform to support syllabus implementation, a first for NSW.

Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell said the new curriculum portal is a critical part of the most significant curriculum reform in a generation.

“The NSW Curriculum Reform is about delivering the knowledge and skills students need to succeed, and it is all backed up by evidence,” Ms Mitchell said.

“The new portal will help teachers integrate syllabus materials and deliver lessons driven by the latest research and resources, meeting the needs of our students in a way we have never been able to do before.

“The new curriculum and the portal will save time for teachers, improve clarity and make the implementation of the syllabuses even easier. The new curriculum streamlines content and this investment will allow teachers to unlock its potential while arming them with the best resources, multiplying the positive impacts of the new curriculum.”

The new platform is under development, with the goal of going live in Term 4, 2021 with the new K-2 English and Mathematics syllabuses.

Parents of children from Kindergarten to Year 12 must ensure their children attend school every day. On occasion, your child may need to be absent from school. Justified reasons for student absences may include:

• being sick or having an infectious disease
• having an unavoidable medical appointment
• being required to attend a recognised religious holiday
• exceptional or urgent family circumstances e.g. attending a funeral.

Parents must provide an explanation for absences to the school within 7 days from the first day of any period of absence. Where an explanation has not been received within the 7-day timeframe, the school will record the absence as unjustified on the student's record.

Important Considerations:

·         In regard to being absent for sickness: It’s vital that students are only absent on the days they are genuinely sick. Supporting students to set good sleep patterns, eat well and exercise regularly can make a big difference to their health and wellbeing

·         Think twice before letting your child have a “day off” as they could fall behind their classmates – every day counts.

·         It's vital that holidays are planned during school holiday periods where possible, and not during the term.  

The theme for NAIDOC week 2021 is "Heal Country". Healing country means embracing First Nation's cultural knowledge of Country as part of Australia's heritage. That the culture and values of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders are respected equally to and the cultures and values of all Australians.

Throughout the week each class participated in various learning experiences that incorporated cultural perspectives. Some of these experiences ranged from cultural dancing, singing, discussions, telling stories at the yarning circle, and various artworks. 

The Green Team at Panania North have also been busy cleaning and preparing a space for an Indigenous rock garden where they will plant various Australian Natives.

GRASSHOPPERS

The Grasshoppers were involved in many activities consisting of learning about what the colour on the Aboriginal flag represent, listening to Indigenous stories at the school Yarning circle and talking about Indigenous art.

BUTTERFLIES/HEDGEHOGS

For NAIDOC week, the butterflies completed a variety of activities. We watched videos about the importance of NAIDOC week. The students also enjoyed learning about aboriginal dancing and music. To consolidate their learning they completed a close passage activity about NAIDOC week. They were very engaged throughout and were keen to ask lots of questions about elders and didgeridoos. 

We also combined with the hedgehogs to watch Dreamtime stories.

The butterflies and hedgehogs also combined to complete a craft activity which represents the Aboriginal and Indigenous people’s connection to the land. For this activity, students were given the choice to draw either a turtle or fish. We then decorated our artworks using earthy colours like red, brown, yellow, green and orange. 

HUMMINGBIRDS

This week, the Hummingbirds have immersed themselves in cultural experiences. We have had many  discussions about what NAIDOC week is and why we celebrate it. Throughout the week we have been listening to different dreamtime stories, learning about Aboriginal history and we finished off the week by learning how to dot paint. 

The Sea Hawks & Yaks have been working hard researching endangered animals for their Mappen projects and have some fantastic displays!

On Fridays when PSSA students are playing outside of the school, the remaining Stage 2 and 3 students are lucky enough to have visitors come and teach them hockey skills!

Our 2021 Scholastic Book Fair will be on from Thursday 22nd July to Tuesday 27th July in the Library. More information to come at the beginning of next term. 

https://youtu.be/AfHJ98jVAgM

Make sure to submit your Lunchbox Heroes submission before the end of the holidays! Not too late to get your healthy lunchbox idea in for your FREE cooler bag (for all eligible submissions). Lunchbox Heroes photos should include: vegetable, fruit, grain, protein (animal or plant based), dairy + water bottle. Please send in your photo using this link! Your Lunchbox Heroes photo should include: vegetable, fruit, grain, protein (animal or plant based), dairy + water bottle. Please send your photo using this link.