Alawa Primary School Newsletter

Week 8 - the term is rolling on by as we settle back in after such an exciting week. Our community concert 'Our Territory Home' was simply FANTASTIC! The engagement with the fun activities prior, the support from so many with the planning, preparation and cooking, serving food etc all helped us enjoy the event and then what can i say about the performances?  The first few songs by Sara Storer then followed by the moving tribute to Dolly 'Speak Up even if your Voice Shakes' sung by our Choirs set the tone for the rest of the night. Our audience was respectful and appreciative of the talent shown. We need to recognise the efforts made by parents with costumes, the commitment shown by our staff and students to performing to their best and the absolute talented lyrics and music put together by Sara working with our children. The  final tracks for the music and background vocals were done collaboratively by Sara with Matt Lotherington.

Ms Sullivan is putting together a video of the night which we will make for sale for a small charge very soon.

Student Led Conferences

Final reminder to book in ASAP as bookings close Friday 10th September. Your chance to share your child's learning journey with them - they have so much to share.

Annual Parent Perception Survey - Closes Friday 10th September

Have you responded?

The survey closing date was extended by the department till this Friday. Feedback will be shared from the start of Term 4 through the newsletter and with School Council.

Year 3/4 Camp to Tumbling Waters

62 of our cherubs along with Mr Henderson, Mrs Baines, Ms Hughes and Mr France as well as 7 parent volunteers head off tomorrow morning for their long awaited camping adventure. They are super excited and we look forward to hearing all about it next week. Mrs Donohue and I will be visiting them at camp Thursday afternoon and I am sure we will be seeing some Facebook posts through the 2 days. As always we will keep families advised re return time via Skoolbag.

Current Temporary Staffing changes

From next Monday [13th September] I will be taking some leave for 6 weeks to address a few minor health issues. I will return to work Monday 25th October.

• Mrs Gen Donohue will be Acting Principal for this time period
• Ms Ana Bernardino will be Acting Assistant Principal for the last 2 weeks of this term. Ms Bernardino will still be in her class 50% of the lessons and extra time off class will be covered by Ms Di Wood.
• Mr Matt Lotherington will be Acting Assistant Principal for the first 2 weeks of Term 4. Mr Lotherington will still be in his class 50% of the lessons and extra time off class will be covered by Mrs Di Griffin and Ms Sullivan.
• Ms Tina Sullivan will be working full time for these weeks and will be Acting Senior Teacher.

I appreciate everyone's support during my absence and am sure the Alawa ship will continue sailing smoothly along and look forward to reconnecting with you all upon my return.

Cheers and take care

Sandy Cartwright [Principal of the Best School in the Multiverse]

Welcome to Week 8!

We had a very exciting week last week with our Whole School Performance night with Sara Storer. The songs were amazing and the students did a great job. It was wonderful working with our volunteer parents and a big Thankyou to Ana, Matt and Tamra for their organisation and the smooth running of the event.

We also took the time to remember our Father’s (father figures) for Father’s Day. Our SRC students prepared cards and gifts for our stall. Thankyou families for your support despite our busy week. I hope you enjoyed Fathers day and connecting with your family.

We held our Transition information session for our current Preschool families this morning. We enjoyed sharing information with families and exploring the wonderful space that your children will move to next year. Don’t forget we will be having another information evening later in Term 4 to give you more detailed information about our Transition Program at Alawa.

There are some very excited Year 3/4 students who we will be saying goodbye to as they head off to camp tomorrow. I am sure they will have a wonderful time and I am looking forward to visiting them on Thursday night with Ms Cartwright.

Genevieve Donohue, [Assistant Principal]

Our 4th and final professional learning day for staff is planned for Friday 22nd October. There will be no school for students that day. Our staff will be reviewing our progress towards the goals in our Annual School Improvement Plan and developing the priorities and plans for 2022 as well as reviewing staff and parents perception survey feedback to inform these priorities and our 2022 operations.

During our Student Led Conferences next week we have a range of special activities you can also have some fun with....

Bookfair:

• Open in the library 3pm - 6pm Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th September

Farm:

• Open Tuesday 14th September
• Pop on down and visit Ms Conder and enjoy an up close and personal visit with some of gorgeous farm animals. 

Kitchen:

• Open Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th 3pm - 6pm
• Pop on in and visit Ms Sullivan and sample some of the tasty produce that we use in the kitchen direct from our farm. 

Science:

• Open Tuesday 14th and Wednesday 15th 3pm - 6pm
• Pop on in and visit Mr T and check out some of the cool models and experiments students have been working on in the classrooms. 

Science / Digital Technology [Transition & Year 1]:

• Open  Wednesday 15th 3pm - 6pm
• Pop on in and visit Mrs Cleary around the Transition investigations area and join in with some rainbow experiments and have a go at programing our 'bee bots'

Students at Alawa receive raffle tickets [house points] for their attitude and behavior in the playground and out the front of the school at the end of the day, as well as having a go at the weekly quiz. These are then counted on a Friday along with the points from the activity after recess on Friday where we count the students in full uniform, wearing house shirts etc.  At the end of each term we also include the points earnt through the recycling project and water bottle checks.

In Week 7 of Term 3 Manton is ahead of Finnis and Goyder. 

Goyder is in the lead for the year!

In class we have been reading the Novel ‘The Twenty Seventh Annual African Hippopotamus Race’

The book is about a hippopotamus, Edward, who takes part in the race with the support of his family and friends.

Throughout the book we have been recoding what we learn about Edward and his adventures on our giant (lifesize, 1.5 metre x 3 metre) Hippo.

So far we have learnt about hippos, Africa and what it takes to be a dedicated, committed champion. We look forward to continuing to read the story and finding out what other challenges Edward has to overcome. 

The Preschool team were all so proud of the children who performed in front of their families and all who attended The ‘Our Territory Home’ Concert last Thursday evening. It is a big deal to come back to school in the evening, dressed in a costume and then say bye to Mum and Dad before walking up onto a stage in front of lots of people to sing. It was a joy to see children enjoy themselves as they told the story of their search for a frilly at Alawa School. Well done everyone you were absolute stars!

Preschool have been very happy to have our own ‘real life’ frilly return to our Preschool Garden. We haven’t seen ALLE The Frilled-neck at Preschool as much this term and so when he/she was spotted sunning herself on a tree branch we all flocked to have a look. Preschool children like to be the first to spot ALLE and report their whereabouts to the class. We feel pretty lucky to have such beautiful creatures come and explore our Preschool garden.

We hope you have a fantastic week! 

Alice, Emma and Kelly and Flor [Preschool Team] 

We had such a blast at Playgroup last Friday. We met some new friends this week which was wonderful. We had fun showing them round the preschool room and playground. This week we really enjoyed making our Dad’s a special Father’s Day Surprise. We traced our hands and decorated them to show them how much we love our Dads! We also enjoyed time on the mat with giant floor puzzles and constructing with Mobilo. At the play dough table, we enjoyed building, sculpting, cutting, and pretending. We had a fun time making scones; we practiced taking turns and felt and tasted the different ingredients! We were very busy with arts and crafts outside, on the playground, tricycles, and trampoline.

Next week we will visit the Farm so be sure to remember your hat. 

Miss Maria [Playgroup Coordinator] 

Reading Oasis – A Cool Place to Discover Hot Books

Our Book Fair is upon us and this week classes will be discovering all that is Book Fair and filling out a Wish List to bring home.

Next week the Fair will be open for purchasing during the following dates and times:

Book Fair dates: Week 9 September 13th – 17th

Shopping hours:     Monday – Friday: 8am – 8:30am

                                  Monday, Thursday, Friday: 3pm – 4pm

                                  Tuesday and Wednesday: 3pm – 6pm [Come see us when you attend Student Led Conferences]

Payment for the books is by Cash, Eftpos or online by Credit Card. On the back of your wishlist you will find the option to pay for your books online by credit card. Make sure you send the wishlist back with your details, the receipt number and the amount paid filled out so your child can pick up the books.

Have you thought about Christmas yet? Why not give the gift of a Hot Book. If you want to purchase something for Christmas and would like it set aside for the week until you can pick it up or have it bagged for privacy to come home with your child let me know and I will organise it for you. We look forward to seeing you and your family at our Book Fair! Remember, all purchases benefit our school.

Sacha Evans [Library and ICT Manager] 

Each week the farm will have a limited number of Farm produce boxes for sale with a variety of seasonal fresh produce. 

Each box is $15 and will include items available on the day. Please note items will vary from week to week dependent on what is in season. 

Orders are to be made through our Quickcliq system https://quickcliq.com.au/ for Fridays only and can be picked up from the front office at the end of the day. 

We also have  Belgium Duccle chicks for sale $15 each. Contact Ms Condor to find out more details or to arrange purchase via the front office 8997 7666.  

https://www.backyardchickencoops.com.au/blogs/learning-centre/5-reasons-to-love-belgian-duccle-chickens

Our Mission — is to provide the Alawa School community with delicious healthy meals and snacks and to create meaningful links to our kitchen garden program.

LUNCHTIME SPECIALS: Weeks 4-10

Available every day lunch only [Wednesday-Friday]:

- Mini beef burgers  $3.50

- Spaghetti bolognaise small serve $3.50 or large serve $5.50 /Gluten Free Spaghetti $6.50

Wednesday- Roast chicken and gravy roll - one size only $5.50

Thursday – Beef and vegetable Chilli con carne - Large size $5.50, Small $3.50

 Friday – Beef or jackfruit Taco - Large size $5.50, Small $3.50

A reminder that our school Cafe is open Wednesday to Friday ONLY. Closed on Monday and Tuesdays. 

Order online at www.quickcliq.com.au