Carlton South Public School

Welcome Everyone

Welcome to all of our new parents and carers for 2021 and for those families already known to us, welcome back! We are all well and truly into Week 3 and I have had the opportunity over the past few days to visit all the classrooms and welcome our students. We have had a smooth start to the new school year even though our anticipated enrolment numbers were a little down on what we were expecting. All students were placed into their new classes on Thursday of last week (February 4) and for 2021 we have an enrolment of approximately 640 students with 100 new Kindergarten students starting last Friday. We have a number of new staff starting at our school this year and have sadly had to say goodbye to a few staff as well. I will update you on these changes a little further on within this edition of the newsletter. Staffing arrangements for 2021 are as follows:

Classroom Teachers:

 * Specialist Staff:

 Non-Teaching Staff:

School Executive:

We welcome to the team Miss Jaimie-Lee Rios on Kindergarten and Mr Josiah Peters on Year 5. We also have a new assistant principal commencing at our school for 2021, Mrs Jade Toofohe who comes to us via Oatley West PS and previous to that, Penshurst West PS. Mrs Toofohe will be supervising Stage 3 (Years 5-6) for this year. We welcome back Mrs Emma Kritzler (who some of you may have know as Miss Emma Jones) two days per week on RFF. Mrs Beverly Jordan also returns from leave this year to re-join the Stage 2 team. We have a newly appointed school psychologist, Miss Jordan Lawlor-Short, two days per week (Monday-Tuesday) and a business manger Miss Jaqui Simmiss also working two days per week (Monday-Tuesday). We also have Miss Arlene Wicks working at our school as an additional instructional leader on Monday-Wednesday and on RFF Thursday and Friday. Mrs Heidi Galea will be working with the students in 2H one day per week (Friday). Mrs Selina Tilling has been appointed to the vacant library role, due to the retirement of Mrs Janis Leneghan, three days per week.

Miss Emily Carton has taken up a relieving assistant principal role at Birrong PS for 2021 and Mr Dean Dray has moved interstate to Victoria and has taken on a teaching role at Tarneit Rise Primary School, west of Melbourne. Mrs Carolyn Gatt was successful via merit selection and has now been appointed to Greenacre PS where she will work as an OC (Opportunity Class) teacher. We wish all these teachers well in their future professional endeavours and thank them for supporting our students and the school community over the years.  

Congratulations Miss McEwan!

We said ‘goodbye’ to another of our teachers late last year and for good reason! Miss Elyse McEwan went on maternity leave at the conclusion of 2020 and on Wednesday (February 10) we received the fantastic news that she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Her name is Eden Michelle and she weighs 3.49 kilograms, with a height of 49 centimetres. Miss McEwan is doing well, as is baby. A big congratulations to Miss McEwan and partner Jack. We can’t wait to see you in person Eden!

COVID-19 Update

Please continue to visit the website: https://education.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/advice-for-families for the latest information related to COVID-19 and the NSW Department of Education guidelines. Over the last couple of weeks, we have had a number of concerns raised about parents and carers not adhering to physical distancing guidelines during afternoon pick up time. Please remember to use the allocated gate and move on as quickly as possible once you collect your child. Perhaps consider pre-arranging a collection point after school to meet with your child (particularly if your child is in Years 3-6). This would certainly assist with the congestion during collection time of an afternoon.

Parent Information Evening (Meet the Teacher) Planning

Our annual parent information sessions are always well received by our school community and provide the opportunity for parents to meet with their child’s new classroom teacher and learn a little about class expectations, routines and learning opportunities for the year. Due to COVID-19 restrictions we envisage that the delivery of these sessions will be a little different from previous years. We are still aiming to conduct these sessions in Week 5 (Monday February 22-Thursday February 25) and will be sure to update you all next week with the format of the sessions. We will need to have a COVID safety plan in place for this event and adhere to departmental and NSW Health guidelines. Further information will be forthcoming next week.

Have a great few weeks!

Darren Galea

Principal 

A very warm welcome back to all of our families to the new school year. I hope that all of you were able to enjoy some much needed rest and relaxation after the incredibly challenging year we all experienced last year.  A warm welcome is also extended to all of our new families from Kindergarten, as well as all of the new families to our school community; Carlton South is a wonderful school, with a fantastic community. 

Last week I took time to visit all classrooms and I was extremely impressed with the way in which all students have settled into their new classroom environments; routines have already been established, students are already working hard and learning goals have begun to be discussed. Our 100 Kindergarten students have had a very positive start to school life and are extremely settled; all getting used to the routines associated with being at school. 

Learning at Carlton South Public School

Students from Kindergarten through to Year 6 are already working extremely hard.  Many students have already begun thinking about and articulating their learning goals for Semester One. This year marks the third year of our partnership with Corwin, where teachers will consolidate their knowledge and skills in order to implement Visible Learning in their classroom. Visible Learning seeks to ensure learners receive explicit information about what they are learning, why they are learning it and what is required to achieve success. We will continue to focus on feedback to ensure that students understand what they need to do to improve. This year we will be embedding our learning powers across the school. Learning powers are attributes designed to support students to become successful learners. You can support your child at home by discussing these dispositions, as well as emphasising examples of these dispositions in their everyday life. Here are the Learning Powers we will be implementing at Carlton South Public School. 

Starting School

Starting school can be a huge transition, not just for the children, but for families as well. There is always so much to learn about in terms of how schools operate, what happens at school, how children learn and how to communicate with teachers. It can be extremely hard handing over your child, not knowing what happens at school and not getting the information you want from your child. It is a transition period for all and one that can be supported and facilitated by building quality relationships with the classroom teacher and trusting them that they are taking care of your child. It is an exciting time when your child starts school, one that everyone should take the time to create happy memories. I’d like to wish all of the Kindergarten students and their families the very best as they embark on this new adventure. Here are some tips for those families who are experiencing school for the first time.

• Respond to anxiety with support – it is important to remember that anxiety is a normal feeling to a new situation. All of us who are experiencing something new can become anxious. Keep calm and be enthusiastic with your child about starting school. This sends a message that school is fun, they can cope and that it is exciting to start a new school year.
• Role play ‘school’ – let your child be the teacher and you be the student and swap roles. This is a way of talking about feelings. Role play what might be coming up and who might be there to assist them.
• Read picture books about starting school – reading is beneficial on so many levels and reading books about starting school allows them to develop understandings about what happens at school.
• Model calm behaviour – it is natural to be concerned if your child becomes distressed in the morning. However, the way you react to these behaviours is the way your child will learn to cope with new situations.
• Wind down after school – when children are tired, their ability to cope can be greatly reduced. Being at school requires a lot of energy so allow your child time to wind down and spend some time relaxing after school. Limit after school activities until they get used to the new school routines. 
• For parents of students who are in Years 1-6, some tips on ensuring that your children have a happy and rewarding year at school follow.
• Commit to your child going to school every day on time - One of the most important things you can do is to ensure your child goes to school every day – and gets there on time. We need to maximise every day to get full value.
• Help children start each day well - A good night’s sleep, a healthy breakfast and some words of encouragement from you will help set a positive tone for a day of learning. This may mean that you adjust your morning routine so that kids have plenty of time to get up, eat and get ready for the day.
• Establish work and study habits - The most successful students are those that develop regular study habits that suit their lifestyle, their study style and their school’s expectations. Find out the work expectations from your child’s teacher and help them establish a work routine that matches their personality, lifestyle and family style.
• Make sure your child gets enough sleep - Many children and young people are sleep-deprived, which impacts on their well-being and their learning. A good night’s sleep consolidates learning, as well as assisting future learning. Children need between 10-12 hours of sleep each day. Have a regular bed-time and get-up time each day. Have 45 minute wind-down time each night, and remove screens and mobile phones from bedrooms.
• Get your children outside more for good physical and mental health - Children today get less exercise, which can challenge their learning and mental health. It is recommended that children spend a minimum of 60 minutes of exercising per day. Encourage them to play sports; encourage free and active play and look for ways to make moving part of their daily lives.
• Focus on being friendly - Schools are very social places requiring children to negotiate many different social situations each day. Encourage children to be open and tolerant; to be friendly; to be involved in plenty of activities and to be social risk-takers.
• Develop self-help skills - Successful students are often well-organised, self-directed and self-motivated. You can encourage organisational skills and self-direction by developing simple, age-appropriate self-help skills related to their every day lives. Encourage and promote organisation and independence - getting them to make lunches, pack school bags, and organise after school schedules. 
• Children will be receptive to adopting new habits at the start of a new school year, so maximise on this by focusing on two or three areas to ensure they thrive at school this year. It is also extremely important that we all understand it is normal for students to feel nervous and reticent about their new class. Please remain positive about school and your child’s class as this will help the settling process. Students should have the capabilities to successfully experience new classes, grades and teachers in preparation for their future.   We also understand that parent anxiety exists, but we would like to reassure you that we have wonderful staff that care about your children and will look after them socially, emotionally and academically.  We want to ensure everyone is making progress and that every young person is known, valued and cared for. Remember if you have any issues or concerns, please bring them up directly with your child’s teacher first. They are in the best position to support you through your concerns and more often than not, the problem can be solved quickly. 

Student Voice - Back to school at Carlton South Public School

To highlight the enthusiasm that students have on returning after the summer break and as part of our student voice initiative, we have collected some thoughts from students on being back to school at Carlton South Public School and what they are excited about this year. 

KJ

Alex - playing with my friends

Elias - playing with my friends

Angelina - doing fun activities

KR

Evangeline - learning new things

Nathaniel - going to the library

Christine - drawing

 KF

Jeremy - making new friends

Maia - getting to see my big sister at school

Stefan - colouring in 

Zahra - doing fun activities

KH

Caleb - playing with the fun toys

Amelia - doing craft

Jacinta - There are lots of things to learn

KW

​Emilia - doing art

Ben - having races with my friends

Mehnaz - playing outside with my friends

1V

Oliver - Seeing my new teacher. Being in Year 1. 

Roan - I have anew teacher and friends. I am excited about 2021. 

1P

Eva - The best thing about being back to school is doing arts and craft. Going to gymnastics with my friends. Going to excursions together. 

Anthony - Because I like to play with my friends at the adventure playground and I have so much fun at school. 

1G

Justus - The best thing about being back to school is playing games and going to go on the adventure playground. I’m excited about this year because as my mum and dad said yes for chess and I am excited I’m going to be better at reading. 

Anthony - Because I like to play with my friends at the adventure playground and I have fun at school. I have a new teacher and a new class and it is a double class. I love to go to the West building. 

1/2L

William - The best thing about being back at school is I love that I am  in Mr Lee’s class, to learn more, unlike at home in the holidays. I am excited because I like to learn more. 

Vivien - To get in a new class with my friends. Mr Lee is the best teacher in the world. We can meet new friends and teachers in new classrooms, also we can learn more things from new teachers. 

2T

Zion - Playing games with my friends and learning more things. Meeting new teachers and looking at new classes. 

Mariam - Having a new, nice teacher and having a lot of new friends. Being in Year 2 and being in 2T. 

2H

Riley - Learning new things and meeting new friends. Doing robotics at the library. I went to a new class and a have a new teacher, seeing new students in my new class. 

Emma - We can learn new things. Having my first gala day because I was sick in Kindergarten and last year there was COVID-19 and we couldn’t go to school. 

2J

Danny - I am excited about sport this year and learning new things. I love doing art at school. I am excited about meeting new friends and doing new things. 

Victoria - Meeting your new teacher and new friends. I’m excited about learning new things with my teachers. 

3A

Max - The best thing about being back at school is I can get a new teacher. This year I’m excited about the swimming carnival. 

Mandy - The best thing about being back at school is learning new things and seeing my new teacher and classmates. 

3M

Olivia - The best thing about being back to school is learning new things, reading, playing with new friends and being a good, active learner. I’m excited to make new friends, learn and work as a team. 

Mandi - The best thing about being back at school is having new classmates and learning from other people. I’m excited to find out my new teacher and do some more homework. 

3P

Arnold - Writing because we do writing together sometimes and learning numeracy or reading groups. We work together sometimes and we get to see our friends after the holidays. We get to do sport and art because we draw and decorate our art and we go to excursions. 

Isabella - The best thing about being back to school is seeing my friends and spending time with them. This year I am excited about doing writing tasks.

Enjoy the next few weeks at school. 

3/4S 

Mira - The best thing about being back at school is I’m in a new classroom with new people surrounding me, which gives me the opportunity to be confident and learn new things. This year I’m excited about NAPLAN and learn to swim because I can show the teachers what I have learnt in the past. 

Darsh - The best thing about being back at school is learning new things and seeing my friends. What I am excited about this year is to see how it turns out, hopefully better than last year, AKA 2020 COVID year. 

Samragyee - The best thing about coming back to school is meeting friends, seeing my new classroom, expanding my brain, being creative and going on excursions. I am excited about the swimming carnival, being in Year 4 and playing dodgeball and doing art!

4H 

Brianna - The best thing about coming back to school is seeing my friends and learning with my new teacher. I’m excited to learn more  things with my new teacher. 

Celina - The best thing back at school is that you get to be back with your friends and you have a new teacher, also you get to learn more. I’m excited for a new class, my brother growing up, my sister going in Year 6 and knowing who’s in SRC. 

4T

Elena - The best thing about being back to school is learning new things in class and focusing on the learning powers as well. I am excited about this year, playing new sports and also enjoying new friends too. 

Lachlan - The best thing is that I get to learn more and see my friends. I am excited about the new teacher and harder learning experiences. 

Aria - The best thing about being back at school is getting our new classes and meeting new people. I am excited about this year because I can work with new people and learn new things. 

4J

Janyce - The best thing about being back to school is seeing my friends again. I am excited because I am in a new class with different people. 

Amala - I am excited about the swimming carnival this year and the new things we learn.  

5S 

Zac - Learning much more interesting things, seeing my friends again and playing with my friends all the time at lunch and recess. Seeing what is next and upcoming for this year and what learning events and sport events there are for 2021. 

Rushmila - I certainly think the best thing about being back at school is getting to meet my new teacher and seeing all my friends. I am excited to learn more new things and getting to know my teacher and my classmates better. 

5B

Chloe -  To walk in with a joyful smile on your face. Thinking that I’m going to learn new things. I’m going to gain more confidence. And the second you step through the gate friends come to hug you. I’m excited to learn new things and be more passionate about learning. 

Christian - To always cooperate with education and never let go. Education is the reason why all of us graduate university, get a good job and have the money to live the life. I’m all ears for this year. Miss Barker is a superhero. Down with a drill, you know what I’m talking about. NAPLAN, here I come! 

Yllan - The best thing about being back at school is that I can train my brain to try new things and get better in the things I’m not so good at. I’m excited to cooperate with others so I can make new friends and welcome them to beautiful Carlton South, that way they can gain more confidence. 

5P

Prisha - The best thing about being back at school is that we can learn new things and meeting our friends again. What I really love about being back at school is when we find out what class we are going to be in. I am excited about learning new things and making new friends in the classroom. 

Charlie - The best things about being back at school is that I can see my friends and learn again. I am excited about learning with a new teacher and having fun. 

6B 

Kane - See all my friends start a new year. I’m excited about camp. 

Kainan - Finding and welcoming new students to our school and greeting old ones - especially friends and classmates. I like to communicate socially with anyone and everyone. I am most excited for new and fun, but different learning opportunities and extra-curricular activities where I can express my true talent and soul. 

Gemma - Getting to see my friends and having a whole year of learning ahead of me. I’m excited to learn new things, overcome challenges and make the most of this year. 

6J 

Adam - The best thing is to get through Year 6, ready for high school and to see my classmates. Also my new teacher, Mrs Toofohe. I’m excited about camp this year and I’m excited about doing more art and learning. 

Zahraa - That I can see my friends again, be social and have fun. Well, I’m really excited about camp this year, but I’m also excited to see what this year’s going to be like. 

6T

Zain - Being able to see my friends.  Being able to refresh my memory on Math, English and Science, learning new things and other things that will help me later on in life.

Betty - The best thing about coming back to school is to learn in a comforting environment at Carlton South. I'm excited to finish my last year at Primary School and continue learning and hopefully have a better year of learning than last year. And keep learning so I can prepare for High School.

Have a wonderful few weeks!

Suzi Chosid

Deputy Principal