Hammondville Public School Newsletter

It is with much gratitude and open hearts that we officially welcome everyone back to school. I can’t begin to tell you how much we have missed you all and how excited we are to share Term 4 with you.

Thank you to all of our families for the incredibly settled start to our full return. I am grateful for your patience and cooperation with the changes introduced by the NSW Department of Education designed to keep our students, staff and community safe. Our students are cooperating beautifully with our cohort model. Our school has stage-based classrooms, playgrounds and bathrooms as part of our usual practice so our model has been designed to cause least disruption. Congratulations to all of our students for their cooperation and sensible approach to staying safe.

As we welcome everyone back, we are paying particular attention to our students’ wellbeing. Learning from home was exciting for some families and challenging for others. Some students thrive under these different conditions and some struggle. All these experiences and emotions are valid and important to acknowledge. Our wellbeing programs this term have a focus on understanding emotions, re-establishing peer groups, while teaching social skills and empathy. It is our intent to settle all of our students back to Hammondville successfully so that the conditions are set for a great term of learning.

Term 4 is always a very busy term and while this term will look a little different, we look forward to celebrating and sharing our learning with our families.

Sincerely,

Jodie Clark

Principal

Classing 2022

While we gear up to welcome everyone back this week, behind the scenes we are already making plans for 2022. Budgets, staffing considerations and class compositions are already in discussions.

While we start to consider the composition of classes for next year, we ask that if there is anything that you would like us to keep in mind for your child/ren, please let us know. As you can appreciate, we cannot guarantee that all requests are granted, however, they will all most certainly be given careful and respectful consideration.

Please contact the school via email by Friday 12 November to provide any requests or considerations. Requests made after this date are unable to be considered.

Tell Them from Me – Parent Survey

The Tell Them From Me surveys provide schools with student, teacher and parent perspectives about the engagement and wellbeing of students. This information is valuable to schools and can be used to identify strengths and successes, as well as areas to target for improvement. As we commence planning for 2022 we would deeply value your responses to our parent survey. To make the biggest impact possible and to ensure all voices are heard, we will also be issuing and learning from surveys distributed to our staff and students. All surveys are completed anonymously and will be used to make Hammondville an even better place to learn and work.

The parent survey asks parents/carers a range of questions related to the following drivers of student outcomes:

• parents feel welcome
• parents are informed
• parents support learning at home
• parents' participation at school
• school supports positive behaviour
• safety
• inclusion
• school supports learning

The survey for parents and carers can be found here  http://nsw.tellthemfromme.com/hps2021

Student surveys will be completed by students in grades 4, 5 & 6 during class time with their classroom teacher. If you do not wish your child to anonymously share their views about our school, please fill in the opt-out note that was sent home this week and return to school by Friday 29 October.

School Banking

For 90 years, the Commonwealth Bank School Banking program has helped children learn about money, reinforced the importance of regular savings and provided structure for parents to support their children to save. Unfortunately, we have received information from the Commonwealth Bank that the program will cease at the end of this year.

Banking will continue in Term 4 from next week..  

Drop off

Conjola Place Street: ‘Kiss and Go’ only

Walder Rd: An executive will be stationed at these gates from 8.30am

All students to forward to their stage playground until the bell

·         Kindergarten – Kinder COLA

·         Stage 1 – Place bags on silver seats and walk to Area 2

·         Stage 2 – Place bags on silver seats and play in Area 3

·         Stage 3 – Place bags outside of hall COLA and play in Area 5

Pick up

Please be patient and polite.

Dismissal times are as follows:

·         Kinder – 2.20pm

·         Stage 1 – 2.30pm – Please note that stage 1 parents will not be able to enter until this time so that we can move kindergarten safely out of the school.

·         Stage 2 – 2.40pm – Please wait for your child in your vehicles or at a negotiated place away from the school gates to assist congestion

·         Stage 3 – 2.50pm - Please wait for your child in your vehicles or at a negotiated place away from the school gates to assist congestion

Walder Rd (pedestrians): Parents and carers of students K-2 are to queue in one line 1.5m apart along the fence and enter through the bus bay gates. One adult per child is able to enter to collect students from underneath the kinder COLA. Please sign in with the QR code and follow the instructions of the teachers. After collecting your child, please move the exit at the Walder Rd gate.

If you are also collecting older students, please wait, socially distanced under the Stage 1 COLA. Please remember that parents and carers are not permitted in any other parts of the school, including lost property or the office.

Conjola Pl: ‘Kiss and Go’ only (no pedestrians) - the duty teacher will help children if required.

We kindly ask all parents/carers not to enter the school grounds and congregate outside the school gates at the end of the day.

Late arrivals/early departure

Please call the school office and an office staff member will meet you at the Walder Rd gate to escort your child to or from class.

Thank you so much for your understanding and commitment to keeping our students, staff and community safe. We greatly appreciate your cooperation.

Friday 29 October - ICAS Assessment Science (Applicable students only)

Monday 1 November - P&C Meeting via zoom 

Friday 5 November - ICAS Assessment Maths (Applicable students only)

Thursday 11 November - ICAS Assessment English (Applicable students only) 

Tuesday 16 November - Check In Assessments Stage 2 and Stage 3

Thursday 18 November - Check In Assessments Stage 2 and Stage 3 

Friday 19 November - Check In Assessments Stage 2 and Stage 3

Wednesday 8 December - Presentation Day (Details TBC)

Monday 13 December  - Year 6 Farewell

Thursday 16 December - Last day for students

We are currently enrolling for Kinder 2022.

If your child has a younger sibling that is due to start school in 2022 please enrol them now so that we can ensure that you are provided with all the important dates & necessary information in relation to commencing Kindergarten.

Alternatively if you live in our catchment zone & have a neighbour whose child is due to commence school in 2022 please encourage them to complete the online enrolment application or contact our school.

To complete an online application you just need to go to our school's website  & click on the enrolment tab at the top of the page or use the link that is attached to this notice.

The Online Enrolment System is designed to provide flexibility for parents to submit an Application to Enrol in a NSW Government School online at the time that best suits you. The application can be accessed on all browsers and mobile devices including iOS and Android.

The online application process is currently restricted to:

Children who are Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.

Children who live in NSW.

We offer our support and encourage you to complete your application to enrol online.

If however, you do not feel comfortable completing an application online, a paper copy can be downloaded from the Education Department’s going to a public school site.

Is your child leaving Hammondville Public School?

In order to plan our classes for next year, it is important that we know the number of students who will be enrolled at our school in 2022. If your child is not returning to our school next year could you please provide written notification ASAP stating your child's name, when their last day will be & what school they will be moving to via our email  address:-  

hammondvil-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Dear parents and caregivers,

The ICAS Assessments will be held this term. Each Assessment will be run at school, during school time, on the following dates.

Science - Friday, 29 October 2021 (Week 4, Term 4)
Mathematics - Friday, 5 November 2021 (Week 5, Term 4) 
English - Thursday, 11 November 2021 (Week 6, Term 4)

Jessica Muller
Coordinator

The World’s Biggest Debate!

There’s not enough time left in the year to finish all the debates in the Premier's Debating Challenge, so we’re offering a fun extra opportunity to get involved. The World’s Biggest Debate is a chance for one speaker from your team to represent your school in a massive, days-long online debate against every other school, with the best speeches chosen to move forward to a final’s series.

Which schools are eligible to enter?

All schools who entered the Premier's Debating Challenge in 2021, are invited to take part in the World’s Biggest Debate.

If any Stage 3, 2021 Hammondville debating student is interested in participating in this challenge please let Mrs Zanapalis know no later than this Friday 29 October. If more than one student shows interest, then a name will be randomly picked to represent our school.

How will it work?

Schools will select one student to represent their team, though the entire team should help them write their arguments and prepare. Each speaker will be told if they’re affirmative or negative, and they’ll need to prepare for a four-minute speech on the topic “That we should ban homework.” One by one the speakers will join a Zoom meeting, listen to the speaker before them from the opposite side, and then present their own speech before getting some feedback.

What will the speeches look like?

Each speech should include roughly 2 minutes of rebuttal to the previous speaker and 2 minutes of arguments, just like in a normal debate. The speakers will be given a warning at 3 minutes, another at 4 minutes, and they’ll be cut off at 4 and a half minutes.

How do you win?

The adjudication panel will choose the eight best speeches from across the entire debate. Those schools will then be paired up for normal debates that run just like the ones in the Premier's Debating Challenge. They’ll be involved in quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a grand final if they make it all the way through.

Questions

If you have any questions about the World’s Biggest Debate, please ask Mrs Zanapalis as soon as possible.

Mrs Zanapalis
Debating Coordinator

This term all students in Years 3 & 4 and Years 5 & 6 will be participating in a reading and numeracy check-in assessment in week 6 and week 7.

The check-in assessment is a NSW Department of Education online reading and numeracy assessment that support schools to assess and monitor all Stage 2 and Stage 3 student learning following the period of learning from home.

The assessment will be scheduled for our students in week 6,  on Tuesday 9 November and Wednesday 10 November for literacy and Week 7, on Tuesday 16 November and Thursday 18 November. A makeup session will also be scheduled in both weeks for any students who are away on the day of the assessments.

Additional Information
Students are asked to bring headphones or earbuds that plug into a laptop computer to enable them to hear audio during the assessment. If your child needs earbuds provided by the school, please contact Mrs Zanapalis via the school office so this can be organised for them.

Mrs Zanapalis
Check-in assessment coordinator

Dear parents, 

The window for Selective High School applications for 2023 is now open. If you have a child who is currently in year 5 and you could like them to apply for a selective high school, please see the following information attached. Paper copies of this information has gone home with students and digital copies are available on Class dojo. 

Kind regards, 
Mrs Murray

The Opportunity Class Test will be held at school on Wednesday 17 November for those Year 4 students who registered their interest earlier in the year. The test will be conducted online. Students must bring a printed copy of their ‘Test authority letter’ (that shows their application number). If a student has forgotten it and his or her name is on the ‘Candidate record’, the student can still sit the test.

What will the 2021 Opportunity Class Placement Test cover?

The 2021 Opportunity Class Placement Test is a single computer-based test with a total of 50 multiple choice questions:

•Reading -14 questions

•Mathematical reasoning -18 questions

•Thinking skills -18 questions

What is the duration of the 2021 Opportunity Class Placement Test?

The duration of the test is 60 minutes. It is a continuous test with no breaks.

What happens if a student is sick and misses the test?

If a student misses the test or cannot sit the test, parents should send a message through their application dashboard by Friday 19 November.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs Zanapalis through the school office.

Mrs Zanapalis

Relieving Stage 2 Assistant Principal

Unfortunately all carnivals for the rest of this year have been cancelled. 

Next year's school carnivals for swimming and athletics have been booked:

Athletics Carnival - Monday 25 July 2022

The canteen is operating on a 'lunch order only' system. 

The uniform shop will not be operating at this stage until restrictions ease.

Student Absences

The Education Act requires that a reason is provided to the school within 5 days of the occurrence of a student absence. 

If your child is absent from school please notify us via Skoolbag or drop a note/medical certificate in our secure letterbox on the outside of the office wall. Do not send absent notifications to the class teacher via Class Dojo.

Toileting Accidents

If your child is prone to toileting accidents please ensure that spare underwear and school clothes are kept in their bags.

If your child does borrow clothes from our school please ensure the clothes are washed and promptly returned to the office.

Nut Free Recommendation

Due to severe allergies of some students at Hammondville Public School, we do recommend that parents not send their children to school with nut products, eg muesli bars, peanut butter, nutella etc.