Alawa Primary School Newsletter

Week 1

Alawa Primary School Newsletter

Welcome to the Alawa Primary School weekly newsletter.

Principal Updates

Welcome to Term 2!

I hope that many of you were able to enjoy a break and less frenetic

 pace for at least a few days.

We have a busy term coming up with some significant events [See further down for our calendar of events with dates and times]  I encourage you to note on your own planners:

  • ANZAC Assembly
  • NAPLAN for Years 3 and 5
  • Sports Day
  • Colour Run
  • Trivia Night
  • Year 5/6 Camp


Through the term all students will also be involved in ongoing assessments which will inform the end of semester reports to parents. 

As always it is really important all students are at school as much as possible, ready to learn and engage. Having a good nights sleep, a healthy, nutritious breakfast and avoiding screen time prior to coming to school helps the children be ready. Then as you know we have 30min each day for morning sport and games - a great way to spend some of that excess energy or just gear up ready for the first lesson at 8:30am.

Have a great week,

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

Student Led Conferences

We would like to thank all the families who came along to engage in the Student Led Conferences during the last week of Term 1. We had an uptake of 73% of students visit their classrooms to share their learning, their goals and their achievements with their families. It always continues to astound me just how articulate the young ones can be and how they can take such a leading role in identifying their successes and challenges with their learning while reviewing the progress they have made to then set their own learning goals.  As always if you have any feedback about the conferences or ideas for further improvement just send us through an email or give us a call. Sandy Cartwright

Attendance

Through Term 1 we averaged 92.9% across the school which is well done. I would like to congratulate ALL the students who have attended 90% or more through the term as this is the expectation.

However - it is of concern to note that 25% of our students -[in fact 1 in every 4] have attended less than 90%. This seriously impacts on their access to learning, their social engagement and their development of tools, skills and strategies. We ask families to really consider the impact of taking family holidays during school time unless essential and [while we encourage families to keep children home if unwell] again we ask to really focus on being at school as much as possible. 

Attendance of less than 90% will have an impact on older students engagement with Gala Days, Camps and other excursions including Learning Commission, Maths Symposiums and Class events.

Sandy Cartwright

Impact of missing school - SIGNIFICANT!

Late Arrivals at school

Through Term 1 we noted 360 late arrivals - that means 360 times a students arrived more than 10mins after the 8:30am bell. This is again of concern and impacts on the whole class settling for the day, your own child's ability to ease into the day as well as results in missed learning time.  Please do your best to work together to ensure a timely arrival at school between 8am and 8:25am daily.


During the start of term Pep talks we will be providing each student in Years 2-6 with a data report showing their attendance and arrival times for their Data folders and asking them to discuss this with Parents / Carers. 

Continued / frequent late arrivals will have an impact on older students engagement with Gala Days, Camps and other excursions including learning Commission, Maths Symposiums and Class events.

 Sandy Cartwright

Cybersafety: What do you know?

In our 2020 Parent Perception survey quite a few parents / carers expressed concern about their child's engagement with, use of and access to social media, the internet and all things in the 'Cyber' world.

We have a big focus on this in classes this year and as we committed to in our Annual Improvement Plan we are offering a parent information session. This will be held on Monday 24th May 5:30pm in the school library.

To inform the content of this session in addition to how we as a school can continue to support you and your child navigating the 'online world' we are seeking your views through q brief survey. Results will be shared as well as used to plan our parent session and further sessions with students.

We would really appreciate as many people responding to by Friday 7th May.

Simply click this link to access:

2021 Alawa Parent Cybersafety Survey link


Assistant Principal Updates

Hello everyone,

Welcome to Week 2. I hope you all had a super break and are ready for another exciting term. We have some great events planned for this term and these include our Preschool Bikeathon, our Trivia Night and our Sports Carnival.

Our swimming lessons begun yesterday and we have some very excitable children who have had a great first day. Thankyou to our wonderful parents who have volunteered to drive our bus to transport our children to the pool.

Playgroup will also resume this Friday and we are very excited to welcome you all back. We encourage all families who are looking at bringing their children to Alawa next year to attend these sessions with Maria on Friday mornings.

Zones of Regulation

You may have heard some of our children talking about what zone they are in. This program is being implemented in the Early Years classes and the students learn what tools they can use to manage their feelings. The Zones of Regulation incorporates social thinking concepts and numerous visuals to teach students to identify their feelings, their level of alertness and understand how their behavior impacts those around them. 

Genevieve Donohue, [Assistant Principal]

Drop Zone Expectations

  • The purpose of the Drop Zone immediately at the front of the school is for quick drop off and pick up ONLY - both mornings and afternoons.
  • Drivers are required to remain in their vehicles and children climb in and out safely.
  • The cars should be pulled right alongside the kerb - not a significant space away.
  • Maximum of 2mins in the drop zone to facilitate a smooth flow of traffic.

Morning arrival at school: NOT to arrive until 8am

Our gates open at 8am each school day which then allows 30mins for children to come in, connect with mates, play sport, table tennis, settle in etc. A lovely way to start the day.

However lately we have up to 30 children arriving way TOO early and they then wait at the front office for 8am. This is causing congestion and disruption in the front office. We ask that families ensure children DO NOT arrive till 8am at the earliest.

Last day of Term 1

Events calendar

Friday 23rd April

Special ANZAC Day Assembly hosted by Year 5/6 Lotherington [Parents and carers are invited to stay for a light morning tea directly following]

Track and Field session for Years 3-6

8:40am

9:30am

Monday 26th AprilPUBLIC HOLIDAY - ANZAC Day HolidayAll day
Wednesday 28th AprilBootcamp - everyone welcome8:15-8:45
Friday 30th April

Assembly hosted by Year 1 McHatten [Parents and carers are invited to stay for a light morning tea directly following]

Track and Field session for Years 3-6

8:40am 

9:30am 

Monday 3rd MayPUBLIC HOLIDAY - May dayAll day
Wednesday 5th MayBootcamp - everyone welcome8:15-8:45
Friday 7th MayTrack and Field session for Years 3-69:30am
Tuesday 11th - Friday 14th MayNAPLAN testing - Years 3 & 5 only
Wednesday 12th MayBootcamp - everyone welcome8:15am-8:45am
Friday 14th May

Assembly hosted by Year 3 Hughes and Transition Connelly [Parents and carers are invited to stay for a light morning tea directly following]

Track and Field session for Years 3-6

8:40am

9:30am

Monday 17th - Friday 20th MayNAPLAN testing - Years 3 & 5 only
Monday 17th MaySchool Council meeting5:30pm 
Wednesday 19th MayBootcamp - everyone welcome8:15am-8:45am
Friday 21st May

Track and Field session for Years 3-6

Soccer Gala day

9:30am

All day

Monday 24th MayCybersafety Parent Information night5:30pm
Wednesday 26th MayBootcamp - everyone welcome8:15am-8:45am
Friday 28th May

Assembly hosted by Year 5/6 Hammond  [Parents and carers are invited to stay for a light morning tea directly following]

Colour Fun Run

8:40am

TBA

Wednesday 2nd JuneBootcamp- everyone welcome8:15am-8:45am
Wednesday 9th June

Bootcamp - everyone welcome

Tennis Gala day - TBC

8:15am-8:45am
Thursday 10th June800m races and some field events - Year 3-6 only9.00am
Friday 11th JuneSchool Sports DayAll day
Monday 14th JunePUBLIC HOLIDAY - Queens BirthdayAll day
Tuesday 15th JuneProfessional Development Day - TBCAll day
Friday 18th JuneTrivia NightTBA
Monday 21st JuneSchool Council meeting5:30pm
Wednesday 23rd - Friday 25th JuneYear 5/6 Camp to BatchelorAll day
Wednesday 23rd JunePreschool Bike-A-ThonTBA
Thursday 24th June

Darwin Region Track and Field

Attendance Reward day

9:00am
Friday 25th June

Assembly hosted by Year 3/4 Baines and Transition Lane [Parents and carers are invited to stay for a light morning tea directly following]

Last day of Term 2

8:40am

ANZAC Day

Preschool news

Welcome back to Term 2. We are going to have a very busy term at Preschool with swimming lessons starting this week and beginning our weekly visits to the Alawa school farm.

This beautiful weather will bring about lots of exploration in the outdoors environment and lots of play experiences that can be build upon and evolve when we know there is unlikely to be any rain. 

We know in the territory dry season camping and adventures are a big feature of our unique life style. At preschool a camping area often takes centre stage in the outdoor learning area during the dry. Children bring their experiences to the learning space and enjoy reliving family adventures or using their imaginations to dream up cosy camping scenarios where there is magic in the air and toasted marshmallows by the campfire.

This term in culture we will build upon our learning about The Larrakia culture and begin to explore the array of cultures we have in our preschool. This week Miss Flor will help us learn a song in Filipino (Tagalog) and we will learn to say hello, which is ‘Kumusta’.

Have a beautiful week!

Alice, Emma, Kelly and Flor  [Preschool Team]

Sport in Schools program

The Sport in Schools Program [funded through the Federal Government] will once again go ahead this term with sports to be held both during school lunch times and after hours. 

The first sport to start up will be Volleyball. This will be running after school for 4 weeks starting next Wednesday the 28th April.

Numbers are limited to 30 students (15 from Transition - Year 2 and 15 from Year 3-6) and forms can be collected from the front office.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate in contacting the front office - alawa.school@education.nt.gov.au 

Miss Nellie [Sport in Schools Coordinator] 

 

Attendance

Primary School Average for Week 10 Term 1: 87.36%

It is terrific having all our families back with us at school.

The class with the highest attendance for Week 10: Year 3/4 Baines!

The class with the highest attendance for Term 1 was... Year 3/4 Baines!

Lates

Arriving late for school has a significant impact on your child’s learning and engagement in the education program.

There were 23 late arrivals in Transition—Year 6 in Week 10 Term 1!

The classes with the least lates for Week 10 were: Year 1 Jeffery and Year 1 McHatten!

The class with the least lates in Term 1 was... Year 1 McHatten with 5 lates!

House Points

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 10 of Term 1 Finnis is ahead of Goyder and Manton. 

Finnis is in the lead for the year!

Class Points

Muster is held at Alawa after each recess and lunch break - this gives us an opportunity for everyone to settle from playtime, share any celebrations and work on consistency of messages and expectation.

Each day we allocate class points during Muster time recognizing those students who were ready and waiting to go back to class calmly and quietly after break times. The winning class from each 3 weeks will receive ice-blocks from Ms Cartwright and get to choose 5 songs that will play before our bells for the following 3 weeks.

In Week 10 Term 1, the class with the most points was... Year 3 Hughes!

Recycling

Alawa Recycling is not only an important part of our fundraising activates here at Alawa with all proceeds going directly back into the farm, but also a vital step in helping us achieve the goal of creating a more sustainable farm and garden program. 

Items can be deposited into the house bags in the back car park and are counted at the end of each week as each item earns a point for that house. 

Water bottle house point count

Twice a week we tally up all students water bottles and students receive a house point for each one brought in. 

In Week 10 of Term 1 Goyder is ahead of Manton and Finnis with 680 points!

In the lead for Term 1 is...Goyder with 7636 points!

Library news

Welcome Back! It has been wonderful to see all the children back at school this week.

The time has come once again for Book Club. This term sees Issue 3 out which will be coming home with your children this week. Any orders are due back in 2 weeks by Wednesday the 5th of May.

Did you know? Each issue of the Book Club comes with great titles by some well known authors which are priced under $5

These books in the current issue are:

1.       King Pig by Nick Bland for ages 3+

2.       Diary of a Pug #3: Paws for a Cause by Kayla May for ages 6+

3.       The Barrumbi Kids by Leonie Norrington for ages 10+

Orders can be placed through the Scholastic Bookclub website at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or download the LOOP app From Google Play or from the App Store or by returning your order form and payment to the office. Please feel free to give me a call if you have any questions.

Sacha Evans [ Library & ICT Manager]

Tek Ninja's news

The Tek Ninjas have been busy this week working on their chosen projects. It was exciting to see the building of the EV3 robots completed and the students are looking forward to starting to learn how to program them over the coming weeks. Those coding with Scratch are making progress with their programs and those learning how to code with HTML and CSS have completed their first mini project of creating a digital Card which involved inserting pictures, changing the font and style of their text and the colors of the text and backgrounds.

An example of the card they have created can be seen at https://trinket.io/html/b33e4f4ca8

Classroom news - Year 4/5 Henderson

Year 4/5 Henderson are thoroughly enjoying catching up with our buddy class Year 1 Mchatten throughout this year. We are enjoying setting goals with our buddies and making sure to check in with them weekly. We enjoyed Harmony Day as we got to do some KAHOOT fruit and also sports from around the world.

I like catching up with my buddy because we are all very funny and laugh together. Jorja Besic

I have enjoyed getting to know my buddy and also like doing activities and games with them. Asha Hughes

Cafe

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 1-3

Wednesday – Spaghetti Bolognaise *V option available or Tuna Mornay with rice

Thursday Super special– Spaghetti Bolognaise *V option available or Beef Nachos

Friday –Sweet Chill Chicken Tender rolls with lettuce, cheese and mayo

[Serve $3.00 or large serve $5.50 Spaghetti, Gluten Free Spaghetti $6.50]

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

Order online at www.quickcliq.com.au  

Playgroup

Our last week of term 1 Playgroup was such fun. We made our very own play dough! We measured the ingredients and stirred them, we chose the colours and mixed in the wet ingredients. It was so slushy and sticky. After mixing we all got a blob and kneaded it up until it was so soft and smooth – it was the best Playdough ever! This week we enjoyed puzzles and constructing beautiful fairy gardens. We also had fun at the tables counting and sorting by colours. Outside we climbed on the equipment, constructed around the cubby and shared our morning tea together.

I hope you’ve had a fun time with family over your break. Playgroup will return this Friday 23 April in the preschool Music Room, 9:30 – 11:30am.

I look forward to seeing you then.

Miss Maria [Playgroup Coordinator]

COVID update

Please watch out for any new and important updates required to be sent out via email from Ms Cartwright and in our Covid updates section in the newsletter each week.  Please note that birthday cakes etc can still not be brought in to school to share amongst students. 

The risk of COVID-19 in our communities cannot be eliminated which is why it is important for everyone to follow all health directions.

To stay up to date with the latest information visit www.coronavirus.nt.gov.au

Community notices