Pigeon Post

Bye for now.  I would like to express my gratitude to the amazing staff, students and families for making each day at Balmain Public School joyful, fun and a memorable experience.

3/4 Magnolia was such a beautiful class to teach and the growth in their learning reassures that I am in the best profession! Miss Holt will be continue teaching 3/4M in my absence and will do an exceptional job.

I am excited to start my new chapter as a Mum and will return in the foreseeable future. Miss Martin 

Exhibit 13:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHt29ZwHY2W/

Exhibit 14:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHv7ixInbVu/

Exhibit 15:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHyOhoPnnxY/

Thank you:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CHy20ronJ2K/

Excellence in NSW public schools is supported by the external validation process. Once during a School Excellence cycle, schools undergo an external validation of the evidence of their school annual self-assessment which, in turn, will support the development of the Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) for 2021-2024.

External validation provides an opportunity for schools to discuss their judgements about the school’s practice, and the evidence that underpins them, with a panel of peers.

An external validation process provides an assurance to the school and to the system that the progress being made aligns with the expectations articulated in the School Excellence Framework.

Balmain Public School's executive team virtually met with the panel for 2.5 hours and completed the External Validation process on Thursday 12 November. Although we couldn't meet in person, where we would normally take the panel on a short school tour, a video was prepared (at the top of this issue and on the home page of our website), and shown, after Nia S 5/6C and Alesha S-D 5/4M did an Acknowledgement of Country.

Each of the 14 elements, within the 3 domains of Learning, Teaching and Leading, of the School Excellence Framework was discussed; our on-balance judgements against each of these was successfully validated.

Our judgements against the elements of Student Performance Measures, Data Skills and Use, as well as Educational Leadership were uplifted, as the panel decided that our evidence was actually stronger than the judgements we had originally made in our self-assessment.

Balmain Public School will be due for its next External Validation in 2024.

What is a black cockatoo? Well a Black Cockatoo is a sacred bird to many indigenous tribes. There are different types of Black Cockatoos like there are different type of cultures and languages.

Black Cockatoos are not seen that often but white cockatoos are seen very often. Black Cockatoos resemble Indigenous people.

The theme “Always was, Always will be” means even if the Aboriginals have died, their culture and their stories will still be alive. The Black Cockatoo relates to this theme because they are sacred just like the Indigenous people.  This theme is for Naidoc Week which is from 8th-15th November.

In English this Term, 3/4M have been reading and discussing various myths and legends. We discussed and illustrated the Piped Piper of Hamelin and how it is a legend that has not proved to be true. 

In 3/4M we discussed how characters such as the Piped Piper are represented in such a way to have motives for actions and how the narrative can be interpreted in various ways.

Here are some of our writing displayed in the classroom.

In Mathematics 3/4M have been identifying shapes that are regular and irregular and their attributes. We looked at Picasso artwork and created our own Picasso inspired artwork incorporating two dimensional shapes that include various quadrilaterals, parallel lines, perpendicular lines, diagonal lines. 

Sydney Secondary College Balmain Campus would normally hold an information evening for perspective families interested in our gifted and talented learning opportunities at the end of October.

Due to current Covid-19 restrictions we are unable to hold this evening.  Please click on the following link to see a presentation of information about learning opportunities for the Selective and Enrichment programs for enrolment in 2022:

https://balmain-h.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/b/balmain-h/localcontent/2022_Selective_Enrichment_Information_presentation.pdf