Stockton Public School Newsletter

Term 2 Week 4: 12 May 2021

From the Principal

What a wonderful morning we had on Friday morning, celebrating the special people in our students' lives. It was a lovely morning and so nice to have so many people back in our school gates. Thank you to the staff for preparing, setting up, cooking, serving and cleaning up…Thank you to the canteen for the coffees… Thank you to the P&C and the volunteers for the raffle and the Mother’s Day stall. I can proudly say that every child took home a gift for someone special. Events like this don’t come together without a team of people – and we have one of the best going around.

Athletics Carnival

This Friday is our Athletics Carnival for all students K-6. Please make sure your child attends school on this day even if it is not his/her favourite event. It sets up good life skills. As adults, we all have events or work days that we would prefer not to attend but we get on with it. We need to instill skills ready for later on in life. It is considered a regular school day and all students are expected to attend. There will be no supervision at school during the carnival time, so please ensure your child’s permission note has been returned. There are events planned for all students to participate in. We are looking forward to a great day.

NAPLAN

Our Year 3 and Year 5 students have completed two NAPLAN tests. Please remind your child, it is not the be all and end all. It gives teachers a picture of what they can do. One mum asked me recently if I thought she should exempt her child from NAPLAN. As I have said for years and reassured this parent, there is nothing to be worried about – it is good test practice ready for high school. I always encourage parents to opt in for OC tests or Selective High School tests – they are good test practice, if you don’t get an offer, no skin off your nose. If you do get an offer then you have choices. But test practice skills for students, overcoming nerves, learning to settle in quickly and get working in a time limit are all great work and exam skills that will set student’s up for success in the future.

Variety Bash Breakfast

Stockton Public School has a proud history of supporting the local community and this year, we are proud to have been selected by the Variety Club Bash Breakfast as their fundraising partner. 

The Year 6 students from Stockton Public School, on Sunday 16 May from 7am, will provide breakfast for over 300 dedicated Variety Club Bash drivers who raise millions of dollars for Variety Club each year. We will also be offering breakfast to the drivers' families who will be there to wave them off and wish them well. We will be providing a range of cereals, fruit and muffins plus egg and bacon rolls. They are also selling raffle tickets to raise funds. The funds raised from the Variety Bash breakfast will go to the Yr 6 fundraising committee and the funds will be used to purchase musical instruments, Year 6 farewell evening and a gift to the school as the outgoing student body.

Please come along if you're around the foreshore park. The park will be filled with the Variety Bash cars. More hands make light work. If not, please purchase some tickets through QuickCliq – the list of prizes is getting longer by the day. Thank you to the team of people working very hard behind the scenes.

Maintenance work

There are a number of projects happening in the school in the upcoming weeks before the next school holidays. We will be having 2 roofs replaced and our junior toilet block refurbished. Notifications about this work will be sent out via Skoolbag to let all of the community know when and what is happening.

Assembly

One of the good things to come out of COVID is the ability to look at how we operate as a school. Sometimes in schools we keep working the same way, because it is the way we have always done it. COVID changed how we operated and now as staff we are reflecting on this and some of the changes that we have made, we quite like. One of the changes was lining up under the COLA before and after school. We like the students going straight to the classrooms in the morning – learning is starting earlier now. And we like the students leaving from classrooms at the end of the day as it feels much calmer.

To that end, one thing we have discussed zealously is assembly. We have discussed the parts that we miss – coming together as a whole school, our leaders having an opportunity to lead assembly, recognising student awards. But also the parts that we don’t miss – the noise when the whole school gets together in the hall and another pocket of time to keep teaching.

So, we have decided to trial, for the remainder of this year,  assemblies every five weeks – CELEBRATION ASSEMBLIES. It will be a time for us to celebrate all of the great achievements in our school in Week 5 and Week 10 of the term. Classes will still give out class SEA awards and WAVE awards and take a photo and send it on SEESAW. SHORE awards will be given out at celebration assemblies. Sport representatives will be celebrated. Other students in our school will be celebrated. As mentioned above, we are having some work in the school over the remainder of this term and this disruption could put the hall out of action. We will send more news as we get closer.


Ms Jodie Holt

Principal

A reminder from Ms Holt.....

Buddy bench

Last week we were fortunate to be gifted a brand new hand-made buddy bench. Thank you to Hope's grandma who nominated us. We are very grateful that you thought of us. Thank you also to Cardiff Men's Shed for building it and delivering it to us. And finally thank you to Cardiff RSL who fund the project through the Cardiff Men's shed. it is a lovely additional to our gardens.  

Athletics Carnival

Mother's Day Breakfast

Term 2 calendar

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Acknowledgment of Country

Did you know that at the beginning of the year, every class at Stockton Public School writes an Acknowledgement of Country. Teachers and students, with the support of Danny and Jacqui Flaus, our Aboriginal Student Learning Support Officers, work together to personalise an Acknowledgment of Country that recognises Worimi land. Each fortnight I am going to share with you one class' Acknowledgement of Country. We are extremely thankful for the land on which we live, learn and play on. 

PBL at Stockton Public School

Current notes

Athletics Carnival

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Stage 3 Claymation Incursion

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Letter for Year 6 parents Variety breakfast

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Year 6 fundraising committee raffle letter

Download

Library News

Sign up for after school cricket - weeks 6-10 Term 2

School Security Hotline

Should you become aware of a security incident at our school please contact the School Security Unit's hotline 24/7 on 1300 88 00 21.

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