Welcome to the Week 9 Newsletter. Last week we passed the Winter Solstice (shortest daylight time of the year) - From here the days get longer. Yesterday, we passed June 25th which is precisely 6 months since and to Christmas and next week we complete the first semester of the school year. We are at the mid-point of the year. 

I attended a Professional Learning this week with Micheal McDowell who presents on developing expert learners, deepening the level of learning and ensuring our classrooms have academic rigour. Three things he kept referencing really struck me, especially at this point in the year when we risk the feeling of drudgery. 

1. 
   "Go Slow to Go far". He often mentions this sense that we don't have to do everything at once. To make small increments of action everyday towards your goal. Remembering the tortoise was the winner, this one speaks to me on some days when I want things to happen yesterday. Patience and determination are good foundations for the long journey. It reminds me of another one I often reflect on as part of a team. "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together". 
2. 
   "1% every day".A coach does not coach a professional athlete and says I want you to get 50% better today. I saw the recent Australian Swimming championships and one swimmer was so excited to have gotten a personal best time by 3 one hundredths of a second. That’s is a minuscule improvement but it was a huge achievement for them and worthy of celebration. Even the world records that were being broken were not by whole seconds but broken they were. Even if it was less than 1%
   
   improvement, they were improvements and that made all the difference. 
3. "It's gonna be great”. Don’t think I can say this phrase anymore without thinking of Micheal McDowell as it truly is his habit and not a bad one to have. When he launches into a task or instructs us to, no matter how challenging, long and even tiresome; his attitude and pump-up phrase is quite simple - "It’s gonna be great!". It is amazing how the positive mindset can change even your approach to a task, which in turn can impact its effectiveness and the
   
   outcome of whatever it is you are about to do. Positive mindset and self-talk are critical beyond just the task; it contributes to our sense of self but also our hope for what is to come. Jesus comforted us in a simialr way to support our mindsets and promote mental health is “Do not let your hearts be troubled; neither let them be afraid. Trust in the Father, trust also in me.”

The Professional Learning itself had a veritable toolkit for teachers on how to embed deep thinking routines into daily learning for all learners. We will begin to unpack this for staff, share them with parents and in the classroom over the next term. 

Dates to Note - into Term 3 we go!

Please see key dates to finish off this term and the first 5 weeks of next term for your reference, along with the usual request to always reference COMPASS and Newsletters as each date approaches for final details. 

The Importance of Positive Thinking. 

How important it is that we teach our children to have a positive attitude to life and to be optimistic about themselves. As people of faith, we know that as it is said in the Psalms (16:11)’You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.’ In the midst of often seemingly unbearable sorrow and anguish, we know that our God is there holding us in the palm of his hand. Here I am reminded of the beautiful poem “Footprints”. 

Also, I have always loved the saying: This Too Will Pass. In times of great happiness, it makes you feel grateful and in times of worry, it reassures you that
a better day will come. This wise saying has become a useful mantra for me.  

We all know from experience that what we believe about ourselves affects the way we act. Our children’s belief in their own ability to do things is of great influence on their motivation, persistence and success. Self-belief can motivate our children more than their actual skill level. If they truly believe they can succeed, they may be more likely to achieve than other children who have better ability, but who don't believe they can achieve. The more our children believe they can do, the more likely they are to generalise that self-belief to other areas of their life. 

Self-belief is about being aware of and valuing your true self. It is not about how others see you or how you think others see you. 

Self-belief is different from self-esteem because self-esteem generally means how you feel about yourself in comparison to others and so can fluctuate according to circumstance. Self-belief is more like an inner light that comes from within you. It is not about how we behave on the outside but rather about our inner feelings and how they make us optimistic about life. 

As parents we can help our children to believe in their own ability by teaching them to take the initiative to make things happen, instead of waiting for them to happen. Also help your child be proactive by helping them, not just telling them. Help them consider a situations options and solutions instead of problems and barriers. 

A final note on this from an unknown author: 

“Your mind can think of only one thought at a time; make it a positive one.”  

Let us pray together for the confidence to face our future without fear or hesitation.

Yours in faith,

Miss Michelle Collins

(Religious Education Co-Ordinator)

Getting the most from the Written Reports Part 2 

Reports will go live to COMPASS next Thursday 4th July. Thank you again to the staff for their committed focus in this area. It is always a challenge to succinctly communicate a Semester's worth of learning that is celebratory of achievements / progress and constructive in ways to support next steps in student learning.

This article will continue on from last week’s focus on reports. Part 2 will drill down to the use of comments in different KLAs to support the information communicated via the 5-point grade scale (discussed last week) as well as the unpack the importance of reporting to a student’s commitment to learning and their learning dispositions.

Commitment to Learning 

In addition to reporting directly to a student's academic achievement via the 5-point scale in each KLA, the teachers also provide additional feedback regarding your child's commitment to learning within learning area.

Commitment to learning refers to a student’s interest and motivation in the Key Learning Area and is demonstrated by their attitude, completion of tasks, pride in their work presentation, self-regulation and interaction with peers. It is assessed on a 3- point scale – Emerging, Developing or High.

In a world where not everyone will be achieving at the same level, it is reasonable to expect that a student’s actual commitment to learning is of the highest possible. It is essentially celebrating and reporting on the notion of being YOUR best, and not necessarily THE best. 

I don't mind owning that this is the grade I seek first and foremost when looking at my own children's reports and I have been known to ask them the challenging question as to why their commitment to learning may not be THEIR best. 

Learning Dispositions 

This is an opportunity for teachers to provide feedback on how the student is achieving in their personal and social development. You will find this section towards the bottom of the report where the general comment is embedded. 
Dispositions capture how a student is developing in the skills and attitudes determined to be important to navigate successfully across different learning environments. 

Some of the more ambiguous dispositions are further unpacked in a Report Glossary for parent reference. One that stands out with potential of multiple meanings is the disposition of Creative Thinker. It is possible parents consider this to be referring to a student’s creativity in the areas of visual and performing arts, for example. However, this disposition actually is more about a child's capacity to think "outside" the box - to see existing situations in a new way, identifying alternative explanations, and seeing or making new links that generate a positive outcome.

Similarly, the critical thinker is not about a child's ability to find fault and criticise. Instead, it references their ability to recognise or develop an argument, use evidence in support of that argument, draw reasoned conclusions, and use information to solve problems. It, in turn, is closely linked to a child's ability to be a problem solver and be reflective of their learning practice- both of which are also reported on in the Learning Dispositions.

Use of Comment Boxes in KLAs and the General Comment

A comment is provided in the Subjects of Religious Studies, English and Mathematics that is objective in nature with a focus on learning. The comments are separated into areas of strength and area for development. These provide parents with the knowledge to celebrate what their child is doing well and to support the development of understanding and skill in other areas.

It is essential that these comments are read in the context of the 5-point grade scale awarded in the boxes above. Whether they are achieving sound, limited or extensive level of achievement, all students deserve to celebrate what they can do and begin to work toward their next challenge.  By reading the comment boxes in conjunction with the grade, parents will gain a clear understanding of exactly where your child is at in their learning as well as specific direction of where to next. 

An overall/ general comment by the teacher about the students' overall experience of school life and addressing their overall learning dispositions is provided with the Learner Profile. It is important to note that the Learning dispositions themselves (as unpacked above) work in partnership with the general comment. As passionate educators and parents, we are deepening our commitment to and understanding that these are the skills that will equip students to be the lifelong learners in our contemporary world. 

Jump Rope for Heart

Today we held our Jump Rope for Heart Bennies fundraising day.  I want to begin with a huge shout out to our Kindergarten teachers Ms Sakoff and Ms Slade for their preparation, organsiation and passion for driving this initiative within SBE this term. Not only have they ensured the stduents and community have been informed of the fundraising process and rewards, but supported the staff and students in the lead up and organsition of the successful day today.

Another special thanks to Mr Coleman (Mrs Coleman's husband who is the manager of a local Woolworths store) who donated the fruit which was used for the fruit cup sales also.  

The day was filled with fun activities promoting a healthy lifestyle through physical activity and good food choices. The students participated in a variety of tabloid activities including individual skipping, relays and using the long ropes for community skipping and snake games. 

In total we raised close to $7000 and today alone we raised $586 through gold coin doanations and the sale of the popcorn and fruit cups. Thank you to our amazing community for getting behind us in this fundraising event! 

Once again, thanks to Ms Sakoff and Ms Slade!

Admin/ Finance Officer Suzi Di-Nardo Monday to Friday

Admin - Tiare Collins-Grayson Monday, Thursday Friday

Kinder 2025 Enrolments have now closed.

As per the enrolment timeline, intial letters of enrolment were sent to parent on the 14th June. Acceptance of these offers need to be accepted by the 1st July and secured with your enrolment deposit.The cut off for this acceptance is this week. We must receive your acceptance and deposit by this date, as our second round of offers will go out in the coming week for students on our wiatlist. 

Lost items

Our lost property box is located under the cola area near the well being hub. The box is currently overflowing with a number of items, many with no names on them. Please ensure all items are clearly marked with you child's name so we can get these back to them asap. This also includes lunchboxes, drink bottles and containers. 

Medications

With so many people unwell at the moment with one bug or another is important to remember that if you send your child to school NO medication is to be kept in their school bag or self administered.

If your child requires medication such as Ventolin or antibiotics please contact our office and we will complete the necessary paperwork and note this in our system. We keep all medications in the office for the safety of your child and all the other students. 

School Fees

School Athletics Carnival – Ribbon and Trophy Presentation

Last week at a special assembly, place ribbons and age champion trophies were presented to children who competed at our school carnival earlier in the term. Chisholm Sport Captains also received the winning shield on behalf of their team. Congratulations Chisholm!

Age Athletics Champions for 2024

Jnr Girls – Isla Hopkins, Jnr Boys – Isaac Rose, 11yr Girls – Lily Cassel - Denmeade, 11Yr Boys – Archer Guihot, Snr Girls – Ruby Castles, Snr Boys - Miller Burgess.

Good luck to our School Athletics Team who will be competing at the Lakes Region Athletics Carnival, at Glendale next Wednesday 3^rd July.

Parents and friends update 

Thank you to the families who supported the Doughheads fundraiser. A big thank you to the parents who assisted in this P&F Fundraiser. We hope you all enjoyed the delicious doughnuts. 

Canteen update 

Volunteers for the next fortnight 

Monday 24th June- T.Dunnill 

Tuesday 25th June - Closed

Wednesday 26th June -  V.Sutton 

Thursday 27th June - H.Fenwick

Friday 28th June - H.Sanderson & L.Shakespeare

Monday 1st July -H.Fenwick

Tuesday 2nd July Closed

Wednesday 3rd July -H.Fenwick

Thursday 4th July - C.Schumacher

Friday 5th July- Closed for cleaning 

Along with our canteen supervisor Haley Fenwick.

Congratulations to the following students who were recognised for their efforts in Learning, Improvement and Kindness to Others last week. 

Newcastle Basketball are excited to announce that we will be hosting an 'I AM A GIRL - come'n'try' and 'I AM A GIRL - come'n'play' here at Newcastle Basketball Stadium with our very own Isla Juffermans. These camps cater to girls who are brand new to the sport and want to give it a go, and also the girls who have experience but want to further improve their skills. We are creating this event completely free of charge for the participants so we hope we can have as many girls there as possible. They will receive awesome coaching from some of our elite women in sport, and also a free t-shirt. 

The come'n'try for beginners will be 10am-12pm on Wednesday 10^th July.

The come'n'play for experienced players will be 1pm-4pm on Wednesday 10^th July