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- Department of Education Updates
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- Early Stage 1 News
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Welcome / Warami to Blackwell Public School for 2024.
At our school we expect every student to demonstrate Good Manners, Good Learning and Good Thinking at all times and in all situations. We want all of our students to be resilient learners who have a sense of positive well being and display great citizenship qualities.
We are proud members of the StEPs (St Clair, Erskine Park Schools) learning community and ensure our primary and high school colleagues and students have opportunities to come together to learn.
Welcome to our 2024 staff, with many staff returning, but also quite a few new faces!
Our classes for this year are as follows;
Early Stage 1
KB - Mrs R Bulluss
KL - Mr J Lee
KM - Mrs A Mumford
Support Unit
MCM - Mrs R Morrison
MCB - Ms K Borg
MCD - Mrs N Dhesi
Stage 1
S1K - Mrs S Krensel & Mr D Guest
S1B - Mr C Brown
S1D - Mrs C Dabic
S1M - Mrs K McIntosh
S1R - Mr B Rushby
S1S - Miss R Saboori
Stage 2
S2A - Mrs P Anderson
S2M - Mrs C Marszal
S2S - Mr J Sterjovski
S2T - Mrs D Toledano
S2W - Mr J Ward
Stage 3
S3CR - Mrs K Cummins & Mrs K Reed
S3F - Mr H Farag
S3K - Mr K Bugden
S3B - Mrs K Balloch
S3H - Ms T Harris
S3S - Mrs T Marsh & Mr E Sinwan
We are very fortunate to have been able to fully staff our school for 2024.
Our parent teacher interviews will be running from Monday 26th February - Friday 1st March 2024. Please ensure that you arrive on time and adhere to the booking times as teachers will have back to back interviews to get through.
Thank you for your patience over the first couple of weeks as we transitioned our finance system to Sentral. The Sentral parent portal is now up and running. Please ensure that you are registered and have linked your account using the unique family key provided to every family via email.
This portal will be used for the signing of all permission notes and on line payments. Please note that we must enter a closing date for all school activities. Once this date passes the portal will close and no late permission notes or payments can be accepted.
The Front Office can still accept cash payments, however these must be made prior to the portal closing date. You will no longer receive paper copies of notes.
If you have not already done so, we urge you to please join our Closed Facebook Stage groups. You will find all relevant information to your child posted on these pages.
A reminder to all parents that our school gates do not open until 8.30am. Staff supervision begins at this time. Our gates are closed after the 9am bell and re-open again at 2.45pm. Entry to our school between these hours is via the main front gate. If your child is late to school or requires to leave prior to 3pm, a parent or authorised person must attend the front office to obtain either a late note or early leaver slip.
Welcome to Mr Martin Matini who has joined us as a Community Liason Officer / Support for students from a "Pasifica" background. Martin is with us 3 days per week and will be working mostly with our senior students. He is very keen to involve our students in cultural activities. I am sure many of you have watched the Watangi video performed by our senior boys and I believe our girls are also preparing a video. We are hoping to showcase their skills in our annual StEPs Music Festival in Term 3. "Harmony Day" activities are also being discussed.
Our first P & C meeting for 2024 will be held on Monday 4th March in our staffroom. This meeting will also be our AGM where the senior executive will once again be elected. This will commence at 6.30pm with our normal monthly meeting commencing at 7pm. Please consider joining us and being a part of this importnat group.
Our first canteen vouchers have now been issued. Congratulations to our first winners!
Please ensure that the Front Office / Classroom teacher are made aware of any changes to personal circumstances such as residential address, email address, phone numbers, emergency contacts or work details. This assists in the smoooth running of the school with 500 students to support.
Again, welcome to the 2024 school year at Blackwell.
Kris Hudswell
PRINCIPAL
News from the Deputy Principal
In 2024, NAPLAN will be held from Wednesday 13 March to Monday 25 March.
Students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 who are enrolled at a school are expected to participate in four NAPLAN tests:
- writing
- reading
- conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation)
- numeracy.
All schools in NSW undertake NAPLAN online. However, Year 3 students do the writing test on paper. Teachers will ensure students are familiar with the format of the tests before the NAPLAN test window.
Supporting your child
NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills your child is already learning at school.
It is important to remember that NAPLAN is not about passing or failing, but about assessing learning progress.
The best approach for preparing your child for NAPLAN is to encourage your child to do the best they can on the day.
Excessive preparation or the use of coaching providers is not recommended.
Public demonstration site
The public demonstration site is available for students, teachers and parents to familiarise themselves with the types of questions, tools and functions available for the NAPLAN tests. It includes demonstration tests for each NAPLAN year level, test domain and alternative tests for students with disability.
Disability adjustments
Adjustments are available for students with disability. The adjustments should reflect the normal support a student receives in classroom assessments.
Contact your child’s school to discuss possible adjustments and to sign a parent/carer consent form.
Withdrawals and exemptions
You can withdraw your child from NAPLAN tests.
Your child may be exempt from NAPLAN tests if they have:
- significant disabilities that severely limit their capacity to participate in the tests or
- a language background other than English and have recently arrived in Australia (less than a year before the tests).
Contact your child’s school for further information about withdrawals and exemptions and to sign a parent/carer consent form.
Catch-up tests
Where possible, schools may arrange catch-up tests for individual students who were absent on the day of a scheduled NAPLAN test.
All Year 3 writing catch-up tests must be completed by Monday 18 March 2024.
All other catch-up tests must be completed by Monday 25 March 2024.
Contact your child’s school to arrange a catch-up test for your child.
Rod Woolard
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL
Our first meeting for 2024 also happens to be our AGM, Monday 4th March commencing at 6.30pm in our staffroom.
All executive positions are declared vacant and nominations are called for the role of:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
A nomination can be a nominator and seconder or self nominated. You must be a financial member $1 annual fee to stand for any position or vote at any of our meetings.
The minutes of the last AGM 2023 are read and accepted. Reports are then tabled and read.
The meeting is usually concluded in 30 minutes. The normal monthly meeting then commences at 7pm with the newly elected team conducting proceedings. This metting usually takes an hour.
All parents are most welcome to attend.
Thank you to all parents / caregivers that have taken time to register for Sentral for Parents.
Sentral for Parents is now up and running. Items include:
* Permission notes and Payments
* Absence notifications
* Notifications through Newsfeed
* Calendar
* Forms
* Amending personal details (in Settings)
Please note that all permission notes will be online.
If you have any queries regarding registering for Sentral for Parents, please email us on:
blackwell-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Date: | Friday 8th March 2024 |
Who: | Qualified students only |
Cost: | $6.50 |
STUDENTS ARRIVING EARLY OR LATE FOR SCHOOL
Dear Parents / Carers,
We have a significant number of students arriving late and leaving early each day for school. Whilst we understand that some appointments can only be made during school hours, we kindly ask that parents / carers please report to the office to drop off and pick up students.
WHEN STUDENTS ARE LATE ARRIVING TO SCHOOL
We ask that when students are arriving after the 9am bell, they are either accompanied by a parent / carer or have a note explaining their absence.
WHEN STUDENTS ARE LEAVING SCHOOL EARLY
If you are collecting your child prior to the 3pm bell, please present to the office upon arrival. Your child will be called to the office.
Please do not go directly to your child’s classroom to collect them. They need to be signed out with a valid reason for leaving.
If you are sending someone to collect your child early that is NOT listed as an emergency contact, please contact the office prior to advise the details of who will be collecting your child. We will ask for photo identification upon their arrival.
We thank you for your co-operation in this matter.
Payments can be made on the Sentral for Parents portal.
Please email the school if it is not appearing on your invoice TAB.
Medication at School
If you have not already done so, please ensure all medication and relevant action plans for your child have been provided to the school for 2024.
If there is a change in medication or your child no longer requires administration at school, please advise the Front Office in writing as soon as practicable.
All Anaphylaxis & Asthma Plans need to be updated annually from date of issue.
It is important to remember that any Allergy and Anaphalaxis Medical Plans need to be provided in color by your Doctors as to ensure we are able to identlfy the plan by sight.
Please ensure that the front office has ALL of your updated medical information and any medication required.
If prescribed medication is to be given to students at school, a blister pack either supplied from the chemist or in its original packaging is now required. Medication that needs to be cut will need to be done so by a pharmacist and delivered to the school in a blister pack.
Contact Information
Please ensure your contact details are updated at the front office so we can to contact you.
SCHOOL TERM DATES FOR 2024
Term 1 - Thursday 1st February 2024 - Friday 12th April 2024
Term 2 - Tuesday 30th April 2024 - Friday 5th July 2024
Term 3 - Tuesday 23rd July 2024 - Friday 27th September 2024
Term 4 - Monday 14th October 2024 - Friday 20th December 2024
Stay tuned for a special menu for Harmony Week!!
18th till 22nd March 2024
PRE-ordering is required. Information will be sent home through Sentral for Parents and CLOSED Facebook pages soon.
Our library monitors for Semester 1 2024 are:
Faith K - S3S
Ruby E - S3H
Riley P - S3H
Amelia B - S3S
Kynzie S - S3B
Isaac B - S3S
These students will be inducted at our week 6 assembly, Monday 4th March 2024 at 2pm.
Wow, what an amazing start to 2024 for our MC classes.
This year we welcomed a third class along with some brand new students to Blackwell Public School. The start of the year has been filled with excitement as the students made new friends. Together we participated in exciting learning opportunities including the SISA sport program, school library visits, hands on mathematics lessons and creative literacy activities. The new Support Team are thrilled to be working with you and your children this year! We look forward to achieving our full potential, let's reach for the stars together!