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Term 3 Dates 2020
The Rocks Report NEWSLETTER OF NORTH ROCKS PUBLIC SCHOOL
Ph: 9871 1772 | Fax: 9872 1448 | 359 North Rocks Road, North Rocks NSW 2151
e [email protected] | w http://www.northrocks-
p.schools.nsw.edu.au/
2020~ Term 2- Week 8 At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
Term 2 Dates 2020
FROM THE PRINCIPAL:
As COVID-19 restrictions are easing, NSW DoE has published new documentation outlining the changes
that will be implemented in the next phase of full time face-to-face learning guidelines. NRPS will
implement these changes from Term 3 so we have time to complete and update rosters as well as
prepare additional break spaces for staff.
We will continue with our current structures for the next 2 weeks of Term 2. This includes the staggered
recess and lunch breaks as well as the dismissal procedures. Kiss and drop morning procedures and
staggered dismissal will continue. A reminder that K-2 afternoon pick-up is at 2:30pm while 3-6 is at
2:50pm. Enhanced cleaning will continue. Social distancing for staff is still required and infection control
and hygiene measures will remain in place.
Next term student bubblers will continue to be locked so students will need to bring to school a labelled
water bottle.
As we are a NSW DoE school, we are obligated to follow the policies and procedures outlined by the
Department. During the COVID-19 pandemic the NSW DoE delivered the following guidelines for school
staff:
‘All school-based staff, including temporary and casual staff, are expected to return to working on-
campus unless they fall into one of the following categories in line with AHPPC (Australian Health
Protection Principal Committee) guidelines:
people aged 70 years and over
all people with compromised immune systems
people aged 65 years and over only with chronic medical conditions
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people over the age of 50 with chronic medical conditions.
The vast majority of our staff have returned to school this term. However, we do have a small number of
staff that fall into one or more of the categories above. The few members of staff that are unable to
return to school are contributing to our school while working from home.
Thursday 2nd July Semester 1 student reports
home
Friday 3rd July Last day of Term 2
Monday 20th July Term 3 Staff Development Day
Tuesday 21st July Students return to start Term 3
NRPS Staff
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
The NSW DoE has advised schools that we are still unable to welcome parents on site and this
policy WILL continue into Term 3. We have not been advised how long this policy will continue for.
As a result, our kiss and drop morning procedures and staggered pick-ups will continue until further
advised.
However, in Term 3, we have changed the K-2 pick-up time to 2:40pm.
Next term the DoE are relaxing some restrictions as to how school’s function. Some of these
changes include:
School assemblies are limited to only 15 minutes so we will not be able to have our K-2 and 3-6
assemblies. Quick grade/stage assemblies to discuss organisational/student behaviours can
occur if less than 15 minutes.
Choirs and performing arts groups are able to rehearse .
The band program will start in Term 3. It will be on Tuesdays as normal.
Sportspro sports program will start in Term 3, week 1.
Day excursions can happen in Term 3 to outdoor locations with no physical distancing
requirements.
Interschool student events such as debating, public speaking, performing arts etc are able to
happen from Term 3.
Scripture will start again.
Incursions involving external adult providers can go ahead and must maintain distancing and
hygiene protocols.
School sport activities can continue to happen.
Peer Support will be happening Term 3 this year. The theme is ‘Optimism’.
What we can’t do
No school camps (overnight excursion).
No school banking (no parent volunteers are allowed on site at this time)
No whole school events with community involvement. Therefore, the athletics carnival at
Gooden Drive, Winston Hills won’t be going ahead this year.
Parent Teacher Interviews WILL be occurring next term in Term 3, Week 2. As mentioned previously,
we are unable to have parents on site. Therefore, we will be using zoom for all of our interviews.
Interviews will take place over 1 week (Term 3, Week 2). We will continue to use the online booking
platform, School Interviews. Next week a note will come home to parents with the necessary event
code needed to access the site to book your time. Interviews will be 15 minutes in length. Due to
using zoom, we will be unable to have students involved this year. More information on how we will
use zoom will be shared with parents soon.
This year the NSW DoE Education Week has the theme, ‘Learning Together’. Education
Week is in Term 3, Week 3 (Monday 3rd - Friday 7th August). At the moment we are
planning how NRPS will be celebrating how our students learn together. More
information on Education Week at NRPS will be shared with the community soon.
Term 3 School Operations
Parent Teacher Interviews
Education Week
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
Lately we have been receiving some correspondence from parents regarding lost property. We
understand that some parents are feeling frustrated when their children return home without winter
jackets, school hats, expensive lunch boxes and water bottles. We also understand that parent’s
frustration on this issue is heightened because parents are unable to come on site and help locate
those items.
To assist children locate their lost property, classes in Stage 3 have been picking up items left in the
playground and sending labelled items to classrooms before dismissal. However, if items are not
clearly labelled we are unable to return them in a timely manner. With 882 students at NRPS, you
can imagine that we manage a large volume of lost items. The simplest thing parents can do to
ensure that children return home with all of their belongings is to label ALL items including clothing
and bag items. Items need to be labelled every year to ensure that names and classes can be
read quickly.
A reminder that students should wear proper school uniform items. We are noticing a lot of clothing
items being worn that are not in school colours of navy, sky/light blue and grey.
Due to the COVID-19 disruptions this semester, the NSW DoE is giving schools the flexibility to amend
our usual report. Schools have been told that we can issue modified reports without the A-E scales.
Therefore we have designed a simplified one page written report that focuses on learning in the
core areas of learning, English and mathematics. Teachers have started working on the student
reports and they will be sent home to parents on Thursday, 2nd July (week 10).
We will let the community know our plan for the Parent/Teacher Interviews that were postponed
last term.
This term, 4L students have been using a variety of different robots. 4L students then became the
teachers to 3S students as they expertly taught those students how to use them.
This term, 4L have learnt about the Ozobots, the ‘We Do 2.0’ and next week they will begin using
Virtual Reality. Their task for the virtual reality will be to create a virtual tour of the school. Ms Aisbett
and 4L students wanted to share their learning with the community.
A link to their video is below:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c3xe_28cP_megeap10DKTzwy--cdrzFl/view?usp=sharing
Lost Property
Uniforms
4L Robotics
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
Re: Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD)
Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on
School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information
already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to
legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for
Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).
Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes:
year of schooling
category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional
level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching
practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive.
This information assists schools to:
formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools
consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools
develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve
educational outcomes for students with disability.
The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more
broadly for the support of students with disability.
The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing
process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual
student will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All
information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of
personal information. To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian
Government’s Privacy Policy (https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy).
Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal (https://
www.nccd.edu.au).
If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school.
Community Users are able to return to school from Term 3. Before they start, they are required to
sign an agreement that shows they are aware of the distancing, health and hygiene measures
required by the school.
After school, community users agree to walk students to both the front and back gates to meet
parents.
NCCD
Community Users
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
A reminder to Year 4 parents that the site for OC applications is open until Friday, 26th June 2020.
Why have changes been made to the 2020 opportunity class placement process?
Due to the shorter time frame available for the OC placement process, changes have been made
to the process for this year. The department is committed to supporting the continuity of learning
and transitions for each child, and the revised application and placement process will ensure
students are placed in 2021 Year 5 opportunity classes as soon as possible.
What changes have been made?
The 2020 opportunity class placement process has been revised to accommodate the shorter
timeline due to the postponement of the test.
To ensure the fair and consistent assessment of students across all schools and regions of NSW, this
year students will be placed on test results only. Taking this approach reduces the effect of the
disrupted start to the school year, which could compromise school assessment scores, and ensures
that all students are placed using the same test performed under the same conditions.
What are the key dates I should be aware of?
The revised dates are listed below. Parents are advised to review the new dates carefully and
ensure an application is submitted by the closing date for their child to be eligible to sit the
placement test as, owing to the shorter timeline, late applications will not be accepted.
Lee Shipley
Principal (Relieving)
Year 5 OC applications for 2021
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
Information for parents and carers
Student Wellbeing
In every school, school counsellors/psychologists, teachers, year advisers, careers advisers, the
principal and senior teachers are available to assist students and their families. In some schools
there are also Aboriginal Education Assistants or community liaison officers. All work to create safe,
caring schools, free from violence and discrimination. All can help you or your child in different
ways. School counsellors/psychologists work with students of all ages, and their families, from pre-
school to Year 12. The Senior Psychologist, Education or District Guidance Officer may also provide
school counselling services. In addition, they coordinate and professionally support a team of
school counsellors/psychologists. Every public school has access to members of the School
Counselling Service.
School counsellors/psychologists
School counsellors/psychologists work with students, parents or carers and teachers in a variety of
ways. Their work includes:
• counselling students
• assisting parents or carers to make informed decisions about their child's education • assessing
students' learning and behaviour
• assisting schools to identify and address disabilities that affect students' learning
• liaising with other agencies concerned with the wellbeing of students.
School counsellors/psychologists are members of schools' student welfare and learning support
teams. With the agreement of parents or carers, school counselling staff will pass on to teachers,
information that will assist them to better meet the needs of their students. Students may refer
themselves to the school counsellor/psychologist or may seek an interview at the suggestion of a
teacher, a parent or carer, or a friend. A student's reasons for seeing a school counsellor /
psychologist may include worrying about school work, conflict with friends, being in trouble at
school or just feeling "down". Parents or carers may seek advice from school counsellors /
psychologists about their child's school progress, educational options, including access to special
education services, behaviour, and for information about help available from other agencies.
Except when students refer themselves to the school counsellor/psychologist, parents or carers will
be involved from the outset. Their consent is required before any psychological testing is
undertaken. Whether working with students, parents or carers, or teachers, school counsellors/
psychologists will explain how they work, listen carefully to what is said, help clarify options and
encourage informed decision making.
Confidentiality
School counselling is a confidential service and school counsellors/psychologists will check with
students, parents or carers before passing on information (such as the results of tests of learning
difficulties) to others. This presumption of confidentiality can be overridden only by specific legal
requirements (e.g. child protection legislation) or where someone may suffer serious harm if
information is withheld.
The School Counselling Service
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
Referral
School counsellors/psychologists are not at every school every day. It is necessary for parents or
carers to make an appointment by telephoning the school. Students will be told of the
arrangements applying in their school as to how they can see the school counsellor/psychologist.
Priorities for school counsellor/psychologist time will be determined by the principal and Learning
Support Team, in consultation with the school counsellor/psychologist.
Liz Pritchard is the School Counsellor at North Rocks Public School. She is at school on
Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays.
.
The School Counselling Service cont.
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
P&C Report Term 2 Week 8 2020
The term is going quickly and it hard to believe that not that long ago we were all
busy with home learning. It seems like a distant memory now. Thanks again to the
staff for a smooth transition, and thanks to the parent community for following the
regulations around the school. Please download School Stream for important
changes and announcements.
Have you had a chance to support North Rocks local businesses and cafes? Now is
the time as they always help us in the time of fundraisers and events.
With restrictions gradually easing, we should be able to hold our next P & C meeting
in Term 3. Stay tuned and we will communicate as soon as we know the date and
how and where this will run.
Here are all the links to our Facebook and Instagram pages. Please check them out:
NRPS P&C Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/NRPSPandC/
NRPS P&C Instagram Page https://www.instagram.com/nrpspandc/
NRPS 2nd Hand Uniform Buy, Swap, Sell group https://www.facebook.com/groups/
NRPS.Uniforms.BSS/
K-6 Support Unit https://www.facebook.com/groups/NRPS.K6.SupportUnit/
Kindy https://www.facebook.com/groups/NRPS.Kindy.2020/
Year 1 https://www.facebook.com/groups/NRPS.Year1.2020/
Year 2 https://www.facebook.com/groups/NRPS.Year2.2020/
Year 3 https://www.facebook.com/groups/NRPS.Year3.2020/
Year 4 https://www.facebook.com/groups/NRPS.Year4.2020/
Year 5 https://www.facebook.com/groups/NRPS.Year5.2020/
Year 6 https://www.facebook.com/groups/NRPS.Year6.2020/
All events and fundraisers are on hold but we are excited about the potential for
things in later in the year. If you have any questions regarding the P&C please email:
John Bolwell
P&C President
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
Once again we are encouraging ALL students at North Rocks Public School to participate in the
Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC). The Challenge aims to encourage in students a love of reading for leisure and pleasure, and to
enable students to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each
student to read, to read more and to read more widely. The Challenge is divided into three sections: K-2, 3-4, 5-6. Each section has its own book list, which is very easy to find on the PRC website. At NRPS we have
put a strip on the spine of books to indicate their inclusion in the PRC list. Pink for K-2, green for 3-4
and orange for 5-6. K-2 children must read a total of 30 books - 25 from the PRC booklist and 5 free choice. 3-4 and 5-6 children must read a total of 20 books – 15 from the PRC booklist and 5 free choice. Students will be able to enter the titles of books read from Monday March 2nd. All books read since
September 1st 2019 are eligible to be entered. Children can read suitable books from the booklist above their grade, eg. K-2 can read from the
3-4 booklist. Parents and caregivers are encouraged to support the Challenge to promote the development of
literacy skills and a love of reading and to inspire their children to continue reading when they
have finished the Challenge. Books read to or by students at school, in library lessons or at home all count. The PRC website logon process is as follows:
Book titles are entered on Premier’s Reading Challenge website https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/
home.html
Alternatively students are able to access the PRC from their student portal, and the learning link.
Children use their DEC (Department of Education and Communities) internet username. This is their
first name and surname separated by “.”(eg. taylor.swift) some children have a number at the end.
K-2 passwords are set at school.
Primary students continue to use the username and password they use at school.
If you have any questions about usernames or passwords see the classroom teacher (we do not
have access to these and cannot help you )
When a book is treated in the library it will be added to each students reading list by the librarian.
So if you are entering your child’s reading record and notice some extra books this is where they
came from. Entering of student’s books MUST BE COMPLETED BY AUGUST 28th 2020. Thank you for your support
Mrs Rosemary Bodlay Teacher Librarian and PRC Co-ordinator
Mrs Larissa Bezkorovainy Teacher Librarian and PRC Co-ordinator
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
THANK YOU A huge thank you to everyone who has embraced using Flexischools this term. To those who have used online ordering since we introduced it...thank you for continuing to use this ser-vice. And to those who have just recently jumped on board...thank you too ! We will continue to use Flexischools as the only way to order recess and lunch in the canteen till further notice. DID YOU KNOW ? You can order most of our breakfast items such as banana bread, raisin toast, fruit, muesli and yoghurt cups, fruit salad and toasties at recess ? Plus all our snacks including muffins, chips, popcorn and drinks can be ordered with your lunch as well ! DON’T FORGET to scroll across to see the lunch menu which pops up after the recess menu on the Flexischools home screen REMINDER to those ordering to ensure the order is finalised before leaving the Flexischools app. You’ll get an order confirmation number and it will show as an ’open order’ in your pro-file. You can also ask for an email confirmation for each order under Current Orders (the notepad icon on the bottom of screen). We get students each day thinking they had a lunch order placed but we can show them that we didn't receive their order. PINK NOTES No-one ever goes hungry though ! We make students a sandwich for lunch or fruit/toasties for recess and give them a PINK NOTE to take home. If you see one of these (or find one in the bottom of a school bag !!) please return it with the cash to the canteen., thank you. DID YOU KNOW ? If your child is unwell and wont be attending school on a day you’ve placed an order, you can cancel on the Flexischools app up until 8.30am that morning
CANTEEN NEWS
The Rocks Report At NRPS we value RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY, SAFETY, HONESTY
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