BOLWARRA PUBLIC SCHOOL Bolwarra Road Phone: 4930 1296

Bolwarra 2320 Fax: 4930 0032

Email: bolwarra-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website: www.bolwarra-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

BULLETIN NO. 36 WEEK 7 – TERM 4 Wednesday 20th November 2013

Dear Parents and Care-givers Where has the term gone as there are only 18 more school days left in the term after this week. By all reports our Year 5 students are having a ball at Pt Woollie with fine weather and great activities occupying their time. Swimming school has restarted after the torrential rain we have been having and the Year 6 ‘Jumpstart’ program finishes this week. Yesterday Nillo students enjoyed another day experiencing all that Bolwarra has to offer. Don’t forget that next Tuesday the last kindergarten Orientation will occur with the parents staying for the morning period .Interrelate is in the school hall on Tuesday evening with a middle primary session followed by a senior primary session. Next Wednesday is the last scripture day and Stage 2 will have their fun day on Thursday (to replace the Gala Day that was postponed in Term 3). Congratulations: Congratulations to Peggy, Zoe and Josie for having their artworks selected to hang in the ‘Face Exhibition’ currently on show at Maitland Art Gallery. Well done girls! James Osborn: James who is currently in Year 10 at the Hunter School of Performing Arts

(HSPA), and a past student at Bolwarra, is performing at Lizottes at Lambton on the 9th January, 2014. If you want an entertaining night out visit the website and book tickets at: www.lizottes.com.au Comprehension help for teens: Some children will read perfectly in primary school and then suddenly struggle with comprehension in high school. Here's why. Comprehension help: http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/english/english-tips/reading/comprehension-strategies-you-can Planning for the future: Throughout your child's school life you'll need to make choices about

aspects of their education and future. Here’s a selection of tips to help you plan for parent-teacher talks, subject selection, careers advice and back-to-school. Planning for the future: http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/planning-for-the-future Kids, homework and lies: Do you think your child is lying about their homework? Listen to psychologist Anne Hollonds chat with James O'Loghlin on what to do when the dog eats the

homework. Homework tips: http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/homework-tips/kids-homework-and-lies Maths at home: Kids' early experiences with measurement are often based on watching their

parents. Seeing mum or dad measure and pour ingredients for a recipe or weigh items at the fruit shop will often become part of their play. Maths at home: http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/mathematics/mathematics-tips/helpling-your-child-measure-mass-and-volume

Ms Dimmock is reporting in each day from the Year 5 camp at Pt Woolllie and according to her reports the students are having a great time and behaving beautifully. Apparently it’s been so hot down there they are applying copious quantities of sunscreen each day. Have a safe week. Regards Sue Swetnam

IMPORTANT DATES

26th Nov Kinder Orientation - 9.30am - 11.30am

26th Nov Interrelate Program - 6pm - Years 3 and 4, 7.15pm Years 5 and 6

27th Nov Combined Scripture - 11.30am

4th Dec Students visit Maitland High School 10am - 2pm

4th Dec Return bus pass forms for students going into Year 3

6th Dec Maitland Grossmann High School Gala Day - 9.30am - 2.30pm

6th Dec Gingerbread House night between 4.30pm - 7.30pm in school hall

9th Dec Pizza Day - Please order by 4th Dec

12th Dec Christmas Concert - 6pm

13th Dec Canteen Thank you Morning Tea

16th Dec Presentation Day - Kinder, Years 1 and 2 at 9.30am, Years 3 to 6 at 11.30am

17th Dec Class party Day

17th Dec Year 6 Farewell

18th Dec Last day of school for students

WEBSITES School Website www.bolwarra-p.schools.nsw.edu.au P&C Website www.bolwarrapandc.wordpress.com Online Lunch Orders www.flexischools.com.au

YEAR K – 6 NEWS

Bus Passes A new application is needed for all children who will be travelling with Hunter Valley Buses going into Year 3 next year. Any Year 2 students with a current bus pass need to come to the office to collect a new application form for next year. Congratulations and Good luck

Jorja of class 4-5WP has been selected in the 2013/2014 Hunter Inter Branch team for Surf Lifesaving. She will compete at NSW Inter Branch Champions at Soliders Beach on 14 th and 15th December. Combined Scripture Wednesday 27th November 2013 at Bolwarra Public School at 11.30am. All welcome.

Birthday Book Club When it is your child’s birthday, they have the opportunity to donate a book of their choice (already purchased by the library) for the small cost of $6.00. The books will be presented to the children on assembly. Each book will have a special message inside saying who has donated the book. The birthday child will be the first to borrow the book. The following children have recently joined the Bolwarra Birthday Book Club: Della, Ellie and Cassidy.

Walking Bus This is a photo of the walking bus that leaves Bolwarra at the service station at 8.15am each morning and proceeds down Paterson Road, past the Hunterglen turn off, onto Bolwarra Road to school. Opening of the Play Equipment

Nillo Orientation

CLASSROOM CAPERS KE This week in maths KE have continued to revise our subtraction strategies. We

have also started looking after our class plant ‘Sunny the Sunflower’ and we are making sure we give it everything it needs to survive. In literacy we are continuing to practise our sight words, sounds and independent writing skills ready for Year One!

KT KT have finished a unit of work based around the big book 'The Gruffalo' and have begun

reading 'The Gruffalo's Child'. We have written some wonderful descriptions of the Gruffalo and drawn some great illustrations to accompany our writing. We are working on improving the quality of our bookwork and are practising our letter formation in our lined handwriting books. Keep up the great work, KT!

KW We have continued to work on all our literacy skills with reading groups, some spelling

activities and wonderful writing efforts. More children are using correct sentence structures and using their phonics to spell unfamiliar words. We are learning some very joyful Christmas Carols and perfecting our subtraction skills.

1B This week 1B have been given the very exciting job of looking after the chooks

whilst Mrs Yeend is away with Year 5 at camp! Each day we have to go and collect the eggs, feed the chooks and let them out for a scratch around! It is a lot of fun and a privilege to have the job, so thank you Mrs Yeend for 'trusting' us. As part of our unit of work on Celebrations, we have been discussing Weddings and Christening/Name Giving Ceremonies. We are going to be researching what our names mean from a book of names. The children will also be interested to find out why they were given their name so if you could share that information with your child so they can share it later in the week that would be great. The last fortnight of homework for the year went home Tuesday and I have asked everyone to make sure they return their home readers on the 29th November.

1P 1P have been writing about birthday party stories on the computer. We are

revising our blends and sounds and concentrating hard on spelling. 1-2M This week 1-2M have been working hard on their spelling and reading in literacy

groups. They have also begun celebrating Christmas with a description of a reindeer and have made some beautiful decorations.

2B Thank you to the students and parents of 2B for the very warm welcome to your classroom.

I will be filling in for Mrs Baxter while she is away and am looking forward to the next few weeks. This week we began our ‘Christmas around the World’ unit and are beginning to explore what it is like to celebrate this wonderful time of the year across the globe. We brainstormed what we would like to learn about which included things such as how to say ‘Merry Christmas’ in different languages, what food people eat, the decorations on trees and houses and the sort of presents people give and receive. We studied what it is like to have Christmas in Japan today and were interested to learn that it isn’t a national holiday so people still go the school and work! I can’t wait to see what else we discover about Christmas around the world. Ms Carter

2HP 2HP have been enjoying learning about the Celebration of Christmas. They have also been

learning about working together with a partner to create a friendship gift for one another. We are also continuing to revise our reading skills in reading groups and it has been great to see so many of our students with improved reading levels.

2-3C In art, 2-3C have been exploring the use of positive and negative space with partners and

are halfway through producing an eye catching artwork. In maths we are revisiting 3 dimensional shapes with students becoming adept at drawing cylinders and rectangular prisms from a variety of views. We have been looking at medicines and how we can keep them safe at home. A number of students have been most helpful over the last few weeks - thank you for your help with going over and beyond I am also pleased with the maturity that has been demonstrated of late and the continued work ethic of our class. Congratulations 2-3C!

3B 3B has been working extra hard this week. We are continuing to

enjoy the Intensive Swimming Program - the water has been a little cold though! We have been working to improve our reading, we have focused on inferential comprehension this week. We are continuing to explore the concepts of area and perimeter. We have loved the hands on activities in numeracy groups. Miss Blayden is super impressed with the quick and accurate recall of times table facts! We are looking forward to our Stage 2 activity day that will be held on 28th November instead of the Sports Gala day that was cancelled due to inclement weather last term. Please remember to bring in your notes so that all students can participate. Keep up the great work!

3-4R It has been yet another busy week in 3-4R. The students who are attending swimming are

enjoying their time in the water but we are hopeful that the weather becomes a little warmer. All students who are attending swimming and those who are working with 3B should be congratulated on their manners over the past week and a half. In class we are enjoying our new writing focus on procedures. We are focusing on using the correct structure, punctuation and developing our writing to become more interesting and to the point. In maths we have been measuring the perimeter of objects in the classroom and completing some challenging tasks. I am hopeful that we will get outside to do some larger scale activities.

4T A busy week of revision within maths. We have re-visited fractions and

decimals paying particular attention to place value up to 2 decimal places. No reading groups this week due to swimming. We have worked on adjectives, along with adverbial phrases to enhance our writing. We have viewed footage and discussed the horrific Typhoon that rocked the Philippines, along with starting a new class novel this week, 'Onion Tears' by Dianna Kidd. It links nicely with our unit on 'Children.' We are developing a greater understanding of 'happiness'. It's about a Vietnamese girl who wants to adjust to her new life in Australia, but she can't. She misses her parents and her beloved grandfather too much, and she is haunted by her experiences as a refugee. But with the help of her foster mother and her teacher, Nam-Huong slowly begins to trust and love again.

4-5WP While the Year 5 students are away at camp this week, Ms Dimmock's Year 6 students

have been joining us for the morning and afternoon sessions. We have been completing a range of spelling and vocabulary activities, focusing on quite difficult words such as luminescence, effervescent, scintillating and archaeologist, just to name a few. We have been focusing on our comprehension skills whilst reading and are in the process of delivering impromptu speeches. Mr Taylor's class has continued to combine with our Year 4 students whilst swimming is on this week. The students have enjoyed using the program 'Storyjumper' to publish their narratives and we have been using the information in supermarket catalogues to solve a range of money based problems.

5A 5A students are having a wonderful time this week at Point Wolstoncroft. The rainy weather at the beginning of the week has not slowed us down. We have had a terrific time participating in lots of wonderful activities. We have completed archery, swimming in the pool, a low ropes and high ropes course and mountain bike riding. Today we will be kayaking and having a go on the giant swing. Everyone is having a terrific time and we have had lots of positive comments about our manners and behaviour.

5-6D Year 5 students and Ms Dimmock are at camp this week at Point Wolstoncroft. Everyone is

having a terrific time at camp and the rainy weather earlier this week has not stopped us participating in any of the activities. We have completed the high ropes and low ropes, learnt how to sail on the lake and everyone went on the giant swing (except Ms Dimmock). Today we are going kayaking, swimming in the pool and climbing the rock wall. We are all really enjoying the camp and our behaviour has been excellent. Year 6 students have been working with Mrs Lange and 6L to learn dances in preparation for the Year 6 farewell.

Photos from Point Wolstoncroft

6L Our Balinese masks are all finished and decorated- they look fantastic! We are continuing

to look at interesting Balinese customs. Balinese children are named according to their birth order, the firstborn is "Wayan" or "Gede" or “Putu", second is "Made" or "Kadek", third is "Nyoman" or "Komang" and fourth is "Ketut". The names are repeated for the fifth to eighth born children. Babies have to be carried until they can walk - poor mum and dad's backs! Our class novel is 'All We Know' by Simon French, which follows the life of a twelve year old girl called Arkie who is about to leave primary school - a story very close to us.

Sport Swimming: Students have conducted themselves with exemplary behaviour during the past

week and a half at swimming school. Students have learnt and developed a range of skills related to water safety and survival skills whilst in the water. There has been both a practical and theoretical component where all students have displayed great enthusiasm.

Science In science this week Stage 1 and 2 have been making kaleidoscopes and finding out about

how light rays can be reflected. Stage 3 are in the final stages of their Australian Landscapes presentations and will be presenting them next week.

Environment

Great weather for plants not so good for camp! Hot Dog Day lunch is on Monday 25 th November. Notes are going home on Friday and there is no cost. Thanks 1B for looking after the chooks this week while I’m at camp.

CANTEEN NEWS The canteen is in need of a can opener as ours has broken. It would be greatly appreciated if anyone could donate one. We also need some brown paper lunch bags. If anyone has some free time to bake, the canteen and children would appreciate a batch of ANZAC biscuits. We are having a Pizza Day on Monday 9th December. Children will be treated to an individually boxed pizza, juice and chocolate for $6.00. It would be appreciated if you could order via our online canteen system www.flexischools.com.au if you are able. You will need to register if you have not used the system before. If you are unable to order via Flexischools online please return the attached order form at the end of the newsletter with payment no later than Wednesday 4th December.

CANTEEN ROSTER TERM 4

There have been a few changes to the roster over the last few days so please have a little look and see if there is a vacancy you may be able to help out in. We have had a couple of wonderful volunteers take a few shifts over the last week which is very much appreciated. If you have any friends or relatives you think may be interested please have them give me a call on 0439939934 and we will be sure to put them with an experienced volunteer to show them the ropes. PLEASE NOTE NEXT WEDNESDAY 27/11/13 OUR CANTEEN MAY BE CLOSED AS WE DO

NOT HAVE ENOUGH VOLUNTEERS FOR THE DAY! Thanks Amanda DATE SHIFTS

8.45-2.30

8.45-11.00

11.00-2.30

12.00-2.30

PIKELETS ANZAC

BISCUITS WEEK 7 THURS 21/11

LANA HILL NATARSHA McDONALD

FRI 22/11

EVELYN ROBINSON LYN McDONALD VACANCY

JENNIFER GEORGE

BROOKE HOLZ

WEEK 8 MON 25/11

BRIAN SWETNAM VACANCY

LANA HILL

TUES 26/11

JODY DASZKEWICZ MARK KILMARTIN

AMANDA RODRICK

WED 27/11

VACANCY VACANCY

JENNIFER GEORGE

VACANCY

THURS 28/11

WAYNE KEARNEY JAMES RODRICK

FRI 29/11

JO BRADFORD CARRIE ROWSTON VACANCY

VACANCY KAHNEE THOMAS

WEEK 9 MON 2/12

VACANCY LANA HILL

TUES 3/12

JODY DASZKEWICZ MARK KILMARTIN

ANNETTE PEEL ANNETTE PEEL

WED 4/12

KRISTI AYERST ELSABE VAN DER MERWE GREATA POLLARD

JENNIFER ARTHUR

THURS 5/12

NATARSHA McDONALD MARK KILMARTIN

AMANDA RODRICK

FRI 6/12

EVELYN ROBINSON JOY WILKINSON VACANCY

JENNIFER GEORGE

JUDI BUCKNOR SARAH THOMPSON

WEEK 10 MON 9/12

PIZZA DAY BRIAN SWETNAM VACANCY

JAYNE HAWKINS

JAYNE HAWKINS

TUES 10/12

MEGAN RIDGERS MARK KILMARTIN

WED 11/12

GREATA POLLARD VACANCY

JENNIFER GEORGE

VACANCY BEC CROESE

THURS 12/12

RENEE DANIEL AMY CARVER

FRI 13/12

KRISTI AYERST ELSABE VAN DER MERWE VACANCY

VACANCY BARB WELLS

WEEK 11 MON 16/12

CLOSED

TUES 17/12

CLOSED

WED 18/12

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

COMMUNITY NOTICES

NEWSLETTER INCENTIVE WINNER

Winner of last week’s Newsletter Incentive was Henry of class 3-4R CONGRATULATIONS

Please come to the front office to collect your 50 cents.

We urge parents to encourage their child to place their slip in the Newsletter Incentive Box in the school foyer.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWSLETTER INCENTIVE

Child’s name ________________________________ Class __________

I have read the emailed newsletter

I have read the newsletter on the school website

I have read the newsletter which was sent home from school

Signature of Parent/Caregiver _______________________________ Date _____________ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ABSENTEE NOTICE

My child ..............................................of class ............. was absent on (date) .................................. For the following reason ..................................................................................................................... Parent signature: …………………………………………………………………………………………...

CANTEEN PIZZA DAY

When: Monday 9th December 2013 Cost: $6.00 Inclusions: Individually boxed Eagles Boys pizza

Juice drink A chocolate All pizzas will be delivered to the classrooms in the lunch baskets. It would be appreciated if you could order via our online canteen system www.flexischools.com.au if you are able. You will need to register if you have not used the system before. If you are unable to order via Flexischools online please return the attached order form with payment no later than Wednesday 4th December in an envelope clearly marked with PIZZA DAY and your child's name and class.

Please place your envelope in the red mail box located in the office.

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PIZZA DAY Please indicate your child's preference:

PIZZA Cheese Ham & cheese Ham & pineapple Meatlovers

JUICE Orange Apple Apple/Blackcurrant Orange/Mango

CHILD'S NAME: _______________________________________ CLASS: _____________ AMOUNT: ____________

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PIZZA DAY Please indicate your child's preference:

PIZZA Cheese Ham & cheese Ham & pineapple Meatlovers

JUICE Orange Apple Apple/Blackcurrant Orange/Mango

CHILD'S NAME: _______________________________________ CLASS: _____________ AMOUNT: ____________

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PIZZA DAY Please indicate your child's preference:

PIZZA Cheese Ham & cheese Ham & pineapple Meatlovers

JUICE Orange Apple Apple/Blackcurrant Orange/Mango

CHILD'S NAME: ______________________________________ CLASS: _____________ AMOUNT: ___________