continuous improvement is a growth mindset; it’s every ... · it doesn't seem like it when...

9
From the Principal Farewell It is with sadness and gratude that we wish Sharon Broadbent well on her extended long service leave and rerement at the end of the year. Burnside Primary School has become a school of excellence under any measure over the past years with Sharon’s influenal and collaborave leadership. She has had a celebrated and disnguished career as a teacher, Principal and corporate leader with significant contribuons to public educaon at a systemic and site level. We look forward to welcoming her to end of year events where we will have further opportunies to acknowledge her contribuons and wish her well. Our Team of Educators The recent external school review acknowledged the high quality teaching and learning at Burnside and provided clear direcons for connuous improvement. The dedicaon, care and skill of our staff, in partnership with our posive, involved school community, makes our school a great place to be as we work towards providing the best educaon for all students. Governing Council next week will review the changes made to the Site Improvement Plan to reflect the recommendaons from the review with the connued focus on high quality teaching and learning to develop self-directed, powerful learners. The leadership team now consists of Angela Elkin, Carol Press, Cindy Karlis and Athena Ladas. There is connuity, collaboraon and expe- rience in this team and we will connue to work hard to provide every opportunity for our children to flourish at Burnside. One of Sha- ron’s great skills was in mentoring, and we are fortunate to have worked with her for many years as she sought to develop sustainability for the school. Please approach us with your feedback and we look forward to working with you all. Principal Position The process to appoint a new Principal has begun, and the new Principal should be known towards the end of term 3, ready to begin in 2018. Governing Council, staff and students have had input into what qualies they would like in the new leader. Some of the responses have been very insighul (as well as very funny), and you may parcularly enjoy reading the student responses in this newsleer. Pupil Free Days The two pupil free days this week give staff the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of digital technologies and moderaon of assessment. On Thursday staff will lead and parcipate in workshops including green screen technologies, 3D prinng and coding. On Friday our staff will work with colleagues from other schools to moderate assessment tasks to build consistency across sites. Ten staff will aend a naonal EduTech conference with internaonally renowned leaders in their field. This professional learning keeps us innovave and creave through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). Burnside Council Art Project We have been successful in winning a $5000 grant from the Burnside Council to produce an art installaon to promote the themes of diversity, belonging, welcome and inclusion. It is tled ‘Stand Together’ and consists of different height painted posts which will be installed in the Burnside Community Garden towards the end of June. Talented local arst Yvonne Ashby will work with students and classes through the SRC. Working Bee Many thanks to the parents and children who volunteered at last week’s working bee and to those families who made donaons. The grounds are looking fabulous as a result of your efforts. Staffing News We congratulate Maria Colarusso who has been appointed to the posion of DECD Project officer, Curriculum, unl the end of the year. This is recognion of her outstanding skills as a teacher and we wish her well in her new posion. We are fortunate to have Jo Porter, a highly experienced and effecve educator, teaching in the Year 5/6 class unl the end of the year. Congratulaons to Athena Ladas, who has been appointed Assistant Principal, and we welcome Kirby Beay, who will be teaching in the 1/2 class four days a week. Continuous improvement is a growth mindset; it’s every teacher, every staff member, every parent, every student, every day. Angela Elkin - Principal

Upload: nguyenliem

Post on 16-Aug-2019

215 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

From the Principal

Farewell It is with sadness and gratitude that we wish Sharon Broadbent well on her extended long service leave and retirement at the end of the year. Burnside Primary School has become a school of excellence under any measure over the past years with Sharon’s influential and collaborative leadership. She has had a celebrated and distinguished career as a teacher, Principal and corporate leader with significant contributions to public education at a systemic and site level. We look forward to welcoming her to end of year events where we will have further opportunities to acknowledge her contributions and wish her well.

Our Team of Educators The recent external school review acknowledged the high quality teaching and learning at Burnside and provided clear directions for continuous improvement. The dedication, care and skill of our staff, in partnership with our positive, involved school community, makes our school a great place to be as we work towards providing the best education for all students. Governing Council next week will review the changes made to the Site Improvement Plan to reflect the recommendations from the review with the continued focus on high quality teaching and learning to develop self-directed, powerful learners.

The leadership team now consists of Angela Elkin, Carol Press, Cindy Karlis and Athena Ladas. There is continuity, collaboration and expe-rience in this team and we will continue to work hard to provide every opportunity for our children to flourish at Burnside. One of Sha-ron’s great skills was in mentoring, and we are fortunate to have worked with her for many years as she sought to develop sustainability for the school. Please approach us with your feedback and we look forward to working with you all.

Principal Position The process to appoint a new Principal has begun, and the new Principal should be known towards the end of term 3, ready to begin in 2018. Governing Council, staff and students have had input into what qualities they would like in the new leader. Some of the responses have been very insightful (as well as very funny), and you may particularly enjoy reading the student responses in this newsletter.

Pupil Free Days The two pupil free days this week give staff the opportunity to develop their knowledge and understanding of digital technologies and moderation of assessment. On Thursday staff will lead and participate in workshops including green screen technologies, 3D printing and coding. On Friday our staff will work with colleagues from other schools to moderate assessment tasks to build consistency across sites. Ten staff will attend a national EduTech conference with internationally renowned leaders in their field. This professional learning keeps us innovative and creative through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths).

Burnside Council Art Project We have been successful in winning a $5000 grant from the Burnside Council to produce an art installation to promote the themes of diversity, belonging, welcome and inclusion. It is titled ‘Stand Together’ and consists of different height painted posts which will be installed in the Burnside Community Garden towards the end of June. Talented local artist Yvonne Ashby will work with students and classes through the SRC.

Working Bee Many thanks to the parents and children who volunteered at last week’s working bee and to those families who made donations. The grounds are looking fabulous as a result of your efforts.

Staffing News We congratulate Maria Colarusso who has been appointed to the position of DECD Project officer, Curriculum, until the end of the year. This is recognition of her outstanding skills as a teacher and we wish her well in her new position. We are fortunate to have Jo Porter, a highly experienced and effective educator, teaching in the Year 5/6 class until the end of the year. Congratulations to Athena Ladas, who has been appointed Assistant Principal, and we welcome Kirby Beatty, who will be teaching in the 1/2 class four days a week.

Continuous improvement is a growth mindset; it’s every teacher, every staff member, every parent, every student, every day.

Angela Elkin - Principal

It doesn't seem like it when they're playing on their $500 tech gadgets, but they do. Twenty-first century living is taking its toll, and many kids are finding it hard to cope.

The number of children dealing with anxiety has been increasing steadily for decades, with up to 25 per cent of teenagers now suffering from diagnosable anxiety disorders.

I know as a parent I can be part of the problem or part of the solution. And more often than I care to admit, I'm in the wrong camp.

Your child's anxiety is not your fault, but it's possible that some of the parenting practices you're most proud of are actually making things worse.

1. Caring too much

When your child comes home from school with tales of mean girls, aggressive boys and insensitive teachers, you feel for her, and often you let it show, but maybe you shouldn't.

Our kids feed off our emotions and get more distressed when we're distressed. When my daughter communicates her worries to me, only to have me start worrying too, it definitely makes things worse. She needs me to be strong, but instead I inadvertently send the message that anxiety is the "right" reaction to her problems.

Difficult though it is, we need to keep our own anxiety in check while sympathising with theirs. We have to be the emotional rock: the person who understands, supports and (if asked) advises, without ever showing that their problems make us feel anxious too.

2. Advocating too hard

We all want to stand up for our kids, but our eagerness to advocate can sometimes actually raise anxiety levels.

If your child shares a school problem with you, your first instinct is often to march into the school and try and resolve it. This tells your child two things. Firstly he can't tell you something in confidence, and secondly you don't have faith in him to fix his own problems.

Make sure your children know you will only advocate on their behalf with their full knowledge and consent. Your first priority should be to help them find a solution they can implement without your help, every time.

3. Compensating for weaknesses

We all want to help our children with the things they struggle with. One bad grade in math and we engage a tutor. One issue with a bully and we buy them a book about dealing with bullies.

Unintentionally, though, we're encouraging them to focus on the negative. Most of us get our confidence not from compensating for weaknesses, but on playing to our strengths. Those of us who are truly happy with our adult lives have learned to do the things we're good at and not stress about the rest. We probably delegate or outsource the things we're really bad at.

Children can't always avoid their weak areas, but by focusing on strengths we build self-efficacy and confidence. Next time you're tempted to spend the weekend researching math tutors because your child is doing poorly in math, consider instead spending all weekend doing things he's good at. His sense of confidence and competence will return. It may even carry over to his next math class.

4. Overplaying strengths

Yes, I know I just said focus on strengths, and we totally should. Just not to the point that our expectations cause more anxiety. When you constantly tell people your son is on track for a top college, or your daughter is going to be an Olympic gymnast, you feel like you're building them up, but eventually the positive affirmation turns to pressure.

Compliment your kids when they excel, but don't make their excellence a reason to expect even more from them. Overly high expectations can create performance anxiety where there used to be joy and personal fulfilment.

5. Having great values

You've probably worked hard to encourage good values in your children, but values get challenged and being too attached to yours could mean your child obsesses over them.

There's been more than one tragic case of young people committing suicide over incidents that should never have led to a loss of life. From posting nude photos to watching pornography, sometimes kids make poor choices, and the thought of family finding out can seem like a fate worse than death.

Let your children know that while values are important, you understand the realities and temptations they face. Don't create a culture where your children are too anxious to come to you and admit they messed up, or are under pressure to mess up, because they fear you'll judge them or their friends.

6. Hiding your troubles

We all like to protect our children from anxiety by not worrying them with our own issues. If we're struggling financially or fighting with our spouse, we think our children are better off not knowing. But they do know. They're super perceptive. They just don't know the whole story, so they blow it out of all proportion, especially if they're already suffering from anxiety.

Should we pile our own troubles on our child's shoulders? No, but it doesn't hurt to be honest about what our concerns are and, more importantly, what we're doing about it. By sharing what makes us anxious and how we deal with it, we're modelling practical ways to resolve anxiety.

The BPS community would like to thank Foodland Frewville for their valuable

support of the National Walk to School day. Children were able to enjoy a

delicious variety of fruit upon their arrival at school.

The Parents & Friends Association

Thank you to the many hard working volunteers and their families who supported the Working Bee last

weekend, your support has the grounds in ship shape order . We also gratefully received donations to

the value of $110 to buy supplies to support the day. Tyler Phillis - Groundsman

This year continues to race at a fast pace.

Term 1, we welcomed new Governing Council members Dirk Janek, Ben Corbett and Michael Lucas as the Parent and Friends Representative along with teacher representatives, Cindy Karlis and Elisha Cunniff. We have a respectful and enthusiastic group of diverse members who contribute greatly to subcommittees and meetings and are vital to the decision making and shared vision of the school. The school has undergone significant reviews with outstanding results. Burnside Primary was given the highest performance rating on our recent DECD External Review with excellent feedback to lead us into the future. We have already been able to implement this feedback into the Context Statement and School Improvement Plan. OSHC recieved an ‘Exceeding NQS’ rating on their recent National Quality Standard review awarded by ACEQA; this is a credit to Leanne Kennedy and staff. Congratulations to all - we are very proud of these results.

Thank you to all our volunteers that make such a positive contribution to our children’s education, community spirit and school improvement.

Parents and Friends have again been a tremendous support to the school community. Special thanks to Raelene Masters and team for coordination of our recent Mother’s Day Stall. We had many happy children and equally happy recipients. We also extend our appreciation to the volunteers and Tyler Phyllis our groundsman, who rolled up their sleeves at the recent school working bee.

The Community Events Committee held a fantastic night of laughs at the recent Bogan Bingo Fundraising Event. This is a big event to organise which was done effortlessly. Particular thanks to Angela Probert, Sheridan Andrew-Hannon and Paul Kitching. The attention in now on to the Annual Quiz night which will be held September 2nd - please come and support this community event.

Sports participation continues to thrive at Burnside with a record number of teams and success at SAPSASA. Thank you to the generous volunteers who support the various roles in our extensive after school sports program, without your support this program wouldn’t be possible.

A major focus and discussion at our Governing Council meetings has been the process to appoint our new school principal. The Education Director, Chris Sheldon, attended our last GC meeting to outline the process and support staff, school and student feedback on the developed criteria for skills, abilities and dispositions. The interviews will be held in Term 3.

Finally, we said goodbye to Sharon Broadbent last week as she will be retiring and is taking some much deserved leave. On behalf of the school community, thank you Sharon for your leadership and contribution to the school over the last seven years. You will be missed, but we look forward to seeing you throughout the year and celebrating your achievements with you at the end of Term 4.

Emma Weber

Governing Council Chairperson

4 Absent

The Year 1 students from Room 25 and some from Room 20 have designed this banner to support their learning as part of the Unit of Inquiry: ‘Local Environments and their Features.’ The students explored their understandings of local natural, managed and constructed environments and the connection that we, as Australian citizens, share with the land and Kaurna history. They investigated and were inspired by the signature Aboriginal style of Australian artist, illustrator and author, Bronwyn Bancroft. The students thought deeply about how the Aboriginal Community valued and respected the land that we share, both past and present. They explored their own personal connection to the land and reflected upon their favourite ‘special place’ in the Adelaide area. Their handprint is symbolic of their explorations in ‘making their mark.’ This banner also reflects the students’ growing understand-ing and investigation into how the Aboriginal Kaurna community cared for and used the land hundreds of years ago to suit different purposes. To further support our learning, the students will attend an excursion to Warriparinga, The Living Kaurna Cultural Centre in Bedford Park. We look forward to exploring how the Kaurna people told stories from the land and why the Dreaming has been passed on from generation to generation.

Alicia Carr - Year 1 Teacher

Year 2, Room 27 were inspired by this year's poster and concept of the stepping stones which represent the steps taken over the 50 years to date. They wanted to create a mural that represented their understanding of Indigenous people's connection to the land and past events that have brought us to our understanding today. They wanted steps to reflect the importance of their contribution as young peo-ple stepping into the future. The class wanted to use feet to represent the 50 years gone and also to suggest they will keep moving into the future mindful of the importance for friendship, respect, understanding and acceptance of difference and harmony. Indigenous connections to the environment have also been a focus; the children enjoyed their recent Aldinga camp where they tried their hand at wiltja building and baked rainbow trout in the traditional Kaurna way. In class, we have

continued to look at how Indigenous people have used the environment around them to feed, shelter and make tools for themselves. Fascinated by the traditional woven eel traps, the class chose to do a creative art piece that acknowledged weaving practise in traditional colours and a connection to land. Here are their creative woven pieces.

Jane Glasson - Year 2 Teacher

Year 5 students from Burnside Primary School have discussed Dreamtime Narrative Stories in depth. During our Literature Circles in class, we have collaboratively identified a very significant element of all Dreamtime stories and understand that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people see themselves as part of the creation of our world. We learnt that they believe they were created from the land by the Creator Spirit who provided for them through the gifts of na-ture provided from the earth; that which they call Mother. They had a scared responsibility to care for the earth. We recognise that: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people used sustainable practices and only took what they needed from the land. Human beings impact on the environment both positively and negatively. What we do to the environment today impacts on what happens to the environment in the future. During this unit we investigated how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Is-lander people used and cared for the land in the past, and the continuing relationship they still have with it. In addition we also investigated some of the environmental issues facing Australia and the World today, in particular overuse and waste. We made links with our prior knowledge on sustainable practices and conservation from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and current environmental issues. We explored ways we can make improvements at home and at school. Paintings are one way that Aboriginal people tell their creation stories. The story of Wandjina belongs to the Aboriginal people of the Kimberley region in Western Australia. Wandjina are their Creator Ancestors. After reading a range of different Dreamtime stories, we drew particular focus to the Spiritual connection embedded with each story. Our artwork highlights the Creation stories that have taught and highlighted for us beliefs and rules for living with each

other and the land. Daniela Coscia - Year 5 Teacher

This term, Room 34 has been looking at Indigenous stories and art work. We created our own dreaming stories and pieces of art using sticks from the garden to style our own dot painting.

The feet situated around our art work were created during National Reconciliation Week and represent people of Australia and ourselves as the future of this country taking the next steps towards understanding, acceptance and equality.

Emily Franklin - Year 4 Teacher

Categories

Computer Programming & Robotics

Crystal Investigation

Games

Models & Inventions

Multimedia

Photography

Posters

Science Writing

Scientific Inquiry

Year Level Groups

R-2

3-5

6-7

Group Sizes

Individual students only for:

Posters

Science Writing Individual students or Groups of 2 or 3 students for:

Computer Programming & Robotics

Crystal Investigation

Games

Models & Inventions

Multimedia

Photography

Scientific Inquiry

Abby Macpherson - Science Teacher

The Oliphant Science Awards are a wonderful opportunity for school students from Reception to Year 12 to develop their interest in science through a range of categories to suit a wide variety of abilities and interests.

To be involved in this year's competition, students need to register via this link https://www.trybooking.com/QJYN

All registrations are due at the school by 9.00am Friday 16 June, 2017.

Please contact Abby MacPherson, our Science teacher, for further information

Entry Fees

Individual Entries $13 (inc GST) per entry

Group Entries $19 (inc GST) per entry

As part of our Inquiry, Year 2 students have been involved in a 3D Creature Exchange project which was a Makers Empire and DECD initiative for the ‘DREAM Big Children’s Festival’ (formally ‘Come Out’ Festival).

Our students imagined a creature and then sketched this onto paper. Students became familiar with the 3D design tool - Makers Empire programme and designed their creatures using Shaper and Blocker. Students then shared and modified their designs according to peer feedback and classes then selected one design based on their peer’s creativity, ability to problem solve and demonstration of a growth mindset.

Cadence; Room 4, Barbod; Room 5, Phoebe; Room 6, Sari; Room 27 and Olivia in Room 28 had their creatures chosen and their STL files were sent to another school to be printed.

Room 4 received ‘Sandy’ from Reynella South School

Room 5 received ‘Mega Squid’ from Cowell Area School

Room 6 received ‘Squidgy Boo’ from St Johns Grammar

Room 7 received ‘Snurtah’ from Miltaburra Area School

Room 28 received ‘Cakenator’ from Miltaburra Area School

After a few technical issues our creatures from our partnered school finally arrived. Creatures arrived with unique character profiles and had an adventure in each of our classrooms that was documented in alternate ways.

Students developed strong attachments to their creatures and took great pride in showing them around our community.

Finally the time came for our borrowed creatures to return to their school. We are eagerly awaiting the return of our own creatures to Burnside Primary School.

Madi Skinner, Erin Donoghue, Sarah Cole, Jane Glasson and Kirby Beatty

‘Bon Fire’ designed by Phoebe – Room 6

‘Squiqiboo’ learning about shapes with Mishel from Room 6

‘Cakenator’ from Miltaburra Area

‘Mega Squid’ from Cowell Area School

‘Sandy’ from Reynella South

WRAPPA BEES

Reusable Food Wraps. Replacement for plastic wrap. Made from 100% cotton, locally sourced filtered bees wax, tree resin and jojoba oil. Great for wrapping sandwiches, snacks, fresh produce, creating a seal around bowls, jars or plates. Ideal for kid’s lunchboxes. Purchase as singles or in a pack of 3 various sizes. Vegan wraps also available.

AGREENA 3 IN 1 WRAP

100% Food Grade Silicone Sheets. Replaces plastic wrap, aluminium foil and baking paper. Washable and Reusable (over and over again). Oven, Freezer and Microwave safe. Pack contains 2 – 20cm x 20cm sheets and 2-30cm x 30cm sheets.

KEEP LEAF SANWICH WRAPS AND BAGGIES

Reusable Sandwich wraps and bags. A great way to wrap your sandwich, snacks and other food items. Replaces plastic wrap. The wrap also doubles as a mat when eating your lunch at school or at work.

TUCK A STACKER AND SUSTAIN A STACKER - (for the big appetite)

Three in one lunchbox. ‘Helping to save the earth one lunchbox at a time’. Replace plastic wrap and plastic lunchboxes. Food grade stainless steel, Unbreakable, Non toxic, Dishwasher safe, Zero waste, Non Leaching, Durable and Recyclable. Includes 2 stackable levels and bonus oblong container which can be snuggly stored inside the second layer or used on its own.

RETHINK REUSABLE PRODUCE BAGS - Made from Certified Organic Cotton. Use

and reuse these bags whenever you shop. No more plastic bags when shopping for your fruit and vegetables. Multi Pack – 1 x small 8” x 8”, 2 large 10” x 15”

RETHINK STRING BAG - Made from 100% unbleached certified organic Indian cotton.

Fits snuggly in the bottom of your handbag ready to use at any time.

KEEP CUP – Reusable, Not Disposable, Coffee Cup. Users of the Keep Cup have diverted

millions of disposable cups daily. 100% recyclable, BPA/BPS free plastic or the beautiful glass Keep Cups. Keep one in your bag or car for when the coffee craving hits.

BOKASHI ONE – Kitchen Composting System. A practical, hygienic and convenient way to

prevent food waste from ending up in landfill. Bokashi One is a means of creating a nourishing food source for your garden, full of enriching microbes.

Abby Macpherson - Science Teacher

Rebecca Mumford - Parent Volunteer

World Environment Day - June 5th 2017

As individuals, we have enormous opportunities to reduce the amount of waste generated by our ‘throw away’ societies. Being conscious of what waste we are generating and being motivated to ‘take action’ is the first step on this journey. The following are just a few available products at Ecolateral to assist in your individual efforts to become part of the solution to this serious global issue.