Issue 08/20 – Tuesday 2 June

EDUCOM

Excellence, Opportunity, Care and Success www.mtrivervie-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Dear parents/carers,

The school has once again become a vibrant place of learning and fun with students and staff all back every day. It has taken some time to get back into routine and to become familiar again with the expectations of classrooms and the playground but it has been an important part of the transition back to school.

The guidelines for activities permitted in NSW public schools has not changed since 25 May. The significant restrictions remain in place to safeguard students and staff from illness as much as possible. Our current priority remains on the provision of services which are essential to educational programs. There has been no advice yet from the NSW Department of Education about when these restrictions may change, however, we will communicate with you when we do have the opportunity to resume some of our previous activities (eg; extra-curricular groups, parent helpers, P&C meetings). We realise parents and students are very much looking forward to even more normality at school.

Teachers are busy preparing for writing student reports. They are conducting informal and formal assessments in class and will be using the information gained to provide parents with feedback about their child’s learning for Semester 1. The school has developed a simplified report format in accordance with Department guidelines. If you would like more information about the interim Policy standards for curriculum, assessment and reporting, please visit the website:

https://policies.education.nsw.gov.au/policy-library/associated-documents/interim-policy-standards-during-covid-19.pdf

Yours in education,

Elise Berwick

Principal

What’s Happening At Our School …… TERM 2 WEEK 7

Monday 8 June Public Holiday

Tuesday 9 June P&C Meeting (TBA) Friday 12 June Infants Assembly (TBA) TERM 2 WEEK 8

Friday 19 June Primary Assembly (TBA) TERM 2 WEEK 9

TERM 2 WEEK 10

Monday 29 June Student Reports go home Friday 3 July Captains’ Assembly (TBA)

Last Day of Term 2 SCHOOL HOLIDAYS

Friday 17 July ICAS Payment Closing Date TERM 3 WEEK 1

Monday 20 July Staff Development Day Tuesday 21 July Students return to school

Friday 24 July K-6 Gymnastics program starts (TBA)

ICAS notes due back to school TERM 3 WEEK 2

Friday 31 July NAIDOC Day at Blaxland East PS (TBA)

TERM 3 WEEK 3

EDUCATION WEEK Friday 7 August K-6 Athletics Carnival (TBA) TBA = To Be Advised

Excellence, Opportunity, Care and Success www.mtrivervie-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Library News During library lessons last week, we watched Emma from the Wiggles read the National Simultaneous Storytime book “Whitney and Britney Chicken Divas”. How special! Emma has just won the storyteller of the year award so her presentation of this great book was magnificent. It was fabulous to have real library lessons again in our wonderful library. Borrowing will start again next week, so please bring back all your library books from home and your library bag. Congratulations for Alex.W, Camille.W, Za.H, and Elise.C who have finished the Premier’s Reading Challenge. For those who are not yet finished, please keep working on it, especially now that we can borrow books again to read.

Mrs Turner

Opportunity Class (Year 5 in 2021) A revised process has been established for those students wishing to apply for 2021 Opportunity Class placement to accommodate the shorter timeframe 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. The test is created by an independent educational assessment provider and measures academic ability, not achievement, giving a reliable method for identifying highly gifted applicants which is not subject to the variable classroom conditions experienced this year. Key dates:

9 June: Applications open

26 June: Applications close

16 September: OC Placement Test date

For information, please visit the website:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes

Community Reminders: Road Safety – from NSW Government Keeping your children safe when dropping off and picking

up at school

Here are a few things you can do to help keep your children and others safe during drop-off and pick-up times:

• Stick to the 40km/h speed limit in a school zone and look out for children crossing or about to cross the road.

• Watch for flashing lights on buses. They let you know that there may be children crossing or about to cross the road. A 40mk/h limit applies when school bus lights flash.

• Always park and turn legally around schools. Manoeuvres such as U-turns and three-point turns are dangerous during busy pick up and drop off times.

• Always give way to pedestrians, particularly when entering and leaving driveways.

• Drop your children off and pick them up on the school side of the road. Never call out to them from across the road – they may run to you without checking for traffic.

• It is safest for children to enter and get out of the car through the Safety Door away from passing traffic. This is the rear footpath side door of the car.

• Make sure your children are fastened in the correct child car seat for their age and size, and that it is fitted correctly.

• For more information on keeping our kids safe around schools, visit the parent section on: safetytown.com.au

School Voluntary Contributions Can you help us purchase new classroom Maths resources??? This year our voluntary school contributions will be spent on updating the materials across the school used to teach Maths. If you are in a position to help, please make your contribution online - $49 per student or $70 per family.

Excellence, Opportunity, Care and Success www.mtrivervie-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

SHOWCASE – Stage 1

Excellence, Opportunity, Care and Success www.mtrivervie-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

3-9 Coughlan Rd Blaxland NSW 2774 T: 02 4739 4655 F: 02 4739 8237

E: blaxland-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au W: https://blaxland-h.schools.nsw.gov.au

2021 Year 7 Extension Class Applications

Blaxland High School will be testing Year 6 students for possible inclusion in the 2021 Year 7 Extension Class on Thursday, 3 September 2020.

If you would like your Year 6 son or daughter to be considered for the Year 7 Extension Class please email Rachael Pope, School Administration Officer, by Friday, 14 August 2020 to register: rachael.pope1@det.nsw.edu.au

If you have any questions regarding the testing, please contact Sharon Laurence, Teacher Librarian: sharon.laurence@det.nsw.edu.au or Ph 4739 4655.

When registering please provide the following information:

• Your child’s name, gender, primary school

• Parent contact details, email

• And preferred session number

A session confirmation email will be sent to you prior to the testing day.

Session 1

Thursday, 3 September 2020

Session 2

Thursday, 3 September 2020

Arrive at 9:10am: for a prompt 9:30am start Arrive at 11.20am : for a prompt 11.40am start

Finish: 10:30am Finish: 12:40pm

The test is the Middle Year Ability Test (MYAT), which is set and marked by the Australian Council for Education (ACER), Melbourne.