From the Principal … Welcome to Week 1 where I hope everyone has had a relaxing and well deserved break for the last two weeks. It was very exciting to return and see our new artificial grass taking shape in the infants playground. Unfortunately due to some bad weather there is still some work to be done, however, we are confident it will be ready for our students to use in the coming weeks. I think our students and community will agree that the difference is amazing!!

Our students and staff also returned to new carpet in our Kindergarten and Stage 3 blocks as well as the library. This makes a huge improvement to the learning environments for our students, particularly as the carpets were extremely old and very worn. We are in a very fortunate position to be able to improve our school environment.

Yesterday we held an initial Executive Evaluation day to look at some of the exciting plans and initiatives for the coming year. At all times the learning needs of our students are at the forefront of what we do.

Congratulations to our Year 4 students who had a fantastic trip to St Johns Park High School yesterday to be part of a Science Fair. Our students represented our school in a positive and respectful manner. Thank you to the staff who attended and provided our students with a valuable learning opportunity.

A reminder that the continuation of the Summer PSSA competition resumes this Friday (19 October). Parents are reminded that all PSSA payments must be made today. Cash payments through the office up until 3pm, alternatively online payments can be made up until 4.59pm.

Week 1 Term 4 17 October 2018

This week Cricket, Softball and T-Ball will play at Brenan Park, Brenan Street Smithfield and AFL and Touch are playing at Endeavour Sports Reserve, Maud Street Fairfield West. We have been informed that our Year 1 and Year 2 excursion to Western Sydney Parklands has had to change location due to construction taking place within the grounds. The new location is Auburn Botanic Gardens. Students will still have a guided tour by a National Parks Ranger. They will walk through a native animal enclosure with wallabies and kangaroos, learn about the different environments within Australia and the plants that grow within these environments. Excursions allow students the opportunity to investigate features of places and the environment in an engaging and adventurous way. They are an important part of your child’s education. The last day for payment is this Friday, 19th October. If you have already paid, please return the permission slip which allows your child to attend at the new location.

Book Club - If you would like to order from Book Club please use the online LOOP system. Orders are due to Scholastic no later than the 1st November.

To order using the LOOP system:

Simply grab your child's Book Club catalogue and either sign in or register your account

Click on ORDER and then select your school and your child's class*

Add your child's first name & last initial (so the school knows who the book is for) PLEASE NOTE: Your child's details will never be shared with 3rd parties OR used for marketing purposes - this is for distribution purposes only.

Enter the item number from the Book Club catalogue

All orders are sent directly to the school for submission to Scholastic. Books will still be delivered to your child's classroom if you order by the close date

Afterwards, there's no need to return paper order forms or payment receipt details back to your school!

If you get stuck and need help, simply call Scholastic’s friendly Customer Service team on;1800 021 233 between the hours of 8am to 5pm.

After 5pm, you may email their after-hours LOOP help on Customer_Service@scholastic.com.au

Safe, Respectful Learner Program - The focus for Weeks 1 and 2 is ‘Be a Learner - Listen, watch and learn’. To achieve good academic results it is important to be actively engaged in lessons. For us to become life-long learners, we need to listen carefully to teachers and peers, watch and practise new skills and learn to be self-motivated and to seek out new knowledge for ourselves. Please discuss this with your child/children and encourage them to want to learn new things.

Values Education - The value for Weeks 1 and 2 is Fairness/Justice. Fairness/Justice is when we treat people equally and without bias. When we are fair we treat everyone as the same. Fairness involves actions and decisions based on what is just. It also involves playing games by rules. When we practise fairness we are ready to accept our mistake, apologise and make every effort to correct it. Please encourage discussions about fairness with your children at home.

Upcoming Events Week 1 Friday September 19 – PSSA Round 8 Week 2 Tuesday October 23 – Auburn Botanic Gardens (1PR, 1SS, 1HS & 1SV) Wednesday October 24 – Auburn Botanic Gardens (2JD, 2AF & 2LT) Friday October 26 – P&C Meeting at 9am in the staffroom Have a great week! Jason Corcoran Principal

Deputy Principal’s Message

Welcome back teachers, students and to the GPK community. I can’t believe it is Term Four already! I’m sure this term will be just as busy as the last three and Christmas will be here before we know it……actually, only 70 days to go!

Over the holidays, the grass area behind the Reading Recovery and LaST rooms where our Kindergarten and Year One students play had a makeover. Due to lack of rain and severe weather conditions, we were unable to maintain grass in this area. Unfortunately, our students were running in dirt which was becoming dangerous and a possible health issue. We decided to have artificial grass put down in this area to create a safe area for our students to play. When looking at the before and after photos in Mr Corcoran’s message, I’m sure that you will agree with me in saying that this area looks fantastic and is a wonderful area for our students to run around, kick a ball and spend time with their friends. Some of our classrooms and the Library also received a makeover in the holidays. These rooms had their old carpet replaced. I’m sure that the new carpet will improve the learning environment for our teachers and students. Towards the end of Term Three, KGK started to participate in yoga lessons every Friday with Mrs Gaul who is training in yoga for young children. Each yoga session is themed based, such as the beach, garden and farm, and incorporates Values, such as respect, concentration, peace and kindness. Students have the opportunity to develop balancing skills, self-regulation, listening skills, coordination, self-awareness and their social skills. They also learn calming techniques through breathing, awareness of body parts and how to stretch correctly. KGK will continue yoga sessions this term and we may consider extending these sessions to all Kindergarten students in 2019. Upcoming events include Kindergarten Orientation, Get Reading Right sessions for staff and parents, Halloween disco, excursions, fundraisers, Grandparents’ Day, Stage Three camp, K-2 NRL Clinic, a whole School Assembly, Parliament Elections and more! Don’t forget to return your Information about your Child for 2019 note and your Intention to Return to GPK in 2019 note by Friday 2nd November 2018 which were sent home last Monday 15th October 2018. Mrs Heidi Hosking Relieving Deputy Principal

Uniform Price List Effective from 15/10/18

Item Total

Boys Blue Polo Shirts Sizes 4 - 18 17.00 Bush Hats Sizes S - M - L - XL 15.00 Caps One Size Fits All 15.00 Dresses Sizes 4, 6 & 8 45.00 Sizes 10 50.00 Sizes 12, 14 & 16 55.00 Girls Optional Pinafore Sizes 4 - 6 44.00 Sizes 8 - 10 49.00 Size 12 52.00 Sizes 14 - 16 53.00 Long Sleeve Yellow Polo Shirts Sizes 6 - 16 17.00 Sports Knit Shorts Sizes 4 - 18 17.00 Sports Polo Shirts Sizes 4 - 18 17.00 Sports Socks Boys (Size 9 - 2) Youths (Size 2 - 7) 8.00

Track Pants Sizes 4 - 14 25.00 Zip Front Jackets Sizes 6 - 14 40.00 Size 16 45.00 Library Bag 5.00 Metal Badges 3.50 Netball Sun Visor 5.00

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