Shell Cove Public School Newsletter Care for yourself, others and our school Ph: 42 972 247

shellcove-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au @ shellcovepublicschool

Dear Parents/Carers

Parent Surveys

A big thank you to all the parents who provided feedback about our school through the online survey. This was an important opportunity to hear from all members of the community and to actually implement positive change.

Overall, most parents felt their child was safe and happy at school. Children are making good progress and are well looked after by staff. The areas identified for the school to improve in are: homework, environmental education and well-being. All of these will be reviewed this year and new strategies shared with all stakeholders in the school.

Parent workshops were also identified as a way to strengthen links with the parents/carers within the school and I am pleased to announce there are plans in place for these beginning Term 2.

We acknowledge that at Shell Cove we do have staff movement as we encourage professional growth and are very proud of our outstanding mentoring and professional development programs available to all staff. Many teachers have left the school due to promotion or for personal reasons and the schools ability to maintain such a high educational standard with the new replacements is a credit to all the members of my leadership team.

I strongly agree with the majority of parents who feel that this is an excellent school. An opinion which is shared by all staff and a significant number of other schools.

Easter Hat Parade Reminder

We hope you can join us for the 2019 Easter Hat parade on Friday 12th April. The parade will follow the whole school assembly and will be a great way to finish a huge term! The P & C will conduct their annual raffle following the parade and there are always lots of great hampers to be won!

Anzac Assembly at school

This year ANZAC day will fall during the holidays and so the school will commemorate this important day on Thursday 11th April at 10:15am. It is an important day in the Australian calendar and is always an excellent opportunity to see how respectful our students behave during such an important assembly. We welcome any parents/carers who would like to join us. We also say thank you to any service men and women who help protect this amazing country. Photographs from the ceremony are further down in the newsletter.

Term 1 Week 11

2019

School holiday dates

Thank you all for a wonderful start to the year. The students have definitely earnt a holiday break (so to have the teachers and office ladies). If you are travelling, we hope you return safely. Have a fantastic break (no pun intended) and enjoy this amazing area!

The last day of Term 1 is: Friday 12th April.

Students return for Term 2: Tuesday 30th April.

Simon Webb PRINCIPAL

Congratulations Cianna

A few weeks ago Cianna 5B successfully auditioned for the Southern Stars Performing Company. The audition process is very competitive and gruelling. As part of the company she will also be performing in the Illawarra Dance Festival at the IPAC in May. Cianna is very excited to be representing Shell Cove Public School and we wish her all the best. Last November the New York Dance Project, which is a professional classical and contemporary dance company, held auditions in Australia. Cianna participated in an audition and was selected for the New York Dance Project Summer Intensives in New York City. She will fly to New York in July to dance full time (9am-5pm each day) for 2 weeks in the contemporary stream. Cianna is an extremely dedicated dancer. We are so proud of her.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Monday 29 April Staff Development Day Tuesday 30 April First Day for students Term 2 INNOVATION CENTRE Grand Opening from 2pm – Parents and Friends

Welcome Friday 3 May South Coast Rugby League Trials Wednesday 8 May Mother’s Day Stall Thursday 9 May PSSA Netball v Mt Terry Friday 10 May District Cross Country Primary Assembly 9.15am Tuesday 14 May NAPLAN Wednesday 15 May NAPLAN Thursday 16 May NAPLAN Friday 17 May Walk Safely to School Day Friday Fun Morning Thursday 30 May Young Einstein Day

Playground Committee

Congratulations to the students who have been selected by their classmates to be representatives on our playground committee.

Early next term, these students will participate in a 1.5 - 2 hour student design workshop with a professional playground designer from Urban Landscape Projects.

The designs recently submitted by our parents and students (as part of our 'design your own playground' opportunity) and the original footprint (designed by Belinda Margetts), will be used together with the playground committees ideas when finalising this project.

We look forward to 'breaking ground' very soon.

https://www.ulp.com.au/ Kind regards Alliera Carroll

Anzac Day Ceremony

Innovation Centre

The Innovation Centre has been created to foster an inclusive and collaborative learning approach where students can work cohesively in an environment that facilitates future learning activities. This is a unique space a future focused learning environment.

Future-focused learning prepares students across all curriculum areas and learning stages with the skills and capabilities to thrive in a rapidly changing and interconnected world. It connect students and engages their sense of curiosity.

This type of environment inspires students to be leaders of their own learning. Students more easily collaborate and use critical and creative thinking to solve complex problems and become mindful global citizens.

Technology and STEM based lessons actively engage students in authentic learning experiences that foster innovation, critical and creative thinking, information and communication technology skills and creativity. Shell Cove has taken steps to ensure that our students are given every opportunity to be prepared for what lies ahead in a rapidly changing world. Shell Cove has been fortunate enough to purchase various types of technology so that students from K-6 can learn to code as well as design and make products with robots to solve real world problems. This term we have been focusing on solving the drought problem by designing innovative solutions to assist our farmers. Next term we have STEM Share - Virtual Reality Kits prepared and ready for students to explore the planets in our Solar System.

In the Innovation Centre students will be integrating STEM technologies into unimagined contexts and learning opportunities. With innovative technologies at their fingertips, the students at Shell Cove Public School can design, build and test prototypes to help create the future of their dreams – who knows, even the most outlandish ideas may just work!

Young Einstein Day 2019 Save the Date 30.5.19

All Shell Cove Students, Kindergarten to Year 6, have been lucky enough to be chosen to participate in the annual University of Wollongong (UOW) Young Einstein Science Day.

The Young Einstein Science Day is the longest running science day in the Illawarra and is now in its 13th year. This day involves 280 Primary or Master of Teachings students from University of Wollongong experimenting and modelling a huge range of science activities such as air rockets, balloons, kitchen chemistry, volcanos, and invisible ink and lava lamps. Shell Cove students will be participating in these experiments with supervision from Shell Cove Teachers. We are looking forward to hosting this day of learning with University students for the first time.

This event will take place during the normal school day and be held from 10am-1pm on Thursday 30th of May.

7 DAY FREE TRIAL

Please contact Kellie for further information. New enrolments welcome.

0434 700 816 or 4257 8787

www.idancepastudios.com 106a Industrial Road, Oak Flats

Wishing all families a Happy Easter