Weetangera Primary School Newsletter | Week 7, Term 1 2022

From Julie

Dear Families

Last week we had an excellent P&C meeting welcoming the new team and discussing the year to date. One hot topic item of conversation was COVID, the management of COVID in our school, the number of cases and the overall impact at school. I would like to share those updates with you now.

Yes, like many schools we have had our fair share of COVID cases in both the staff and student cohorts. And what are our everyday actions that are designed to support student and staff safety and wellbeing?

The following actions and reminders are in place:

As a school we are committed to the ACT ED’s response to ensuring the safety, health and wellbeing of all who work and learn at Weetangera PS.

• Ventilation: Windows must be open at least 12cm in each unit and where possible exit doorways.
• Hygiene Practices: Reminders to students to wash hands, sanitise on entry and keep themselves safe. Supplies of sanitizer are regularly replaced.
• Masks – need to be worn and worn appropriately. We do note that not as many students in the senior years are wearing masks.
• Mix of indoor/outdoor learning. Our teaching units are filled with students, it is important that throughout the course of the day classes have a mix of indoor and outdoor learning.
• Reduce floor time for students.
• Cleaning – the cleaners are following the ACT ED cleaning processes; teachers and students need to ensure they have clear access to the desk tops and surfaces they need to clean.
• Stay at home if unwell - we understand the impact of sending students home if they are sick but appreciate the efforts families are making to test children.
• Rapid Antigen Tests – the Education directorate will let us know if the RA Test dispensing process will continue until the end of Term 1.

But I hear you ask; really?? Is this what school is all about… and my answer is most definitely NO, school is about so much more.

In this newsletter and the previous two for this term you will note that classroom teachers are sharing the work of writing from their students. A cross-section of year levels is highlighted each fortnight and over the course of Semester 1 each classroom teacher will talk about, photograph and explain writing in their classroom. These snapshots of learning allow families to see the current level of learning, where their children will head to next in the development of their skills and for our older students an example of writing from kindergarten will remind you where their writing skills have begun.

Congratulations to Mademoiselle S who recently completed the Francophonie competition with the students in years 3-6. This competition celebrates the different countries around the world where French is spoken. WPS focused upon Egypt to develop and celebrate the country, traditions, geography, celebrations, and culture of Egypt that is reflective of their connection to France. The culmination was the French Market Day held last week at Alliance Francaise.

And this Thursday, 24 March all students and staff are encouraged to wear orange or their national costume. In Harmony Week wearing orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations and relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect. Thank you to Jess Yeo, Yr 3 Teacher for reminding us of this very significant week and the conversations and actions that support the principles of Harmony Day.

Tomorrow is photo day, please remember your envelopes and bring your biggest smile.

Thought for the week:

If you are not willing to learn,

No one can help you!

If you are determined to learn,

No one can stop you!

At Weetangera Primary School we aim to encourage all students to be determined and unstoppable learners

Have an excellent week

Julie Cooper

Julie

From Mel

Differentiation at Weetangera Primary School

At Weetangera Primary School, we understand that all students are individuals with different needs, interests, and levels of ability. To make sure that each of our students have the best opportunities to learn and improve, our teachers use a differentiated planning, teaching and assessment approach.

As with all schools, the Australian Curriculum guides decisions about what content students should be learning at certain stages of their development. However the Australian Curriculum is also flexible enough for teachers to be able to meet the needs of all learners.

What is differentiation? 

Differentiation is the practice of creating a school and classroom environment that caters for the individual needs of students. This does not mean that everyone has their own individual program, but it does mean that teachers understand their students and create a flexible learning program that supports all students to grow and learn.

When teachers differentiate the curriculum, they can do so across three different areas:

Content – the ideas, concepts and information presented to students. To make it more appropriate for students, content is adjusted to accommodate their different needs, abilities or levels of confidence. This might look like: the use of different books/resources/vocabulary about the same concept; audio/video recordings of instruction; the teacher working with a small group to re-teach a concept or stretch more capable learners.

Process – the way content is presented including the types of questions asked of students and the activities expected of them. It might involve varying the pace and timing of the lesson; grouping students in flexible and changing ways; asking questions in different ways; or varying the time that students are given to complete certain tasks. 

Product – the outcomes of the learning experience. Differentiation in this area might look like: offering students different ways to demonstrate their understanding; providing different ways to complete an assessment task; using rubrics; and giving students the option to work with others or individually.

Differentiation can take many forms. Depending on the needs, abilities and preferences of students at any one time, teachers may prepare learning activities that cater to the whole class, a small group, or an individual student. If students are grouped one way for maths, they may be grouped a different way for literacy, and they may be grouped completely differently for the next lesson if they demonstrate a different ability or interest for a new topic or subject. 

Differentiation means that we can meet students where they are at, within the classroom and alongside their peers. 

School Photos - 22 March

School photos will be taken next Tuesday, 22 March. Students should return their payment envelope to the school prior to this day. Please note that photos of siblings will be taken only if a payment has been made. The link to order sibling photos will close on photo day.

Preschool photos will be taken during term 2 (3 and 6 May). 

Ladybirds Update

In KRK, The Ladybirds, we have begun applying the writing strategies we have been learning during interactive writing opportunities. Interactive writing is a process where students ‘share the pen’ with the teacher. A written text is structured and composed by both students and teacher together. The purpose of interactive writing is to teach children proper writing conventions, beyond their own approximations. During the writing demonstration we highlight print concepts such as spacing, punctuation, directionality and prompt students to reread and revise sentences.

Each week the class views a non-fiction stimulus to support their writing. The Ladybirds have enjoyed learning and writing information about alligators, meerkats, sloths and turtles so far this term. The animals each week are connected to our letter-focus for the week, providing students with an opportunity to consolidate their letter-sound knowledge and letter formation. Prior to co-constructing our sentences as a class, we explore the vocabulary associated with an animal and attempt to write new words by recording the initial sound in words..

The students are continuing to use support of learning visuals to remind them of their writing goals and continue to show positive writing attitudes. We look forward to celebrating our writing journey with our family and friends at Weetangera. 

Rosie Kingelty

Wombats Update

In the Wombats classroom we have started exploring Personal Narratives in our Writing Workshops. We started our writing journey with a mentor text titled ‘The day I got a dog’. We explored the structure of a personal narrative and began generating ideas to write our own. 

To generate our ideas, we brainstormed six different important events that have happened in our lives. Some of these events included birthday parties, a family holiday, playing a sport, getting a pet and going to the Canberra Show. After we brainstormed some ideas, we chose our favourite event and broke it down into what happened first, then, next and after. In the coming weeks we will complete the rest of the writing cycle through drafting, editing, revising and publishing.

Laura Vernon and Tarnii Boland

Cockatoos Update

Here we are, already past the middle of Term 1 and the Cockatoos are really starting to fly.

In our writing classes we have been learning about the writing process of prewriting (thinking, talking, planning), drafting, revising, editing and finally publishing. We have been getting into the idea of ‘hooking a reader’ - what could the first line of a book be? How can we make a reader WANT to read our story? 

Cockatoos have been brainstorming ideas, characters and possible storylines for our stories all about ‘Bob the Taco Van Man’. Students came up with that title, how great is it?!

Character ideas such as ‘Bob’ who is the Taco Van man and ‘Gerald’ who is a bespectacled (with big, black rimmed round glasses), long bearded, shaggy haired guy who is Bob’s right hand man are manifesting. There is also ‘Not Bob’ who is a pesky Sombrero wearing, curly moustached customer. 

Students have thought about a range of cool settings for their stories to play out; places like Mexico, San Diego, the park, the lake and ‘down the road’.

Here are a couple of fabulous samples, with great hook lines:

“Tacos, YUM!!!” said Eve, as she and her friend Henry got tacos. They love tacos so much. ‘“Mmm,” said Henry. “Aaahh,” said Eve.

Ananya

Join Bob as he gives out the tacos to the children. As the kids eat them up, one of them says: “I like it, can I have another one please? They are so yummy, please can I?…I love them, please? Please can I?”

Parvati

 We can’t wait to see how these stories turn out. 

It has been a real treat to see and hear students coming up with some fabulous and unique ideas, but you’ll have to wait to see the end result which is going to be fabulous and fun.

Rhonda King

Piranhas Update

The Year 3 cohort have been exploring procedural texts and their structures for the past four weeks. We have been examining what makes an effective instruction, narrowing in on the specifics needed to help the reader understand what to do.  

The Piranhas worked together to create a recipe for Fairy Bread. We broke down the structure of our text from the title to the outcome and analysed what additional information needed to be recorded so that the end result was the true Aussie snack.  Logan was our class scribe, and he did a great job recording our instructions as Jess made the fairy bread. There were a few laughs when Jess put the sealed bag of 100s and 1000s on the buttered bread but it made the class remember that we had to be specific; we needed to neatly sprinkle a flat teaspoon of 100s and 1000s on the buttered bread, not just “put them on”! 

Writing the fairy bread recipe collaboratively has helped the Piranhas recognise the importance of revision. We are applying revision to our own sandwich recipes which include mouth-watering options such as Aali’s Chip Sandwich, Fergus’ Cheeseburger, Nell’s Super Sandwich and Vincent’s Most Delicious Sandwich. 

Jessica Yeo

Gangsta Grannies Update

This term in year four we are focussing on imaginative writing. We are implementing the Seven Steps to Writing Success in order to enhance our writing. Each of the Seven Steps allows us to really understand what is needed to create a successful story.
Our focus for the past two weeks has been on creating a ‘Sizzling Start’. As an author, we only have 7 seconds to grab the reader’s attention! Within those 7 seconds, we must capture the readers curiosity to allow them to want to continue reading. A challenge! But we love a challenge in our class!

We looked at familiar texts such as ‘Rowan of Rin’, ‘Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day’, and ‘The Isle of Illusion’ as examples of a sizzling start. By analysing these beginnings, we have learned that there are three different ways to begin a sizzling start: to start with the action, to set the scene, or to begin with a moment of change. During our writer’s workshops, we have explored each of the three sizzling start options and decided upon the beginning that each of us liked best. We then began to write our sizzling start for our own individual stories.

Through class discussions, feedback and individual conferencing, we reflected on our story beginnings. Some of us realised that we did not include enough description about the setting or characters, or we needed to include more action that related to the story.
After reflecting, we adapted our sizzling starts to include those idea changes. After comparing our first try to our adapted version, we saw that our sizzling starts were much more ‘sizzling’!

Please have a look at some of the incredible sizzling starts that the Gangsters have written!

Madeleine Scott

K9s Update

In the year 5/6 K9s the students have been working hard to establish their writer’s notebooks as a part of our writing classroom. A writer's notebook is a tool students use to record the things they notice, observe, and think about. It creates a place for students to save their words—in the form of a memory, a reflection, a list, a rambling of thoughts, a sketch, or even a scrap of print taped on the page.

The notebook is used as a way to encourage young writers to value writing. It is a place they can plant ‘seeds’ which can be called upon later for a longer writing project. It urges the revisiting and rereading of ‘a phrase, a paragraph, a page’ which might be expanded and developed at a later time.

Some ideas the students have explored for developing a seed include:

• observations of the things happening around them
• descriptions of people and places important in their lives
• wonderings
• family stories, hobbies and other passions

This generation of ideas within the writer’s notebook is only the beginning of the writing journey this year. As we move into Term Two a process to support the elaboration of the ‘seeds’ which might become a more detailed plan, a draft or a published text will be established. Stay tuned as it is exciting times in the 5/6 K9’s.

Kate De Mey

Harmony Week 2022

This year Harmony Week is being celebrated from Monday 21^st March to Sunday 27h March. Harmony Week is a way for us to recognise the diversity in our community and includes the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

On Thursday 24^th March we ask that staff and students wear orange or clothing that represents their cultural background. Please make sure these clothes are sun safe and appropriate for school. Orange signifies social communication and meaningful conversations and relates to the freedom of ideas and encouragement of mutual respect.

Did you know?

• Apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Tagalog/Filipino, Hindi, Spanish and Punjabi.
• More than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken in Australia.
• 85 per cent of Australians agree multiculturalism has been good for Australia.
• Since 1945, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia.
• We identify with over 300 ancestries.
• Nearly half (49 per cent) of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was.

Community Notices

The Belconnen Cats Junior Australian Football Club is a community focused club aimed at providing a safe and encouraging environment for children of all ages to learn and enjoy the spirit of sport and the skills of AFL.

Come play with the Belconnen Cats in 2022. Develop skills, coordination and teamwork while having fun with your mates.

Registrations now open for age groups 5 to 18 years.

www.belconnencatsafl.com.au

Season costs:

Auskick Rookie: (5-6): Cost $85 (born 2016, 2017) 

Auskick Pro (7-8): Cost $105 (born 2014, 2015)                           

 Junior: under 9s (born in 2013) to under 18s (born 2004) Cost $180; discount for siblings

Open Day: Sunday 20 March 2022; Giralang Primary School, Canopus Cres 10.00 am – 12.00 pm