Dear families,

Welcome back to Term 2, which has been somewhat damp, but never-the-less warm. It was a busy start to the term with a range of special events.

Staff joined for Professional Learning on the pupil-free day (April 29th) where we unpacked some new teaching initiatives and contextualized the learning to Karonga School. We also considered report writing and want to align with departmental policy. We will, therefore, move away from an A-E code and use these indicators of meeting ‘learning progression’ indicators.

The Anzac Day march was a great success. Bob, the Scottish bagpiper started at Room 1 and played for the school leaders as we walk past every classroom. The only expectation is that students stand as we pass by (if able to) and students may join the procession as it makes its way to the Anzac Garden. To turn and see about 40 students behind us was a great – and unexpected- sight. We stand still for a moment, wearing rosemary thinking about all the people who help us -before returning to the main building.

The Kings School Y9 boys joined us for the first of around 10-12 visits during terms 2, 3 and 4. They assisted in several classrooms and additionally in Music Therapy. Tess our therapy dog was a big hit with them, and they were full of questions by the end of the day.

School photo day can be a very stressful day- ‘come here’, ‘go there’, ‘sit’, ‘stand’, ‘smile’ etc. but it all went off very well. We could not have class photos outside as in previous years, but we used a familiar classroom and we kept everyone dry and calm. It traditionally takes around 8 weeks for the photos to be processed and issued, so please be aware that they will not be sent home until the end of the term.

We have been thrilled with the response to the KIOSK program- thank you to Liam in Room 5 who has organized this alternative to Canteen. Every class in the school has at least 1 student, and a few classes have ALL students paying the $20 to be included in the program which is run from Mini Woolies. Dipti recently attended a forum for Mini Woolies where she talked about the ways our school is promoting the shopping experience. Early days- but a great success.

In order to support visitors and new staff members orientating around the school, we had some professional signage installed this week. Check it out next time you are on-site and recommend other ways we can help you navigate our site- we are keen to always improve our school.

This week we have a film production company come to school to make a promotional video of our whole site. This limits how many visitors we have going through our school and is least disruptive to student learning. They did not take any audio recording, merely filming, but the production company were on site all day, and took footage of Music & Art Therapy, Road Crossing, Immersive & Sensory Rooms, ILC, a senior class (doing ‘academic’ work) and Junior Class (eating programs) as well as footage of an excursion, and interviews with 2 teachers and myself which will be used as voiceovers. This publicity video will be loaded onto our website so that prospective families or new staff could understand our setting and be best informed.

The annual 2-week Swim School program is going very well. It is always tiring for staff -changing/ supervising- this very intense program, but we know that it pays dividends with respect to the student’s skill-improvement. It is disruptive to regular programming which can be disconcerting to everyone (including seniors who miss their regular swim session) but it is half-way through, and it is going very well.

Ruth Rogers
Principal

What’s happening in Room 3 and 4?

The start of Term 2 has been extremely hectic in Room 3 and Room 4.
We have celebrated Sophie’s 16^th birthday. 

We have been on an incursion (to the school hall) for ten-pin bowling.

We have been exploring two dimensional shapes and learning about the letters ‘d’ and ‘o’. 

We have been using a Handy Helper to colour shapes and adapted scissors to cut out shapes.

We have also been enjoying Indigenous music and wheelchair dancing in Music therapy. In Art Therapy we have been exploring our senses.

Regards
Karen, Mariam and Barbara.

The students from Room 6 have returned from their holiday feeling refreshed and excited to delve into their studies this term. They have been working on various fascinating art projects, such as creating beautiful poppy flowers and a Mother's Day craft. They also participated enthusiastically in the school's Anzac Day assembly.

Room 6 continued to participate in the school's work experience program this term. They took on various administrative responsibilities such as distributing notes to their peers and gardening.

Room 6 enjoyed visiting the Karonga Kiosk on the Mini Woolies site.

Furthermore, the students were committed to improving their overall reading comprehension skills by regularly reading online stories and completing interactive activities based on the literature they encountered.

Regards
Dipti and Sujung.

Yarning is a way of passing on knowledge and history through story telling, and is often done between family and community members. Yarning can be having a chat, sharing feelings, and connecting with the land. We have had a wonderful time this past term learning about histories of the Indigenous peoples on the land that we work and live on through various books, stories, and activities that have promoted our connection to country. We have also been brushing up on our Dharug language and using it whenever we can.

Regards,
Montana.

Just a reminder to save the date for the Karonga Keyword Signing Course for parents on Friday 7th June.  A great opporunity to learn another skill and meet other wonderful parents in our School Community.  Keep an eye out for the email advising the payment process. 

Annual General Meeting

A reminder for all parents and carers, the P&C Annual General Meeting is scheduled for next Wednesday, the 15th May at 6.45pm. All executive positions will be vacant and available to existing members. Any new general members are always welcome.

Joining the P&C is a great way to know what is happening within the school and the wider community, and to help with the development of our school. P&C members can vote, pass motions and have a say on how we spend P&C funds on resources that enhance the wellbeing of students. The membership fee is $1 each year. New members are added to the membership register at the close of a meeting.The P&C cannot operate without a minimum number of five members attending meetings. So please help us to help our students.

P&C meetings provide a forum to discuss issues related to the school, hear from the principal and get updates on P&C activities. We meet in the PL room at 6.45pm on the third Wednesday each month during school terms. A zoom link is available for those unable to attend in-person. Meetings generally finish by 8.15pm. Everyone is welcome to attend and contribute. It is a friendly, relaxed atmosphere and if you are keen to learn more about what is happening within the school, we would love to have you along.

Regards,
Yee-Foong Stone
P&C President.