Dear families,

Swim School concluded at the end of Week 3, and it was truly a great experience. Students were so eager to get into the pool every day, that it was quite a shock when students only had their regular 1-hour slot this past week. Referencing swimming, we are pleased to welcome Roselea support unit to our site to use the pool once a week from week 4. They were struggling to find a pool in the vicinity which was available and met all their needs (including the warm temperatures). It is our pleasure to share our pool and makes us appreciate what an amazing facility it is.

The P&C had a positive attendance at the AGM, followed by a regular meeting. Please consider coming along to be involved and be better informed about all that Karonga does. Yee Foong, the president, can also provide Zoom links to those who can join us remotely.

Filming for the new publicity video went very well, and we await a final version from them to showcase our school for prospective families. They did interviews with staff, and filmed students using the Immersive Classroom, Mini-Woolies, the road crossing, music/ art therapy and the pool. Alongside some great ‘learning’ shots, I am hopeful that the end product will highlight the great teaching and learning programs evident at the school on a daily basis.

We had further opportunity this week to highlight our great students when the Telegraph newspaper came to our school to run a feature on our road crossing. This facility has certainly garnered a lot of interest, and we even had a couple of parents attend who were happy to be interviewed. Look out for this great exposure! We really are so proud of our students and our little school.

Health concerns: We all care about the welfare of the students at Karonga. We know that you need to feel that your child attends in as safe a space as possible, and staff at Karonga are concerned about the significant health concerns associated with many of our students.
I have taken advice from NSW Health around 2 ‘relatively common’ children’s complaints and we need to tighten our practice around these factors going forward:
Gastroenteritis- Children should not attend childcare or school until 48 hours after they no longer have symptoms (diarrhoea and vomiting).

Additionally, no swimming for 7 days following a bout of diarrhoea or vomiting.

https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/viral-gastroenteritis.aspx

Gastroenteritis https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/viral-gastroenteritis.aspx

Green mucus/ discharge from the nose- If you are sick with flu, stay at home and avoid close contact with other people. Keep sick children away from school and other activities. To avoid infecting others, stay at home for at least 24 hours after your fever has resolved and until you are feeling well. This is especially important if you visit people at higher risk of severe illness, including pregnant women, infants, older people and people in hospital, residential aged or disability care.
Influenza fact sheet - Fact sheets (nsw.gov.au)

Influenza fact sheet https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/factsheets/Pages/influenza_factsheet.aspx

Please understand that when our office calls for you to collect your child due to sickness, there is nothing personal about this: we are following guidelines from NSW Health Service.

Ruth Rogers
Principal

The students in Room 1 have settled back into routine following the recent holidays.
Weekly visits to mini- Woolworths is a highlight of the week. William always chooses Oreo’s, while Arik selects a different drink each week. Last week he chose strawberry milk.
During Week 2, students had a great time making Mother’s Day cards and hand cream. They whipped coconut cream with the electric mixer and added essential oils. Anita and Sidney particularly engaged with the activity.
Following the recent wet weather, students have fully embraced being in the fresh air and sunshine during the breaks. Oras has demonstrated leadership skills by sharing playground equipment with Thomas from Room 13.
Students are always engaged in classroom learning. Ria and Shuyang are particularly enjoying ten frames lessons during numeracy time.
Until next time,
Megan and Sandya.

The students in Room 7 are engaged in a range of activities to support growth and development across all key learning areas. All of our programs are up and running and we are having an awesome time, walking, swimming and doing deskwork. Room 7 like completing a range of “Letter of the Week” activities as part of our literacy program. The students also immersed themselves in diverse activities this term through swim school, art and music therapy programs. Our new routines are becoming easier to remember and we are participating more and more as the year is progressing. We are all looking forward to all the new and exciting things that we will be doing. Keep up the great work! Well done!

Regards
Kelly and Kerrie.

The primary school section of the Karonga School enjoyed listening to the National Simultaneous Storytime at school on Wednesday.

The National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) is held annually by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). Every year a picture book, written and illustrated by an Australian author and illustrator, is read simultaneously in libraries, schools, pre-schools, childcare centres, family homes, bookshops and many other places around the country. Now in its 24th successful year, it is a colourful, vibrant, fun event that aims to promote the value of reading and literacy, using an Australian children's book that explores age-appropriate themes, and addresses key learning areas of the National Curriculum for Foundation to Year 6.

Rooms 7, 8, 11, 12 and 13 listened to the story Bowerbird Blues by Aura Parker and discovered that Bowerbirds like to collect blue items. The story was interesting and had a surprise ending that we didn’t expect. After listening to the story, each class coloured, cut, glued and made collages using blue items. Here are some photos of some of the children.
If you would like to listen to the book at home with your children you can access it via the link below or access the ALIA information page.

Regards
Lowenna

We have had some new participants join us in the gym on Wednesdays. Lucas, James, and Hannah have been attending Let’s Get Fit and are enjoying trying all the equipment to find a favourite. Chris has been building up his endurance on the treadmill and his strength with the weighted balls. Yousif has been trying a variety of cardio equipment, but especially likes the bikes, and Massa’s favourite activity is the rowing machine.
Each student now has a gym membership card that they swipe as they enter the gym. This gives the students an authentic experience of belonging to a gym in the community. They are also learning to wipe down the machines after use and bring their own drink bottles to the gym.
We have recently had some new equipment delivered, an elliptical, and a hand cycle. These machines will enable more students to access the gym and we can’t wait to try them out! We are also lucky to have our personal trainer, Michelle, visit on Mondays. Michelle works with several classes to make sure we are using the correct technique and staying safe in the gym- one of our PBL values. We are looking forward to seeing the progress that is made by all the students.

Regards
Emma and Craig.

Just a reminder to save the date for the Karonga Keyword Signing Course for parents on Friday 7th June. A great opportunity to learn another skill and meet other wonderful parents in our school community.

Please RSVP by Friday 31st May.

If you are interested in attending please make a payment for the event via the link below and/or return the completed flyer.

https://portal.schoolbytes.education/other-payment/977

Select "Add Item"

Select the check box next to "Key Word Sign Parent Workshop"
Select the "Add Item" button again
Enter the amount you need to pay
Select "Pay Now"
Fill out the details on the next page and then select "Pay"
You will be taken to the credit card page which should be pretty simple to navigate.

If you require any assistance or have any questions, please contact the school office by email or by phone on 9868 1920.

Please note the next P&C Meeting will be held on Wednesday 19th June 2024 at 6.45pm in the PL Room.

All are welcome to attend.

Regards,
Yee-Foong Stone
P&C President.