Dear families,

As we launch into Term 4, we brace ourselves for all that is planned! We had our Graduation celebration last night for the 3 graduating Y12 students (see article later on), the Epping Music Festival- where we are embraced by the local Epping primary schools in a performance at the Chatswood Concourse is due next week, and we have 2 Orientation sessions for students joining us in 2025. In addition to this, teachers are about to begin framing reports for all students, which from this semester onwards will come via School Bytes; we have Kings School students joining us for ‘service days’ and we have some end-of-term activities planned. Please keep an eye on School Bytes for any permission slips and information.

Javier has secured a permanent position at the new ASPECT school at Baulkham Hills and joins them from Week 3. I am sure you will join me in wishing him well. We are moving Michelle – our Food Tech teacher onto the class.

We had an NDIS planner out to talk with our families in a very practical way on Tuesday. We invited the current years 9, 10 and 11 so they can be mindful to apply for/plan ahead and secure necessary funding, as next year they will be years 10, 11 and 12. The planner talked about the process and gave them all tips, and Michelle B from Room 13 additionally talked about her lived experience - what she had in place and what she thought v. the reality of this pathway and what her son with complex needs currently benefits from. It was held in the library and we had 15 families represented. It was very well received, and we plan to offer it each year in Term 3, coinciding with ITP meetings.

As I conclude this newsletter entry I would like to reference World Teachers Day. I would like to recognize the amazing staff that I work alongside on a daily basis. It is they that do the hard yards and are challenged every day by our great students. They work tirelessly in the best interests of the students, and today was a day to recognize that. The non-teaching staff put on a fabulous lunch for the teachers as a gesture of appreciation for all they do with the children. It was greatly appreciated.

Warm regards,

Ruth Rogers, Principal

On Thursday 24th October, Karonga’s Year 12, 2024 students celebrated their graduation with a dinner at The Epping Club. Almost 40 guests gathered to farewell and celebrate the schooling lives of Hannah, Massa and Zena.

The night started memorably with the graduates making their big entry into the Grand Ballroom 1; Hannah and Massa thoroughly enjoyed their moment in the spotlight! Unfortunately, Zena and her family couldn’t make it due to their family commitments.
Each family was given the opportunity to speak about their student, with some special anecdotes and memories shared. The students also received their graduation photobooks from the P&C representative Leah Thompson who shared motivating words to our graduates.

After the speeches, the cake was cut by our students. We then moved onto the highlight of the evening – the disco! All our students had a turn at busting a move on the dance floor along with their peers Dakotah, Jesse and Louisa. Both Hannah and Massa performed first dance with their dads which was beautiful!

The evening was a great success and a true reflection of our students and their unique personalities. We greatly acknowledge the support of The Epping Club for all their sound and lighting expertise, which is always much appreciated. We would also like to thank all the Karonga staff and families for their help and support to celebrate such a wonderful milestone in the lives of these four young adults.

We wish Hannah, Massa and Zena all the best for the many years to come.

Until next time,
The Events Team
Karonga School

Welcome back!

Room 12 is excited for a big term to complete our busy year. We are still working on our classroom focus of life skills, communication and play skills. Our class is strong in routine and our transitioning is becoming more fluid and independent.

To start the term, we have been reading the book, ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’. The class has shown great interest in our readalouds and have been sitting beautifully to hear the story. Daniel and Nakissa have been working hard on crafts to represent the foods and animals we see in the book. Gregory and Sebastian have been doing great work using the book to enhance their counting skills. Ali and Ishan show great engagement with listening and reading our text.

For our life skills units, we are working on completing everyday activities independently. In the mornings we are working towards unpacking our bag into our own shelves and getting our class materials ready for the day. We are also learning to undertake personal care routines like toileting and changing, getting dressed, putting on our shoes, and brushing our hair. For mealtimes, the class is working on cleaning up, putting rubbish in the bin, and packing away our lunchboxes.

We have continued with our task boxes this term, and our developing fine-motor skills are starting to show. Room 12 have shown spectacular progress in completing these tasks independently and self-guiding their learning as they work through each task box.

Across the rest of the curriculum, we are learning about places around Australia, Earth and Space, numbers, measurement, famous artists, digraphs, and their sounds. A jam-packed schedule!

Room 12 has done fantastic work this year, and we are looking forward to seeing out our progress with a strong finish in Term 4.

We recognise our wonderful teachers everyday but on Friday 25th October we joined the global celebration of World Teachers Day with a lunch for our teaching staff.  Thank you for everything that you do for the students and staff you work with, happy World Teachers Day.

In my staff role as a meet & greeter for the school, I always experience kindness from the students, staff and the wider Karonga community of family's, carers and therapists.

Graduation

Leah, Lucas' mum and Vice President of the P&C spoke kind words of encouragement and congratulations to graduating students at last nights graduation dinner. The P&C wish Hannah, Massa and Zena all the best for their next chapter after Karonga.

Uniform shop

Just a reminder that the Karonga P&C updated its Uniform shop pricing as of 1st September 2024.  If you would like to order uniform items from the P&C Uniform Shop, please ensure you use the most up to date order form which can be found on the Karonga School website or request a hard copy to be sent home with your child via their communication book.

Karonga School website uniform shop link:

https://karonga-s.schools.nsw.gov.au/uniform_order_form.html 

The following program comes recommended by a Karonga School family and thought it might be suitable for other families in our school community.

 

Fun and creative outdoor activities for young people 7-17 years old.  For more information please refer to the attached flyer.

Disclaimer:

Articles published in the Community Noticeboard section of the Karonga Newsletter are provided for information for our school community only and their inclusion no way constitutes an endorsement of the product or service by Karonga School.