Dear families,

What a pleasure it was to chat to so many of you at our recent Harmony Day lunch. As a multi-cultural school, students dressed in traditional clothing was such a pleasure to see and celebrate. This annual Term 1 event is always well attended, and we had a great turnout.

The Kings boys were as helpful as ever. They arrived at 11.10am and helped to set up the chairs to the tables, put on tablecloths, and heated the food. Some of these Y9 students acted as porters during the event, but the majority were ferrying food to the hall, preparing food for serving, helping students to choose from a range of foods and collecting, tidying and clearing away as families finished eating. Without the Kings boys clearing up and wiping chairs at the end of the event our staff and cleaners would have been overwhelmed with the mass clear up- evidence of a great partnership working to benefit our students and families.

As we finish the month of March, we are pleased to have our bathrooms from Rooms 11 and 12 handed back to us. Building work is always hard to manage while school is ‘operational’ but staff and students have been very tolerant and we now have great modern facilities for our students. Do ask to see them in Term 3 when we open our classrooms for Education Week.

Two classes recently attended an Amber Lawrence concert in St Ives. We had paid for her to sing and entertain our students in the school hall in Term 4 2024 and it was a great success. It was a pleasure to see photographs of the concert, and the joy on the student’s faces. Music really does speak fundamentally to many of our students, and we really appreciate the P&C funding Music Therapy each year -for all classes.

We are currently reviewing and submitting data around the NCCD (Nationally Consistent Collection of Data). For more (translated) information about this please refer to the link below:

We have some SLSO positions (School Learning Support Officer) available at school if you know of carers or family members who are looking for a career in special education and have some understanding of the skill set needed. Check out ‘I work for NSW’ in the coming weeks.

With warm regards,
Ruth Rogers, Principal

Welcome to Room 1. Sandya is our SLSO and Megan is the classroom teacher. We are excited to share the wonderful learning experiences which have been taking place across the term. The students have been diving deep into their learning and have shown enthusiasm.

In our science and art lessons, students have been exploring materials. They have engaged in hands-on activities, including making paper! This was a step-by-step process, and all the children have created their own.

In PDHPE, we have been lucky enough to go on community access to the park. The aim is to provide students with practical skills, knowledge, understanding, values and attitudes needed for confident and successful transition to participation and independence in the community.

This term, we have been taking part in a cricket program. This has helped with our hand-eye coordination, and we are gaining confidence holding a cricket bat. We love throwing and catching in Room 1!

As well as cricket, we have also been having two sessions a week in the gym! The children can choose which equipment they would like to go on if they are safe when doing so. It’s a fantastic way to let out some energy and a great way to stay fit and healthy.

Megan & Sandiya

What a crazy start to the year!  The students in Room 4 have been incredibly busy with a range of activities across the curriculum.

Elijah has enjoyed using pre-recorded buttons to communicate and he is making outstanding progress with this skill.  He also learned how to make paper in Art Therapy and regularly enjoys a foot spa.

Each Friday, Yeting also enjoys a foot spa.  It’s a girl’s life! She has continued to show a keen interest in Literacy activities. Yeting has been participating in our cricket program this term and really enjoys this activity.

We would like to welcome Futa to our school.  Futa is in kindergarten this year and is really enjoying school. Some of his highlights so far include: The liberty swing, swimming and Harmony Day lunch.

On Harmony Day, Brendan dropped in to hang out with his class peers, and we were so excited to see him. Throughout the term Brendan has continued to complete literacy and numeracy activities at home.

Warm regards,
Karen, Pam & Nicky

Every morning, students in Room 7 embark on a walk around the school oval. During this time, we discuss the weather and practice essential life skills, such as following instructions and staying together as a group. It also provides an excellent opportunity for our student leaders to step up! Oscar and William have taken on the responsibility of leading our walks, while Arik ensures that all gates are securely closed, keeping everyone safe and accounted for.

Inside the classroom, our students are actively engaged in their studies. In English, we focus on our "Letter of the Week" activities, enhancing literacy skills in a fun and interactive manner. In Maths, we are developing an understanding of the concepts of heavy and light, building strong foundations in measurement.

On Thursday mornings, Room 7 enjoys a fun and active cricket workshop. Students are developing their skills in various aspects of the game: Tarnae is fine-tuning his bowling techniques, while Oscar, William, and Jordan are working on improving their batting. Adam and Arik are sharpening their fielding abilities.

During gym sessions, William likes to walk on the treadmill, while Tarnae prefers the cycling bike.

Jordan enjoys cutting and peeling ingredients during our cooking lessons, while Oscar and William handle the washing and cleaning up. Adam and Arik are especially curious about exploring the textures and smells of the food. In music lessons, Room 7 students love trying out different instruments, making these lessons a sensory delight for everyone involved.

Recently, we celebrated Harmony Day with a fantastic event where students, families, and friends came together to enjoy delicious food from various cultures. It served as a beautiful reminder of the importance of diversity, respect, and unity, providing a fun way to learn more about different traditions and customs.

As we continue to progress through the year, Room 7 is excited to embrace even more opportunities for learning, teamwork, and personal growth. We look forward to sharing many more updates as we continue our journey!

Stay tuned for more news from Room 7!

Kind regards,
Dipti & Kerrie

Room 13 have had an interesting start to the year. For the first few weeks, we spent our days in the Technology room due to renovations happening with our class bathroom. When the bathroom was finished, we were able to move into our classroom. This experience has helped us learn about change.  

At the beginning of term 1, room 13 we’re lucky enough to have gone sailing. We really enjoyed the experience, especially steering the boat and going under the Harbour Bridge.

We have been learning how to listen, walk and wait as a group while on our daily walks around the oval. On our walks we have seen the school bees and practiced walking across the road crossing. Paige and Steven are looking at the bees in their hive. Jedi, Genesis and Gregory are pressing the button so we can cross the lights. 

We have only had a few sessions of music this term, but we have found that we really enjoy the time in the music room. Our new music therapist, Natalie has been a favourite, singing songs and playing the guitar. Jedi is choosing a song for us to sing, play to. Paige and Steven are watching Natalie playing the guitar. Gregory is dancing to the music while Noah and Genesis are playing the drum and tambourine.  

During art, we have been using sensory products like shaving cream and making paper. Paige showed enjoyment mixing the shredded paper.  Steven and Jedi mixed colours into the shaving cream.

The cricket program we have been a part of this term, has let us learn how to throw balls, hit balls with a bat and knock down the wickets. Gregory is hitting the wicket with the ball, Noah are hitting the ball with Barbara’s help. Paige is throwing the ball to one of the cricket volunteers and Jedi is pushing the ball down the slide.

During our time in the classroom we use different devices to communicate, complete different activities especially cut and paste activities and enjoy hands on activities. Steven, Paige and Noah are using classroom objects to find the mass of the objects. Jedi is looking at magnetic alphabet letters while Gregory is tracing the number 10.

Every Wednesday we get to go shopping at the Kiosk. We look at pictures and the students choose what they want. Paige is using the card to purchase their items. Gregory is choosing the drink he wants from the fridge.

Until next time,

Lowenna, Barbara and Room 13.

The students at Karonga School are excited because they’ve been learning Key Word Signs for songs they will perform at the Chatswood Concourse Theatre during the Epping Music Festival. We’re improving with each practice session. We rehearse once a week during break times on the stage in the hall. The Signing Choir is led by Ruth, Emma, and Kamal.

This year, we had the opportunity to perform at the Seniors Week morning tea at The Epping Club. Attached are some photos highlighting the wonderful activities we've been involved in!

Each year, our Signing Choir continues to gain popularity among local schools and community. We are incredibly proud of all our students. A big thank you to all the parents and carers who have supported us each year. It’s always one of the most special evenings that our students look forward to. We can’t wait to perform again this year!

Until next time,

On behalf of Karonga Performing Arts Team

Farhan, our Junior School Leader, had a lesson on how to put the flags up at school with our Deputy Principal, Murray.  He learnt that the process of raising the Australian, the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander flags involves protocol and respect. 

Karonga P&C Annual General Meeting (AGM) Update

We are pleased to announce that the Karonga P&C Annual General Meeting (AGM) was successfully held on Wednesday, 19th March. We are also excited to share that the same dedicated committee members will be continuing in their roles for the upcoming year.

President: Yee-Foong Stone 

Vice President: Leah Thompson 

Secretary: Karen Tanti 

Thank you to those who attended and supported the meeting. Our next P&C meeting will be in May, given the school holidays in April. New general members are welcomed to join at any time. 

Uniform Shop

A reminder that we are out of stock or running low of some uniform items. An order has been placed with the manufacturer but some sizes are not expected until May. 

If you would like to check what we have in stock before placing an order and paying, please contact us at karongapc@gmail.com

Yee-Foong Stone
Karonga P&C President

Each week in Christian SRE we go through a visual routine with music, remembering God's love for us, prayer, stories and a craft activity. In these photos we are using scarves during our hello song and remembering God's great love for us with our heart card.

Kelly Aston