Dear families,

We had an incredible response to the generous offer from Futa’s brother, a professional barber, who kindly volunteered to give haircuts to students. Over half the school expressed interest – a fantastic uptake!

This is a one-off experience that we hope brings a bit of fun and connection for the students, and the gratitude from parents has already made it all feel worthwhile.

Soa visited the school on Monday, and Sally (Matty’s mum) came out on Thursday & Friday. To help things run smoothly, we arranged for an SLSO (School Learning Support Officer) to assist in keeping students calm and engaged. We’ve also stocked up on microwave popcorn and had iPads on hand for entertainment while students waited their turn.

We recently appointed two School Learning Support Officers to permanent positions, but the third position will go back to advert on June 27^th, so if you know of anyone who has the skills, drive and aptitude to work in the Karonga team do let them know. Prompt prospective SLSO’s to check out the advert when it comes out through the ‘iworkfor.nsw.gov.au’ site.

At the next P&C meeting on Wednesday 18th June.  I will talk specifically about learning over the last 5 years, and what the next school plan will look like. 

A reminder that all schools are closed on Monday June 9^th as it is a public holiday. We look forward to seeing your children back on Tuesday June 10^th.

With warm regards,
Ruth Rogers, Principal

Dear Parents & Carers,

The second NSW School Vaccination Program Clinic will be held at Karonga on Tuesday 1st July 2025.

The following vaccines are offered free of charge from NSW Health to all students at NSW Department of Education schools.

Vaccinations will only be provided at school if consent has been received by NSW Health via their website. To provide consent for vaccination online, parents/carers will need:

1. ServiceNSW log-in details, or if you don’t already have one - create an account with ServiceNSW, and

2. Medicare details for parents/carers and child.

The link to online consent is: https://engage.health.nsw.gov.au/engage. (attached below):

Benefits of online consent for parents/carers:

• receive SMS notifications when vaccinations are given
• easy updating of their child’s details online
• faster upload of their child’s vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR).

No Medicare? If you or your child do not have a Medicare card or you don’t have I.T. access, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper-based consent form directly from the school.

If you would like more information on the NSW School Vaccination Program, please refer to the following link.

Kind regards,
Ruth Rogers, Principal, Karonga School

What's happening in Room 4?

This term has been extremely busy in Room 4.  We have continued to work on our communication programs, and we are making amazing progress.  Futa and Brendan are learning to use their eye gaze devices to say hello each morning while the other students are using pre-recorded buttons.

We have also had a long-extended visit from Elmo. The students enjoy using a switch to make him talk and giggle.

Each Thursday we participate in hydrotherapy and physiotherapy with Di.  Although Thursdays are extremely busy and exhausting, we all have so much fun!

We also went sailing a few weeks ago.  Unfortunately, it was too windy to go out onto the harbour, but we had fun on board. Have at look at what our teachers and Brendan’s mum got up to!!!

Warm regards,
Karen, Pam & Nicky

We’re excited to share that the front of Room 14 has received a vibrant new makeover! The area has been transformed with the addition of brand-new Sensory Pods equipment and soft fall flooring, creating an engaging and safe outdoor environment for all students. This updated space supports both regulation and movement-based learning, which are essential parts of our daily routine.

Students have continued participating in our gym program, with a focus on transitioning calmly to and from the gym. However, due to frequent rainy weather, we’ve often implemented a rainy-day program instead. During these sessions, we've focused on Karonga’s Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL) values: Kind, Safe, and Learn. Room 14 students have explored how to show kindness to themselves and others in different areas of the school. We've also discussed what it means for Karonga to be a safe space and how that looks in the classroom, gym, and garden. Students have also discovered new ways to learn in different places around the school. We have consolidated our learning of PBL words by making them into different art displays that we hang around the classroom to remind ourselves everyday of what it means to be Kind, Safe and Learn.

Music continues to be a valuable self-regulation tool in Room 14, especially interactive music experiences. We were thrilled to receive a donated keyboard from our music therapist, Natalie, which students enjoy playing on as well as listening to staff play their favourite songs ('Happy Birthday' and 'Baby Shark' seem to be the top two!). This term, we've also started using an interactive "cause and effect" music program on the smartboard. Students can choose themed music and use touch controls to stop and start it, promoting independence and fun.

In Science, we’ve been learning about the Solar System focusing on the order of the planets, as well as the movement of the sun and moon and how they influence our daily routines. Each student has contributed to a beautiful classroom display of the planets, colouring one of their own.

As part of our history unit, we recently read ‘You and Me Murrawee’, a touching story offering an Indigenous perspective. This week, we’ll be using a variety of art materials to reflect on what we’ve learned from the story.

We are proud of the progress each student is making and look forward to more exciting learning experiences in the weeks ahead!

Until next time,

Room 14 staff and students

The Yarning Circles Club meets each Friday. We learn about Aboriginal languages, histories, and cultures through stories, songs, and creating artworks.

This term we are going to create a sensory story to the book ‘Colours of Australia’ by Bronwyn Bancroft. We are going to find item to help tell the story that engage all of the senses such as things to smell, touch, and listen to.

We love being able to go outside and learn on country, unfortunately, the weather has not been too good lately, but we hope that we will get outside again soon. When we learn outside, we collect items from nature to help us tell stories and make artworks.

We hope to share our sensory story with you all soon!

Farhan and his friends playing safely on the equipment in the playground.

Next P&C Meeting

Just a reminder, the next P&C meeting is scheduled for Wednesday evening 18th June.  It will be held in the Principal’s office commencing at 6.45pm. Anyone is welcome to join in person or online. Please send expressions of interest to karongapc@gmail.com

Uniform Shop Stocktake – Order Processing Delays

The Karonga School Uniform Shop is currently undergoing a stocktake. During this time, order processing will be slower than usual. We appreciate your patience and understanding while we complete this important task.

Thank you for your continued support.

To the delight of staff, Tess popped in for a quick visit on Friday afternoon before heading off on a weekend getaway.... retirement certainly agrees with her.