As we approach the long weekend, the weather has truly turned colder and the weather less predictable. Please send your children to school in layers wherever possible, as we use heating in the classrooms, but playgrounds can be chilly!

Reports are being written over these mid-term weeks, and will go out in the last week. This is a great opportunity to celebrate the achievement of student learning outcomes and share the work going on in classrooms.

Over this past 2 weeks families of our senior students have been encouraged to attend the North Sydney Transition Expo and learn about opportunities our students have on leaving Karonga School. Chatswood Concourse acts as a forum for the various service providers to have ‘stands’ and offer flyers/ leaflets and information about services in different suburbs and the range of activities offered. This was complemented by a bus trip supported by the P & C where senior parents visited 3 post-school providers in our locality. Each year different providers are visited so that parents of Year 12 students should be better informed about their options and advocate for their young person. This year they visited Achieve Australia in Epping, the Endeavour Foundation in Castle Hill and Flintwood, also in Castle Hill.

Just this week, the students at Karonga practiced a ‘lockdown’ drill so that in an emergency situation they would know what to do and be better prepared in knowing what to expect. The students were very mature in coping with the change to their routine!

We are so pleased that a group of parents have taken it upon themselves to meet during school hours at least twice a term to support each other. They have called themselves ‘Better Time’ and they would love to extend a warm welcome to any other parents to meet in coffee shops, or here at Karonga in the PL room to chat over a cup of tea and share tips. They are already 6 parents strong, and include an ex-parent, which is terrific support. They are also considering meeting at school in the holidays so that the children can play safely in Maxi’s while they have tea. Contact the school office with your details if you would like ‘Better Time’ to include you in their group and we will pass them on.

Ruth Rogers
Relieving Principal, Karonga

The Department of Education’s School Swimming and Water Safety Program took place in weeks 2 and 3 of this Term. This program is available free of charge to primary school aged students.

It is an intensive learn to swim program which aims to develop water confidence and provides students with basic skills in water safety and survival.

Once again, our students enjoyed the daily opportunity to develop their swimming skills and made important gains in confidence and water safety. A certificate of achievement with details of skill acquisition and progression will be distributed to families with each students Semester 1 report.

Janelle Simpson-Goodwin, Assistant Principal

This semester in Library, the Junior school have been looking at different types of farm animals and the produce that they provide for us. We have looked at many different animals: cows, rabbits, chickens and pigs to name a few.

Phoebe, Aria and Geonwoo showed us their best impersonation of a rabbit, Jayden looked at information about pigs and Brendon looked at chickens and the difference between a farm animal and a jungle animal.  Ruby and Phoebe tried to work out what produce came from a chicken.