Hill Street News

 A Connected, Creative, Caring Learning Community. 

Term 3 Week 2

Acknowledgement of Country 

We would like to pay respect and acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land and pay respect to Elders both past and present and future.

Welcome back to Term 3! We hope you had a fabulous break and enjoyed some relaxing time with family and friends. Welcome to all of our new families! 

On School Development Day, Belmore South Public School and Lakemba Public School joined our staff at MHPS to celebrate learning achievements, develop knowledge of data driven practice and share strategies to improve student outcomes. 

We are really looking forward to a term where there are so many fabulous events: Education Week, Book Week, DanceSport gala, the Athletics Carnival and so much more!

Sadly, we are experiencing another wave of COVID 19 with a peak expected in about two weeks. Please refer to the communication sent when students returned on their first day back. This communication outlines the Department of Education’s COVID-smart measures. Please make sure you have downloaded the free School enews app, selected McCallums Hill PS and enabled push notifications, so that you have the most recent information about all things at MHPS. We have been asked to review planned events over the next few weeks given the COVID resurgence. In light of this, we will be reviewing the items planned for Education Week and you will be notified if there are any changes to our program.

Influenza is spread from person to person through the coughing and sneezing of infected people. Remind your child/children about these good hygiene practices to minimise the spread of infection: 

• Anyone who is sick with influenza should stay at home until their symptoms are gone 

• Cover their nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw the tissue in the garbage bin after use

 • Wash hands often with soap and water especially after coughing or sneezing. Alcohol-based sanitiser is also effective 

• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth – germs spread that way 

If your child develops an influenza-like illness, please seek the advice of a doctor. 

Unfortunately wet weather and the grounds being closed prevented us from having our K-6 Athletics Carnival on Thursday 21 July. The new date for our carnival is Wednesday 21 September 2022. Our Sports In Schools Australia (SISA) team have kindly organised opportunities at school so that students can be chosen to represent the school at the Zone carnival.

Our greatest thanks to Mrs Labos who organised a wonderful Spelling Bee competition for our students. We have so many great spellers at our school! Congratulations to all participants. We wish Shreeya and Annabelle all the very best as they represent our school at the Regional Premier’s Spelling Bee finals in September.  

On Thursday 28 July we had our Learning Assistance Mentoring Program (LAMP) training day. It was a wonderful day to connect with our mentors who have volunteered their time every Thursday morning to participate in the program. Our greatest thanks to Mrs Currie and Mrs Sklavounos who provided parents/carers with this opportunity. The feedback from this training was very positive. This program will start this coming Thursday and will involve Year 2 students. If you would like to get involved in a similar program, please let Mrs Sklavounos know. 

We had lots of very excited Kindergarten students on Monday when they celebrated 100 days of Kindergarten! Please see the Kindergarten update below for more details. Thank you to Mrs Sklavounos for organising this for our students.

Every year, all schools in Australia participate in the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on School Students with Disability (NCCD). The NCCD process requires schools to identify information already available in the school about supports provided to students with disability. These relate to legislative requirements under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005, in line with the NCCD guidelines (2019).

Information provided about students to the Australian Government for the NCCD includes: 

• Year of schooling 

• Category of disability: physical, cognitive, sensory or social/emotional 

• Level of adjustment provided: support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive 

This information assists schools to: 

• Formally recognise the supports and adjustments provided to students with disability in schools 

• Consider how they can strengthen the support of students with disability in schools

 • Develop shared practices so that they can review their learning programs in order to improve educational outcomes for students with disability 

The NCCD provides state and federal governments with the information they need to plan more broadly for the support of students with disability. The NCCD will have no direct impact on your child and your child will not be involved in any testing process. The school will provide data to the Australian Government in such a way that no individual students will be able to be identified – the privacy and confidentiality of all students is ensured. All information is protected by privacy laws that regulate the collection, storage and disclosure of personal information. 

To find out more about these matters, please refer to the Australian Government’s Privacy Policy: https://www.education.gov.au/privacy-policy Further information about the NCCD can be found on the NCCD Portal: https://www.nccd.edu.au 

If you have any questions about the NCCD, please contact the school.

At school, we are reinforcing E-Safety with students.  There are a number of resources  on Homepage | eSafety Commissioner such as the Online safety book | eSafety Commissioner   to help you assist your children when online. Please note that each social media site and app has its own criteria for minimum age requirements. Most require users to be at least 13 years of age before they can register.  

Please see the following information sheets for tips to keep your family safe online, parental controls for devices and accounts as well as social media, games and accounts as well as an app checklist for parents.

There is a free webinar for parents and carers of young people aged 8 to 13 to learn about TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and YouTube and helping children to stay safe online.

It will cover case studies, research and targeted advice  and ways of supporting the young people in your life to have safe, enjoyable online experiences.

Term 3 dates (Australian Eastern Standard Time)

Monday 1 August 12:30 to 1:30 pm

Tuesday 16 August 7:30 to 8:30 pm

Thursday 25 August 12:30 to 1:30 pm

REGISTER NOW

Looking forward to celebrating Education Week and all the other amazing things our students will achieve this term!

Kindest regards,

Elizabeth Markovski

Dear Community,
 
On Monday 25th of July 2022, the McCallum’s Hill Public School Premier’s Spelling Bee competition was held in which we saw all our class representatives from Grades 2-6 battle it out for stage champion. It was a marvellous day with all competitors showcasing their excellent spelling skills.
Congratulations to all our class champions and stage winners who participated in this wonderful school event.
 
Class Champions for the Premier’s Spelling Bee competition for 2022 are: 
 

Our stage champions are:

Our stage champions will be representing the school in the Regional Premier’s Spelling Bee finals in September 2022.

 
 Spelling Bee organiser
 G.Labos 

Our preferred method of payment is online, this can be accessed through our school app or website. Feel free to contact the front office if you require any help with this.

If your unable to make payment online and wish to pay cash, please ensure you have placed all money in an envelope or zip lock bag clearly marked with your child's name and class and what the payment is for.

PARENT ONLINE PAYMENTS.pdf

The 

Welcome to Term 3!  During term 1 and 2, students looked at the calendar every day, they marked off the date and counted down to 100. There were a lot of smiling faces in week 1 when they realised that we were very close to the number 100. 

On Monday 25 July, Kindergarten celebrated 100 days of learning. Students came to school in bright colours/mufti, it was a day of fun educational activities. Students counted to 100 in many languages including Arabic, Greek and Mandarin, they went on a scavenger hunt and collected items to show what 100 looks like, they made a tower with 100 cups and puzzle with 100 pieces. Year 5 buddies joined kindergarten and together made crowns, made a chain using 100 links, rolled the dice and raced to 100 and so much more. Students received a certificate to remember the day and went home with biscuits and smarties because they are 100 days smarter.

Stage 1 students have been engaged in a variety of many exciting learning opportunities during the last two weeks. 

In our English unit, it was amazing to see different groups of students drawing pictures of their farm and writing down different sorts of activities they might do as real farmers.

In mathematics, students have been focusing on how to use the calendar and how to identify months and season and justify their choices.

Next Wednesday Year 1 and Year 2 students will participate in the Sports in Schools program. If you haven't  yet done so, please make your payment and provide permission for your child to participate with their friend in all the fun, exciting activities.

What a great start back to Term 2!

3B have been reading “The Iron Man” and making 3D models to match. How clever! We have also enjoyed playing games in the hall and in our classroom to work on our teamwork skills. We love to have fun with our peers in and out of the classroom!

3/4S have been learning about the layers beneath the Earth’s crust. We are also getting very clever when working with four- and five-digit numbers. Look at our beautiful stingray drawings we worked so hard on!

4A have been very carefully planning our creative writing to make sure that our readers are entertained! Sizzling starts to HOOK our readers and great complications for our characters to keep our readers reading. We have also been doing lots of creative art projects to help make our room look colourful and bright!

Welcome back to another busy Term of learning in Stage 3 at McCallums Hill PS!  This term, Stage 3 will be working hard to enhance their knowledge and skills across the curriculum.  In English, students will develop their literal, inferential and evaluative comprehension skills through an integrated English/Geography unit called ‘Global Belonging’.   In writing, students will learn how to effectively structure and write informative and evaluative texts, with a focus on the integration of technical vocabulary.   Mrs Vander Graaf will be using our Geography unit - Diversity across Asia & The World’s Cultural Diversity – to focus on Grammar with Stage 3 classes.

In Mathematics, we will begin Number groups one day per week.   Every Tuesday, for one hour, Stage 3 teachers will work with students in their number groups to develop their skills in problem solving and number. During these sessions, teachers will be teaching the RUCSAC method of problem solving. Please see the picture below which outlines this process.

The strands of Maths that will be covered in class this term include Fractions, Patterns & Algebra, Multiplication and Division, Chance, Position, Volume & Capacity, 2D & 3D Space and Area

Congratulations to all of our Stage 3 Spelling Bee finalists (Zane, Stephen, Mustafa, Annabelle, Jingling, Zak, Moussa, Viviana).   All participants did an amazing job representing their classes at the final and we would like to wish our winner Annabelle all the best when she attends the next level of the competition.   Congratulations also to Zak who was our Stage 3 runner-up.

At the end of last term, Stage 3 students were given camp expression of interest forms. Thank you to those parents who returned these slips. Further information about camp will be sent out in the coming weeks. 

A reminder that all parents are welcome to attend our Morning Muster on a Monday or Thursday morning each week.

Students in K-2 Velvet Crab have been busy this term learning about the Four Seasons. They are identifying the months in each season and investigating different clothes to wear during the cooler and warmer months. Students  have been learning about Place Value and utilising base ten blocks to demonstrate two and three-digit numbers. They enjoyed using concrete materials and engaging in activities on the interactive white board.

1-3 Hammerhead started the new term by jumping into our Sports in Schools Program and working on our skip counting skills during numeracy sessions. We also worked hard during our guided reading activities. 

K-6 Barracuda have had a wonderful start to Term 3. Here are some photos of our learning!

3-6 Sharks have been learning about 3D objects in their maths lessons. Students had fun using net diagrams to create their own 3D objects.

On Monday 8 August Louise Park will be visiting our school to talk to our community.

Parents and carers are invited to attend a parent workshop at 9.15am led by Louise titled ‘The 7 steps to get your child reading’. It will be exciting to hear the thoughts of a leading author of children’s books.

At our school she is probably best known for her Zac Power, Boy vs Beast and D-Bot books. 

She will speak to Year 1 – Year 6 throughout the day.

Book Week

Save the date for our book week celebrations.

Our Scholastic Book Fair will take place in the library from Tuesday 23 August to Thursday 25 August.

Our book character parade will be held on Thursday 25 August at 9am and all families are invited to attend this celebration. Start thinking about costumes that your children can wear on this day.

Our annual school Book Fair will be held in the library: Monday 23 -Thursday 25 August. Students will be able to visit and purchase from Book Fair. For every purchase that is made throughout our Book Fair, Scholastic will give back a percentage of the revenue to our school. The money raised during the Book Fair goes to purchasing new books and games for our students. We can accept cash, credit card or debits cards. To ensure you and your family are safe we will be allowing a limited number of people in the library at one time.

Monday: 3 Barramundi, Sharks, 1 Humpback Whale, 1 Wobbegong

Tuesday: Hammerhead, 6 Koi, 3/4Stingray, 6 Tiger Shark, K Starfish

Wednesday: 5 Manta Ray, 2 Kingfish, K Octopus, K Krill, Velvet Crab

Thursday: 5 Eels, 2 Goldfish, Barracuda, 4 Angelfish

Premier’s Reading Challenge

All classes are reading books for the Premier’s Reading Challenge in library lessons. Remember to record any books that you may read at home too.

Information about the PRC may be found on this site. https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html

Birthdays are wonderful milestones to celebrate and for many of our students they wish to share this experience with their class and peers. Unfortunately, due to the increase in food allergies, we are unable to share any food, cakes, cupcakes, lollies or treats at school. Parents are advised that teachers will not be able to share any edible birthday treats as they may contain ingredients that some students are unable to eat. As an alternative you may like to consider some party bags with pencils, stickers, stamps etc 

At the end of each day, a large collection of clothing and containers are left behind. Please ensure all belongings are clearly labelled so that items can be returned. Lost property is placed in the container outside the office. Parents are encouraged to go through this to check for lost property at drop-off or pick up time. 

Our Parent Online Payment (P.O.P) system is quick and easy. POP can be accessed via the "Make a Payment " tab in the school app or on the McCallums Hill Public School website and you do not need your child's SRN to make a payment. Please note that if cash is your only option, the correct amount must be placed, in an envelope clearly marked with your child's name and class, into the payment box in the office by 9.30am each day. Please also remember that all payments for excursions and programs have a final payment due date. This final due date will be indicated on all excursion and permission notes. All payments should be made in full by 9:30am of the final due date stated on the permission note. Late payments will not be accepted, and your child may miss the excursion or program.

School uniforms are available for purchase from Saouma's School Uniform & Fashion Wear T: (02) 9750 3276. Please see the letter attached for an update.

Uniforms can also be purchased online through the following: https://www.saoumaschoolwear.com.au/copy-of-our-schools

Please read this very important information about student attendance.

attendance_parents.pdf

Please see images below of driving offences in school zones.

The School Community Charter outlines the responsibilities of parents, carers, educators and school staff in NSW public schools to ensure our learning environments are collaborative, supportive and cohesive. 

We all play a part

Parents and carers play an important role in the school community. The School Community Charter informs parents and carers on how to engage with NSW public schools. Read the School Community Charter (PDF 1.4 MB) to ensure you understand how important it is to create a positive learning environment for our students.

Parents and carers can expect:

• to be welcomed into our schools to work in partnership to promote student learning
• communication from teaching staff will be timely, polite, informative and solutions focussed
• professional relationships with school staff will be based on transparency, honesty and mutual respect
• to be treated fairly. Tolerance and understanding are promoted as we respect diversity.

Our staff will find a time to talk to you when they can give you their full attention. Please remember that while our staff are in class or dealing with other matters, they may not be available to answer your questions immediately.

Respectful communication is a right

In all workplaces, people have the right to feel respected. Unacceptable and offensive behaviour has no place in our school communities. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of students, staff and the community in our schools, steps will be taken to address unacceptable behaviour. This may include restricting contact with the school community or, in more serious cases, referral to NSW Police.

Unacceptable behaviour in schools

Unacceptable behaviour may include but is not limited to:

• Aggressive or intimidating actions, such as violence, threatening gestures or physical proximity.
• Aggressive or intimidating language, including the use of obscenities, making sexist, racist or derogatory comments or using a rude tone.
• Treating members of the school community differently due to aspects such as their religion or disability.
• Inappropriate and time wasting communication.

We look forward to connecting with our community to ensure we have a collaborative, cohesive and supportive culture that has positive outcomes for all.

Please see attached code of conduct required of parents, carers, visitors and other persons on school grounds.

Code of Conduct Parents on School Grounds.pdf 

Roselands Early Learning Centre.pdf

02 9759 4396
mccallumhi-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
McCallum Street, Roselands NSW 2196
mccallumhi-p.schools.nsw.gov.au