5649 Canola Way Matong NSW 2652 Phone: 02 69277824 Fax: 02 69277877 Email: [email protected] Web: www. matong-p. schools. nsw.edu. au TERM 1 WEEK 1 29th January 2014 Wednesday 29th Welcome back Yr1 –Yr 6 Mobile Library Thursday 30th Kinder Best Start Assessments Lunch Orders Due in for Friday Friday 31st Welcome Kindergarten Swimming for sport 8 yr olds and above Principal’s Report Welcome back to a new 2014 school year. I hope you all had a lovely summer and you all got a Reminders If anyone would like the newsletter emailed please let the office know. chance for some rest and relaxation. I look forward to a great school year ahead. I would like to welcome those who are new to the school. Please TERM 1 Upcoming Events do not hesitate to ask for assistance from Mrs Evans who is kindly filling in as our School Administration Manager or any of our staff who are more than willing to help you in any way. There will be a parent information night and barbeque on Tuesday 11th February. All most welcome and encouraged to attend.We welcome Mrs McGuiness, who will be working part-time with Mrs Moore in Stage 2/3. We are currently advertising for School Administration Manager and some SLSO hours. All applications to be posted to the school and positions close this Friday. Term 1 Week 1 Tuesday 28th Jan - Mobile Library st Friday 31 Jan –Kindergarten start - Swimming Sport 8+ Thank you to the families who came along to years celebrate Australia Day at Matong Public School on Sunday and sing the National Anthem for the community. The yabbies were a big hit from all accounts. –Staff development Wednesday 29th Jan –School starts Week 2 Wednesday 5th Feb – P&C AGM Mobile Library van visited MPS today and will Thursday 6th Feb continue to visit every second Wednesday for the yrs - Swimming Sport 8+ remainder of the year. This is a fabulous service to our community and students began borrowing from the van today, reminders will appear in the newsletter. All members of the community are encouraged to utilise this valuable service. This term our Stage 2/3 students will be learning about staying safe in their personal development Week 3 Tuesday 11th Feb th Wednesday 12 Friday 14th Feb – Information b’bqe Feb – Scripture begins – Small Schools lessons each Tuesday and staff will be supported in Swimming Carnival (back up date Monday this program by Kitty and Mary, health experts 17th Feb) from Relationships Australia and the Temora Community Mental Health Team. Further details of the program are included in the newsletter. Stage 2/3 and those turning 8 this year will be swimming for sport. Students will travel to the Ganmain the pool on the following two Fridays beginning this Friday. Please ensure you return the permission note and money before the end of the week. Students must bring swimmers, rashies, hat, their towel and sunscreen. The swimming SWIMMING FOR SPORT All students 8 yrs and above will be travelling to the Ganmain pool for sport this coming Friday and then again next Thursday to carnival will be held Friday 14th February and it is practise for the Small Schools Swimming our turn to organise this carnival for our group of Carnival. Please sign the attached note and small schools. A huge thank you to the parent return to school tomorrow. volunteers who will be managing the organisation for this event. Thank you to those who returned our parent and community survey at the end of last year. Your feedback is highly valued and it is not too late to return those if you have not already done so. It is lovely to see all our smiling faces in the classrooms today and I look forward to a great year of learning. Anne-Maree Moore, Principal LUNCH ORDERS Lunch orders from the Ganmain Bakery will continue to be available every Friday. Orders need to be written on a paper bag with money enclosed and then placed in the lunch order box by Thursday of each week. Current price list attached. P&C News Problem Solving for Kids Children worry about all sort of things such as who will play with them today, how well they do at school, their friends and family and problem solving and managing emotions is something we learn over time. To help our years 3-6 students, Mary from Relationships Australia and Kitty from the Temora Community Mental Health Team will be coming to our school to support our students to learn about problem solving. Children will be encouraged to problem solve through looking at their own possible solutions and to think about what support they might need from other students, the teachers, family members, other people who might be helpful to support them in managing the problem. All students in the class will be encouraged to think of helpful options and provide support to their classmates. If any student requires additional support such as counselling this will be organised for them in consultation with their parent/caregiver. Mary and Kitty will come out for one lesson per week for nine weeks and we hope that this will be helpful to the children in developing their own problem solving skills and helpful to the school community as a whole. Please find attached to this newsletter in an envelope a voluntary questionnaire which we would like families to fill out to in order to assist our students in the best way possible. Please return to the school in the envelope by Friday 31st January Annual General Meeting The P&C AGM will be held next Wednesday 5th February at 7:30pm in the Stage 2/3 classroom. The P&C does an amazing job for the school. Last year the P&C purchased a new split system airconditioner for the library, had new garden edging put in and also contributed to transport costs for excursions and swim school. We need more parent support for 2014. The current executive look forward to seeing you at the AGM. Masters BBQ The P&C’s first major fundraiser for the year is the BBQ at Masters in Wagga. This is on Saturday 15th February. It will involve cooking and serving the BBQ and selling drinks. If you are able to work at this contact Kristie on 69277828 or by text message to 0429311277. Please indicate if you are able to work in the morning or afternoon. Chocolate Wheel/Christmas Carols Thank you to those who organised and supported the P&C Chocolate Wheel and Christmas Carols. Unfortunately there wasn’t a huge turn-out which meant that the P&C didn’t make as much profit as previous years; however it was an enjoyable night for those who came. Australia Day A huge thank you to everyone who helped out with the organising of the Coolamon Shire Council Australia Day celebrations. It was perfect weather and the school grounds looked beautiful. How wonderful it was to see so many ex-students standing proudly with some current students singing Past students enjoying Australia Day! the National Anthem. What great role models you are! Australia Day Embassador Mr Anupam Sharma CONGRATULATIONS Congratulations to Kristie Smith (P&C Secretary) and Andrew Hatty (P&C President) on their nominations for the Coolamon Shire Citizen of the Year Award. Congratulations also, to past student Courtney Menzies on her nomination for the Young Sporting Achievement Award. LIBRARY DAYS Stage 1 Mondays Stage 2/3 Wednesdays 10 Great Tips To Help Your Child With Reading 1. Tell your child what the book is about before they start reading. This helps her to make meaningful guesses and understand what she is reading. 2. Encourage your child to look at the pictures. 3. Be excited when your child reads a book really easily. Easy reading is good for children and encourages them to read more and more. 4. Read the book to them if they are finding it really hard. FREE Grant Writing Workshop: The Murrumbidgee Medicare Local will be hosting a free grant writing workshop in Coolamon for interested community members, sporting clubs and groups and schools. Date: Monday 10th February 2014 Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm (lunch supplied) Place: Coolamon Up To Date Store RSVP: Essential by 5/2/2014 Libby Cruikshank - Healthy Coolamon Project Officer Mb: 0427 024 894 Please spread the word, places available! 5. Talk with your child about what is happening in the book. 6. When she comes to an unknown word, ask her to reread the sentence and have a guess. 7. If she has had ‘a try’ at a word and still doesn’t know it, just tell her the word and let her keep reading. TAFE NSW Riverina Institute, Department of Business, offers a number of courses via Distance delivery. For a complete list, please check the website: http://www.rit.tafensw.edu.au/online/ 8. When she doesn’t know a word ‘Pause’ then give a quick ‘Prompt’ and then ‘Praise’ her for good reading. It’s ok to tell her a word if she has had a try. Phone 02 6953 9644 to discuss enrolling into one of the following Distance courses: 9. Ask her if her guess ‘Makes Sense’. • 10. Ask her to look for parts of words i.e. sh/op and c/at. This is much better than asking her to say individual sounds s-h-o-p. This is called ‘sounding out’ and it is not a good strategy for reading as it interrupts fluency. COMMUNITY INFORMATION • • Certificate III in Business (or Administration) Course No 11734 Certificate III in Business Administration (Legal) Course No 11738 Statement of Attainment in Processing & Maintaining Financial Records (MYOB) Course No 17820 WAGGA WAGGA MILO T20 BLAST CENTRE Where: Bolton Park, Wagga Wagga When: Come & Try Night Monday 10th February : Mondays until 31st March TIME: 5.00pm – 7.00pm COST: $99 (inc. hat, t-shirt, bag, insurances etc) Reflect on the spirit of Australia Day and test your knowledge at the same time with this special quiz 16) Name the medal which is the highest award in the 1) Which Australian penny had a limited mint run and military honour. therefore is the rarest and one of the most valuable coins in Australia, if not the world? 2) Name the animal now regarded as extinct, having not officially been seen since the 1930s in Tasmania. 3) Who was the Governor-General of Australia who dismissed the Whitlam Government on November 11, 1975? 4) In the 1970s there was an Australia-wide campaign aimed at the health of Australians, encouraging people to be more active - it was called “Life. Be In It!” Name the main character in the commercials? 5) What is the longest river in Western Australia? 6) Surfers Paradise was given its name in 1933, but Australian Honours System, a pre-eminent award for acts of bravery in wartime and Australia's highest 17) Name the Australian city which staged the first Summer Olympic Games in the Southern Hermisphere. 18) Name the explorers who set out from Melbourne in the south to cross the Australian continent to the north (Gulf of Carpentaria) in 1860? 19) Name the person who preceded Bob Hawke and succeeded Gough Whitlam as Australia’s Prime Minister. 20) On which Australian lake in 1964 did Englishman Sir Donald Campbell became the fastest man on earth when he drove his “car” Bluebird to set a record of 648.73kmh (403.1 mph) for a four-wheeled vehicle (Class A)? 21) Before decimal currency, what was the value of a what was the Queensland city’s previous name? coin commonly referred as “two bob”? 7) Name the Australian, but Belgian born, musician who 22) Kangaroo Island is situated off the coast of which had a number one hit in Australia and overseas in 2011 with Somebody I Use To Know. The song was also the 2011 ARIA Awards Single Of The Year!. 8) What are the first two lines of lyrics for the official Australian national anthem, Advance Australia Fair? 9) Who were the first known explorers to cross the area of the Great Dividing Range (Blue Mountains, NSW) and discover the inland of the Australian continent? 10) In which year was Advance Australia Fair adopted to become the official Australian national anthem? 11) What are the two animals on the Australian Coat of Arms? 12) In which Australian township are the annual country music awards staged ever year, where the winners receive a “Golden Guitar”. 13) Two females are currently Australian state premiers - who are they and what state do they lead? 14) Who was named the 2011 Australian of the Year? 15) Name the Australian organization which celebrated its 90th anniversary in March last year? Australian state? 23) What was the original name, until 1856, for the state of Tasmania. 24) In which Australian state do you mainly find the flightless Cassowary bird? 25) How many stars appear on the Australian flag?