Term 3, Week 4

Email: crestwood-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: https://crestwood-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/
Location: 38 Peel Road, Baulkham Hills, 2153, NSW, Australia
Phone: (02) 9624 3950

The Healthy Harold incursion is a fun and interactive program. It is aligned to the NSW PDHPE syllabus and will deepen your child’s understanding of being healthy through ‘hands-on’ experiences.

TERM 3, WEEK 4

• Mon 10 Aug - MultiSport K-6 - please wear sports uniform
  
• Wed 12 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
• Thurs 13 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
  
• Fri 14 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)

TERM 3, WEEK 5

• Mon 17 Aug - MultiSport K-6 - please wear sports uniform
• Mon 17 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
• Tues 18 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
  
• Wed 19 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
• Thurs 20 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
  
• Fri 21 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)

TERM 3, WEEK 6

• Mon 24 Aug - MultiSport K-6 - please wear sports uniform
• Mon 24 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
• Mon 24 Aug - Year 5 Check-In Assessment
• Tues 25 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
• Tues 25 Aug - Year 5 Check-In Assessment
  
• Wed 26 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
• Wed 26 Aug - Year 5 Check-In Assessment
• Thurs 27 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
• Thurs 27 Aug - Year 5 Check-In Assessment
  
• Fri 28 Aug - Life Education (Healthy Harold)
• Fri 28 Aug - Year 5 Check-In Assessment

We celebrated Education Week last week with a variety of online and in class activities - showcasing the different ways we learn together as a community. One of the highlights of the week was the Artwork by the Fences display on Peel Road and Kalimna Drive. If you were unable to view the art display last week, we hope you are able to take the time to view the artwork by following this link: https://www.smore.com/hs41w​

Kindergarten Enrolments for 2021 NOW OPEN!!!

When to Start

Children can start Kindergarten at the beginning of the school year if they turn 5, on or before 31 July of that year. Deciding when your child will start school is an individual decision. You may wish to discuss this with your child's preschool teacher, carer, doctor or the school. Our teachers are trained to work with your child regardless of their age or level of development.

By law, all children must be in compulsory full-time schooling by their 6th birthday.

How to Enrol Your Child

Information about enrolling your child at Crestwood PS can be found on our school website at https://crestwood-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/about-our-school/enrolment.html

Enrolments can now be done online through our school website. Alternatively, you can download an enrolment form or pick up a paper copy from the school office.

When enrolling your child, we request you contact the school office on 9624 3950 to make an appointment with our enrolment officer.

Appointment times are available between 9.30am-10.45am and 1.30pm-2.30pm.

Please bring the required documentation to your appointment (see the 100 point residential check below for details). Each appointment will last approximately 15 minutes.

Crestwood PS Catchment Area

Click here to find the enrolment area for Crestwood PS: https://my.education.nsw.gov.au/school-finder

COVID-19 Update

A reminder that we should be all regularly checking the NSW Government website for the "Latest COVID-19 News and Updates." We should also all be abiding by the advice contained in this website.

https://www.nsw.gov.au/covid-19/latest-news-and-updates#latest-covid-19-case-locations-in-nsw

The most local location to us that is listed is:

Castle Towers - Anyone who visited Castle Towers between 3.30pm and 5pm on Friday 7th August should:

• Watch for symptoms

• If symptoms occur, immediately get tested and self isolate.

PSSA

Castle Hill PSSA have announced that they are delaying the start of the Summer PSSA season.

Last week, a note went home with all students who are part of a Summer PSSA team. The note detailed information from Castle Hill PSSA outlining clear expectations for staff, students and parents in light of the current NSW Health and Department of Education guidelines.

Castle Hill PSSA have yet to confirm when the season will commence and are asking all participants to return the permission slip by the end of this week to assist in their decision making on this matter.

Please note: With the uncertainty of Summer PSSA all students will participate in class and grade sport until further notice.

Terri Bullock - Rel Principal

Phonics Screening Check – Year 1

The NSW Department of Education is currently coordinating a Phonics Screening Check trial in selected schools. Crestwood Public School has been selected to participate in a Phonics Screening Check trial for Year 1 students and Year 1 teachers have engaged in lengthy professional learning to enable them to facilitate these assessments.

This week, all students in Year 1 will complete a Phonics Screening Check assessment with their classroom teacher. Each child will complete the assessment individually. As this is a trial, no formal report will be sent home to parents however, the results will be analysed by the teacher and used to determine how students are progressing in phonics and target future teaching, aligned to the NSW English syllabus outcomes.

If you have any questions about this assessment, please contact your child’s teacher or visit the following website:

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy/assessment-resources/phonics-screening-check

Check- in Assessment - Year 3 and 5

Year 3 and 5 students will participate in a new reading and numeracy check-in assessment this term. The Check-in assessment is a NSW Department of Education online reading and numeracy assessment, which is available to support schools to assess and monitor student learning following the period of learning from home.

The Check-in assessment will supplement existing school practices used to identify how students are progressing in literacy and numeracy and will help our teachers to plan their teaching to address student needs. The focus of these assessments is on targeting teaching strategies for student progress so no formal report will be sent home to families.

The assessment will be completed within class groups and will consist of two 50-minute sessions.

· The assessment for our Year 5 students will be held from 24th August – 28th August

· The assessment for our Year 3 students will be held from 21st September – 25th September

Students will need to bring headphones that plug into the computers to hear audio during the assessment. Further information on this will be provided to students closer to the assessment.

If you have any questions about these assessments please contact Mrs Sarah Kennedy (Year 5), Mrs Karen Wolff (Year 3) or Mrs Patrice Zirh through the school office.

Semester 1 Reports

This week, Semester 1 reports will be sent home with your child. The report format will look different to previous years to cater for students learning from school and at home as a result of Covid-19, consistent with the advice from the Department of Education and the NSW Education Standards Authority.

Some of the main differences include:

· The report will not grade student achievement using the A-E scale. For this reporting period, assessment of achievement includes Working Towards, Achieving or Working Beyond.

· Report outcomes have focused heavily on English and Mathematics and include learning that students have undertaken in other Key Learning Areas. Please note that all students may not have covered the same syllabus outcomes or content during this period.

· Reports include a self-reflection by your child. These reflections have been honest and are a wonderful addition to the report which we are sure you will enjoy reading and cherish for many years.

· Students who have a language background other than English will receive an additional insert in their report. As required by the Department of Education, this report will identify your child’s English proficiency using the English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) Learning Progressions, incorporating listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Additional information regarding the in-class support will also be provided. If your child is from an English speaking background this insert will not be included in their report.

The 2020 Tell Them From Me survey

This term, our school, like many other public schools in the state, will participate in a Department of Education initiative: the Tell Them From Me student feedback survey. The survey measures factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices.

The survey is a great opportunity for our students to provide us with valuable and quick feedback on what they think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them. More than 6,300 schools in Australia and around the world have used Tell Them From Me to survey 5.4 million students. Capturing the voices of our students will help improve how we do things at our school.

More information about the survey is available at: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au

I want to assure you that the survey is confidential. The survey is conducted online and will typically take less than 30 minutes to complete. It will be administered during school hours between 10 August and 23 October. Participating in the survey is entirely voluntary. A consent form and FAQs for parents/carers about the survey is being sent home with students. If you do not want your child or children to participate, please return the form to school by Monday 17th August. Copies of the form and FAQs are available from: http://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/information-for-parents.

Additional information can be found in the following link:

https://surveys.cese.nsw.gov.au/images/FAQs/TTFM_Student_Survey_FAQs_Parent_and_Carers_T12019e.pdf

Barbara Cassar - Rel Deputy Principal K-2

Patrice Zirh - Deputy Principal 3-6

There are some new yellow "Look" stencils on the footpath on either side of the driveways at the front and the back of the school.

Many students have been running across the driveways without looking to see that it is safe. These stencils have been created so that all pedestrians (students, staff and parents) are prompted to look left and right before crossing the driveways.

However, NSW RMS road rules state that:

• Vehicles must give way to pedestrians crossing the road into which they are turning and

• Vehicles must also give way to pedestrians – even if there is no marked pedestrian crossing – if there is any danger of colliding with them.

This means that all vehicles using the school driveway are still required to look out for and give way to pedestrians.

Please talk about these “Look” stencils with your children and discuss using the school driveways safely.

Mrs Felicity French - RFF Teacher

Premier's Reading Challenge

Congratulations to the following students who have recently completed the 2020 Premier’s Reading Challenge:

Kindergarten

Laura KH, Cody and Ethan KA, Harry and Marvin KP and Westley KN

Year 1

Kavisha, Aria and Isha 1A, Esma and Danica 1C, Joshan, Emily and Hayley 1MS

Year 2

Winston and Deeya 2M, Morgan 2J, Abby 2V, Kayley and Alexander 2Y

Year 3

Lexie 3Q, Nickil 3C and Kelsey 3G

Year 4

Kahu and Bailey 4MW

Year 5

Faiq and Sami 5H, Miles 5J, Lucas 5M and Jazlyn 5L

Year 6

Isabella 6R and Sione 6A

Reminders

Students have until 28th August to complete the challenge. This year students are permitted to enter up to 10 choice titles. Watch this guided video to show you how.

Book Club

Issue 5 has been submitted and orders will be delivered to classrooms when they arrive in 1-2 weeks.

Mrs Dallaway - Teacher Librarian

Honesty’. What does it mean to be honest?

Some answers given by Crestwood students include: ‘Telling the truth’, ‘Don’t lie’ and even ‘be nice and kind’.

I guess there is a sense that we do need to be nice when we are being honest. Often our honesty can hurt others. We can be honest and blunt ‘your jumper is awful!’, or we can be honest and hurtful ‘I don’t like your hair’. It is important that while we want to tell the truth, we speak the truth in love and with kindness, and sometimes that might mean staying quiet when we have nothing nice to say.

We can also be honest with our actions. When we find money in the playground or on the street is it ‘finder’s keepers’ or do we hand it in and let somebody know what we found in case someone else is searching for it?

Honesty also has a limit, it tells the story factually as it really was. It doesn’t exaggerate or embellish in order to sound better or attract a wider audience. Honesty is of great value in friendship because it builds trust, people will know that they can depend on you because you mean what you say.

From Mrs Deema Percival - Community Liaisons Office

The new P&C team is now onboard and we're looking forward to bringing you more updates throughout the rest of 2020 as we explore new and different ways to engage with the Crestwood community in a COVID-safe way. Just in case our annual report update was a little long, here's some key news that is worth noting.

Fathers' Day stall cancelled

With the uncertainty surrounding restrictions, we had to make a decision way back in June regarding the Fathers' Day stall (if you remember back to May, we also had to cancel for Mothers' Day too). We opted on the side of conservatism, which may be just as well given recent Sydney community transmission figures.

It's not all bad news, however, and we are continuing to explore some other options for remote/offsite engagements and activities.

Christmas Gingerbread House fundraiser

One of these is a Christmas Gingerbread house fundraiser! In the next edition of the newsletter, we will bring you some more information but what better way to stay safe in our homes, feeling festive, by constructing and decorating a gingerbread house as a family!

2020/21 membership fees

Having now hosted our AGM, membership fees are up for renewal. P&C members from 2019/20 will have received an email on how to renew their membership but we'd love to have some new members join and bring new ideas. Membership is quite simple - it's a 50 cent membership fee and being a member comes with the chance to provide input in what we do, how we do it and also a key chance to interact with staff across Crestwood. It's as much or as little as you want to make it and we'd love to have you join us. Get in touch at crestwoodpublicschool@pandcaffiliate.org.au to learn more.

Pre-loved uniform shop

Just a reminder that the pre-loved uniform shop continues to be open for phone orders on a Wednesday morning between 8.35am and 9.30am on 0416104150. Our service is volunteer run so we ask that you don't place orders outside of this time period.