Principal's Report
Dear Gorokan PS families and friends
At Gorokan Public School, approximately 20% of our students identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander Peoples. As a school, we value and respect the significance of Aboriginal heritage and culture and strive to educate all students in this important aspect of learning. We are strongly committed towards reconciliation within our school and the broader community. On Monday 6 June, Mr Gibbs our Assistant Principal Aboriginal Education, Taniel Hemopo our relieving Aboriginal Education Officer and I, attended the Inaugural Central Coast Aboriginal Education Conference First Steps to Next Steps - Walking Together, Working Together! which was held at Mingara. Secretary of the NSW Dept of Education - Georgina Harrison, Muru Bulbi AECG President - Lesley Armstrong, Executive Director Regional North - Tim McCallum, Executive Director for Aboriginal Outcomes and Partnership Directorate – Karen Jones, and Director Educational Leadership Tuggerah Lakes network – Megan Avery, were among the many distinguished guests in attendance. The aim of the meeting was to gain insight from Aboriginal people working in our Central Coast schools as to how we can enhance our current ways of working and fostering the reconciliation process within and beyond our school communities. Most Central Coast schools were represented by their Principals and staff, and the day was a huge success. Special thanks are extended to the Central Coast Regional Aboriginal Education Consultative Group, Central Coast Secondary Principals’ Council and the Central Coast Primary Principals’ Council for their support of this important initiative.
NAIDOC Week - NAIDOC Week will be held in the last week of this term, commencing 27 June. It is a time to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, culture and achievements and an opportunity to recognise the contributions that Indigenous Australians make to our school, country and society. Over the week, the students will participate in a variety of meaningful activities including participating in a Dhinewan painting program with Johnathan Wright, bush tucker cooking class in the outdoor kitchen, bracelet making, colouring in competition, bbq and the school athletics carnival. Parents and carers are warmly invited to attend the school’s NAIDOC assembly on Monday 27 June at 9:30am in the school hall followed by a bush tucker morning tea.
Semester 2 Reports - At Gorokan Public School we believe that providing feedback to parents and carers is an important aspect of school which provides an opportunity for teachers and parents to work together to support the students reach their maximum potential. With that said, the teachers have been busily preparing this semester’s progress reports to inform parents and carers of how the children are progressing academically across the six key learning areas, and personally as learners and friends. The reports are comprehensive, and strength based. Absences on the reports are for the period from the beginning of the year to Friday 10 June. They will be sent home with students on Thursday 30 June. Congratulations to the students for their efforts and achievements this semester, and to my dedicated staff for their diligence and efforts in preparing the reports.
Parent Teacher Interviews – Parents and carers are invited to partake in parent teacher interviews in Week 3 of Term 3, the week beginning 1 August. A booking link and attendance information will be emailed to all parents and carers in the coming days. This year, the interviews will all be held in the school library, where parents will have access to all the teachers in one spot for your convenience. Each interview will be teacher led and will be for a maximum of 10 minutes per interview. A timekeeper will ring a warning bell followed by a final bell to ensure the efficient running of the meetings. Should there be important matters arising during the interview, the teacher/s will organise a follow up meeting for further discussion to occur at a later date. It will be so great to have parents and carers welcomed back into the school for this purpose and I trust these changes to the usual procedures will be appreciated by all.
Athletics Carnival – The school athletics carnival will be held at Mingara Regional Athletics Centre on Friday 1 July, the last day of term. This venue provides a world-class synthetic track and field facilities. The team from Sport in Schools Australia (SISA) will be assisting on the day and providing engaging activities for the students to enjoy. A permission note was sent home outlining all the important information about this event. Students are required to return this permission note by Friday 24 June. Students can go to the carnival with their parents/carers, however the school is not able to provide a reduction in cost as the venue, SISA, and buses have to be booked and paid for in advance and this event is already heavily subsidised by the school - thank you for your understanding. I look forward to welcoming our community to this special school event.
Road Safety – Please remember that children are vulnerable road users and need assistance dealing with the traffic environment until at least the age of 10 as they are not equipped physically or developmentally to make the crucial decisions to keep them safe. Children need to be accompanied and closely supervised by a parent or adult carer to keep them safe near roads and crossings. Parents and caregivers have a key role in educating their children about road safety and modelling safe crossing routines.
Parents and carers are asked to reinforce the school’s road safety messages to their children and to drive with caution around the school. The students are asked to walk on the footpaths and to cross safely at the wombat crossing in Gleddon Avenue (rear entrance) or at the traffic lights on Dudley Street (main entrance) with caution when it is safe to do so – waiting for the green walk signal and looking both ways before crossing the road. Please remember that it is illegal and extremely dangerous stopping in the “no stopping” areas outside the school gates.
Date Changes - Due to the cool conditions and ongoing student illness, our Slime SPECTACULAR is now on Friday 26 August. The cut-off date for your sponsorship money is now the same new date as the event. All money needs to be paid online using your slime spectacular fundraising page. Our annual Pyjama Day is now on Friday 24 June 2022. Apologies for any inconvenience these changes may have caused and thank you for your anticipated understanding.
Kindergarten 2023 - Do you have a child who will be starting Kindergarten in 2023 or do you know someone with a child due to start school next year? If so, please encourage them to drop into school and pick up an enrolment package or to enrol their child online. It is important that we are aware of all students who will be starting school in order to effectively transition students and plan for the year ahead. Please contact the school office for further information if required. Information regarding the Kindergarten transition program will be released shortly.
UPDATING CONTACT DETAILS – It is very important that the office has up-to-date contact details for parents and carers. If you have moved over the holidays, changed your phone number or email, please ensure that you let us know.
Together we can make a difference.
Jesmond Zammit
Principal
Dates to Remember
- Tuesday 14 June - Wednesday 15 June - Year 5 Zoo Snooz Taronga Zoo
- Friday 17 June - Basketball Gala Day
- Monday 20 June - Friday 24 June - Healthy Week at Gorokan PS
- Thursday 23 June - Stage 2 Blackbutt Excursion
- Friday 24 June - Pyjama Day
- Monday 27 June - Friday 1 July - NAIDOC Week
- Friday 1 July - School Athletics Carnival
- Friday 26 August - Slime Spectacular Year 6 Fundraising Day
Early Stage 1
Current Learning
Kindergarten students have been continuing our learning during warm ups. In English, we have been working hard to read short decodable texts and to write simple sentences by blending and segmenting sounds. In mathematics, we have been adding and subtracting numbers and learning about volume.
In art lessons, Kindergarten students have been practising their drawing skills and have drawn various farm animals, dragons and dinosaurs. The students are thoroughly enjoying these lessons and are extremely proud of their beautiful artworks.
Reminders
Vege Adventure
In PDHPE this term we have been learning about healthy food choices. As a part of the program, this week we have been participating in the Vege Adventure.
We would love for all children to get involved and be excited about bringing in their healthy lunch boxes. Please pack a coloured piece of fruit or vegetable into your child’s lunch box each day and please avoid packing sugary treats. If your child is away during Vege week, feel free to take part in the challenge at home.
Monday - Have your favourite fruit or vege at home (any colour)
Tuesday - Pack a RED piece of fruit/vege in your lunch box
Wednesday - Pack an ORANGE piece of fruit/vege in your lunch box
Thursday - Pack a YELLOW piece of fruit/vege in your lunch box
Friday - Pack a GREEN piece of fruit/vege in your lunch box
There's a Sea in my Bedroom - Art House Excursion - Please return the note and make the online payment of $20 asap. We are required to finalise numbers with the theatre by 1 July. Payments after this date will not be accepted. If you need another note, please ask your child’s class teacher or contact the office.
Jumpers and Hats - Please make sure that your child has a jumper for school as the weather is getting cool in the mornings. Please clearly label all of your child’s belongings (hat, jumper, drink bottle etc) with their name and class.
Homework Folders - Thank you for your support with the homework folders. Please return these folders every Friday so we can see how your child is going and swap the reader.
Miss Bates on Leave
Miss Bates will be going on leave from Week 8 this term. Mrs Preston will be teaching KB in her absence. Mrs Preston has taught the class on several occasions this semester and knows their routines and programs well. Miss Bates will return half-way through next term.
Celebrations of Learning
Well done to all Kindergarten students for their amazing effort this fortnight. We would like to congratulate our class award winners for this week:
KB - Xavier G, Elise W, Kassandra-Lee T, Jakeb W
KD - Summer H, Willow R, Kyannah B, Isabelle T
KF - Evan H, Arlo C
KL - Cali R, Nyla G, Felix F
KTA - Cohen L, Keegan L, Tamika H, Piper C
Congratulations to all our award winners.
Mrs Alicia Duke
Assistant Principal - Early Stage 1
Stage 1
Current Learning
Welcome to Week 8! During Term 2, our Stage 1 students have been participating in weekly dance activities as a component of our Creative Arts key learning area. The students continue to thoroughly enjoy activities that explore movement ideas to demonstrate and also create simple dance sequences. Our student’s dance repertoires continue to be enhanced throughout the term as they are immersed in movement during a specific dance sequence, creating new movements to a known dance routine and dancing with their peers. Stage 1 students continue to explore both contemporary and traditional dance sequences such as The Macarena, the Chicken Dance, Go Noodle songs/chants and dance sequences, The Hokey Pokey and more recently the Heel and Toe Polka.
Our students have had such a fabulous time learning these most loved dances at school. It is also a joy to hear feedback from parents that the students are sharing their new dance steps with their families at home!
Reminders
Monday - 2R, 2S, 2E (of 1/2E) - Sport in Schools program
Wednesday - Year 1 and 2 Sport Day, 1C and 1Y - Library
Thursday - 1J, 1/2E, 2B and 2R - Library
Friday - 2S - Library
Vege Adventure
During Week 9 this Term, as part of our daily fruit break time or our ‘Crunch&Sip’ fruit and vegetable break, our Stage One students will participate in a ‘Vege Adventure’! This activity encourages students to bring different colours of fruit and vegetable to school to eat for fruit break. For example: Monday – favourite fruit/vegetable (any colour). Tuesday – Red. Wednesday – Orange. Thursday - Yellow. Friday - Green. Please know that if you do not have any vegetables or fruit of that colour for any given day, we do understand and simply send any colour with your child. An information note will be sent home with your child this week.
With Winter now having certainly arrived and our students wearing their warm school jumpers and jackets each day, we would like to remind parents and carers to clearly label all your child’s belongings. At times, students do remove their jackets and jumpers as the day warms up, however with their name and class clearly labelled does make for easy return if their belongings are misplaced. In the cooler months, we continue to encourage our students to sip water throughout the day, so please send your child with their drink bottle clearly labelled also.
Celebrations of Learning
This week we celebrate the fabulous artworks of 1J and their creative depiction and expression of London Bridge and Big Ben using lines, pattern and oil colours.
Mrs Tammy Coote
Assistant Principal (Relieving) - Stage 1
Stage 2
Current Learning
Over the next few weeks Stage 2 will be participating in athletics skills through the Sports In Schools Program in preparation for the school athletics carnival, which is to be held on the last day of Term 2.
Reminders
Please keep sending in your absence notes to your teacher. You can reply to the SMS, send a note, email the school or contact the office. It is a legal requirement to explain your child’s absence.
Please keep up the great work in labelling your child’s items.
Please remember that your child’s classroom teacher is your first point of contact for any and all matters regarding your child's social, emotional and academic needs. If you need further help, you can contact me, as the Stage 2 supervisor.
We are going on our excursion on Tuesday 21 June, 2022. Please remember to send your child in enclosed shoes and appropriate uniform with lunch, a water bottle, a hat, sunscreen and a labelled raincoat. The bus will leave at 9.30am from the school and return by 2.30pm - updates will be available on facebook if the return time changes.
Please return your athletics carnival note and make payment online as soon as possible. We are looking forward to a great day, and thanks to Mrs Farrell for her organisation.
Celebrations of Learning
As part of our History Unit about explorers,4F turned their room into an Exploration and Art Exhibition for the other classes in Stage 2 to visit. The museum curators (students), showed their google slide presentations, sharing their knowledge about the explorers they chose to research. The students were very proud of their exhibits. This event was the beginning of the oral presentations that all Stage 2 students completed in the past weeks. What an amazing job they all did. Congratulations to all!
4F Exploration and Art Exhibition
Mrs Jo Lee
Support Unit
Current Learning
K6L has been focusing on improving their fine motor skills. This helps us to write neatly and to write for longer without getting sore hands and fingers. It’s important to warm our hands up before we start writing. We do this by using all different types of fine motor activities such as play dough, squeezing squash balls and using tweezers to pick up small items.
Reminders
Winter is here and our days are very chilly, especially in the mornings. Please make sure your child is wearing warm clothes and has a jumper every day, even if it’s packed in their bag. A spare set of clothes is also requested. Please make sure you have labeled all clothing with your child’s name.
Pajama Day is next Friday 24 June. NAIDOC week is coming up in Week 10. It is an amazing week packed with exciting activities and experiences. The slime spectacular has been moved to Term 3 Week 6.
Celebrations of Learning
The Support Unit award winners of this fortnight were: Jackson, Amelia, Cooper, Braxton, Mathew, Brody, Noah, Tommy, Dylan, Sienna, Koby, Jarvis, Benny.
Ms Lauren Greentree
Assistant Principal (Relieving) - Support Unit
Canteen
Please be aware that lunch orders (11:00am break) made via Flexi Schools cannot be cancelled by the parent or the canteen after 9:30am as preparation starts at 9:00am.
Parenting Ideas
Teaching kids to be kind
• EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
• POSITIVE PARENTING
• RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIPS
• RESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOUR
by Rachel Tomlinson
Judgement and criticism are the stock in trade for many people in today’s fast-paced world. In our playgrounds and parks, children often act cruelly – or are simply uninterested in how other people feel. Little kids, big kids, and even adults can respond reactively and unthinkingly, or sometimes intentionally, with unkindness.
Although being unkind is nothing new (it’s happened from the beginning of humanity), technology is enabling cruelty in faster, easier, anonymous ways. Technology is also making it hard for our kids to develop skills to delay gratification. Exercising impulse control – self regulation – is trickier because waiting isn’t needed. These things combine to make it increasingly hard to be a compassionate and kind person, someone who considers the needs of others rather than acting out of self-interest. It demands intention and commitment.
The helper’s high
Our brains release “feelgood” chemicals (like oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins) which fight stress and make us feel happy when we engage in, or even witness, acts of kindness. It’s called the “helper’s high” and it’s our brains’ way of rewarding us for doing good, making us want to repeat the behaviour to get the same good feeling again. Not only does being kind feel good, but it generally keeps us safe because it makes us more likely to be accepted by social groups. It builds social capital when we are considerate of the needs of others.
Create opportunities for kindness
Even though they are hardwired for kindness we still need to create opportunities for our kids to engage in acts of kindness. We also need them to know what it feels like to have someone treat them kindly (so they know what behaviours to copy, and why kindness is important). So how can you help them?
Model kindness
Show your children how you treat others kindly. Hold open doors for people, put trolleys back that are in the middle of the car park, drop a meal to a sick family member, donate old towels to an animal shelter, let someone in when traffic is heavy.
They don’t have to be grand gestures, just small and gentle ways of considering the needs of others.
Use kind language
Consider how you speak to your child and what you say when you speak. Ask how you speak about others (and yourself). Our kids use our behaviour as templates for how they should act. So let them see your compassion shine through for those around you. Be kind as you listen. Be kind as you talk. Say kind things.
Encourage helping
Is one child great at maths and their younger sibling isn’t? Invite them to teach them or guide them through their homework. Ask them to show you how to play their favourite video game. If they are great at cooking, ask them to help you prepare dinner. Having them involved in prosocial ways gives them a helper’s high.
Build their emotional intelligence
Kids who struggle to regulate and manage their emotions will find it harder to treat others with compassion. An essential part of teaching kids to be kind centres on teaching them to manage challenging emotions, and giving them coping strategies to navigate their way through.
• Teach them the words for feelings. Without the right words to share how they feel it can leave kids confused, fearful and frustrated…which only serves to make their big feelings more intense. When you see them experiencing a feeling, name it for them: “I can see that made you so mad”, “I wonder if you felt sad when your friend left you out”.
• Help them identify when they are escalating, but don’t try and reason with them when they are in the “red zone” – we cannot reason with them at this stage as they are in the emotional part of the brain (mid brain) not the part that lets them be logical (pre-frontal cortex). Discuss strategies and practice when they feel calm. Get them doing things like squeezing play dough, talking about how they feel, going for a run, switching on music that makes them feel good, drawing or writing stuff down.
When you do this, you’re being kind, teaching kindness, and helping them be kind to themselves.
In closing
Encouraging kids to be kind is essential in helping them avoid seeking instant gratification, ego-centric solutions, or being cruel. When people are empathic and kind they are more likely to experience better overall wellbeing, this is in part due to the helper’s high, but also because they feel fulfilled and tend to have better quality relationships. Kindness is cool!