Principal's Message

Dear Parents,

A warm welcome to the 2010 school year. I hope that you all enjoyed a happy family Christmas and New Year. I have met with the teachers over the past couple of weeks and I can report that we are all excited and ready to begin a fantastic year.

As many of you have noticed, work has just begun on the senior block of classrooms. The area has been fenced (and all personnel have been screened) to ensure the children’s safety. Whilst we do not look forward to the disruption, the anticipated outcome of 22 refurbished classrooms, school canteen, hall and Kindy COLA will be worth it.

The outdoor Preschool play area was completed at the beginning of the holidays. It is magnificent! We how have a levelled play area covered in softplay, a sandpit with cover and umbrella to accommodate a whole class, and new play equipment. For those patient ex preschoolers (our new Kindies), who watched the construction work last term, we will give them some play time in the new area.

Academic Focus
Our major focus for attention this year will be in the higher order thinking area of comprehension. We want to nurture further progress in this area across all Key Learning Areas.

Generally, our children capably inter-pret literal comprehension questions. Like most children across the state, our students are weaker at seeking and finding deeper meanings.

We expect that our children will be able to predict, hypothesise, make and justify opinions and interpret nuance of language. Programs (Preschool – Year 6) have long been in place but require additional attention. We look forward to more children achieving the highest possible levels, beyond their stage of development.

Good Beginnings
For those new parents and/or those who wish to refresh memories – hints for a great beginning to school:

• ‘Talk it up!’ Children respond to your enthusiasm (or lack thereof). Encourage them to be excited about their new class/teacher/responsibilities.
• Label everything! Teachers will tell you sad stories about children losing new hats, jackets, jumpers, lunchboxes etc. Save yourself and your child from much anxiety. Believe me, this issue is not restricted to Kindergarten.
• Be prepared! Your child needs a lunchbox, drink bottle, pencil case and homework book. They will feel confident with the right equipment.
• Establish routines! Children develop best in predictable, structured environments where they have time for play, homework, hobbies and sleep (at least ten hours for the growing body).
• Provide healthy food! Please remember our school rule (recommended by health experts) only one non-nutritious snack per school day.
• Make note of our school phone number - 9820 1499 and our website -
www.sarahredfe-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
Please enter them in your mobile phone if you have one.
• Please check your child’s schoolbag for school communications! Newsletters are distributed on either Tues./Wed. of odd school weeks. Excursion notes are also sent home. Also the odd mouldy piece of fruit is best removed as soon as possible.
• Buy a school hat! They will be a mandatory component of the school uniform in Term 2. Protection of the ears and neck is essential. Please make the transition as soon as possible. Our children’s health is of utmost importance.
• Love them and leave them positively! Some little ones may become upset when it is time for mum or dad to leave (although over the past five years or so the only tears have come from the adults). If so, please listen to the teachers’ advice and leave when requested. So often the child settles a few minutes after your departure. If you are worried please call us and we will give you an update.

Australia Day Honours
It was a great pleasure and honour to attend the Australia Day Awards ceremony at Koshigaya Park on 26th January. Several of our students received nominations for the prestigious awards:

Jordan Roberts Bentley
Kara Oeurn &
Alafou Fatu

Nicole Ede, our outstanding Aboriginal Education Worker and Community Liaison Officer, was also nominated as Campbelltown Citizen of the Year.

We are very proud of our children and staff member. What a great way to begin the year!

Collecting Children
As a result of the building, some additional potential dangers have been added to the entrances/exits to our school. The entrance near the Passfield/Sarah Redfern teachers’ carpark is out of bounds. No children or parents should enter here. Trucks with cement, timber, resources, etc. will be accessing this area with heavy loads throughout the school day.

Please note that children need to be collected at the end of the school day (3.00pm) from the Canteen area. Parents with children may use the exit near the office. Please be aware that cars and small buses are near the gates. You will need to closely supervise the children.

The best exit/entrance for all children is Guernsey Avenue (near the Preschool), where they are escorted by teachers and crossed over by our RTA Crossing Lady, Jan Dovey.

Thank you for your co-operation.

Kind Regards
Cheryl McBride OAM

Active After School Communities Program

Will recommence on Tuesday, 9th February at 3.15pm until 4.15pm. This program provides physical activities for children to encourage a healthy lifestyle. Please contact Mr Bland if you would like your child to be involved. The program operates on Tuesday and Wednesday for 7 weeks.

Library

Please take note of your child’s library day and ensure that they bring along an appropriate library bag with their name and class clearly marked. This will enable your child to borrow books from the library to enjoy with you at home.

My School Website

Important Message for Parents


The MySchool Website

Following much controversy and attention in the media the MySchool website will be published today. The Years 3 & 5 children’s aggregated results from the 2009 national testing will be published online.

Our results will not compare well with many other schools. The reason for this is simple. Sarah Redfern Public School welcomes ALL children. As long as we can provide the appropriate resources for a child to participate effectively in our school they will be given the chance. We also host five classes for students with intellectual disabilities from across the Sydney South West Region. All those children are invited to complete the NAPLAN tests with their mainstream peers. Some parents encourage their participation, as is their choice and right. The fact that these children achieve in the lowest band of the test is not reflective of their perseverance and hard work but confirms what we already know – the tests are not designed for children with disabilities. Their optional inclusion is a government imperative.

When these results are added with the full Years 3 & 5 cohorts they give a misleading lower average. Unfortunately the results do not demonstrate how well our more academic and average students are performing. For example, I doubt there are many schools that can claim that 12% of their Year 4 students have gained entry or reserve to OC classes. We have also had outstanding results in the University of NSW academic competitions and several of our Year 6 students from 2009 won their way and will begin in selective high schools (sporting, performing arts and academically gifted) this week.

We must also remember that each year when the most capable move into OC our higher results are reduced. This will be of most impact this year when our highest achieving Year 5 students have moved on to the OC classes.

I believe that our children’s individual results reflect good progress, excellent teaching and quality education. I do not believe that the average of their results reflects these.

On Friday, we can anticipate that at least some elements of the media are going to further exaggerate the problem by adding the children’s average results in literacy and numeracy and coming up with a number that they will compare to other schools around Australia / NSW / Campbelltown. I am concerned that this may denigrate our school and our community. Parents, as ambassadors for our school, please tell the whole story.

I am genuinely sorry that we have come to such a situation. I am not sorry that we welcome ALL children.

Many thanks,
Cheryl McBride OAM
Principal
Sarah Redfern Public School.