Welcome back to school for the final term of 2020.
I would like to thank the school community for their support in what has been such a challenging year so far. Parents/carers are welcome onto the school grounds remembering to adhere to the social distancing rules. Parents/carers are only able to enter the classrooms if they have an organised meeting.
Term 4 is an extremely busy one for our students and teachers with National Quality Standards Verification of our Early Years Program, Edu Dance, Dance Sport, Numero Competition, 1:1 iPad program parent information evening, Kindergarten and Pre-Primary orientation, Year 6 visits to Duncraig SHS, Public Speaking showcase, Year 6 Camp, Year 6 Graduation and PP-Year 5 presentations assembly.
It will be so much more pleasant hosting a lot of these events this year with the installation of our new fan in the undercover area. On behalf of the staff and students I would like to thank the P&C for their generous contribution that has allowed us to make this purchase.
2021 Kindergarten Orientation Meeting |
| Kindergarten orientation for 2021 Kindy students is being held at Duncraig Primary School on Friday 27 November.The focus of this session is to enable the children to
meet one another and familiarise themselves with the Kindy environment. This will also be an opportunity for teachers to meet parents. Parents will be provided with an orientation pack that provides information about Kindy. Representatives from the Duncraig Primary School P&C will be available to sell uniform stock at a reduced price. This includes shorts and skorts. We look forward to meeting you and your children before the start of an exciting Kindy year. |
Term 4 School Development Day
On the first two days of Term 4 all teachers and education assistants participated in professional learning in the Talk for Writing program. Having seen the huge effects this program has on children’s writing and with the analysis of previous years writing data this program will be the whole school approach to the teaching of writing. Talk for Writing, developed by Pie Corbett, is powerful because it is based on the principles of how people learn. The movement from imitation to innovation to independent application can be adapted to suit the needs of learners of any stage. Brooke Purdy from Dyslexia SPELD facilitated the two-day learning.
The Talk for Writing approach enables children to read and write independently for a variety of audiences and purposes within different subjects. A key feature is that children internalise the language structures needed to write through ‘talking the text’, as well as close reading. The approach moves from dependence towards independence, with the teacher using shared and guided teaching to develop the ability in children to write creatively and powerfully.
Talk for Writing has had an outstanding impact on schools. Typically, schools have found that children initially double their rate of progress and, where the approach has been applied systematically across a setting, many schools have moved from dire results to outstanding success. Schools already performing well have not only increased attainment, but also enjoyment and engagement.
This approach requires teachers to teach explicitly and will take time for them to perfect the craft but we are looking forward to seeing the “fruits of our labour”. You can access the link below for more information on the program. https://www.talk4writing.com/about/
The Fathering Project
The Fathering Project is a well-established program in many schools that allows for the Dad/father figures in our students lives to get together. It assists dads to form groups that organise fun activities at schools, providing a safe and inclusive environment where fathers can engage with their kids and learn, share and connect with each other. It also provides schools with tools to identify strengths and needs in order to plan improvements in family partnerships. This ties in perfectly with our schools focus on social and emotional wellbeing. Our school is now a member of the Fathering Project. Many thanks to Jarrod Holloway who has taken the lead and organised this through the P&C. With the help of the P&C Jarrod is currently organising the launch of this group at an event (Sausage Sizzle) to be held on Thursday 12 November. Please keep your eye out for notifications via Connect or on the website regarding this upcoming events as well as other events that will take place across the school year to build relationships in our community.
Food Bank Donations
This term in the lead up to Christmas the P&C are organising a food drive for Foodbank WA. A box will be placed near the Canteen to collect non-perishable food donations. The most wanted food items are UHT custard, Christmas pudding, spreads such as jam, vegemite and honey, tea, coffee, canned fish, canned fruit and canned vegetables. Thank you so much in anticipation of your support.
ECO Team
Last term students from years 3 to 6 were given the opportunity to sign up to Duncraig Primary School’s ECO Team. There were many interested students ready to join the team, which was very pleasing. The ECO team’s mission is to minimise waste and work towards a more sustainable future. Some of the jobs the eco team students have signed up for are Kitchen Garden maintenance, soft plastic recycling, compost and worm farm care, educating others and lunchtime clean ups.
The Kitchen Garden has produced some delicious snow peas, and the garden is looking better than ever. The students have collected 6 large bags of soft plastics saved from landfill and this has been recycled with Woolworths and REDcycle. In addition, the team has begun collecting coffee pods, plastic lids, batteries and used stationary. Please bring any of these items in on a Tuesday and Thursday as the ECO team will be collecting these items in the old undercover area in the morning before school. The coffee pods will be taken to and recycled at local Nespresso stores, the plastic lids will be used for teaching and learning programs, batteries will be collected and disposed of by the local council and used stationery will be sent to TerraCycle.
Containers for Change started on the 1st of October and if community members would like to donate the proceeds of their recycling to our school there is a Containers for Change bin in the old undercover area or you can by providing our name ‘DUNCRAIG PRIMARY SCHOOL P&C’ or using our Scheme Code C10295049, at the recycling depot @ 238 Balcatta Road Balcatta or search other locations via https://www.containersforchange.com.au/wa/wa/where-to-return.
Gardening Club
During Term 3 Ms Collett reinvigorated the Environmental Program with the implementation of the “ECO Team”. Students have been working in the garden before school and teachers have been using the garden to assist with student learning. The ECO team has begun a new recycling program around the school. Mrs Stewart began her Friday “gardening club” last Friday. With the assistance of Ms Clegg and the team they were very successful in beginning the beautification of the school’s gardens.
Well done to you all!
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Regards
Lyn Dawson
Principal
21 October 2020