Welcome back to Term 3. We hope you and your family had some rest over the three week break.

It is lovely to see the smiling faces of our students again today. Right now our Yr 5 -12 Indigenous students were originally meant to be taking part on this years On Country Tour to Kuku Yalanji Nation on the Indigenous Homelands of Cape York in Far North Qld but due to coronavirus this extraordinary experience has been postponed to the same time next year in 2021.

As you may know our school is also involved with the Go Foundation who help with Indigenous scholarships in the high school. The Go Foundation was set up by ex Sydney Swans Indigenous players, Michael O’Loughlin and Adam Goodes. During the holidays the Go Foundation got in touch with us to say there is a company called One Box who provides free, weekly boxes of fresh produce to Australian schools, to support families going through tough times. The boxes contain fresh milk, bread, seasonal fruit and vegetables (around 10kg in total) and are delivered every school week at no cost to schools. If you believe your family would benefit from one of these boxes can you please let me know via text or return email and I will add you to the list.

Please see further information below about the new After School Care service called Their Care who are now involved in our Junior and Gawura Schools. Their Care are offering their services for free to Gawura Scholarship students including Vacation Care during the holidays. Please see insert below for details on how to register and enrol your child if you wish to use this service.

We do have a busy term ahead with some normal routines and events returning. We do plan to go ahead with our Athletics carnival (see dates below) and of course we are returning to normal school hours of 8:35am to 3:10pm. There are still some restrictions in place, for instance we cannot have any visitors to our school - just yet but we hope this may change as the term progresses. I will let you know when this happens. Just like last term if your child is presenting with any cough or cold, flu like symptoms please keep them at home and see a doctor. All the students at school are highly aware of the safe hygiene practices that will help keep coronavirus out of our school. We are mindful of the current second wave that Victoria are going through right now but with continued safe hygiene practices we hope to continue to keep all of our students, staff and school community safe as well.

We are ‘in this together’ and together we can get through this. Please see a list of the current restrictions below.

Have a wonderful and safe fortnight ahead.

John Ralph
Head of Gawura

After School Care for Gawura Students

TheirCare is the new After School Care provider for St Andrew’s Cathedral School and Gawura School. They have offered free after school care for Indigenous students on the Gawura scholarship which also includes Vacation Care during the school holidays. All you need to do is register your child online. The prices stated below do not apply to Gawura students. Gawura students can attend for free as long as you enrol and let them know that your child will be attending.

If you have any questions about TheirCare or would like to enrol your child, please contact Lianna or Rebecca.

Liana Wotton – St Andrew’s Area Manager 
M. 0455 552 231
E. lianaw@theircare.com.au

Rebecca  - St Andrew’s Coordinator (day to day contact)
M. 0407 895 967 (Operating hours only)
E. standrews@theircare.com.au

Book Week

A reminder that we will be celebrating Book Week in Week 5 of this term: 17th-21st of August. The Book Parade will now be held on Tuesday of that week (18th August). With COVID-19 restrictions looking to continue for the coming term, it is likely that parents will not be able to attend the Book Parade. Instead, a video will be made and a link sent to all families to enjoy together at a later date. This year’s theme is Curious Creatures, Wild Minds. We are very excited about the ways we will be able to design our costumes, decorations and activities around the imaginary creatures and mind-blowing information contained in some of the books we love. This year we will also be enjoying author visits, lunchtime activities every day and creative Book Week Competitions for each stage. Be sure to save the dates!

Also, a reminder to encourage your child(ren) to keep reading for the Premier’s Reading Challenge. The challenge closes at the end of August, which means there’s still plenty of time for lots of books to be completed. I am available at any time to help with uploading completed book titles and/or navigating the PRC website.

Celebrating the joy of reading together with you,

Nicole Cotter
JSGS Teacher Librarian

Co-curricular program

I hope everyone has enjoyed their break and is ready to get back into Term 3 sport and co-curricular! We had almost 50 Stage 3 students attend basketball and rugby sessions over the holidays. It’s been brilliant to see during these challenging times our students making the most of the opportunities presented to them. Their enthusiasm and attitude towards bettering themselves is inspiring to see.

A couple of highlights this term to look forward to are our annual Athletics Carnival, Year 5 Dancesport, K-2 Gymnastics, interschool sport, a full on-site co-curricular program and plenty more!

Chess is back on

The Sydney Academy of Chess has scheduled to coach any interested students wanting to learn chess. The weekly 30 min classes start on 28 July:

Years 3-4: Tuesdays from 11am to 11.30am
Years 5-6: Tuesdays from 12pm to 12.30pm

Students earn merit awards by making checkmates, or by displaying skills and positive qualities, which all good chess players strive to develop.

If your child is interested in taking part, you can collect an enrolment form from the school office, or email enrol@sydneyacademyofchess.com.au. For all enquiries, please contact Sydney Academy of Chess on (02) 9745 1170.

Tony Dunseath
Coordinator of Sport and Cocurricular K-6, PDHPE Teacher

Benefits of an evening routine

As we begin Term 3, and hopefully return to some normality, I thought it may be helpful to read through some thought provoking and simple but helpful tips and ideas helping us all navigate routines at the end of a busy day.

Keeping a regular routine is important for a lot of things, including for health reasons. Similarly, the Harvard Graduate School of Education has published a blog outlining how a predictable evening routine on school days can help create quality family time.

Here are some suggestions for parents, based on a two-hour routine:

• Begin by spending five to ten minutes discussing the day
• Have children take out their homework, guide them in making sure they know what is to be completed, and check they have the supplies necessary to complete them
• Eat dinner as a family; use conversation starters, such as ‘Would you rather live in the future or the past?’ to encourage table talk (Our Big Talk homework aligns here). Encourage good table manners; give thanks for the good things in your lives
• Be around (not necessarily sit with) your children as they complete their homework to ensure it gets done thoroughly
• Allow 30 minutes for a bedtime routine, including reading with the children
• Now not all these are doable in our busy lives, but they are certainly worth thinking about
• GenerationNext has linked an article adding some other tips to be included in the above suggestions
• Put electronics away and out of reach – in another room is recommended
• Have a regular bedtime routine
• Look at your weekly schedule and see if some things can be removed or modified
• Teach time management

I hope you have had a restful and enjoyable holiday and are ready to begin Term 3! Where has that half year gone??

Joy Rohrlach
Year 5 Leader

Please help us to update the learning needs of your child

This is to advise our families about the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data on Students with a Disability (NCCD).

All schools in all systems across Australia are required to participate in this mandatory census count at the start of Term 3 each year. All schools are required to provide data on their students who require additioal assistance or support as a result of cognitive, physical, sensory or social/emotional disability or difficulty, which impacts learning and educational outcomes and which requires ongoing adjustments int he classroom or in test situations.

The purpose of the NCCD is to provide government authorities with data on the number of students who require adjustments as a result of the impact of a disability or impairment. Under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and current government funding processes for students with disability, the data supplied is used for the allocation of government funds to supplement and subsidise schools so that they are better able to cater for the learning and support needs of their students. NCCD data also informs policy development for future education and planning purposes for the benefit of all Australian school students with disabilities.

We gratefully request the cooperation and assistance of our parents and carers in advising and providing our Specialised Learning and Counsellor-psychologist team at SACS with updated medical information on an ongoing basis as this constitutes the main evidence base required under the NCCD guidelines. Medical information includes diagnostic reports, assessments and letters, from a registered doctor, psychologist, specialist or therapist, which confirms a child's disability or difficulty.

What information about your child will be collected?

All information submitted to the government, is confidential and de-identified. It does not include the names of any students. The NCCD is essentially a count of how many students within the various categories of disability requiring support, we currently have here at the school. All information collected is held in accordance with our school's Privacy Policy.

Specifically, our school will provide a summary of the following information:

The overall number of students at St Andrew's Cathedral School and St Andrew's Cathedral Gawura School K-6 who are currently receiving adjustments to enable them to participate in education on the same basis as their peers.

The type of disability or impairment which has impacted on their learning or behaviour over the past year (August 2019 to August 2020).          

The level of adjustment provided by the school. This includes individualised actions taken as part of the collaborative planning process, differentiation of teaching and learning, monitoring and support across a range of domains including social-emotional and physical support - up to a supplementary, substantial or extensive level, and provided in or outside of the classroom.

For further information on the NCCD, see the Fact Sheet for Parents Guardians and Caregivers here. To send in updated medical information on your child, please contact Mrs Cathy Dangar, (K-6 Specialised Learning Coordinator): CDangar@sacs.nsw.edu.au

Congratulations

Each year, the NSW Education Standards Authority invite entries for the WriteOn competition, where students in Years 1-6 write a text based on a stimulus. This year, students were presented with the image above, and had to write an imaginative text of up to 500 words. Teachers nominated students to participate and, of the 42 entries submitted from years 2-4, we selected these two outstanding entries. A panel of experienced NSW primary teachers from NESA and each educational sector will judge the entries from across the state, and outstanding submissions will be published in “The Best of WriteOn 2020”.

Congratulations to Leon and Vanessa!

Lucy Birts,
Gifted and Talented Coordinator K-6

 
Chase’s Adventure, Vanessa Wang (2N)

“Hi Chase!” giggled Tyler. “How was your day?”. Chase wagged his stumpy tail with delight, his feet bounced off the floor. “Woof! Woof!” he barked excitedly.

Tyler Roberts lived with his sister, Tiffany and his parents. They had a smart dog named Chase. Tyler and his family lived in an apartment in the city and Chase adored his daily adventure at the park, and sneaking out at night.

One lovely morning, Tyler decided to take Chase for a nice walk through the busy park. Once they arrived, Tyler saw one of his friends and ran up to talk to him. Ben and Tyler were best friends at school.

“Hi Ben!” called Tyler, running up to him. “What’s up?”.
“Hi, Tyler!” replied Ben cheerfully. Both boys enthusiastically high-fived. “I don’t have much time here, but I’ll give you a minute”, announced Tyler, keeping a very close eye on Chase, who was happily playing with the other dogs.

Tyler and Ben chatted busily about school and their large bag full of homework. They also lazily kicked a ball to each other. Soon, it was becoming dark and Tyler and Chase started walking home. Chase stopped by a fast-looking sportscar and barked. “No time to look at cars Chase!” Tyler said. “Let’s go boy!”.

When they were home, Tyler was so tired that he collapsed onto his bed and went to sleep, but not Chase! He kept both eyes open, staring at the door. A few minutes after Tyler went to sleep, Chase quietly crept on his tippy-toes down the hall to the open front door. He rushed out of the apartment and down the street, his short little legs running as fast as they could carry him!  Chase hadn’t gone far when he spotted the sportscar parked on the side of the road. It’s boot was open. Chase stood up on his hind legs to have a little peek. The boot looked just big enough for him to climb into and have a further look. As he was smelling the back of the boot, all of a sudden the boot slammed shut! The car engine started with a loud roar and off it sped with Chase locked in the boot. He was bouncing up and down, knocking his head on the hard roof.

After quite a while, the sportscar stopped. Chase heard the door open and slam shut and the lid of the boot opened. Chase immediately dashed out of the car onto the path. He looked around and recognised the local shops. He ran like a cheetah back to the apartment where he lived. He immediately ran through the open front door and back into Tylers room. Phew! He quietly hopped onto Tylers bed and snuggled up next to him. Tyler was still sound asleep!

 
Safe in a Storm, Leon Hoerr (3B)

One ear up, tip twitch, twitch tip
Growl, deep from belly, rumble
Mouth curls up, reveals teeth, snarl
Whiskers flick, nostrils quiver
Zac Jack Russell, dog on alert!

“Shush” mutters James, rolling in bed
Roll of thunder responds to him
Crackle, shatter, roar
Lightning joins the storm
Glint, sparkle, gleam
“Here Zac, hide with me”

Under the covers, safe
They wait and listen..
Flash, like fireworks, glow-worms in the sky.

They wait and listen again…
Crack, roar, boom!
Zac cries “howl, shriek, yowl!”
James cuddles tight

Here comes rain,
A Congo drummer on the roof
Slowly, slowly.. the storm retreats

James and Zac, tired now, sleepy
Eyes close, they drift off
Light glimmers, through the curtains
Morning, is here.

Years 5 and 6 Robotics will not be starting again until 6 August. This means that Thursday Robotics will start in Week 3 and Tuesday Robotics will start in Week 4.

Please email Pip Hoermann at phoermann@sacs.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions.

Lunch and afternoon tea

A reminder from the Canteen that the first break of the day for all year groups is Lunch, followed by Afternoon Tea. Lunch orders are delivered for the first break.

Allergy Awareness

As a school we support minimising the risk of allergens in the classroom and request parents to refrain from sending lunches with nut spreads.

We remind students to be aware that they should:

• Always take food allergies seriously – severe allergies are not a joke
• Never share food with friends who have food allergies or pressure them to eat food that they are allergic to
• Understand that some students have allergies – discuss common symptoms
• Wash hands before and after eating
• Know what their friends are allergic to
• If a schoolmate becomes sick, get help immediately; and
• Be respectful of a schoolmate’s medical kit.

SACS parents love a trivia night and COVID-19 will not stop the fun!

Join us for a night of NOT SO ISOLATED TRIVIA on Friday 7 August from 7pm (quiz being at 7.30pm).

Join or host a team from the comfort of your own home.

Depending on social isolation rules you may want to invite some members of your team to your home or all your team members can stay in their own homes and join you in a private team chat room that you will be given. It’s really easy.

If you would like to book a team of 10 people, please choose one of the team names and book and pay for the team for $190. 

If you would like to play but don’t have a whole team then please book your required number of individual tickets at $20 a ticket. Nominate the year group you would most like to join and we will allocate you to a team. You can stay at home and you will meet other parents in the comfort of your own chat room online to have fun, socialise and discuss your answers.

On the night, dress up or dress down. You can create a wacky themed background for your team if you would like to or do nothing but turn your computer on. The choice is yours. 

Book at https://www.trybooking.com/BKMVP

Please book quickly as numbers are limited. The evening of fun should last around 2 ½ hours.

Contact Rebecca at rhetherington@sacs.nsw.edu.au if you have any questions.

This event supports the Heath Bursary Fund.

Please join the SACS community in watching our 2020 Major Drama production of Jane Eyre. This performance will be streamed on the 7 and 8 August at 7pm and we warmly invite you to join together with your family and friends to watch this fantastic production from the comfort of your home. Our students have worked for over six months on this production, which was originally due to be staged at the end of Term 1 and are excited to be finally bringing it to the stage in this professionally filmed format.

Please read and download the Jane Eyre program here.

We are proud to announce this year’s K-12 creative competition theme is – SYDNEY. Our school is located in the middle of the best city in the world. Sydney is part of SACS DNA and we are keen to see how students will creatively represent it. This year we have a NEW category - music composer of the year – can you compose a song/music about Sydney?

Thoughts to get you started:

• Explore Sydney’s past, present, or future
• Explore Sydney’s setting (eg city) for your story, artwork, music
• Explore Sydney’s culture – diversity, multicultural, aboriginal
• Explore Sydney’s vibe – positive, future focused, busy, modern
• Explore Sydney’s beautiful natural setting – harbour, parks, headlands, towns, architecture
• Explore Sydney’s people – homeless, business, students, shoppers

Click here for 2020 entry details and winners from past competitions.

Entries close Monday 19 October (Term 4 Week 2).

Wednesday and Friday Appointments Available.

I would like to advise you that we have secured the services of a very generous doctor in the city who is willing to see our Gawura students and their families free of charge (he will bulk bill through Medicare) if the need arises. Dr Shuo (Shore) Zhao is located at Level 1, 70 Pitt St, Sydney. You can book an appointment with him on any Wednesday and Friday morning between 8am – 12pm. The number of the practice is 02 9233 3399.

We understand that many parents already have their own doctor that they use, possibly even through the Aboriginal Medical Service (AMS) in Redfern but this is just another option for you to use if you choose to do so and one that is located in the city, near our school.