What an extremely busy fortnight it has been in Gawura. In amongst our continuous and robust teaching program our Gawura students have also been very fortunate to have had a visit from Australia’s Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove, an excursion to the Opera House and we also held our annual Father’s Day breakfast including Uncles and Pops.

On Wednesday 6 September all of Gawura students attended the annual Indigenous Literacy Foundation Book Swap at the Sydney Opera House. Josh Pike opened the event with the song Words Make the World Go Around which he and Justine Clarke sang with our Gawura students last year. Students brought in a book from home with a gold coin donation and swapped it for another book which other students had brought from home. There were over 15 schools in attendance. One school came all the way from the Kimberleys in Western Australia and launched their own book titled, Yakanarra Song Book. The students from Yakanarra Community School even sang three songs in their own language to the audience.

On Friday 8 September, Gawura had a wonderful turn out of dads, uncles and pops for the annual Father’s Day Breakfast. The morning began on the roof with a breakfast and a wonderful Acknowledgement of Country by Jakayla’s Uncle Nat. The students then brought all the dads, pops and uncles to the Gawura classrooms and shared their reflections of the statement, ‘You are a Superhero to me because…’. There were many examples of how the dads, pops and uncles have shown love and kindness to their children which were lovely to hear. Thank you to all the men (and nan!) who came in on the morning to share this special occasion with your loved one. The students loved having you here and it was wonderful to see so many amazing male role models in our students’ lives.

On Monday 11 September the Governor General of Australia, Sir Peter Cosgrove, made a very special visit to Gawura. He didn’t want a fuss made over him and in fact requested that he see Gawura operate in its usual manner. We performed the song We Are Australian with the Junior School Choir and sang the chorus in Wiradjuri which His Excellency was very impressed with. We then put the Governor General and Lady Cosgrove to work by reading with our students in the same manner that our volunteer readers do every morning. The visit then concluded with His Excellency and Lady Cosgrove attending a morning tea Question and Answer in the Council Room with our Gawura Years 7-12 students.

Our amazing Gawura students need to be commended for the way in which they consistently present themselves in public. Whether it’s by showing respect to the students of Yakanarra Community School in the remote WA Kimberleys or engaging with Australia’s Governor General, everybody is treated the same and I am constantly reminded of how well they exhibit the Reconciliation Week values of friendship, harmony, diversity, respect, acceptance, fairness and understanding.

Acting Head of Gawura
Mr John Ralph

www.gawura.nsw.edu.au

We are excited to announce the launch of the new Gawura website! We hope you like the new site!

Indigenous Literacy Foundation

On Wednesday 6 September we had a Book Swap. Students from every class donated some of their own books so other students could buy them. Over 350 books were donated and everyone who brought a gold coin could choose a book. All the money raised went to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation. $457.40 was raised in total! Thank you to everyone who participated.

Christie Kalis
Student Representative Council Leader (SRC)

Holiday fun

The holidays are a great time to explore the great outdoors with your little one! The best way for kids to learn about the world is to get outside and discover it for themselves! This easy activity will help your little one to develop an understanding of the living creatures in the environment around them – and can be done at the park or in the comfort of your own backyard!

What you need

• a clear plastic container (such as a plastic jar or takeaway container)
• a spoon
• a small piece of cardboard
• a magnifying glass (you can use a real one, or download an app to your smart-device)

What to do

Tell your little one, ‘We’re going on a bug hunt! But first we have to make a special house for the bugs!’

Go outside with your little one, and ask them to find some dirt, stones and leaves and put them in the bottom of the container.

Then get your little one to search for bugs and creepy crawlies – encourage them to look around flowers, beneath leaves, at the bases of trees and under rocks (most bugs like damp and dark places).

Remember to watch your little one and make sure they don’t poke their fingers into places you can’t see (such as under rocks or between pieces of wood in case there are bugs hiding that could bite or sting).

When your little one finds a bug, help them to collect it by carefully using the spoon and piece of cardboard to pick it up and gently and place the bug in the container (they can use their fingers instead if you can recognise the bug and know it is harmless).

Encourage your little one to examine the bug through the container using the magnifying glass. Ask them questions to help them describe the bug – for example, ‘How many legs can you see on your bug?’ or ‘What colours can you see?’

If you are not sure what type of bug your little one has found, you could try to identify it together. The CSIRO has a great Backyard Bug Guide to get you started – or you can try searching the internet to find out more about the bugs you find together.

This activity is also a good opportunity to talk to your littlie about respecting the environment. Make sure they know that they should be gentle with the bug, and should put it back in the garden when they are finished looking at it.

This article is reproduced from Learning Potential, a product of the Australian Government Department of Education and Training. For more great articles visit www.learningpotential.gov.au and download the app.

Book now for the Sydney Learning Festival!

Come along to the Sydney Learning Festival at the end of September to participate in fun and exciting workshops led by talented people. Go to the Sydney Learning Festival Website to check out what's on offer this year!

Bookings are through the website: www.sydneylearningfestival.com.au

Contact Lucy Birts with any questions at lbirts@sacs.nsw.edu.au

Changing to Summer Uniform

The “Summer” Uniform is worn during Terms 1 and 4. For those who have summer uniform requirements, please contact Mr Ralph or the Uniform Store, on 9286 9547 for a fitting time.

Please label all new (and old) items of uniform.

The Uniform store normal Hours of Operation are:

• Monday – Wednesday – Thursday  |  8am to 3.30pm
• WE CLOSE at the end of Term 3 on Thursday 21 September at 3.30pm
• WE REOPEN for Term 4 on Monday 9 October at 8am

Boys Uniform

• School blue shirt with school crest – long or short sleeve
• School tie
• Mid-grey shorts
• Navy school blazer with crest
• Grey ankle striped socks (Term 1 &4)
• Traditional black leather lace up school shoes

Girls Uniform

• Summer dress - knee length
• White ankle socks
• Navy blazer with school crest
• Navy or and white ribbons to tie back hair
• Traditional black leather lace up school shoes

Gawura 10-Year Anniversary

Gawura 10-Year Anniversary items are now available from the Uniform Store.

Ties $24.00

Ribbon Hair Bow $5.00

Length of Hair Ribbon $3.00

Wiradjuri Language Nest – Gawura and SACS parent workshop

The parent Wiradjuri workshop has started for 2017. This is an amazing opportunity to support and contribute to the revival of Indigenous languages. I am delighted to say that the program is absolutely free. The weekly workshop is on Tuesday afternoons, 3.15pm-4.15pm and is open to all Gawura/SACS parents and family members.

Please contact Mr Ralph on 0411 040 193 if you are interested in joining the group.

The facts

Head lice infestations are a common occurrence, particularly in primary schools

Head lice infestations are a common occurrence, particularly in primary schools.

• about 23% of primary students have head lice at any one time
• anyone can catch head lice regardless of their age, sex, or how clean their hair is
• head lice move from one person’s head to another via hair
• head lice do not survive long when they are off a human head
• head lice do not live on furniture, hats, bedding or carpet
• head lice have built up some resistance to head lice treatments

Treatment

Daily combing of white hair conditioner using a fine tooth comb is effective in getting rid of head lice and eggs (nits)

Tips for parents in reducing the spread of head lice

As infestations are particularly common in primary schools, it is best to choose a treatment that can be used over time. There is no single solution to eradication, only persistence.

• regularly check your children’s hair
• teach older children to check their own hair
• tie back and braid long hair
• keep a fine tooth head lice comb in the bathroom and encourage all family members to use it when they wash their hair.

Where one student has head lice this serves as a warning light that there is likely to be an infestation in either specific classes or across the whole school population, including staff. The school will contact parents when infestations of head lice occur and request that parents examine their child’s hair and undertake treatment where eggs or lice are identified

http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/headlice/Pages/treatment.aspx

Trash Free Tuesdays

Don't forget Tuesdays in Gawura are now TRASH FREE. That means try not to bring any chip packets, muesli bars, poppers or snacks in Gladwrap for that day. We are keeping it TRASH free for our planet and also TRASH free for our bodies. Challenge yourself to pack a healthy lunch that will feed your body and mind every Tuesday. House points to be won!

Thursday Term 2 Sport

This year the K-2 students will be participating in an In-School Sport Program (with the exception of Term 4 when the Kindergarten children are swimming).

This term’s sport for Years 3-6:

• Year 3 – In-school soccer and athletics skills
• Year 4 - 6 Boys – ASISSA soccer
• Year 5 - 6 Girls – ASISSA soccer

Please remember your drink bottle, school cap and tracksuit top, and ensure that all the uniform/sport equipment is clearly named.

Uniform Store

For those who still have 2017 uniform requirements please contact the Uniform Store, on 92869547 for a fitting time. Remember that students in Kindergarten to Year 6 wear the same uniform so please label all items of uniform.

Mobile phone use

Older students, who travel to and from school on public transport and have a mobile phone, need to ensure that they are switched off during the school day and kept in school bags or handed to your child’s/children’s teacher each morning.

Health Centre

Please send in a note detailing any daily medication needs. Daily medication is to be dispensed by the School Nurse at the Sick Bay. Any medication to be dispensed by the School Nurse must be given to the nurse in its original box (containing the prescription label and your child’s name).

Absences

If your child/children are absent from school, I ask that you text or call Neal or the Reception on 9286 9500 before 9am to notify us. The school requires a note from a parent or guardian explaining any absence from school.

Homework Centre

The Homework Centre will commence in Week 2. It will again operate each Tuesday and Thursday afternoon from 3.10-4pm.