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ANZAC CEREMONY
On Thursday 9th April at 10am the school will hold an ANZAC Day ceremony under the COLA for all students Year 1 – 6. Parents and Carers are invited to attend and should be seated by 10am.
EASTER HAT PARADE
On Wednesday 8th April Kindergarten to Year 2 will be involved in an Easter Hat Parade. It will commence at 11:30 in the Assembly Hall. Students are busily making their hats and if previous parades are any indication it will be a sea of colour displaying a variety of creative ideas. Please note that for safety reasons strollers/prams are not permitted into the hall.
The Easter Hat Parade is always high on parent/carer attendance so please arrive early to ensure a seat. After the parade you are more than welcome to join your child/children for a picnic lunch.
STUDENT WELFARE –Whooping Cough
On Wednesday 1st April I was contacted by the Dept of Health to advise that there has been a person attending Homebush Public School who had been diagnosed with whooping cough. A copy of a letter and a fact sheet was printed for all students and staff, and issued. If your child didn’t receive the letter and fact sheet please obtain one for the office. If you haven’t read please do so.
If you have any concerns about your child’s health please consult a doctor who will prescribe an appropriate medication and advise the length of exclusion from school if required.
CANTEEN
HPS is fortunate to have a canteen that provides a range of healthy foods at very reasonable prices. Next term will see a return of yoghurts, some special “amber food” days and a push on fresh fruit. If you have any ideas or suggestions for the canteen I’m sure Margaret would be very keen to talk to you. See her any day except Thursday in the canteen.
To support working parents/carers Margaret will advertise the popular “Wednesday Specials” each fortnight to allow pre-ordering. Watch for special flyers early next term.
CLASSROOM REQUISITES
Classroom Requisites - For the school to operate programs and curriculum areas a payment is requested to provide such things as booklets produced by the school, science materials, maths materials, visual arts materials, computer requisites, and other disposable items required for the class/year group. These vary across the school and reflect changing curriculum delivery, such as in Kindergarten to Stage 2 where Count-Me-In Maths means that the nature of the learning activities requires a wide variety of resources.
Thank you to all parents/carers who have already paid. It is essential that outstanding fees are paid by the end of Term 1.
NATIONAL ASSESSMENT PROGRAM - LITERACY AND NUMERACY [NAPLAN]
In May 2009, as part of the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN), national tests will be held in literacy and numeracy for all students in Australia at Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. In 2009 the dates for the National Assessment Program will be Tuesday May 12 – Thursday May 14. National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy: Writing Task 2009 The writing task for the 2009 NAPLAN Writing test will be a narrative. All students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will complete the same task. The national tests will assess student achievement in literacy and numeracy. Students will have their skills assessed in numeracy, reading, writing, spelling, punctuation and grammar. National tests will provide information on how students are progressing against national benchmarks and support improvements in teaching and learning.
TERM 1 VACATION
The last day for student attendance for Term 1 is Thursday 9th April. Students commence Term 2 on Wednesday 29th April.
As this will be the last Newsletter of Term 2 I would like to wish everyone a safe, relaxed and peaceful Term 1 holiday.
Regards
Chris Russell
Principal
1st April 2009
NSW HEALTH
The State wide Eyesight Preschooler Screening (StEPS) is an initiative of NSW Health and offers all 4 year old children free vision screening. NSW Health advises that all children should have their vision screened before they start school and strongly recommends that all 4 year old children participate in the vision screening program. All Kindergarten children were issued with pamphlets on the StEPS program. The importance of this program is particularly reflected in the fact that after eight years of age some childhood vision problems cannot be treated. Children who have these untreated conditions will have poor vision for the rest of his/her life and glasses will not be able to assist these problems. StEPS is a free service that can be accessed through the Croydon Community Health Centre by telephoning 9378 1367.
HOMEBUSH P.S. PLAYGROUP
The new Homebush playgroup will hold its first meeting on Wednesday 29th April between 9:00 and 10:30 am in the school hall. This is the first school day for students after the holidays. If you have preschool children please come along and meet other parents in an informal setting. Parents/ carers attending will be asked to pay $1 to cover costs for tea and coffee with any additional funds raised being used to purchase resource for a variety of activities that are planned for the group.
FOOTBALL CARDS
From Monday 6th April football cards will be banned from our school. Many children have been involved in playground disputes over these cards and consequently they can no longer be brought to school.
Gabrielle Allan-Smith
Deputy Principal
FROM THE FRONT OFFICE
As we head into more unsettled and cooler weather there will be an increase in “lost property”. To aid return of clothing parents/carers should ensure all items of clothing are clearly labelled with student’s name.
Next week the lost property box will be cleared, named items returned to owners and the remainder donated to charity. If your child has lost items of clothing please check the Lost Property container in the school foyer early next week.
A Thankyou Note from the Canteen To: Parents/children/staff
Thank you for your continued support of the Canteen. We continue to strive in providing healthy, fresh food in the canteen. If you have qny queries or concerns, please come to see me in the canteen or contact me on 0402 414 812.
Margaret Benbow
Canteen Manager