GOROKAN PUBLIC SCHOOL

Dudley Street, Gorokan 2263 Phone: 4392 4200 Fax: 4393 1698 Email: gorokan-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website: www.gorokan-p.schools.nsw.edu.au

Wednesday 23rd October 2019

Term 4, Week 2 Newsletter

Dear Parents and Carers,

Term 4 is in full swing with many exciting and engaging learning opportunities being organised for our safe, respectful learners.

You Can Do It Organisation Assembly - Last Friday we recognized students from across the school for demonstrating the skill of Organisation. Congratulations to all our award winners. Some reminders to help all our students be organised are;

- Early to bed on school nights is highly recommended.

- Being at school on time every day is critically important for all students. School starts at 9:00am.

- The daily completion of homework including reading, allows for the consolidation of literacy and numeracy learning.

- Delivering notes home and returning them to school promptly.

Absences - Attending school regularly will ensure students have the opportunity to maximize their learning potential. Any whole day or partial absence must be explained to the child’s teacher in writing or via return SMS. The school will continue to notify parents of absences via SMS on any day that students are absent from class during roll call. Please contact the office prior to any planned extended leave.

School Representation - Five students attended the Sydney North Athletics Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park last Wednesday. Congratulations to Aidan, Chloe, Breanna, Jaxon and Asalaina who were outstanding representatives of Gorokan Public School.

Some of our Sydney North Athletics representatives

Senior High School Visit - Our senior students were thoroughly entertained last Wednesday when they attended Gorokan High School’s musical production.

They were excited to see so many talented ex-Gorokan Primary students performing on the high school stage.

Our Year 6 students walking the red carpet at Gorokan High School

Kindergarten 2020 - Our GET TO KNOW GOROKAN transition program commenced this morning in the school hall. It was wonderful to welcome our 2020 Kindergarten students to big school. The second session will be held next Wednesday 29th October at 9:15am in the school hall.

Students showing their sport team colours

Finally, I would like to thank our students and community for supporting our sport team mufti days raising money for cancer patients. It was encouraging to see so many show their colours and support this worthy cause, as together we can make a difference.

Jason Clenton

Relieving Principal

Class Awards - Congratulations to the following students for receiving class awards last week: KC – Isabelle and Braden, KJ – Kade and Brock, KL – Sadie and Molly, KF/L – El and Milly, KD/T – Jack and Hunter.

Girrakool Excursion New Date – KL, KF/L and boys from KJ will now be attending the excursion to Girrakool on Friday 1st November. Please complete the amended permission note and return it to your class teacher ASAP.

Kindergarten 2020 - We warmly invite all current

Kindergarten families to participate in a Teddy Bear

morning tea on Wednesday 13th November from

10:00am to 11:00am on the infant’s oval. We will be

welcoming new families and students to

Kindergarten for 2020 during this time. Please supply

your own morning tea and teddy bear.

Head Lice - It has come to our attention that some students in our school may have head lice and we are seeking your cooperation in checking your child’s hair this week. Head lice do not transmit infectious diseases – they are transmitted by having head to head contact with someone who has head lice. You may be reassured to know that head lice are commonly found in places other than at school. Please check your child’s hair and in those instances where head lice or eggs are found, treat your child’s hair.

Year One Excursion - The Year One excursion to the Reptile Park is this Friday 27th September. Please remember to pack a hat, water, fruit break, recess and lunch. No lunch orders will be available on this day. The bus will leave at 9:15am and be returning at 2:45pm.

Playgroup - If your child has unwanted toys at home and does not play with them anymore, we would welcome all donations to our playgroup - eg toy cars, dolls, lego, farm animals, crafts and puzzles.

Signature Bears - Due to unexpected demand we have run out of signature bears, however we have ordered additional bears, as well as signature soccer balls (18cm in diameter) and signature footballs (23cm x 15cm). All signature products come with a marker. A note and order form will be sent home when we receive the new order.

Support Unit Excursion - On Wednesday 30th October we will be going on an excursion to Blackbutt Reserve in the Newcastle area. There are lots of native animals to look at and nature walks to go through in the beautiful bushland. Students are required to wear their full school uniform including their hat, and bring plenty of food and drink. The bus will be leaving at 9:30am and we will return at approximately 2:30pm in time for school buses.

Wednesday 23rd and Thursday 24th October

Central Coast Choral Festival

Wednesday 23rd October to Wednesday 13th November

Kindy Transition (Wednesday weekly)

Friday 25th October Year 1 Excursion - Reptile Park

Friday 1st November Rescheduled Girrakool Excursion KFL, KL and KJ boys Gorokan HS Transition GATS Enrichment Day at Gosford HS

Stage 2 Supervisor - Mrs R Ranse

Special Education - Mrs S Crook

Stage 3 Supervisor - Mrs G Farrell

Dates to Remember

Early Stage 1 Supervisor - Mrs D Jeanpierre

Stage 1 Supervisor - Miss L Anderson

Grade Gathering Award Winners - Congratulations to the following students who received awards for their great learning and behaviour this week: Rayner, Malaqui, Tyson, Sienna, Justin and Ryland. Well done super stars!

Hot Weather - As the weather is warming up, please

ensure that your child has a bottle of water and a hat

with them at school every day.

School Uniform – Please ensure your child wears the

full school uniform every day to school.

Gorokan Public School summer uniform

Soccer Gala Day - Our boys and girls soccer team will be participating in a gala day in the coming weeks. Selections will be made over the next two weeks and notes will be sent home. The cost will be $10 per player and transport will be the responsibility of parents/carers.

Special Swimming Scheme - As part of our PDHPE Curriculum the Special Swimming Scheme will take place in Weeks 7 and 8, Term 4. The cost of $50 is for the 10 day program and includes bus travel and pool entry. It is a great opportunity for your child to learn how to swim, improve their swimming skills and learn water safety skills.

Get in early and pay a $20 deposit to secure your child’s spot. If you wish your child to attend these lessons and you have not seen a note, please collect one from the office.

Programs for Term 4 - The following programs will be held in our SaCC this term.

Monday - FoodREDi Healthy lifestyle program Bring a friend and have some fun - 6 Weeks Monday afternoons - 12:30pm - 2:30pm: Phone 0467 670 712 to register.

Tuesday - ‘Little Murguwans’ Aboriginal supported playgroup 0-6 Years - Tuesday mornings 9:30am - 11:30am.

Wednesday - Aboriginal Go For Fun - Culturally adapted 10 week healthy lifestyle program for 7-13 year Aboriginal children and their families. Wednesday afternoons 3:30pm - 5:30pm.

Contact Details: Liz McMinn, SaCC Facilitator

Phone: 0467 670 712

Email: liz.mcminn@det.nsw.edu.au

Webpage: CCSaCC

Like us on Facebook: CCSaCC Facebook

School News

SaC Centre News

Sport News

When relationships go

wrong for girls

by Collett Smart

Girlhood relationships are so important, yet they

can be both wonderful and awful in the same

week. A friendship fallout hurts, but children

need to know that arguing doesn’t have to be the

end of the friendship. Developmentally, some

squabbling is vital because it helps kids learn

about respectful conflict resolution. Here’s how

parents can help at these difficult times:

Listen to their story - When inevitable conflict

arises, girls can often get caught in a ‘rumination

loop’ replaying the scene over in their minds, like

a song stuck on repeat, which makes things feel

catastrophic. As a girl’s brain is still learning how

to interpret some responses, she may be

misinterpreting a friend’s words or signals. If this

is the case, ask her to look for evidence to support

her interpretation. Suggest your daughter talks to

her friend privately in an assertive way. Help her

plan the conversation beforehand, starting with

‘I’ words, which encourage her to own her

feelings. She could say, ‘I felt let down when …’

Model apologies at home. Help her think of ways

to say, ‘I’m sorry. Can we fix this?’

Discuss the shifting nature of friendships - Relationships don’t always last. As girls grow

their tastes and interests change. They want to

explore the possibilities of new people and

activities. This often leads to hurt when one girl

is not ready for a shift.

Parents can help by explaining that changes in

friendships are a part of growing up (although

never an excuse for meanness). Rather than

simply dismissing a girls’ feelings as silly,

acknowledge the hurt and gently reassure her

there are many new, interesting people she will

meet.

Expand her village- Ensure your daughter has

friends in a few settings – a neighbour, a team

mate, a family friend. They can provide a

different connection and helps girls realise they

are not alone.

Discuss toxic friendships - Most girls will

experience the pain of interacting with a toxic

‘friend’ during their school years. This type of

interaction is called relational aggression and

serves to damage a person’s sense of social place.

For instance, a girl may appear to be friendly but

she may use passive-aggressive strategies such as

gossip, ostracism and online exclusion. These

actions can be very confusing, leading to feelings

of shame and loneliness.

When not given healthy ways to express their

pain, girls can often internalise their emotions in

unhealthy ways like such as through self-harm,

anxiety, eating disorders and self- loathing.

Allow her to express hurt - Allow your daughter

the chance to process pain, vent or cry when they

are hurting. Adults may not be able to change a

toxic person’s behaviour, but shouldn’t

underestimate the power of listening and being

available. Don’t assume that you know what your

daughter needs. Rather ask, “What do you need

from me in this situation?” When a relationship

problem escalates it may need to be taken to the

school for further intervention.

Provide growth opportunities - Help your

daughter develop the skills for developing

healthy friendships. Explicitly teach your

daughter to think about what compassion,

kindness and empathy look like in a friend and

helps her recognise what it means to be a good

friend herself.

Helping girls manage friendship issues can be

exhausting so parent self-care becomes a priority

during these times. Girls benefit enormously

from having a caring, emotionally healthy adult

in their lives who can support them and help them

process their thoughts and emotions when peer

relationships turn sour.

Parenting Ideas