28 March 2024

Principal’s Update

Hi Everyone,

It has been exciting to see the Pirate Ship Shade Structure completed and the works in ES5 & ES6 completed for all of our students, staff and families to use. Your child’s Individual Education Plan was sent home in Week 7, if you have any questions about these, please speak to your child’s classroom teacher.  

Our end of term Assembly celebrated the amazing achievements of our students. Well done to all our certificate winners and prize receipts. The full list of winners are below.

This term our school thanked and farewelled Simone Olman from the School P&C. Simone was a foundation member of the P&C in 2017 and has continually given her time to support our P&C. Thank you Simone, we all appreciate your passion and commitment to our school. P&C works hard to raise much needed funds to support our students and I am thankful for the fantastic work and funds raised to support our students. Last year one of the projects the P&C supported was the redevelopment of our Rainbow Room. The funds purchased much need equipment to fill our three zones. Next term, the P&C are running a number of fundraisers. Please keep an eye out for this.

This term we farewelled Ms Bartholomew (DOTT Teacher) and welcomed Ms Beckett to our school. Ms Beckett joins us from Queensland, teaching at Mackay District Special School. Next term I will be on two weeks of Long Service Leave in Week 1 & 2, Candice Bruns, will be Principal during this time.

I hope you all enjoy the Easter and school holiday break. We look forward to welcoming students back on Tuesday 16^th April 2024.

Kind regards,
Natasha Naylor
Principal

Year 1 – ES2

Dear Parents and Guardians,

It's been an exciting five weeks in Year One! On Friday 1^st March, we kicked off with Harmony Week, where students showed off their cultural pride by dressing in orange or their traditional outfits. We've also had a blast making grass caterpillars, baking delicious pizzas and cupcakes, and getting our hands dirty planting vegetable seeds in the garden. Dominoes have been a hit too, sparking creativity and strategic thinking. Our Experience Books have been filled with amazing stories and events, and we're all looking forward to showcasing our assembly item. Next term promises even more fun and learning with our Community Helpers theme. Get ready for a range of exciting incursions and excursions! Also, a reminder that ES2 will be diving into swimming lessons and honouring Anzac Day. Have a fantastic holiday break and remember to stay safe.

Warm regards, Mrs Abbott and the ES2 Team.

Pre-Primary / Year 1 – ES3

Hello ES3 families,

Wow, its hard to believe we are the end of the first term already. Everyone of you should be so proud of how well your children have adjusted to their new class this term. Students are showing an increasing awareness of our classroom routine. In the mornings, they are showing independence when unpacking their bags, sitting at their desks, and completing their morning boxes. For morning fitness, we have been exploring the Pirate Ship area, which on some days mainstream students are there and creates a great opportunity for integrated play.  During English we have been looking at fairy tales. Students have shown a lot of interest in the stories and have been seen role-play the stories outside during play time. In Health, we have been learning about emotions and social skills such as turn taking and sharing. ES3 students have been practising these skills daily with the Zones of Regulation Check-in chart and during board games, either in pairs or small groups. For Fun Fridays we have been joining with Mr Hortons class where we have been exploring our senses through a wide range of sensory based experiences. I think the favourite so far, is the shaving cream. Harmony Day was held in week 5. Students came dressed in orange or their cultural attire. We studied a world map to show where students and their families have come from as well as made doves to demonstrate friendship. Week 9, we will be doing a whole range of Easter activities such as Easter craft and a chocolate egg hunt. Well done to everyone on a very successful first term in ES3. Have a safe and happy holiday and we will see you all next term.

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Year 2 – ES4

Dear Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. As we journeyed through Term 1, our young learners have witnessed incredible growth and development. Week 9 is here, and it's time to share some exciting learning experiences from our classroom:

Literacy:

In literacy, our students are becoming increasingly confident with various skills. They can identify the sound of letters in different words during our letter and sound sessions. Additionally, they are adept at matching words with pictures during working with words sessions. We've been focusing on putting those words into sentences and learning to arrange them in order during predictable chart-writing sessions. During guided reading sessions, our students are able to identify the main character of a story and sequence the events. Moreover, they've been enjoying selecting books for reading and viewing during self-selected reading sessions. Finally, they've been building their confidence in facing the class to express themselves and communicate with classmates during social engagement sessions, both in the mornings and afternoons.

Numeracy:

Our students are making significant strides in numeracy. They're understanding and identifying patterns during even and odd number learning sessions. Furthermore, they're challenging themselves by recalling before and after numbers between 0 and 50. We've introduced them to single-digit addition, and they're experiencing the satisfaction of solving equations using concrete materials. Exploring 2D and 3D shapes in our environment has been a highlight of our STEM sessions. They've also been comparing weights and lengths using informal measurement methods. Lastly, they're revising days of the week and months of the year by practicing with a real-year calendar and songs.

HASS, Health, Personal and Social Capabilities:

In this area, we've had several enriching experiences. We celebrated Harmony Day and participated in World Maths Day with a tangram activity. Our students have been learning to design and draw modes of transportation for land, showcasing their understanding of 2D shapes. Moreover, they've been learning about sun safety and the importance of handwashing before and after eating. They're also mastering the art of taking turns and sharing equipment appropriately with others while respecting personal and voice space boundaries.

Art and STEM:

Creativity has been thriving in our classroom. Our students have crafted musical instruments using recycled materials adorned with indigenous-inspired artwork. They've also brought to life the main characters of stories we've read through their crafting skills. Exploring shapes, they've created animal shapes using magnetic tiles and practiced patterning with Duplo blocks. Additionally, they've been eagerly taking turns with smartboard numeracy and literacy activities.

Thank you so much for all your support and ongoing communication to help with the smooth transition of our students to the new classroom environment and routine. We are looking forward to our upcoming achievements together.

Warmest regards,
Aditya Singhal (Mr S), Mrs Davey, Ms Anna, Mrs Batula, Ms Lintern Teaching Team ES4

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Physical Education

Students in each class have settled into the routine of Phys Ed lessons and are enjoying practicing a range of fundamental movement skills. Each lesson begins with a warm up, involving bubbles, animal movements and songs. The engagement from many students has been great to see. We then move outside where students can try out different skills through obstacle courses and skill-specific resources. Focus skills for this semester include balancing, jumping and hopping. Students have enjoyed working on these skills with staff, using trampolines, small hurdles, balance beams, hopscotch mats, foam pogo sticks, jumper balls, floater balls and more.

In upper years many students have been trying the fast growing, non-contact team sport of tag rugby. This sport was chosen as it was unfamiliar to most students. They accepted the challenge to try something new and learn some new skills. Tag rugby helps build on the concepts of personal space students have learnt. Students playing it have developed some social skills such as turn taking, working towards a group goal and especially resiliency skills when they don’t win straight away! This has complimented some of the social skills being learnt such as compliments, empathy and respect for others.

Claudia, Matt, Jasmine & Maddie

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Kindy / Pre-Primary – ES1

It feels like the start of the year was only a few weeks ago, it has been amazing to see the progress every student has made this term.  All the little steps they make each week adds up to their ongoing achievements.  We can see some friendships developing, increased interaction and social skills, and a greater awareness of the needs and wants of others.  Most of the students are now helping to pack away when it’s time to finish playing with an activity on the mat or in the home corner, and getting better at taking turns.

Recently we did activities related to the letter P and the sound that it makes.  One activity was completing pink and purple potato printing, this resulted lots of pink and purple hands and tables. We have read the book Orange, Pear, Apple, Bear, for the letter P, and Don’t wake up Tiger for the letter T, as well as alphabet books focusing on the relevant initial sounds.  

On Friday afternoons our ‘big’ friends from room 18 come to visit to have fun together with the Pre-Primary students.  They have built train tracks together and made constructions and roads with the big floor blocks, they also spent one afternoon at the pirate ship playground, going on the carousel for the first time. 

We haven’t done a great deal of cooking this year, as we have been too busy doing other things, recently the Pre-Primary’s made teddy bear shaped cupcakes as a part of Math’s day activities.  They had to measure, pour, and count how many items and the number of stirs they did of the batter.

As a part of our HASS program we have reading Easter stories and then completing activities related to the book.  They also decorated an egg shape using tissue paper, these were all entered into the Education Support South Network art competition for term 1.  We haven’t heard if any of our students have been selected as winners.

Wishing everyone a very happy and safe holiday break.  I sincerely thank the Education Assistants in our room this term. I will miss those that are transferring to other classes within the centre next term.

Jan Collier and staff ES1

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Year 4/5 - Rm 18

How quick has this term gone! What a fantastic start to the year! All room 18 students have settled wonderfully into the year and have progressed in following our classroom routines and structures. Students are working hard and are growing so much academically, socially, and emotionally. We have been working on our can-do attitude, trying our best and resilience.

In English we have been practicing and learning how to write and say new words. We are grasping the concepts of using nouns, adjectives, verbs, and adverbs to enhance our sentences.  In Math we have been enjoying guessing what shape it is with various clues. Skip counting has been fun especially when we watch skip counting videos. In science we have had fun exploring magnets and the different type of materials which make it easier for light to travel through. In art we made a 3D birds nest using sticks from outside and clay to make the eggs, these turned out really good. We have also made 3D otters, which room 18 had fun making.

This term Room 18 have had a lot of fun joining up with Room 17 for music and dance. In music students have been practicing keeping the beat and following a rhythm. Students have been able to play instruments they have made during STEM. In dance students have been learning about different types of movements and exploring different types of dances based on their tempo.

For Fun Fridays this term ES1 was our buddy class, students had fun playing at the pirate ship and building with our buddy class.  Our students enjoyed participating in whole school Harmony activities. This week we had fun making Easter hats for the Easter hat parade.

Room 18 staff wish you and your families a safe and happy holiday.

Miss Nelson and Room 18 staff

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Protective Behaviours

This term students in both upper and lower years have been building on their understanding of emotions. There has been a focus on safe and unsafe activities, especially in social situations. Students have learnt how to be assertive in defending personal space using words/AAC instead of hitting.  And how to walk away and tell a teacher if necessary. Students really enjoyed practicing being a “close talker” with puppets. The only problem is some students found this activity so hilarious they kept asking for their personal space to be invaded! Students have also learnt about stranger danger and what to do in emergency situations.

Upper year students have also focussed on strangers and online safety. Key concepts have been that you do cannot know the gender, age, or identity of strangers online from their game avatars or usernames. Also that you should not share personal information with strangers. Part of this involved showing students how easy it is for a stranger to fake their profile in a game like Roblox or network such as Discord/Facebook. Many students were surprised to know their first unsafe encounter online is likely to occur in the chat system of an online game. Students have identified red flags which should give them early warning signs: strangers being “super nice”, strangers asking them to click links to external games/sites, strangers giving free digital tokens/advice, and strangers wanting them to swap/give online photos or videos. Students have enjoyed using Google’s Online Safety game Interland as a break after some of these very serious topics.

Matt, Claudia, Jasmine & Maddie

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Year 2 – ES5

Dear families,

As we come to the end of term 1, we want to reflect on the wonderful journey we've had in ES5 so far. It's been a term filled with growth, exploration, and creativity, and we're so proud of each student's progress.

Our Enterprise project has been a highlight of the term, and it's an ongoing project that we're all deeply engaged in. We're currently in the process of designing and creating prototypes of sensory bottles, which has been a delightful and sensory-rich experience for our students. This project not only fosters creativity but also teaches valuable skills in design, production, and marketing.

Throughout the term, we've also continued our focus on literacy, with shared reading of texts centred around the theme of self, likes, and dislikes. This has not only improved reading skills but has also encouraged self-expression and empathy among our students.

As we head into the break, we want to thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in your child's education. Your involvement is truly appreciated and makes a significant difference in their learning journey.

We wish you all a relaxing and enjoyable break and look forward to welcoming you back for term 2. Here's to more exciting learning adventures ahead!

Warm regards,
Ant James and ES5 Staff

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Year 2/3 - Rm 19

Hello parents and carers.

It is hard to believe that one term has already gone, and we are ready for holidays. It has been a wonderful term and the behaviour of all students in room 19 is impressive. They are a wonderful dynamic of students and they have settled into the classroom routines and have forged some good friendships. It’s been great to see them share and play so nicely. 

In Maths we have been learning about shapes. Students have been making shapes with playdough. They have cut and pasted shapes to make a shape monster. They have played interactive games involving shapes. Also, they have been learning numbers up to 100 and sequencing numbers in ascending and descending order. They have been playing interactive games involving number sequencing and had fun in the nature playground finding numbers and putting the numbers in sequence.

In art we have experimented with painting using various tools including string, marbles, balloons, and forks. Student recently made a sunflower using a fork. All students engaged in this activity well and the finished product looked great.  Student also made their own  superheros. 

The students have earned their school holidays. Have a fun break.   

Warm regards Mrs Lori and staff room 19

Spotlight on……. Ms Beckett

Hi, my name is Maddy Beckett, Miss Beckett or Miss B, and I am excited to join the Gwynne Park community as a new teacher. My family and I have recently relocated from Queensland, and I am still settling in, but can’t wait to meet all of you and your families. If you see me around the school, please don’t hesitate to say hi!

Miss Beckett.

Year 4/5 - Rm 17

It was a short Term 1, but what fun it was! We’ve learned lots and have experienced a few special events that we would like to share with you.

In Letters and Sounds we are continuing to make our way through familiar and unfamiliar letter/sound combinations, and to blend, segment and decode words containing these sounds. We are starting to move on to digraphs for Term 2 and our independence is developing with our writing.

In English, we have studied the books ‘The Bad Seed’ and ‘The Good Egg’, and have been writing about times when we feel good and not-so-good. Both stories highlight the importance of looking after ourselves when we feel ‘not-so-good’ and that even the best people can have off days.

In Mathematics we have continued our study of counting and place value, made 2D and 3D shapes and used the language of chance to determine the likelihood of events occurring (for some reason, it is now ‘certain’ that I have to swim around the world).

Our weekly highlights are getting to interact and learn with other classrooms. Room 18 and ES3 have been gracious hosts during Music & Dance and Fun Friday respectively. We have been practising dance movements of different tempos, using body percussion to keep the rhythm and beat to lots of different songs and made a big mess of the outside of ES3 with rainbow spaghetti, couscous and shaving cream. What’s a day in primary school without getting a little messy?

Our big event earlier in the term was Harmony Day, where we integrated with mainstream for a variety of fun activities to learn about the culture of our peers around us. We illustrated flags, participated in cultural dances and joined in with meditation.

Term 2 is going to be an exciting term. We have swimming and excursions approaching, and in Enterprise we will be starting to do some ‘research and development’ into a product for a small business run by the staff and students in Room 17.

Thank you to all the families for your ongoing support. Have a happy and safe break and we will see you in Term 2.

Tim Horton and Room 17 staff

Year 6 - Rm 15

Just like that Term 1 is coming to an end. It has been full of learning, trying new things and cooking tasty food. In Music, we have been exploring musical instruments, favourites include the keyboard piano and the xylophone. In our last week of school, we will be enjoying everyone’s old favourite the recorder. During Dance sessions, we have been working on following simple line dancing routines.

We have been working on our literacy skills and developing our sentence writing, using conjunctions, and developing our grammar and punctuation skills, using a mix of typing and pencil writing. Next term we will continue to develop these skills.

In our math lessons, we have been working on our place value skills, addition, 2D and 3D shapes and recording data from votes. We have had some interesting votes so far, including toppings for sweet and savoury pizzas. Some interesting flavour combinations were put together by the group.

Next term we are hoping to get out form some community access, we also have swimming during weeks 4 and 5, please make sure these forms have been handed in by the end of term 1 for your child to participate.

We hope you all have a safe and happy holiday break and will see you in term 2.

Thank you,

Mrs Agius-Kaukau and Room 15 staff

Your Move - National Ride2School Day

This week we joined hundreds of schools across Australia celebrating riding, walking, scooting, and skating to school in recognition of National Ride2School Day.

We used this day as an opportunity for students, parents, and teachers to try riding, walking, skating or scooting to school as well as celebrating all the regular walkers and riders. We aim to normalise walking and riding to school, and hopefully help our families create a new habit.

A big thank you to all our families that joined in and supported Ride2School Day. Congratulations to Sharon Joseph for winning the $20 Kmart voucher in the raffle.

Live too far to walk or ride the entire way to school? Why not drive to a nearby park (Pelham Reserve, Kingfisher View Reserve) or café (corner of Mornington St and Townley St) and then walk or ride the rest of the way?

Year 4/5 - Rm 16

Hello,

The Term has flown by, and so much has been achieved. They were excited to redesign and create the classroom scarecrow for the garden for STEM, while for Enterprise the students came up with a classroom cookie business which we are yet to name and create a logo. During cooking, students had fun making pancakes, pizza subs, milktart, quesadillas, muffins, and cheesy pinwheels. The students enjoyed Harmony Day with mainstream and it was great to see so many families attend the Harmony picnic.

Students are working hard during their Literacy and Maths sessions; they are continuing to complete tasks with some independence. During Literacy, we visit the school library on Thursdays each week and choose books to read for leisure. The students have been listening to stories and engaging in classroom discussions to create character descriptive sentences and build on their sentence structure. We have been working on the classroom assembly, learning a new dance and practising our speaking and listening. In Numeracy sessions, the students have been working with numbers, addition, subtraction and multiplication, graphs and completing activities relating to 2D and 3D shapes. Hmm… so what is a dodecahedron and chiliagon?

In Term 2, the students will look forward to swimming lessons. We will continue to make interesting projects in STEM and start selling our cookie jars. We will start to sow seeds, water them and wait for the seeds to grow in the garden, now that the weather is cooler.

The students have been working amazingly this term and you should be proud to know they are kind, caring and willing to share with their peers in the classroom and playground. 

Enjoy and have a safe Easter holiday.
Ms Williams, Mrs Hurter, Ms Bloxsidge, Ms Nairn 

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Aboriginal and Islander Education

Kaya everyone,

What a great Term 1 we have had. I have really enjoyed using this term to provide more support to our students, their families, and our staff at Gwynne Park Education Support Centre.

This term we had Binar Futures attend our school to provide weekly cultural workshops for our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students including dance, music, Art, and Basketball. Our students have really engaged with the mentors throughout this program and we hope to bring it back in Term 2.

We also have started planning our Noongar 6 Seasons Garden and NAIDOC Week activities with the help of our Aboriginal Cultural Committee. Our 6 Seasons Garden will be located at the bottom entrance to our school near the basketball court fence and we’re hoping to be completed at the end of Term 3 with more updates to be provided throughout next term.

If you would like to be a part of our Noongar 6 Seasons Garden by volunteering your time to help with raking, digging, or planting please contact the front office on (08) 9391 4050.

I hope everyone has an amazing school holiday break and I look forward to seeing you all in Term 2.

Miss Derschow

Messages from the Front Office

Contribution Payments for 2024

Thank you to those who have made payment for this year’s contributions.  Statements have been sent home by mail to advise any amounts outstanding. These funds help support your child in their classroom with resources for their learning and in maintaining our school bus to transport our students to swimming lessons and other educational activities. Your support of our school is greatly appreciated.

Information for families

City of Armadale Community Health and Wellbeing News and Events

Self-Defence Classes

5 and 12 April | 11:30am - 1pm Rossiter Pavilion, Piara Waters 

Get fit and stay safe with these FREE self-defence classes. Classes are beginner friendly and suitable for ages 9 years and above. 

For further information and to register, contact the Multicultual Communities Council of WA via email here. 

Let's Connect Expo

5 April | 10am - 3pm Armadale Arena, Townley Street

Come and join us for a day of community connection at our FREE Expo! Explore essential services and network with numerous dedicated service providers. There will be creche available, free sausage sizzle, free pancakes and more!

For further info and to register, visit the website here. 

Parenting course

Communicare Parenting Workshops Term 2

Please find attached the Communicare Parenting Program for Term 2, 2024, which commences from the end of April.

There are many programs available for parents living in the South East Metro area this term, including:

• Circle of Security
• Toilet Training
• Protective Behaviours
• Little Sprouts
• Kids & Anxiety
• Tuning into Kids
• And many more

Women’s Health and Wellbeing Services

Finding Your Brave (for primary school aged children in years 1-3        
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2024 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM AWST

Finding Your Brave (for primary school aged children in years 4-6)
Date: Tue, 9 Apr 2024 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM AWST

"Finding Your Brave" is designed for primary school aged children to help them manage anxiety and unlock their potential.  In this workshop, we will explore with your kids:

• Anxiety and YOUR child's brain                                                                                                           
• Understanding unsafe vs. safe situations
• Distinguishing between being safe and being brave
• Recognising physical symptoms of anxiety
• Implementing practical strategies to overcome anxiety
• Encouraging open communication with parents

By attending this workshop, your child will gain valuable knowledge and strategies to manage anxiety, helping them to become more confident and resilient.

Each of these courses is designed to provide valuable insights and strategies for supporting children through various challenges they may face. Whether it's anxiety or navigating the complexities of growing up, these workshops aim to equip you with practical tools to make a positive difference.  Please see flyer attached for more information on upcoming workshops.

April School Holidays activities

Perth Hills

Armadale Shopping City

2024 Razzamatazz Shows – Free Tickets Available

Gwynne Park ESC students and families are invited to attend the 2024 Razzamatazz Shows at the Astor Theatre Perth (Mount Lawley) in April.

Lions Clubs (WA) hosts the Razzamatazz event to provide an accessible live theatre experience to students of all abilities and backgrounds. 

With free entry, and weekend and weekday dates available, Razzamatazz Shows are perfect for a family day out. 

Please see the attached '2024 Razzamatazz Event Flyer' for show dates, times and how to book complimentary tickets.