Gwynne Park Education Support Centre eNewsletter

Principal’s Update

Dear families,

What a great start to Term 2 we have had. Students have settled back into the school routine well and been immersed in a number of learning experiences. For students who attended swimming lessons at AFAC during Week 4 & 5, it was a time of growth for students demonstrating new skills in the pool. Thank you to our staff and the instructors at AFAC Swim School for your support and the quality learning our students received. If you have any feedback regarding swimming, please contact the school. Feedback provides an opportunity for us to continue to improve what we do.

Next week is National Reconciliation Week, and the theme is 'Now more than ever’. I look forward to our school taking the time to learn, reflect and connect with Whadjuk Noongar Boodja as we walk together with our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and families in reconciliation.

In the coming weeks, Teachers are finalising reports that will share the learning that your child have been engaged in against their Individual Education Plan goals. I look forward to celebrating their growth with you.

I hope you enjoy reading all about what your child's class has been up to throughout this newsletter. Have a lovely weekend.

Kind regards,
Natasha Naylor
Principal

Important Dates 2024

Term 2
Makuru (Blue) – Season of Fertility – June to July

Monday 3 June – WA Day (Public Holiday)
Wednesday 26 June – Assembly 9am
Friday 28 June – Last Day of Term

Term 3
Makuru (Blue) – Season of Fertility – June to July
Djilba (Purple) – Season of Conception – August to September

Monday 17 July – School Development Day
Tuesday 16 July – Students return
Wednesday 18 September – Assembly 9am
Friday 20 September – Last Day of Term

Term 4
Kambarang (Yellow) – Season of Birth – October to November
Birak (Red) – Season of the Young – December to January

Monday 7 October – School Development Day

Tuesday 8 October – Students return
Wednesday 11 December – Assembly 9am
Thursday 12 December – Last Day for Students

Year 1 – ES2

This term in ES2, our Year One classroom has been buzzing with exciting activities as we dive into our Community Helpers theme. We've explored the roles of Postal Workers, Librarians, Fire Fighters, Chefs, Police Officers, and Construction Workers. In Week 2, our students crafted beautiful wreaths for Anzac Day, demonstrating their creativity and respect for the occasion. The excitement continued in Week 3 when Shirley from the Armadale Library visited us, delighting the children with five engaging stories and a lively sing-along session. Weeks 4 and 5 were especially memorable as ES2 hosted a Mother’s Day event and five of our students enjoyed splashtastic fun during the In-Term Swimming Lessons. Additionally, ES2 and Room 15 had an adventurous excursion to the Armadale District Hall, where they participated in an interactive performance by the Sensorium Theatre Company. It's incredible to reflect on all that we've accomplished in just five weeks. Looking ahead, there's even more to anticipate in weeks 6-11, including a Constable Care incursion and a visit from a Mobile Farm. We might even squeeze in visits from the Fire Department and a local ambulance. Thank you, parents, for your unwavering support in your child's learning journey. Stay tuned for more exciting updates from ES2!

We have enjoyed a productive and exciting start to Term 2 in Room 17 where we are always keeping our brains and hands busy. The students have enjoyed many different activities in and out of the classroom that we would like to share with you.

In Letters and Sounds, our focus this term has been on digraphs in words like ‘chip’, ‘wish’, ‘song’ and ‘them’. We have been learning to read and write these words as well as change sounds to make a different word. In Literacy, we have read and reflected on the stories ‘The Good Egg’ and ‘The Wombat Who Wanted to Fly’ by relating our own knowledge and experiences to the context of the stories. Our writing about ‘Wombat’ has been things we can and can’t do – and many things we have emphasised that we can’t do them yet – and we can learn!

In Mathematics, we have been learning to skip count by 2s, 5s and 10s, which has been handy when we count which day we are on at school (65 as of writing this article). We have been constructing 2D and 3D shapes using a variety of materials and identifying representations of fractions down to 1/10.

We were very kindly invited by Sensorium Theatre and the City of Armadale to join in with the production, ‘Ten Tiny Things’, along with ES2. We went to Armadale District Hall and interacted with the green machine from the story, filled with all sorts of amazing tiny things. It was a wonderful experience to get out into the community and participate in a dramatic reading of a contemporary story. Of course, some of us also had two weeks of swimming lessons, which by all accounts was a lot of fun!

In Enterprise we have started researching and developing our own chocolate bark recipes that we can sell, in preparation for a market day. We trialled ‘Pretzel Swirl’ (it was OK!), and the students are creating and voting on the next recipe for our 2^nd run.

Remember to rug up for the upcoming winter months, and to Catch It, Bin It and Wash It – we love sharing in Room 17 but would prefer that runny noses are kept to tissues! Thank you to all staff and families for your help this term. It’s truly amazing to see all the goals that each child has achieved over the semester as we head into reporting time.

Tim Horton and Room 17 Staff

Dear Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. We are halfway through Term 2, and we are growing and developing every day. Here’s a look at what we’ve been up to in Week 6:

Literacy:

In terms of literacy, we are improving in many areas. We can identify the sounds of letters in different words during our letter and sound sessions. We are also getting more confident with tricky words—identifying, matching, reading, and writing them. We've been creating funny but meaningful sentences and arranging them in order during our chart-writing sessions. We can identify the main character in a story and are working on putting the story events in order. We even wrote a special message to our mums for Mother’s Day with a gift made in class.

Numeracy:

In numeracy, we have been learning about even and odd numbers and identifying patterns. We've been practicing measurement using informal methods, like using pop sticks to measure our tabletop, pencil case, and books. We understand the difference between long and short by comparing objects around us. We are also learning single-digit addition using concrete materials and exploring 2D and 3D shapes in our environment.

HASS, Health, Personal, and Social Capabilities:

We celebrated ANZAC Day by making poppies and designing medals to honour the ANZACs. For Mother's Day, we created succulents in pots using recycled materials to promote sustainability. We have been identifying and drawing different types of road transportation. We continue to practice good hygiene by washing our hands before and after eating. We are also learning to express our needs using both high and low-tech communication devices. We achieved milestones in our swimming lessons and worked on successfully reducing our anxiety about travelling to and from the fitness centre.

Art and STEM:

We have been busy crafting musical instruments using recycled materials with indigenous-inspired artwork. We have been learning about the three primary colours and creating artwork with patterns. We've explored magnetism by creating different figures and shapes. Additionally, we are learning to programme robots using an app, moving Bee-Bots from point A to point B, and engaging in OSMO activities to improve our listening skills and creativity.

Thank you so much for all your support and ongoing communication to help with our smooth learning. We are looking forward to our upcoming achievements together.

Warmest regards,

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

This term the students have continued to practice a range of Fundamental Movement Skills including, balancing, jumping, hopping, and overarm and underarm throws. While the weather has been nice riding on the bike track has also been popular. Students have continued building resiliency with team sports such as tag rugby, Noodleball and tug-of-war.

Students have been very busy in the last two weeks with in-term swimming. It has been great to see the progression of skills and achievements made in this time from bubble blowing and trying on goggles to refining their paddle arms and kicking legs. A number of students have made some big jumps in their swimming skills and they have had a lot of fun!

Claudia, Matt & Jasmine

We have had a very busy start to the term. Three of the Pre-primary students attended swimming lessons at the Armadale Pool, during week 4 and 5. They all had a great time and learnt some new skills. Going on the bus with the other classes was a new experience for them. The remaining students completed some fun activities while their friends were away.

Our garden outside of the classroom has been getting lots of attention lately. Students all enjoy using the watering cans to water the plants. They are learning to put the water on the plants rather than make puddles in random places. Mrs Lord’s mum sent in some cuttings for us to plant, hopefully they will grow roots and produce some flowers in the coming months. We had some bags of soil improver donated and that has resulted in some new shoots appearing on our sad looking canna plants. We still have a space reserved for some other plant cuttings that will be coming soon. Caring for the garden is a part of our science program.

We are amazed at the achievement every student has made this year, we recently reflected as a team on the progress everyone of them has made since the beginning of the year. Every student is happy to be at school and come in excited in the morning looking forward to the day ahead. They are now all participating in our mat sessions, some students like to sit at their desk and observe from a distance while their friends sit within the mat area. Their focus on tasks is increasing and some amazing work is being achieved. Friendships are growing, social skills such as turn taking and sharing has improved, and verbal language is increasing. Singing the alphabet song, using the letter name and sound can be heard in the background throughout the day.

Our classroom is a busy place with lots of noise and chatter and happy faces. We look forward to sharing the learning and achievements the students make every day. There are lots of little achievements every week which are huge steps for our special little people in ES1.

Jan Collier and ES1 staff

Room 17 and ES2 students were treated to a show put on in Armadale by the Sensorium team. It was an interactive sensory storytelling based on Ten Tiny Things by Kyle Hughes-Odgers and Meg McKinlay. There were strange suitcases, lights, feathers, insects, flowers, wings, puppets and lots of tiny things! It was great to see so much interaction and engagement from the students!

Year 4/5 - Rm 18

Hello Families,

We have had a busy star to term this year. In maths students have been practicing their 2, 3,4 and 6 timetables. Students have been learning how to use different instruments to discover the capacity, volume, weight, and temperature of things.

In week 4 and 5 students participated in swimming and had a fantastic time learning new swimming skills.

During music students have been using different musical instrument and practice using their singing voices with the microphone, it was great to see the enjoyment and engagement from all students.

Students have been discovering fun fact about the planets in the solar system such as how long it takes each planet to orbit the sun. Did you know it takes 165 Earth years for Neptune to orbit the sun.

Room 18 students are looking forward joining Room 17 students on Thursday’s afternoon at Don Simmons reserve starting this week.

Miss Nelson and Room 18 Staff

This term in Protective Behaviours the students have been learning about safety. This includes learning about safe behaviours and choices when at school and at home. The students have enjoyed completing puzzles of safe behaviours on the Interactive Whiteboards and are getting involved with quizzes about safe and unsafe behaviours. As the term progresses, students will be learning more about safe and unsafe behaviours when out in the community.

Hello families,

Greetings from ES5! We’ve had a fantastic term so far, filled with exciting activities and milestones. Our swimming lessons have been a highlight, with students eagerly diving into the water and improving their skills. The enthusiasm and progress we’ve seen in the pool have been truly inspiring. It's wonderful to see the students gaining confidence and having fun while learning such a vital life skill.

Looking ahead, the class is very excited for the lower years farm incursion! This event promises to be an exciting hands-on experience, allowing students to interact with various farm animals. We believe this will be a great opportunity for students to connect with nature and understand more about the world around them.

In the classroom, our focus remains on fostering collaboration and communication among students. We continue to implement strategies that encourage teamwork and effective communication, helping students to build strong social skills and work together harmoniously. Activities designed to promote these skills have been integrated into our daily routine, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to participate and contribute.

Thank you for your ongoing support. We look forward to sharing more exciting updates with you soon!

Ant James and Staff

Year 2/3 - Rm 19

Hello parents and carers,

The second term is going so fast it is hard to believe we are already in week six.

The students are forming some good friendship. They are learning to share toys and take turns, weather it is playing ball outside or going to the pirate ship playground with a special friend. They also like playing whole class games or paired games. They are learning how fun this can be and are showing some good sportsmanship. They are becoming more socially confident and communicating much better which is great to see.

The students have been working hard during Math learning about the value of a number. They enjoy playing with the place value blocks and love playing the place value matching on Clicker 7 during whiteboard activities. Another popular game is Jungle number Bonds to 10. Each child must better their own score each time they play. It is a motivating mental maths activity that they all seem to enjoy. Students are also becoming more independent completing their morning box maths activities. It is great to see them concentrating hard to get their work done.

Student have been participating in cardio drumming for morning fitness. They know the Starships song and actions well. We are learning the actions to the song Happy.

Warm regards Mrs Lori and staff room 19

For an 11-week term it is hard to believe we are already 6 weeks down. We have been very busy this term with lots of things happening in the classroom, school, and the community.

As a class, we have signed up to the Premiers reading challenge. Please share through Seesaw any books you read at home and we can log them on our class record.

We have recently completed our two week in-term swimming program, it was amazing to see the students develop their water safety and swimming skills with Armadale Fitness and Aquatic centre. Their staff did an excellent job supporting our students in the water. We all had lots of fun, especially on the last day where we used our skills to safely play some water games with our school peers.

Our class have begun our community access excursions, visiting Don Simmons Reserve Park on Fridays. We are practicing our road safety skills by walking along the pathway, watching for cars, and crossing the road safely.

Graduation shirts are in the production phase and will be with us before the end of term, hopefully no later than week 10. We will be continuing with further integration activities with the mainstream year sixes as we begin preparations for our combined graduation. Year six camp details are in the process of being organised, we will have these out to everyone as soon as possible, this is a combined camp with other education support centres/schools within our network. If you have any queries/questions about camp please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you,

Mrs Agius-Kaukau and Room 15 staff

Term 2 has certainly started with so many smiles, new and growing friendships and a lot of ready to learn energy!

The students who choose to join our daily lunch club have enjoyed building with lego, making car tracks, drawing, playing with the variety of play houses, Mario Kart on the switch (Tuesday’s and Thursday’s) or watching short films on the big screen with their peers .

This term during Satellite program -Emotional regulation and Social Skills; students have become excited with our weekly Bluey lesson around finding your voice, sharing, patience, perseverance and the fun activities/games that support this. Satellite has decreased its afternoon student numbers from 4 to 2 this year so we can deliver a more direct and intense learning session with the additional support from Ms Derschow Monday’s and our wonderful Ms Donovan Wednesday’s and Friday’s.

Student Support Officer
Sonia Candeloro-Ms C

A message from our Aboriginal & Islander Education Officer

Kaya Families,

In Term 2 we had Binar Futures return for weekly Cultural workshops of sport, dance, art, music, and sensory play with our Indigenous students. It’s been great to see our students engage and interact with the Binar mentors as well as each other.

In the second half of term 2, we have National Reconciliation Week - “NOW MORE THAN EVER” from 27^th May – 3^rd of June 2024 and NAIDOC Week celebrations on 26^th June 2024 where we will be having a day of fun activities and Morning tea. Families, please keep an eye out in the coming weeks for an information flyer in your child’s backpack as this day is shared with all.

Community Craft is underway in ES6, we are working towards creating art pieces to display outside of the room with the help of our Indigenous students. Watch this space and if you would like to volunteer your time to help, please see administration; we would love your support in the development of our community hub.

Aboriginal & Islander Education Officer
Taneale Derschow

Pre-Primary / Year 1 – ES3

Wow, who can believe we are half-way through term 2 already. Students have settled well into ES3 now and are requiring less assistance when completing routine tasks. It’s been wonderful to see friendships develop and a sense of belonging among all our students. Through group games, paired activities, and structured play, we have been continuing to help students develop vital social skills such as sharing, turn taking and conflict resolution skills.

This term we have been learning about community helpers. In our class we set up a vets’ and engaged in role play taking turns to be the pet owner or the vet. We’ve been looking at x-rays and referring to our knowledge of body parts when examining these. In weeks 3-5 we did out Letters and Sounds assessment. We look forward to seeing the progress our students have made throughout the year.

In weeks 4 and 5 we did interim swimming. All our students were excited to get into their swim wear and head to Armadale pools to practice their water safety and swimming skills. Each group was supported by one or more of our amazing staff members and it was great to see how much improvement our little ones made in just two weeks.

Over the next few weeks, we have some exciting things planned with some amazing incursions happening on site. We will keep you all posted on Seesaw.

Take care from the ES3 Team

Kaya/Hello, Families,

The term has flown by, and so much has been accomplished. The students in room 16 have enjoyed their first excursion to Simmons Reserve, learning to stay together as a group, crossing the road safely using the Stop, Look, Listen, and Think approach. Students were taking turns on the play equipment and had a picnic in the park. During STEM, students have been working hard and were excited to remodel the classroom scarecrow, place it back in the garden and name her Sally. While cooking, students had fun making ANZAC cookies and jaffles. For our Classroom Enterprise, the students came up with a business name the Cookie Lab & Co and have been making cookies mix jars to sell to staff.

Students continue to learn new concepts during their Literacy and Maths sessions, they are starting to complete some tasks independently. During Literacy, we visit the school library on a Thursday to choose books to read for leisure. The students have been practising comprehension, and sentence structure to prepare for creating stories. In Numeracy sessions, the students have been creating 3D shapes, understanding how many sides, corners and which shapes have an apex. We will be moving on to measurement. Is the pirate ship longer than the classroom or is it longer than the basketball court? The students have also been working with numbers and subtraction.

In weeks 4 and 5, some students looked forward to having fun during swimming lessons and improving the strokes. We have also had a Pre-Service Teacher, Mrs Sarfraz who will be with us for another 2 weeks. The students will start planting seeds, watching them to grow in the garden now that the weather is cooler.

The students have been working amazingly, they are learning to care for their environment with the collecting containers job, sorting and willing to share with their peers in the classroom and playground.

Ms Williams, Mrs Hurter, Ms Bloxsidge, Ms Nairn

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.

Payments can be made direct to the office via cash or EFTPOS or payments can be made via direct deposit to the school account;

Account Name: Gwynne Park Education Support Centre
BSB: 016-253
Account: 3408-74468
Narration: Students Name

Payment Plans can also be established to help with the contributions and if required to assist with payments for excursions. Please speak to the ladies in the office.

Information for families

City of Armadale Community Health and Wellbeing News and Events

Please see below some upcoming community health and wellbeing events and services being offered within the City of Armadale.

EVENTS

Life Launchpad Program

Wednesday 29 May | Various times
Seville Grove Library

Come along to these FREE, interactive workshops aiming to support people experiencing social and emotional wellbeing challenges to live a happy and meaningful life. We will work together to build knowledge, skills and confidence in your recovery journey.

Come along to one workshop or all! For more info and to book, visit the website.

Ride and Vibe with KWIMIC

Thursday 30 May | 2.00pm - 6.00pm
John Dunn Bike Challenge Park

KWIMIC are continuing to run free BMX and scooter get-togethers at our local parks. Everyone is welcome, no registrations required, and BMX bikes, scooters and safety equipment are available to borrow during the sessions.

For more information, contact KWIMIC.

Supporting Yourself & Others

Wednesday 29 May | 6.00pm - 7.30pm
Armadale Library
Thursday 30 May | 1.00pm - 2.30pm
Seville Grove Library

Join us as we learn how to identify the signs of poor mental health and wellbeing, how to check in with people, and how to find support for yourself and others.

To find out more and to register, visit the website.

Chair Yoga Program

Thursdays in June | 10.00am - 11.00am
Armadale Recreation Centre

Each Thursday morning in June we will be joined by an accredited yoga instructor from Yoga Flourish who will take you through one hour of chair yoga. Places are limited and registrations are essential.

To find out more and to register, visit the website.

Armadale Crafters

Click here to download the Armadale Crafters flyer

OTHER NEWS

BreastScreen WA is visiting Armadale!

From May 23 until the August 23, BreastScreen WA will have their mobile van parked at Haynes Shopping Centre (near BCF and Petbarn). If you’re a woman aged 40 years and over, make your appointment now for a FREE screening mammogram.

Go online or call 13 20 50 to book.

May Recipe Recommendation

As the weather is starting to get a little cooler, why not try this flavoursome five spice chicken and rice one-pot meal. It is a quick recipe to whip up after work, and much tastier, healthier and cheaper than takeaway!

For the recipe click here!

Girl Power

Today our young girls are growing up in an ever-changing and complex world. Our Girl Power workshop aims to support girls to celebrate their individuality and identify their unique strengths.

Through fun activities, we guide them in how to identify and develop positive relationships and navigate friendship challenges. The girls are taught practical means to help them sleep better, handle anxiety and overwhelm, and negotiate their emotions in real-time, by understanding a growth mindset to become more resilient.

Girls come away from a Girl Power workshop knowing themselves better, understanding the power they have over their own lives, and with increased social awareness.

Please click to FIND OUT MORE or see flyer attached.

Click here to download the Girl Power flyer

Byford Peer Group

Click here to download the Byford Peer Group Final flyer

PDF Details

Newsletter Sponsors

24 May 2024

Principal’s Update

Year 1 – ES2

Year 4/5 - Rm 17

Year 2 – ES4

Literacy:

Numeracy:

HASS, Health, Personal, and Social Capabilities:

Art and STEM:

Physical Education

Kindy / Pre-Primary – ES1

Sensorium Excursion ES2 and Rm 17