Gwynne Park Education Support Centre eNewsletter

Principal’s Update

Kaya families,

I want to take a moment to reflect on what has been another busy, exciting, and successful term here at Gwynne Park ESC.

First and foremost, I want to thank each and every one of you – our students, teachers, and support staff – for your continued commitment, enthusiasm, and resilience throughout the term. We’ve achieved a great deal together and now is a time to both celebrate those achievements and look ahead.

One of the standout events of the term was undoubtedly our Annual Sports Carnival. What a day! The energy, the teamwork, the sportsmanship – it was all on display. Thank-you to the P&C for helping to organise the sausage sizzle and raffle, you played a part in making it a day to remember. Special thanks also to our amazing staff who ensured everything ran smoothly. It’s events like these that remind us how amazing our students are and the perseverance they show.

Another moment of immense pride came when we were officially recognised as the WAAESPA School of the year award - Leadership in Wellbeing Community and Culture. This is an outstanding achievement that belongs to every member of our school community.

This award reflects not just academic excellence, but also our commitment to inclusion, innovation, student wellbeing, and community involvement. It’s about the culture we’ve built – one of respect, high expectations, and care.

I want to thank our dedicated staff, our passionate students, and our supportive families for contributing to this honour. Let’s continue to raise the bar together.

Congratulations to all our award winners from Assembly this term and our PBS Superstars! Well done on demonstrating our school values of perseverance, excellence, safe and communication.

Next term, we launch the Creative School book “School Through Our Eyes”. This is an exciting showcase of our students and the artwork they produced with our Artist in Residence, Sophia Lark. The book will be on display in our front office for all current and future families to look through as they pass through the office.

As we head into the school holidays, I want to remind everyone of the importance of rest, safety, and balance. These breaks are a chance to recharge, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy a change of pace. Whether you’re heading away or staying home. I hope you get a chance to rest and recharge.

I want to thank you all once again for making Term 3 a success. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and even more excited about what lies ahead in Term 4.

Have a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable holiday. We’ll see you back refreshed and ready for the final leg of the year.

Certificates Assembly Term 3 – 2025

Class Awards
ES1 – Sultan Noory
ES2 – Athena Bryan
ES2 – Raphael Tshony
ES3 – Brooklyn Davis
ES4 – Georgia Bancorro
ES5 – Ezana Samson
ES5 – Stefan Sy
ES6 – Angus MacLean
Room 15 – Sterling Little
Room 17 – Jacob Bucktin
Room 18 – Varfee Zayway-Gaye
Room 19 – Lucky Dominic

Aussie of the Month
ES1 – Azarius Mungar
ES2 – Galileia Beretovac
ES3 – Callan Baker
ES4 – Riyaansh Dhunnoohchand
ES5 – Hamza Saleh
ES6 – Mason Kerslake
Room 15 – Jaxon Stenhouse
Room 17 – Milla Ryde
Room 18 – Hunter Zuiderduyn
Room 19 – Denrie Jad Dokines

Kind regards,
Candice Burns
Principal

Important Dates 2025

Term 4
Kambarang (Yellow) – Season of Birth – October to November
Birak (Red) – Season of the Young – December to January
Monday 13 October – School Development Day
Tuesday 14 October – Students return
Wednesday 17 December – Assembly 9am
Thursday 18 December – Last Day for Students

Kindy / Pre-Primary – ES1

Kaya ES1 families,

Term Three has been a very eventful and exciting time for our kindy students, filled with engaging activities and memorable experiences. During Weeks 1 to 5, we explored the theme of Australia, where the children were introduced to traditional stories, songs, and some simple Noongar language. A few standout moments included making delicious wombat stew and crafting fun emu headbands, which the students absolutely loved. The second half of the term, Weeks 6 to 10, took us under the sea with our Ocean theme. Our young learners thoroughly enjoyed creating colourful seahorses and turtles, while also singing along to familiar favourites like “A Sailor Went to Sea” and “Baby Shark.” In addition to our weekly themes, we had some wonderful collaborative highlights across the term, including Book Week, our cheerful Father’s Day Doughnut Party, and of course, the energetic Sports Carnival. Phew – it’s amazing how much fun and learning we managed to fit into just ten weeks! To cap it all off, Week 10 saw our K-2 students embark on an exciting excursion to the Armadale Reptile Centre, where they were thrilled to see a variety of animals and especially enjoyed the opportunity to touch a very large python. Looking ahead, next term promises even more fun as we dive into the themes of Dinosaurs and World Celebrations, continuing to nurture our students’ love of learning. We wish all our families a very safe and relaxing holiday, and we can’t wait to see everyone back, ready for another amazing term.

Warm regards,
The ES1 Team

Year 5 / 6 – Room 17

Hello parents and carers,

Term three has gone so quickly and the students are ready for a rest and a holiday in preparation for the final term of 2025.

Room 17 students have been very busy with extra activities and excursions. A few students from room 17 went to the Mandurah Performing Arts Center to perform in the Auslan choir. They all did so well as there was a lot of waiting around and it was very busy. The students performed very well, and it was lovely to see so many parents attend.

The students also had the sports carnival in week 7 and the students had been training prior to the event. It was a wet day, but everyone still had lots of fun. It is wonderful to see so many parents supporting their children.

On week 8 our year 6 students spent three days at the Swan Valley Adventure camp. The students spent their time participating in many adventurous activities such as bush walks, slip and slide and the flying fox.

The students began their transition days at the Armadale Education Support Centre. They met the teachers and other students who will be going to AESC next year. We have also started the planning for the year six graduation ceremony and the graduation lunch.

Have a restful break and we will see you all next term.

Mrs. Lori and room 17 staff

Year 1 / 2 – ES4

Dear Families!

It’s hard to believe we’re already at the end of Term 3! Time really flies when we’re having fun and learning so much. Here’s a quick look at what’s been happening in the classroom:

Literacy

This term, we’ve been busy practicing new sounds and words with Letters and Sounds Phase 2 and 3. It’s been amazing to watch our students grow in their reading and writing skills. We’re also learning tricky high-frequency words to help us express ourselves better.

The kids have been working on using simple and more complex sentences, and we’re practicing this through chart writing. In guided reading, we’ve read some great books like Koala Who Could and Pig the Grub, which have helped us talk about being brave, taking care of ourselves, and other important lessons.

Numeracy & ICT

In Numeracy, we’ve been practising counting forwards and backwards, spotting number patterns, and learning about Australian money—coins and notes. The kids are doing a great job recognizing the different coins and understanding their value. We’ve also started learning how to tell the time to the hour and half-hour using clock projects and hands-on materials. Another exciting focus this term has been directional sense—we’re learning to use left and right as guides to help us give and follow directions.

To make learning fun and interactive, we’ve been using iPads and the smartboard for games and activities through Seesaw and other apps. These tools help us remember what we’ve learned and allow us to bring ICT and Digital Technologies into our daily lessons.

STEM & Art

For the Kelmscott Show, our class worked on a special display to show off our creativity and culture. We also celebrated National Indigenous Literacy Day with some beautiful artwork that our students are proud of.

We’ve been exploring digital tech through fun activities on the iPads, like the OSMO app and Bloxels. In Science, we’ve learned about push and pull forces by making boom boxes, driving remote-controlled cars, and using different materials in hands-on challenges. We also did a fun activity to learn about the Earth’s rotation and how it affects things like day and night and how we grow.

HASS, Health, and Protective Behaviours

In HASS, we’ve been exploring the continents and learning where they are on the world map.

In Health, we’ve talked about healthy habits like washing our hands before meals, cleaning our desks, and drinking water to stay hydrated. We also had a blast at the Sports Carnival! It was a great way to get moving and show off all the practice we’ve been doing during morning fitness. Practising ahead of time really helped the kids feel more confident, and many were able to take part in events independently.

In our Protective Behaviours lessons, we’ve focused on moving safely around the school, following class rules, using kind words like “please” and “thank you,” and keeping our hands, feet, and words respectful and safe.

A Big Thank You!

We’re so proud of everything our students have achieved this term. Thank you for your continued support and ongoing communication, it really makes a difference.

If you have any questions or would like to chat about your child’s progress, feel free to get in touch via email, seesaw or phone. We’re looking forward to all the fun and learning coming up in Term 4 2025!

Have a safe and relaxing break!

Warmest regards
Aditya Singhal (Class Teacher) and teaching team ES4

This term has been a busy and exciting one for our class, filled with a variety of new experiences and celebrations. We have been learning how to use public transport by catching the Transperth bus around Armadale. Students practised each step of the journey, from walking to the bus stop and waiting patiently, to hailing the bus, tapping on, sitting safely, and then hopping off at Armadale Bus Station before returning to school. It was wonderful to see how confidently everyone managed this new form of travel. In Week 5, we celebrated Book Week and proudly joined the mainstream classes for a colourful costume parade within our year groups. Week 7 brought our Sports Carnival, where we were so pleased with the strong support from parents and the flexibility shown by the whole school as plans were quickly adjusted to accommodate the heavy rain. Looking ahead, in Week 9 we are off to the reptile park, and then we will begin winding down and reflecting on what has been a very full and rewarding term. Have a safe and happy holidays everyone. We look forward to seeing everyone refreshed and ready for a fun term 4 after the two-week break.

Sustainability

Sustainability Update – Congratulations, Gwynne Park ESC!

We’re proud to celebrate 6 years of being an Accredited Waste Sorted School at Gwynne Park Education Support Centre!

Since 2023, our amazing staff and students have collected 5,667 containers through the Containers for Change program – saving them from landfill and making a real difference to our environment.

This term, our students also took part in Keep Australia Beautiful Week with two exciting activities:

Designing a Bin Sticker Competition
Decorating a garden tile for their classroom garden bed

We’ve recently received our Green Team vests from Clean Schools – Keeping it Beautiful. Our students proudly wear them while collecting containers from classrooms.

Thanks to a Waste Sorted Schools Grant, we’ve also been able to install fencing and a gate around our school garden to help protect and sustain it for the future.

Want to help?
You can support our fundraising efforts by donating your containers through the Containers for Change program. Just bring them in or use our school code:

School Code: C10996086

Thank you for supporting sustainability at Gwynne Park ESC!

Ms Williams
Sustainability Coordinator

Hello families,

Room 18 have had a super exciting term filled with learning, exploring, and building new skills – both inside and outside the classroom!

Literacy – Writing, Typing and Talking!

In class, we’ve been busy building our sentence-writing skills through fun typing activities and dictation practice. Students are becoming confident writers, using capital letters, full stops, and sounding out words. It's fantastic to see how proud everyone feels when they finish their writing!

Maths – Time, Money and Graphs!

Maths this term has been all about telling the time, ordering and adding money, and reading and creating bar graphs. Students have been working hard to develop skills across these areas, demonstrating perseverance when facing difficult concepts.

Community Access – Adventures on the Public Bus!

This term, we’ve been learning how to safely access our local community. Students have been practicing how to tap their SmartRiders on and off when catching the public bus – what a great step towards independence! Our bus trips have taken us to the local library and park, where students enjoyed reading books, playing games, and enjoying nature with their peers.

Cooking – Life Skills in the Kitchen

Our cooking sessions have been a real hit! Students are learning important life skills, such as washing hands, following steps, and working safely in the kitchen. We’ve made some simple, healthy, and delicious snacks – and most of the time everyone has loved tasting their creations!

Dance – Moving to the Beat

In Dance, students are learning to follow a routine, keep to the rhythm, and express themselves through movement. It’s been amazing to see everyone’s confidence grow as they work together and perform their routines with big smiles!

We’re so proud of the effort and enthusiasm all students are showing this term. Keep up the fantastic work!

We hope you all have a safe and happy holiday break and look forward to seeing you all back for a wonderful term 4.

Thank you, Mrs Kaukau and Room 18 staff.

Dear Families,

Term Three has flown by, and what a busy and exciting term it has been! Our students have worked incredibly hard and are ready for a well-earned rest before we head into the final term of 2025.

In Week 5, we celebrated Book Week, a much-loved event that brought stories to life and encouraged our students to dive into the joy of reading. It was fantastic to see so much enthusiasm around books and storytelling.

Week 7 saw our students take part in the School Sports Carnival. Despite the wet weather, everyone showed great spirit and resilience. It was wonderful to see them supporting one another and having so much fun.

To celebrate Indigenous Literacy Day, students listened to stories from Dylan Collard, who shared a beautiful tale about a kwobardak nyingarn (beautiful echidna).

In Week 10, our students enjoyed an exciting excursion to the Armadale Reptile Centre. They were thrilled to see a wide variety of animals.

In Science, we’ve been exploring how to identify living and non-living things. The students have loved engaging with the world around them and asking questions about what makes something alive.

In Media Arts, we’ve taken a creative journey through the evolution of animation. Students made their own animated craft projects including thaumatropes, flip books, and phenakistoscopes.

We wish all our families a safe and happy holiday break. Enjoy the rest, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back for a fantastic Term 4!

Warm regards,
Miss Nelson and ES5 staff

The sports carnival was a big success this term despite the weather! It was great to see students so engaged and working together safely. Especially in practicing the skills I felt there were big improvements in long jump, long hit and tug of war skills. Thank you to Kerry for organising and to all the staff and parents who worked so hard to make this such a fun event.

After the sports carnival students have been enjoying bike track in the lovely Djilba weather. Riding a pedal bike requires mastering three skills – steering, pedalling and balancing. Many students already enjoy riding a trike so they can steer and pedal. Balance bikes allow students to focus on the hardest aspect of riding and the biggest barrier to success: balance.

There at least fifteen students now trying out the balance bikes, many for the first time. Some students are still working on wearing helmets or shoes, but they have begun balancing on a balance bike and pushing the bike forwards. Several students have made the big jump from balance bike to pedal bike this term. Thank you especially to the students who have gone outside their comfort zones to give these bikes a go. And to the support and flexibility of so many teachers and EAs to give them this opportunity. Seeing students feeling the joy of riding a bike for the first time has been a real highlight for me.

Mr James

The end of the term has snuck up on us and it’s time for our last set of school holidays before the end of the year. We have been very busy this term and would like to share some of our highlights with you.

In English, we have been learning about blending, segmenting, signing letters using AUSLAN and counting syllables in words. The class is getting so good at tapping “heads, shoulders, hips” when saying words with three syllables. One activity we enjoy doing is looking for words hidden in sensory tubs with our focus sounds for the week and sorting which ones we find.

In Maths, we have been working with addition, money and making picture graphs. Our magical adding machine has the power to add any collection of items together – as long as we count the correct number of items to go inside, that is! Early in the term we celebrated the 100^th day of school by guessing the number of lollies in a jar and making an art display.

In Science, we have been learning to tell the difference between living and non-living things – which included watching a video of Mr. Horton’s cats and looking at pictures of Miss Nelson’s dog! In Media Arts, we have been learning about how animated shows have changed over the decades, and we’ve made a few animated craft projects such as a thaumatrope, a two-page flip book and a phenakistoscope.

We’ve also had some fun event days! The Book Week parade and Indigenous Literacy Day were filled with some great activities. We dressed up and did our walk for Book Week, and on Indigenous Literacy Day we listened to some stories from Dylan Collard about a very kwobardak nyingarn (beautiful echidna).

We’ve had a few changes of staff in our room this term. Mr. James takes the class for physical education on Wednesday afternoons. Ms Wharerimu finished her time with us in Room 19, and we would like to welcome Miss Craig on Mondays and Mrs Jacobs on Tuesdays through Fridays.

Congratulations to this term’s award winners, Denrie Jad and Lucky. You should be proud of your efforts! Have a happy and safe break,

Tim Horton and Room 19 Staff

Lunch Club and Social Development Initiatives

Lunch Club continues to be a popular choice among students, offering opportunities for indoor play with LEGO, electronics, toy cars, and art activities. These sessions bring together engagement and imagination, creating a fun and stimulating environment.

This term, the Satellite Groups and Social Club have been meeting weekly to support the development of expressive, creative, and social skills. A key focus has been on fostering emotional awareness, self-understanding, and empathy toward peers.

Through a range of engaging activities—including board games, collaborative art projects, and group play—participants have explored different ways to express themselves, collaborate, and build stronger social connections. These sessions provide a supportive space for meaningful interaction, creativity, and emotional growth.

Student Services

Year 4 / 5 – Room 15

Term 3 is already over, and it feels like we have just started!

Term 3 has been a big one for our Room 15 students. We have seen a huge growth in the maturity of our students over the last 10 weeks. The friendships they have been forming among themselves – inventing their own games, including each other in activities, sharing their space, and looking for opportunities to play with their friends. They have even made new friendships outside of the classroom. The changes have been amazing to watch.

Week 5 was Book Week, which the students loved. There were some amazing costumes at the parade. The students enjoyed exploring new stories throughout the week.

Week 7 was Sports Carnival. It was a wet day, but the students still enjoyed participating in the activities.

During literacy, we are improving our reading and writing skills by learning to write short stories. We are also learning animals using Auslan. Maths, we are starting with shape transformation, patterns and angles after working on our addition and subtraction, as well as learning about money.

Science lessons are in Biological Science, and we have been learning about life cycles this term. The students have been working on the life cycles of butterflies and frogs. The students have been dancing with ribbons and learning body rhythm during Dance.

We have had a great term 3, and we are so proud of all our students.

We hope that you all enjoy your holiday break, and we look forward to seeing you all next term!

Miss Mbewe, Miss Ivy and the Room 15 staff

That’s a Wrap on Term Three for ES3!

Term Three has been packed with fun, learning, and growth! From the exciting Sports Carnival to the creative and imaginative Book Week, this term has been full of wonderful activities that our students absolutely loved. We are so proud of the progress our students have made, especially in growing their independence each day.

A standout feature of the term has been our Sensory Fridays. Each week, students have had the opportunity to explore different sensory play-based activities, where they can engage with unique scenes and learn through touch, sight, and sound. Our very own Mrs. Hurter has created some truly beautiful and engaging experiences for our students to enjoy, sparking their curiosity and creativity.

In addition, our students have made incredible strides in the kitchen! Thanks to Mrs. Lord’s guidance, they’ve been making their own lunches every Friday, while also discovering new flavours and building confidence in cooking.

Looking ahead, we are already gearing up for an exciting Term 4, where we will kick off our Christmas preparations by getting creative with decorations! We can’t wait to share the holiday spirit with all our students.

We hope everyone enjoys a well-deserved break! Rest up and recharge because next term is going to be full of sunshine, fun, and new adventures!

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday

Year 5 / 6 – ES6

Term 3 for ES6 was, once again, jam-packed with events and opportunities, far too many to capture in one short write-up, but I’ll try!

Way back in Week 2, we took a quick trip to Shipwreck Park. With amazing weather on our side, we maximised our time playing hide-and-seek chasey, tee-ball and frisbee. P.S. if anybody spots a green frisbee in the surrounding bushes, please return it to GPESC.

Week 4 saw us head to Perth Museum Boorla Bardip, with a pit stop at Hyde Park. Both places were buzzing, but our students did us proud by staying cool and keeping it tight. At the museum, we rode the elevator straight to the top floor and began exploring downwards. Through Origins, Wildlife and WA Treasures, everyone found something to connect with and later share back at school with friends and family.

Week 7 brought the wet and wild sports carnival, where our students shone in the energetic undercover area, competing and cheering loudly for their peers.

The fun rolled on into Week 8 as our Year 6s ventured to Swan Valley Adventure Camp. Lifelong memories were made during three days of dorm games, laughter at the dining table and marshmallows around the campfire. Days were packed with slip and slide, flying fox, colour run, archery and the possum glider. The commando course on Day 3 was the perfect finale, whatever piece of clothing was still clean didn’t stand a chance, as students and adults alike rolled and tumbled through muddy fields.

To close out a big term, Week 9 took us to the Kwinana Public Library and then the Adventure Park. The calm scenes of LEGO displays and board games were quickly replaced with the thrills of the tree walk, swings and a sausage sizzle.

Add in an AFL and basketball carnival, Indigenous Literacy and Book Week and even some actual “in-class learning” , and it’s safe to say Term 3 was a busy one.

See you soon! Team ES6

Term 3 Wrap-Up & What’s Ahead

As Term 3 ends, we want to send a huge shout-out to all our families for your incredible support and energy throughout a busy and vibrant term. Whether it was excursions, assemblies, or classroom milestones – we’ve packed a lot in, and now it’s time to enjoy a well-earned break!

Enjoy the school holidays! We hope you find time to relax, recharge, and maybe even sneak in a few adventures with your little ones.

As Term 4 fast approaches, here are a few things to keep an eye out for:

Check those school bags!
The 2026 Voluntary Contributions and Charges letter will be coming home soon. This outlines important information to help you plan ahead for next year.

Website Update Alert!
We will be updating our Website with the Student Personal Items List from Campion – be sure to take a look so you’re across what’s needed for 2026.

Open Afternoon Celebration!
We’re thrilled to invite you to a special open afternoon to celebrate the installation of our brand-new, state-of-the-art bike track in the Early Years area! It’s a fantastic addition to our school and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Thank you again for being such a wonderful part of our school community. Wishing you a safe and happy holiday – see you in Term 4!

Warm regards,

Katherine Chamberlain
Manager Corporate Services

Payments can be made directly 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
Reference: Student's 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.

Community Information for Families

City of Armadale Community Health and Wellbeing News and Events

Health events and other news in your City

Highland Gathering and Perth Kilt Run

Sat 5 Oct | 8:30am - 4:00pm

Minnawarra Park, Armadale

Join us to celebrate all things Scottish at the largest Highland Gathering event held in WA! There will be the 5km Perth Kilt Run, Scottish market stalls, highland dancing, bagpipe competitions, meet and greet Scottish dogs to name a few.

Click here to find out more.

Parkrun

Shipwreck Park, Hilbert

Joe Saunder Park, Champion Lakes

Did you know there are two Parkrun locations in the City? Parkrun is a FREE, community event where you can walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. Parkrun is 5km and takes place every Saturday morning starting at 8am.

For more info and to register for your next run, visit the website here. To find out more, visit the website.

Men’s Table Entrée

Tues 7 Oct | 6:00pm - 8:30pm

Ye Olde Narrogin Inne, Armadale

Come along and grab a seat to your introduction to The Men’s Table. Enjoy a relaxed, conversational meal while meeting other men, hearing stories from experienced members, and discovering how a Table works. It’s a great way to see if joining a local Men’s Table is right for you.

To find out more and to book your spot, click here.

StarKick AFL Inclusive Football

If your child is interested in playing AFL, come join your local inclusive club at the Kelmscott Bull Dogs. See their Facebook page for more info. https://www.facebook.com/share/1Ckj3ur6eU/

Recipe Recommendation

Asparagus is in season, making it the perfect time to enjoy this fresh, tasty, and filling salad.

Click here to check out the recipe.