Guildford West Public School

Dear Parents and Carers,

Well we are half way through the final term of the year, and we are as busy as ever! The first half of this term has seen the installation of our native bee hive which students in Stage 2 had the opportunity to learn about, new fixed equipment being installed in our K-2 playground (still under construction) and some other exciting events such as camp which you will read about in the newsletter.

We have also welcomed our Kindergarten 2023 students for two orientation sessions where they have engaged in outdoor physical activity and games, developmental play, fine motor activities and whole-class activities including listening to stories and singing nursery rhymes. Our in-school Occupational Therapist, Speech Pathologist and School Counsellor have also attended the sessions to develop relationships with the students who will begin school next year.

On the 28th October we celebrated all of our teachers for World Teacher’s Day and recognised their hard work and commitment to the teaching profession and to the students of Guildford West Public School. A huge thank you to all of our teachers who make Guildford West such a wonderful place for the students to learn.

This week, we also recognised the dedication of one of our teachers, Miss Vrtrovski, who was nominated and received a Network Award by our Director of Educational Leadership. Miss Vrtrovski received this award for demonstrating outstanding classroom practice in her role as Classroom Teacher, Special Education at Guildford West Public School. She has created and implemented high quality teaching and learning programs that cater to the individual learning needs and abilities of her students. Miss Vrtkovski thinks creatively about how she can engage all students in their learning; taking into consideration their unique interests and strengths. She is a reflective practitioner and is a role model to other staff across the school through her exemplary teaching practice. Miss Vrtkovski has also acted in the role of Teacher Mentor across the school, supporting staff in the area of STEM programming, planning and implementation. She works collegially with all staff members, and through her mentoring has provided staff with direct support and professional learning in how to embed STEM teaching within their classroom practice. The impact of both Miss Vrtkovski’s classroom teaching practice and mentoring has had a significant and meaningful impact on both students and staff across the school.

As we are nearing the end of the year, a reminder to all families to please return the ‘movement of families’ note, regardless of whether you are returning or moving in 2023. This assists us with organising classes for 2023 in advance.

Ms Weston

Principal

S Alcott have had a busy start to term 4. We have enjoyed all our hands on learning activities.

Hands on learning

Week 1 saw us on chicken duty. Each day we fed the chickens, collected the eggs and even went into the coup to hold them. Every week we visit the kitchen for cooking where we are learning to follow instructions, measure correctly and clean up after ourselves. This term we are also lucky enough to be participating the Scope IT program to experiment with coding and the Footsteps dance program.

History/Geography

S Alcott have spent the year learning about Australian History and Geography. We have explored Aboriginal Culture, the arrival of the First Fleet and British colonisation. This term we have begun studying the Australian gold rush and its impact on Australian History.

Kindergarten has had a busy and exciting start to Term 4. We have been learning lots of new skills by participating in school wide programs including Scope IT and Footsteps Dance program. We are also excited to be visiting the farm this term and look forward to sharing with you all the fun we had!

Scope IT

This term, Kindergarten students have been participating in a coding program called Scope IT. We have been learning new skills and knowledge about computers to apply into our future learning. Students have been working in pairs to use algorithms/a series of steps, to complete a new set task each week. Alongside learning how to code, we have been improving our turn taking and communication skills as one student is the navigator (giving instructions), and the other student is the driver (controlling the mouse). Kindergarten has been very engaged in our lessons each Friday and continue to look forward to developing our technology skills this term.

Footsteps Dance Program

Our Kindergarten students have loved getting their boogie on this term during our Footsteps dance lessons. We have begun learning each dance step to the lyrics of the song “One-Eyed, One-Horned, Flying Purple People Eater”. Students have been working on their fitness, balance, coordination, spatial awareness and muscle memory all whilst having fun! All students have shown great determination and persistence throughout the dance lessons to remember each step each week. We are on the way to performing an entire dance routine and continue bettering our dance skills.

What a busy start to Term 4 it has been for Stage 1. Students have been eager to get straight back into their learning. This term, we are touching on our creative side and working on producing narratives. We are focusing on narratives that represent a journey. This includes a physical journey or a journey through character development. We are learning to build tightening tension and use descriptive language.

Here are some photos of Year 1 students working on their writing.

Here is a year 2 work sample from Ayah Tahach.

The Forest

As I walked through the TERRIFYING and FRIGHTENING forest to look for Miss Annabel Spoon I came across the smell of a DEAD.BODY, Of course i didn't see it but it smelt like a ROTTEN COLOGNE.I tried to walk out of the smell as fast as a turbo but it just wouldn't go away!

When I kept walking deeper and DEEPER I heard screeching…hissing…and…worst of all…HOWLING, I was so hungry that my stomach was RUMBLING. Those noises are what scared me THE MOST.

I was really worried but I just KNEW I couldn't give up…so i just kept walking…and walking.

The hairs on my necks were tingling and shivers were going down my spine!

I tripped over a stick but I was alright. I was feeling happy and proud of myself because I was walking through the darkest forest ever alone! But at the same time I felt frustrated but that didn't change a thing I kept walking and walking again and I found…

Students are also having so much fun each week dancing as part of the ‘Footsteps Program’ They are learning new moves each week and we have seen such energy and enthusiasm from all the students! We are practising our coordination and memory skills each week.

Here are some photos of students showing off their dance moves.

What a great and busy start to the term for stage 2. We started off the term by participating in a Bee Hive Incursion where students learnt about many different types of bees found in Australia. We also witnessed a spectacular scene of honeycomb filled with bees! It was a great learning experience for our students.

We are also very lucky to have our Lifeskills Go lessons delivered by Ms Julie in our classes. The lessons focus on many wellbeing themes including kindness, teamwork, empathy and other social intelligence skills. Students participated in various activities during our Lifeskills lessons to help them develop a greater understanding of themselves and others as well as maintain positive relationships. Students have shown their mindful bodies and active listening skills during our Lifeskills sessions.

On Thursdays, students have been engaged in our Footsteps Dance programs where we have showed how to be active, creative and risk takers. We have been rehearsing very hard to follow the dance steps that requires great rhythm and coordination. We have some great dancers in our Stage 2 classes! We cannot wait to explore more and learn new things for the remainder of the year.

Very early on Monday morning the excited students and teachers of Stage 3 boarded the buses to travel to The Great Aussie Bush Camp at Tea Gardens. Upon reaching our destination, the students got their first camp meal before collecting their luggage and being allocated their cabins and being divided into groups. Then it was on to our first activities. During the three days, each group took part in activities that included archery, canoeing, raft-building, high-ropes, giant-swing and rock-climbing. We also had a trivia night on Monday, and a Commando night on the Tuesday.

All the students had a memorable and fun experience at the camp (and the teachers too!), and the feedback from the instructors was about how happy and engaged the students from Guildford West had been.

Is your child in Year 5? Applications for selective high school Year 7 entry in 2024 are now open!

Learn more and apply at: https://fal.cn/3sOxL

Applications close 16 November 2022.

Email: guildfordw-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website: www.guildfordw-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
Location: 23-51 Palmer Street, Guildford West NSW, Australia
Phone: (02) 9632-9942
Facebook: guildfordwestps