Guildford West Public School

Welcome back to Term 4. This is always a very hectic time in the calendar with lots of school events. Take the time to check with the parent portal on the calendar so that you know when official events are happening.

Our Stage 3 students have been at camp in Week 2. They had an experience challenging their bodies and their minds through the various physical and emotional challenges at 'The Great Aussie Bush Camp'. This camp will be an annual event for Stage 3, however, the programs will be run on Odd and Even years so that students have a different experience each time. I was so proud of all the students and staff. Thank you to our wonderful staff who organised and supervised this educational opportunity. Thank you Mr Robinson, Mr Isler, Mrs Lobocki, Ms Hammill, Ms Mezin and Ms Giles for giving up their family time to take our students to camp.

Remembrance Day

Our Remembrance Day ceremony was a huge success, with special guests and lots of parents. It was commented on by all who attended about the respect and behaviour of our students. The poppies laid in the Memorial Garden were a picture to behold. Thank you to Miss Clarke, Mrs Furness and Mr Shaw who put it all together.

2020

To assist with planning for next year, we will be sending home a letter that requires all parents and carers to send back regarding your intention to return in 2020. This will assist our notification of enrolments so that we are staffed accordingly, as well as forming classes for next year. This note is to be returned by all families. Our Kindergarten classes are filling up quickly, so if you are aware of a family that has a child that should be starting school next year please ask if they have enrolled. The Department has a new enrolment policy that is expecting all schools to follow. This means out of area enrolments must meet very strict criteria within the Department policy guidelines.

Last day of school

The last day of school for our students will be Wednesday 18 December. It will be office staff and myself only at school on the Thursday and the school will be closed on Friday 20 December.

Assessment

Reports will go home to parents and carers in Week 10. Teachers are currently assessing students and writing reports.

Ms. K. Weston

Principal

Students from the Support Unit really enjoyed Swim Scheme in Term 3. Students walked safely to and from Guildford Pool. Students learned to put their heads underwater, blow bubbles, float, and swim on their fronts and backs. They also experienced swimming freestyle and backstroke. All instructors and teachers were highly impressed with the skills the Support unit students displayed as well as their behaviour.

In Term 4, students from the Support Unit were invited to participate in the West Sydney Wolves inclusive basketball workshops. The workshops spanned over four weeks and provided students the opportunity to develop a range of basketball skills such as dribbling, catching and throwing to a target. Students had an amazing time playing on our new basketball court and learned a lot from Coach Damien and Coach G.

At the beginning of Term 3, some Stage 3 students enjoyed their stay away from home at 'The Great Aussie Bush Camp' with Miss Giles and Miss M. The students participated in rock-climbing, the mud run, commando night, campfire and a lot more exciting activities. The students demonstrated their independence and willingness to try new things.

The Support Unit have had some new pets donated! Students are enjoying their time looking after their silk worms. We are curious to see the life cycle of our silk worms and can’t wait to see them grow and change.

This Term, Kindergarten have been engaged in Geography and Science learning through our Learning Centre’s. K Smith, K Lock and K Cook came together for two hours, twice a week to explore the following:

- How can living things be used to meet our needs?

- How can we look after the places we live in?

Kindergarten teachers have engaged in professional learning to expand upon the set up for Learning Centre’s where students can independently engage in learning using hands on, exploratory resources. These center’s include: dramatic play, collage, science/nature, construction, tinkering, sensory, numeracy, technology and literacy/reading. Students have taken on the additional challenge of Reporter and Photographer roles, engaging with each other about what they are learning and reporting back to their class during end of lesson reflection time.

It has been a busy start to Term 4 for our Stage 1 students. They have really enjoyed the challenges and different learning experiences that they have been presented with so far. Here are just some of the things that the students have been involved in this term.

Geography

We have been working really hard, exploring different places and environments that we have in Australia. We started off with identifying all the states and territories of Australia and then placing these special places on a map of Australia. We have explored the differences between cities and the countryside. Through looking at these differences we have then researched the effect that the drought is having on all of us, especially the farmers.

STEM

The students have been working on programming robots to complete different challenges. The students have been working with the Blue Bots and the Dash robots. They have learnt how to move these robots through mazes by providing a sequence of movements that would allow the robot to successfully navigate through the maze.

PDHPE

All classes are enjoying their time practising their catching and throwing skills. We have been working on learning all the T Ball rules so that our Year 2 students are ready to try out for the PSSA teams next year. They now all know the best way to hit the ball off the tee and the best place to throw the ball to get their opponent out. We can’t wait to see them try out for T Ball in Term 1 of the 2020 school year.

The STEM kits have returned to GWPS. S2 Watson have had lots of fun incorporating these into our learning areas! Last week, Stage 2 were learning to apply their knowledge of decimals to record measurements. In groups, students used rulers to measure the length in centimetres of different masking tape lines. They needed to then identify using the decimal place system how to show these measurements in metres (for example 150cm is 1.5m). After students had completed this, they had the opportunity to estimate how many walks they thought the Blue Bots would take to move the length of the lines. Students then took turns to check if their predictions were correct.

This week S2 Watson explored the Lego kits. The kits allowed students natural curiosity to ignite, as well as helping them develop essential communication, creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking-skills in a fun and exciting way!

Our Humanities inquiry unit has seen Stage 2 learning about human impact on the environment and how we can be more sustainable. The students have researched natural resources and how we use them in our daily lives such as air, water and plants. Through this integrated unit of work, the students have written news articles about ocean pollution and poems on the devastation that drought and deforestation causes. Below are work samples from students in S2 Burke, S2 Campbell and S2 Lawson.

Deforestation

I see the trees chopped and trimmed

Our forest, our home

Our home has been destroyed

I don't think i can take it anymore

SAD FACE

I HEAR THE crashing and the sawing

Sigh, Sigh

By Eshaal

The Drought

My country is low on water,

My tongue is rough and dry,

My bare feet touch the red ground,

While I see struggling sheep go by.

I go back into my house,

While heat fills with despair,

A big teardrop falls down each eye,

There is nothing but hot air,

We are losing farmland day by day,

The smoke and cutting down of trees.

We all want it to stop!

Come on, just once, please!

The livestock almost gone,

The forest burnt and dry,

We HAVE to do something...

It’s going to be worth a try.

Our home there is no longer home

i will never see the forest again

we all had to move on to leave everything in the world.

what do the people want from the forest?

By Jayden

Pollution Plastic Problems

Help our planet by stopping the continuous use of plastic. Find out more by reading this news article

Days , months , years have passed that we have been using plastic and none of the use has stopped. 9 billion pieces of plastic have been used every year. Our biggest culprits have been plastic bags and coffee cups , the way that they have been used so much has caused a problem in every state. For us to line up all the coffee cups and plastic bags it will end up being 1.47 million kilometres , that is a lot of plastic use. For us to stretch 1.47 km of plastic use from the earth to the moon it stretches 3 times . Australia only gets 11.8 % of plastic recycled each year and that hasn't helped with our plastic problems. The way that our marine life and wildlife have been treated is a disgraceful mess such as.This turtle eating and choking on a piece of plastic which has made our harmless creatures suffer through death. Soon by 2050 there will be more plastic than there will be fish. The united nations are tagging their friends on social media to stop the use of plastic and to use reusable items. For us to help the marine life suffer less we will have to take reusable bags to the super markets, ban the use of plastic straws and use metal straws instead and to stop using plastic celine wrap on the food items. Last week in thailand a whale got washed up on shore dead because he swallowed 80 plastic bags. Melaak Raheema from S2 burke said That we should stop the use of plastic because it will help our environment and it will save the marine life .

By Marziya Hussaini

DROUGHT

My dear country is in drought

Our scorched land with

Crispy dirt . Water crisis.

Help!

Burning trees & leaves

Food shortage & dead cattle

Dying smell we are deplenished

we need rain

The sweaty hot and weak feeling

Cracks in the land

Our land is brown & yellow

Hope drought does not

Last forever

Our scorched land

Dusty and dirty

we’re weeping for rain

It is very hot

A lot of heat

Our lands are bare

Were hoping for rain

Streams and rivers are tearing up

No sight of rain

We are in a drought

our land is shattering

we need rain

Help!

By Arda Uzgur

The Research

By Elaa Matar

I was laying down on my bed, not knowing what to do and I was

very bored like lazy bored like soooo bored. So I decided to fix

up my hair, put blush and lipstick on. So I was practically putting

makeup on as I was putting makeup on I started singing I do my

hair toss check my nails baby how ya feeling… feeling good as

hhhheeeelll . I kept singing and singing and to be honest I have a

pretty good voice like I would want you to listen to my voice it

will make you have good dreams. So all of a sudden I get a

message and it started buzzing but not like an ordinary buzz it

was all over the room it was so crazy and it finally stopped so I

went on messages and checked, but there was just a blank sent

message. I said to myself, “Strange ha” but like you know I

started singing again and then I got another message but it

was all my friends this time saying hi I replied back saying hi.

It was strange actually seeing all of my friends sending me hi at

the same time. So I decided to get dressed and go to the shops

but I remembered that my parents weren’t home. So I went back

inside, as I was walking up the stairs someone pressed the bell. I

went to see who it was but there was nothing there just a

random box sitting there doing nothing. So I picked it up and

put it inside, I then texted all my friends I said do yous know

about the box that came to my house. They all said “Um… yeah

just, just leave it inside with you but like don’t open it” Jasmin

texted me saying “Could we come over, PLZZZ” I replied saying

“Yes” so I waited till they came and I heard the bell ringing and

so I went to open the door they came in acting pretty weird but I

was fine with that.

So I asked my friend “Can I open it now” they all said “Yes now

was all I ever wanted it was a Macbook. So I thanked all my

friend for getting it for me and gave them all a hug each so then

Elle said to me “Open the Macbook” and quickly set everything. I

remembered that we have an assessment to do and so I went to

research about Hawaii because that was what I was writing

about so I went to research about Hawaii. Then all of a sudden

when I went to the web site of Hawaii the screen started swirling

around. I appeared in this place but I had my Macbook with me

it looked so pretty with the very nice green colored trees and the

light blue beach. It was Hawaii, but as I was looking at the

beautiful view I randomly see these two people sitting and these

Beach Chaises with Mai Tai drinks in their hands.

So I went up to them and you won't believe it, it was Keven Hart

and Dwany Jonson I went so crazy I was jumping all over the

place and because I was so happy. I then did a whole lap of

swimming just because I saw Keven Hart and Dayne Jonson and

what happened to me happened to them. They saw me and they

went crazy they jumped all over the place and they both swam a

whole lap because they saw me. I asked them if I can hang out

with them and they said “Yes you can (OFC) you may” so they

had a spare Beach Chaises and a spare Mai Tai drink for me so.

We had fun, we played with each other and we asked each other

questions and I looked at the time it was 5:00 pm.

I said to myself “ ooooffffttt already”, I was running

late, I told them I “ I’m so sorry I really have to go” and they said

“Yeah it’s fine if you have to go then go and it was really nice

meeting youuuu”. So I went on google maps, search my house

and clicked on it and that took me straight home. My parents

were home and they asked me “Where were you sweet heart” I

replied “AAA… ummm I, I was in the backyard on... on my Ipad

yeah and I was playing games on it” my mum then looked at me

Macbook in a nice and safe place, in my draw under all my

clothes. I went to sleep and I had a beautiful dream of me

singing in front of my whole class and everyone was enjoying it.

They were all looking at me and as I was looking at them I saw

my teacher just nodding his head as he was ashamed and he

So I wanted him to enjoy so I started singing Toot Toot, Chugga

Chugga, Big Red Car.. AHHHMMM Toot Toot, Chugga Chugga,

calling me so I woke up got dressed and went down stairs my

mum asked me “Do you want breakfast before I go”. I said “Yeah

I’ll eat” so she made me pancakes and she got dressed and went

to work. So I can make my day I said to myself “lets go to Cardi

B’s mansion” so I went on google maps searched Cardi B’s

mansion and I appeared there. It was so beautiful and nice

looking she then looked at me and said “WHAT ARE YOU DOING

IN MY MANSION” I then said to her “Calm down it’s me Elaa” she

She said to me, “Is it really you” “Yeah it is me” so what she did to

me was she pulled me on her seat and all these people started

fixing my hair and putting me make up on. So Cardi B asked me

“What song do you want” I said “Good As Hell” so she put me the

song we first listened to it and she said to me, “This is a really

good Song, it soots”. So I ate lunch with her and I told her “I need

to go home now” so before I went she gave me $1,000,000 dollars I

thanked her a lot. I then went back home but before my parents

came home. So after a few minutes my parents arrived home,

when my parents came in from the front door they called me.

So I went down stairs and my mum asked me, “What do you

want to eat for lunch, I said to her “MUM to be honest I’m not

hungry you and dad can just eat”. She then said “AAAAOOOO

okay then” So I went back to my room and I get a text from

Jasmin saying “I wish I had that”. So I decided to look behind my

Macbook and I found this it said.

Don’t Go To Your Teachers House because They Will act

Wired For Some Reason!!!

Ancient History

By Joshua Hope

So one day my parents and I were wandering a black market when we

came across a laptop. We decided to buy it. When we got home I went to

my room and opened the laptop. It was old and beeps every five seconds. I

booted it up and a screen came on. It read where do you want to go?, what

time do you want to go? and who do you want to meet? I figured it was like

a personality test so I entered Athens, 379 BC and Plato.

The screen went black and started emitting green lightning then all of a

sudden it disappeared with me. I can only briefly describe what I saw. I saw

history, that’s all I can describe it as, wars, discoveres, beliefs. It was all

there. And then almost as quickly as it started I was back. Well not quite. I

was surrounded by white buildings and people in white robes with gold. I

thought I was imagining it, but I wasn't. Someone walked up to me and

says “ Ποιος είσαι?”.

“What?” I reply.

“Είσαι Κρόνος!?” they replied. Only later did I discover that they said “Who

are you?” and “Are you Cronus”

The frustrated person walked away. I walked around trying to not get

noticed. I decided to lean on a wall to think. No I can’t be in ancient greece,

i’m in ancient greece. My thoughts are interrupted when I fall into the wall. I

start sliding down a slide until I am in a white room. The room was filled

with papers and a man was leaning over a table writing. He was an old

man with a long thick beard. “Um... Hi” I say to the man. He turns around

and says”Ποιος είσαι εσύ και βγεις ?!”

“Uh… what?” I say.

“Είμαι ο Πλάτων έτσι βγείτε!” he yells. He was saying I am plato get out. I

hand him the laptop and he types something in and disappears. one

second later he comes back and hands me a device. It was a small disk.

As if I have done this before I put the disk to my neck. It emits a pulse.

I say “Who are you?” But… it didn’t sound like it. It came out as “Ποιος

είσαι?”

“Plato” he says,”Now what are you doing here” the next two weeks were

amazing! Yes I said two weeks. Plato showed me his writing and beliefs.

“So you weren't surprised as I thought you’d be” I say on the final night.

“I was given a prophecy by the great god Apollo, you would arrive and after

leaving you’d be in danger” he says.

“C’mon what’s the full prophecy@ I say.

“ A Boy of twelve shall take a quest

Back in time to the great great west

Then if he does succeed

Only then shall he decide

If he is so full of pride ” Plato says.

“Beep beep

On Monday 11th November, our students and community gathered to honour the fallen to reflect on the impacts of war and to remember the supreme sacrifice made by so many, so that we can enjoy our freedom we have today.

Every student, teacher and parent laid a poppy in our memorial garden in what was a very respectful and beautiful service.

Thank you to our special guests, Merrylands RSL Sub Branch, Mr Guy Zangari Member for Fairfield and Bunnings Smithfield for your continued involvement and support of our School and students.

Jasmin Nadir laid a wreath on behalf of our school at the Sunday Remembrance Day service in Merrylands.

Lest we forget!

On Thursday 31st of October, Kindergarten, Stage 1, S Cottee and S Thomas participated in a Science Incursion run by Ranger Jamie Tours. This day was specifically tailored to meet Science outcomes across Kindergarten and Stage 1, and focused on how objects move by being pushed or pulled. Students participated in a range of activities throughout the day, including, PUSH & PULL Olympic Games, where students competed in teams to win The Ranger Jamie Olympics is designed from the 2019 NESA Syllabus to reinforce the information taught.

Students had a fantastic day engaging in hands on learning and working collaboratively across classes. It has enabled them to have lots of real life experiences that can now be taken back to the classroom to be explored further through reading, writing and further Science learning.

On the 6th November, Students from our senior PSSA basketball team attended an interschool Basketball Gala Day run by the West Sydney Wolves. The Gala Day focused on getting students involved and having fun whilst exploring the great sport of basketball in a traditional 5x5 setting. Students played exceptionally well and displayed a great deal of athletic skill and sportsmanship. Well done to our senior basketball PSSA team.

Driveway Safety.

On average, more than 5 children are killed and 47 seriously injured in driveways each year across Australia. We all have a role to play when it comes to driveway safety. Your young child counts on you to supervise them near vehicles, separate play areas from driveways and see where they are at all times.

Remember to:

Supervise

When your child is around driveways, they should be actively supervised by an adult who is holding their hand. Ensure that young children are placed securely in a vehicle before moving it.

Separate

Treat the driveway like a road. Do not let your child use the driveway as a play area. Separate play spaces from garages and driveways. Home features including fences, high handles on garage doors and self-closing doors or gates can help.

See

All vehicles have blind spots. Even though reversing sensors and cameras can help reduce blind spots, it can still be hard to see a small child until it is too late. Do not become complacent. Get into the habit of walking around your vehicle before starting it, especially when leaving an area where a young child could be present.

Keep your child safe

Your primary aged child is still developing an understanding of danger and safety. While they are often keen to do things for themselves, an adult must always be responsible for your child in the traffic environment.

Your child is a vulnerable road user. They are still developing the skills that help them to judge the direction of sound and the speed and distance of vehicles. Your child is physically small, making it harder for drivers to see them. They may be easily distracted and tend to only be able to focus on one thing at a time. This means that they find it difficult to deal with sudden changes in the traffic environment.

Your child may be able to tell you the rules and how to keep safe near in and around vehicles, but in reality, will not always be able to apply them.

Take some time to explore and talk about the Safety Town activities with your child.

www.safetytown.com

With the grand opening of the basketball court a couple of weeks ago, the students were very excited to bring their bikes to school on Wednesday. Students had the opportunity to practice their riding skills and learned about basic road rules such as which lane to be in, how and why to give way at intersections and how to be observant of other road using including pedestrians.

Some safety tips to remember

Bicycle helmets for children

Your child's helmet should be:

· approved – make sure the helmet carries the Australian Standard mark, showing that it is safety approved and meets the Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS 2063

· the right size and correctly fitted – the helmet should be comfortable and not too tight or loose. Caps should not be worn under helmets as they ruin the fit – your child can wear a visor over the helmet to protect them from the sun. Choose a helmet that is not too heavy and provides good ventilation

· positioned properly – the helmet should sit level on the rider's head, covering the forehead with the rim just above the eyebrows. The straps should be correctly adjusted and the buckle securely fastened. The straps should form a 'V' shape with the plastic strap guide sitting just under the earlobe. Make sure straps are not twisted. The buckle should be close up under your child's chin

· kept in good condition – a helmet is designed to protect a person's head for one impact only. If the helmet has been involved in an accident or if it has been dropped from a height, you must replace it, even if there is no visible damage. Do not leave a helmet exposed to direct sunlight when not in use. Make sure the foam is not old and crumbling, and clean the helmet according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Choosing a suitable bicycle for your child

· Having a bicycle of the right size for the rider's body plays a big part in safe cycling. A bicycle that is too big for your child is dangerous. Do not buy a bicycle or helmet that is too large for your child, with the intention that they will 'grow into it'.

· To test for size, stand your child over the bicycle with both feet on the ground. For medium or lightweight bicycles, there should be at least 2 cm between the child's crotch and the crossbar (or where the crossbar would be if the bicycle had one). For BMX and mountain bicycles, there should be at least 5 cm between the child's crotch and the bicycle crossbar.

· Make sure all controls are within easy reach and comfortable to use, and that the seat can be adjusted. If you buy a second-hand bicycle, get it serviced properly.

In Week 8, students and teachers from Northholm Grammar School will spend the week at Guildford West Public School, creating exciting and colourful outdoor learning spaces for our students, helping in our classrooms and conducting maintenance work across the school. On Friday 6th December, Northholm Grammar has invited students in K Smith, K Cook, K Lock, S Cottee and S Thomas to visit their school. On this day, the students will participate in fun activities and enjoy lunch with their new friends from Northholm Grammar School.

Enrolments 2020

Guildford West Children’s Centre is located at 50 Princes Street Guildford West, sharing part of Guildford West Public School’s ground. The centre will shortly begin taking enrolments for 2020 for children aged 0-5. To register for a position please follow the below link to add your child’s name to the waiting list. There are limited vacancies available. If you have any questions please contact Kate Whalan by emailing gwcc@cumberland.nsw.gov.au or calling 8757 9073.

https://www.smartcentral.net/v2/service_profile/show/367

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