IPECS INFORMER

From our Principal

Dear Children and Families,

It has been so wonderful to see families on our school grounds again.  It brings me so much joy when I'm on Olive Playground for morning supervision and during afternoon pick up to see adults connecting with each other and children.  The mornings on Olive Playground are a hive of activity with children and adults enjoying kicking a ball together, children showing off their skills on the monkey bars and swinging on our new swing.  This important time for children to connect with friends and adults sets up a successful day.  In preschool, its always a pleasure to chat with families at the start of the day and to hear the from the children the excitement they have in starting preschool.  Just this morning, Olive in Corals was showing me his creative painting skills and Tyler immersed in making a long chain by connecting links and constructing.  

What is the vision and strategic direction of ACT Public Schools and what will this look like at IPECS?

Towards the end of last year, the Education Directorate launched the 2022-2025 Strategic Plan.  The vision for the new plan is that "We lead and deliver excellent, inclusive and equitable education where all are safe, valued and able to flourish".  The plan outlines how we will work together  to achieve the best possible outcomes for children and young people and our community.  As a system, we will be guided by six principles including:

The IPECS 2023-2027 School Plan has been aligned with the Directorate's vision and mission and at last night's Board meeting the plan was endorsed unanimously.  Our priorities over the next five years will see us maximise the growth in literacy learning of all children and strengthen personal and social learning capabilities of all children.  The statements below detail our vision for how these priorities will change the experiences for our children.  Our priorities and vision statements were determined through a detailed analysis of children's learning data, our school satisfaction data and most importantly what our community told us during our consultation processes in late 2022.

Priority 1: Maximise the growth in literacy learning of all children 

-          Literacy learning will be personalised and differentiated for all children.  Feedback will be targeted and specific in relation to children’s learning goals and aspirations.

-          Children will be creative and confident communicators, imaginative thinkers and informed citizens

-          Teaching will be responsive to children’s literacy development and based on teachers’ sophisticated understanding of student assessment and data concepts

-          Children’s literacy learning will be enhanced through the recognition of parents and carers and community as partners in children’s learning.


Priority 2: Strengthen the personal and social learning capabilities of all children

-          Children will establish and maintain healthy and supportive relationships and effectively navigate settings with diverse individuals and groups

-          Children will understand themselves as learners and possess the dispositions which enable them to learn and grow and inquire into the world around them

-          Children will have a strong sense of belonging, identity and wellbeing that allows them to make positive contributions

-          Children will become strong in their social and emotional wellbeing

-          Children will demonstrate an increasing capacity to understand, self-regulate and manage their emotions in ways that reflect the feelings and needs of others

-          Children will understand, acknowledge and celebrate the diversity and richness of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures

What's in a term overview?

Term overviews have been sent home electronically to all families this week.  As well as provide important information regarding the structure and routines of the week, the term overview gives an overview of the learning that children will be engaged in over the course of the term.  Our learning program is linked with the guiding principles and outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework for preschool and the Australian Curriculum for kindergarten to year two.  At IPECS, we deliver the curriculum using an inquiry approach that engages children in investigating lines of inquiry through play, provocations, investigations and open ended tasks.  The inquiry questions that children will be focusing on across the term include:

We look forward to sharing children's learning with you on SeeSaw and in our newsletters. 

When are the GEMS P&C Meetings and what is a Classroom Connector?

Our GEMS P&C will have their AGM on Thursday 23 February at 5.30pm.  The meeting will be both face to face but also online and a link will be emailed to join online next week.  At the AGM, the GEMS P&C will seek to elect a president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer.  Following the AGM, there will be a General Meeting where we will begin deciding on community events and fundraisers and set dates for these events.  At our catch up last week, it was decided that meetings will now be held three times per term.  Two meetings will be held on Thursday evenings at 5.30pm of weeks three and nine and one meeting on a Friday morning at 9.15am of week six.  Meetings will be held both online and face to face from the Family Room. 

At our catch up, we also spoke about reigniting Classroom Connectors.  Each class at Isabella Plains Early Childhood School has a Class Connector who is a family member liaising with families to form an informal parent network for that class.  Michele, our Family and Community Coordinator, would love to hear from you if you are interested in becoming a Classroom Connector.

Have you yarned with your child's teacher?

Over the last two weeks, our teachers have been yarning with families to share important information about children.  These important yarns support building relationships and partnering with families to support children's learning.  We would love for 100% of families to organise a time to meet with teachers and if you haven't yet booked in for a time, please feel free to get in touch with us.  Our teachers and school leaders are always happy to catch up with families across the year.

Take care,

Simon Barker 

From our Deputy Principal 

It's been wonderful to see our children so highly engaged in learning and collaborating with peers back at school. Beginning a school year can be challenging and exciting for both children and families alike!  At school we are always open to a yarn about how we can support your child/ren.   A further support you might like to consider reaching out to is the Tuggeranong Child and Family Centre.   A group of teachers visited TCFC during Week 0 and the wonderful team shared valuable insights with us about how we can better support our children and families.

Tuggeranong Child and Family Centre

"The Child and Family Centres are run by  the Community Services Directorate and are a ‘one-stop-shop’ supporting families. There are three Centres in the ACT, located at Tuggeranong, Gungahlin and West Belconnen. The Centres are staffed by multi-disciplinary teams and are designed to provide a range of support programs to assist parents and children. The services and support provided through the Centres focus on children pre-birth to 8 years; however, selected services can be offered to children up to 12 years of age.

Parents, carers and families can either attend a Centre in person or phone their local Centre to discuss a range of issues including general parenting guidance; adjusting to being a parent; family relationship issues; and children’s behaviour and development. This can lead to ongoing, one-to-one support with Child and Family Workers or referral to other services.

Here's a link to  the website  https://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/ocyfs/children/childandfamilycentres/programs-and-services and the brochure of services: https://www.communityservices.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/1854122/CFC-Brochure.pdf

Drop in to see the Team at the Tuggeranong Child and Family Centre  at 159 Anketell Street, Greenway ACT 2900 or give them a call on (02) 6207 8228.

UC Affiliated School Partnership

IPECS is an University of Canberra Affiliated School, which means we have a partnership and commitment with the University of Canberra to support and promote Initial Teacher Education. As part of this partnership, this term we are hosting PCK (Pedagogical Content Knowledge) Clinics for pre-service teachers. We welcomed them into our school yesterday, where they share their time between engaging in a tutorial with their lecturer and spending time teaching small groups. Our lovely year 1/ 2 cohort will be engaging with these pre-service teachers every Wednesday for the next 7 weeks!

Annie McAppion

From our K-2 Leader  

Kindergarten

What a busy time for kindergarten! How quickly the children are learning the routines and developing the many connections they need to feel safe and happy. Bags are dropped or given to their grownups, a friend is spotted, the play equipment is calling. Special grownups are hugged and farewelled and the day begins. The excitement continues as they get to once again see Emma and Wendy or one of the many grownups who are becoming part of their network of safe people.

Provocations are strategically placed around the room to engage, experience, challenge and make the learning process fun. 

Happy, engaged faces greet you as you as you enter the classrooms, young people listening to and interacting with big books, engaged in drawing and writing, and talking with each other in 'real' interactions.  The Ambers and Jaspers are learning about themselves and others in an inclusive classroom. Celebrating their strengths, similarities and differences on the journey to building their own identity.

Kindergarten is learning through touching, manipulating and experiencing their learning. It is always exciting to watch them using the materials and experiences provided to develop numeracy concepts, fine motor skills, spatial awareness for example and to move beyond the expected, into their own ideas and pathways, generally while vocalising what they are doing to themselves, a friend or anyone nearby who may be listening. 

More formally, Kindergarten have begun BASE assessment this week and appear to be enjoying the opportunity to work one on one with Emma and Wendy and to use the computer to show them how much they know about letters, numbers, shapes and patterns. 

You would also have received information this week concerning the Kindergarten Health Checks. It would be greatly appreciated if the completed forms could be returned at your earliest convenience. 

Years 1/2

How quickly the children have found their feet and become Year 1/2 2023. They are all a bit taller and definitely more confident to step up and seize the exciting learning challenges presented for them by Mikayla, Priscilla, Shiri and the team of coeducators. It is a privilege to watch as they continue to make strong connections with friends, adults and the school environment, learning and growing through having fun, the friendships they make and feeling safe.

When entering Year 1/2 you are immediately struck by the high level of engagement of all children and their teachers. Regardless of the activity, open ended investigations where children are exploring their own learning pathways based on the provocations provided, drawing links between themselves and others or engaging in instruction and practising what they learn in a safe classroom environment, it is a hive of activity. 

Year 1/2 is fun, engaging, collaborative and definitely high energy. It is the place to be.

Sandra Hargraves

From our Family and Community Coordinator

Growing with Grands

Our valued and trusted community partners provide a wonderful array of programs to enhance the wellbeing and learning for selected students at IPECS. This week,  our Growing with Grands program commenced after a hiatus during Covid.  Ten students from Kindergarten to Year 2 joined our Isabella Gardens neighbours  (Pat and Peter) from over the back fence in afternoon of weeding, watering, planting,  picking and munching vegetables. Children took a bag of delicious organic food home to share with their families. All left with new knowledge of each other and an eagerness to meet again next week. 

Our Grands program will be widened this year to include a Reading with Grands, Numeracy with Grands and Connecting with Grands programs,  We are so excited about the possibilities these interaction with our neighbours will bring to our learning. 

Class Connectors

The GEMS P& C will be soon contacting families about signing up to our Class Connector Program. They are seeking volunteers to act as co-ordinators . The role involves being the linke between families and the classroom teacher as well as building a inclusive community by inviting and organising families to social gatherings. This is a great way to get to know other families, forge new friendships and  share parenting tips.  Please consider being a class connector. For more information contact Family and Community Co-ordinator Michele Foley via email Michele.Foley@ed.act.edu.au  

Michele Foley

From our Wellbeing Support Worker