Dear Children and Families,

Last night at the GEMS P&C meeting we saw some new faces and all positions have now been filled:

• President - Courtney Harradine 

• Vice President - Imogen Hughes

• Secretary - Amy Palmer

• Treasurer - John Bernardi

• Public Officer and P&C Delegate - Siobhan Ariffin

The GEMS are alreardy hard at work organising an end of term disco for children as well as a Mother's Day stall.  If you are able to offer a helping hand for either of these activities please email ipecs.gems@gmail.com.  You can stay up to date with GEMS events by liking the GEMS Facebook page and visiting the GEMS website. 

How do we teach in ACT Public Schools?

New content is now available on the Education Directorate website providing families and community with detailed information about how we teach and learn in our ACT public schools.

This new content details how we are teaching to the latest version of the Australian Curriculum (v9.0), our teaching and planning strategies and how they link to both the Future of Education Strategy and Set up for Success: An Early Childhood Strategy for the ACT.

There are also detailed pages that focus on how we teach literacy and numeracy.  Visit our Education website and read the new content: How we teach in ACT public schools.

How do we acknowledge the PRIDE Values?

Our PRIDE school values are Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Diversity and Excellence.  Children are taught these values as part of Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL) and we acknowledge when children have demonstrated one of the values by giving a PRIDE Ticket.  Children take great joy and exchanging the ticket for a PRIDE Sticker and sharing with us why they received it.  The ticket is then placed into one of our values containers had the front office.  We hope that the sticker provides a talking point for children and families at home.  Last year, we developed descriptors for each of the values and we are currently working with a graphic designer to create visual images of each of the values.  Very soon you will see these images around the school and we will be seeking your feedback on the images for each of our values.

Does being late to school matter?

Put simply, yes, being late to school does matter.  Consider this; if you child is late to school by 15 minutes each day this equates to one hour and 15 minutes of lost learning per week, 12.5 hours per term and 50 hours across the year which is about two weeks of lost learning time in a year.   Being late can also disrupt the flow of the school day, not just for the child late, but for other children whose learning can be disrupted as the teacher helps to settle in the little people who arrive late, catching them up on what has been missed.  

School begins at 9am for all children across preschool to year two.  We have noticed over the last few weeks an increase in children who are arriving late to school.  While we understand that at times this can be unavoidable, it is important that as much as possible children are at school ready to begin learning at 9am.  The beginning of the school day establishes routines and sets the children up for rest of the day.  Key learning is also generally timetabled at the start of the day.  Children who are consistently late from school may miss out on important learning opportunities.  

We keep records of children who arrive late to school and because we care deeply about children's learning, we will be in touch with parents/carers for a supportive conversation on how we can work together to ensure a consistent and on-time start to school. 

What do I do if my child will be absent from school?

Please let us know in writing if your child will be absent from school.  The most efficient way to do this is to send an email to info@ipecs.act.edu.au.  You can also reply to the text message that you will receive if your child is absent.  If your child is enrolled in Out of School Hours Care (OSHC), please ensure you also notify the Communities at Work team using one of the following options:

1. Use the "ChildCareNow" app.

2. Text/call the OSHC mobile (0481914038)

3. Contact the service landline (61423777) and number 2 for Communities at Work

4. Contact the Enrolments Team

Enjoy the long weekend and I look forward to seeing you at our "Dinner in the Garden" event on Tuesday evening beginning at 4.30pm.

Take care,

Simon 

Specialist Program

 Our specialist program this semester is  focussed on the big question of “What is our social responsibility?” and is unpacked through a lens of celebrating difference and diversity - what makes our school, our community, our country so great?. 

We begin first with what the children know about themselves and their families and then look further into the wider community and beyond.

The children are beginning to identify cultural practices that are important to them, family and friends,.  In kindergarten, children are describing what they experience and years 1/2 children are exploring examples of cultural practices that draw themselves, family and friends together and identifying how respect is conveyed.

The children in each group have some similar provocations and experiences and some that are very different but are working towards the same big question.

Family involvement

You are welcome to join us in Building 6 Tuesday afternoons beginning in Harmony Week -  Tuesday 19 March (Kindergarten) and Thursday 21 March (Years 1 and 2).  

Please keep your eye out for more information regarding Harmony Week activities on Seesaw. 

We will be launching 'Bilingual Storytime' in Building 6 on Tuesday 19 March and Thursday 21 March from 2:45pm.  This will be every Tuesday and Thursday. If you would or someone from your family would like to read to the children or share more information about your culture, please contact Sandra at Sandra.Hargraves@ed.act.edu.au 

English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) small group learning and individual learning support

This year we are supporting our identified EAL/D children with small group learning sessions and in their own classrooms. Three of our co-educators have recently attended professional learning specifically designed around understanding how to support children from EAL/D backgrounds and are already implementing the strategies in the classroom including using gestures, visuals and facial expressions to support communication in the classroom, some additional time to complete a task and keeping instructions concise and explicit without too many extra words.

Year 1 and 2 EAL/D children are working with me at least once per week focusing on oral language and communication as part of literacy. They are currently enjoying engaging in barrier games and activities which challenge them to use their English language skills to give directions and their listening skills to follow the directions. This will give them increased confidence when speaking and listening in class and will assist further growth in reading and writing.

I will also be working with some individuals and small groups to develop confidence in their oral language, literacy skills and engagement in learning.

Runny stools? Stay away from pools! 

The ACT has seen an increase in Cryptosporidiosis cases recently – much like other states across Australia. What is Cryptosporidiosis? Cryptosporidiosis commonly affects young children, but anyone can get it. Often, people will get infected by swimming in, and swallowing water contaminated with Cryptosporidium parasites. This infection causes gastro-like symptoms – such as acute diarrhoea and abdominal pain and can last several weeks. While people are most infectious when they have diarrhoea, they can still pass the infection on to others for several weeks after their symptoms have stopped.

Read how to avoid catching Cryptosporidiosis and what to do if you develop symptoms on the ACT Health website. Need more information? Contact your doctor or call the Health Protection Service, Communicable Disease Control Information Line during business hours on 

02 5124 9213.