Dear Parents, - Galston Public School

GALSTON PUBLIC SCHOOL
Cnr Arcadia & School Roads, Galston NSW 2159
Ph: 9653 2062 Fax: 9653 1980
Email: galston-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au
Website:http://www.galston-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
ABN: 50 773 792 062
20 March 2013 NEWSLETTER 8 Week 8 Term 1
Important reminders for this week
Thursday 21 March Digi Ed – Years 3 & 4
Harmony Day
Saturday 23 March P & C Movie Night
Tuesday 26 March 1B Cake Day
P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 1

Thank You – The Galston District Eisteddfod Committee
The Galston District Eisteddfod Committee donated $3000.00 to Galston Public School. This money
will be used for regular and ongoing recognition of student achievement in performing arts. Thank
you to Janet Fuller, Kathleen Michael and Jenny Clarke from the Galston District Eisteddfod
Committee.
Congratulations
Congratulations to Nicholas Thomson and Logan Trethowan who
were successful in being selected for the Beecroft Zone Soccer
Team. The boys will now participate in a combined trial against
Ryde Zone. If successful at this trial, Logan and Nicholas will
represent Galston Public School and the combined Ryde/Beecroft
Zone at the Sydney North Area Carnival. Good luck, Nicholas
and Logan!
Congratulations also to Lilly Barker who was successful in qualifying
for the NSW Swimming Carnival. Lilly will represent Galston Public
School, the Beecroft Zone and Sydney North in the 50 metres
butterfly. Good luck, Lilly!
Arts Unit – Drama Auditions
Congratulations to Laura Cook, Stephanie Kassapakis, Isabelle Barker and Christiaan Mills, of 5/6C
and 5/6P, who auditioned for a place in the Primary Drama Ensemble, coordinated by the Arts Unit
of the Department of Education. We were very proud of these students for committing to their
auditions and thank their parents for the effort they made in taking the children to Lewisham Public
School. Laura and Christiaan were invited to the call back auditions yesterday and will be notified
next week if they were successful in gaining places in the enemble. Well done Laura and Christiaan!
Bronze and Silver Awards
Congratulations to the following students who have earned a bronze award, as part of our Positive
Behaviour Engaging Learners (PBEL) program.
Charlie Turner 3W
Max Grooms 5/6C
Breanna Vumbaca 5/6C
Logan Trethowan 5/6C
Jack Johnson 5/6P
Congratulations to Brooke Stephenson, Jack Johnson and Zac Pratt who received silver awards.
Peer Group
Our Year 6 students participated in a leadership training day last week in readiness for Peer Groups,
which commence next Thursday. The K-5 students have been divided up into 24 peer groups, each
led by one or two Year 6 students. The aim of grouping across the stages is to foster friendship,
cooperation and tolerance throughout the school. As a small school we are very fortunate that our
students can play and eat together as a cohort. Peer Groups extends this further to lessons that focus
on anti-bullying, working together as a team and learning skills through peer tutoring.
Mrs Pearce and Mrs Courtney have devised the lessons to complement our PBEL core values of
Respect, Responsibility and Personal Best. Each week, the Year 6 students discuss the lesson with
P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 2

their teachers, plan how to best present the lesson, and then lead their groups, under the supervision
of the K-6 classroom teachers.
The peer groups will meet for the last three Thursdays this term for ½ hour sessions, and ocassionally
in terms 2 and 3. If you have any questions about peer groups, please ask your child‟s teacher.
We wish the Year 6 students all the best for their first peer groups session next week.
School Leaders Visit Parliament House
On Wednesday 13 March, our school leaders travelled
to State Parliament House for morning tea with Matt
Kean MP, member for Hornsby. The school leaders
went on a guided tour of State Parliament, listened to
Matt speak about leadership, his role as a Member of
Parliament and how he became interested in politics.
The school leaders asked Matt many questions about
his job. Barry O‟Farrell, NSW Premier, and Adrian
Piccoli, Minister for Education, also spoke to the
school leaders. Lilly, Romy, Liam and Sam enjoyed
their visit and gained a greater understanding of their
roles as leaders of our school.
Harmony Day
On Thursday 21 March, Galston Public School will be celebrating Harmony
Day. The message of Harmony Day is „Everyone Belongs‟. It is a day to
celebrate Australia‟s diversity and is a day of cultural respect for everyone who
calls Australia home – from the traditional owners of this land to those who
have come from many countries around the world. By participating in
Harmony Day we can learn and understand how all Australians from diverse
backgrounds equally belong to this nation and make it a better place. On 21 March the students are
asked to wear orange mufti to support our Harmony Day celebrations. Please ensure students wear
enclosed shoes.
Easter Egg Raffle
Thank you for your wonderful support of our Easter Raffle. Don‟t forget that extra
raffle tickets are available from the office. The tickets cost $1.00 each or 3 for
$2.00. Please remember to put your child‟s name on the stub that you send back.
Happenings in 3W, the class of stars
It‟s already Week 8 and all students in 3W are „STARS‟ as they have been incredibly busy every day
of this term. A warm welcome has been given to Delaney who is a new student to Year 3. She is
happily settling into all our class activities.
We began Term 1 by reading a delightful book entitled Grandfather Tang‟s Story by Ann Tompert
and doing various activities related to Chinese New Year. Following this, 3W presented their class
item which was a dramatic interpretation of the Annual Swimming Carnival at the whole school
assembly in Week 3. Many records were broken in the swimming races and the house cheers were
enthusiastically deafening. In literacy activities our class focus then centred on Roald Dahl‟s story of
the „extremely nasty‟ life style of Mr and Mrs Twit which includes other characters such as the
ingenious Muggle-Wump monkeys and the Roly Poly bird who plot and plan a ghastly surprise that
P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 3

The Twits surely deserve! Mr and Mrs Twit are not just „horrible‟ but they are „extra-specially
horrible‟, not only to each other, but to everyone.
3W has also been writing. Our class messengers, Archie and Grace, delivered a very important
persuasive letter to Mr Montgomery endeavouring to convince him that 3W, and the rest of the
school, definitely needed an Extreme Play Zone, a Skate Park, an Art/Dance Studio, a Cinema and an
Indoor Rock Climbing/Sports Area. After a great deal of consideration, Mr Montgomery did visit our
classroom and commended the writers on their range of persuasive arguments but unfortunately their
efforts for the proposed building projects were unsuccessful due to a budget shortfall.
What great mathematicians and enthusiastic class sellers we had at the first cake day of the year.
There were lots of goodies to sell and many more happy smiles on the faces of the customers as they
walked away ready to enjoy their chosen cakes, toffees, jellies, and cookies.
After looking at the art work of Leonardo Da Vinci and his famous Mona Lisa, 3W students were
inspired to sketch their own stunning portraits. Colourful and very creative Easter hats are currently
being designed and made with our buddy reading class 1B so these amazing creations will be ready
for the upcoming Easter Hat Parade. Phew, what a great term we are having!!
Home Time
Recently, we have had an increasing number of students who do not know how they
are getting home from school, especially in regards to catching the bus. This often results
in children being distressed and parents needing to be contacted. Please ensure that
your child/children know exactly how they are getting home from school. It is always a
good idea to reinforce this with your child/children before they leave for school each
day, especially with younger children.
P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 4

Tips for Parenting Tweens
Tweens are aged from 9-14 years. They are in the middle years - no longer children and not yet
teenagers but somewhere between, hence the term „tweens‟ or „tweenagers‟. During these years there
is a rush of hormones, peers become more important and tweens become more independent.
Simple things you can do for your tween:
eat meals together - there is a lot of evidence that shows this is powerfully protective for
children in modelling good behaviour and giving them a sense of belonging
know what children are up to with their friends, especially when online
encourage activities outside of school run by trusted adults
keep the connection with school and attend significant events
provide clear and consistent ground rules for behaviour
read books/articles on parenting this age group
Internet Manners
Life online works better when people maintain good manners and treat each other as they'd like to
be treated. Talk about this with your child, as it may lead to a decline in bullying behaviour and
disagreements that children can have when online. More safety tips can be found at:
www.schools.nsw.edu.au/news/technology/cybersafety/yr2008/staysafe.php
Web Cam Safety
If your children are asking you to buy a webcam, it's worth asking what it will be used for and where
it will be used. Think carefully about who your child is talking to and what they may be able to see
through the webcam. You may choose to place the computer where you can easily see your child
using it.
Do you know when a webcam is being used?
Do you know who your children are talking to?
Can you disconnect the webcam or securely turn it off?
Can you control access to the camera through a password?
More advice at www.schools.nsw.edu.au/news/technology/cybersafety/yr2008/webcameras.php
Absence Notes
Absence slips are available on our school website. These slips are able to be printed and kept at
home. If your child is absent from school, please complete a slip and return it to your child‟s teacher
when he/she return to school. Hopefully, this will make it easier when your child is absent from
school.
Scholastic Book Club
Wow! What a response! Indications are that this service has been much missed and so will be
continued next term. Each order placed results in reward points for the library – these points are used
to purchase library resources that can be borrowed by all students. Thank you to all families who
placed orders. It all ran very smoothly which has resulted in a very quick turnaround and children
will have their books by this Friday.
“Amazing Race” Day at Galston High
Three Year 6 students participated in a fun and challenging day at Galston High School on Monday.
The “Amazing Race Day” for gifted and talented students was a Galston High School initiative that
involved students from local feeder primary schools. Laura Cook, Belinda Philp and Ethan Marlow
have written about their day:
P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 5

“Well, it was almost identical to the „Amazing Race Australia‟ on TV. We started off by being paired
up with one of the students – who would be our team-mate for the day…! I had the time of my life
at the high school and wish I could do it all again.” Laura
“After recess we moved into the Science lab, where we had to experiment with certain powders to
see if they would dissolve or turn into different colours with other elements, etc. We also had to use
this information to solve the real names for certain powders. It was a very enjoyable day and
showed many positives about Galston High School.” Ethan
“My favourite part of the day was the race at the very end. We were given four clues and we had to
find a poker chip at each due location. It took a while to find but we finally figured out the clues.
My partner, Monique, and I won the race. It was a really fun day!” Belinda
DIARY DATES 2013
21 March Digi Ed – Years 3 & 4
Harmony Day
23 March P & C Movie Night
26 March 1B Cake Day
28 March Easter Hat Parade and Raffle Draw
29 March Good Friday
1 April Easter Monday
11 April ANZAC Assembly
12 April Last day of Term 1
29 April Staff Development Day
30 April Staff Development Day
1 May Students‟ first day Term
3 May Cross Country Carnival
P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 6

P & C
Movie Night Tickets – Pre-order and save time and money
When: Saturday 23 rd March 2013
You can pre-order and pay for your gate entry and hot food by using the order form attached to this
newsletter or by visiting: www.galstonmovienight.com. You can order through this website and will
also find full details of the event.
Golf Day
Don‟t forget to keep Sunday 5 May 2013 free for the Galston Public School Golf Day. This is a great
day as well as a fundraiser for the school. Please support the school by coming along on the day. The
event is open to both men and women so why not get a group together. The registration form is
included in this newsletter.
Canteen
Easter Morning Tea Hot Cross Bun Order
Don‟t forget to have your orders in for your Hot Cross Buns by this Friday 22 March! The canteen
will be providing fresh hot cross buns to coincide with the Easter Hat Parade on Thursday 28 March.
To assist with catering please pre-order your hot cross buns. Tea and coffee will also be available on
the day for $1.00. Please use a paper bag to order buns for both your children and yourself if you
are able to attend for morning tea. Please write your child‟s order on a paper bag with their name,
class and the correct money enclosed. There are two options available: Traditional or Choc Chip.
These are $1.20 each. If you don‟t have a paper bag, please write your order on an envelope and
include an additional 10 cents for a paper bag. All hot cross buns will be distributed through the
children‟s individual classes. If you would like to collect your bun and grandma‟s from the canteen,
please write “canteen” instead of a class name on your separate paper bag.
Orders must be received by this Friday 22 March.
Absolutely no late orders will be accepted.
This Weeks “Healthy” Special: Grape and Jelly Cups because they were SO popular last time! $1.00
on Friday, recess and lunch.
Out of Stock – Berry Pumped running low, Rainbow Billabongs out of stock.
Canteen Roster
Friday 22 March 9-12pm Mel Thomson Kylie McGhie
11-2pm Mel Thomson Sarah Marshall
9-10.30am
10.30-12pm
12-1.30pm
Belinda Crofts
Kelly Frost
Carolyn Sommer
Wednesday 27 March Maria Rubino Meredith Wright
P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 7

P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 8

P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 9

P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 10

P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 11

P & C Meeting - Tuesday 9 April at 7.30pm in Library Page 12