Fran & Jo's Class

Aussie Kids…. Week 3 term 4

Hi everyone

We had a brilliant time at Greenwich Baths and the cool water was much enjoyed as we got our first real taste of summer. Thanks to all the drivers who make this important event possible. With our large class it really does take some doing and the help is greatly appreciated.

The concert has taken over our week and the rehearsals are flying thick and fast. We have added in some extra features that will hopefully help you to decipher the multitude of characters and locations in which our play takes place. Hopefully! We are planning to walk to Tambourine Bay on Thursday morning (the 12th) with Olivia’s Class for a dress rehearsal. The concert is next Friday night, the 13th of November, and the kids need to be with us at Tambourine Bay at 5:30pm for a 6:00pm sharp start. Bring your chairs or rugs, a picnic dinner and please remember that you will need to take all rubbish home with you. After our class performance, your Aussie Kids will rejoin you in the audience and we end our supervision. As we have a change of location and the proximity of the water  -  vigilance is essential.

Please respect the other performances that are taking place, by minimising noise and making sure that no extra players join the show. The children have worked hard at creating this event and this will help to ensure that their performance meets their expectations. Thanks in advance for your help with this. In terms of safety, there is of course a lot of water around the park. We will be erecting a visual barrier to help you to keep your children away from the water that is closest to our performance area. Please have a look at the map in this newsletter.

The Currambena calendar for 2010 has arrived and is available from Julianna. This year the pictures included span 40 years of Currambena history. It is again a gorgeous production that attests to the great care and many hours spent in compiling it. The calendar costs $18 each or 2 for $30.

Have a good week!

Fran, Jo, Sarah, David and Sisse

Posted November 5th, 2009 in Fran & Jo's Class by franm

Olivia's Class

Olivia’s Class Week 3 Term 4

Hi Everyone,

Well we are busy busy busy with concert practices.  It is coming along wonderfully and the kids are absolutely fantastic. Many of the children have organised their costumes and have things at home that they will be using. Please could you check with your child about what they will need so that all is ready to go. We will also be having a whole school rehearsal this Friday after school meeting so if costumes are ready, please send all to school and I will set up a costumes box. We will also be doing a dress rehearsal next Thursday (12th) down at Tambourine Bay and we will most probably spend lunch down there too so please send food that doesn’t need heating. On the the Friday night all children need to be at Tambourine Bay at 5:30 dressed and ready to go for a 6pm sharp start. Please bring your own picnics, rugs/chairs and maybe a camp light or torch.  Lastly, a reminder that all children who are not on stage or who have finished performing are the responsibility of the parents. This also includes younger siblings who desperately want to get up on stage with their brothers and sisters. The children have worked very hard on their own performances and really love to have all the limelight directly on their performances. This also means talking throughout performances as well, because we will be outdoors, we will need all the help we can get from the audience to get the children’s voices heard.

The 2010 Currambena Calenders are ready for sale so please head to the office if you want one (or ten- they are great for presents and offices). The cost is $18 for one and $30 for two.

Sisse, our gorgeous Danish student teacher will be spending time in our classroom next week and then the last two weeks of term which means she will be coming to Mowbray Park with us.

I will be away next Monday (9th) afternoon on a course. Michael and Sisse will take the kids up to Lane Cove Pool with Wendy and her class. There will  be no other sport option so please help your children remember to pack swimmers and goggles etc. The whole class has voted that we will go swimming for sport for this term. Sarah (from CASP and Fran and Jo’s class) will come up with us to the pool weeks 5,6 and 7 to teach some swim skills with us to prepare us for canoeing and swimming at Mowbray Park. She is a qualified swim instructor.

That’s enough for this week I think.  Have a good one!

From Olivia

Posted November 5th, 2009 in Olivia's Class by oliviam

Wendy's Class

Wendy’s Class Week 3 Term 4

This week we welcome Emma and Vanessa, two student art teachers from UNSW who are spending two weeks with us. Great timing for us with all the play sets and costumes to create! Judith is also working hard to assist us so we are hoping it will all come together in time! Please help your child learn their lines if they ask… there is a lot of memorising needed from some of them. (Not to mention costumes and sets!…Detect a slightly panicky tone!??) Dress rehearsal here at school on Friday this week and then again at Tambourine Bay on Thursday next week.

The concert itself will start promptly at 6pm on Friday 13th November. All children should be at the park ready to perform at 5:45pm but, as parking will possibly be an issue, it would be a good idea to come early and enjoy your picnic dinner before the show. Each family will need to bring their own picnic food and things including rug or chairs (at the back please) and parents will need to be responsible for their own children while they are not actually engaged in a performance. Let’s hope for a fine, warm night… wet weather option is back here at school in Aussie Kids’ room. Please be mindful of issues of sustainability when packing your picnic! Bring food in containers which can be taken home and washed. Let’s leave no rubbish behind us at all! And please be respectful of performances in progress. The acoustics are going to be interesting outside (to say the least) so please make sure children (and adults!) not performing are a very quiet and attentive audience.

Last week at Class Meeting, our group voted to have News at 9am on Monday mornings from now on. This is to prevent it from taking up too much of our Inside Time! It worked quite well this week  for the first time.

From now on this term, swimming is an option on Monday afternoons for sport. Please help everyone remember this!

Please come and buy Currambena Calendars from the office. They cost $18 each or two for $30 and they are just gorgeous. Perfect presents.

Thank you to all the parents who have spoken to me about Jervis Bay. It looks as if we will have plenty of helpers and drivers. In a week or two, I will hold a meeting to discuss details with you all.

We are also, believe it or not, actually doing quite a lot of academic work along with our rehearsals! We are working on a Science unit about Living Things, a Maths one on Time and an English study of Exposition.. a couple of these might make it into this Newsletter. Maths and Spelling text books, times tables tests and reading are all continuing as usual, too.

We did enjoy walking up to Lane Cove Civic Centre last week to look at the entries in the Eve Vonwiller Youth Art Awards, proud to see Jody and Isla represented there!!

Have a great week.    

Love Wendy

 

AN EXPOSITION by Shannon.

RUBBISH FREE LUNCH EVERY WEDNESDAY

It’s a fantastic opportunity to challenge yourself in not producing as much rubbish. When we entered the original Rubbish Free Lunch competition, we won so now that we are having a rubbish free lunch every week, We will be unstoppable in reducing rubbish.

It’s important to reduce our rubbish because we are in a drought. Climate change is happening and trees are getting cut down as we speak and reducing our rubbish is a big step to help save us, the environment and the world.

By not using as much rubbish, we help the environment in not producing as many fumes and greenhouse gases. So in the end, by reducing our rubbish on Wednesdays, we help save the world, stop climate change and live on a healthy, clean planet.

Posted November 5th, 2009 in Wendy's Class by wendyp

General

Minutes of School Meeting Friday 30th October 2009

Chairpeople: Hannah and Lilly

1. Rubbish Free Lunch every week by Jody, Shannon and Phoebe. This suggestion was discussed an the meeting voted to hold a Rubbish Free Lunch every Wednesday from now on.

2. Crystal by Milly. A crystal that Milly brought to school has gone missing from Olivia’s desk. It is very precious to Milly so please return it if you find it.

3. Books by Jo. Jo asked that the new books bought for Aussie Kids stay in the room. They have large coloured stickers on the front in the bottom right hand corner.

4. Sue’s birthday by Chris. We all sang Happy Birthday to Sue!

5. Chicken ladder by Sue. The ladder which the chickens use to go up into their nesting box has lost some rungs. Please could someone fix it today?

6. Sunscreen by Casey. Someone put sunscreen on the chickens and Casey does not want that to happen again.

7. Toilets by Kiffin.

8. Introduction by Rachel. Rachel introduced her cousins and aunt to the meeting. They were visiting from South Africa.

MEETING ADJOURNED. EVERYONE DO A JOB FOR THE SCHOOL.

Posted November 5th, 2009 in General by wendyp

Coordinator

Julianna…. Term 4 Week 2

Hello Currambena!

Our love and support goes out to Mikee , Martin and Marcus who are all in the Philippines for Mikee’s Dad and Marcus’s Grandad’s  funeral.

Great news – our 2010 calenders have arrived! they are $18 or $30 for 2.  We have boxes of them in the office, so get in quick so you don’t miss out.

 Our tradies have continued to be very busy with the staff bathroom renovation. The tiles are being laid today so it is all starting to come together and is going to be gorgeous!

 THANK-YOU..

 - to Tony for working on all our IT changes and desktop maintenance.

 - to Helen who is preparing our DA for the solar panels and skylights.

 Canteen.

Thank-you so much to Helen who was able to take on canteen last Monday at very short notice.  The roster is up on the notice board and I have also put it in the newsletter so please have a look and consider whether you can fill in any of the blanks.                                                                                                        For your information we have a full set of canteen guidelines written up in the office if you are wondering what to do, order, cook etc. Please just ask and I can give you a copy.

Reminder

All Casp invoices are being posted out today.  All fees for school and CASP  are due Thursday 12 th November

 With love,

  Julianna

Posted October 28th, 2009 in Coordinator by juliannam

Photo of the week

newsletter cover header

Wednesday 28th October 2009 Term 4 Week 2

peter

newsletter cover header

Posted October 28th, 2009 in Photo of the week by Newsletter

General

Chicken News!!

The chickens are an important part of Currambena now, giving children experience of looking after animals, providing eggs for cooking and eating all the pests in the garden. For the past 18 months Amba has been looking after the chickens each weekend, but we would now like to share the job amongst the community so we are setting up a roster for people to look after the chickens on the weekend.

What is required is for the family responsible for the chickens to let them out of their coop on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and then check their food and water and put them back in the coop in the evenings. This would suit someone who lives nearby.

I will put up a list of weekends on the big noticeboard. Please fill in a weekend or weekends that you would like to be responsible for the chickens. If you undertake the responsibility you have to remember to do the job or find a replacement if you are unable to do it.

Thanks!!!

Sue

Posted October 28th, 2009 in General by sueg

Preschool

Preschool Week 2 Term 4

Hello Everyone

It’s been a busy week so far! “Mr Insectus” came on Monday and fascinated all the children with his insect collection. Yesterday we made a “Pan de Muerta” or Day of the Dead Bread which was delicious. We have also been talking about germination, doing pen drawings with water colour sketches of growing things, talking about the Mexican Day of the Dead which is on Monday and learning a pinata song to accompany the pinata we are making in Craft.

In addition we are doing daily concert practice, watching the silkworms spin and monitoring the small bee swarm in the plum tree. If the bees don’t leave of their own accord in the next couple of days we hope Alex’s grandmother, Bronwyn, will come and get them for her hives.

Today we are going to practise the new lock down drill to see how it works for the community. This is a safety drill in the unlikely event of someone who is a danger coming into the school grounds and is required by the Board of Studies.

The STEPS Vision Screening for four and five year olds is next Wednesday 4th November at 9.30 am. There is no cost for this. Please fill in a permission form so that the STEPS people know how many people are planning to come, even if you are planning to bring your child yourself. The permission forms are on the desk. If your child does not attend preschool on a Wednesday you are welcome to bring them that morning.

On Friday I attended the I.E.U. Sustainability Conference which was very interesting. The gist of the conference was that there is undeniable evidence of radical climate change. This will result in more heat waves, less rain and higher ocean water levels. We all need to take whatever steps we can to reduce carbon emissions and live sustainably. We also need to be excellent role models for our children and educate them in the area of sustainability. It is essential to give them hope that the phenomenal human brain will bring about solutions to the problem and also adapt to this new way of living on earth. There are fact sheets about various school’s, including Currambena’s, sustainability programs on the website at www.ien.asn.au. Click on the “Countdown to Copenhagen” button. There is also a copy of the Currambena fact sheet in this newsletter.

Head lice need constant vigilance. Please check your child’s hair twice a week and treat if necessary. Children require at least two treatments to eradicate the lice. Thanks!!!

Love from

Sue, Chris and Gabriela.

Posted October 28th, 2009 in Preschool by sueg

Olivia's Class

Olivia’s Class Week 2 Term 4

Hi Everyone!

Well, we have written our play for the concert and have begun rehearsals. The children have so many wonderful ideas and we are trying to make sure all are incorporated into the play. The children are beginning to develop their ideas for their costumes and I’m sure many have already started to collect things from home for this. I would really love some people’s help on Thursday and Friday to help collect materials and put together some costumes with the children. I also would love to have some help with our scenery over the next couple of weeks too. Please come and let me know if anyone can help with any of this stuff and of course it counts as maintenance hours.

Just a note about canteen: Canteen seems to be running a bit low on parent volunteers at times, sometimes to the point of being cancelled for the day. This means that many of the children who bring money do not have any lunch that day. I have two requests, if you would like to help in canteen for a day, please see the roster up on the main noticeboard. The other request is for all the children who bring money for canteen to please also bring something non-perishable in their bags that they can eat for lunch if canteen is not on. If it is non-perishable, that would mean that it would be still good to eat the next day if, in fact, it is not needed.

That’s it for this week, have a good one!

From Olivia

Posted October 28th, 2009 in Olivia's Class by oliviam

Building the Education Revolution

Build Team….

Building the Education Revolution

Commonwealth funded

Primary School in the 21st Century (PS21)

National School Pride (NSP)

 Hi Everyone,

 Baxter and Jacobson (our architects) have now met with the 2 construction companies with the lowest tenders. They have talked through some cost savings options which include design modifications.

 We are meeting with them tomorrow to discuss these options – so hopefully there will be more details next week.

In relation to the NSP grant money we are in the process of submitting a DA with Lane Cove Council for the solar panels on the heritage building and the skylights for Wendy and Olivia’s classroom.

Maintenance Job

We really need someone to take on the job of putting out and bringing in the bins for this term. It’s a simple way to tick of ½ hour maintenance each week! They need to be put on the curb every Wednesday afternoon and brought back in on Thursday morning – easy.

Please please please see myself or Julianna if you want the job.

 Jess (jkimber01@bigpond.com or 0411220111)

Posted October 28th, 2009 in Building the Education Revolution by Newsletter