Dear families and carers,

We welcome all students back to school this week. During week 1 our classes will create shared expectations for positive behaviours for learning in the classroom. Keep an eye out for these on display if you are coming back for Open Morning on Friday. It was great to see many students enjoying the new interactvie play area during recess today.

  

Starting the Day Right

This year, all students will line up at the beginning of the day and after each break near their classrooms. Every minute of learning counts and therefore we want our students to get into classrooms and on with learning as soon as possible. The morning bell is a 5-minute warning bell. Students should be moving towards their lining up area when they hear the bell. Please remind your child to hang up their bags to avoid trip hazards on the way into buildings.

Our Values        

Ngunnawal Primary provides a caring and inclusive learning environment where students, parents and staff feel safe and have a strong sense of belonging. Students are encouraged to become responsible, self-disciplined and respectful of others. Our school values of SHARE and Positive Behaviours for Learning (PBL) are reinforced and used as a shared language to remind children about the values we all have as part of the Ngunnawal Primary School Community.

Our SHARE values are:

S              Show care for others

H             Honesty

A             Always do your best

R             Respect and Responsibility

E              Everyone knows, what you give comes back to you.

What do we do when things go right?

Our teachers are always on the look out for students demonstrating positive behaviours for learning.  Students will receive a Yunggi Bengal token if a teacher catches them doing the right thing. We are looking forward to many students working through our acknowledgement system. I wonder if anyone will reach the rainbow tier in 2020?

What happens when things go wrong on the playground?

Teachers supervising breaks have a duty of care to monitor the safety of students and to support our students in their social interactions and play. Where possible, staff will help students negotiate and repair issues on the playground.

Reflection Room: Reflection is an important practice which allows our students to learn from their actions and grow. The reflection room is a space for students to attend who have demonstrated unsafe behaviour on the playground. This space provides students with the opportunity to reflect on their actions and behaviours independently and then discuss them with a teacher and identify how their behaviour can be changed to ensure they are being safe and respectful. Families will be notified if the issue is significant or repeated low level behaviour.

We hope to have our SeeSaw communication system up and running in the next few week so we can regularly share our student's milestones and special moments in learning. Keep an eye out for the set up instructions coming soon.

We look forward to a productive year of working with our students and their families. If you have any quesitons or concerns please contact myself or the leadership team.

Rebecca Turner

Once our students have had a few days to become familiar with their classrooms, we are inviting families and friends of children in Kindergarten to Year 6 into school on Friday morning between 9am and 10.30am. It is an opportunity for the children to introduce you to their new space, say hello to the teachers and begin our home and school partnerships to ensure every student experiences success. Our Preschool classrooms are open each day while our families settle their children into school routines.

Please call the school on 61421500 or email the relevant team member if you would like to meet with a member of the leaderhsip team.

Dear Parents/Carers

Your child will bring home a General Medical Information and Consent Form and request that you complete and return it to the school as soon as possible.

The information you are requested to give on the attached form will be used to record the student’s medical, accident and other details. The contents and use of this form meet the requirements of the Privacy Act 1998(Cwth) and will be treated as confidential. This information will be made available to government or private medical or paramedical staff and other relevant officers in the event of an accident or emergency.

You have the right to keep certain medical information private, provided that the omitted information will not affect the provision of appropriate medical care. You are also entitled to check the record processed from the information you have provided, and to correct any inaccuracies.

To ensure that the information on the form is accurate and current, you are requested to advise the school immediately of any changes. You will also be asked to complete a new form at the beginning of each school year.

Management of Medical Conditions

The Directorate is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for students. While school staff have a duty of care to students to provide first aid assistance when required, parents will be aware that schools cannot be responsible for the general management of medical conditions.

In special circumstances, staff may be able to assist with the administration of medication. In these cases, departmental policy requires principals to ensure that a comprehensive written authority is obtained from the student’s parents and also seek from them a written statement from the student’s doctor authorising a member of staff to administer the prescribed medication.

First Aid Plans for Anaphylaxis, Asthma, Diabetes and Epilepsy

You are asked to indicate on the attached Medical Record form if the student suffers from any of these conditions. For students who are known sufferers of asthma, anaphylaxis, diabetes or epilepsy, Emergency Treatment Plans must be completed, signed by both parents/carers and the student’s doctor and provided to the school. Proformas for these plans are available at the school’s front office. In the absence of a written and signed Emergency Treatment Plan, only standard first aid can be given in an emergency.

Emergency Treatment of an Asthma Attack

Please read this section carefully and seek clarification from your family doctor if necessary. These plans will be followed where students require first aid treatment for their condition. If the student should suddenly collapse at school and/or have difficulty in breathing, as with all medical emergencies, professional help will be sought immediately.

Where indicated, a bronchodilator inhaler device (“puffer”) will be administered while

awaiting medical assistance, whether or not the student is known to have a pre-existing asthma or other health problems. This treatment could be lifesaving and Health Directorate (Department of Thoracic Medicine, The Canberra Hospital) advises that bronchodilator inhalers are safe and are accepted as a first line therapy to be used in the emergency procedures for asthma.

Anaphylaxis – Administration of Adrenaline by EpiPen or Similar Device

If your child suffers from anaphylaxis, you should obtain a written Anaphylaxis Treatment Plan signed by your doctor and yourself as parent or carer. In the absence of a written and signed Anaphylaxis Treatment Plan, only standard First Aid can be given in an emergency and staff will be unable to administer adrenaline. If your child is given adrenaline to treat an isolated anaphylaxis attack, it can help the anaphylaxis and is unlikely to cause any significant side-effects.

Medical Services for Students attending ACT Government Schools

Health Directorate advises that the following arrangements apply to students in ACT Government Schools involved in school accidents requiring ambulance transportation and/or treatment in accident and emergency sections of either public hospital in the ACT.

Ambulance Transportation

Students injured while under supervision at school or in a school-related situation are transported free of charge to the emergency section of either public hospital in the ACT.

Parents and guardians of students who participate in excursions and other school trips outside the ACT should note that free ambulance transportation only applies in the ACT.

Parents and guardians are reminded to check their health cover for ambulance transportation outside the ACT.

Casualty Treatment

1. Under the Medicare arrangements no charges are raised for services provided at the accident and emergency sections of ACT public hospitals.
2. If a student is subsequently admitted to hospital after receiving treatment in the accident or emergency section, s/he will be automatically classified as a Medicare patient and no charge will be raised.
3. If you elect to have the student treated by a doctor of your choice, a hospital charge will apply. The doctor may also charge for their services. You are advised to have medical insurance if you wish to choose this option.

Your cooperation in completing and returning the attached form promptly would be appreciated.

Yours faithfully

Rebecca Turner

Principal

My name is Nat Munoz and I will be facilitating the Ngunnawal Stay and Play Playgroup for the 2020 school year. I look forward to meeting you and your children throughout the year.

Please see the attached flyer for the playgroup which provides some insight in to the aims of the playgroup, times, days and what to bring along. The playgroup is open to all members of our Ngunnawal community. Our goal is to provide a ‘link’ for children of the Ngunnawal community (in particular) and familiarity with the Preschool and School, which will hopefully extend to a smoother transition in future years.

If you have any further questions or wish to contact me, you are welcome to do so. Please note that I have been provided with limited information of families who have attended the playgroup during 2019, so please feel free to advise friends/families with this information.

I look forward to meeting you and getting to know you more throughout the year.

Kind regards,

Nat

Please find below the assembly roster for 2020. The roster is subject to minor changes which will be communicated through the newsletter if required.

Ngunnawal SUPA Club 2020

SUPA Club is a fortnightly lunchtime club that allows children to explore who Jesus is, in a fun & relaxed way. It is coordinated by Scripture Union and volunteer teachers belong to local churches.

Participation in SUPA Club is voluntary & all children require a signed permission slip.

Positions open for the P&C committee 2020!

Ever wanted a prestigious title?

Are you a note-taking whizz?

Want to get the inside information first?

The P&C are looking for a new President, Vice President, and Secretary for next year. 

There's more to the P&C than just having to organise fundraisers. In fact, the primary purpose is to ensure the longevity and success of the school canteen - we are very proud of the fact that our canteen continues to operate 5 days per week, offering healthy food, and hasn't been outsourced. A rare achievement for schools these days!

If you are interested, please ask for more information - we'd be more than happy to have a chat! Drop us a message via Facebook and we'll be in touch.

Find out more about the P&C roles....

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Aw3oxC4PSwo4o2uyppfotLJ95BjPbtXZ/view?usp=sharing

Our next meeting is Monday 24 February, 6pm.

As we start a new school year, we would like to remind  parents and students about Canberra Transport services and how to best prepare for travel on both bus and light rail.