NSW Futsal Championship

On Thursday of last week our year 5/6 girls futsal team participated in the NSW Futsal Championship in Sydney. Their results were 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses. The girls narrowly missed the quarter finals. Well done to the team for representing our school and the ACT with great sportsmanship and trying your best against the best in NSW. Thank you to Trent and Daniel who coached the team and the parents who did the long drive so the girls could participate.

Switching off SZapp in 2025

With the release of the parent portal app this term, we will be moving all of our communication to this platform in 2025. This app will allow you to:

• notify us if your child is sick or explain an absence
• book parent-teacher interviews
• receive academic reports
• receive our school newsletter
• receive messages from your child's teachers
• make payments
• access the school calendar and your child's student timetable

If you haven't registered for Parent Portal yet, I encourage you to do so using this Parent Portal access link and log into or create your ACT Digital Account. To access Parent Portal, you will need your access key. You should have received these by email when we launched.

The app

• Offers the same functionality and level of security as Parent Portal.
• Sends notifications when new information is added to Parent Portal.
• Can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play.

Strong Foundations for future success – Phase One Implementation Plan available

The ACT Government has shared the Strong Foundations Phase One Implementation plan that outlines how we will implement the Strong Foundations reform program in all ACT public schools.

Strong Foundations is focused on achieving a system-wide approach to curriculum delivery, teaching, assessment, tiered supports, and professional learning, with a focus on improving literacy and numeracy outcomes.

From 2025 there will be:

• new curriculum resources for schools with preschool to year 2 students
• universal Year 1 Phonics Checks for all schools with Year 1 students – with some schools already underway
• system-wide literacy and numeracy assessments.

We are also working with our school leaders to develop a system-wide approach to improve learning outcomes across all schools and ensure all staff are provided with the resources and professional learning they need.

You can read the Phase One Implementation Plan on the Education Website. The implementation of Strong Foundations is based on advice from the Literacy and Numeracy Education Expert Panel’s Final Report. The Final report is also available from the Education Website.

SF_ImplementationReport_060924_Accessible.pdf

SF_ImplementationReport_060924_Accessible _pdf 19.14 MB

Student free day fast approaching!

Monday 14 October is our next student free day. We look forward to welcoming all students back on Tuesday 15 October. 

Rebecca Turner

Principal

Fortnightly Focus 

This fortnight our whole school focus is to ‘be safe’ by being in the right place at the right time. Students can demonstrate this by: 

• making their way to class quickly when the bell rings, including first thing in the morning and after break times.  

• wearing a ‘mission pass’ to notify teachers and staff that they have permission to be out of the classroom. 

• waiting in the courtyard or basketball court before school. Handballs can be used in the courtyard, basketballs on the basketball court but soccer balls are to remain still.

• staying in front of the red lines during break times. The red lines tell us that this is ‘out of bounds.’ 

Rubbish 

Our school provides a variety of options for the disposal of rubbish and food waste. As well as landfill bins, we have bins dedicated to recycling paper and packaging. We even have compost bins that collect food waste to distribute on our school worm farm. Despite these many options, there are still a lot of wrappers being dropped on the ground. If students have not finished eating at the end of the allocated eating time, they are reminded to take their food to the courtyard. Let’s keep our school environment clean and green! 

eSafety Commissioner and Online safety 

The school holidays are fast approaching, and this is when some students will be spending more time online. It is a timely reminder for families to have conversations about being safe, respectful and responsible users of smartphones, computers, tablets and gaming consoles. It is important for there to be transparency regarding access to age-appropriate content and who is considered safe to communicate with. The eSafety Commissioner provides advice for parents relating to online safety. This includes protecting personal information and building digital intelligence, through to how to set up parental controls.  

For more information go to: https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents 

Within the esafety commissioner's website is a great go to Safety Guide which is frequently updated and provides parents with information on a large number of popular games, sites, apps and platforms that our young people may be accessing.

Safety Guide: https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-topics/esafety-guide

If you would be interested in more information or the opportunity to attend a parent session on cyber safety, please reach out to our via our school email address.  info@ngunnawalps.act.edu.au

Whole School Reward 

The Yunggi Bengal target of 90,000 is approaching rapidly. Our current count is at 87 202! Students will be rewarded with a YES Afternoon, which means they can select a free choice activity that meets our PBL expectations. 

Rainbow Awards 

We are very excited to be celebrating our first Rainbow Award recipients for 2024. Please see our awards section for the names of our first recipients this year. Congratulations to you all! 

These students have demonstrated excellence in all PBL areas. They will soon be invited to attend morning tea with our principal, Bec.  

We are also very close to awarding our inaugural Yunggi Bengals badges. The Yunggi Bengal badges are awarded to Rainbow Award recipients who have also earnt 400 Yunggi Bengals this year. We cannot wait to award the first of these badges. This year we will use the bronze badge, with the silver in 2025 and the gold in 2026. Who can you collect them all?

The PBL team

Responsible Learners

Matthew M	Christal D	Jasmine D	Jessica T
Amritash K	Sofia W	Henley W	Dhruv S
Mia S	Tomas S	Hugo S	Akela O
Mariam G	Allie O	Millie G	Riordan C
Levi W	Paige W	Riley P	Deng N
Ethan N	Aurora L	Kai J	Atticus H
Malakai F	Phoebe D	Olivia B	Xavier B
Klara B	Dekoda S	Zoe I	Mysie C
Aria K	Mylah S	Oscar O	Aveya P
Reilly B	Charli E	Deion G	Malak M
Eleanor M	Alexis M	Michael H	Desi A
Ella H	William R	Milani W	Mia J
Tenzin D	Scarlett L	Avi M	Cassie C
Yuika S	Jessie L	Bianca A	Bella R

Respectful

Safe

Respectful

Safe

Respectful

Safe

Welcome to your P&C update. To get in touch with us on any of the announcements below, please send us a message on Facebook or email us at ngunnawalpandc@gmail.com

Dry stock drive:

Reminder that the P&C will be having a School Canteen Dry Stock Drive during weeks 7-10 (Term 3)

Please support our canteen by bringing in items listed below.

The class with the highest points total will win a morning tea catered by the canteen.

Eight Points

Disposable gloves (food grade)

Six Points

Golden syrup

Eggless mayonnaise

Aluminum foil 

Large cans of tuna

Wheat biscuits (weet bix)

Cocoa powder

Chicken stock powder

Four Points

Canola oil

Chunky tomato pasta sauce (Woolworths brand)

Pasta spirals

Pasta spaghetti

Pasta – angel hair

Wholemeal self-raising flour (1 kg)

White self-raising flour (1 kg)

White sugar (1 kg)

Brown sugar (1 kg)

Rolled oats

White rice (1 kg)

Popcorn kernels

Baking paper

Small cans of tuna

Two Points

Paper towel

Brown paper bags

Our school canteen is run entirely by the P&C. It is a registered charity and any profits made go back into the canteen. When we keep costs low, we can keep canteen prices low too.

School Lunch Clubs:

Did you know that our school student leaders run a number of clubs throughout the week during lunchtime?! 

If you, or somebody that you know would be interested in lending a hand with any of the clubs (particularly any keen gardeners, artists, writers, coders or legoists) please reach out. Also we would welcome any equipment that can be donated to the clubs.

Colour Run:

Colour run fundraiser to be held on 1 November (term 4 week 3). Sponsorship booklets and parent information letters to be sent home with students this week.

A big thankyou to our student leaders who have put their hands up to organise the fundraiser.

We’ll be looking for some volunteers on the day, so if you’re interested in helping out reach out and let us know.

Secondhand School Uniform Shop

The Secondhand Uniform shop is open every Wednesday from 9am - 10am. Pop by the canteen and ask for Kat or Jason. Items are $1 - $5 and card or cash payments are accepted. 

Follow us on Facebook for regular updates. 

We happily accept donations of secondhand uniforms in good condition. We cannot accept clothing that is marked, discoloured, broken buttons/zips, or items that are not Ngunnawal colours. 

Please contact Kat directly if you have any questions - 0417 393 887

We will be holding a pop-up shop in week 10 (next week). All non logo items will be available for $1.

Similar to last term we will hold one stall in the morning from 8.30 to 10 and in the afternoon from 2.30 to 4. We are open to being flexible with these times- so please contact us if you would like us to have the stall open outside of these times (particularly the afternoon stall).

Lost Property

Has your child lost a uniform item or personal property at school? Please check the lost property to see if it is there. There are 2 lost property tubs located outside the library (these tubs are emptied and the property sorted every Wednesday). Sorted lost property is located on a rack just inside the entrance to the school gym.

It is a timely reminder for parents to label/name your child’s jumpers, jackets, hats, water bottles etc to ensure that it can be returned to your child when the lost property is sorted.

School Canteen

Use the flexischool app to check the menu and order your lunch orders.

Remember: Canteen orders need to be in by 9:30am each day. 

October election day Sausage Sizzle

As Ngunnawal Primary School will be utilised as a voting booth for the ACT election on 19 October, the P&C will be holding a sausage sizzle. We are seeking volunteers on the day to assist. If you are interested in helping out, please get in touch with us.

Book Club

Reminder that the P&C are no longer accepting cash payments for book club orders. All orders are to be done online.

Get involved

Our next P&C meeting will be held at the school staff room from 6pm on Tuesday 29 October. All are welcome to attend. P&C meetings are held on the Tuesday of weeks 2 and 7 every term.

We are always looking for willing volunteers to assist us with our activities throughout the year. If you’d like to express your interest in being involved please reach out and let us know!

Contact Us

You can contact us by email: ngunnawalpandc@gmail.com

And stay up to date by following us on Facebook or Instagram.

Reader’s Workshop: 

This term in Reader’s Workshop we have been working on our individual reading strategies. We use our reading folders daily which remind students of their reading goal and how to be a successful reader. We are continuing to build independence and stamina. We have been focusing on the reading strategies of inferring and five finger retell to assist with comprehending a text. Students have been learning to ‘read between the lines’ by using our prior knowledge and clues from books to work out what the author has not said. We have been developing a love of reading anywhere and anytime! Students have been enjoying reading just-right books to help them get smarter at reading. This term they have also enjoyed spending time reading with buddies, classmates and soft toys. 

Don’t forget to read every day and fill in your reading log one book per day! 

Writing: 

This term we have been learning how to write information texts. We started our learning by deconstructing procedures and looking for language features and the structure we needed to follow. We then began discovering how to gather facts from information sources such as books, eBooks and appropriate websites on topics that gauge students’ interests. Year 1 has also been learning how to read and understand non-fiction texts, such as a table of contents, glossary and the difference between a fact and an opinion when gathering information. Students have been using the bump it up wall, checklists and student rubrics to help them independently improve their work. They have written information reports in small groups, pairs and individually on a range of topics. 

Mathematics: In Mathematics, Year 1 students have been focusing on creating equal groups. Students have been given opportunities to explore dividing large number of things into equal groups. They have been using a variety of manipulatives such as counters, cubes and everyday objects. These activities will aid their foundations for multiplication and division.  

Students in year 1 have also been enjoying learning about subtraction. They have been engaging in a variety of planned activities to practice their subtraction skills. Students have been using different strategies such as using manipulatives, counting backwards and forwards to subtract one-digit and two-digit numbers.  

Science: 

In Science, students have been exploring various habitats and understanding the essentials for the survival of living things. Their learning journey has been enriched by using a diverse range of resources. These include informational books from our school library, digital books accessible through the Epic reading app, and the use of QR codes to access informative videos. Through these research activities, students have been able to deepen their understanding of local and native animals. This includes gaining insights into their habitats, identifying their needs to live, and even engaging in drawing and labelling the unique features of these animals. 

SEL/Health  

In Health, we have been learning how to build respectful friendships. Students have been exploring how to be fair and honest. They have been learning what makes a good friend and how to be kind to each other. 

Pizza & Pyjamas | Toy Story | 6 pm, Fri 13 Sep

The 1990s Pixar animated classic that introduced Woody, Buzz and their talking toy friends to the world. Come in your comfiest PJs, bring your favourite teddy or blanket, and enjoy this extra-cosy, Friday night family special with pizza on arrival (included with ticket). 

School Holidays at NFSA Acton | 2–9 Oct

Babe, Peter Rabbit, Red Dog and the musical fairies of FernGully return to the big screen in October for NFSA Acton’s school holiday matinee screening program. Browse all family-friendly events

School Holidays | FernGully: The Last Rainforest | 1 pm, Wed 2 Oct

The magical rainforest of FernGully faces a logging threat in this beautiful 1992 musical animation with a strong environmental message.

School Holidays | Babe | 1 pm, Fri 4 Oct

Orphaned pig Babe finds himself on the Hoggett farm where he is adopted into an eccentric community of talking animals. Australia’s highest grossing children’s film, Babe is a timeless, uplifting classic. 

School Holidays | Peter Rabbit | 1 pm, Tue 8 Oct

This contemporary adaptation brings Beatrix Potter’s beloved storybook characters to life for a new generation. 

School Holidays | Red Dog | 1 pm, Wed 9 Oct

Australian kelpie Koko stars as Red in this iconic Australian family film about a stray dog who wins the hearts of a remote mining community.