School Board Appointments

This term we welcome Stephney Tyler to our School Board as a staff representative and Ryan Ginard as the community representative. Ryan has worked for a number of domestic and international universities and brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for education to our School Board.

Our continuing members are:

Stephen Tokley (Board Chair, Parent Representative)

Nadean Mamic (Parent Representative)

Rachel Hoffmann (Parent Representative)

Nichole Edwards (Staff Representative)

Ngunnawal Primary School thanks all board members for giving their time to our school governance. 

2023-2027 School Improvement Plan

As part of the process of developing a new 5-year plan we have our school vision, mission and values. The vision describes our picture for future success. The mission defines the steps to achieve the vision and our values describe the fundamental values our school operates within. Our longstanding SHARE values and our more recent PBL expectations form our school values. 

This semester we have been analysing our school review commendations, affirmations and recommendations and multiple sources of evidence in relation to learning and wellbeing. This has shaped the development of our school priorities for the next five years. Below are our draft priorities and they include a description of how a focus on these priorities will improve learning for students at the end of this plan. 

These priorities have been reviewed by our School Board and staff. We welcome any feedback families may have on our future plan before we finalise it in the next few weeks. Feedback can be emailed to infor@ngunnawalps.act.edu.au.

Are you leaving NPS in 2023?

Please email info@ngunnawalps.act.edu.au and include your child's teacher to ensure we consider this when putting together our new classes. Please let us know where you are moving and the new school if you have this information so we can verify the transfer.

Two weeks left to submit 2023 friend requests and class considerations

Every year, Ngunnawal School staff work hard to create classes for the following year. We encourage children to select friends they learn well with, allow parents the opportunity to provide input and work closely with classroom teachers to create cohesive classes.

We encourage you to talk with your child about who they learn best with and who they would like to be in a class with for the following year. We will guarantee that every child is with at least one of their chosen friends if not more. In addition to this, each child will be in a class with a number of students from their current class.

Please use the link below to indicated preferences by Friday 4 November. 

Class Placements for 2023 - Google Forms

Bullying Prevention and Response at NPS

The statistics show that 1 in 4 Australian students report being bullied. It is perceived that many incidents of bullying go undetected which means that more than 1 in 4 students are being bullied. Preventing and responding effectively to bullying behaviours is a critical part of our wellbeing framework.

This week, the leadership team met with our Positive Behaviour Learning partners in the Education Directorate to start reviewing our current bullying prevention plan and making improvements to ensure there is a whole school systematic approach to identifying, preventing, and responding to bullying behaviours. Our action plan for 2023 will work through the following areas:

We know that if we want respectful behaviour, we have to teach it! We need to explicitly and repeatedly teach students how to be respectful in different contexts and situations, and we currently do this effectively through our Positive Behaviour for Learning expectation - Be Respectful. The same principles apply for bullying prevention. Teaching students how to be ‘upstanders’ (doing something that prevents or reduces the observed bullying or coming to the aid of another child who is being bullied) versus being a bystander (someone who watches and contributes to the problem) will be our next steps for learning. The three-step routine of Stop, Walk, Talk will also be explicitly taught to students to equip them with the skills to become upstanders, and therefore reduce bullying behaviours. It’s an exciting and important process that we will be embarking on to continue promoting respectful and safe behaviours at Ngunnawal Primary School.

Learning_Journey_with_LSU.pdf

Learning_Journey_with_LSU _pdf 178.06 KB

Pupil Free Day - Friday 28 October

Two staff planning days (pupil free) will again be in place in Term 4. The dates are Friday 28 October 2022 and Monday 28 November 2022. 

Students who can’t stay at home will be able to attend school and be supervised while undertaking general learning activities. Please confirm attendance by emailing info@ngunnawalps.act.edu.au

Rebecca Turner

Principal

Historical Recounts

Historical recounts have been our writing focus for the past few weeks. Students have researched events from the 1800’s such as the Eureka Stockade, Colonisation, First Fleet and Goldrush. By using their knowledge of first person, they have selected a significant person from the event and constructed recounts as if they were that person. Throughout the writing process students have used their research skills and demonstrated knowledge of structure and descriptive language.   

Decimals

Over the past five weeks students have been learning about decimals. They have learned about the place value language of tenths, hundredths, thousandths and ten thousandths and applied this language when they read decimals such as 0.15 (zero and fifteen hundredths) and 7.257 (seven and two hundred and fifty seven thousandths). Using their knowledge of number lines, students have compared and ordered decimals by identifying smallest to largest and accurately placed them on the number line.

Inquiry Rotations

This term students in year 5 will be engaging in different learning experiences with all the year 5 teachers. Nat is teaching civic and citizenship, Billy is teaching coding and Tricia is teaching Science.

Civics and Citizenship

Australia’s democracy and the roles of different people in the legal system.

Students in 5NG have been exploring democracy, representatives and civic engagement. Using technology they created posters for a state, federal or local government responsibility and selected a civic engagement role, researched and presented their findings as a google slide. 

Coding

5BD have begun their inquiry rotations with coding. The students have explored the coding program ‘Scratch’. Students have used coding blocks to begin making simple animations and games. They have included a range of different code to animate their names and create a chase game. Some of the code students have included are motion, sound, and variables. 

Science- States of Matter

5TB have begun their inquiry rotations with Science. They have participated in a range of hands-on and shared experiences to identify the different observable properties of liquids, solids and gases. As a class, they engaged in two experiments, beginning with hypothesising what they thought would happen and writing up their findings. Students used their knowledge gained during the unit to classify a range of substances according to their observable properties and the way they behave.

On Monday 10th October, the Student Leadership Team (Communications) ran their first Cultural Integrity Club, at lunch. Students learnt about and made Indigenous symbols, then used them to create and tell stories.

What did we do?

On the first day of the club we made Aboriginal symbols out of playdough.

What is the club about?

 The Cultural Integrity club is about:

• Promoting the range of cultures that make up Ngunnawal Primary School
• Raising cultural awareness and understanding amongst Ngunnawal students and teachers

Where and when is it on?

• The cultural integrity club is on Monday every week at lunch.
• The club is located at 5TB’s classroom in the Yuin building.

What are we planning to do?

We are planning to alternate between crafts and sports/P.E. over the coming weeks:

• Week 2: Cultural games!
• Week 3: Cultural art/painting
• Week 4: Cultural games
• And much more throughout the weeks to come!

Who can come?

All students from K-6 are invited to the Cultural Integrity Club.

Communications Student Leadership Team

RAINBOW AWARDS

Safe 

Respectful

Responsible Learner

Responsible Learner

Safe

Respectful 

Christal D	Twisha S	Eliza A	Addison N
Olivia B	Sarah O	Ryan K	Cruz P
Claire C	Arizona J	Maverick L	Georgia E
Ben S	Evie N	Florence L	Ayden LW
BJ N	Sereen M	Moon N	Saifan S
Logan B	Heidi G	Bastian Y	Zoe I
Charlotte B	Roy K	Paige R	Olivia J
Husna M	Oliver S	Ryan K	Ryan T
James G	Calvin L	Henley W	Rhys S
Aiden H	Adou O	Ekamjeet D	Deion G
Gursimar G	Pagaen CD	Alame L	Hannah I
Samar D	Noah N	Ahmed G	Riyon W
Nathan J	Thuan H	Ethan G	Ekam D
Riley P

Safe

Willow A	Prisma B	Louis B	Dexter F
Elvana I	Lochlan K	Kayleigh L	Quaid L
Ethan L	Kaiden O	Claudia W	Koby W
Alec Y	Klara B	tomas S	Chloe M
Urvashi N	Ryan K	richard M	Xzavier S
James G	Ayden LW	Ethan G	Calvin L
Thuan P	Samaira S	BJ N	Sereen M
Jonathan F	Pheonix S	Lilith R	Oliver F
Bonnie D	Paige R	Olivia J	Jacob D
Christal D	Charlotte B	Chol C	Oliver S
Husna M	Twisha S	Lachlan O	Henry H
Alister A	Ava M	Ella J	Ekam D
Imogen M	Harrison M	Piper B	Samar D
Ahmed G	Noah N	Riyon W	Ace P
Jacqui M	Xander M	Maia V	Shreya H
Thomas P	Emily C	Alame L	Cruz P
Violet G	Nathan J	Jaxon S

Responisble Learners

Poppy H	Zoya A	Theodore W	Jonathan F
Andy K

Respectful

Jaden R	Willow A	Prisma B	Henry H
Elvana I	Ethan L	Lachlan O	Kaiden O
Austin VK	Claudia W	Jaden R	Shantel S
Lucinda B	Affan U	Urvashi N	Junior L
Ryan K	Eva CC	Shailee C	Elias B
Zane H	Lacey A	Ayva B	Annabelle HB
Logan HB	Francesca K	Abigail L	Corbin M
Ethan N	Charley N	Zac S	Ezra S
Slayter W	Claire W	Walter R	Koby W
Ava M	Lillian B	Jaelyn P	Mackenzie T
Dechen W	Jonathan F	Joshua T	Jaden R
Richard M	Quaid L	Kayleigh L	Poppy H
Dexter F	Alistair A	Arok C	Chase S
Chelsea J	Arizona J	George P	Hudson A
Cobi JY

We have still have Sibling photos for sale in the front office 

If you would like to purchase please do by payment methods below 

EFTPOS: At front Office or via Phone 02 6142 1500

Quick Web Payments - www.ngunnawalps.act.edu.au/payment

Fee Code: photo22

Direct Payment details:

Account - Ngunnawal Primary School BSB 032777 A/c Number 001738

During Ride Safely to School Week, Transport Canberra is encouraging our school communities to walk, ride, scoot or skate to school if they are able to. It’s a great opportunity for schools to reinforce safety messages around cycling while encouraging students to choose active travel to and from school.

Learn more about the benefits of Ride Safely to School Week at Travel safely to school - Transport Canberra.

In support of Mental Health Month, the Directorate has produced a short video series to help families support their child if they are feeling anxious. The three videos are presented by one of our senior psychologists. They cover understanding and responding to a child’s anxiety and tips about supporting a child when they’re feeling anxious. 

They are available now on the ACT Education website at Wellbeing Support Resources for students and families. Please promote this great resource to your school community through your regular communications.

Contact Clinical Practice on 02 620 59555 or EDUClinicalPractice@act.gov.au.

We are offerring catch-up clinics for those children whose parents consented for them to have the kindy health check but were absent on the day/s we attended the school. Parents would have received an ‘absent’ letter from us, informing them of their child’s absence and inviting them to phone Central Health Intake to make a Kindergarten Catch Up appointment.

 Appointments are held in the City Health Centre, Level 2, 1 Moore Street, Canberra City, and are available from Friday 9^th December until Friday December 16^th.

Parents can call Central Health Intake on 5124 9977 to make this appointment.