11 Mar 2019
Neve Nudges New Heights
A massive congratulations to Year 3 student Neve B who has taken her Zone Champion status to a new place in qualifying for the NSW State Swimming Championships. Despite not swimming her best time, Neve still made the podium at the Hunter Regional Carnival and will now represent the Hunter in the 9 Years Girls’ 50m Freestyle at the Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre on April 11. We are contemplating filling up the bubbler trays so she can get a few laps in each lunchtime!
A Meeting of Giants
For a small school, our amazing P&C team year after year continues to accumulate giant amounts of fundraising dollars for our school. The projects and resources provided by our P&C each year allow us to run so many more programs than would be possible without them. The relaxed nature of our meetings is refreshing and makes for a friendly atmosphere for all. Why not come along on Tuesday March 12th at 7pm for our ‘hour of power’ as we discuss some directions for 2019. P&C is a great way to keep up with school life and have a say in helping to steer the CSPS ship.
Vote 1 CSPS Cake Stall & BBQ
We are hoping to fill multiple brown paper bags with cash for our planned Library makeover at next week’s Election Day BBQ and Cake Stall. As local voters flock to the polls for the State Elections, our irresistible stall will be set up with deliciously sweet treats, along with early morning bacon and egg rolls. If you are able to assist by cooking some delights or spending an hour on the BBQ, please let Mrs Hodson or the office know sometime this week. Donations of baked goods can be dropped into the Office on Friday 22nd March - please include a list of ingredients.
CSPS First Xl Off To A Flyer
Well done to our Stage 3 lads as they fought hard to win their first round match of the NSW State PSSA Cricket Knockout. With some excellent fielding and tight bowling during our 25 overs in the field, Biddabah PS set us the task of making 63 runs off our allotted 25 overs. We reached the total with 3 wickets down at the completion of the 16th over. At 0 for 19 we were on solid ground before losing 3 wickets in the 6th over which sent a few nerves through the dugout. However, Reegan D and Riley W steadied the ship and saw us through the rest of the run chase with both boys finishing as our equal top run scorers. Riley also starred with the ball taking 2 for 5 off his 4 overs. Zach K and Michael R also bowled superbly proving a handful for all batsmen and were supported with style from behind the stumps by keeper Nixon J. Our next outing will see us play Hillsborough PS on March 28.
CSPS Anti Bullying Survey & Pledge
March 15 is National Day Against Bullying and caps a very important week for us at CSPS as we get into some meaty discussions about our zero tolerance policy. This week our students from Year 3 to 6 will complete our Anti-Bullying Survey and our Anti-Bullying Pledge will be sent home with each child. Charlestown South Public School is a very fortunate school with a wonderful family atmosphere. It is a place where we seek to have every child, parent, teacher and visitor feel safe, secure and happy. It is a place in which we want every member of the school community to feel welcome, participate and enjoy the friendly atmosphere.
Our Primary Survey and Anti-Bullying Pledge is a wonderful opportunity for children from Kinder to Year 6, as well as parents and teachers, to engage in discussion around a topic that has been very much in the media over the past decade. It is a chance for us to openly speak about bullying and the impact it can have upon others and ourselves. An impact that surpasses just the physical, but also impacts greatly upon the emotional and mental wellbeing of a person. Discussing our Anti-Bullying Pledge also provides a mirror for us to all look into at a personal level in order to reflect upon our own behaviours. If we are honest, most have at some time played a role or stood by as someone one else suffered at the hands of bullying. By having parents and teachers also sign the pledge, we model to our children the importance and seriousness of this issue in society. I encourage all to take the opportunity this week to have some deep discussions around the dinner table about what we can all do as individuals to demonstrate our stand against bullying.
Mr Pascoe’s Perfect Paddock
A massive thank you to our wonderful and hard working General Assistant Mr Colin Pascoe for his feats of heroism each and every week. Mr Pascoe is set the tall order of not only keeping our grounds and gardens looking good, but performing miracles of maintenance as he keeps our school functioning smoothly. We are not sure how he has managed to keep things green given the crazily warm temperatures of this summer. If you see him around each week on a Wednesday or Thursday please pat him on the back and say a big ‘thank you’ from us all. And yes …… he gets this all done in 2 days per week!
Just Like You Program
Friday will see the first of three sessions for all of our classes with the Just Like You program facilitators. The program helps primary aged students understand and gain a different perspective of those that live with disability. The more we can aid our students to grow in empathy, knowledge and understanding, the better citizens they will be.
A Nice Pat on the Back
Federal MP for Shortland, Mr Pat Conroy, will attend CSPS this Tuesday along with our P&C President, Mr Craig Barnes, to officially open our new artificial turf area. This area was replaced during the last school holiday period thanks to a Federal Grant for $10,500 which was matched by our amazing P&C allowing us to complete the $21,000 project. Our kids are loving it!
Choir Kicks Off Choralfest Prep
Last week we cleared the throats and commenced our vocal cord exercises as we started our preparation for Choralfest 2019 which will be held in week 2 of next term. Our enormous Primary Choir consisting of over 130 students will be performing 3 items including current favourite Shotgun, former ABBA hit Thank You For The Music and an African Cultural song called Che Che Koolay accompanied only by rhythmic percussion. Please encourage singing in the shower during the next few weeks.
Mr J’s Free Parenting Tip
Resource yourself! Success in business, sport or career usually requires some level of support. After all, it’s incredibly hard to climb a ladder that is devoid of rungs! So too with parenting. If we think that we can do it alone without support, advice, encouragement and the occasional tip, we might just be a tad deluded! The best parents I have ever seen were all extremely teachable and open minded as how to do it best. If you have been a parent for more than 5 minutes you will know that one size NEVER fits all. Great parenting books, podcasts, articles and other material can save a whole lot of heartache. Eastlakes Family Support Services have invited Paula Watson and Steve Phoenix from Parent Shop to run a 3 week program on Learning To Manage Difficult Behaviour in Children 2-12. The course commences on Tuesday 19th March from 10.30am – 1pm. The timeslot maybe a challenge to some, but if this seems like a helpful subject and you can somehow get there, why not book in and benefit from a second opinion. For further information grab a leaflet from our office or contact Paula or Steve directly on 49439255.