Avondale Herald

Feeling left out in any circumstance is not enjoyable for anyone – young or old.  On Thursday morning we enjoyed the first of our class assemblies for the year and Year 3 focused on the Avondale core value of inclusion.  Their dramatised version of Mucky the Penguin was a simple yet powerful reminder of the value of difference and the importance of celebrating the contributions of each one,  no matter that they may seem to ‘march to the beat of a different drum’.  Thank you to Miss Collins and each and every student for a memorable lesson.

Have you wandered to the far side of the Multi-Purpose Hall yet to admire the ‘inkies’ created by the girls and boys of Avondale?  There they all are – individual, colourful, yet all ‘holding hands’ to symbolise the strength of unity and inclusiveness.  These were the first project inspired by the Treasure Keepers program so ably facilitated by the Year 5 and 6 students.

This week also saw the presentation of badges to the new SRC representatives.  We will commence meeting next week.  The SRC has a very significant role to play in the life of the school as they represent the interests and ideas of all students in engaging with social justice (charitable initiatives) and school improvement.

The playground is being brightened up with the addition of four handball courts and three sets of hopscotch squares (one each in English, French and Mandarin).  We will continue to look for other ways and means of developing the range of engaging play activities for all students.

An appropriate emergency assembly area has now been located for Avondale students and staff with the kind cooperation of Spruce Restaurant.  Accordingly prior to the end of Term One we will be holding an evacuation practice.

Congratulations to Tara Andrew and Neve Dutch who were presented their Bronze Merit Awards this week.  Holly Primmer has worked extremely hard to receive a total of ten merit certificates and as a result was presented with her Silver Merit Award.  Well done!

Please enjoy your weekend and find some time to stop and ‘smell the roses’.

Mr Andrew Coote

Another week has flown by and all our students have settled in well to the new Phoenix Park campus.  We have been experimenting with play spaces and eating routines to try to ensure greater flexibility and choice for all children.
The school has welcomed many current and prospective parent s to tour Avondale’s high quality new facilities.  Favourable comments have been received from the overwhelming majority and the staff too are really enjoying their new classrooms and workspaces.  Not surprisingly there have been and will continue to be a range of teething problems – most minor, but all important.  As the weeks go by I will try to highlight the range of issues that are coming to light and how they are being dealt with or the plans that are being made to resolve them in the future.

It has been lovely to meet so many Avondale families already.  I am thoroughly enjoying the Singapore experience thus far.  At Thursday’s assembly I was deeply touched by the wise and encouraging words spoken by such a wide range of students.  They are great ambassadors for Avondale and lead their school in a very real and practical manner.  The little gifts were a thoughtful touch as well.

On Wednesday evening the Multi-purpose hall was packed with a full turnout of parents for our Parent Information night for 2010.  The launch of the Parent Curriculum booklets was a key feature of the evening.  These contain detailed information about the curriculum your child will be studying in each of the Key Learning Areas and specialist subjects over the two academic years covered within each Stage – for example Years 3 and 4 are represented by Stage 2.  Spare copies of these booklets are available from reception and I would encourage all parents to collect a copy.  Ms Vernon has done an outstanding job of summarising key curriculum features in parent friendly language.  You should be able to gain a very clear understanding of your child’s course of study.

The classroom component of the evening was eagerly anticipated and well received.  A big thank you to teachers for their detailed preparation and for their obvious enthusiasm and passion for guiding the learning and growth and development of each and every child.  Each room is bright and vibrant, reflecting the many personalities and talents in each class – a great atmosphere in which to learn.

Issues:
1. Parent Parking
• Parents are permitted to park in any legally marked parking space on the Phoenix Park complex
• Please do not drop off / pick up or park on the apron approach to the main gate of Avondale
• The school is investigating with the site designer having the gate immediately behind the synthetic turf ball court unlocked in the morning and then again in the afternoon in order to allow parents and children to use the concrete perimeter pathway to walk up or down the hill to their cars without having to walk on the access road

2.  School Buses
• In the morning buses dropping students to Avondale stop right outside the front gate and children then walk in to the school grounds.
• In the afternoons buses must be parked (engines switched off) rear to the playground equipment by 3pm.
• Any buses arriving at 3pm will be held outside the school gate until the majority of parents and children have left the school grounds

3. Shadecloth
• Quotes have been organised for appropriate shadecloth for both the play equipment at the front of the school and also for the triangular preschool courtyard
• Installation is due to take place during the first term holidays as the work will take a number of days to complete

4. Pool / Oval
• No further news has yet been received from the Singapore Land Authority regarding this matter – we are awaiting their response and presently cannot make any plans for moving this matter forward.
• Once the current gymnastics has been completed,  sport may involve students being bussed to local ovals such as Dempsey for various activities

5. Rooftop play area / basketball court
• This area needs shading but a clever solution needs to be found that will satisfy the leasing agreement and won’t increase the floor space (as the authorities measure it – ie. It cannot be roofed in with permanent shadecloth)
• Blue is too glary – the floor needs to be repainted (Term 1 holidays)
• Basketball markings need to be applied (Term 1 holidays following repaint)
Please check next week’s Newsletter for further updates.

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.

Regards,

Mr Andrew Coote

We have had an exciting start to the year in Kindergarten. There have have been many exciting activities both in and outside the classroom. Into our second week, we are learning school routines and finding our way around the school.
The Kindergarten students would like to share what they enjoy most in their new class.

‘I like reading books.’ (Amelie and Samantha)  ’I like it when books are read to me.’ (Mitchell)

‘I like drawing and colouring.’ (Sophia and Charlie) I love to paint! (Holly)

‘I love cooking- yum!’ (Emily)       ‘ I loved music on my first day of school.’ (Ciara and Mila)

‘I like playing on the playground.’ (Hannah)  ‘I love the trampoline!’ (Thomas)

‘I was sad that Mr Tait was leaving.’ (William)             ‘I like doing work.’ (Robbie)

‘I like what the classroom looks like.’ (Sarah)

 ‘I love my classroom teachers.’ (Caitlin and Zunairah)

 ‘I like playing in the classroom with Miss Picken.’ (Rutger)  I like Miss Krishnan because she is very nice.’ (James)

Earlier this week parents received a copy of the parent overview for the NSW curriculum. Our aim has been to summarise the NSW Board of Studies website and to give parents a clearer picture as to what children can be expected to learn at different stages of their schooling at avondale. Please make sure you read these documents together with the Curriculum notes put out each term by your child’s teacher. We hope this provides you with a ’snap shot’ of your child’s education. If you did not receive your copy, just click on the different links below to read the PDf version.

Early Stage 1 & Stage 1          Stage 2          Stage 3

This year will bring with it many firsts for the curriculum. As Australia moves from having different curriculums within each state to forming a National Curriculum, we as a school will also begin that transition. Teachers will be undertaking reviews and analysing the new curriculum. To help you keep up to date with the progress of the Australian National Curriculum, I encourage you to visit the following website: http://www.acara.edu.au/home_page.html