Port Augusta West - Week 9, Term 1 2024
Principal's Report
We are thrilled to share the new and rejuvenated school logo with our community. Thank you to all of the students, staff and families who shared their votes over the last few weeks. Below is a picture of the new Port Augusta West Primary School logo, as well as our school values.
The concept was to refresh the current logo of the water tower, and add in the sand dunes and gulf that are iconic to the west side of Port Augusta. The natural shapes are now much cleaner, modern and more friendly. We have also added some sun rays coming from behind the water tower that represent the positive outlook that we want to instill in our PAWPS students, such as Respect, Resilience and Relationships. We have used the current school branding colours of yellow and royal blue, but have anchored the design with a little bit of navy blue in there for the text.
HARMONY DAY
I would like to thank the Harmony Day committee for planning and facilitating such an exciting and engaging week of activities for the students. We are very lucky to have such enthusiastic staff who are dedicated to collaborate and provide innovative ideas and activities, which drives our success moving forward as a multicultural school. It is clear that the collective spirit of acceptance and unity makes PAWPS truly special. 'EVERYONE BELONGS 2024'
STUDENT FREE DAY
Staff attended a 'Developmental Language Disorder' professional learning day at Stirling North Primary School on Tuesday the 13th of March. We were able to enhance our understnading of Developmental Language Disorder and how it impacts on learning and life beyond school. Staff also increased their knowledge of oral language and other skills needed for reading success, and building awareness of wave 1, 2 and 3 interventions/strategies to support students with Developmental Language Disorder. Thanks to the Student Support Services Team for providing the training and to the Stirling North Primary School for hosting the day.
WELLBEING ENGAGEMENT COLLECTION DATA
The wellbeing and engagement collection (WEC) is a survey that collects information from students in years 4 to 12 about non-academic factors relevant to learning and participation.
The 2024 WEC will be held in term 2 at our school from week 2 to 5 for students in years 4 to 6.
The WEC gives schools, the community and government an insight into what needs to occur to ensure students experience success and are provided with resources and opportunities to reach their full potential.
END OF TERM
As we continue to prioritise the health of our students and staff, I would like to kindly remind you of the importance of keeping your child at home if they are unwell.
Term one has been a very busy and rewarding term which has been full of moments of learning, growth and collaboration. We hope that you have an enjoyable Easter break, followed by two weeks of school before you enjoy restful school holidays, as we look forward to another successful term. School resumes on Monday the 29th of April.
My New Gallery
Clean Up Australia Day
Clean up Australia Day occurs annually on the first sunday in March. As a school we encourage students to keep our site tidy. On Friday 8th March, all classes were given areas in and around our school to collect rubbish and be responsible for our environment.
Harmony Week
Harmony Day is a day of cultural respect for everyone who calls Australia home – from the traditional owners of this land to those who have come from many countries around the world. By participating in Harmony Day activities, we can learn and understand how all Australians from diverse backgrounds equally belong to this nation and enrich it.
At Port Augusta West Primary School, we celebrated Harmony week through organising different activities for our students and parents. During the week we had a picnic lunch on the oval, art and craft activities, students were encouraged to dress in their traditional costumes, or wear orange and a parade was held in the Gym. Cultural food tasting day was a great success allowing students to try food from many countries around the world, the food was kindly donated by parents, staff and families.
This year we had “Pulse Band-music from around the world” perform for our students. This was a popular event to finish off Harmony Week Celebrations.
Assembly Awards
Our assembly times allow us to acknowledge our students based on the three values of our Positive Behaviour for Learning Program. These values include Respect, Resilience and Relationships.
Congratulations to the students who were awarded for their efforts during the week 9 assembly.
Classroom Chatter 3D
In week 2 Class 2B worked with pastels, using silhouettes of trees to create art murals. We learnt how to blend colours, find the right colour choices and which colours worked well together. We spent 3-4 weeks completing our murals. We think they look great. We also made profiles about ourselves, we had to write about our goals, the things we enjoy, five things I look for in a friend, where we want to be in ten years and what other people think about you. This took some of us 2 weeks to complete and some others took longer, up to 4 weeks to finish them. Below are some samples of our amazing work.
Koben and Evie
Autism Inclusion Teacher
World Autism Acceptance
An autistic person’s brain works differently to non-autistic people’s brains. They may see or feel things differently, may struggle with communication or social situations, or may be very successful in their interested areas.
Autism Month (April) is about raising awareness, acceptance and inclusion surrounding autism. More than 205,000 Australians are autistic and 1 in 4 Australians have a family member on the autism spectrum. (Autism SA https://autismsa.org.au/autism-month/)
Also, the world celebrates “Autism Awareness Day” on 2nd April, and “Autism Acceptance Week” during 2nd - 8th April. It is time to celebrate our individual differences and strengths!
In our school, each class will be reading one of the picture books about autism from our library. A lot of questions may arise. It is important that the staff and students, we all keep our minds open and continue to learn about autism and inclusion. Please ask and talk to your child/ren about the book that they have read!
Changes in Autism Symbols
The colour blue or puzzle pieces have been commonly used as Autism Symbols. However, we have learnt that these have been perceived more negatively over time. The blue relates to an organisation that worked to get rid of autism. The puzzle pieces suggest that autistic people are puzzling to others or are trying to fit in. It is now suggested to avoid them, and use the infinity symbol to represent neurodiversity and rainbow colours to represent the spectrum.
If you have any questions or concerns, please come and have a chat anytime.
Kyoko Miyamoto (Autism Inclusion Teacher)
Children's University
Richard Parker (Regional Engagement Officer) presented our students who have enrolled in the Children's University Program for 2024 with their 'Passport to Learning'. Richard shared the online portal details with the group and they all have thier log in details which can be found on the inside of their passports. He also navigated through the online portal where students can complete and record activities and hours towards their passports. We encourage the children to log in at home if possible and show parents/carers the online portal. Richard has offered to facilitate a parent session early next term, if required.
Jane Mount and Sarah Bury are the Children's University Coordinator's this year. Please come in and see us, if you have any questions.
Back - Emma Parkinson, Ida Ash, Audrey Ash, Aadi Gharu , Isaac Shilabeer
Front - Olive Ash, Kaylee Johnstone, Scarlett Johnstone, Oscar Parkinson, Iylah Grantham, Lylah Martin, Lilly Horner
Absent - Izna Noor
Health & PE
In Junior Primary Health the students have been learning about their favourite games and what makes them feel happy. It is important they come to school feeling happy and share their learning experiences positively. Here are some samples from Room 3C.
Eshaal Fatima– When I come to school I like to eat healthily and make sure that I have energy to play with my friends. In PE we do lots of fun things and I want to do well in sports day. I like health lessons with Mr Shanahan. This is the way I can be the best version of myself.
Evie McVeigh – In PE my favourite thing to do is Dispute. It is a fun game because the ball can bounce everywhere and when you get it you get another go. I want to be a netball player and learn to be strong to get the ball. If I practice I will get better. We should also be kind and not tease people because our school is a nice place. This is how I work to be the best version of myself.
Room 4/5 Class wish to share why it is great to have teams in our PE lessons. As a class we wish to share some of the advantages of this learning here at PAWPS.
In PE here at Port Augusta West Primary we continue to learn the value of teamwork and leadership. I wish to share Mr Ikiua’s classroom perspective of the classroom management and learning success of the four teams in our PE lesson. They include Team Magic, Team Bears, Team Cougars and Team Titans. The value of setting up our PE lessons this way is to ensure the teams are always fair and equal.
- It helps find us a voice to organize and be leaders amongst our peers.
- Develop teamwork skills and trust our peers to do their part in the lesson.
- Get to develop new skills across new topics because some teams can be good runners where another lesson could be about catching.
- It makes our lessons exciting. We use the four team formats across all the grades and in preparation for Sports Day as well as being united when representing our site in SAPSASA events.
Thanks to all the wonderful efforts so far this term.
Kind Regards Mr Shanahan
Parents & Friends
EASTER EGG GUESS Congratulations to Monique and Shakita on correctly guessing 180 eggs in the Easter Egg Jar.
Library Easter Display
Miscellaneous Items
LOST PROPERTY/FREE CLOTHING
We have an abundance of clothing items located in the office. Next week from Tuesday until Friday every day after school items will be out on the bench next to the office. Take what you want, "First in best dressed!"
