Term 1 Weeks 9 and 10

Term 1 Weeks 9 and 10

Have a blessed Easter!

Stage 1 Assembly... A great success!

End of Term

It is hard to believe that we are nearly at the end of Term 1. This has been a busy and long term for us all. We have been thrilled to see how much our Year 1 students have grown, not necessarily in size (although many have) but certainly in confidence and ability. It has also been wonderful to be part of the exciting experiences for learning that each one of the children have been involved in. Our Year 1 students, along with all teachers are certainly ready for the rest that holidays allow.

We’ve had an extremely busy and exciting time during the past few weeks exploring our combined English and History program, ‘Identity’. We have explored many resources including fiction and non-fiction books, photos of former Danebank principals as well as the internet to compare Danebank uniforms and school buildings from the past to present day. Our program included lots of discussion, brainstorming, collaboration and organisation of information.

In Mathematics, students have been working on improving their individual skills and knowledge focusing on Addition and Subtraction. This is taught through lots of mathematical games and experiences followed up with some written tasks. What a fun way to learn mathematical concepts!

As this will be our final blog for the term, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the many number of parents who constantly offer their support and words of encouragement along the way. Our prayer is that every family will have a very enjoyable and restful vacation. We trust that children will return to school ready to work hard and to do their best in Term 2. School resumes on Wednesday 26^th April with a beginning of term Chapel service. Year 1 will participate in Sport on Wednesday and are encouraged to wear their Sports uniform to school on the first day back at school.

We want to wish you all a great holiday break.  We will pray for health and safety for you all over this time and will look forward to the girls returning in Term 2 with the exciting stories of their holiday adventures.

Have a blessed Easter!



Kind regards,
Mrs Lena Cooper and Mrs Alison Larkin

Last Day of Term/Easter Service

The last day of Term 1 is Friday 7 April. We will be celebrating Easter at our End of Term Service which begins at 11:45 on this day. We warmly invite all parents to join us for this service. Please note that school finishes at 12:30pm on this day. Staff will be on duty till 1pm. Our Outside of School Hours centre will be operating from 1.00pm until 6.00pm, a note will be distributed if you wish to place your daughter in care on that day. A ‘casual fee’ will apply if your daughter is not on the permanent roster. The Drive Through will not be operating as Hurstville Council permits parents to park on The Avenue during out of normal school hours. Please allow plenty if time to park and collect your child as we expect that it will be busy with parking.

Thank you for your support with the Stage 1 Assembly
Stage 1 Assembly Thank you to all the parents who came to support our K-2 students. It was a great afternoon which showcased the learning that has been taking place over this past term.Thank you to the Stage 1 teachers who not only organised the presentations but have also implemented such a rigorous and rich program, engaging the girls in learning and new discoveries. It was a wonderful afternoon as the parent feedback has also clearly indicated. We were very proud of Year 1. All girls performed with enthusiasm and dramatic flair. 

Thank you Parent Reading Helpers
We would like to thank all the parents who have so generously donated their time to help Year 1 with our Reading program this term. All the students appreciate your time, effort and enthusiasm. Thank you! Year 1 girls are very much looking forward to reading to our wonderful parents next term.

Replenish Stationery
We encourage students to use the holiday break to replenish their stationery supplies. Please ensure your daughter has 2 HB lead pencils, white eraser, 2 glue sticks and scissors and sharpened colouring pencils in their pencil case for the start of Term 2. Thank you for supporting your daughter's school organisation.


Washing Sun Hats 
Year 1 sun hats will be sent home for the school holidays to be washed. There are a number of children who now need to replace their sun hat, because of its state of disrepair. Because these hats are often worn offsite, to excursions, we ask that you help us to uphold the high uniform standards we expect from every child. All untidy or damaged hats will be sent home and we ask that you purchase a new one when the uniform shop is next open.

Uniform Checks and Maintaining Uniform Standards
Next term we will be checking on various aspects of the uniform to make sure that the girls comply, look smart and are beginning to take pride in wearing their uniforms. These checks will include uniform, shoes, hair, jewellery etc.

We have noticed an increase in students wearing large, colourful watches to school. As part of the Uniform Policy, watches need to be a plain colour. Colourful Smiggle watches are not recommended. 

The first two weeks is also the changeover period where the girls can wear either their summer or winter uniforms, depending on the weather. We will be looking for the uniform to be knee length. If your daughter has grown recently, over the holidays would be a great time to let down her uniform or buy a new one if needed. We will also be looking at white socks (for summer uniform) which need to be turned over at the ankle, not anklet socks which appear to be swallowed by the shoes and we will be looking at winter tights or long green socks, regulation colour (for winter uniform). Notes will be sent home requesting changes if the uniform is not complying with school regulations. 

Uniform for Term 2

During the first two weeks of Term 2, students may wear either the winter or summer uniform. This is because it usually remains too warm during the late part of April for the winter uniform.

The children can, of course, wear their blazer for warmth, particularly when travelling to or from school. Children may also wear their jumpers when they are in their classrooms or in the playground, and under their blazers if it is cold. Children may not wear their school jumper without their blazer to and from school. The official changeover date for winter uniform is Monday 8^th May (week 3). If you have not already done so, please ensure that your child has been measured up for her winter uniform and that orders have been placed at the Uniform Shop.

Please remember that every child must be well presented in their full school uniform at all times. We would remind parents that girls’ winter tunics should come to the bottom of the knee. It is not acceptable if they are above the knee at all. It is also important that blazer sleeves have been altered correctly. Sleeves cannot be rolled up or under. Please ensure all items of clothing are clearly labelled.The full school tracksuit must also be worn to and from school on Sports lessons on Wednesday and Friday during this time of winter uniform. All parts of the uniform must be clearly named and worn correctly. Again, we seek parents’ support in ensuring that a high standard of uniform is maintained at all times.

Junior School Chapel Services
Parents and friends are always welcome to our Junior School Chapel services. The Stage 1 K-2 Chapel Services are held on Monday mornings at 9:10am to 9:50am in the PAC. The services are lead by our Junior School chaplian, Mrs Liana Maze. Hope to see you there!

Wingara Car Park
Please note that the car park that is accessed from Park Rd is not to be used for parent parking nor for pedestrian access. Parking is not allowed as these are allocated parking spaces and pedestrian access is restricted for the safety of the students. Please note that a lock has now been placed on the internal gate and access is no longer possible.

Orthopaedic Outreach 

Annabelle Koumoukelis, our Cowell House Vice Capain, is travelling to Fiji in the next school holidays where her father, Dr Harry Koumoukelis, will be part of a medical team who will perform pro bono orthopaedic operations, as required for the local population. Annabelle, her brother and other children of the team will be visiting one of the local Fijian schools. As the Fijian schools are poorly resourced, the Orthopaedic Outreach team have been conducting a ‘book drive’, to bolster the library and reading material for Lautoka Primary School. Annabelle gave a presentation at last Friday's assembly seeking support from our Danebank students by asking families to donate 2 books from home that they would otherwise not need. Let’s see how many books we can raise over the next two weeks that Annabelle can take over to Fiji. Thank you to the families who have already generously donated books towards this worthy cause.

Requests for Leave during Term Time
We would like to remind parents that, by law, children are required to attend school on a daily basis unless they are ill. We would, therefore, ask you to restrict family holidays to the school holiday periods. We realise that this is not always possible, particularly when leave is necessary due to the illness of family members or where extended leave is required for interstate or overseas travel for family weddings and the like.

Where such leave is unavoidable, please be aware that it is essential that a letter requesting leave be forwarded to Mrs Buckley well in advance. If there has been an emergency or if last minute arrangements have been necessary, please forward Mrs Buckley a letter as early as possible. Federal Government legislation requires parents to complete a formal ‘Exemption from Attendance Form’. This can be downloaded from the iDanenet or a copy may be available at the Junior School office.

When the requested leave coincides with excursions and other activities, payment for these still needs to be made, particularly where charges are included in the school fee account. Bookings and costings are finalised well in advance (sometimes 12 months ahead of time) and are based on full class numbers. We believe that it is unfair if the excursion costs need to be increased for others in order to cover those who have taken leave. If leave is essential, we would ask you to ensure that your child keeps a daily journal. This will not only allow her to practise a number of writing and recording skills, but it also becomes a great keepsake. You could also take some books to read, you might review spelling and, of course, complete online activities through Mathseeds and Reading Eggs.

Term 1 Week 9 and 10 in Year 1:
Mathematics- Addition and Subtraction.
Writing- We wrote Recounts, Information Reports and Explanations on the Life Cycle of a Butterfly and Bees. We also studied “The Very Grouchy Ladybird” by Eric Carle.
Grammar- Proper Nouns
PDHPE- Term 1 unit ‘Getting Along with Others’
Reading- We completed guided reading activities in class.
Topic Talks- Students shared 3 interesting facts about a chosen Minibeast.
Visual Arts- Year 1 completed Minibeasts artworks.
Science- We researched and investigated interesting facts on Caterpillars and Bees. We loved classifying Minibeasts according to their anatomy and type.