Primary

Primary Update

On Wednesday, all Primary students joined in the National Simultaneous Storytime (NSS) where an astronaut at the international space station read the picture story book Give Me Some Space, which is written and illustrated by Philip Bunting. We thank Meagan Height, Felicity Price and Fiona Jepson for preparing the students for this exciting event by creating a space atmosphere in the Resource Centre which was enjoyed by all students.

On Saturday 29 May, we invite our 2022 Kinder students and their families for their enrolment interview with a Primary staff member and a School Tour with our Year 6 leaders. The interview day is part of the Grammar Experience which involves welcoming students into our classrooms to experience what learning at Moama Anglican Grammar looks like. If you have a preschooler and you have not already enrolled them, please contact the School Registrar urgently to avoid disappointment. 

As we are all fully aware, students require full bellies to optimise their learning time. We understand that at times, lunches can be forgotten and when this is the case, we make the students a toasted cheese sandwich. Of late, we have noticed an increase in the number of students coming to the office for a delicious toasty at lunchtime. Whilst this service is obviously essential, we have noticed that some students have started to eat their lunch at recess. Moving forward, we will contact parents to notify that a toasty has been provided. We do not charge for the toasty as we believe in the honesty system currently in place. 

Years 2-6 School Camps Program

Last Friday, updated information was shared with all families with students in Years 2-6. If you have any questions or concerns about the School Camps Program, please contact Nici Deller at the Primary Office.

2021 Dates:

Year 2 Camp (1 night) Moama Anglican Grammar Multipurpose Hall

Term 4: Friday 26 November - Saturday 27 November 2021

Year 3 Camp (1 night) Camp Kookaburra in Corop

Term 3: Thursday 29 July - Friday 30 July 2021

Year 4 Camp (2 nights) PGL Campaspe Downs Adventure Camp in Kyneton

Term 3: Tuesday 7 - Thursday 9 September 2021

Year 5 Camp (2 nights) Sovereign Hill Camp Experience in Ballarat

Term 1: Monday 8 - Wednesday 10 February 2021

Year 6 Camp (3 nights) in Canberra

Term 4: Tuesday 19 - Friday 22 October 2021

School Photos

This year, the School Photo Day has been booked for Thursday 3 June. All students in the Primary School will have their individual photo taken and in addition, traditional class photos will be taken as well. Parents should have received the School Photo Envelope from MSP. 

To Order Photos:

Go to www.msp.com.au and click “Order Photos”. Enter your child’s personalised shootkey and follow the prompts. Order your School Photos before midnight 10 June. For any questions or further information, please contact MSP on 03 5482 3190.

Core Value Awards

Core Value Award are awarded to students who consistently display one or more of the school’s core values and motto. Congratulations to the students listed below who received their Core Value Awards at our Primary School Assembly on Wednesday 19 May.

Respect at Moama Anglican Grammar is valuing others and their unique contribution to our life. Through our actions and thoughts, we are considerate of everyone at our school so we can have a respectful learning environment. We ensure that every student has the opportunity to learn and every teacher has the right to teach.

Student Attendance

EVERY DAY AT SCHOOL COUNTS …

A day here or there doesn’t seem like much, but…

School Attendance 

The NSW Education Act requires all students of compulsory school age to be enrolled in and attend school unless they are registered for home schooling. Under the Act and the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) registration requirements, independent schools are responsible for monitoring, recording, and following up student absences as well as implementing intervention strategies to improve student engagement and school attendance. 

It is an offence if a parent/carer does not meet the legal obligation in relation to the enrolment and attendance of their child(ren) at school or registration for home schooling.

For Students:

Regular attendance at school helps you to maximise your full potential. Students can help by:

• having a copy of your timetable and knowing what class activities are on which school day (for example, which day is sport or library);
• making sure you're organised and ready for each school day: uniform, books, bag, lunch;
• chatting with family, a friend or teacher if you have concerns about attending school, or something is making it difficult to get to school;
• asking a teacher for help if school work is challenging.

For Parents/Guardians:

When your child attends school every day, learning becomes easier and your child will build and maintain friendships with other children. Parents can help foster positive attendance habits by:

• helping their child/ren learn the importance of punctuality and routine;
• ensuring their child/ren arrive on time from the start of the school day, ready to participate in learning;
• reducing any disruption to learning where possible, by planning any necessary appointments outside of school time;
• promptly communicating any absence to our school;
• working with the school to encourage and support regular attendance.

Nici Deller                                           Mel Scott

Head of Primary                               Head of Teaching and Learning Primary

Literacy Corner with Brooke Barber

Primary Literacy Coordinator

Some tips for home reading

• Establish a home reading routine. Read aloud with your children everyday. Ten minutes for each child around a book of his/her choice. Talk about the illustrations and contribute where you can. Share your excitement for reading and this will be the model your child will adopt.
• The reader holds the book! There is a lot of power and control in the world of reading. The reader needs to have the power.
• During home reading time, turn off electronic devices and give each child ten minutes of your undivided attention.
• Before you read a book, set your child up for success. Reading is not a test! Reading time is only ten minutes so do some of the following: Keep the introduction short – one minute is enough. Talk about the illustrations and the title. Read the blurb and talk about the author, talk about any unusual words, read a page here and there as your child flicks through the book, discuss the characters. This is a short introduction. If the book is already a familiar one, then this step is unnecessary.
• If reading time is stressful, move the reading to a new location. Instead of sitting at the kitchen bench, move to the lounge room floor, or go outside and sit under a tree or take the books to the local coffee shop.
• Find a reading time that works for your family. Limit the time and set the timer if reading in the past has always been difficult. It is better to have an enjoyable 10 minutes than a laborious 30 minutes where everyone is left feeling frustrated.
• At the end of the 10 minutes, ask questions that encourage discussion, for example: What was your favourite part? Tell me about the characters. What do you think will happen next? What did you think about that setting? What do like/dislike about this book?

Adapted from: Lowe, K. (2017) Parents’ guide to helping children with reading and writing at home. PETAA. https://www.petaa.edu.au/w/Teaching_Resources/Parents_guide.aspx/#benefits