Library News

Book Club

Order forms for issue 2 are due back tomorrow.

There are several payment options when paying for your order. You may pay by cash or cheque (made out to Scholastic Australia). The students need to return any order forms with the cash or cheque in an envelope marked with their name and class. They should be returned to either Mrs O'Mally or Mrs Heinicke in the library.

You can also pay by credit card online by going to www.scholastic.com.au/LOOP. If you pay by LOOP you DO NOT need to return any paper work to school. The school will be notified that you have placed and paid for an order. Your order will be returned with the other orders that have been placed by the school.

If you wish to purchase something for a special occasion like a birthday and don't want your child to know about it then just mark on your order form or let Mrs O'Mally know. When the orders come back we can keep your items in the office until you are ready to pick them up.

Student Banking

The health, safety and well-being of our communities and our people is our first priority. Due to the rapidly developing situation with coronavirus, School Banking has been temporarily paused from 20 March 2020 until the start of Term 2. Please don't bring your deposit book with your weekly banking into school and we will notify you when banking will recommence.

To keep you entertained and continue with your financial education, you can always have a look at the Dollarmites Club on the school banking website at:

https://www.commbank.com.au/personal/kids/school-banking/dollarmites.html

NAPLAN 2020 cancelled

NAPLAN testing is not proceeding in 2020 to help principals, teachers and school staff focus on student learning during the outbreak of COVID-19.

The nation’s education ministers met on the 20th of March 2020 deciding to cancel NAPLAN for 2020. The decision was made to provide teachers and principals as much time as possible to focus on the continuation of their students’ education.

This decision includes cancellation of:

NAPLAN Online practice testing, 23 March – 9 April 2020

NAPLAN Online tests, 12 May – 22 May 2020

NAPLAN paper tests, 12 – 15 May 2020.

Aurora 2021

How will students be selected for the virtual opportunity class?

• Students will be chosen in the same way as students in all other opportunity classes in NSW government schools. Parents and staff should visit the Department’s website https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/selective-high-schools-and-opportunity-classes/year-5 for further details.

• To be eligible for enrolment, students must also be enrolled in a NSW Government school which is classified as rural and remote. Students at schools with opportunity class provisions, or at schools within the drawing areas of existing opportunity class provisions, will not be eligible to apply for entry into the virtual opportunity class.

• The first intake of Year 5 Aurora students will be in 2021. These students will comprise Aurora’s first Year 6 cohort in 2022 and there will be a new intake of Year 5 students in this, and in each subsequent year. Applications for Year 5 placement in the virtual opportunity class in 2021 open Tuesday 28 April 2020 and close at 5 pm on Friday 15 May 2020. The Opportunity Class Placement Test for 2021 entry will be held on 29 July 2020.

How will Aurora and the home (partner) school work together? What will students study?

• When a student enrols in Aurora they become a shared enrolment between Aurora and their home school. In this educational partnership, both schools must plan for and support the curriculum of each shared student.

• The operational model of Aurora College is based on face-to-face, real time lessons. This model requires each partner school to build part of their timetable from the common timetable template. The NSW Opportunity Schools Placement process does not require parents to have the approval of the home school principal when accepting a place in an opportunity class.

• In each partner school, Aurora funds the release of a suitable teacher to fill the role of Aurora College Coordinator (ACC). The ACC adds an important layer of support for the educational, social and emotional needs of our high potential and gifted students. The ACC is an important advocate of Aurora College in the partner school and in the local community.

• The virtual opportunity class curriculum will have a STEM-focus, delivered through an inquiry based learning approach. Students will study the content of the Mathematics and Science and Technology syllabuses. Aurora College will have responsibility for teaching, assessing and reporting in these areas of the curriculum. The home school will deliver the balance of the curriculum.

• A residential school in term 1 will give students the opportunity to meet and work with their peers and teachers. The college provides supervised bus transport to and from the residential school. The program includes lessons, tutorials, master classes, mentoring sessions and excursions. Transport and accommodation costs are heavily subsidised by Aurora College. Application for financial assistance by families in need may also be made to the Aurora Student Assistance Scheme.

• Aurora College offers students expanded career options through innovative partnerships with business and with scientific, cultural and tertiary education institutions. Master classes are key features of both the online and residential school programs, giving students access to people who are leaders in their chosen field.

• Further information on partnering with Aurora College in Stage 3 will be provided in a suite of support documents on the partner school page http://www.aurora.nsw.edu.au/partner-school-information-primary/.

School Stream APP keeping you informed!

Our Burke Ward School Stream APP keeps you informed and connected with what is going on at our school.

Things that School Stream does for you:

* Absence notes

* New permission to publish notes

* Change of details form in the notes section

* Link to our Burkie Brag Newsletter

* Notifications on school events and other information announcements

Download the free School Stream APP today!

Positive Behaviour for Learning

Positive Behaviour for Learning