From the Principal's Desk
Welcome
Welcome back to all returning and new students for 2025. This year we look forward to continuing our love of learning, participating in ACOS, PSSA, Choir events and community events throughout the year. We have hit the ground running after our initial 4 days of teacher learning and loved having the students return last Friday!!
Teachers had the opportunity across the Staff Development Days to collaborate and become curious, learning about leadership mindsets, differentiation for all students and all have an understanding our 2025 journey of Curiosity and Powerful learning journey for 2025.
We looked at our 3 Big Rocks for 2025 and with an extra focus on Wellbeing we look forward to sharing with the community information sessions and tips about PAX, YCDI, Zones and eSafety.
You Can Do It!
You Can Do It! is the program which we use to teach social emotional skills and character strengths that help us to become happy, healthy and successful learners and friends. This year we will continue to focus on using our Keys to Success and Positive Habits of the mind to be successful learners.
Our friends Gabby Get-Along, Connie Confidence, Oscar Organisation, Pete Persistence and Ricky Resilience will make a regular appearance in the Gulgos giving tips and tricks to use at home too.. These friends will help us identify the characteristics needed to be successful and happy learners.
PAX Good Behaviour Game:
PAX means peace, productivity, health and happiness, and this is what the PAX Good Behaviour Game (PAX GBG) helps create and strengthen in each classroom. At Martin’s Gully PS we use this internationally-recognised PAX Good Behaviour Game (PAX GBG) for our students in Years K-6.
PAX GBG consists of proven behavioural strategies used daily by teachers with students. The 10 evidence-based and trauma-informed strategies build self-regulation in children, strengthen peer networks, reduce impulsivity and teach prosocial decision-making in children. The ‘peaceful’ classroom environment supports learning, wellbeing, participation and confidence.
PAX GBG develops students who can be fully attentive and engaged in learning so teachers can use their time and resources to teach. Schools using PAX GBG report:
- Increased time for teaching and learning
- Increased attention to and completion of academic tasks
- Engaged learners
- Improved learning outcomes including reading scores
- Reduction in off-task and disruptive behaviours.
Zones of Regulation
Sorting Our Emotions Into Four Zones
Feelings are complicated. They come in different sizes, intensities, and levels of energy that are unique within our brains and bodies. To make them easier to talk about, think about, and regulate, The Zones of Regulation organises our feelings, states of alertness,
and energy levels into four colored Zones – Blue, Green, Yellow, and Red. The simple, common language and visual structure of The Zones of Regulation helps make the complex skill of regulation more concrete for learners and those who support them. We learn to regulate our Zones to meet our goals and task demands, as well as support our overall well-being.
eSafety
We will take a whole school community approach to learn how to create safer online environments, and how to prevent cyberbullying in schools and the wider community.
eSafety Commission helps to keep Australians safer online by countering online harms, improving online safety, and exercising regulatory powers under a holistic framework that comprises three pillars: Prevention, Protection, and Proactive and Systemic Change.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/
Welcome BBQ
This is for all parents and students. It's a social event and an opportunity for parents to meet their child's teacher. Parents are responsible for the supervision of their child/ren as teachers will not be supervising this event.
When: Wednesday 19th February
Time: 5.30pm to 6.30pm
Free BBQ at the COLA (Sausage sizzle and drinks) and meet the Martin’s Gully Teachers and families.
Communication from school:
If you are on Facebook here is the QR code to access our Martin’s Gully PS Facebook page. Our school puts up new photos on Facebook most days of different classes and their learning and activities.
Most communication from school will be via our school app COMPASS. All parents have access to COMPASS. If you are having trouble accessing this app, please contact the front office. Permission notes for excursions, what’s happening each week at school, emails from teachers and other information is shared with parents via the COMPASS app. Please complete your permissions for Third Party Software and Permission to Publish by Monday 17 February.
Our school newsletter GULGOS (“Gully Gossip”) is also published every week and available on the COMPASS app, Facebook and Webpage.
Lunch Orders - Parents can order lunch each Thursday. The lunch orders come at Recess time as most children eat a lot of their food at this time. This is done via an app. The information for this went home last week but is also available at the front office.
Early Arrivals
We have noticed a number of students are arriving particularly early to school. Teachers themselves also have busy mornings with their own families to get ready and therefore can not be expected to provide formal supervision before 8:30am. We understand that parents may need to drop students a little earlier than this, however we ask that it is not too much earlier.
Mobile Phones and Smart Devices
If your child needs to bring any form of smart device including phones, watches and iPads to school, please ensure they are taken to the front office upon arrival to school and collected at the end of the day.
If watches can have Smart applications disabled during the day, they may be worn to school, however games and communication is not permitted.
Relieving Arrangements Term 1
As you are aware, late last year Ian Reeves was asked to relieve as Director Educational Leadership for the Northern Tablelands Network for Term 1 only. He will be required to look after schools from Guyra to Tenterfield. In his absence, Emma Polson and I will relieve as Principal for Term 1. Please feel free to contact either of us with any woohoo moments, concerns or questions.
Classes for 2025
Kindergarten - Mrs Pennington and Mrs Williams
K/1 Magpies - Mrs McCathie and Mrs Corcoran
2 Possums - Mr Annetts
3/4 Bilbies - Mrs Dunham
3/4 Wombats - Mrs Townsend
5/6 Emus - Mrs Bull
5/6 Dingoes - Mrs Deiderick
Learning and Support/RFF Teachers - Miss Randall, Mrs Killen, Mrs Williams, Mrs Clyde-Smith
Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction - Mrs Polson