17 October 2011

Homebush Public School Rochester St Homebush NSW 2140 Phone: 9746 9171 9764 4472 Fax 9746 3516 Email: homebushp.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Principal’s Report Dear Parents,

Outstanding payments

I would like to welcome everyone back to school for Term 4. I hope everyone enjoyed the break and spent quality time with loved ones.

Term 4 will be a very busy and exciting term for our school community. I encourage everyone to be actively involved in our school events throughout the term. Listed below is some key information that I would like to draw to your attention.

Please visit the school office to make payment for any outstanding fee/ contributions. Your promptness and support with all payments is appreciated.

Kindergarten Enrolment for 2012 If you are intending to enrol your child in Kindergarten at Homebush Public School in 2012, please contact our office as a matter of urgency.

This information is vital for planning purposes and your anticipated support is appreciated.

Next Fortnight’s Diary

Late Collection of Students For the supervision and safety reasons, please ensure all students are collected promptly at 3:00pm.

Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank staff, students and parents for allowing me to share their educational journey at Homebush Public School.

Mr Liston is lucky to have such an amazing school community that is focussed on ensuring the success of all students. I look forward to hearing about Homebush Public School in the future.

Regards, Hani Zahra R/Principal

Term 4

Weeks 1 and 2

Mon

10 Oct

Mon

17 Oct

Camp Yarramundi Year 5/6

Tues

11 Oct

Tues

18 Oct

Camp Yarramundi Year 5/6

Wed

12 Oct

Wed

19 Oct

Camp Yarramundi Year 5/6

Thur

13 Oct

Thur

20 Oct

Fri

14 Oct

Fri

21 Oct

PSSA

PSSA

CAMP Students in 5 and 6 will be leaving for camp today and returning on Wednesday before the end of school. We are looking forward to a whole load of fun and experiences.

Mr Lambert Camp Co-ordinator

Envelopes Just a reminder that all money that comes into the school must be in an envelope marked with the students name, class, amount and the reason why the money is coming in. THE OFFICE IS UNABLE TO SUPPLY PARENTS WITH ENVELOPES. Mrs Crawley

UNSW English Results We have received the results and certificates for the UNSW Test. There were 40 students who have received a Credit and 5 students who have achieved a Distinction.

The maths yielded 15 distinction and 49 credits. More information on a presentation morning will be coming soon.

Mr Lambert

School Uniform Summer is on its way and I am seeing a lot of very hot and bothered students who are still wearing winter uniforms. It has started getting warmer a little earlier this year, when the human body overheats it can result in tiredness, headaches, bleeding noses and stomach pain or vomiting, so it is appropriate that students begin wearing their summer uniform. Quite a few students are attending school ‘out of uniform’ on a regular basis and it is the schools’ policy that students wear the correct uniform at all times. This includes the school hat, our uniform shop is run by the P&C and when uniform is purchased through the school it helps support the school.

The uniform shop is open every Monday morning and order forms are available from the front office if you cannot get to the uniform shop yourself. Wearing the correct uniform helps students to recognise that they are a part of Homebush PS and allows them to take pride in their uniform and school.

Mr Lambert

Sports in School

St George Girls High School

An academically selective high school for girls.

Enrolments for Year 7, 2013 Applications for entry to selective high schools are to be forwarded to primary school principals by 18 November 2011.

Interested parents and prospective students of Year 7, 2013 are invited to visit St George Girls High School commencing at 9.30am on Thursday 3 November 2011.

The Principal’s address in the school hall will be followed by morning tea with the Principal, Staff and Prefects.

St George Girls High School Victoria Street Kogarah NSW 2217 Phone: 9587 5902, 9587 4109

Would you like to receive a full-colour newsletter?

A full-colour newsletter is available for parents willing to accept their newsletter by email. The email edition is much more vibrant and photos are a lot clearer and brighter. You’ll also help us to ease paper costs while doing that little bit extra for our environment. If you would like to receive a colour newsletter via email please send us an email at Homebush-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Please mark the subject “Newsletter”. Include in the body of the email your name, your child's name and class as well as your email address.

Cyberbullying prevention - tips for parents

P A R E N T I N G P A G E I would like to take this opportunity to direct you to the NSW Public Schools website (www.schools.nsw.edu.au) which is an excellent tool for parents.

More specifically, the Schoolatoz (http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/ home) section has informative articles around a variety of relevant subjects. I encourage you to visit the site.

The statistics around cyberbullying are sketchy, mainly because it often goes unreported. What we do know is that the likelihood of children being bullied online or over the phone increases as they get older and use technology more frequently.

We also know that parents typically monitor their younger children's online activities more than they do tweens and teenagers. Unfortunately the age when kids are most likely to be cyberbullied coincides with when we're least likely, as parents, to know about it.

Having published these and other interesting findings in a 2009 research report, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has created tips for parents to help keep their kids safe online and to give some direction for those who think their child may already be experiencing online bullying.

Say NO to cyberbullying - tips for parents Talk to your child about cyberbullying before it happens. Work out strategies to address cyberbullying that both of you are comfortable with so your child knows what to expect if they do report their concerns to you.

Establish one or two other trusted adults your child is comfortable in approaching about their concerns.

Be aware of what your child is doing online and explore it with them.

Keep the lines of communication open so your child will be comfortable about talking to you if something is worrying them. Help your child to develop the skills they need to interact safely and respectfully online. Guide their online activities and help them learn to communicate appropriately with friends and family.

Try to locate the computer in a shared or visible place in the home.

Discuss the kinds of sites that are ok to explore and those that are not and have clear rules about online activities.

Help your child to block anyone who sends offensive content. Most social networking services allow users to block and report someone who is behaving badly.

What to do if you think your child is being cyberbullied Discuss any changes in mood or behaviour with them. If you are concerned, help your child to stay connected to friends and family they trust.

Notify the police immediately if you have serious concerns for your child's safety.

Work with your child to save some evidence of cyberbullying behaviour – it may need to be followed up by the child's school, internet service provider (ISP), mobile phone carrier or the police.

If you need to involve your child's school, ask them to thoroughly explain their processes so that you can work toward achieving a positive outcome. (NSW public schools have anti-bullying policies which you can ask to see, or can often find on their websites.)

Cyberbullying won't stop if it's ignored – you can help by listening to your child and working with them to take control of the situation.

Cybersafety Whether in the classroom or at home, children are using technology – computers, mobile phones and the internet – more and more in their day-to-day lives.

Keeping your kids safe online is easy with a few simple precau ons.

Nothing replaces parental supervision and education for kids about cybersafety.

Set a technology curfew.

Remind your child to never give out identifying information such as your home address, school name or telephone number in a public message such as chat or newsgroups.

If your child posts photos online, use privacy settings to limit access to people they know well.

Remind your child that people don't always tell the truth online, and they can't take anything at face value.

Reassure your child that they can tell you anything, without fear of losing the laptop or internet access.

If they get a message or email that's threatening or rude, they should 'STOP, BLOCK, TELL'. First step is to tell your child to stop responding to the abuse and then block those people sending threatening or rude messages if they continue. Let your child know that if they are being bullied, or know someone else who is, they should tell a trusted adult.

Never click on any links that are contained in emails from people they don't know. As well as sexual content, they could contain a computer virus.

If you suspect your child has been contacted by a predator, try to save a copy of the chat log (or whatever form the contact takes) for evidence. Call Crime Stoppers 24-hour line 1800 333 000 to make a formal complaint.

Your child will be using computers and the technology for the rest of their lives – you're in the great position of being able to get them off to a safe, positive start.