1. No category

 Monday 3rd December— First Monday Coffee Chat, 9am
Board meeting at 5.30pm
Wednesday 5th December— Volunteer’s Thank you morning tea, 11am
Friday 7th December—Kindy 2013 welcome picnic 12.15pm to 1.15pm
Wednesday 12th December—End of year concert
Monday 17th December—Whole School Assembly 12.15pm to 1.30pm
Principal
Principal—
—Jo Padgham
Business Manager
—Deb Parr
Manager—
Board Chair
Chair—
—Sophie Saydan
P&C President
President—
—James Turvey
Tuesday 18th December—Graduation Assembly, 9.30am
Dear Families, Preschool Playground Working Bee A big thank you to the army of preschool parents, grandparents, staff, children and our garden design guru Debbie Stanford for the makeover/blitz given to the preschool playground on Sunday morning. It looks amazing and the preschoolers from all groups have been very excited to play and explore it this week. Photos follow. 2013‐2016 Dra Strategic School Plan Each of the consulta ons, processes and data analysis over this last month or so, along with the extensive external valida on process last term, have provided us with clarity around areas for improvement over the next four years. The following four priori es will drive our ongoing school improvement from 2013 to 2016: 1.Con nually improve the quality of teaching 2.Maximise the individual learning outcomes and engagement of every student 3.Con nually improve communica on and school processes 4.Improve the school environment to support contemporary teaching and learning This Strategic School Plan will have specific ac ons that we undertake each year in each of the four priori es. The 2013 Annual Opera ng Plan is currently under development and both the four year School Plan and 2013 Opera ng Plan will be available on our website once quality assured by our Directorate officers. Depar ng Turner teachers As we come towards the end of the school year, we announce staff members leaving our school permanently or temporarily. Our Directorate now has a 5 year placement op on for teachers and school leaders that can be extended if nego ated within the overall management of the school’s staffing profile. Turner families will be aware of many staff baby announcements this year and two more of our teachers will be having paren ng leave; congratula ons to Lauren Haber and Sarah Warren who will take a year’s leave in 2013 and return to us in 2014. Kate O’Brien has been teaching with us just this term a er her paren ng leave and will again take leave in 2013. Simone Riddle, currently our numeracy coordinator and a long term Turner teacher for over 10 years has given a great deal to many children and also many teachers through her coaching role and will con nue her successful career at Latham Primary School from 2013. Alison Moore on our Turner ECC preschool groups this year has been with Turner for 5 years providing an invaluable role with children in the preschool and across the school as well as her work with Science Week each year. Alison will move on to the middle school area of Harrison School in 2013 to support children with addi onal needs. Issue 20—29th November 2012
email: [email protected]
http://www.turners.act.edu.au
Chelsey Vanderfield started her teaching career at Turner 5 years ago and has given many year 5/6 students wonderfully enriching learning and pastoral care in that me and provided many other students great experiences with the arts and most recently Wakakirri. Guy Nicholls has team taught with Chelsey on 5/6 for a number of years at Turner and in addi on to his class role has taken Boot Camp in the mornings, many spor ng extras for children and filled a range of leadership roles across our school. Both Chelsey and Guy are moving on together to con nue their career successes at Fraser Primary School. Andrew Waghchoure, Lauren Fox and Brenda Vane as new educators have been on one year contracts at Turner in 2012; Andrew on Kindergarten, Lauren on a 3/4 and Brenda in the preschool plus some me in term 1 on a 1/2 class. All three have established very warm rela onships with all children in their classes and have contributed enthusiasm and knowledge of contemporary learning technologies to their teams as well. They will always remember their first appointment and class at Turner School! Their placements for 2013 have not yet been announced and we wish them well for their ongoing teaching careers and thank them for their efforts this year at Turner. Jeff Suptu has been a regular casual teacher this year at Turner taking classes for chess lessons as well as a er school chess sessions. We thank Jeff for his valuable contribu ons this year. Jeff will con nue with a er school chess in 2013 and we are currently exploring our 2013 chess model op ons. Stacey Hodgson and Jeanne James have been with us for term 4 this year. Both have been very effec ve and enthusias c class teachers replacing staff on maternity leave and we wish them well for their con nuing careers. Each of the contribu ons and talents of each individual teacher above will be greatly missed and I would like to publicly acknowledge the legacy they will leave behind. I am sure parents and carers and our students would also like to wish these teachers well as they move on. 2013 new teaching staff and music in 2013 On Monday we met the new teachers who will join Turner staff next year. They are a very enthusias c group of professionals; some outstanding new graduates, and others experienced talented teachers who come highly recommended from other ACT and NSW schools. I won’t list all their names here as the start of the 2013 school year will be the appropriate me for that. We also have permanent Turner teachers Felicity Smith and Elizabeth Langford Smith returning in 2013 a er paren ng leave. I am very pleased to announce to our community that we have been able to increase our music exper se for 2013 and in so doing every K‐6 class will receive music from a specialist music teacher. Feedback from the community since I have arrived at Turner has indicated that regular music for every child would be greatly valued. P&C dona on to the school‐ Thank you! As you will read in James’ P&C report, the P&C has generously donated $20,000 from fund raising efforts to the school. The areas staff have ear marked for this money include: 


Sensory equipment for children in small classes New furniture to begin making some of the classroom spaces more suitable for contemporary learning (an ongoing project) Some of the costs associated with holding a Writers’ Fes val and Art Fes val to celebrate our 60th birthday The staff and students thank the P&C for this dona on and for the support parents and carers provide in many ways to ensure our school is a successful place for children to learn and develop. I look forward to catching up with many of you at the upcoming end of year ac vi es including the volunteer thank you morning tea and of course the big concert. Warm regards, Jo Padgham
Issue 20—29th November 2012
email: [email protected]
http://www.turners.act.edu.au
From the Deputies Turner School TransiƟon Day reminder
Life is full of change and variety which is usually good for people but at mes transi oning from what is known to the unfamiliar can be a me of nervousness or anxiety for some people. Similarly at school there is much excitement for our children as one year ends, the holidays arrive and then we commence a new year but this can be a me of nervousness as well. As reported in the last newsle er to assist our children successfully transi on from one year to the next we run a number of transi on experiences. We would just like to remind everyone that this Friday and again on Friday 14 December our Kinder to Year 5 students will par cipate in two transi ons a ernoons. During the last session of these days our Kindergarten, Year 2 and Year 4 students will spend me in classes with Year 1, Year 3 and Year 5 students. The students will be with a different teacher on each Friday and during the me will par cipate in social learning as they see another part of the school and spend me with peers both known and less familiar to them. Our Year 6 students, our school leaders, will be shared across all classes to assist in the smooth running of these transi ons a ernoons. These transi on a ernoons have been very posi ve experiences for our students as they visited parts of the school less familiar to them and began to make connec ons with other students as well. We would encourage all families to talk about these a ernoons as the sharing and discussing of what was similar and different will assist children to understand what next year may be like. Regards from your Deputy Principals Gareth & Robyn
The 5/6 students and teachers would like to thank everyone for their support for our pyjama day fundraising day last Friday. We raised $430 on the day. This money will be used to help Mandy and Shae with the costs involved in represen ng the ACT at na onal spor ng compe ons this month. Thank you from the 5/6 students and teachers! Issue 20—29th November 2012
email: [email protected]
http://www.turners.act.edu.au
End of Year Concert 2012
When: Wednesday 12th December 2012
The P&C will be holding a sausage sizzle from 5.00-6.00pm.
Contact James Turvey on 0408 004 088 or [email protected] to offer your time on the
afternoon of the concert with the cooking or selling of sausages and drinks.
All children should eat with their families between 5-6pm as children
will meet with their teachers at 6:10pm, staying with their class
groups for the duration of the concert.
Where: Outdoor stage (next to the quad)
Concert time: 6.30pm
What to bring: Rugs, chairs, nibbles and your singing voices!
Concert programs will be available and a gold coin donation would be appreciated
The 2012 concert theme is
Dreaming
Note: If it is raining the concert will be held the following evening,
Thursday 13th December 2012 Issue 20—29th November 2012
email: [email protected]
http://www.turners.act.edu.au
Swimming at the AIS
There was a buzz of ac vity on David Street. It was Monday morning and the start of swimming lessons! Plas c bags were clutched under li le arms. Squeals of excitement filled the air. There was a bit of drama a er some last minute arrangements for swim gear ‐ but nothing a phone call, ini a ve or soothing words couldn’t solve. The smell of rubber swim caps rumbled around the room as many pa ent, helping hands managed the tricky manoeuvring of “cap pu ng on.” Goggles sat on heads at various angles. Did you know some of us can fit our nostril inside our goggles as well as our eyeballs? A er a roll call we were off! One hundred percent a endance! 60 children ‐ 53 from the 1 / 2 corridor and 7 children from 3/4. Once seated on the bus, we ran through the rules and instruc ons to keep us safe and minimise loss of clothing. With the business done, we launched into our bus trip concert rehearsal prac ce! We can’t tell you too much about that. You will have to come to the concert and see for yourself. The 3 / 4s are sworn to secrecy! Meanwhile, back at school, the rest of the 1 / 2s are learning about drama and further developing the concert item. Before, during and a er swimming, Turner children were deligh ul and well mannered. They are fast at changing back into their school uniform – the fastest group ever! We are going to be great swimmers by the end of our two weeks of lessons. Rio – here we come! By Jenny Faul 2013 Book Packs It has been brought to our a en on that there are some inconsistencies with the book pack order forms in reference to the collec on day. I hope the following informa on will make the collec on day process clearer. Turner School has requested that Chalk EducaƟon distribute all book packs (prepaid or purchased on
collecƟon day) directly to your child’s class. Thursday 7th February 2013 (2.30pm‐3.30pm) is collec on and delivery day for the book packs to our school. This will be an opportunity for parents to pay for unpaid book packs. Families who have prepaid for book packs DO NOT need to come to the school on the 7th February 2013. There is no home delivery of Turner book packs. Books and folders will be allocated to the par cular learning area they are intended and teachers will provide necessary informa on to parents early in the new school year. There is no need for them to go home first for covering/labelling.
Order forms returned to the school this year are collected by a representa ve from Chalk Educa on at the end of each week. Credit card payments will be processed within 2 days of the form being received at Chalk Educa on. I apologise for any confusion that this process has caused and will endeavour for the process to be more streamlined and straight forward for 2014. Deb Parr Issue 20—29th November 2012
email: [email protected]
http://www.turners.act.edu.au
All library student and family borrowing for 2012 has now finished. Please RETURN all library books in WEEK 8. I ask that any “missing” library books are thoroughly looked for and returned
when found, alternatively if books are definitely lost please let me know and I
will remove the book from your child’s profile and it will be marked as missing. I
would ask that in the event of books being lost, families contact me and make a
$15 donation to the library to cover the replacement costs.
There is a prize for the first mainstream and small group class to have all
student library books returned, please support your child’s class by returning
library books ASAP.
There will be NO borrowing over the Christmas holidays but you can always join
ACT libraries for holiday borrowing. Follow the link to information regarding ACT
library access. http://www.library.act.gov.au/
Year 1 /2 students have enjoyed using puppets
in library over the last few weeks; this was an
interesting little play about three animals which
was quite entertaining!
Happy Reading!
Bridgette Manley
Teacher Librarian – Turner School
EXCITING FAMILY EVENT - SATURDAY 1 DECEMBER!
Bring your family and friends along to the EXPO and MARKETS, to celebrate International Day of
People with Disability (I-Day!). There’s a huge array of activities, from market stalls, sports
activities, free children’s entertainment and stage performances, featuring internationally
acclaimed band, Rudely Interrupted and X-Factor’s Declan Sykes. ‘Count Us In’ choir from a
variety of ACT schools will also be performing. All welcome!
When? 10am until 2pm, Saturday 1 December
Where? Albert Hall, Yarralumla
More Information? Phone 62059365 or visit http://idayexpoandmarket.weebly.com/
Issue 20—29th November 2012
email: [email protected]
http://www.turners.act.edu.au
End of Term 2012 Please let the front office staff know if you will be leaving for the summer break earlier than the end of year so we can make arrangements for your child’s report. Turner School 2013 If your child/ren are not con nuing at Turner School in 2013 or if you are having an extended holiday break and are not returning in week 1 of the new school year please call the front office staff on 6205 6622 as soon as possible please. This informa on helps us with class forma ons and numbers for next year. Monday 3rd December at 9am in the library .
Thank you. This will be the last one for the year. Just
PLEASE NOTE CHANGE come along for an informal chat and
coffee…. No issues required!
Year 6 excursion is now Thursday 13th December
P&C CHANGE OF DATE We are planning to have an end of year
celebration at Tilleys on
Tuesday 18 December from 7.30pm.
The Board mee ng will now be Monday the 3rd December not the 10th at 5.30pm. We look forward to seeing you there. YWCA Holiday Care Program When: Monday 7th—Friday 25th January 2013 Cost: $65 per day Times: 8am‐6pm Enrolments need to be in by the 17th December 2012. Please contact Sarah for further informa on on 62473452 ’Thank you Morning Tea’ Wednesday 5th December at 11am in the hall. 2013 Book packs All parents, grandparents and friends of Turner Please return book pack forms by School P‐6 who have supported the staff and Friday 30th November. students in so many ways this year are invited to a special morning tea to say Thank you. Extra forms are available from the Condamine Street office. Invita ons have gone out in recent days, however just in case yours is lost in the bo om of a school bag, consider yourself invited and come along! Issue 20—29th November 2012
email: [email protected]
http://www.turners.act.edu.au
Thank you parents, staff, children and grandparents for making our playground so beau ful and interes ng. Turner P&C News
The P&C mee ng was held on Wednesday 21 November. It was great to welcome some new faces to the P&C and we hope they come back for more! Ephraim, our Treasurer reported a very healthy bank balance of over $80,000 following the final tally from the fete. This year we raised about $24,000 which is a great reward for the hard work by everyone involved. The P&C has agreed to donate up to $20,000 to the school for much needed equipment to enhance the learning environment for students iden fied as priori es by Jo and the teachers. Work will con nue to finish the sandplay area and cubbies. A fantas c rope climbing frame (Roplay) is on its way and we want to get the slippery dip in place as soon as we can. As a heads up we will be looking for a new fete coordinator for next year. Tina Campbell who has fulfilled this role for the last three years is stepping aside. So if you think you might be interested, you can ponder all summer and then talk to James or Tina before you commit. This can be taken on by more than one person. Tina is more than happy to talk you through what is involved. A huge thanks to Tina for making the Turner fete the best fete anywhere! There won’t be a P&C mee ng in December but we are planning to have an end of year celebra on at Tilleys on Tuesday 18 December from 7.30pm. We look forward to seeing you there. Oh yes, and a new Secretary is needed as I will be relinquishing the role at the end of this year! For more informa on please contact: James Turvey (P&C President) [email protected] or 0408 004 088, or Richard Jones (Secretary ) [email protected] or 0418 243 555 Tina Campbell [email protected] Issue 20—29th November 2012
email: [email protected]
http://www.turners.act.edu.au
ACT Schools Cycling Championships
Last Wednesday, Isobel J, Noah P, Jarrah P,
Elise P, Harry J, Leighton P, Gus Campbell,
Jesse W and Oscar W took part in the ACT
Schools Cycling Championships at Stromlo
Forest Park.
All riders had a great time with most trying
bike racing for the first time. Turner School
also enjoyed some success with Isobel claiming
Silver & Bronze medals in the Under 9 Girls,
Harry claiming 2 Bronze medals in the Under 11
Boys and Elise 2 Silver medals in the Under 13 Girls.
It was a great to see such a good turnout from Turner School
and a big thank you goes out to the parents for bringing the
kids out to the event. Of course a thanks and well done also
goes out to all the riders!
Staff Professional Learning
Turner teachers put aside the busy organisational requirements of working in a school and
meet to discuss best practice, student progress, share research and ideas from professional
learning and reading. Last week we met and discussed quality teaching, a framework for
teachers to have a deep dialogue about the complex work of teaching. This week each teacher
brought along a student sample of writing or pre-writing. We shared the intent of the lesson, the
process, self-assessment, reflection
time built into the task, student goal
setting, the gradual release of
responsibility model, feedback, the
amount of student direction and
many other factors that teachers
carefully craft, consider and reflect
on before, during and after lessons.
Jen Faul
Issue 20—29th November 2012
email: [email protected]
http://www.turners.act.edu.au