Newsletter Week 2 Term 4 2023

Principal's Message

Dear parents and carers

Welcome to Term 4. 

This term is shaping up to a busy term with several exciting community events happening.

Next Tuesday 24 October we have our Ride and Walk Safely to School Extravaganza from 8am.  There will be prizes for the most creatively decorated bikes and helmets, a P & C BBQ, games, music, bike activities, a coffee van and more! Thanks to Mark Robson and the specialist team for their organisation of this event and to the P & C for organising and running the BBQ.

Maths Garden

Over the school holidays we had some very exciting landscape work happening.  Our new Maths Garden has been established.  This is a joint project between the school, P & C and the Queen’s Jubilee grant.  We thank our students and members of the community who gave input into the design of the garden and thanks to Jemma O’Brien for bringing those ideas together on a design for the landscaper.  Our next step is a Working Bee on Sunday 19 November from 9-12.  The working bee will be an opportunity for students and parents to join to plant more trees in the garden and we would also love help in some maintenance work in our Indigenous Garden, Winnangaay. Further information will be coming soon about how you can sponsor a tree for the garden and then you will be able to come along and plant your tree at the Working Bee.

Communication Survey

With the introduction of our new newsletter, we are keen to get some feedback from our community about the ways you find the most useful for us to communicate with you.  We are also interested in finding out what Information Sessions you may be interested in attending next year as well as preferred times for these.  Please see the link below to the short survey that will help us collect this important information.

https://forms.gle/tQVwj5nuEuALByAG9

Message from the Babic Family

The Babic family would like to thank the school community for all the gift cards, lovely meals and time people have given to assist them after the passing of the children’s father. They are grateful to be part of a wonderful school community.

Have a lovely weekend!

Kind Regards

Laurel Rodrigues

Principal

Library News

Grandfriends are warmly  invited to celebrate Children’s Week next Thursday 26 October with:

• 8:30 - 9:15 Visit  the Forrest School Library with their grandfriend and share a story together
• 9:15 - 10:00 Visit you grandfriends classroom to join in a learning activity together
• 10:00-10:30 BYO own Picnic lunch and rug to share with your grandfriend and his/her class
• 10:30 - 11:00 Share play time together
• We value and acknowledge your commitment to supporting your grandfriend’s education and being an important part of their lives for caring,learning, fun and play.

Congratulations to Amaya 4V who won a $250 Book Pack, one of 10 students chosen from schools around Australia. Amaya was selected as the Forrest Primary School nominee for being an excellent role model as a library lover, student library assistant, a regular library user and an avid, enthusiastic reader. Amaya also selflessly gave excess books to the library for other students to enjoy. Our School Library also benefited by winning a $250 Book Pack too. Thank you to the sponsors of this opportunity, Unwin and Allen Book Book Publishers. 

New Library Furniture

We are very excited for you to see our new library furniture for our Storytelling library space. The new ottomans and couches have an Indigenous Storytelling theme as the basis of the design. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders have been passing down stories to the next generations for over 60,000 years. These stories often blend science and historical events, such as how things came to be, with cultural norms and important lessons for living. As part of our school commitment to supporting all our students, staff and school community to learn more about First Nations history, culture and language, and to ensure our Indigenous  students and families feel a sense of connection to our beautiful library space, we felt purchasing this furniture was an appropriate way show our continued support Reconciliation and as a learning opportunity too.

Indigenous Literacy Foundation Book Swap

As part of our wonderful Multicultural Festival Day last Friday, students met for an outside assembly to hear the Culture Club students lead the school in our Acknowledgement of Country and hear about the ILF Book Swap fundraiser. Year 1 and 2 students lead the school in the singing of ‘Words Make the World Go Round’ by Justine Clarke and Josh Pyke, who are Ambassadors for the 2023 ILF Book Swap. The Year 6 Earlyact students also explained that all classes would rotate around the presentations and displays they had researched on 10 different countries. Many of the students had family ties to those countries. Students completed a Country Scavenger Hunt sheet and learnt information about each country’s customs and traditions.

Culture Club students with Ms McMullen, our teacher librarian, facilitated the Book Swap and $166 was raised for the ILF to provide books for Indigenous students in rural and remote schools and communities who do not have the same access as we do to beautiful books. Students brought in a book to donate and chose a book in return for a gold coin donation.

 Happy Reading!

Louise McMullen

Teacher Librarian

Finance News

Dear Parents & Carers,

As Forrest Primary moves towards being a cashless school, we are very excited to inform you that we have installed an EFTPOS machine at the front office to assist you when paying for excursions or any other school contributions. Quickweb is still our preferred payment method however if there are problems, please feel free to visit our lovely front office staff and consider paying via card.

Please note for those parents and carers who do not see Quickweb or EFTPOS as viable pay options, we will still accept cash however we prefer this to be a last resort.

Thank you,

Finance Team & Front Office Staff.

Christian Education in Schools

Christian Education In Schools (CEIS) occurs because parents request it for their children under ACT legislation. Sessions are coordinated by the CEIS team, using approved resources and volunteers. If you would like to add your child to the existing attendance list please ask the front office staff for a form and return it to the school or go to https://www.ceis.org.au/connect/parents/

Ride or Walk Safely to School Extravaganza

Community Working Bee

Community Notices

Forrest Primary School Hirer

Blamey Street Big Band is a community band that rehearses in our school hall on Wednesday evenings.  

After 3 sell out concerts during the past 12 months the Blamey Street Big Band is preparing to return to the Harmonie German Club for another innovative production – a performance featuring big band versions of classic Beatles songs! The concert will take place on Saturday 18 November with bookings now open either at the Club or through https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/blamey-street-swings-with-the-beatles-tickets-689806538927?aff=oddtdtcreator

Master arranger and principal saxophone player with Blamey Street, Andrew Hackwill, has long been fascinated with the genius of Lennon and McCartney and discovered some time ago how the unique Beatles sound adapts so well to interpretation by the classic big band – saxophones, trumpets, trombones and rhythm section.

The Beatles utilized a piccolo trumpet to bring ‘Penny Lane’ to life and now Andrew Hackwill has gone a few steps further with fabulous swinging arrangements of dearly loved tunes including ‘Eleanor Rigby’, ‘Lady Madonna’, ‘Hey Jude’, “A Hard Day’s Night’ ‘With a Little Help from my Friends’ and a host of other greats. The band will play the famed Michael Buble version of ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ and Canberra’s leading jazz vocalist, Leisa Keen, will add her special magic to ‘She Loves You’, ‘Yesterday’ and many others.

‘Do You Want to Know A Secret’? ‘Help!’ Because the secret is out!

Join Conductor Ian McLean and the fabulous 22 piece Blamey Street Big Band for this unique and very special concert – Saturday 18 November, 7.30pm at the Harmonie- German Club in Narrabundah.  Tickets are just $30 for adults and $25 concessions with a table for six available for just $150 (plus Eventbrite booking fee).