News

Supporting your child in their new class.

Mon, 01 Feb 2021 16:36:15 AEDT

Every year we do our very best to accommodate the many requests we receive from parents and students about class placements.

As we move into our new classes this week, here are 3 ways you can support your child and set them up for success:

1) Be positive about every teacher and the school: Your children listen to everything you say about the school (even when you aren’t talking to them). If you want them to have a positive approach, show them how.

2) Encourage and facilitate new friendships: While we do our best to accommodate everyone, it is impossible to cater for every combination of request when forming classes. If your child isn’t with their best friend, remind them that they will still be friends and it is an opportunity to make new friends. Invite some new friends for a play date.

3) Be "That Parent": Often parents preface a meeting with "I don't want to be THAT parent, but..... (Insert issue here) ." We all know relationships and communication are vital for success in school. Teachers want to hear from you because we can only make decisions based on known information. If you have any issues, concerns or preferences please contact your child’s teacher.

So how are clases formulated?

The Million Piece Puzzle...With Moving Pieces!

The formulation of classes is not a lottery, it is a complex process of decision making that includes a wide range of factors. Made infinitely more complex by the fact many factors involving students, staff and parents are fluid and changing.

Some of the factors considered are listed below.

Student factors include:

Health needs
Social/Emotional needs
Academic needs
Students with high support needs (Learning Support Team caseload)
Students with disabilities (Funded or Unfunded)
Gifted and talented students
Group and cohort social dynamics
Matching students to teachers
Previous teachers

The priority given to each issue varies according to the significance of educational impact at the individual student, group and class level.

Teacher factors include a range of human resource management principles:

Permanent full-time teachers
Part-time teachers – matching teachers / job sharing
Temporary teacher engagements -Expressions of interest - (Full-time and Part-time)
Teacher Performance and Development (experience, career and professional learning needs)
Spread of experience and expertise across the school
Complementary skill sets
Gender balance where possible (Particularly re: excursions and extra-curricular activities)
Anticipated teacher leave patterns (including long service leave and maternity leave)
Staff succession planning (short/medium/long term)
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Principles

Parent requests and preferences are considered on a case by case basis.

Parent requests relating to all student areas listed above.
Parents/families with high support needs (family issues, health issues)

Important!!!
It is important to note that not every issue under consideration is up for consultation or communication with anyone other than the Principal and/or Executive team. At times the executive team has the responsibility to make decisions based on confidential information in the interest of a student, group of students, family, or staff member.

Welcome Back to School for 2021

Sun, 31 Jan 2021 16:43:58 AEDT

All of the staff at Berry Public School wish to welcome everyone back to the new school year.

We sincerely hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and managed a well deserved break with family and friends.

Staff have been work hard completeing training, planning and preparing for the year. We are all looking forward to seeing the students.

On Friday our students will be in their 2020 class groups as our student numbers are on the border of 12 or 13 classes and we must be certain of all students returning before moving into our 2021 class structures. Staff have been working hard on modelling classes for both scenarios and we appreciate your support and patience.

Staff Changes

Last year we farewelled Mr Sutton, Ms Davidson and Mr Warden who have all retired from a distinguished service to our school and public education.

Mrs Crilley has accepted a position as full time relieving Assistant Principal at Cambewarra PS and, although we will miss her very much, we wish her all the best with the opportunity.

We are all excited to welcome back Mr Haddon to the school after his extended leave in the second semester of 2020 (He picked a great year to have off!)

Covid- 19

We continue to be required to have strategies in place to manage Covid-19 which affects some programs and parent access to school events.

We will provide clear and detailed advice to families as required. Please rest assured we want everything back to business as usual as soon as possible.

Current advice has been sent to parents via the APP.

Communication: Have you checked the APP?

Our App is available on mobile phones, devices and via our website.

The APP is the best way to stay up to date with the latest information.

Also check out our Facebook page which supplements our communications and promotes activites happening to our broader community.

Communication: Parent Information Sessions

Our information sessions will go ahead as planned in coming weeks.

The sessions will have COVID safety plans and be limited to one hour.

We encourage everyone to attend these sessions.

We look forward to sharing an exciting, vibrant and wonderful year of learning experiences with you all.

Bob Willetts

Principal

Get #FirstDay2021 ready for the new school year

Thu, 21 Jan 2021 16:12:37 AEDT

Be prepared for the new school year with our back to school tips and tools.

The start of a new school year can be both an exciting and demanding time for parents and students alike.

Our parents and carers Back to school hub can help you prepare for the year ahead with practical articles, tools, activities, calendars and checklists so you and your child can be ready from day1, term 1.

Find out about our COVID-safe school guidelines, download fun activity sheets to complete with your child, read about our health and wellbeing resources and more.

If your child is starting kindergarten, check out our starting school guide for everything you need to know from enrolment to what to expect throughout your child’s first school year.

Video – #FirstDay2021

Duration – 0:49

Crazy Colour Day Fun Run

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 20:25:48 AEDT

Another Amazing P&C Fundraising Event!

During Term 4 the school community engaged in a School Fun Run Fundraiser which was started by the P&C to raise money to upgrade the school playground. The fundraiser was a huge success with the school raising over $20,000!

Schools Spectacular remixed for television

Fri, 04 Dec 2020 16:32:11 AEDT

Relive memorable acts and performances from the past four years in a special televised Schools Spectacular event.

The annual Schools Spectacular, cancelled this year due to the pandemic, will entertain audiences with a special television broadcast next week.

The Schools Spectacular 2020 Remixed will air on Channel 7 on Saturday 5 December at 7pm.

The two-hour broadcast will feature memorable acts and spectacular moments from the past four years.

The show will also feature a surprise digital performance from this year’s graduating Class of 2020 with the Year 12 students sharing their passion and talents while celebrating with NSW Education for one last time.

This technical feat aims to inspire audiences as more than 70 dancers, singers, instrumental musicians and signing performers from across NSW assemble virtually for the performance.

Mark Scott, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education, said this event is an opportunity to revisit memories of past performances and celebrate the talents of students in NSW public schools.

“Schools Spectacular 2020 Remixed will be an extraordinary broadcast and a unique opportunity to look back at some of the many achievements of our talented performing arts students and their hard working and committed teachers from the past four years,” he said.

Audiences can also share their own memories and see highlights from past Schools Spectacular performances on the Schools Spectacular Facebook page.

Schools Spectacular Remixed 2020 is produced by the NSW Department of Education and proudly supported by Presenting Partners, Telstra and the NSW Teachers Federation, and Segment Partner, RØDE Microphones.

Celebrate Schools Spectacular 2020 Remixed on Saturday 5 December at 7pm on Channel 7.

Supporting effective learning at school and home with the 'What Works Best: 2020 update'

Thu, 03 Dec 2020 11:37:33 AEDT

The ‘What Works Best: 2020 update’ outlines the eight most effective teaching practices and how these can be supported at home.

Parents and carers can support effective student learning at home through the ‘What Works Best’ resource, now updated for 2020.

The What Works Best resource has been very successful helping teachers bring the best teaching practices into their classrooms. The ‘What Works Best: 2020 update’ outlines eight evidence-based teaching practices that teachers can use in their classrooms to improve student learning.

You can find out more about these practices, how it’s used in schools, our handy guide for parents and carers and conversation tips to help continue student learning at home when you visit the ‘What Works Best’ parents and carers hub.

It's OK to have an odd day!

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 10:04:04 AEDT

BeYou Celebration Day 2020

Supporting our students’ mental health and wellbeing has always been, and will always continue to be, a key focus at Berry Public School. In 2020, we have continued to implement the ‘Be You’ mental health and wellbeing framework led by Beyond Blue.

Jumping for Joy on Jump Off Day!

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 18:37:41 AEDT

Go Ahead and Jump!

Heart Foundation Jump Rope for Heart is renowned for being Australia’s most popular physical activity and fundraising program in schools. Berry Public School has been participating in Jump Rope for Heart for around 30 years!

Enrichment Workshop with James Gulliver Hancock!

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 13:27:29 AEDT

We have been working with the SRC and P&C to continue the planning stage of our playground update. Although COVID has delayed our progress this year, we have started with the first stage of painting a mural on the back of the bike shed, as it was something students identified that they missed when it was repainted.

Congratulations Bob!

Mon, 09 Nov 2020 11:02:30 AEDT

Congratulations to Mr Willetts for receiving the 2020 NSW Primary Principals Association Professional Award.

Be You Celebration Day

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 15:35:24 AEDT

On Wednesday the 25th of November, we are having a Be You Celebration Day where students and teachers join together to demonstrate behaviours that enhance our positive school culture as articulated by 'The Berry Way'.

2021 Kindergarten Children's Orientation

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 07:40:09 AEDT

Please Note: All students attending orientation must have a completed enrolment form which has been submitted to the school prior to the visit.

Parents / Carers and children are well and free of any flu-like symptoms

When: Thursday 12^th November 9:30-11:00am
Friday 20^th November 9:30-11:00am

How: If your child attends Berry Pre-School or Natural Play on these days the staff of the Pre-Schools will walk the children to and from Berry Public School.

Parents can also pick up and drop off your child to the school, however unfortunately due to COVID restrictions we can only have you on the school grounds for 10 minutes at a time. Parents are requested to take their child to the Kindergarten classrooms at the time indicated above and return to the same collection point.

These sessions are always beneficial to your child, as it will be an opportunity for your child to meet the Kindergarten teachers, do some activities in the Kindergarten rooms and interact with other Kindergarten students of 2020 and the buddy students will be on hand to help. The children will walk around the school, visiting important places, such as the Canteen, Library, Computer Lab, lunch area and playground.

If you know of any other children who will be enrolling for 2021, please extend this invitation to them.

Original documentation of birth certificates, proof of residence and immunisation is now required. At your earliest convenience could you please present them to the ladies in the office.

Information Packs: Will be available for collection from Thursday 29^th October. We will deliver packs to both Berry Pre-School, Natural Play. If your child does not attend these Pre-Schools packs will also be available from our school office for you to collect.

If you have any questions please call the school office and the ladies in the office will be able to assist you.

Keely Crilley & Jess Snell, Assistant Principals, Early Stage 1 & Stage 1

Bob Willetts, Principal

2021 term dates now available

Fri, 30 Oct 2020 16:31:30 AEDT

Most students start Friday 29 January (or Friday 5 February for Western division) in Term 1 2020.

To support a strong start to 2021, school staff will now have two school development days at the beginning of Term 1.

For 2021, students will return to school on Friday 29 January (or Friday 5 February for Western division), unless otherwise notified by the school. School term dates for 2021 are now available.

Western division schools, also known as ‘late start’ schools, are located in the far western region of NSW. Check if your school is a Late start school.

#MathsTrainsBrains for the future

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 18:41:50 AEDT

Parents and carers can now explore the importance of mathematical skills with the new Everyday Maths experience, featuring activities, resources and explainers targeted to year groups.

The digital launch is part of the NSW Mathematics Strategy 2025, which aims to strengthen mathematics teaching in NSW public schools, promote understanding of the usefulness of mathematics and build positive perceptions of mathematics.

Tune into Education LIVE to find out how high profile Australians like media guru Kellie Hush, former Olympian Steve Solomon and former Masterchef Alice Zaslavsky use maths in their everyday lives.

Video – #MathsTrainsBrains

Duration – 1:00

Book Week 2020

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 20:38:12 AEDT

'Curious Creatures and Wild Minds' are everywhere at Berry Public School but even more so during Book Week 2020!

Stage 2 Athletics Champions!

Thu, 24 Sep 2020 13:46:21 AEST

Stage 2 Athletics Results

Over the last month Stage 2 students have been learning about and competing in the athletics field events of discus, shot put and long jump. The students participated in trials that were run at school during Stage 2 sport.

Assembly Awards - Week 9

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 10:23:18 AEST

Each morning last week we presented students with merit certificates that they have earned.

Unfortunately, we are unable to hold whole school assemblies at this time and through following Department policy around social distancing of adults, we were unable to have parents attend.

However, each fortnight when we present the awards, we will take photos of all award recipients in their class groups to share on the website and Facebook page to celebrate their achievements with you all!

CWA Country Study Assignment - Ecuador

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 11:11:44 AEST

Ecuador Country Study

Every year, Year five students from our school study a country determined by the CWA ladies. They then complete an assignment on the country. This year they studied Ecuador, a country in South America.

Students were given seven weeks to complete their assignment. Five weeks were spent drafting at both school and home and the last two weeks were used to create an amazing presentation – each one unique. There was a large range of research topics from the Flag and Government to Flora and Fauna.

This is a long standing tradition that both the ladies and the students really enjoy.

The assignments are delivered to the CWA hall in Berry, and then judged.

Normally the students are spoiled with a scrumptious afternoon tea which is usually the highlight of the year. Sadly, this year, Year five were unable to attend due to COVID-19. They are hopeful that next year the Year 5 students will be a little luckier.

Assembly Awards - Week 7

Wed, 09 Sep 2020 10:37:30 AEST

Each morning last week we presented students with merit certificates that they have earned.

Updated Term 3 learning guidelines

Tue, 25 Aug 2020 15:39:37 AEST

Updated advice regarding COVID-19 restrictions have been provided to our school. The activities that are permitted at school will be conducted in a way that is safe and appropriate in the current environment.

Please read the following information carefully.

Student attendance

Students should be at school unless:

they have a medical certificate which states that they are unable to return to school due to an ongoing medical condition and the expected timeframe
they are currently unwell.

If a student is absent for more than three days without a medical certificate, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and parents will be contacted by their child’s teacher.

In accordance with advice from NSW Health, parents and carers are reminded NOT to send children to school if they are unwell, even if they have the mildest flu-like symptoms. Schools will make arrangements for students who present as unwell or have flu like symptoms to be sent home.

NSW Health have requested that schools encourage anyone who is unwell or has even mild flu-like symptoms (respiratory symptoms, cough, sore throat, loss of sense of smell or taste, or unexplained fever) to arrange to be tested for COVID-19 through their local medical practitioner or the COVID-19 clinic located at Shoalhaven Hospital (entry is via Shoalhaven St driveway).

Students and staff with flu like symptoms will need to provide a copy of a negative COVID-19 test result before being permitted to return to school.

Hygiene practices

We promote with students the need to follow good hygiene practices such as:

regularly washing hands
avoiding sharing drinks or food
coughing or sneezing into your elbow, or a tissue which should be discarded immediately
filling water bottles from bubblers rather than using the bubbler directly.

School activities / school site usage

Where possible students will remain with their relevant class, year and / or stage group for all learning activities, including sport. We will not be participating in any sporting activities with other school groups.

Activities that can take place:

Use the school library
Engage in sporting activities within restrictions
Uniform shops open for online ordering only
School assemblies (limited to 15 minutes and no external visitors)
Incursions/external providers can provide activities that support delivery of curriculum
Day field trips to outdoor locations with no physical distancing requirements can take place (e.g. DoE Environmental Education Centres and sport and recreation facilities, trips to the local river to collect water samples)

Activities that remain on hold:

Parents/carers and other non-essential visitors are not allowed on the school site, unless to attend a pre-organised meeting with school staff.
All group singing (choirs) are not permitted.
Kindergarten orientation
Year 7 orientation has been delayed until Term 4.
Excursions (note: field trips are permitted see guideline above)
Parent and carer attendance at assemblies and other school events
Parent and carer volunteers – e.g. parent reading helpers (note: canteen volunteers are permitted)
School-based activities that involve large gathering of adults. These include parent/community gatherings such as parent functions, working bees, fundraisers, school BBQs, large parent information evenings, and large on-site cultural events.
Interschool sport, drama, debating and other events that are not within the local community or zone including gala days and regional sporting carnivals.

Assembly Awards - Week 5

Fri, 21 Aug 2020 17:07:13 AEST

Each morning this week we have been presenting students with merit certificates that they have earned.

Unfortunately, we are unable to hold whole school assemblies at this time and through following Department policy around social distancing of adults, we were unable to have parents attend.

Congratulations to all the award recipients!

Premiers Debating Challenge - Round 1

Tue, 18 Aug 2020 15:12:03 AEST

"Students should be learning from home one day a week"

This year we have entered two teams into the Premiers Debating Challenge. We have one team of Year 5 students called the Berry Fantastic Fives, and one team of Year 6 students called the Berry Superstars. These teams will each be competing in 3 rounds of debating over the coming weeks.

NAIDOC Celebrations

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 15:07:02 AEST

"Always was. Always will be."

NAIDOC Week celebrations are held across Australia each year to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. NAIDOC is celebrated not only in Indigenous communities, but by Australians from all walks of life.

Kindergarten 2021 update

Thu, 13 Aug 2020 11:32:46 AEST

We are excited to announce the new Online Enrolment System is now available.

The Online Enrolment System is designed to provide flexibility for our parents to submit an enrolment application online and at the time that best suits you. The application can be accessed on all browsers and mobile devices including iOS and Android.

The online application process is currently restricted to:

Enrolments into local schools only
Children who are Australian citizens, New Zealand citizens or permanent residents
Children who live in NSW.

We offer our support and encourage you to complete your application to enrol online. If, however, you do not feel comfortable completing an application online, a paper copy will be available for collection from the front office or can be downloaded from the Department’s going to a public school page.

To complete an enrolment form for you child or find out further information about enrolments go to Berry Public School's website enrolment tab.

Thank you to all the families who have already submitted their expression of interest or enrolment forms for their child to enrol at Berry Public School in 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID 19 restrictions schools have been advised that Kindergarten orientation and transition to school activities are placed on hold until further notice. Berry Public School staff are working to develop a modified transition program for our 2021 Kindergarten students and their families. More details will be communicated to families in the coming weeks.

Education Week 2020 - "Learning Together"

Fri, 07 Aug 2020 18:28:59 AEST

Education Week 2020

Have your before and after school care needs changed?

Fri, 31 Jul 2020 10:54:01 AEST

The Department of Education wants to hear from all NSW parents about their specific care needs in light of COVID-19.

The NSW Government is committed to making before and after school care available to families at all NSW public primary schools, but we understand your work arrangements and care needs may have changed due to COVID-19.

To better understand how parents can best be supported to access the before and after school care, the department and Service NSW have developed a short survey.

Have your say:

visit service.nsw.gov.au/basc
email BASCreform@det.nsw.edu.au.

Our Sustainable Future: SRC Bottle Recycling Initiative

Sun, 26 Jul 2020 18:34:14 AEST

School Captain Kayla has shown outstanding initiative to spark a recycling program at our school.

The initiative aims to make it easy for our households to recycle their bottles by sending them to our school to return and earn. All of the funds raised will go directly to our Student Representative Council to be managed by our student leaders.

Check out Kayla's video for all of the details.

Updates to COVID-19 restrictions affecting NSW schools

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 23:06:05 AEST

Latest COVID-19 case locations in NSW

NSW Health has a website to inform you of the actions you should take if you have been in a location where there have been confirmed cases of COVID-19 within NSW. Monitor the site and follow the relevant health advice if you have been at any of the locations at the specified dates and times.

Students and staff who have travelled through or visited Victoria

All students and staff who have visited Victoria must have a permit to enter NSW and are required to self-isolate for 14 days.

Except for students and staff who reside in a border town, all students and staff who have visited Victoria in the 14 days before the commencement of school should not attend school until they complete the 14 days self-isolation period since they left Victoria.

Students and staff who are unable to return to school due to these self-isolation requirements will be supported to learn and work remotely during the self-isolation period via the online learning hubs until they return to on-campus learning and teaching.

NSW Health has requested anyone who has been in Victoria and is unwell or has flu-like symptoms arrange to be tested through their local medical practitioner or one of the COVID-19 clinics.

Refer to current advice for people who have recently visited Victoria.

Information for students and staff on new NSW-Victoria border restrictions

The NSW Government has announced further tightening to the restrictions for people travelling across the NSW-Victorian border.

From midnight Tuesday 21 July a border zone, defined along the Murray River, will be established.

Anyone travelling from Victoria to NSW must apply for a new permit through Service NSW.

Victorian residents who have been in one of the restricted areas in Victoria in the last 14 days must not enter NSW.

Attending schools along the border

Current permits will expire at midnight, Tuesday 21 July. We strongly encourage all parents and staff to check they have a permit and if not, apply for one through Service NSW.

Students and staff who reside in Victoria will need to be eligible for a border permit to attend school in person.

Under the new public health order, the border zone has been reduced significantly.

Not all students and staff may be eligible for a border permit under the public health order. If you are not eligible for a border permit you will not be able to cross the border. Students and staff will be supported through remote learning and working via the online learning hubs until they return to school.

Further information on the new border zone is available from Service NSW.

Border permits can be rescinded at any time if a cluster outbreak in your community occurs. We encourage parents to monitor local circumstances regularly as things may change in the coming days or weeks.

Transport to and from school will run as scheduled. For travel advice to and from school refer to Transport for NSW.

New restrictions affecting boarding schools

Any student returning from Victoria to reside at a boarding school in NSW must now self-isolate for 14 days in a NSW location separate to the boarding school. They must also obtain a negative test swab from day 10 of their isolation before entering school and have written confirmation of the test result and the period spent isolating.

Those who are unable to return to boarding while they are completing the self-isolation period will be supported through remote learning and working via the online learning hubs until they return to school.

More information

Returning to school in Term 3

Fri, 17 Jul 2020 11:50:25 AEST

Our school will be open to welcome students back to onsite learning from the beginning of Term 3 – Tuesday 21 July 2020.

As you would be aware the border between NSW and Victoria closed as of 12:01am 8 July 2020.

All staff and students returning from Victoria after this time must have a permit to enter NSW and are required to self-isolate for a period of 14 days.

All students who have been in Victoria in the last 14 days before the commencement of school must not attend school until they complete the 14 days self-isolation period since they left Victoria.

NSW Health has requested anyone who has been in Victoria and is unwell or has flu-like symptoms arrange to be tested through their local medical practitioner or one of the COVID-19 clinics.

Refer to current advice for people who have recently visited Victoria.

Students who are unable to return to school due to the border closures or self-isolation will be supported to learn remotely.

We would like to remind our community the most important action you can take is to practise good hand hygiene and physical distancing. Our school will be vigilant in implementing these requirements to minimise the risk at school.

2020 Public Speaking

Thu, 23 Jul 2020 15:39:03 AEST

Congratulations to our Public Speaking Competition finalists. Once again you all blew us away with your amazing talents! It was such a range of topics this year, from where you could go in 48 hours to why I hate public speaking, dolphins to anxiety, and teenagers to Sydney, that we were all kept entertained. (Year 6 finalists pictured right)

This year's wonderful winners were Hannah (year 3) Lucas (year 4) Summer (year 5) and Alicia (year 6). For more photos go to the BPS website gallery.

First and Last Assembly Awards of Term 2!

Fri, 03 Jul 2020 14:48:23 AEST

Yesterday we held our first and final assembly of the term to present students with merit certificates that highlight some of the successes they have had since returning to school.

As we are following Department policy around social distancing of adults, we were unable to have parents attend this assembly. However, we have taken photos of all award recipients in their class groups to share and celebrate their achievements with you all!

Curriculum reform focuses on deep learning

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 18:37:06 AEST

Changes to the NSW school curriculum will be the biggest education shake-up in 30 years.

The reforms, announced by the NSW Government on Tuesday, will start rolling out in 2021. All Kindergarten to Year 12 students will learn the new curriculum by 2024.

The changes are in response to the NSW Curriculum Review by Professor Geoff Masters and will ensure every student is prepared and ready for their future.

The reforms are based on:

decluttering the curriculum by reducing unnecessary subjects
a ‘back to basics approach’ that will see a renewed focus on the core subjects of English, maths and science
Year 11 and Year 12 prequalification for university and TAFE courses.

2020 Jump Rope for Heart

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 15:41:20 AEST

Year 6 have been busy practising skipping for Jump Rope for Heart.

Education Week to celebrate learning together

Fri, 19 Jun 2020 11:21:50 AEST

Education Week 2020 will be held from Monday 3 August to Friday 7 August.

Education Week is our annual week of celebration to highlight the achievements of our students and staff and the role of public schools as the cornerstone of their communities.

This year’s theme is ‘Learning together’ and it reflects the incredible months of 2020 where NSW public school students have continued to learn and achieve, despite natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our schools have experienced significant disruption but our staff – in partnership with parents and carers – have worked tirelessly to ensure that high quality teaching and learning has continued for all students.

Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott said the best learning takes place when there is a partnership of students, teachers, parents, carers and the community.

“Our schools and families benefit from strong, respectful relationships where responsibility for student learning is shared,” Mr Scott said.

“As our lives slowly return to normal, it’s time for us to reflect on the achievements and resilience of our entire school community. We look forward to celebrating Education Week with all of you in August.”

Statewide events for Education Week include:

a live stream launch on Monday, 3 August
activities for National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children’s Day on Tuesday, 4 August
a live streamed student film festival on Wednesday, 5 August.

Schools are invited to share photos, videos and stories of local celebrations on social media using the hashtag #EdWeek20 or send an email to educationweek@det.nsw.edu.au.

Congratulations Miss Henning

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 14:21:09 AEST

Miss Henning Joins The Team Permanently

Attendance

Fri, 05 Jun 2020 14:43:05 AEST

Review of Attendance procedures

"We Are A Team" - Teams Wear Their Uniform With Pride

Thu, 28 May 2020 09:20:10 AEST

We are a team!

Just like The Wallabies, The Diamonds, The Dragons, The Blues or The Matildas; The Berry Public School Team has a uniform.

The Berry Public School uniform reflects our school values and culture of CARE, RESPECT, SAFETY, LEARNING and TEAMWORK.

We want every student at our school to feel they belong as part of our team and be custodians of the values of our community.

In the lead up to the representative sporting season we are informing parents and students that the multi-coloured representative jumpers are NOT classified as school uniform and as such are not allowed to be worn at school.

This decision was made in consultation with students, staff and the P&C following issues being raised about the school uniform standards and implications on student wellbeing.

- Representative jumpers will NOT be accepted as school uniform.

- Representative jumpers may be worn at school sporting carnivals and mufti days.

- The P&C will retain the current uniform, jumper and water repellent jacket combination and ADD a warm fleece zip front jumper for the winter season.

For more details about our uniform see our uniform webpage.

(Originally Published 24th February 2020)

NSW students return to the classroom full-time

Tue, 19 May 2020 09:55:18 AEST

Students across NSW will be back in the classroom full-time from next Monday, 25 May.

The success of the phased return to face to face teaching has demonstrated the education system and community are ready for school to come back full-time.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell thanked school communities and parents for their patience during this difficult time.

Ms Berejiklian said a return to full-time face to face teaching and learning is crucial for the education progress of every child in NSW from Kindergarten to Year 12.

“Since starting a managed return to the classroom, we have seen a strong degree of confidence from our school communities in managing COVID-19 and a clear desire for all students to be back at school,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“We expect schools to stick with the health advice – increased cleaning, access to hygiene supplies and compliance with hygience practices – and look forward to seeing all students back on campus five days a week.

“The health advice is very clear; a return to full-time face to face teaching is safe.”

Over the last two weeks schools have been working hard to support students practise good hygiene and implement new routines at school, which has been successful giving the community confidence that full-time face to face teaching can resume.

Ms Mitchell said she was eager to see students back in the classroom full-time.

“Our principals, teachers, support staff, parents and carers have gone above and beyond to continue the education of our students while we respond to this pandemic,” Ms Mitchell said.

“My priority is the education of our children. We know that parents across NSW share our desire for students to be back in school, and that is our expectation.

“Schools will need to maintain the measures and precautions they have put in place for the foreseeable future, including no assemblies and excursions.

“Teachers will be focused on identifying where their students are at in their education and we will be supporting them to recognise and assist those students who need additional help.”

Read the department's latest advice for families.

Keeping our school COVIDSafe

Tue, 12 May 2020 15:32:42 AEST

Help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our community by downloading the app.

Social distancing and washing your hands remain the best ways to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The COVIDSafe app, developed by the Australian Government, helps to reduce the spread by allowing health experts to find close contacts faster and more accurately.

The app does not track your location. It uses your phone's Bluetooth to record other users you come into contact with, so if they test positive, NSW Health can let you know.

Find out more:

Students begin return to classrooms

Fri, 08 May 2020 18:17:33 AEST

From Monday 11 May (Week 3) students will begin a phased return to school.

The phased return will maintain distancing in the classroom while supporting students' education and wellbeing.

Most students will continue learning from home and will only attend school 1 day each week.

Our school will continue to provide detailed information about the return to the classroom throughout the rest of Term 2.

Measures to keep schools clean and safe for all students and staff include:

25% more cleaning time focused on high-touch areas
priority deliveries of hygiene supplies including soap and hand sanitiser
local school changes to pick up, drop off, lunch and recess times and processes.

Religion and ethics lessons continue at home

Tue, 05 May 2020 11:45:14 AEST

Students learning from home can continue to access Special religious education (SRE) and Special education in ethics (SEE) classes.

Face-to-face SRE, SEE and Voluntary student activities of a religious nature in schools (VSA) will not be available until schools resume normal operations.

In response to requests from school communities, SRE and SEE approved providers are delivering their authorised curriculum with modifications to allow students to learn from home from the start of Term 2.

The lesson content and the mode of delivery has been reviewed and modified for easy access by students. The approved providers recognise that learning at home will not replicate face-to-face learning at school.

The learning from home SRE and SEE programs are now available:

How to download and use Zoom

Thu, 30 Apr 2020 15:07:45 AEST

We are learning!

We know what your children need most right now in their education is to feel connected to each other, their school and their teachers. There are academic, social and wellbeing benefits for students in using video conferencing software to communicate and collaborate online with their class and teachers when they are learning from home.

So therefore, next week our teachers will start using ‘Zoom’ to video conference your children. This will allow class teachers to check in with students and also allow students to see their peers.

Zoom is the approved online platform from the NSW Department of Education. Please follow the instructions on the video below to learn how to help your child log into Zoom. Start this process at least 15 minutes prior, or the day before your child’s scheduled Zoom time so that we can help you troubleshoot if need be.

We also encourage you to check out the NSW Department of Education Digital Citizenship website (https://www.digitalcitizenship.nsw.edu.au/) and the eSafety Commissioner website (https://www.esafety.gov.au/) where there is helpful advice for Parents to help their children have safe, enjoyable experiences online.

Below is a timetable for next week when your child’s teachers will be online. If it is practical, we would love to see as many familiar faces as we possibly can!

Monday 4th May

KH - 9:30 - 10:00am

KB - 10:15 - 10:45am

1C - 11:00 - 11:30am

1W - 11:45 - 12:15pm

2S - 12:30 - 1:00pm

2K - 1:15 - 1:45pm

2I - 2:00 - 2:30pm

Tuesday 5th May

3/4B - 9:30 - 10:00am

3/4G - 10:15 - 10:45am

3/4P - 11:00 - 11:30am

4/5V - 11:45 - 12:15pm

5/6S - 12:30 - 1:00pm

5/6Mc - 1:15 - 1:45pm

Wonderful Online Reading Support - WUSHKA!!!

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 15:49:01 AEST

We are excited to announce that we have a new resource available to support reading. WUSHKA is an online levelled reading program that you can use to support learning at home. K-2 Students have been assigned their reading levels and can access the site today (student log in information is in their work pack).

This video below explains the features of the program.

Please email Miss Henning at the school if you have any questions or queries.

Access the program through the WUSHKA Website.

Tune in at 8.45am to NSW Education LIVE

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 19:43:46 AEST

To welcome our students back for Term 2, join us at 8.45am from Wednesday 29 April to Friday 8 May for a special live stream.

Musician Guy Sebastian, TV foodies Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and Manu Feildel, Gardening Australia host Costa Georgiadis, Sydney Swans player Ollie Florent, and our very own Eddie Woo, have donated their time to kick start learning from home each morning from 29 April - 8 May.

Tune in each day at 8:45am. We can't wait to see you!

ANZAC Day 2020

Tue, 28 Apr 2020 16:24:08 AEST

School Bell Rings Out

Our Captains came to school on ANZAC Day to ring our school bell twenty four times in conjuction with the bells from all the Berry Churches. The bells rang out at 11am with Liam Chaplin and Kayla Smith sharing the duty. They were joined by the RSL sub branch coordinator, Mr Christmas who spoke to our captians. This was an initiative from the Berry Historical Society & RSL to mark the day in a different way.

A small school service will be held in Term Two with our other school leaders.

ANZAC Day Tribute

Fri, 24 Apr 2020 08:08:05 AEST

Berry Public School has a very proud tradition of authentic and meaningful contributions to our community ANZAC Day Commemorations.

This year with ANZAC Day looking very different, we are incredibly proud to continue the tradition and share this ANZAC Day tribute video.

The video also contains a brilliant craft activity for students to complete so they can commemorate the day at home.

A huge thanks to Kayla and Jemima for their amazing work!

NSW students to transition back to the classroom in Term 2

Tue, 21 Apr 2020 12:47:53 AEST

NSW school students will gradually transition back to the classroom during Term 2 as the Government continues to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Minister for Education and Early Childhood Learning Sarah Mitchell outlined the plan for students attending NSW public schools to progressively return to face-to-face learning in week three of Term 2.

Ms Berejiklian said health advice continues to be that schools remain open, and parents, teachers and students can be confident that school is safe place.

“We are grateful to all families who kept their children home from school at the end of Term 1 and to teachers who worked tirelessly to deliver education online,” Ms Berejiklian said.

“This allowed us critical time to prepare our schools to develop better online learning options and for considering additional hygiene measures to allow schools to return.

“We know that nothing is more important than a child’s education, and we must begin to return our students to their classrooms in a considered way.

“Under these changes, from week three of Term 2, every student will be attending school for one day a week.

“We will look to increase the number of days students are at school in a staged way and hope to have all children back at school full-time by Term 3.

“I’d like to thank the Catholic and Independent schools for working with the NSW Government at this time, as well as staff, including teachers, principals and cleaners, for working so hard to prepare for a resumption of school.

“I’d also like to thank parents for what has been a tough month, often juggling working from home and caring for children. We hope the partial resumption of on campus learning will provide some much needed relief to those families.”

During the first stage of on-campus learning, parents will be encouraged to keep their children home except on their allocated day of face-to-face learning. Initially, about a quarter of a school’s students are expected to be on site at any one time. The specific days students will be required to attend school each week will vary from school to school and will be clearly communicated to parents.

Classes will be split across schools, allowing schools to appropriately social distance students and teachers.

As always, schools will remain open for students who need them and no child will be turned away from school.

Ms Mitchell said careful consideration had been given to support the school community, providing clarity and certainty on the path forward.

“This plan provides a clear path that balances community concerns with a need to deliver continuity of quality education,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Hand sanitiser will be available in all classrooms and provisions are in place for at-risk teachers to work from home. Drop off, pick up, recess and lunchtimes will also be staggered to ensure social distancing.”

In addition to the staged return to school, the NSW Government has committed up to $95.7 million to help keep casual and temporary school staff engaged in active work during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our casual and temporary teachers and other non-teaching staff across NSW schools are critical to our education system, and will help ensure the educational outcomes for our students during this staged return,” Ms Mitchell said.

A cross-sector working group of teachers will also be established to report back to the Minister on recent innovations and educational developments assembled during the COVID-19 period that are suitable to support future educational delivery.

“It’s important that we have an inventory of the cutting edge teaching solutions and recognise the best efforts of our amazing NSW teachers during a difficult time,” Ms Mitchell said.

Teachers will have an additional day to prepare for Term 2 on Tuesday 28 April making the first day of term for students Wednesday 29 April.

Latest advice

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).
Explore the department's learning from home resources for teachers and parents to support both online and offline learning for all students.

Keep your family entertained these school holidays

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 18:47:51 AEST

We know it’s been a challenging Term 1. Just as many communities began recovering from fires, droughts and floods, we moved to learning from home to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

The school holidays are coming, which means your family is about to have a lot of free time and nowhere to go.

To support you while looking after children we’ve put together a handy guide of activities to stimulate young minds and keep your family busy and engaged.

Check out our parents and carers toolkit for important self-care tips, free parenting podcasts and apps.

If you need a break, the Service NSW before and after school care finder can help locate vacation care programs near you.

Kayla Teaches Sign Language

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 16:02:02 AEST

As part of our Learning At Home Fun series, Kayla has created a video about learning sign language. The things we can learn!!!

She uploaded to our new Google Classroom ready to share with everyone.

Parents Can Visit Their Child's Google Classroom

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 16:49:45 AEST

Mr Burney is so excited about Google Classrooms he is doing some air guitar!!!

Students have all been assigned an activity in their Google Classroom to help teach them the processes of completing work and returning assignments.

In the coming weeks, parents will be emailed an invitation to be connected to their child's google classroom account.

Please contact the school (after Friday 1st May) if you do not receive this email.

Our website has videos to help parents to understand what google classroom is all about, and provide support for the activities students will complete;

How To Access Google Classrooms
How To Submit Classwork
Parents Are Connected to Google Classrooms

We are all working through this together to build the capacity of everyone to use the system effectively.

In term two, the programs and work will be assigned through the Google Classrooms and we will be utilising video conferencing to further enhance the online teaching and learning experience.

Visit our Berry PS Learning At Home Google Classroom Support

Google Classrooms Good to Go!

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 14:02:08 AEDT

We Are Learning: Our Google Classrooms platform is ready to enhance our Learning At Home programs and support.

There is a proverb, " If you want to go fast, go yourself. If you want to go far, go together".

Our team has worked incredibly hard to develop a consistent online platform to support learning at home.

This afternoon the information and passwords are going to be emailed to all students and they can all access it via their student portal.

Check our Google Classroom Support on the Berry PS Learning At Home page for support.

There are a number of options available but we have chosen a single platform for many reasons including:

- Consistency across the school.

- A single platform for parents to learn and operate (Parents don't have to support students to operate multiple platforms, older students can help younger students).

- The ability to expand and extend the platform.

- The ability to upload and download files.

- The ability to integrate with other platforms.

- Available through the student portal.

- The ability for teachers to set assignments and provide feedback.

Please watch the HOW TO ACCESS GOOGLE CLASSROOMS video on our website and support your children to do the activities.

A huge thanks to Mr Burney and Mr Simpson for leading the professional learning sessions.

Mr Simpson and Mrs Crilley are available on Thursday 2nd April for tech support.

The Cooking Channel : Supporting Learning At Home

Tue, 31 Mar 2020 20:08:30 AEDT

The Cooking Channel goes live!!!

We are expanding the ways we support learning at home with a page dedicated to family activities and ways to break up routines.

I'm so excited to share this page for 2 reasons:

1) It contains student generated content

2) It was a successful trial of my google classroom.

A huge thanks to Kayla and Alicia for supporting my professional learning and adding great value to our website.

by Mr Willetts

Check out the first student recipes.

We Are All Learning Together

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 15:48:05 AEDT

In this video Mr Willetts wants everyone to know:

We miss you all.
We are all in this COVID-19 situation together.
Everyone is making significant adjustments to so many aspects of our daily lives, including learning.
The transition to learning at home is providing huge challenges for us ALL. Just do your best and don't stress out about your school work. The teachers are still here to support you.
Focus on your health and wellbeing.
We are so grateful for you support and encouragement.
More support is on the way this week.

Covid-19 Advice From Our Captains

Fri, 27 Mar 2020 15:52:47 AEDT

Commeth the Hour, Commeth Our Captains:

A video to support our families.

When talking about The Berry Way I often say to students and staff that "Leadership is a matter of perspective", meaning that everyone is leader .

Our captains are aware that their peers and younger students will look to them for leadership, advice, support and to inspire confidence during difficult times.

A huge thanks to Kayla and Liam for their outstanding leadership and advocacy.

No child will be turned away from school

Wed, 25 Mar 2020 12:22:39 AEDT

Schools are open and no student will be turned away. Parents have been encouraged to keep their children at home if possible.

Schools will remain open for parents who want their children to attend irrespective of their profession or working arrangements.

The decision to keep schools open has been made based on advice from NSW Health, which has not changed.

The department will provide continuity of learning for all students both on and off campus and the Premier, for practical reasons, has encouraged parents to keep their children at home if they could.

Schools will communicate directly with parents on what learning options are available using their communication methods such as the school website, newsletters, emails and other online tools.

Latest advice

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).
Explore the department's learning from home resources for teachers and parents to support both online and offline learning for all students.

We Are Caring ..... And We Miss You!

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 19:59:14 AEDT

The teachers have created a short (7 minute – gosh teachers can talk!) video sharing wellbeing strategies with the students as we believe that our students wellbeing is paramount at this time.

A big thank you to Mrs Snell for putting this video together. It was a little bit of comic relief for the teachers as well!

COVID-19 Learning At Home

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 10:12:10 AEDT

Week 9 Learning Programs have been sent to parents via our APP, they are also available via the "Learning at our school" tab on our website and selecting COVID-19 Learning At Home link.

At 8am on Monday 23rd March 2020 the Premier announced changes to the teaching and learning mode in NSW Schools, by 5pm our team had responded with programs and a clear plan for the continuity of learning for our students.

Our programs and support will continue to evolve as we build our collective capacity to operate as teachers and learners in the online environment.

Thank you to our incredible team of teachers, administration staff and support staff for their positive and professional response.

New COVID-19 restrictions begin as schools move towards online learning

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 19:53:30 AEDT

The NSW Government has taken significant new steps to increase restrictions across the state - triggering the next level of enforcement necessary to fight COVID-19.

Following the decisions made by National Cabinet, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the shutdown to protect NSW citizens.

"I understand many in the community are worried, and these changes will affect everyday lives, and may be upsetting," Ms Berejiklian said.

"But these decisions will make us all safer, they are taken with the health of all citizens in mind, and they must be taken now.

"If you have the capacity to work from home, you should do so."

In line with health advice, from midday today, the following non-essential activities and businesses will be temporarily shut down:

pubs, registered clubs
gyms, indoor sporting venues
cinemas, entertainment venues, casinos, and night clubs
restaurants and cafes will be restricted to takeaway and/or home delivery
religious gatherings, places of worship (excluding small weddings and funerals that comply with the 4m2 rule, which can proceed).

It is important to note essential gatherings at places such as hospitals, workplaces, constructions sites and for public transport are exempt and will continue.

As confirmed last night by the Prime Minister schools will remain open, based on health advice, which has not changed.

But from tomorrow, in NSW, for practical reasons, parents are encouraged to keep their children at home.

"Because nearly 30 per cent of children are already being kept out of school, for practical reasons NSW is encouraging parents to keep their children at home," Ms Berejiklian said.

"This will ensure there is only one unit of work, whether the student is at home or at school.

"No child will be turned away from school."

Latest advice

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to COVID-19 (novel coronavirus).
Explore the department's learning from home resources for teachers and parents to support both online and offline learning for all students.

Creativity Rules In Our Paint Pot

Thu, 19 Mar 2020 11:34:42 AEDT

What's been happening in Paint Pot this term?

Paint Pot is the creative hub of our school, led by the creative brains trust forces of our specialist art teachers Mrs Grivas, Mrs Quinn and Mrs Snell. Every student accesses Paint Pot as part of our weekly teacher release from face to face program.

The work students create is absolutely amazing and is displayed with pride throughout our school and community.

Check out this amazing virtual tour created by Year 6 student Alicia Healey.

Schools to implement distancing measures

Sun, 15 Mar 2020 21:05:04 AEDT

The NSW Department of Education is introducing proactive measures to limit the impact of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in our schools.

Mark Scott, Secretary of the Department of Education, today announced that schools would adopt social distancing measures requiring them to cancel assemblies, excursions, travel, some events and conferences.

Mr Scott said these measures are precautionary and designed to reduce exposure via non-essential gatherings.

"Schools have been a focus of the community and the government as the impacts of coronavirus have developed globally," Mr Scott said.

"From Monday onwards, I expect school assemblies and substantial gatherings to be cancelled, along with all excursions.

"The community expects schools to be as safe as possible. We are implementing these measures to provide peace of mind for students, parents and staff."

"These cancellations also extend to inter-school arts, sports, initiative activities and events.

All major arts, sports and initiative activities and events will temporarily be ceased until further notice. This includes whole-school sporting events and inter-school events involving three or more schools.

"Local inter-school sport and other activities can proceed, but we ask organisers to ensure that as far as possible, reasonable precautions are taken," Mr Scott said.

"I trust our principals and staff to show leadership during this time."

Schools will be provided with more detailed advice and suggestions on how they can adjust their day to day activities with minimal disruption.

The department is continuing to prepare for further closures if necessary with scaling up of technology, additional training of staff and preparation of offsite lessons.

Families and students in self-isolation can find useful information to continue learning from home.

For the latest information, check COVID-19 advice for schools.

Berry Students Overflow With Generosity

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 16:47:22 AEDT

Our students raise over $700 to support Ulladulla Public School!!!

Berry Public School student leaders organised a mufti day and cake stall to support our mates at Ulladulla PS through the NSWPPA adopt-a-school response to the NSW fires.

The generosity and empathy of our students in relation to the recent bushfires has been amazing. We have been inundated with ideas from students.

The NSW Primary Principals’ Association has worked across the state to create an Adopt-A School program. We have been allocated to provide support to Ulladulla Public School.

Many families and staff at the school were directly affected by the fires and the school has established a full time wellbeing officer, as well as a quiet games and support area for students.

All funds and donations will go towards their quiet games and support area.

A huge thanks to the parents who supported us with the baking and donations.

The SRC leaders will be buying the games locally on the south coast and going on a trip to Ulladulla to present the school with their gifts.

Check out the amazing photo gallery.

Berry Continually Excels

Wed, 04 Mar 2020 12:31:10 AEDT

Berry Continues to Excel!

A picture tells a thousand words about the performance of our school.

Berry Public School continues our long standing trend of being one of the highest performing schools in NSW in Literacy and Numeracy.

Some of the reasons for our ongoing high performance include:

- An expert teaching team that co-design high quality programs.

- A dual focus on student learning and positive wellbeing.

- A balanced curriculum including a wide range of extra-curricular opportunities.

- Targeted, direct instruction at the student point of need.

- Internal assessments and data that monitors student progress and achievement.

- Catering for the needs of high potential and gifted students, including acceleration and access to additional programs.

- An outstanding Learning Support Team that manages health, wellbeing, counselling and learning support services in consultation with parents, paraprofessionals and external agencies.

- Positive and supportive relationships with parents.

- A relentless focus on continuous improvement and refinement of learning programs and strategies.

About the Graph:

The graph shows the combined Year 3 and Year 5 Literacy results of students. Each dot represents a NSW school. In 2019 65% of our Year 3 and Year 5 students performed in the Top 2 bands for reading.

The X-Axis is The Family Occupation and Education Index (FOEI) is a school-level index of educational disadvantage related to socio-economic background. It has been selected as the basis of the equity loading for socio-economic background in the Department’s new Resource Allocation Model. FOEI is constructed from parental education and occupation information collected from student enrolment forms and recorded in the Enrolment Registration Number system. FOEI uses a statistical regression model to produce a weighted combination of school-level parental education and occupation variables based on the extent to which each variable uniquely predicts average school performance.

Parents Supported to Enhance Literacy - We Are Learning!

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 14:12:35 AEDT

Every year the Berry Public School Mini Literacy Conference receives outstanding feedback from parents!

The conference is wonderful opportunity to learn about how to enjoy and support your child’s reading at home and build their love of reading. The Mini Literacy Conference led by Literacy experts and is designed to acquaint parents with skills and strategies appropriate for early Literacy learners. This is highly recommended to all Kindergarten parents and any new parents with children in K-2.

📖 When: Next Friday 28th February 9:15-12:15
📖 Where: Workshop is held in the school Library
📖Who: Sue McAuliffe, Jess Snell, Keely Crilley
📖What:
✨importance of parents as reading partners
✨Skill building sessions
✨reading activities
✨practising skills learnt during Workshop with your child
✨Phonics and “Berry” specific information shared with parents
✨Light refreshments will be provided

To attend, please fill the form out on the school App or call the school office.

Plant Prop Totally Rocks!

Mon, 24 Feb 2020 13:45:31 AEDT

Our Plant Propagation and Environmental Science Center is in full swing again with Stage 2 and 3 having their Science and Geography programs supplemented in this outstanding learning space this semester.

A big thanks to Lyn and John for their tireless efforts in coordinating the programs and also to the many volunteers who make learning so engaging.

2020 District Swimming Carnival

Thu, 05 Mar 2020 16:24:42 AEDT

Congratulations to 36 wonderful Berry Public School swimmers who travelled to Albion Park on Friday 21^st February to compete in the Tongarra District Swimming carnival. It was the first year Berry has competed in the Tongarra District and there was some tough opposition. Each Berry student put in an awesome effort in their event and their conduct throughout the day was fantastic. Overall, Berry came fourth in the carnival. Special mention goes to Lucy, Lucas, Victoria, Isabella, Alec, Summer, the boy’s junior relay team and girl’s senior relay team who all placed in their races and will now compete in the South Coast Swimming Carnival in Dapto. For more photos plese visit the BPS website gallery.

Regional Sports Restructure Prompts Berry's Northern Migration to "Tongarra"

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 14:48:03 AEDT

In 2019 South Coast PSSA restructured the South Coast Sport Region because of declining enrolments in some districts and other districts that had growing enrolments. Shoalhaven District was extended south to take in all South Shoalhaven schools as far as Ulladulla. This meant that the Shoalhaven was now a district of twenty-two schools with over three thousand primary enrolments.

Berry was asked to join Tongarra PSSA in 2020 which we have now done. Tongarra is a district that comprises of nine schools: Berry, Gerringong, Kiama, Minnamurra, Jamberoo, Albion Park, Albion Park Rail, Mount Terry and Tulimbar. The primary enrolment is just over two thousand students.

It does mean some changes. District trials for Senior Primary will occur now for all sports in the Tongarra District. Zone trials will be a combination of Tongarra and the Shoalhaven.

Carnivals will be at Albion Park for swimming with regional still at Dapto Pool.

Cross country for the school will be Willandra, district at Kiama and regional at Willandra.

The athletics carnival will be Berry Showground for the school, Kiama for district and Canberra for regional.

School Sports Organisers

Dean Haddon & Adam Simpson

Swimming Carnival 2020

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 12:26:15 AEDT

Click this news article to see footage of the 2020 swimming carnival. It was another great athletics event where our students showed outstanding sportsmanship and competitive spirit throughout the day.

Thank you to Mr Haddon and the staff for their organisation, as well as to all of our parents who turned out to support the event.

Special thanks to Alicia Healey in Year 6 for creating this video of the carnival.

Kindergarten's First Day

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 14:19:34 AEDT

"An amazing and supportive start to school, we couldn't be happier."

"It was great from our end, thank you."

"We were very comfortable, the communication was excellent"

"They couldn't wait to see their buddy!"

The incredible organisation of our staff in partnership with our parents, and the outstanding work of our Year 6 buddies made the first morning of kindergarten calm, fun and smooth sailing for our 2020 Kindergarten students.

As Kindergarten students arrived today, they were warmly greeted by their teachers and Year 6 buddies. They spent most of the morning together moving around their classrooms enjoying a wide variety of activities as they settled into their first day.

Our teachers went to extraordinary lengths to ensure a safe and caring environment, even providing gifts for the parents.

Special mention and thanks to Chris and Hannah Jallard for organising the first day of school photos. This great tradition was started by Chris Firth many years ago and continues thanks to generous support of our P&C.

For more photos check out the Gallery

Welcome Back to 2020!!!

Thu, 30 Jan 2020 14:23:48 AEDT

Welcome back to all of our students, staff, parents, carers and community!

An especially warm welcome to our new families and kindergarten students, as well as Miss Wearne and Ms Gibson who have joined the team this year.

The first morning back in our school playground is always such a joy. Seeing the students, staff and parents all reconnecting after the holidays is a really special experience.

I was sincerely grateful to see everyone back at school safe and sound after what was definitely an extraordinary summer holiday.

Everyone I've spoken to has reflected on the heightened stress and anxiety levels throughout the community over the holidays. Everyone was affected directly or indirectly by the fires which still threaten many properties. We wish to thank everyone who was involved in fighting the fires, volunteering their time to support agencies, and for donating to response efforts.

Our school counsellor Mel Bolton has provided the following resources for parents and carers to support our community in recovering. Please contact the school if you require any further support for your children.

https://www.psychology.org.au/for-the-public/Psychology-topics/Disasters/Bushfires/Recovering-from-bushfires/Guidelines-children-after-bushfires

Kindness, caring, warmth and generosity.

The most challenging situations bring out the very best in people and there are so many amazing stories of kindness, generosity and support by our community members, parents, staff and students.

One gesture that made a very positive impact was by Rylee Bezant who (expertly supported by his mum) baked cookies and hand wrote messages to people evacuated to Berry Caravan Park. The impact of the gesture was widely shared on social media and we congratulate and thank Rylee for being such a wonderful ambassador for our school and community.

Come along to our parent information sessions

Over the coming weeks all classes will have parent information sessions. We encourage all parents to attend these important sessions.

Communication, Communication, Communication.

We use three main sources of communication about school events and news. Check our website this week for details about each source of information. To make sure you are first with the latest….

- Download the schoolstream App

- Favourite the school website

- Like the school facebook page.

Resources and textbooks

Next week we will be sending out an invoice to parents for textbooks and online programs that students use throughout the year.

Our school orders the textbooks for students because we receive a discounted rate which is passed on to parents.

Please pay this promptly so the resources can be provided. If you require assistance, please contact the office.

Afternoon pick ups

All students who are not travelling on the buses are to wait under the large COLA for parent collection. If you arrange an alternative collection point with your child, please ensure they know to go to the COLA if you are not there. This message is reinforced at our morning assemblies for students’ safety.

Don’t forget if you need to make a change to the going home routine in the afternoon via the office, we ask that this is done at the very latest by 2.30pm to allow the office staff time to pass on the message to your child/ren.

Swimming Carnival.

Best of luck to all of our students at the swimming carnival next Friday. We always appreciate assistance with time keepers at the carnival. If you are able to assist please see the teachers at the carnival.

Coronavirus - Department of Education statement

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 19:15:09 AEDT

The department is working with the Ministry of Health to monitor and respond to the unfolding international novel coronavirus situation.

Get up-to-date information about the department's response to novel coronavirus.

#Ready2020 – a great year starts here

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 13:48:38 AEDT

Starting school is a big moment in a child’s life. Here’s how to make the most of it.

We can’t wait for you to join us for a great year – the first step towards a lifelong love of learning.

Visit the department’s primary school resources for hints, tips and checklists to make a great start to the new school year, whether your child is starting Kindergarten or Year 6.

You’ll find:

Getting ready for primary school booklet – everything you need to be #Ready2020
Daisy’s First Day – the story of Daisy the koala’s first adventure at Kindergarten
advice from teachers – they’ve been through this before.

Video – #Ready2020: First day of Kindy

Duration – 1:00

Staying healthy into the new school year

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 17:19:12 AEDT

Immunisation is a simple, safe and effective way to protect your family from harmful diseases this holiday season and into 2020. Visit your doctor for general health and vaccination advice.

Immunisation not only protects you and your family but also others in your community, by reducing the spread of preventable diseases.

Children starting school in 2020 must have up-to-date immunisations to enrol.

These vaccinations help protect children from highly infectious and severe diseases including whooping cough and measles.

Travel health

If you’re travelling overseas during the school holidays, you may need vaccinations or medication – both for general health protection and for region-specific diseases.

If you’re travelling to the Northern Hemisphere, you may even need a flu shot.

Find out more about staying healthy while travelling.

Berry Dads Create An Amazing Night Together

Sat, 16 Nov 2019 19:05:31 AEDT

The atmosphere was truly wonderful as the oval filled with all manner of tents and camping gear for the inaugural Berry Dads Camp Out.

A huge thanks to all of the Berry Dads for your efforts to make the camp out so special. Whilst it was clear was some fresh equipment. There was no shortage of willing helpers. There no shortage of moral support. There was no shoratge of instructions floating around.... and being read! And a great time was had by all!!! Special mention once again to Will Hawkyard for his leadership and coordination of The Fathering Project.

Congratulations and well done you legends!

For more information check out our Berry Dads Page

Click to see the FULL GALLERY

Berry Buddies - We Are Caring

Fri, 15 Nov 2019 13:20:33 AEDT

A sense of belonging and peer support begins with our Buddy Program.

Our kindergarten orientation program includes matching our new students with senior buddies who become the centre of their student support network at school. The senior buddies model and promote our positive school culture “The Berry Way”, as well as work on literacy programs and special activities throughout the year.

Click to see the GALLERY

For more information visit our Supporting Our Students pages.

Communication

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 09:59:48 AEDT

Communication is vitally important in any relationship.

In 2018 our school embarked on a complete revision of our school communications processes in consultation with our P&C to enhance our communication systems with the clear intentions to :

- Provide a better service to our parents and community,

- Streamline communications making the website the source of truth,

- Enhance communication and administration processes for excursions and events,

- Promote the achievements of Berry Public School and Public Education.

The introduction of the SchoolStream app, a new website and enhanced social media presence have been the cornerstones of the changes, but every aspect of our communications and related permissions and payment processes has been considered.

As we move into an online environment our staff have had to modify our processes and behaviours, and we ask that our parents find ways to make the new systems work for you as well.

Examples of how parents are making the system work for them include:

- Setting aside a dedicated time to check the app (the same way you would check a schoolbag or open your snail mail)

- Synchronising the App notifications to your own Outlook Calendar and setting reminders.

- If you love your fridge! Print off the notes and put them on the fridge.

- Share News stories and Images of your children with your friends on Social Media.

- Print hard copies of News stories involving your children and read the stories to them.

- Share your strategies with other parents.

- Have a combined calendar including all school, social and sporting events for each family member.

We acknowledge that there are occasional technical issues and the system isn't perfect, however the paper based system certainly wasn't either, and we welcome all feedback to assist us in making improvements. Over time everyone will become more efficient and effective in the new environment.

The School Administration and Support team led by Mrs Jennings has done a magnificent job of managing the changes and we wish to thank them for their continuing efforts and responsiveness. Please contact the office if you require personal support to access the app.

Download the "SchoolStream" app onto your phone or access it from the front page of our website. https://berryps.myschoolstream.net/

NSW schools respond to bushfires

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 17:32:00 AEDT

Many schools are responding to the catastrophic fire rating that is affecting communities across the state this week.

We are continuously updating the School safety page with a list of government and non-government schools, as well as TAFE NSW campuses that are currently non-operational.

While some schools are temporarily non-operational due to localised fires, many others in high-risk areas are non-operational as a precautionary measure.

Schools in some areas are being used as emergency evacuation centres at the direction of the Rural Fire Service.

For schools that are currently operational, school pickups and dropoffs will continue as usual. If your school is currently non-operational, it will likely remain so tomorrow.

Large scale distressing events affect our school communities in many ways. Headspace’s mental health support resource (PDF 100.52KB) is available to help students, teachers and school staff respond to the bushfires.

Visit the School safety page for updates. The department’s Facebook and Twitter accounts will also provide updates during this period.

Week 3 Talent Quest News

Thu, 07 Nov 2019 13:19:29 AEDT

Congratulations to all participants in the second Talent Quest for 2019. The category was lip syncing. Mrs Crilley, Mrs Snell, Jacinta and Imogen had a tricky time judging the performances. Next Tuesday and Wednesday’s category will be dancing and it will be held both lunch times in the hall starting at 11.30 on the dot.

The winners were:

1st Place: Phoebe

2nd Place: Chase

3rd Place: Alice and Mia

Encouragement Awards were:

Lily and Amelia

2019 School Cricket

Mon, 11 Nov 2019 14:02:38 AEDT

Last Monday Berry played Narooma in fourth round of the state knockout. It was a close game against a well drilled Narooma school. Berry won the toss and elected to bowl. We bowled them out in the 25th over for 112 runs. Jarvis bowled well and took 3 for 27 and the team took some great catches.

Our innings started well with the openers Will and Tyson putting on 56 before we lost our first wicket. Then Bailey and Noah put on another 30 before we had a batting collapse to be all out for 93.

Thank you to Mrs Hinkley for scoring in all our games, to Mr Street for having the oval mowed for us and to Mr Jennings for umpirng.

Project Platypus

Wed, 06 Nov 2019 13:43:38 AEDT

Project Platypus 2019

On the 22nd and 23rd of October, 15 students from Berry Public School, Cambewarra public school and 18 from Kangaroo Public School camped at Bendeela and travelled Brogers End to learn and raise awareness about platypus. We learnt about platypus, their environment and how to help them. We studied the banks of the river and water quality and compared them to what they need.

We scientists were privilaged to have scientist who explained to us in depth about platypus and the nets they were using to try to catch platypus that night. We were excited when we woke up the next morning to find the scientists had caught a platypus in their net the previous night, just before they packed up.

Platypus are endangered and you can help by removing opera house yabby traps, plant trees next to rivers and go to download the platypus spot and report your findings if you are lucky enough to find one.

Liam Berry PS

2019 Talent Quest News

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 13:55:58 AEDT

Congratulations to all participants in the first Talent Quest for 2019. The category was instrumental. Mrs Quinn, Mrs Snell, Pia and Georgie had a tricky time judging the performances. Next Tuesday’s category will be Lip Syncing and it will be held lunch time in the hall. If you would like to come watch bring 20 cents next week.

The winners were:

1^st Place:

Leo

Jarvis, Ruben and Thomas

2^nd Place: Harper

3^rd Place: Imogen and Willow

Encouragement Awards were awarded to Rylee, Fraya & Dakota

News from our new Natural Studies and Plant Propagation Centre

Fri, 25 Oct 2019 12:29:42 AEDT

Last term Kindergarten and Year 2 have been lucky enough to be the first classes to integrate their Science curriculum in our new Natural Studies and Plant Propagation Centre! It has been a huge success with classes learning all about life cycles, the importance of plants for humans and other living creatures, how seeds germinate and grow, how flowers pollinate and identifying local native plants growing in our schools grounds.

Thank you to Lyn and John and their team of volunteers for their hard work. Thank you also to all parent volunteers who gave up their time to join our students during their time in the centre.

Chess Tournament

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 13:03:42 AEDT

On Wednesday 18th September 2019 three students from stage 2 went to Wollongong for a NSW chess tournament. The tournament had thirty six teams from many areas of the Illawarra and Shoalhaven. Jack, Jasper and Lily played six games against Shellharbour, Mount St Thomas, Kiama and St Therese. The games lasted for around twenty minutes.

When the results were tallied Berry came 11^th in the competition. Well done to the three students and thank you to the parents who transported them.

Year 5 Papua New Guinea CWA presentation

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 12:30:39 AEDT

On Wednesday 18^th September Year 5 presented their Papua New Guinea assignments to the CWA club at their meeting room near the showground. This is the thirty-nine year of our relationship between the CWA and the students of Year 5 starting back in 1980.

Year 5 had spent term 2 and the start of term 3 researching, note taking and writing their draft assignments at school.

Then students took their drafts home to organise their work for presentation. There was a great variety of posters, books and models.

The models were judged in three categories with the winners of the book section Kayla Smith, Alicia Healey, Grace White and Ava Dicembre. In the posters Will Turley, Gabriel Lombardi, Mia Monkerud and Jemima Orme. There were many fantastic models created on different topics the winners of this section were Sophia Fagan, Honey Martin, Oscar Gollan, Liam Chaplin and Alec Redlich. All students then enjoyed a wonderful afternoon tea presented by the CWA members. This is one of the highlights of the Year 5 school year.

The assignments will be on display in room 8 till next Thursday the 26^th of September then they will be sent home. If you would like to see a travel expo, about all aspects of Papua New Guinea, please come down to the classroom and have a look.

For our Year 4, next year’s categories will not be announced till May 2020, when the CWA country study will celebrate forty years.

Berry Public School retains Miller Shield

Mon, 28 Oct 2019 12:42:10 AEDT

On Friday 20th September 2019, Berry played Shoalhaven Heads in the annual rugby league clash for the Miller Shield. The event is in recognition of Keith Miller a rugby league player from the Berry District. His family still farm and reside in the Berry area.

Berry won the game 28 to 18 to retain the shield to a very fast finishing Shoalhaven Heads Team. Thank you to the parents who had the field organised at the Berry Sporting Complex.

Grab a ticket to Schools Spectacular 2019

Tue, 22 Oct 2019 19:08:30 AEDT

Will you be joining us at Schools Spectacular 2019? Tickets are on sale now. Experience our live show featuring a cast of thousands of public school students from across metropolitan, rural and remote regions of NSW.

Students from different ages, cultures and backgrounds will share the spotlight as they dance, play and sing for you. Choose from one of our four massive performances at Qudos Bank Arena on Friday 22 November and Saturday 23 November.

This year's events will feature:

more than 380 schools
5,500 performers
a 3000-strong choir
2,300 dancers
an 80-piece symphony orchestra
a world-class stage band.

Group bookings

Need to make a group booking for over 10 people? Complete the Schools Preview Order Form 2019 (PDF 110KB) to attend the discounted 11am Friday matinee. The Friday matinee is discounted for school students and accompanying teachers.

If you’d like to grab a spot at one of the other three remaining shows complete the Group Booking Form 2019 (PDF 110KB).

Tickets for you and your family and friends

Save you and your family a spot online or by phone on 132 849.

Video – Schools Spectacular 2019

Duration: 0:26

National Sprint Champion Crowned!

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 10:46:35 AEST

Congratulations to Gabriel Lombardi for his outstanding performance in the National Athletics Championships in Darwin last week.

Gabriel became the Fastest 10 year old in the country, winning Gold for the 100m with a new PB of 13:40.

He also won Silver for the 200 m with a new PB of 27:49.

Gabriel's performances cap off an extraordinary year for the young athlete where he has competed at the pinnacle of athletics in sprint and distance events, as well as in soccer.

Space Tours Available Now!!!

Fri, 27 Sep 2019 11:23:30 AEST

Virtual tours using VR kits are providing incredible learning experiences for Berry students.

In a single demonstration lesson, students toured from swimming with whales and sharks in the depths of the ocean, to hurtling through space, and back to feeding giraffes at Taronga Zoo!!!

Our teachers are working on building the VR experiences into their lessons for term 4 which will provide new and exciting opportunitites for our students.

Parents have an opportunity to try out the VR learning experience as well. At our next P&C Meeting Mr Simpson will be showcasing the technology and letting parents experience the VR world.

Have your say on before and after school care

Fri, 13 Sep 2019 13:41:31 AEST

We want to better understand your needs for before and after school care in NSW.

Have your say today on before and after school care.

Fill out the survey by Service NSW to share your specific care needs and to register interest to stay informed of new developments.

Your input will provide insights into where there are gaps in service availability and help us to deliver extra places where they are needed.

You can also contact the team responsible for rolling out the before and after school care commitment at BASCreform@det.nsw.edu.au.

Book yourself in for Reading Hour

Thu, 12 Sep 2019 11:27:46 AEST

This Australian Reading Hour, encourage your child to discover or rekindle their love of a good book. Take the time to learn, escape and relax on Thursday 19 September and read for one hour.

Get involved at home

Join in at home and read your child a bedtime story. Studies show that reading a bedtime story six days a week can give kids almost a year’s head start when they begin school. Reading has also been shown to develop empathy, promote critical thinking and help children find a sense of self.

Join in from the classroom

Bestselling children’s author and illustrator Matt Stanton will broadcast live to primary school children across the country from the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday 17 September. We invite schools to register for the livestream of this free event.

Stanton’s author talk is among more than 140 events happening across the country involving more than 50 authors.

Take the Book Swap Challenge

We all have favourite books that we come back to again and again.

To help celebrate Reading Hour take our Book Swap Challenge. We want students, teachers, staff and parents to try reading something new on the day. To get involved, simply pair up with someone and swap your favourite books.

Take a photo and tag it with #ReadingHour so we can see how you got involved.

Video – #ReadingHour authors talk about their favourite place to read

Duration: 0:38

Looking for a good spot to open a book? We asked authors Benjamin Law, Morris Gleitzman, Jacqueline Harvey and Mick Elliott about their favourite place to read.

Be You Celebration Day 2019

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:36:32 AEDT

We are having the Celebration Day where teachers and students join together to demonstrate behaviours that enhance the positive school culture as articulated by "The Berry Way".

How to be smart and safe on social media

Thu, 05 Sep 2019 11:49:53 AEST

Use our new Digital Citizenship toolkit to empower your child to understand how their online behaviour affects themselves and others.

You and your child can find information on:

how to ‘be positive’ by understanding online behaviour and its effect
'be smart’ by thinking critically and being digitally aware
'be safe’ by protecting your security, privacy and wellbeing.

A toolkit to empower you and your child

You can find articles and videos to equip and empower your child to minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities in our digital future.

We’ve partnered with leading researchers to produce a curated toolkit – aligned to the curriculum – which teachers and you can share with the young people in your lives.

Guide your child through important concepts such as:

managing privacy settings in social media
collaborating online
avoiding scams and hoaxes
understanding the law when it comes to online speech
Internet banking, shopping online and much more.

Keep your child safe and happy online

Visit and bookmark the Digital Citizenship website. We’ll continue to add articles and resources to ensure the best possible tools are available to help you guide your child to be positive, smart and safe online.

Using the Bounce Back Steps at Berry Public School

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 10:39:52 AEST

A proactive strategy to resolve conflict

As part of our ongoing focus on the social and emotional wellbeing of our students, all classes have recently completed our Anti-Bullying lessons based on the Bounce Back program. As with all programs we teach at Berry, teachers were ask to reflect on the program with the view of continual improvement.

Overall the feedback was very positive and teachers felt the Anti-Bullying program was very effective. Already teachers are seeing subtle changes in interactions between students.

Two strategies which we have implemented that have had a noticeable effect are:

Explicit teaching of the term bullying so that students understood the difference between disagreements with their peers and actual bullying incidences. Students now understand that bullying has three main features: it involves a misuse of power in a relationship; it is ongoing and repeated; and it involves behaviours that can cause harm.
Rebranding the Bullying steps to Bounce Back steps as a strategy for resolving conflict. This has changed students’ attitudes from being a victim to being empowered to have voice and stand up for their rights.

This positive change in terminology and an explicit focus on what is and is not bullying within this our Anti-Bullying program gave students a clearer understanding of bullying and the tools to empower students to address and cope with disagreements with their peers.

Award-Winning In-School Theatre Performance – The Protectors

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:36:32 AEDT

Educational theatre that addresses bullying in schools, and empowers vulnerable students to be assertive and safe in the playground and online.

The Tell Them From Me (TTFM) student survey

Wed, 04 Sep 2019 10:35:26 AEST

We are delighted that this term, Berry Public School, like many other public schools in the state, will participate in a Department of Education initiative: the TTFM student feedback survey. The survey is conducted with students in Years 4 to 6 measuring factors that are known to affect academic achievement and other student outcomes. The focus of the NSW-wide survey is on student wellbeing, engagement and effective teaching practices.

Girls League

Sun, 25 Aug 2019 20:48:02 AEST

District Athletics

Mon, 26 Aug 2019 13:07:07 AEST

Premier's Spelling Bee

Wed, 28 Aug 2019 13:27:57 AEST

Every face has a place at Berry Public School

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:38:22 AEDT

One of the many exciting initiatives recently completed at Berry Public School

As a way of strengthening a culture of care, respect and a sense of belonging, the School Culture team had a vision of creating a tiled mural to support diversity within our school. Project planning began in 2017 and thanks to a successful Community Engagement Grant from the State Government we were able to complete our “Every Face has a Place” tiled mural earlier this year.

To complete this project, each student drew a self-portrait in Paint Pot lessons during 2018. As part of these lessons, teachers spoke openly and honestly about individual differences and the need to respect people of all backgrounds and abilities.

We hope the mural is a long-lasting reminder that at Berry all students are known, valued and cared for. Next time you’re down at the hall, have a look at the mural. I’m sure you’ll agree we have many talented artists at Berry Public School.

Outstanding Open Day!

Fri, 09 Aug 2019 16:36:04 AEST

The 2019 Education Week Open Day Extravaganza provided so many amazing opportunities for our grandparents and parents to share in the progress and achievements of our students.

On a sublime day in Berry, the audience of hundreds of guests was treated to a range of performing arts displays including singing, dancing, band and verse.

Our public speaking champions were on point and the grandparent descriptions had everyone smiling.

As always, the book fair was generously attended, and the plant propagation team sold a range of plants to take their place throughout our community.

We wish to thank everyone for their support, kindness and generosity throughout the day. A huge thanks to all of our staff and P&C for their incredible work to prepare and deliver such an amazing event. Special thanks to Mrs Crilley and Mr Simpson for coordinating the event.

Check out the photo gallery

Berry Honoured With Executive Director's Award

Mon, 12 Aug 2019 11:38:07 AEST

Berry Public School was recognised at the 2019 Education Week Awards with an Executive Director's Award for its significant contribution to achieving the strategic goals of NSW Department of Education.

Representatives from the staff and P&C were on hand to receive the award on behalf of the school community.

The citation for the award is below.......

Berry Public School.

This award recognises the outstanding commitment of Berry Public School staff, students and parents working in partnership to achieve the key strategic direction of the school plan: to provide a comprehensive and inclusive wellbeing framework and advance parent and community partnerships to further strengthen the positive school culture known as “The Berry Way”.

The School Culture Team and P&C have led the implementation of a wide range of integrated programs that promote and enhance student wellbeing and resilience, reduce bullying, and ensure EVERY student at Berry Public School is known, valued and cared for.

The successful strategies have included:

- Professional learning for all staff focused on mental health, resilience and effective support for students;

- Providing a voice to students, parents and teachers through annual surveys and focus groups, followed by detailed data analysis by the team;

- Reframing the school rules as “The Berry Way” to reflect the core values of the community and ensuring visual presentation throughout the school and in all classrooms;

- Aligning the celebration and recognition of student progress and achievements with “The Berry Way”, including new reporting on student social and emotional outcomes.

- An annual Kidsmatter Celebration Day to explicitly focus on teaching core values and associated behaviours and expectations;

- A tailored K-6 wellbeing and resilience curriculum;

- An enhanced Peer Leaders Support Program;

- Playground Buddy Seats;

- Providing a wealth of support, information and resources about resilience, wellbeing and anti-bullying strategies for parents on the school website and social media;

- A 'ParentsMatter' program to support parents, including workshops facilitated by world renowned experts such as Maggie Dent;

- 'The Fathering Project' which has seen an exponential rise in the engagement and connection of families through events targeted at fathers and father figures.

- The “Flourish Movement” with Dr Adam Fraser to enhance staff wellbeing.

The School and P&C are worthy recipients of this award in recognition of their outstanding work, and the positive impact on the entire school community.

Kindergarten 100 Day Celebration 2019

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 21:20:49 AEST

Premier’s Spelling Bee - Stage 1 Finals

Mon, 05 Aug 2019 11:45:13 AEST

Last week, Year 1 and Year 2 classes held the finals of our annual Spelling Bee. Twelve contestants in each grade battled it out to be named Spelling Bee Champion. Students started being eliminated in Round 4, with some very tricky words to spell!

Our Year 1 winner was Felix Struve with Scarlett Danswan coming a close second - both very clever spellers!

Our Year 2 winner was Isaac Jacobs who also spelt some very tricky words and Alice Goodger was our Year 2 runner-up.

Congratulations to all the finalists from Years 1 and 2 for an outstanding effort with their spelling.

Education Week – Every student, every voice

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:16:05 AEST

We are celebrating our students and their powerful voices this Education Week Monday 5 August to Friday 9 August. Every year Education Week celebrates the achievements of public schools, our students and the value of public education.

This year, the theme is Every student, every voice.

Join us for #EdWeek19 as we celebrate our students and their power to shape the world.

Video – #EdWeek19 – Every student, every voice

Duration: 0:34

Be You Survey Time - We Value Your Feedback

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:36:35 AEDT

Building Better Family Relationships

Mon, 29 Jul 2019 10:55:48 AEST

Caring and commitment are the basis of strong family relationships. This means making the wellbeing of family members a first priority and offering support when needed.

The following suggestions may be useful reminders:

Tune in

listen to what other family members have to say with interest and enthusiasm,
celebrate birthdays and achievements, and
taking the time to understand how other family members are feeling.

Have fun together

spend time doing things you enjoy, and
relax and play together.

Make time to talk

take time to talk with children after school or before bedtime, and
make time for adults to ‘check in’ with each other.

Appreciate differences

value and respect each family member’s unique needs, wants and talents, and
avoid negative comparisons.

Share the load

share the chores and make sure that everyone gets to have a say in the decisions that affect them.

Get support: family life has many challenges as well as rewards. Getting support when you need it (from extended family, friends, or professionals) is important for managing these challenges. Professional counselling is a particularly valuable strategy for helping many families who experience relationship problems.

Resilience – turning challenges into opportunities

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:36:34 AEDT

This semester our whole school focus within our Bounce Back program will be Resilience

When we talk about resilience, we’re talking about a child’s ability to cope with ups and downs, and bounce back from the challenges they experience during childhood.

Building resilience helps children not only to deal with current difficulties that are a part of everyday life, but also to develop the basic skills and habits that will help them deal with challenges later in life, during adolescence and adulthood.

Resilience is important for children’s mental health. Children with greater resilience are better able to manage stress, which is a common response to difficult events. Stress is a risk factor for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, if the level of stress is severe or ongoing.

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for Students with a Disability (NCCD)

Thu, 04 Jul 2019 12:49:35 AEST

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for Students with a Disability (NCCD)

This term the learning support team has been using our school data to provide the required NCCD information to the department.

The Nationally consistent approach to data collection provides all Australian Schools, education authorities and the community with a clear picture of the number of students with a disability in schools and the adjustments they are provided to enable them to participate in education on the same basis as other students.

The Australian Education Regulation requires all schools to provide information to the Australian Government Department of education and training for the purpose of the NCCD. The information includes:

•The student’s level of education

•The student’s category of disability (ie. Physical, cognitive, sensory, or social/emotional)

•The student’s level of adjustment (ie. Support provided within quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial or extensive adjustment)

The information will NOT identify individual students.

For Further information about the collection, use or disclosure of the information for the NCCD please contact SWDPolicyTEam@education.gov.au

Homework Survey

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 10:07:34 AEST

2019 Public Speaking Grand Final

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 12:24:46 AEST

Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for Students With a Disability (NCCD)

Fri, 28 Jun 2019 09:10:37 AEST

Protecting Young Hearts from Bullying

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:36:34 AEDT

As part of our ongoing focus on the social and emotional wellbeing of our students, this semester each class participated in anti-bullying lessons based on the Bounce Back program.

In one of these lessons, our Kindergarten students read Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. They had to pay attention to when characters in the book were using kind words or mean words. Each time a character said something mean, students had to wrinkle up their paper heart to represent how mean words impact on others. Each time a character said something kind, students tried to smooth out the paper heart in an effort to repair it.

We wanted to share with you some insightful comments from one of our Kindergarten students about the crinkled hearts displayed near KV’s Anti-Bullying pledge. Holly said “it’s hard to fix a wrinkled heart. The wrinkles are like mean words and no matter how much you say sorry they may never go away”.

Safe to say Holly has understood the learning intentions of this lesson.

Well done Holly

Creative and Active Kids vouchers now available

Fri, 14 Jun 2019 11:44:30 AEST

Creative kids can now put a $100 voucher towards extra-curricular creative activities outside of school.

Together with Active Kids, this program aims to encourage more NSW children to participate in a range of extra-curricular activities such as coding, languages, circus, performing arts and visual arts.

Parents can apply for one $100 voucher for each child enrolled in school on the Creative Kids website and use it towards the cost of registration, participation or tuition. You just redeem the voucher with a registered provider in your area when making your payment.

This is a great opportunity for your child to become involved in a range of activities that will build on their education, growth and development.

Service NSW is working with industry bodies to deliver the program.

For more information, contact Service NSW on 137 788 or creativekids@service.nsw.gov.au.

Regional Touch Football Trials

Wed, 05 Jun 2019 12:46:42 AEST

Last Friday students from Berry school attended the regional touch trials for boys and girls at Albion Park. Well done to Tyson and Andii who were in the Shoalhaven Teams and congratulations to Alisha from Berry PS who was chosen for the South Coast side that plays in Mudgee later this year.

The Game Changer Challenge is back

Fri, 31 May 2019 12:28:42 AEST

It’s not too late to become a Game Changer with applications for the Education Week challenge due by 7 June.

The Game Changer Challenge brings 16 teams from public schools across NSW – eight from primary and eight from secondary – to Sydney during Education Week in August for a three-day, intensive design-thinking workshop.

The Game Changer workshops, which start on Tuesday 6 August, includes teacher training in the use of design thinking as a teaching methodology and its application for school planning.

It also includes a team competition where schools will work under the guidance of experts from industry and academia to develop a solution to this year’s critical question: How might we humanise technology?

Department of Education Secretary Mark Scott has encouraged students and teachers to get behind the event as it highlights the critical thinking students will need to develop to succeed in the future.

“The Game Changer Challenge is an exciting initiative that helps educate and inform our students and teachers on how to integrate the problem-solving methodology of design thinking into the classroom,” Mr Scott says.

“It embraces the 21^st century skills our students will need to thrive in a globalised world such as collaboration, creative thinking and communication.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for our students at all levels to be involved in discussing and addressing a real-world issue that will affect their future lives. I encourage every school to get involved.”

The challenge is designed to make strong learning and teaching connections to the NSW syllabus specifically in the area of developing general capabilities such as critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication and problem-solving.

The challenge also provides teachers with an opportunity to gain exposure to the design thinking process and includes teacher resources to introduce this creative problem-solving methodology into the classroom.

Finalists will be selected based on a 60-second video that showcases your team’s vision around the question of humanising technology.

For more information email edweek@det.nsw.edu.au or visit the Game Changer Challenge page.

Billy Cart Bonanza!!!

Wed, 29 May 2019 13:34:07 AEST

The Inaugural Berry Billy Cart Cup was a truly spectacular success for our school community. Organised by our Berry Dads group, the day saw 82 Billy Carts, over 130 registered drivers, and Mums and Dads providing masses of horsepower!

The smiles on everyone's faces said it all.

We wish to thank the extensive list of parents involved in the organisation of the event, especially Will Hawkyard for his great passion and leadership.

Check out our gallery for more photos!

A Close Cross Country

Wed, 29 May 2019 14:31:30 AEST

After a hard fought school cross country, the district cross country was held on the 17^th May on a beautiful autumn day. Forty five students participated in the events organised by the Shoalhaven PSSA. We had some amazing runners in all the age groups. Several runners have made the regional carnival which will be held again at Willandra on Friday the 7^th of June.

Well done to Boston Mastrangelo, Stephen Alfano, Peter Gallenca in the U8/9 Boys, Gabriel Lombardi in the U10 boys, Noah Gordon in the U11 boys, Jarvis Turk and Indiana Garvan in the U12 age. A note will be going out soon to these students.

Congratulations to Illaroo Road PS, who were the overall winners. Berry placed second behind Illaroo Rd. Well done to all students who competed, many students from Berry were in the top twenty places which gave us lots of school points for our second place.

Berry Dominates Debating!

Wed, 29 May 2019 14:20:17 AEST

On Tuesday 28^th May, our fantastic debating team competed against Illaroo Road Public School in the first round of the Premier’s Debating Challenge. Our team argued that “homework should be banned in all primary schools”. Our girls came up with some clever arguments to secure a win! They were not only dazzling in method, manner and matter, but our talented team also showed great sportsmanship. The team should also be commended on how they represented Berry Public School with respect, and carefully listened to valuable feedback from our adjudicator. Well done to this rounds three speakers; Kayla Smith, Grace White, and Pia Dezarnaulds, our team adviser; Georgie Goodsell, and our fabulous support crew; Bonnie Mason Wilcox and Jacinta Logan.

Congratulations to our debating team - we look forward to seeing your incredible skills again in the next round in Week 7!

Amazing Artists

Wed, 29 May 2019 14:39:31 AEST

Paint Pot continues to turn out magnificent student artworks!

This term all students have been creating and learning about portraits. How to draw them, what they tell us and about different artists and how they create their own style of portraits.

Students have been printing, drawing, collaging, moulding and having lots of fun using many different materials.

Our school has many displays of a small sample of these amazing creations for all to see. Make sure you take time to explore them at our open day next term.

A huge thanks to our amazing creative arts team!

Berry Public School's Anti-Bullying plan

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:36:35 AEDT

Great fun at the Walk-a-fun-a-thon!

Fri, 17 May 2019 12:52:42 AEST

It was a beautiful day for our 2019 Walkathon.. Thanks to our P&C volunteers and organisers for the great event. The students really got into the spirit of the day and had a fab morning. Thank you to our parents for supporting the event with the P&C counting an incredible amount of sponsorship in excess of $6500. To see lots more photos please go to the Gallery.

Your NAPLAN questions answered

Thu, 09 May 2019 15:27:14 AEST

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment for students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9. The tests assess the foundational skills in reading, writing, spelling and numeracy that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.

This year NAPLAN takes place between 14 and 16 May for paper tests and between 14 and 24 May for schools participating in NAPLAN Online.

NAPLAN data is used to help monitor student progress over time against a national measure and to identify areas of strength and improvement. It is used in combination with other school assessments to guide and support student learning.

Watch students ask an expert the tough questions about NAPLAN.

Video – Kids ask the hard questions

Duration – 3:45

Transitioning from KidsMatter to "Be You"

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 14:36:35 AEDT

Supporting our students’ mental health and wellbeing remains a key focus at Berry Public School. This year, our school will be transitioning to the ‘Be You’ mental health and wellbeing framework led by Beyond Blue. This change is a result of a recent review into the range of mental health programs and services that were being offered across all school settings. A recommendation from the review was to integrate all programs into one single, national end-to-end education-based program.

What does this mean?

Our school will continue to work on the Be You framework which involves professional learning for staff, engaging with our parents and community, and developing programs that support student mental health and wellbeing.

For more information and a wealth of support for parents, please visit the Be You Website.

ANZAC Day - We Are Respectful

Tue, 07 May 2019 13:45:12 AEST

Our students were outstanding during our ANZAC day commemorations again this year. At both the community march on ANZAC Day and our school service last week, students showed deep respect and understanding of the occasion. RSL members and current serving personnel were once again deeply moved by their singing of Lest We Forget.

As part of the service they also sing both verses of the New Zealand National anthem which adds to the tribute every year.

A huge thanks to our teachers for their work, especially during the service on school holidays.

Tennis 2019

Fri, 17 May 2019 13:33:19 AEST

In Term 1, week 10 Berry played Minamurra PS in the first round of the PSSA Tennis Knockout competition. The team of Dannielle Miller , Alicia Healey, Leo Gallenca and Alec Redlich played singles, doubles and mixed doubles at Berry Sporting Complex. It was a hard fought event played on a damp court. The teams played each tie to six games and Berry won 5 sets to 3.
Thanks to Mrs Kent and Alicia's mum Lee Healey for helping on the day.

Cricket News

Fri, 17 May 2019 14:41:20 AEST

On the 1st of April the senior boys cricket team played Shoalhaven Heads in the state knockout and our annual Maddison Cup. After losing last year's game Berry rose to the occasion this year and with the lose of only one wicket batted to a total of 138 after 25 overs. Top scorer was Noah Hinkley who scored an unbeaten 42 before he retired.

With Shoalhaven Heads in batting they also had a flying start and were ahead on the score board after 13 overs. Then Tyson Walker with figures of 3 for 9 and Jarvis Turk with 2 for 2 ripped in, and the Heads team were 8 for 95 after their 25 overs. Berry winning by 43 runs.

Berry will now head into the next round playing Gerringong at the Berry Sporting Complex.

Dean Haddon

Apply now for My Community Project funding

Mon, 29 Apr 2019 15:15:50 AEST

Do you have a great idea to improve your area?

My Community Project is a new NSW Government funding program that is all about local ideas, local projects and local decisions.

You can apply now for grants from $20,000 - $200,000 for projects that will make a difference to your community. Projects could include new playground equipment, sports facilities, paths or ramps to improve access, public art or a community service.

The local community can vote for their favourite projects in July and successful projects will be announced in September.

Project applications close 15 May 2019.

Apply for My Community Project funding

Bring back memories, not measles

Thu, 11 Apr 2019 15:30:45 AEST

With school holidays just around the corner, it’s time to visit your doctor to check that you and your family are fully protected against measles, before you travel overseas.

Measles is a serious, highly contagious, viral illness that is easily spread through the air when an infectious person coughs, sneezes or breathes. If you and your family are not fully vaccinated, or have never been vaccinated, you are at risk of contracting measles.

Not sure if you’re fully protected?

In Australia, the measles vaccine (MMR) consists of 2 doses. If you’re not sure whether you’ve had 2 doses of the measles vaccine, visit your doctor. It’s safe to receive another dose.

Children born in Australia

If your children were born in Australia, they may have received the measles vaccine at 12 months old and the second dose at 18 months, in accordance with the National Immunisation Program.
If you have a baby under 12 months old, consult your doctor about getting their measles vaccination.

Adults born in Australia

Born before 1966 – you were most likely exposed to measles as a child and are generally considered to be immune. If in doubt, ask your GP.
Born between 1966 and 1994 – you may not have received 2 doses. Talk to your doctor about the free vaccine if you’re unsure.
Born after 1994 – the National Immunisation Program offers 2 doses, and you can check your vaccination status using the Australian Immunisation Register.

For more information about the measles vaccination, visit NSW Health or consult your local doctor.

Plant Prop News

Thu, 04 Apr 2019 12:45:58 AEDT

Six microscopes have been purchased with money donated by The Scarborough Family (a botanist from Illawarra) , Fulton Hogan and Ecodynamics (Ashley Spain is the manager for the landscaping company with the contact to plant out and revegetate the Foxground to Berry road corridor). To do that, Ashley purchased several hundred plants from the Plant Propagation nursery in the school for his project.

The microscopes are professional stereo dissecting microscopes magnifying up to 40 power. They have been trialled by students from Years 5 & 6 to look at seed heads and live caterpillars. An exciting time for the children and the caterpillars. The caterpillars survived the experience!

Teachers are currently future planning with the volunteers of Plant Propagation to create more of these exciting hands on learning opportunities for our students, watch this space!

Beginner Band 2019

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 10:23:18 AEDT

The Berry Public School Beginner Band is off to a musical start this year. David Rooney from the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music is again our teacher and conductor leading the band.

Students from Years 3 to 6 have the option of joining and participating when the band meet every Tuesday at 10am for rehearsals and tuition. Many of the students are learning their instrument of choice for the very first time.

If your child is interested in joining the Beginner Band, please contact our office for more details.

Berry Public School, students, staff and families look forward to many exciting performances from them during the year.

Swimming News

Fri, 17 May 2019 14:38:28 AEST

A big congratulations to all the Berry students who represented the school at the PSSA Shoalhaven District Swimming Carnival. The carnival was held at Nowra Aquatic Centre on the 22nd of February. 34 Students from Berry attended the event. Through a fantastic effort from all the participants resulted in Berry being the overall points winner. This is a fantastic achievement for the school. A further congratulations to Bailey and Summer who were the Senior Boys' Champion and Junior Girls' Champion respectively. Bailey also managed to win the Champion of Champions trophy. Well done to all who participated. It was a great day with lots of fun and great efforts all around.

Debating Workshop

Fri, 17 May 2019 13:37:43 AEST

On Tuesday 26th March, our Debating team and Miss Henning participated in a debating workshop at Keiraville. We had a great day learning how to argue logically... look out parents! We are very excited to compete against other schools in the Premiers Debating Challenge later this year!

Stage 2 AFL Gala 2019

Fri, 17 May 2019 14:35:33 AEST

The AFL Gala Day in Bomaderry on Wednesday 27th March was a great success with all of our Stage 2 students participating. In all, we had 10 teams competing against 6 schools in the area during the event. The students came back excited, joyous and exhausted.

Clean Up Australia

Fri, 17 May 2019 13:40:49 AEST

On Friday 1st March all classes participated in the Clean Up Australia School Day. We cleaned up our school grounds and some surrounding streets. We now have a clean and tidy school again!

5 road safety tips for parents and carers

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 13:48:21 AEDT

Now that students are back to school after a break it’s a good time to chat with your child about safe behaviours when you walk or commute to school.

Here are our top tips to help our students make a safe trip:

1. Be alert and aware

Take note of the dangers you come across on your walk and bring them to your child’s attention. Point out dangers, such as vehicles coming out of driveways. Talk to your child about being alert in a road environment.

2. Hold hands

When on the footpath, at a crossing or in a car park always hold your child's hand. It is advised to do this up to the age of at least 8 years old and closely supervise until at least the age of 10.

3. Choose a safe crossing

Lead by example and choose a safe place to cross the road. Explain why it is the safest place to cross.

4. Set a good example

Your child watches everything you do, so if you cross at the crossing they will too. It is also important to share these messages with other carers who may walk with your child to school.

5. Stop, Look, Listen, Think every time you cross the road

Discuss this important road safety message. STOP! one step back from the kerb. LOOK! continuously both ways. LISTEN! for the sounds of approaching traffic. THINK! whether it is safe to cross.

Practise makes perfect

The more supervised practice your child can get the better, so why not make Term 1 the start of a new routine to walk with your child to school more often.

Older children may be ready to make the journey to school independently. Before they take this step, observe if they are road safe and reinforce the road safety messages.

For more information, check out the department’s pedestrian safety advice for students, parents and carers.

Mini Literacy Conference Resonates

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 11:23:33 AEDT

The 2019 Mini Literacy Conference for Kindergarten Mums and Dads was huge hit again this year.

The one day conference aims to provide parents with enhanced knowledge, skills and strategies to support early literacy development.

Throughout the morning parents learn about key strategies and then practice them with their children in a supportive environment facilitated by expert teachers.

A huge thanks to Mrs McAuliffe and Mrs McIntosh for coordinating and delivering the conference again this year.

Thank you to all of the parents who attended and provided feedback which was consistently along the lines of......

" Great course for new parents as a refresher course."

""...Loved every minute of it, learnt alot."

"Practising with my child gave me the confidence to do this at home. Thank You."

"Absolutely loved being able to do this at school with my daughter. Workshop was amazing!"

Check out the gallery

Primary and High Schools collaborating together

Mon, 25 Feb 2019 15:06:24 AEDT

On Friday 15th February Mrs McAuliffe and Mr Sutton attended Bomaderry High School to plan the 2019 Asian Expo.

Several visitis from teachers of Bomaderry High School in Semester 1 will enhance students' learning abouth their country of study.

The Asian Expo will be held at Bomaderry High School on June 14.

PSSA Soccer Trials

Fri, 22 Feb 2019 10:39:10 AEDT

District Soccer Trials

On Tuesday the 19^th of February, four girls and three boys trialled for the PSSA soccer team. Jarvis and Gabriel were selected for the boys' team, but sadly Jack was not selected this year. Four girls tried out and only two were selected, Indiana and Alisha, unfortunately Georgia and Andii did not make it through but all of the girls and boys tried their best. The lucky students chosen to represent the Shoalhaven will play at Kiama and try to make it onto the South Coast regional team.

Congratulations to all of the students who were selected for the district teams. Thank you to all of the parents who provided transport. We would also like to say a special thanks to Mr Burney for organising and making the day happen.

Written by Alisha and Georgia (Students)

A for Attendance

Fri, 15 Feb 2019 14:02:24 AEDT

Regular attendance at school is essential for students to achieve not only quality schooling outcomes, but also quality life outcomes.

When your child attends school every day, learning becomes easier and your child will build and maintain friendships with other children.

At our term 1 staff development day the network Home School Liaison Officer took our team through the legislation and department policies associated with attendance.

Most importantly for our parents is to understand that fundamentally the monitoring of student attendance is for the safety of students.

Following an absence from school you must ensure that within 7 days you provide your child’s school with a verbal or written explanation for the absence. However, if the school has not received an explanation from you within 2 days, the school may contact you to discuss the absence.

Justified reasons for student absences may include:

• being sick, or having an infectious disease

• having an unavoidable medical appointment

• being required to attend a recognised religious holiday

• exceptional or urgent family circumstance (e.g. attending a funeral)

Principals may decline to accept an explanation that you have provided if they do not believe the absence is in the best interest of your child. In these circumstances your child’s absence would be recorded as unjustified.

Late attendance must also be recorded so if your child arrives after the school bell at 9:10am please take them directly to the office.

For more important information about compulsory school attendance click here.

"Every student is known, valued and cared for" - Our Learning Support Team

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 12:24:47 AEDT

The Berry Public School Learning and Support Team is focused on meeting the academic, social, physical and emotional needs of students at our school.

The team is led by our Learning and Support Teacher Mrs McIntosh and meets every week with our school counsellor to manage a wide range of student needs.

The team supports teachers to work in partnership with parents to develop individual learning plans, health care plans and social development plans.

They also lead proactive wellbeing projects including the implementation of the KidsmMatter / BeYou framework throughout the school. Some of their work is highly visible throughout the school including the "Berry Way" signs that display the values and expectations of our school community. The team has also developed a whole school anti-bullying and resilience program that is systematically delivered as part of our PDHPE curriculum.

Parents can refer their children to the Learning Support Team through their child's teacher.

Students can also self-refer if they are experiencing issues.

12 Ways Your Child Can Get The Best Out Of School

Thu, 14 Feb 2019 11:24:29 AEDT

"Full of practical advice on how parents can help their child succeed in school and life" David Gonski

Adrian Piccoli was the Minister of Education in NSW and is now the Director of the Gonski Institute for Education. With all of his experience and unrestricted access to information about education he still found that he had many questions and lots to learn when his children began school.

Since retiring from politics he has written a book that addresses many of the most common questions and issues parents face.

Highly recommended reading.

Wonderment and Awe With Coding Bots

Tue, 12 Feb 2019 09:52:18 AEDT

The engagement and excitement was written all over the faces of Mr Simpson's class as they had their first robotics lesson last week.

Extending on the success of our lunchtime "Tech Club" we have introduced coding and robotics into the curriculum this term with the help of the Department of Education's STEMshare kits.

The photos and student reflections captured an incredible amount of problem solving, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking to have the bots dancing all over the pages.

Every student will have an opportunity to work with the robotics kits throughout the term.

Check out the full gallery.

Swimming Success!

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 14:21:43 AEDT

The Swimming Carnival was held in hot conditions last Thursday 7^th of February and after tallying all the results Jacaranda has emerged as the winner of the swimming carnival for 2019 (Congratulations Tyson, Charlie, Jenna , Will and all the Jacaranda team). The last time Jacaranda won the carnival was back in 1996.

There were some great swimmers from our junior ranks like Jack, Skyla, Lucy, Summer, Codi, Lucas, Gabriel and some senior standout performances from Charlie and Bailey. Well done to all the students who had a go and entered a race, 50metres can be a very daunting when you have just turned eight.

Thank you to all the teachers and parent helpers. There is some lost property at school if your child has lost an item at the carnival.

The district carnival will be held on Friday the 22^th of February at Nowra Pool. A separate permission note will be give out when the school swimming team is organised

Dean Haddon

Assistant Principal

Principal Receives Award

Mon, 11 Feb 2019 15:31:53 AEDT

In October 2018 Mr Willetts was elected as Vice President of the NSW Primary Principals' Association (NSWPPA). Later in the year he received an award for Meritorious Service to the assocation over many years. Upon receiving the award he was quick to thank the amazing team at Berry Public School for their support which allows him to fulfil the role and contribute more broadly to the system.

Mr Willetts has been the Chairperson of the NSWPPA Assessment, Planning and Accountability Reference Group since 2013 and has been directly involved with a wide range of reforms, policies and programs throughout the Department of Education

His work on the NSWPPA benefits our school in a variety of ways such as creating high level professional networks, giving us early insight into key reforms, training and professional learning opportunitites, and allowing us to solve issues quickly to benefit all schools. The Berry Way has also informed changes to our system with many department senior executives visiting our school over the years.

In his role as Vice President of the NSWPPA Mr Willetts regularly meets with the Minister of Education as well as the senior executive of the department.

New Payment System

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 11:25:03 AEDT

KEY MESSAGE FOR PARENTS: signing permission online via the App and paying via the "make a payment" tab on the website is the preferred process for all payments, if all parents follow this procedure it will streamline the administration of all school events.

In response to parent feedback the new department finance system allows online payments and bulk payment of fees in advance. This means parents can pay a single lump sum at the start of the year which can be used to pay for events during the school year (and may be rolled over to the following year). Parents will receive the details of fee structure in their statement next week.

In addition, online permission notes are available in our new SchoolStream APP All permission notes will now be pushed out through the App. Some excursions that require additional information for third parties or relating to risk management will still be sent home as a paper copy and a PDF will be linked to the excursion notification on the App.

Captains Primed To Lead The Berry Way

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 20:15:35 AEDT

Our school captains met with Mr Willetts today to discuss their important roles and responsibilitites for the year, and to create the first ever Captains' Blog on our website.

Our captains and SRC are the custodians of "The Berry Way" and have the responsibility for being outstanding role models and ambassadors for our school.

Every year our school captains receive extensive leadership training and public speaking training to build their capacity and confidence to take on the role, and every year they excel at representing our school.

This year they have an additional role of sharing the student voice by reporting on school events from the perspective of the students on the school website "Captains' Blog". Today they received some training in writing for the web and are really excited about sharing their experiences and events throughout the year on this platform.

Go the the student pages to see their first Captains' Blog.

Welcome Back to 2019!!!

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 16:30:03 AEDT

Welcome back to the 2019 school year. We have had an absolutely outstanding start to the year and everyone has settled into their new classes beautifully. On behalf of our staff, students and community we wish to especially welcome our new kindergarten students and new families.

The school calendar is filling up quickly with events, including parent information nights, so make sure you download the SchoolStream app and visit the website regularly. The parents who have done so are reporting significant improvements in their communication with the school and awareness of our events. There is no weekly paper newsletter in 2019. School news will appear on the website and in the app, making these the "source of truth" for school information, saving the environment, saving time, saving money and enhancing accessiblity.

We look forward to sharing a really exciting, vibrant and wonderful year of learning experiences with you all.

Bob Willetts

Principal

Sharing student information through professional "speed dating"

Mon, 04 Feb 2019 17:18:03 AEDT

Our Teachers possess a wealth of professional expertise and knowledge about the students in their classes. During class formation we hold multiple meetings to consider a myriad of information and requests about individual students, groups and year cohorts. To enhance the transition from one class to the next, we initiated a "professional speed dating" program which allows teachers to spend dedicated time discussing the academic, social and emotional needs of students in their new classes with previous year's teachers and the Learning Support Team.

Please invest the time to come to our parent information sessions and book an appointment to see your child's teacher to further enhance our partnership in learning.

The Flourish Movement - Teacher Wellbeing Matters

Tue, 05 Feb 2019 14:44:00 AEDT

Teachers Make The Difference

The person with the greatest impact on student learning outcomes in every classroom is the teacher, and so it makes perfect sense to ensure we have happy, healthy teachers and a positive culture in the school.

Berry Public School has always been renowned for our positive school culture, but in a national environment where a significant proportion of teachers leave the profession each year, investing the long term wellbeing of our team is as important as any other professional activity.

In 2017 I initiated the Flourish Project with Dr Adam Fraser in response to National and State surveys highlighting significant concerns about the wellbeing of Principals in Australia.

The inital pilot project on the South Coast has spawned a "movement" of professionals who are taking planned steps to enhance their health, wellbeing and work/life balance in order to maximise their professional performance.

Research by Dr John Molineaux from Deakin University shows the project is being hailed a huge success. This has led to the development of "Flourish For Schools" which allows the program to also benefit teachers and support staff. Berry Public School was the first school in NSW to begin the Flourish For Schools program and we are excited to be leading the way.

Last week the Educator Magazine ran a story on The Flourish Movement.

https://www.theeducatoronline.com/au/breaking-news/groundbreaking-program-tackles-principal-burnout/259607

Back to school

Fri, 25 Jan 2019 15:08:51 AEDT

The first day of Kindergarten and the return to school in the new year are busy times for your child – and for the entire family. To help you make the most of this time and enjoy the experience, we’ve compiled some useful tips and checklists. We want every student to be known, valued and cared for in our schools.

Our film #FirstDay2019 captures the excitement – and the nerves – of the rite of passage that is the first day of Kindergarten.

Video – Back to School 2019: First Day at Kindy

Duration – 1:00

2019 school budget allocations

Mon, 12 Nov 2018 16:29:01 AEDT

Like all NSW public schools, this week we will receive a School Budget Allocation Report with our funding for 2019. The report will help us manage our total budget delivered through the Resource Allocation Model (RAM).

The RAM supports schools through needs-based funding to ensure a fair, efficient and transparent allocation of funds. Our school has the flexibility to make local decisions based on the specific needs of our students.

We will use our 2019 funding to support students and improve educational outcomes. The school executive will continue to work with the school community as we implement the school plan using this needs-based funding.

Learn more about the 2019 RAM funding.

Bike Safety Excursion

Fri, 09 Nov 2018 12:48:44 AEDT

Stage 2 students headed off to the Lake Illawarra PCYC this week for bike safety. It was a beautify day and the students were able to do plenty of riding. Learning during the day included what different street signs mean, how to be a safe pedestrian, how to know if a bike helmet is fitting properly, what is an approved bike helmet, and what should be worn when riding a bike. A significant part of the day was putting what they had learnt into practice. Students were all given a licence with 12 points and then as a rider and a pedestrian utilise the specially designed mini road setup (complete with roundabouts, turning lanes, crossings, signs and even working traffic lights) to put their learning to the test. Well done to those students who kept all 12 points!

For more photos see our gallery.......

2018 Talent Quest News

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 14:04:20 AEDT

Round 1 - Week 2 - Lipsyncing

We wrapped up our first talent quest on Tuesday 23rd October with great results. Everybody got a place with Jarvis and Tobias stealing gold, Ebony and Finlay, Matilda and Imogen tying in second and in third Alice, Pippa & Scarlet and Lily & Matilda. Week 3, we have instrumental with lots of talented guitar, piano and clarinet players taking the stage. Even some singers use their voice and their number one instrument. Remember to bring 20 cents to come and watch! Thank you to the amazing year 6 group running the talent quest!

~ Anna Pigott, Jacquie Larence and Kallum Bamber ~

NSW Primary Schools State Athletics Carnival

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 15:03:06 AEDT

In week 3 (Wednesday 31/10/18 and Thursday 1/11/18) eight boys attended the state primary schools athletic carnival at Homebush. Congratulations to all the students who attended results were:

Senior boys relay team 6th in the state Charlie Heidke, Riley Power, Cooper Barrett, Macklin Berry

Charlie Heidke 20th in the 100m and 29th in the 200m

Matt Page 18th in the U11 discus

Taj Barrett 9th in the junior discus

Patrick O'Leary 13th in the junior discus

Gabriel Lombardi 1st in the U9 100m and 12th in the Junior 200m .

The senior boys will certainly be missed representing our school in sport in 2019 but is great to see the year 3 and four students being so competitive.

This report was written by Charlie Heidke

From the 31^st of October 2018 to the 1^st of November 2018 Charlie, Riley, Cooper, Macklin, Gabriel, Taj, Patrick and Matthew competed at the State Athletics carnival in Homebush. Charlie came 21^st in 100m. He also came 29^th in the 200m. Taj, Patrick and Matthew competed in the discus. Taj placed 9^th, Patty 13^th and Matthew 18^th.

Riley, Charlie, Cooper and Macklin relay placed 6^th overall. Gabriel came first place in the 100m.

See the BPS website gallery for more photos....

Interschool Equestrian Event 2018

Fri, 26 Oct 2018 09:24:31 AEDT

Interschool’s was great fun, we all enjoyed it and had a ball both hanging out together and riding our horses all day in dressage, hacking, the Interschool’s challenge, sporting, show jumping, classes, work-outs and eventing! We all got lots of ribbons for all the events, we had kids riding for Berry from kindergarten all the way to year five.

The big highlights of the weekend was when Chase Soper got kindergarten champion, lots of us got ribbons for the sporting events and Georgie Goodsell got 4^th place in the Interschool’s Challenge. All the students that entered the competition were Haley Bramley, Matilda Robinson, Tom Robinson, Zarli Thompson, Hannah Thompson, Pia Dezarnaulds, Zac Dezarnaulds, Phoebe Dezarnaulds, Bonnie Mason- Wilcox, Georgie Goodsell, Chase Soper, Mia Hennessy and Lora Brennan.

At the end of the day we had the most points out of all the primary schools that had entered and the biggest team out of all the other primary teams which meant that we had won the Interschool’s Primary Champion for 2018!

Great job everyone! By Pia Dezarnaulds

Stage 3 Basketball Challenge

Thu, 13 Sep 2018 13:21:05 AEST

Last Friday fourteen children attended the stage 3 basketball challenge at Bomaderry Stadium. There were two teams, boys and girls playing a round robin against many other local school teams. It was a well organised day with one of the Berry teams making the finals.

It was the first basketball game for many of the boy’s team and thank you to Ryan Alfano's dad Mark for giving as many tips to the boys as he could. The boys are all in year 5 and will be ready for the challenge next year.

The girl’s teams made the grand final and had an exciting win against NAC. Well done to Maggie Armstrong, Audrey Heather, Andie Robinson, Audrey Terry, Anna Piggott, Kate Leung and Juliet Henry for winning the Stage 3 Girls Basketball Challenge. Thanks to Peter Piggott for helping to run the team on the day.

Thank you to the students from Bomaderry High who coached all the teams and to the parents for transporting children to and from the carnival.

School Communications

Thu, 13 Sep 2018 12:14:14 AEST

This is the second last paper bulletin, we will be sending home this year.

In term 4 the news items can be found on our website as well as gallery photos. The schoolstream app will have upcoming events, community news, excursion information plus more.

Over 50% of our parents are now benefitting from the app so please make sure you:

1) download the schoolstream app to you mobile device

2) Bookmark our school website (which has the app integrated into the home page).

Thanks to the P&C who have provided us with feedback to improve our website and app at the last meeting.

Tell Them From Me Survey

Thu, 13 Sep 2018 12:47:15 AEST

In Week 1 of next term, our school is taking part in the Tell Them From Me (TTFM) student survey. The survey will provide us with valuable feedback on what our students think about school life, how engaged they are with school and the different ways that teachers interact with them.

If you do not want your child to take part in the survey, please complete the attached form and return it to your child's school by Wednesday 17th October 2018.

The opt out form is located on the school app or by contacting the school administration team.

KidsMatter Celebration Day

Fri, 07 Sep 2018 12:57:40 AEST

Why is Berry PS having another KidsMatter Celebration Day?

A sense of belonging to school is an important protective factor for children’s mental health and wellbeing. It helps to reduce the impacts of risks that children may be exposed to. School staff can help children gain a sense of belonging to school by taking an interest in their wellbeing, and by relating to them in ways that are consistently respectful and caring. This can provide children with a sense of stability and security through periods of stress and challenge. School staff can also help families who are experiencing difficulties by providing them with support and relevant information.

Every day is an opportunity for the above to occur; however the School Culture Team have recognised that dedicating an entire day for the whole school to come together in ‘multi-aged’ family groups is a worthwhile way to connect with others, make new friends, face new challenges, demonstrate our understanding of the school’s core values, work as part of a team and above all, have some fun!

Although our “The Berry Way” core values have been embedded into all areas of our school for over a year now, these values will again be the focus of our rotational activities on the day.

The aim of the Celebration Day is to further enhance social and emotional skill development in our students. The day promotes a stable and nurturing environment, shows students how to manage conflict and emotions so they can better relate to their peers and have a sense of reassurance that our school is a safe and happy place to be.

Our students will be asked for their feedback about the day and we are seeking the support of parents by simply having a conversation with their children about ‘The Berry Way’ core values and how they used them throughout the day.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Open Day 2018

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 11:29:54 AEST

“It’s a beautiful day in paradise”

Our school open day was a truly magnificent event that showcased a broad range of the extraordinary talents of our students. Over 500 guests were treated to an incredible array of entertainment that included band and choir performances, dancing and public speaking. Our open classrooms and book fair were busy all day, and our new plant propagation area was open to the public for the very first time. Thank you to our wonderful staff for their efforts in preparing the day, and also our P&C volunteers for their support with hospitality.

Check out the photos in the photo gallery.

Bob Willetts (Principal)

Loving the library

Fri, 10 Aug 2018 11:37:37 AEST

"True community magic and a magic school community." (Jackie French) The official opening of our library was a wonderful event organsied by our P&C. Renowned author Jackie French gave an inspirational speech to our assembly before officially opening the library with Mrs Hill. The library refurbishment is the result of an authentic partnership between the school and P&C. It will form the information and learning hub for students and staff with access to video conference training and meetings. After years of planning, consultation and negotiations it is wonderful to see it all come to life. We wish to sincerely thank everyone in our community who has supported the project. Be sure to see the photos in our gallery.

Jump rope for heart

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 15:37:49 AEST

Our annual “Jump off” showcased some outstanding skipping skills again this year as students participated in the Jump Rope for Heart fundraising event. Students raised over $3000 for the Heart Foundation supporting heart disease research and education. Thanks to all of our staff and SRC for coordinating the fundraiser.

Netball news

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 15:38:56 AEST

Our netball team’s winning ways were unfortunately brought to an end in a hard fought game against Gerringong Public School last week. The team scored some excellent goals and displayed outstanding sportsmanship in all of their games.

Thanks to Miss Vearing, Mrs McIntosh and Miss Wearne for coaching the team this year.

Maggie Dent – Parents matter

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 15:36:39 AEST

Our parents and teachers shared a wonderfully evening with renowned author Maggie Dent learning about enhancing student resilience as she presented “Real Kids in an Unreal World”. Over 160 people filled our hall to hear Maggie’s great insights which were incredibly affirming and also provided so excellent food for thought. Thank you our amazing Parents & Citizens for organising the event which we hope will be a springboard for many future events.

Connecting schools, connecting communities

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 15:46:01 AEST

We are excited for our Term 3 staff Development Day when our community of schools will be travelling to Bomaderry High School to work listen to a keynote speech from anthropologist Dr Monte Badami and share a wealth of expertise and great programs between the schools in a series of workshops.

“In Your Element”

Mon, 30 Jul 2018 07:36:01 AEST

The musical interludes at the public speaking this year provided absolutely breathtaking entertainment as students showcased their talent and passion for dance and singing.

Sir Ken Robinson wrote a great book called “The Element – How finding your passion changes everything” and to see our students “In Their Element” is always a truly wonderful spectacle.

Ella is currently in training for The Australian Ballet Ensemble and her performance was brilliant.

Communication and engagement - New website and app launch

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 15:34:58 AEST

Our team has been working incredibly hard to develop a new integrated and streamlined school communications system and protocols to enhance communication for everyone at our school.

We are excited to announce we will be launching a new website and app at our open day in Education Week this year.

Advocating for research

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 15:51:00 AEST

Flynn Munley in KV has been chosen to represent our Federal electorate at Parliament House in Canberra in August.

Flynn and his Mum Julie (pictured with our Federal Member Ann Sudmalis) will travel to Canberra for the Kids in the House event on behalf of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).

Flynn has had Type 1 diabetes since age three and his family are passionate about advocating for funding for research into this life-threatening autoimmune disease.

Thanks and I hope you have a great break.

Julie

League legends

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 15:40:42 AEST

Our Rugby League team put up an excellent fight in their knockout tournament but were denied victory in the final moments of the game. Congratulations on a great season and thanks to Mr Simpson for coaching the team.

Parents love the mini-literacy conference

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 15:45:01 AEST

Our annual mini-literacy conference was once again a great success. Parents of Kindergarten students attended a full day working with experienced learning and support teachers. The sessions focus on key strategies to enhance student learning of literacy strategies and provide support to parents by giving them experience using the strategies with their children. A huge thanks to all of our parents for attending, and special thanks to Mrs McIntosh and Mrs McAuliffe for their outstanding work.

Stellar public speaking

Wed, 04 Jul 2018 16:47:53 AEST

Last week saw the amazing culmination of our public speaking program with the finals held in our school hall.

The judges had an incredibly difficult task separating the brilliant speeches and deciding on the overall grade winners. Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the public speaking competition and a huge thanks to our teachers and judges for their support and great work.

Netball

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 11:17:31 AEST

Our school team fought galliantly in their loss to Gerringong PS this week. The team showed outstanding sportsmanship. Thank you to Miss Vearing for coaching the team.

Stage 2 Music Program

Tue, 26 Jun 2018 11:24:10 AEST

Our students in Stage 2 are continuing their musical instument instruction from Mark in Term 3

News

Supporting your child in their new class.

Welcome Back to School for 2021

Staff Changes

Covid- 19

Communication: Have you checked the APP?

Communication: Parent Information Sessions

Get #FirstDay2021 ready for the new school year

Video – #FirstDay2021

Crazy Colour Day Fun Run

Another Amazing P&C Fundraising Event!

Schools Spectacular remixed for television

Supporting effective learning at school and home with the 'What Works Best: 2020 update'

It's OK to have an odd day!

BeYou Celebration Day 2020

Jumping for Joy on Jump Off Day!

Go Ahead and Jump!

Enrichment Workshop with James Gulliver Hancock!

Congratulations Bob!

​Congratulations to Mr Willetts for receiving the 2020 NSW Primary Principals Association Professional Award.

Be You Celebration Day

2021 Kindergarten Children's Orientation

2021 term dates now available

#MathsTrainsBrains for the future

Video – #MathsTrainsBrains

Book Week 2020

Stage 2 Athletics Champions!

Stage 2 Athletics Results

Assembly Awards - Week 9

CWA Country Study Assignment - Ecuador

Ecuador Country Study

Assembly Awards - Week 7

Updated Term 3 learning guidelines

Student attendance

Hygiene practices

School activities / school site usage

Assembly Awards - Week 5

Congratulations to all the award recipients!

Premiers Debating Challenge - Round 1

"Students should be learning from home one day a week"

NAIDOC Celebrations

"Always was. Always will be."

Kindergarten 2021 update

Education Week 2020 - "Learning Together"

Have your before and after school care needs changed?

Our Sustainable Future: SRC Bottle Recycling Initiative

Updates to COVID-19 restrictions affecting NSW schools

Latest COVID-19 case locations in NSW

Students and staff who have travelled through or visited Victoria

Information for students and staff on new NSW-Victoria border restrictions

Attending schools along the border

New restrictions affecting boarding schools

More information

Returning to school in Term 3

2020 Public Speaking

First and Last Assembly Awards of Term 2!

Curriculum reform focuses on deep learning

2020 Jump Rope for Heart

Education Week to celebrate learning together

Congratulations Miss Henning

Attendance

"We Are A Team" - Teams Wear Their Uniform With Pride

We are a team!

- Representative jumpers will NOT be accepted as school uniform.

- Representative jumpers may be worn at school sporting carnivals and mufti days.

- The P&C will retain the current uniform, jumper and water repellent jacket combination and ADD a warm fleece zip front jumper for the winter season.

NSW students return to the classroom full-time

Keeping our school COVIDSafe

Students begin return to classrooms

Religion and ethics lessons continue at home

How to download and use Zoom

We are learning!

Wonderful Online Reading Support - WUSHKA!!!

Tune in at 8.45am to NSW Education LIVE

ANZAC Day 2020

ANZAC Day Tribute

NSW students to transition back to the classroom in Term 2

Latest advice

Keep your family entertained these school holidays

Kayla Teaches Sign Language

Congratulations to Mr Willetts for receiving the 2020 NSW Primary Principals Association Professional Award.