Dungog Public School Newsletter Term 1, Week 4 2025

Calendar of events

• Monday 17th February - Fortnightly PBL Assembly
• Tuesday 18th February & 25th February - Breakfast Club
• Tuesday 18th February - Maitland Zone Basketball Trials
• Wednesday 19th February - Meals on Wheels
• Monday 24th February - Premiers Reading Challenge starts
• Tuesday 25th February - Maitland Zone Swimming Carnival
• Thursday 27th February - Lara Aged Care Visit - 2V
• Friday 28th February - Clean Up Schools Day
• Wednesday 5th March - Personalised Learning Plans Yarn Up
• Thursday 13th March - Whole School Assembly
• Friday 21st March - Harmony Day
• Friday 21st March - Ride to School Day
• Friday 28th March - School Photo's
• Friday 11th April - School ANZAC Service
• Friday 11th April - Easter Hat Parade & Easter Egg Hunt
• Friday 11th April - Last day of Term 1

Principals MESSAGE

Welcome back or welcome to Dungog Public School. This year will be a wonderful fun-filled year of learning and extra-curricular activities. I look forward to working with everyone again this year and ensuring our students have every opportunity to succeed.

A HUGE welcome to our Kindergarten students who started school this year. All students have settled into the routines of school and Best Start Assessments are being finalised.

Welcome to our new teachers and staff. They have all had a smooth transition to Dungog Public School.

Attendance will be a focus for Dungog Public School again this year. IT’S NOT OK TO BE AWAY! We are striving for 93% attendance each week.

Positive Behaviour for Learning will also be a focus again this year for Dungog Public School. We will be continuing to enhance our Growth Mindset during 2025.

The 13th February was the Anniversary of the Apology to Members of the Stolen Generations by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd in 2008. This day is a sacred moment in our nation's history that must never be forgotten.

It was great to see everyone enjoying our Swimming Carnival. Thank you to the parents/carers and community who came along to help and join in. Congratulations to the students who competed in the competitive races on the day and Good Luck to the students who have progressed to the Zone Swimming Carnival.

Please find attached to the newsletter the ‘School Community Charter’ that the Department of Education has developed to help and support schools and communities to build positive relationships.

You will also notice new posters around the school (and also one attached to the newsletter) that aim to help support a safe and respectful culture at our school. These posters are part of an initiative to remind everybody to treat our hard-working school staff with kindness and respect. Every school community around the state is very different. While most schools are respectful and harmonious, violence and unsafe behaviour in any form is not acceptable in schools. School staff and students have the right to work and learn in safe and respectful learning environments.

Have a fantastic week and a brilliant year!

Ms Kylie Pennell - Principal

Principals Award

EARLY STAGE 1 & STAGE 1 NEWS

KP with Miss Petersen

We are so excited to welcome our newest learners to school! Our Kindergarten students have been settling beautifully into their classroom, making new friends, and enjoying time with their classmates. We have been learning all about our school expectations to help us create a safe, respectful, and responsible environment. KP also had an awesome time at the swimming carnival! KP can’t wait for all the fun and learning ahead this year!

1L with Mrs Long

Welcome to a new school year! We are all very excited to start a new year and Mrs Long is especially excited to be teaching Stage 1 this year. We have hit the ground running with lots of English and Mathematics lessons. This year we are having a big focus on PBL and revisiting our expectations of Respect, Responsibility and Personal Best in all areas. I hope everyone had a great day at our swimming carnival last week.

1G with Miss gregory

Welcome Back to all of our lovely students. Stage One students have been settling well into their new classes. In 1G, we learnt about making new friends in our classes and still socialising with old friends. We have been focusing on PBL expectations to create a safe, respectful and responsible environment. We will be working hard in English and Mathematics this year to continue building our Literacy and Numeracy skills. 1G had the best time at the swimming carnival!

1N with MRs NASh

Welcome back to all of our students in Stage 1! All students have been busy settling into their new class, socialising with old friends and meeting new friends. In 1N we have been focusing on PBL expectations in how to be safe, respectful and responsible students both inside and outside of the classroom. We have been diving into Mathematics and English to build on expanding our learning skills. Lots of smiles were seen from 1N students having lots of fun at the swimming carnival! Looking forward to an amazing year in 1N!

release from face to face with Mrs Morgan

I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our new students and their families, and welcome back our returning families to the 2025 school year! Being an RFF (Release from Face-to-Face) teacher, while your child’s regular teacher has time to plan, is one of the best jobs in the school! In addition to the usual reasons why I love being a teacher, as an RFF teacher I get to work with different classes, teaching across a range of subjects. I get to know all students across the school and this variety makes each day different and exciting. It has been so good to see all students so settled and ready to learn! I’m looking forward to a wonderful year ahead! Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

SUPPORT CLASSES NEWS

dhurrumiri room with Mrs allison

What a start to the year we've had in Dhurrumiri! We welcome back some familiar faces and some new faces too. We are all excited about the year ahead. We've been learning our classroom and school expectations, with a large focus on Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL). To support these expectations we've read a book called 'Have you Filled a Bucket Today', where we learnt about the ways we can help make someone else feel happy by filling their bucket. Something as simple as a smile goes a long way. We are excited and looking forward to the year ahead!

barrangga room with Miss Drayton

Welcome back for 2025! It's been amazing seeing all the new faces around the school. I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know all the students in Barrangga. We have already jumped into our learning, starting our English, Mathematics and focusing on our PBL values. We have created goals for our learning and personal growth to start working towards. All students have been showing the Dungog's Public School's PBL values both inside and outside the classroom, being Respectful, Responsible and trying our Personal Best. I am looking forward to an amazing year of growth and learning to come.

STAGE 2 & STAGE 3 NEWS

2M with Miss Maytom

A new year with new beginnings and it has been so lovely seeing everyone's faces after the holidays. I have enjoyed getting to know 2M who are well on their way to having a wonderful year. With a keen attitude and a positive mindset, we have set goals for this year and discussed the power of yet. I am excited to see what we can achieve as we grow and learn together. As we review our PBL expectations we are able to understand their role within the school and work together to ensure we strive to display our PBL always at Dungog Public School. All it takes is just a little change of perspective and you begin to see a whole new world. Lets have an amazing year!

2V with Mrs middlebrook

It is wonderful to see all our amazing students back and so eager to dive into learning! A special shout-out to our 2V class, who have been nothing short of spectacular. Their growth mindset and enthusiasm as eager beavers are truly inspiring as we begin this new school year. This year, we are embarking on an exciting learning journey together. Each student has chosen one word to guide their growth as both a learner and a friend. These words will not only help us rise to every challenge and learning adventure we encounter, but they will also inspire one another and ourselves to keep moving forward in our learning expedition. We look forward to achieving many goals throughout the year—both academically and personally. Let’s make this school year a memorable one filled with growth, inspiration, and success!

3D with miss donnellY

Welcome to 2025! It was so exciting to meet all of the incredible students I get to teach this year. We've spent time getting to know each other and our classmates. It was wonderful to spend time together. We've started English and Mathematics and continue to have a focus on our PBL expectations. It's great to see the leaders of our school rising to the challenges that all the teachers in Banksia are setting for them. It was also wonderful watching you all join in the swimming carnival, cheering on your teams. Keep it up!

3c with mrs curry

Welcome back for our 2025 school year! Stage 3 are settling into their new classes very well and developing that regular school routine we all know and love. The past couple of weeks we have been engaging in a lot of learning already in English, Mathematics and PBL. Students are doing extremely well showing their behaviour expectations in a range of situations. The Swimming Carnival was a major hit and it was the perfect weather! We all had a fantastic day and nervously await the house leaderboard results.

3b with Miss Blissett

Welcome to 2025 – A Year of Learning and Fun! The new school year is off to a fantastic start! Stage 3 students have hit the ground running in English, Mathematics, and PBL lessons, building their learning stamina and sharpening their skills in bookwork presentation and class discussions. It's been amazing to see their enthusiasm and dedication in these first few weeks! A huge shoutout to everyone who brought their team spirit to the Swimming Carnival! The energy was electric, with students proudly wearing their house colours and cheering on their teammates. Stay connected and in the loop by checking out updates on the DPS Facebook page and the Parent Portal—we don’t want you to miss a thing!

Library/STEM with miss donnellY

It's been wonderful having you all back in the Library space. Students have been exploring our new cafe area and our new Lego wall that Miss Donnelly built over the holidays. It's been great interacting with students as they use our new areas. Students were also excited to see that we've been able to get the 3D printer back for Terms 1 and 2 this year. Last year we had lots of fun with it and I know that we're going to continue making incredible things. Don't forget the Premier's Reading Challenge begins on the 24th of February. Reading to students everyday for enjoyment is so important in ensuring that they have a love a literature.