Dear Parents, 

The other members of the Auburn North Public School staff and I hope you and your families are well. 

AUBURN NORTH'S WHOLE SCHOOL LEARNING COMMUNITY'S INTEGRATED APPROACH TO ASSIST ALL STUDENTS DEVELOP A STRONG SENSE OF BELONGING.

The Centre for Education  Statistics and Evaluation (CESE) is a leading Australian education organisation that conducts research to develop policy and programs “…so every student learns, grows and belongs in an equitable and outstanding education system.” 

CESE has responsibilities within the NSW Department of Education to help shape a high-quality, equitable and future-focused education system. 

CESE has been conducting research into students’ sense of belonging. It has wanted to identify how effective support for sense of belonging is being implemented, sustained, and measured at the individual school level. It will then produce a research report which will be available to all Australian schools.  

From more than 2,200 NSW public high schools and primary schools, Auburn North Public School was selected as one of a small number of schools to be included in this research. Our school was selected because we were identified as excelling against 'sense of belonging' indicators in the annual ‘Tell Them From Me’ surveys that are completed by all Year 4 to Year 9 students.  

Representatives from CESE visited our school recently to interview some members of staff. The representatives hoped to identify Auburn North programs and practices that could be written up into a case study as an exemplar of achieving high levels of student sense of belonging.  

We explained to the representatives at Auburn North we define ‘sense of belonging’ as “The feeling that you are accepted, respected, and valued as an important member of the Auburn North family’. 

During the interviews we explained that we were proud to have developed and implemented a whole school learning community's integrated approach to assist all students develop a strong sense of belonging in THEIR school.  

In fact, we explained that evidence shows our students, staff and parents feel a sense of belonging in THEIR school.  

We informed the researchers some special features of our school that have assisted our students develop a strong sense of belonging include: 

• Our desire and expectation to assist all students love school, love learning, and become very successful learners by developing and implementing outstanding emotional, social, and learning programs. 
• Our school culture is gentle and kind and is built on our school values and trusting and mutually respectful relationships. 
• Our school is a very positive environment for students where they are rewarded for both effort and achievement. 
• All students belong to class families that have collaboratively developed class visions and who take pride in developing and maintaining attractive and stimulating learning environments. 
• We have developed orderly learning environments in all classes and learning spaces that maximise teaching and learning time. 

• We have developed research- and evidence-based best practice teaching programs. 
• Our teachers are selected for their personal and interpersonal skills as well as their teaching knowledge and skills.  
• Students are provided with a wide range of extra-curricular programs and activities in which to participate.
• Our school regularly organises fun days for students, staff, and parents. 
• Our breakfast club program provides free breakfast three days per week. 
• Our students see and know their parents are valued members of the Auburn North FAMILY. Some examples of our parent programs include our Harmony House programs, our 'Parents as Partners in Learning' workshops, our ‘Meet the Teacher’ programs and our ‘Three-Way Conference’ program. 

Student Comments 

As part of the process we thought it was very important to ask some of our students what they thought of THEIR school. Please see below some responses from our students: 

"The people at school help me feel like I belong. They do that by helping when I get hurt and  always making me feel happy and safe. Every day when I wake up there is always a smile on my face because I know how lucky I am to have such fun loving and caring teachers and friends."

"Auburn North Public School is my second home because I feel respected, accepted and valued like in my own home. I also like how we have a lot of programs such as drama, sport, PSSA, choir and dance". 

"I like being at school because I know that I have loving teachers and friends who always care about me and everyone around them." 

"I like being at school because of my friends and all the learning."

"What I like about our school is that it is a multicultural school that has no racism." 

"I like being at school with my friends. I'm really grateful for my friends." 

"I like being at school because my friends and teachers encourage me to do things I am scared of doing  such as presenting leadership speeches.

"What I like about school is getting involved in activities and never being left out. Also because of the knowledge I gain every day and because of my friends."

"I like how I have a great group of friends at school and how all the teachers are sweet."

"I like how my teachers and friends are helpful and supportive. We all are the same. In Auburn North Public School we treat people the way they want to be treated or the way we want to be treated".

"I like that everyone is friendly and the teachers are supportive and kind. It also feels like home because the teachers treat you like you are their kids."

"Every time I enter the gates of the Auburn North family I am greeted and hugged by my caring and loving friends." 

"I like that all the teachers are kind to you and if you don't understand then you can just ask the teacher and she will tell you."

"I'm really grateful to even be a student at Auburn North Public School. No other school can compete."

We all look forward to reading about our excellent school when CESE publishes its report.

SPORTS FUN DAY, READING and PICNIC DAY Program 

Last week’s ‘Sports Fun Day, Reading and Picnic Day’ program was a fabulous success. Please find below a report about the day. Some photos from the day are included at the end of this newsletter.  

A video of the program will be available on our website in the next two weeks. 

I would like to thank the following staff members who organised this wonderful program: 

Ms O Malley                  

Ms Wang 

Ms Beltran  

Ms Doughty 

Ms Bravo 

Ms Valarie 

Mrs Van Vuuren 

Mrs Lee 

Ms Lynch 

Ms Xie

Ms Zeidan 

Mrs Mehr 

SPORTS FUN DAY, READING and PICNIC DAY Report

We had an amazing day on the 22nd of May at Auburn North Public School with not just one or two, but three fun events all happening together! 

The day began with our Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 students participating in a K-2 Sports Fun Carnival. Every single student joined in with the cheering that was enthusiastically led by our sports captains. Students ran races and participated in fun tabloids such as captain ball, rob the nest and ship, shark, shore.

During the carnival, we were so proud of how all students displayed the ANPS values and tried their best and then a little bit more! 

We then had a community picnic with lots of families coming to join us. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day to sit down together, share our food, and enjoy each other’s company.  

Our school mascot, Monty the Meerkat, was part of the fun too. Everyone was super excited to see Monty the Meerkat. Monty was a very fast runner.

There was even more fun to be had! We also joined in National Simultaneous Storytime. Students and families listened carefully in classrooms and with enthusiasm as we read ‘Bowerbird Blues’ by Aura Parker. We then completed a fun art activity together.

We would like to say a big thank you to all the families who came along. Having you there made the day extra special.

It was a memorable day full of joy,filled with our ANPS community spirit.  

CLASS REPORTS

For your reading pleasure, please find below class reports from  KH and 1D. I would like to thank and congratulate KH students and 1D students and their teachers Ms Saidi and Ms Doughty. 

Mark Harris  

Principal 

It has been a fantastic start to Term 2 in the KH classroom. The students have returned with boundless energy and enthusiasm, ready to embark on new adventures and achieve even greater success. In term one, they demonstrated outstanding progress, both academically and socially, and we are very proud of their accomplishments.

Literacy

In reading, students have made remarkable growth in their ability to decode texts independently. Through regular supported reading and targeted instruction, they have become confident in sounding out words, blending sounds together, and recognising high frequency words.

In literacy, students have been working hard to write interesting sentences that include capital letters, spaces between their words and full stops. KH have been using the skill of sounding out words to assist them with their spelling. They are also learning to use environmental print to assist them spell tricky high frequency words.

Numeracy

In numeracy, students have been working hard on their counting skills, as well as diving into the wonderful world of addition and subtraction.  They are becoming addition experts, by engaging in our hands-on activities. From counting blocks to sorting colourful counters, the students enjoy using concrete materials to add groups together.

KH are also learning to subtract from a group and find how many are left. They are discovering that subtraction means "taking away" or "finding what's left", and these concrete materials are bringing the concept to life in ways that are meaningful and memorable.

Sport

Kindergarten is not just about academic growth but also about social-emotional development. By engaging in sports and games, the students continue to develop essential physical and social skills in a dynamic and interactive environment.

One game that we love to play in KH is captain ball. Captain ball is a thrilling game that combines elements of teamwork, coordination, and strategy. In this game, students work teams to throw a soft ball to each member of the group. The first team who finishes are the winners.  

Here's to a fantastic Term 2 filled with joy, discovery, and endless possibilities!

1D had a wonderful time learning throughout Term 1 and has enthusiastically returned to school for Term 2 after a well-earned break.

 Literacy

Literacy in Term 1 focused on reading and responding to texts and 1R particularly enjoyed reading Thelma the Unicorn.  Students were asked to write interesting sentences that included adjectives and conjunctions in response to the storyline and characters.

In Term 2, we have changed our focus to persuasive writing.  So, watch out parents, there may be some very compelling arguments and high modality words coming your way!

 Numeracy

Maths is always fun, whether we are learning with our class or in our newly introduced maths groups. 1D has shown great commitment and dedication to ensuring our learning goal is achieved in each lesson. We particularly enjoyed learning about measuring area. We used different materials including dice, playing cards and Unifix blocks to measure the area of objects found around our classroom.

Music

After a craft-filled, creative Term 1, 1D has been getting its groove on with our music unit. We have been exploring the structure of some of our favourite songs and have particularly enjoyed experimenting with percussion instruments.  1D has all the makings of a grand orchestra!

Sport

Students in 1D are also very excited about the sports program for this term as we learn about the importance of inclusion and fair play through a variety of group-based games and activities.

With such an exciting start to the year, 1D is eager to explore the new learning ahead, as we continue to do our best - and then a little bit more.