Dear Parents, 

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

As you know, Auburn North is fortunate to have two Deputy Principals. They are Mrs Clift and Mrs Southgate.  

Mrs Southgate has written two excellent pieces of information about two very important student wellbeing strategies that operate at Auburn North. The strategies are the: 

1. GROWTH MINDSET strategy.
2. STAND strategy. 

Mrs Southgate and I encourage you to read the information below with your children about these two strategies. 

CLASS REPORTS

For your reading pleasure, please find in this newsletter class reports from 2B and 4F. I would like to thank and congratulate 2B students and 4F students and their teachers Ms Bravo and Ms Fahy.

A GROWTH MINDSET 

Three Strategies for Assisting Children Develop A Growth Mindset 

“If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning.” 

– Dr. Carol Dweck, 2006

Children who love challenges and understand that their mistakes help them to learn can be described as having a growth mindset. Children with a growth mindset believe that if they apply effort to their learning they can grow their intelligence.

Children with a fixed mindset believe that their intelligence cannot be grown and, therefore, it is not important to put effort into their learning.

Research conducted by educational researcher Professor John Hattie shows that one of the most significant effects on a child’s learning is their own expectations about what they can achieve. This supports Dr. Carol Dweck’s research which indicates that having a growth mindset has a profound and long-term effect on a child’s learning.

The differences between how a child with a growth mindset and a fixed mindset may approach learning and challenges are represented below.                                               

How can parents assist their children to develop a growth mindset?

1. Have daily learning discussions.

At dinner, in the car or at bedtime take the time to share the answers to these types of questions:

• “What did you learn today?”
• “What mistake did you make that taught you something?”
• “What did you try hard at today?”

Parents can also share what they learned during the day. This models for children that parents learn new things every day, and even learn from mistakes or ‘failures’.

When children share, parents can reply like this:

• “You certainly did get smarter today.”
• “I like the way you tried all kinds of strategies until you finally got it right.”
• “Everyone learns in a different way. Let’s keep trying to find the way that works for you.”

2. Give feedback on process and progress.

• Praise effort, persistence, seeking challenges, setting goals, planning, and using creative strategies.

Model positive self-talk.

Model positive self-talk.

3. Model positive self-talk.

• Use language that reflects a growth mindset, builds resilience and teaches children how to respond to mistakes or ‘failures’.

STAND PROGRAM

During primary school, children learn the important skill of forming and maintaining friendships with others. They develop strategies for resolving minor conflicts that they may occasionally have with their peers. Such conflicts are normal as children grow and develop. When they occur, they are usually quickly resolved because children are typically quick to forgive one another, shake hands or give each other a hug, and continue with their friendship.

At Auburn North, we have developed and implemented a program called the 'STAND' program. The purpose of this program is to provide students with a step-by-step process to follow to learn how to resolve minor conflicts by themselves before, if necessary, requesting assistance from a teacher. By learning to manage conflict effectively, children can improve their ability to get along with others.

We would like to take the opportunity to share this program with each of our families so that it can be used as a resource to assist you to guide your children about how they can resolve conflicts that may occur.  

We would like to take the opportunity to share this program with each of our families so that it can be used as a resource to assist you to guide your children about how they can resolve conflicts that may occur.  

We would like to take the opportunity to share this program with each of our families so that it can be used as a resource to assist you to guide your children about how they can resolve conflicts that may occur.  

4F has had an amazing start to the 2024 academic year and is ready to soar! It is my great pleasure to be their classroom teacher and to watch each student inch closer to achieving their potential every day!

Literacy:

We are thrilled to share the exciting developments happening in our literacy group sessions this term! In Year 4, our students are fully immersed in the world of words, exploring, creating, and expressing themselves in imaginative ways. One of the highlights of our literacy program is the formation of literacy groups, where students engage in dynamic discussions, collaborate on projects, and support one another's learning journeys. These groups provide a nurturing environment for our students to develop their reading, writing, and spelling skills while fostering a sense of camaraderie and teamwork.

Currently, our budding authors are hard at work on their writing projects, focusing on crafting engaging and informative information reports. What sets these reports apart is the incorporation of a range of visual information features, including diagrams, pictures with captions, glossaries, and fun fact boxes! Through this writing process, we are not only honing our literacy skills but also expanding our knowledge on a variety of topics, from animals and habitats to historical figures and scientific phenomena. With each report they write, they are becoming more confident and proficient communicators, ready to share their newfound knowledge with the world. I could not be prouder of their efforts!

Numeracy:

So far this term, 4F has been diving deep into the world of numbers! We've flexed our math muscles as we tackled the 7x and 8x multiplication and division facts with gusto. In addition to mastering our times tables, we're sharpening our skills in efficient addition and subtraction strategies. Whether it's using the algorithm method, mental math tricks, or breaking numbers down into friendly chunks, we’ve discovered that there's more than one way to solve a math problem.

Money has also been an area of great success for all 4F’s mathematicians. From finding total amounts to making change, we'll soon be money-savvy experts ready to tackle any financial challenge that comes our way! And let's not forget about multiplicative relations, data analysis, and fractions. We'll be exploring the fascinating connections between numbers, diving into colourful graphs and charts, and mastering the art of the bar model for exploring fractional parts.

4F spotlight:

This term, we have begun engaging in a range of exciting new PSSA winter sports. Our friends in 4F are participating in boys’ soccer, girls’ soccer, netball, and Newcombe ball. All students have been doing a wonderful job of displaying our values while playing against other schools in our community, making our ANPS family proud of their sportsmanship!

Another exciting initiative that we have been thoroughly enjoying in 4F this term is the fantastic Eco Warriors program that takes place during break time. Students have been displaying a variety of values and demonstrating respect and care for our environment and for the Gadigal land that we learn on each day.

We have had a new friend join our 4F family this term, which is very exciting! We welcome Melek and her family to our community. We are so grateful to have her learn and play alongside us.

2B Newsletter

2B have had a fabulous time learning throughout Term 2. One of our favourite events this term was the K-2 Sports Fun Day and National Simultaneous Storytime where we read the story Bowerbird Blues.

Literacy

This term in Literacy, Year 2 are continuing to write information reports and have had the opportunity to learn about different countries around the world. The first week students made passports so that they could travel virtually to the countries. Countries students have learned so far are Spain, Japan, India, Ireland, China and France. Each day students write a paragraph on general information, cuisine, landmarks or festivals and interesting facts. They have learned so much and are excited to continue their journey around the world.

Maths

2B have been developing their addition and subtraction skills. We have been learning a range of strategies to add and subtract 2-digit numbers such as bonds of 10 and 20, doubles, halves, near doubles and the jump strategy. We have also been learning to share and make groups to help with our multiplication and division. During maths groups, students have been drawing upon our 21^st century learning skills of critical thinking, collaboration and character to achieve the learning goal.

Sport

This term, 2B have been having the best time during our sports lessons. We have learned to display the characteristics of sportsmanship during modified games of soccer and netball. 2B have learned to play fair, respect each other and follow the rules of each game.

We are looking forward to what the rest of the year will bring.

Mark Harris

Principal

IMPORTANT DATES