For all upcoming events please see the Penguin District School Calendar

NAPLAN and our focus value of Respect

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is an important annual assessment for Australian students in Years 3, 5, 7, and 9. The assessments are designed to evaluate students’ proficiency in essential literacy and numeracy skills and include four key test areas: reading, writing, language conventions (spelling, grammar, and punctuation), and numeracy.

I have once again been blown away by the level of respect and resilience that our students have demonstrated during the assessments this week.  The Penguin “Can Do” attitude that our students have demonstrated is something they should be extremely proud of.  One of our Yr.3 students found me after his writing assessment and said, “Mr Beard, that was really hard…..but I still did it and I feel really good now.”  NAPLAN Assessments will continue next week.

Showing Respect Towards Each Other

At PDS, we believe that respect is a cornerstone of a positive and supportive learning environment. Respecting ourselves, each other and the environment continues to be at the heart of our work this term.  This week we have challenged our students to really think about ways that we can show respect for our gardens and bush spaces so that they remain in great condition for us to all enjoy.  Can we ask that you remind your child/children to ensure they are not walking on the garden beds at the front of our school to ensure they remain healthy for many years to come.

Reporting and Communication Term 1. (Including Seesaw)

We value strong communication between school and home, and Seesaw is a great platform for keeping parents updated on their child’s learning journey. Whilst we appreciate that the recent technical outage has made communicating challenging, we are excited to share that Seesaw is back up and running.  If you haven’t been able to reconnect, please reach out to your child’s teacher.

As part of our Reporting and Communicating requirements you can expect a mid-term update from your teacher either by phone, Seesaw or email in the next week.  Many of you would have already received this.  Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or queries.

Our Kinder families will also receive “an Evidence of Learning” before the end of term. 

P-6 students will receive their Primary Progress Report on Friday of week 10.

Thank you for staying in touch and keeping informed.

Shout Outs

There are so many people that go above and beyond in our school, but I would just like to give an extra little shout out to the following students, staff and parents.

• To our secondary students who supported the recent Riana Primary Athletics Carnival.  This included our House Captains and some ex-Riana students.  I know the Riana staff and students really appreciated your support.

• Lachie P (Yr. 5/6)– for filling in for a school who needed an extra team member at the recent Primary Athletics Carnival.  A great example of PDS sportsmanship.

• Brodie Deverell (Aboriginal Education Worker) – for kicking off our Aboriginal Education sessions with Secondary students over the last fortnight.  We are really looking forward to the program Brodie is offering.

• To our parents and community members who joined us for our Primary Assembly on Thursday afternoon.  We trust you enjoyed the presentations and celebrations.

• To Damon K, Tash T and Timmy A for all your support in getting organised for assembly this week.  I certainly value your ongoing help and assistance.

Yours in partnership

Adrian Beard

(Primary Assistant Principal/Friday Principal)

Students in 5/6A have started their year by getting to know their new classmates through creating heart maps, artwork to describe themselves and thumbprint writing. Their work has brightened up our classroom.

To start our year in 5/6B we have been getting creative with self-portraits and writing. Our creations will be displayed around our classroom to give our room some colour and character. We are very proud of our finished products.

In Geography, 5/6D have been learning about the states, capitals, oceans and landmarks of Australia

5/6D were challenged to create insects from leaves.

Students in 5/6E created self-portraits then wrote 10 statements about themselves that told their story. They look amazing and certainly brighten our classroom. 

5/6E have been studying extremophiles. They created an infographic in Canva to showcase their work. 

 

Half term has just passed, and the grade sevens have wasted no time get straight into their HASS unit. So far they've learned about megafauna, the stages of human evolution. And of course, how to act like they're doing work while playing addictive math games.

The Year 7s have just started their first official assessment task for HASS, with the option to create a poster on the Deep Time, Neanderthals, or early human migration. And although it seems they spend about as much time designing and redesigning their posters as actually researching and doing work, everyone has learnt something and had a good time.

Their lessons have been of chatter, debates, questions, frustration and breakthroughs, and although they can get a bit (or a lot) noisy, the classroom is always busy with productivity and genuine interest.

Lauren – 7C

Meanwhile, our Year 8 Geographers are exploring the challenges of megacities. Did you know that parts of Jakarta are sinking by 25cm each year? Students are investigating the impacts of urban sprawl and overpopulation while also exploring innovative solutions to these growing issues.

Year 9 History students are delving into Australia's past from 1750 to 1918. Their studies include the expansion of European settlement, the effects of colonisation on Indigenous communities, and the experiences of non-European migrants.

Finally, our Year 10 History students were posed an intriguing question: What do Remembrance Day and a train have in common? This kicked off their World War II unit, where they have been learning about the Treaty of Versailles and how it contributed to the outbreak of the war. They have also been looking at the period of time between the war years.

Asha and Paige

History and geography are full of fascinating stories—ask your child what they’ve been discovering in class!

On Tuesday 11 March, 33 students braved cold conditions to compete in the 2025 PDS Swimming Trials.  There were some solid performances on the day even though numbers were lower than expected.  The year 10s were represented with 6 students so the girls and the boys swam together which saw some tough, hard-fought races.  Nixon and Xanon battled it out all morning for the year 8s in some close encounters as did Lenny and Walter for the year 10 boys. Simon, Alfie and Leo in the year 9 boys had a good day in the events also. The year 7 boys and girls had the biggest teams with Mac taking out all events on the day for the boys . Taleah was a consistent swimmer in year 10 as was Maggie for the year 9 girls and Pippa representing the year 8 girls. The year 7 girls also had a number of good representatives on the day with Scarlet being consistent in all strokes she participated in. Students will be awarded their swim champions medals and certificates at the next assembly. Thanks to all students involved on the day.

Central Coast is thrilled to announce a Garden Design & Art Competition for young people living in the Central Coast community!   This is a fantastic opportunity for young minds to share their ideas for the children’s area at the Ulverstone Community Garden HUB—a space designed to inspire outdoor and nature play. 

How to Enter: We’re looking for creativity in all forms! Your entry can be a concept or idea rather than a final design, and you can express it in any way you like—painting, drawing, sculpture, craft, music, dance, video, graphic design, or any other creative medium. 

 Who Can Enter?

• Open to all young people under 18 living in the Central Coast. 
• Both individuals and groups are welcome to participate. 

 Prizes:  

• 1st Place (Individual): $100 
• 2nd Place (Individual): $50 
• 3rd Place (Individual): $25 
• Group Prize: $100 

 Competition Deadline: Entries close on March 21st at 5pm with winners announced at the official opening of the Community Garden on March 30th 

You can pass your entries on to Mrs Hubbard by Thursday March 20 or email them to: ‘It takes a village’ Coordinator katelwylie@gmail.com