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Hello Families,
We are over halfway through the term, and our students have already achieved so much! A big thank you to our Year 2 students for hosting a fantastic assembly last week, it was wonderful to see their confidence and enthusiasm on stage.
It has been truly heartwarming to see our older students embracing the role of mentors and friends to our younger and new members of our school community. With lots of little people learning big school routines and navigating our large playground spaces, their support has made a real difference. A special shout-out to Taylor Gavin-Brownell in Year 5, as well as Asha Wilson and Claudia Komorowski from Year 6, for going above and beyond to help our younger students feel safe, confident, and included. Their kindness and leadership have not gone unnoticed!
We have also welcomed many new enrolments from families all over the world, enriching our vibrant and diverse community. To all our new students and families—Swagatham, Swagat, Swagat Cha, and Welkom! We hope you find a strong sense of belonging here at Charles Weston School. Next term, we’re also looking forward to restarting our partnership with the Multicultural Youth Hub. This fantastic initiative provides free after school activities that celebrate our diverse cultures and create opportunities for families to connect, share traditions, and build friendships. We can’t wait to see the rich cultural exchange that continues to make our community so special!
Looking ahead, we are excited for our swimming carnival tomorrow, a fantastic opportunity for students to have fun, challenge themselves, and support their peers! Thank you to our PE Teacher Matt O’Dwyer for his diligent preparation and running of the event.
Car Park Safety – A Shared Responsibility
Lately, we’ve had an increase in parent concerns about unsafe behaviours in our car park, including illegal parking, children running across roads, and drivers not wearing seatbelts. These actions pose serious risks to student safety and are against the law. If you witness unsafe behaviour, please report it to the appropriate authorities to help keep our students safe.
There are several ways to make pick-up and drop-off smoother and safer:
✔️ Arrive a little earlier to find a legal parking spot.
✔️ Park further down Madgwick Street and walk to the gate.
✔️ Use the designated drop-off and pick-up zones.
✔️ Consider organising a ‘walking bus’ with other families; a supervised group walk to school that rotates adult responsibility.
Most importantly, please ensure your child understands your pick-up arrangements clearly each day. Thank you for working together to prioritise the safety of our school community.
Exciting Learning in our Units of Inquiry
One of the things I love most about the IB programme is how our teachers create authentic and meaningful learning experiences that students will remember for life.
Our Year 6 teaching team recently undertook professional learning in STEM, focusing on 3D printing technology. Their hard work has paid off, and they have secured a 3D printer to enhance their upcoming How the World Works Unit of Inquiry! This will give students hands-on experience in designing and creating, deepening their understanding of technology and innovation.
In addition, some of our students had the incredible opportunity to attend a special International Women’s Day event with Katherine Bennell-Pegg, the first person to qualify as an astronaut under the Australian flag. Katherine shared her journey towards achieving her childhood dream and her work with the Australian Space Agency. Events like these inspire our students to aim high and see the possibilities in STEM careers.
Staffing Update – A Fond Farewell to Bianca Bailetti
It is with both gratitude and sadness that we farewell our Deputy Principal, Bianca Bailetti, as she embarks on an exciting new role at North Ainslie School.Bianca has been a dedicated and knowledgeable leader, serving our school community for several years in both Executive Teacher and Deputy Principal roles. Her impact has been profound, particularly in leading the implementation of the IB Primary Years Programme. She has strengthened our capacity to deliver engaging, authentic, and rigorous Units of Inquiry, ensuring rich learning experiences for our students.
A passionate advocate for holistic student development, Bianca has championed the Learner Profile Attributes and Approaches to Learning, helping students grow as knowledgeable, principled, and reflective learners. She has also played a key role in supporting educators, building professional learning resources, and mentoring staff to deliver high-quality IB learning. Her leadership has fostered a strong culture of professional growth, collaboration, and innovation.
In Early Education, Bianca has been a fierce advocate for student development and safety, ensuring our practices align with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the laws and regulations that govern early childhood care. Her commitment to high standards in child safety and wellbeing has strengthened our approach, creating an inclusive and engaging learning environment where our youngest learners can thrive. Beyond her leadership, Bianca’s fun personality is always a treat in Preschool. She brings stories to life with her animated expressions and gestures, making storytime a truly magical experience for our students.
Beyond her professional expertise, Bianca is known for her love of coffee, her creativity, and her ability to think big. She forms deep, meaningful connections with students, families, and staff, leaving a lasting impact on our community. Personally, I have deeply valued her wisdom, support, and leadership, and I know she will be greatly missed.
Once a permanent Principal is appointed, they will lead the process of recruiting Bianca’s replacement. In the meantime, one of our fantastic teachers will step into an Executive Teacher position to support our priorities and ensure continuity for students and families.
We invite any community member who knows Bianca to come to a special assembly on her last day!
Monday 17th March at 2:15pm
in our School Hall.
Please be seated by 2:10pm. We hope to see you there!
New Staff Introduction
Hello Charles Weston School Families!
My name is Pema Tshomo, and I am a Family Engagement Worker with Wellbeing in Schools Team at ACT Education Directorate. I am passionate about supporting students and families to create a positive school experience.
I speak Dzongkha, English, Nepali, Hindi, Urdu and I like to read. Communication and connection are at the heart of my work, and I strive to ensure that every student and family feels heard and supported.
As a school social worker, I provide voluntary support to students and their families when challenges at home or school affect their ability to engage in education. This includes issues like family conflict, mental health concerns, grief, and other stresses that impact wellbeing.
My role involves attending school meetings, connecting families with community resources, and helping address barriers to school attendance. I also work closely with teachers, caregivers, and families to provide guidance and create tailored support plans to help students thrive.
I am onsite at Charles Weston School Mondays and Thursdays, and I look forward to working with you and the school community throughout 2025.
Thank you, as always, for being a wonderful part of our school community. I look forward to sharing more information with you in our week 9 newsletter!
Kind regards,
Maz Smith
Principal
Finding the joy in parenting
If you’re finding it hard sometimes to find the joy as a parent, you’re not alone. Parenting can be tough. Luckily, there are loads of resources to help us along the way. The Nurtured First website, https://nurturedfirst.com/ has podcast episodes and blogs covering a range of titles from co-regulation, responding calmly, and positive parenting, covering ages 0 to school age. If you’re struggling with a child who misbehaves at school, but not at home (or vice versa), check out this blog for some tips on how to manage these challenges: https://nurturedfirst.com/preschooler/school-behaviour-challenges/ .
Another challenge might be around asking about their school day. Perhaps you just get one word as a response, or your child feels bombarded with too many questions after a busy school day. Remember that downtime is needed for your child to process their day and recharge. If your child has been diagnosed with ADHD or Autism they may struggle a little more with cognitive overload. Dr. Neff has adapted the ‘spoon theory’ for these diagnoses, using a metaphor around the concept of different spoons, or energy reserves that may impact a child’s day. Google “The Neurodivergent Spoon Drawer” if you’d like to read more and find out how to support a child running out of ‘spoons’ by replenishing their supply. Taking a mindful moment is a great way to recharge at the end of a school day.
If your child struggles to be told ‘no’ when appropriate, Dr. Siggie has some scripts that may help on her Instagram page: “My answer is no. It’s hard to hear my no sometiems…I totally get that. You can feel disappointed for as long as you need. When you’re ready, see if you can help yourself feel a little better. I know you’ll be ok”.
As with all parenting advice, there is no one size fits all, as our children are unique individuals and respond differently even within the same family and same upbringing. By exploring a range of resources available, we can hopefully find the ones that fit with our parenting style and our amazing family.
I hope this resource helps you find some joy ?.
Cheryl
For Number, students have been working hard on their understanding of place value. Students have been working on ones, tens, hundreds and thousands. Students got to gain a deeper understanding of place value by creating an interactive game. When creating a game, students had to think about how other players can practice their place value knowledge in various ways. It was a lot of fun as students got creative with it and added their own unique twists, such as challenges, rewards, and special rules to make their games more engaging. It was great to see their enthusiasm as they tested each other’s games and refined their ideas!
For Inquiry Maths the focus has been on Measurement. Students have learnt the 3 key concepts of length, mass and capacity. The aim was to create an environment that allowed students to be creative and hands-on in order to develop a deeper understanding of the measurement concepts. Within the last week we have introduced Time. We worked very hard to create our very own clocks, familiarising ourselves with skip counting by 5’s and the hour/minute hand.
Literacy:
In year 3 students have gained the privilege of using chromebooks. This has been incorporated into our literacy time and students have found it very engaging. We are still focusing on their handwriting and spelling skills through targeted handwriting and spelling lessons.
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Spelling: Our SPELLEX program is well underway and students are showing growth and engaging in lessons. We have been learning about the terms “phoneme - the individual sounds in a word”, “grapheme - the ways sounds are written”. We have also been learning about base words, and how we add prefixes and suffixes to change their meaning. |
Writing and Reading: This term in year 3 we have been looking at narrative writing and descriptive language. Students have also enjoyed reading our mentor text Matilda by Roald Dahl. Through Dahl’s descriptive language we have been learning about simile and metaphor. Students have been using this knowledge to plan and write a narrative on the chromebooks. |
How the World Works Inquiry:
Our How the World Works Inquiry has been focused on how “temperature influences our lives”. We began by exploring heat sources we know and designing a sunsafe playground. Over the last few lessons we have started learning about different states of matter and how heat or the lack of influences changes by experimenting with ice cubes.
How we Organise Ourselves Inquiry: We have been busy learning about how to make our brains stronger. We have learnt the key parts of the brain. We have learnt about the prefrontal cortex which is our wise old owl, the part of the brain we are trying to make strong. The amygdala, which is our guard dog, its job is to keep us safe. The hippocampus, the elephant in our brain that stores all of our memories. Over the next two terms we will be learning strategies to make sure we are listening to our amygdala but also making our prefrontal cortex strong so that it is always thinking.
Literacy and Numeracy
Year 4 students have started the year strong, establishing routines for literacy and numeracy.
Our explicit spelling program, SpellEx, has started and students are showing growth in understanding and applying specific spelling rules.
Specifically, students have been focussing on prefixes and suffixes, understanding the rules and applying these to a large variety of simple and complex vocabulary. Students have also been transferring this knowledge of specific vocabulary into maths and Inquiry. This is supporting them to understand the vocabulary and word problems and accurately solve them.
Students have been exploring the four GROW values in greater detail and depth. We have created a year 4 display that represents our understanding of what each of the four values, Growth Mindset, Respect, Organisation and Wellbeing look like in our cohort.
“I really enjoyed making colour poems.” - Christian
“The colour poems were fun and interesting.” - Razan
Year 5 have embraced numeracy learning this term, developing their knowledge of factors, multiples, divisibility strategies and angles. Students have shared their knowledge in a variety of ways, documenting their learning and ideas through online tasks, think boards, collaborative challenges, mathematical artworks and independent problem solving tasks.
Multimodal learning encourages students to think critically and to apply their knowledge in different contexts.
“I enjoyed doing the angles artwork because it combined art with math and made angles creative and easier to understand.” - Andrea
“All the number learning we do in Year 5 is fun and enjoyable.” - Bhavika
Inquiry
Students have been looking at the elements of drama and visual arts, using them to analyse different artworks and create our own. We have conducted research on the different cultures around the world and how they express themselves through the arts.
We have discussed the different factors that make up our identities and how these can change over time. We discussed different stereotypes and have begun looking at different people throughout history who have worked to break them. We had a particular look at gender stereotypes to line up with International Women's Day.
“I love all the drama and art activities” - Zara
“I enjoyed researching about different people and cultures” - Joni
Kindergarten – MUSIC EXPLORER
We began the term singing songs that I thought Kindy would not know ! What a surprise that they know SO many songs. I just can not trick them at all !!! We are practicing keeping the beat steady with music we hear and with music we song and play. We can show the beat on different parts of our body ! We LOVE the rainbow ring ! Kindergarten can demonstrate fast/slow and loud/quiet and give examples! They are beginning to realise that music that is high is not the same as music that is loud.
Year One – RHYTHM QUEST
Year One are on a rhythm quest !!! Ask us to explain how many sounds are on a beat when we play ta and titi. Ask us to demonstrate and say a rhythm ! We know the rhythm is the way the words go and have been making body rhythms for some words ! This has been fun. We are also learning rhymes and songs to help us hear the rhythms of words. Sounds of Moosic is a favourite !
Year Two – BEAT vs RHYTHM
Year Two have been revising known rhythms and have discovered the mystery rhythm zah in songs, chants and games. We have participated in various rhythm trains and are composing our own rhythm test book soon ! Ask us to sing and play Bow Wow Wow with you and explain the rhythm. Ask us how many beats in this song and how we find out !
Year Three – KARATE RECORDER
Year Three are learning the recorder ! This fabulous instrument is versatile and is a great tool for learning to read and compose on the treble clef staff. Recoder readily transfers to other woodwind instruments.
Year Four – DRUMMING 101
Year Four are bucket drumming. They are learning to play a simple rock beat and read a drum grid. This week Karate Drumming will be introduced, where students work through a series of rhythm patterns, using the correct stick techniques and rehearse and then perform their works. Each time they complete a set, they move up to a new Karate belt in drumming!
Year Five –
Year Five have been learning to play the Orff instruments using the pentatonic scale. Their task is to play a simple song keeping a steady beat and then improvise over the bordun with a partner. Here are a few examples of their work. Simply use your camera to hear their rehearsals.
Year Six –
Year Six have already completed their first task for the year. They had to choose a mode and compose their own melody to a simple given chant. Here are a few examples of their work. Simply use your camera to hear their compositions.
CWS is Singing Around the World !
Each fortnight we are learning a new song from our very big world !
Can you help??? Is there a childrens song or chant that you can teach us?
Please email and let me know !
Susan.Curbishley@ed.act.edu.au
Choir News
Our CWS choir has all music on SeeSaw in our choir classroom. Please contact Mrs Curbishley for access.
We are currently learning “The Three Little Pigs” and will betaking this “story song”
across the road to the Coombs ELC later this term.
SAVE THE DATE: July 30th is our next PYP Choir day and will be held at CGGS.
MUSIC CLUBS TERM ONE
It was so lovely to begin the library year by welcoming families into the library space on the Welcome Evening. Classes are back in full swing with borrowing in all grades and preschool coming for their very fist library time.
Our library purchases new books every year based on student and teacher requests and units of inquiry, and prioritises purchasing new, preferably Australian books that showcase the diversity of learners who attend our school. We hope that all students find books that act as mirrors to their identity and that they can see themselves in our stories. We are also working to update the resources in our non-fiction collection of information books.
Every library purchase is possible because of your generous, tax-deductible donations to our Library Trust Fund. Information about how to make one these donations will be sent out very soon. This year we are suggesting that families make a donation equivalent to $15 per student per term which equates to purchasing one new soft cover book per child each term. If you are in a position to make a higher donation, it is greatly appreciated.
We also happily accept donations of childrens books (for ages 5-12) that are in good condition. These donations are collected at the front office. In particular, we would love to grow our collection of picture books in languages other than English. If you have any to donate or are travelling overseas during the year, we would love to add them to our Mother Tongue resources.
Some families have noticed that the usual Scholastic Book Club catalogues have not been distributed this term. The LOOP portal is still open if you would like to place an order.
We are please to be able to offer a new Book Club this term. The amazing independent bookshop, The Book Cow, have created their first Kids Book Club catalogue which can be viewed digitally here: https://www.bookcow.com.au/schools
- Enjoy exclusive specials each term - more books and fewer stationery items!
- When you purchase with The Book Cow kids and teen book clubs you will earn 15% of your purchase worth of credit for the school library
- You also earn 5% of your purchase in Herd credits for future purchases, in store at their Kingston location
- Purchases can be made online at https://schools-bookcow.square.site/
- Orders will be packed and delivered to school each week and will be delivered to your childs class (unless you note that it is a gift order and it can be collected from the front office)
- When ordering, select “Charles Weston School” under the Store Pick-Up option and then enter your child’s name and class in the notes section of the order.
Thank you so much for all the support you show our school library.
Happy reading!
Mrs Mengel, Teacher Librarian
- Monday 28 April 2025
- Monday 21 July 2025
- Monday 13 October 2025
Student-free days are for staff development, enabling teachers and schools to plan in a student-free environment, and form part of our commitment to priortising better teacher workloads for educational leadership, teaching and learning.
P & C UPDATE – TERM 1
Dear Charles Weston Community, hope the term 1 went well so far. As most of you may know that my role as a president of P&C draws to close, I would like to reflect on the incredible journey I had over the last 8 years in various roles at P&C. I am immensely thankful for your support in enhancing our school environment and fostering stronger connections between parents, teachers and school community.
Upcoming events
The list of events planned for term 1 and term 2 are as follows (but not limited to):
- Annual General Meeting
- Mother’s Day Breakfast
- Democracy sausage for Federal Elections (Date to be annouced yet)
Annual General Meeting 2025
Annual General Meeting to fill all committee positions on 26 March 2025, in Week 8 Term 1. As a parent at Charles Weston, you are automatically a member of the P&C, which plays a vital role in enhancing the school community through funding, events, and collaborative initiatives. Please consider joining the P&C in any capacity that you could.
There are several ways to participate:
- Executive Level: Six leadership positions (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Council Delegate, and Public Officer) are elected at the AGM.
- General Membership: Parents are welcome to attend meetings without commitment.
- Volunteering: Opportunities include helping at BBQs and events. A Working with Vulnerable People Card is required for activities involving children (available free from Canberra Connect
Information about roles and responsibilities of each executive can be found below:
Annual General Meeting
Our Annual General Meeting (usually held in the second half of term one) is where we accept new memberships and form our committee for the year. Anyone who wishes to be on the committee should familiarise themselves with our Constitution and ensure there are no conflicts of interest before nominating.
Nominating for a committee position
If you are interested in nominating for a committee position – please refer to the below guides from the P&C Council that outline the duties of each committee position.
The President
- chairs all general and executive committee meetings of the association
- provides leadership
- acts as a spokesperson for the association
- reports to P&C meetings about the activities of the P&C (the president’s report)
- exercises some supervision over the functions of other office bearers
- ensures adequate and efficient communication exists between the members of the association, the members of the school board and the school/principal
- encourages parents to participate
- drafts content for P&C section of the school newsletter.
The Vice-President (maximum of two)
- presides as chair at meetings where the president is absent
- should be familiar with the operation of the P&C and the duties of president
- needs a working understanding of meeting rules and procedure
- undertakes tasks to reduce the burden of the president.
The Secretary
- monitoring the P&C email account and referring enquiries as required
- keeping the President informed of all issues
- draws up, in consultation with president, the meeting agendas
- keeps full and correct minutes of P&C proceedings and meetings
- acts upon decisions as directed by the meeting
- attends to the correspondence of the association, checking incoming mail regularly
- looks after the association’s documents
- maintains a register of members (unless otherwise stated in the constitution).
The Treasurer
- is responsible for all funds received and spent, including all subcommittee accounts
- Preparing receipts for all monies received (outside square) and paying accounts as authorised
- Banking all money regularly (excluding authorised float amounts)
- prepares regular reports to P&C meetings
- prepares the association’s financial report for an annual audit and presenting at the AGM.
The Council Delegate
- attends monthly meetings of the ACT Council of P&C Associations (Council)
- represents the views of the school’s P&C at Council meetings
- reports back to the P&C on items of interest from Council meetings
- initiates discussion on system-wide issues
The Public Officer
- is the point of contact between the P&C and the Office of Regulatory Services (ORS)
- must be a resident of the ACT and over 18 years of age
- this position is a requirement of the Associations Act, but is a minor role in the running
of the P&C and is often held by the secretary or another office bearer. - The Fundraising Coordinator
- Oversee all fundraising activities of the Association
- Provide guidance and oversight to any fundraising sub-committees
- Set fundraising goals/targets for the year
The Facilities Coordinator
- coordinate with front office to book the facilities for the meetings and events
School board representative
- Parent representatives on the school board are known as ‘parents and citizens members’. They represent the views and interests of members of the school’s P&C. It is their role to ensure that issues and priorities discussed at school board meetings are communicated to members of the P&C. The P&C meeting is the most obvious way to do this. Parent board members should also garner the views of the P&C at meetings to report back to the school board. They should also seek feedback from the wider parent community; other mechanisms such as the school newsletter, questionnaires or parent meetings should be used to report to and listen to parents. It is particularly important that major items on the board agenda, such as financial priorities, new school policies or programs, and annual action plans are widely discussed so that parent views contribute to board decisions.
General committee member
- This is someone who has requested to be a committee member of the P&C and forms part of the general committee. There are no specific duties required of general members however they do need to follow the terms of the constitution. General membership also ceases at the commencement of the Annual General Meeting.
- General members are encouraged to join any sub-committees that may be formed to facilitate P&C events.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
https://volunteersignup.org/ERAQM
To sign up to volunteer at P&C events, just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to do. Please note that you could help us just for one event or more events. The upcoming events are Mother's Day Breakfast and Election Day BBQ. Thank you for volunteering!
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
The P&C would love to host so many wonderful events for our students and families, but without volunteers these events cannot go ahead. If you can assist or volunteer (even if it is only for one event or one hour) please email charleswestonparents@gmail.com
UPCOMING EVENTS
*NEXT MEETING – TERM 1 /WEEK 8 *
Annual General Meeting
Wednesday 26th March 2025 @ 6:15 pm
Location: School Library
SECOND-HAND SCHOOL UNIFORM STORE
https://charles-weston-pc.square.site/shop/second-hand-uniforms-all-/4
CLICK TO FIND US
https://www.facebook.com/CWSCParents
charleswestonparents@gmail.com
SAFE PARKING
Unsafe driving and parking behaviours increase the potential road safety risk for children around schools. Road safety is a shared responsibility, it is important the road rules are followed near our school to ensure the entire school community feels safe.
Please remember children are more at risk than adults around schools because they are smaller and less visible to drivers. They are also less predictable and less experienced, which makes them more likely to make errors of judgement.
Failing to follow simple road rules like parking on verges, in no stopping zones, in bus stops, near children’s crossings, on footpaths or across driveways increases the risk to children around schools. Please do the right thing to create a safe environment around our school.
CONNECT WITH OTHER PARENTS AND THE P & C
WhatsApp groups provide another channel of information for parents and the opportunity to connect and chat with others in your child’s year group. Simply scan the QR code at the entrance of your child’s classroom using your phone camera to join the relevant group.
***** PLEASE READ - Group chat privacy and communication standards*****
- The group is for parents and care givers of Charles Weston students only, please do not share with friends and members outside our school community.
- Please be always respectful and mindful of others.
- Chats are to be text only – please do not post any pictures of children as this will breach privacy rules.
- Anyone using unsavoury language or not adhering to the above will be removed from the group immediately by the administrator.
- WhatsApp is not a marketing or promotion channel. If you would like to feature your business or community group – please contact the P&C directly on the email below or via our Facebook page.
Royals Juniors Rugby Union club registrations are now open for the 2025 season.
Rugby Union is a fun team sport that teaches resilience, builds strength and develop social skills and Royals Juniors is an inclusive community building club.
Whether it’s played recreationally or competitively, rugby is a great sport to stay healthy and fit.
Registrations for all boys and girls aged 5-18 to play in the Winter Competition Season are open online and training will commence for most teams from March 2025.
Registrations are $170 - $260 for the season and we offer a dispensation program for kids who'd like to play and need support.
Training commences in March and the competition commences in May.
On Thursday March 13 and Thursday April 3rd, Royals will be hosting a 'Come and Try Rugby' afternoon, where juniors can meet the coaches and have a go! All welcome to attend these free events.
If you are interested in playing the sport of champions, please follow Royals Juniors Rugby Union on Facebook or find us online at http://royalsjuniors.com.au/ for the registration information.
For more information, please email royalsjuniorsrugbyunion@gmail.com or Jim on 0431 382 774.
