Jestem dumny i wesoly – ide dzis do polskiej szkoly!
Polska szkola super sprawa – nauka, koledzy i zabawa!
Announcement about funding received from the “Freedom and Democracy” Foundation
Start of the 2023 School Year
Celebrating the end of the 2022 School Year
It is with great pride and joy I share news about blessing and handing over of the new BANNER to our school.
The ceremony took place on Saturday, December 10, at the Church of Mary Immaculate Church in Eagle Vale. Choosing a patron and handing over the banner are some of the most important moments in the life of every school community. The banner of the school was funded by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister at the request of the “Freedom and Democracy” Foundation. Our ceremony was honoured by the presence of the Consul General – Dr Monika Konczyk. The presence of a person of this rank – representing the Polish State – gave the ceremony an absolutely unique dimension. We are very grateful to the Consul General for finding time to be with us that day. The invitation to our ceremony was also accepted by: Father Antoni Dudek, Mr. Adam Gajkowski – President of the Association of Polish Organisations in NSW, Ms. Jolanta Zurawski – Manager of the Song and Dance Ensemble “Kujawy” and Mr. Jan Michalak – President of “Nasza Polonia” Association.
The ceremony began with the Holy Mass, which was concelebrated by Father Nadeem (OMI) and Father Antoni Dudek (S.Chr). We are very grateful to the parish priest Father Slawek Plonka (OMI) for being able to experience this important celebration for the school together with the Eagle Vale parish community. During the Holy Mass Polish songs close and familiar to the heart resounded. Girls and boys from the Polish school, festively dressed in national costumes, helped during Holy Mass through readings, prayers of the faithful and carrying gifts to the altar. Father Nadeem, who comes from Pakistan, was delighted with
the appearance and beauty of our national costumes. Our students looked nice and special in them. After Holy Communion, there was a ceremony of blessing the new banner, which was performed by Father Antoni Dudek at the request of our school parents. The banner was carried to the altar by the Consul General and Mr. Adam Gajkowski. After the blessing, the banner was placed in the hands of the School Director – Mrs. Bernadeta Kawa. Once the Mass concluded, we went to the parish hall next to the church, where official ceremonies related to the end of the school year and the handing over of the banner took place. Four students: Olivia, Franek, Martynka and Dominik presented the gathered with a description of the banner, the graphic design of which was made for the school by Mrs. Natalia Mitas. The background of the banner is red. In the center there is the school logo surrounded by intertwined flowers that represent the flora of Poland and Australia. These flowers are to symbolise that our Polish School is located on Australian soil and we – its students are to respect and love our two homelands. Above is the motto known to every Pole from the cradle: GOD, HONOR, FATHERLAND and KNOWLEDGE. Below, on the left, there is a lamp of knowledge, which symbolises the importance of education in human life. At the bottom right is an image of St. John Paul II, whom we chose as the patron of the school. There is also an inscription: “You must demand from yourself even if others do not demand from you”.
Then, there was a moment when the Consul handed over the banner to the School Principal – Mrs. Bernadeta Kawa who passed on the banner to the students in solemn words, and then the students swore to the banner. It was a touching and very special moment – all those gathered were aware of the uniqueness of this extraordinary time. The students, standing and touching their hearts with their right hand, vowed to be faithful to the School Banner and to guard its honour.
After completing the oath, the Consul addressed words of encouragement and respect to the gathered parents and grandparents for their work on passing on the mother tongue to the young generation of Poles in Australia.
The next item on the agenda was the handing out of school certificates to the students at the Macarthur Polish Saturday School. The children looked at their certificates with pride and joy. The certificates were presented to the students by the Consul General and other invited guests.
At the end, all students proudly holding their certificates in their little hands sang our school song and Christmas carol “Swiec Gwiazdeczko”.
The performances of two girls turned out to be an absolute hit. The first of them, Martynka (class II) recited a patriotic poem, and the second one – Victoria (class V) – sang in a beautiful, angelic voice the carol “When Christ was born”. I was hypnotised while listening to Victoria sing. None of us expected such a wonderful performance of this carol. It was truly phenomenal! Well done girls!!!
After the official part of the day concluded there was a time for socialising over coffee, tea and a piece of cake. I would like to thank our ladies from the Parental Committee for preparing refreshments for us and hosting us so beautifully.
As the students were leaving home, they took with them a gift from Santa. The parcels contained a ticket to the cinema, Lego bricks and beautifully published Polish books.
And how to describe the atmosphere of this meeting? I think that each of the gathered about 140 people felt the joy and pride of being part of the school community. We all felt that we were doing something really good together – something that is important, that cultivating in these young, beautiful Polish hearts love of the native language, history and tradition of the country of origin of their parents and grandparents is worthwhile.
And since nothing happens by itself, I thank all those who worked hard to make this day a success. I would like to thank Michal Macioch, Darek Plust, teachers and the Parental Committee. There are moments in life when it is quite difficult to find the right words to express the gratitude that fills your heart, gratitude for the people who simply ARE THERE FOR US, and who do not spare time and support for a just cause and today I THANK GOOD GOD FOR ALL OF YOU!
Yours faithfully,
Bernadeta Kawa
The Consul’s General award for Dominik Figiel
On Saturday, December 10, during the end of the 2022 school year celebrations, the top student from our school was awarded a prize for outstanding results in learning the Polish language. This year the Macarthur Polish Saturday School nominated Dominik Figiel from grade 4. Dominik started learning Polish 5 years ago. I had the joy and the privilege of being his first teacher at Polish school. I remember this smart, well-spoken boy who has never come to school without completed homework – always prepared and always ready to learn. Together we have learned the first letters from the Polish alphabet and together we have read the first simple texts in Polish. With that pride and satisfaction, I looked at Dominik’s smiling face when he was receiving his well-deserved award from Mrs. Consul General Monika Konczyk! Moments like these are the most meaningful moments of every teacher’s life and career and gives a sense of a job well done. Dominik’s success is also, and perhaps above all, the success of his parents and grandparents, whom we congratulate with all our heart for raising such a wonderful boy. Without your sacrifice, without your hard work, a day like this would never become a reality. Dearest Dominik, congratulations once again from our entire school community! We wish you nothing but success in the future!
Summary of Term 4
Preschool
Oh, it was happening in our Pre-schoolers Group throughout the entire 2022 school year! The creativity and imagination of the teachers from the Kindergarten Group knows no limits. I am very grateful for your great work and the huge effort to prepare interesting and engaging activities for children. Throughout the 2022 school year, the little ones were creating, cutting, building, painting, gluing, planting seeds and doing a lot of other creative activities that help them learn through play. Towards the end of term 4, you could sense a true Christmas spirit filling the air. Our little ones created a beautiful Christmas Tree that was used to decorate the school hall for the Assembly celebrating the end of the 2022 school year. See for yourself what wonders our pre-schoolers have put together under the watchful eye of their wonderful teachers. Congratulations to you ALL!
Kinga Pacione / Magdalena Selevitch
Kinder & Year 1
Grade 0-1 worked tirelessly all year round learning the basic letters of the Polish
alphabet. We did countless exercises dividing words into syllables and sounds. We also put a lot of hard work into correct pronunciation of newly learned words and phrases. Congratulations to all students of grade 0-1 for their regular attendance and hard work. We have learned a lot together this year. I am very proud of the progress you have made in listening, speaking, and reading. I am sure I will always remember the year 2022 with pleasure and great satisfaction. I believe I learn as much from you as you learn from me. Thanking you for this year, I wish you a Merry and beautiful Christmas and Happy New Year!
Have a nice and relaxing break!
Bernadeta Kawa / Jolanta Rybus
Year 2 & 3
The end of the year is always an opportunity to go over everything that has happened throughout the year. Saturday December 3rd was the last teaching Saturday in the 2022 school year. This was a year of intensive work in class 2-3. Students worked hard all year memorising difficult words and letters of the Polish Alphabet. We did a lot of verbal and language exercises, which were aimed at consolidating the processed material. At the end of term 4, just like their classmates from the other grades, our class also made Christmas cards for the residents of the Nursing Home in Marayong. We wish them a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Malgosia Jagodzinska
Year 4, 5 & 6
11 November – Poland’s Independence Day
On Saturday, September 12, 2022, students and teachers at the Macarthur Polish Saturday School celebrated the 104th anniversary of Poland regaining its independence.
At this time of the year, the lessons were focused on familiarising children with Polish national symbols such as the flag, national colours, national emblem and anthem. The classes were aimed at forming patriotic feelings and national identity in children. While conducting lessons, teachers of each grade used teaching methods suitable to the age and cognitive abilities of the children.
Both students and teachers were asked to bring souvenirs and gifts brought or received from Poland to school. We asked our dear Grandmothers to decorate the tables and prepare a mini-exhibition, and they undertook this task with great enthusiasm. Souvenirs brought from various regions of Poland appeared on the tables covered with white tablecloths. Thanks to the involvement of our grandmothers, a beautiful exhibition was created, attracting the eye with lots of colours. Students approached the tables and looked at the objects set on them with great interest. It was a beautiful and patriotic lesson, making us all aware of how beautiful and rich Polish history, culture and regional traditions are. On the map of Poland purchased last year, students stuck tiny flags, marking the place of origin of their families. The national anthem was also taught in every class without exception. In addition, students put together educational puzzles, the theme of which was the map of Poland. There was also the colouring of the national emblem, after familiarising the children with the legend of Lech, Czech and Rus.
At 12.00 we all gathered in the classroom, which was previously decorated for us by Grandmas, to sing Poland’s national Anthem. A huge flag was sewn for the needs of the school, which became the background of our performance.
I would like to thank everyone who contributed to making this day a beautiful and very clear lesson of patriotism and national pride for our students.
Federation of Community Languages – Annual Dinner
On Saturday, the 19 November 2022, the Annual Dinner of the New South Wales Federation of Community Languages was held. We were extremely impressed by the energy of this event in which, representatives of almost all ethnic schools from all over the state were represented. Congratulations to the President – Mrs. Lucia Johns and the entire Organization Committee on their huge success. We strongly congratulate you for the work and effort involved in the preparation of this celebration, as well as many other events aimed at supporting community language schools in NSW. The following ladies represented our school in this important event: Kinga Pacione, Jolanta Rybus, Magdalena Selevitch, Dorota Weale i Beata Szaflik. On behalf of the ladies present at the Annual Dinner and the entire community of the Macarthur Polish Saturday School, we thank the Federation Committee and all those involved in the preparation of the event for the opportunity to be part of it and wish you further successes in the future!
School Excursion to Calmsley Hill City Farm
“The project is co-financed by the Polish diaspora funds of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland”
On Saturday, October 29, 2022, our long-awaited school trip to Calmsley Hill City Farm took place. The trip project – submitted exactly one year ago – was partially covered by the funds of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland”
We are extremely grateful to the Polish Consulate in Sydney for financial assistance in the implementation of our school excursion project. It is difficult to find words that would fully reflect our joy that we could spend this day together as a school community: students, teachers and parents.
Our trip had two basic goals: an educational goal and an integration goal.
Educational goals:
- The student recognizes and names animals living in the countryside in Polish;
- The student builds simple sentences in Polish on the subject of farm animals;
- The student learns about the ways of caring for farm animals.
Integration goal:
- Strengthening social attitudes and integration of the group of project participants and their environment.
- Promoting an active lifestyle and paying attention to the positive aspects of spending free time in the open – surrounded by nature.
On the beautiful spring Saturday morning, in front of the entrance gate to Calmsley Hill City Farm, the students gathered with their parents and teachers from the Macarthur Polish Saturday School.
The first event of the day was the possibility of touching and cuddling various types of domestic animals. There were rabbits and goats and sheep and ponies. Ah – what fun it was for kids! Besides, this joy was painted not only on the faces of children, but also on the faces of their parents. Some of our students had the unique opportunity to feed a little lamb from a bottle. Ah – what a sight it was! How much laughter, joy and uproar were there!
Another attraction was milking the cows. At 11:00 am, a large crowd onlookers of all age and size gathered together around the cow, and everyone, without exception, wanted to see if it was possible that chocolate or strawberry milk would flow by accident. Unfortunately, some of our kids were honestly disappointed when it turned out that milk from a cow is always … only white. Some of our students tried their hand at milking the cow, which was captured in the pictures.
At 12:00 we gathered for a lunch together. All parents talked merrily with each other, and the children kicked a soccer ball on a large meadow. After lunch, some of the parents took their children to the farm, where kangaroos were laying lazily on the sun. Others went to watch dog training. Their trainer was just perfect in her profession. With great pleasure I watched the performances of her pupils. At the end, you could watch and admire the skills of men who deal with professional sheep shearing. They did it with amazing skill – the children became hypnotized watching them in action.
Our trip turned out to be a great adventure and success for both children and adults. Once again, we direct the words of gratitude towards the Polish Consulate in Sydney for making this trip possible.
And did the children like the Farm? Please, check the photos and decide it for yourself!
Announcement about funding received from the “Polish Community” Association
Dear parents, grandparents and friends of our Polish school! We are happy to announce that our school has received a grant from the Chancellery of the Prime Minister as part of the Polonia and Poles Abroad 2022 competition. Name of the public task: “Support for Polish diaspora education in the USA, Canada, Australia”. The amount of the subsidy: PLN 7,560
Total value of the public task: PLN 443,488.97
The public task “Support for Polish diaspora education in the USA, Canada, Australia” consists in supporting Polish diaspora schools by co-financing the costs of renting premises, teachers’ salaries, insurance and other operating costs.
Thank YOU to the “Polish Community” Association!
Announcement about funding received from the “Freedom and Democracy” Foundation
Dear Parents, Grandparents and Friends of our school! We are happy to announce the financial support received through the “Freedom and Democracy” Foundation. The project called “White-red ABC – Supporting educational initiatives teaching Polish-language in the world” has been implemented by the ‘Freedom and Democracy’ Foundation from the funds of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister as part of the Polonia and Poles abroad 2022 competition. Thanks to the support received, our school purchased school t-shirts for new students with the school logo printed on it. The grant also covered part of the expenses related to renting a bus to the Polish Saturday School in Randwick, where we celebrated Children’s Day together.
Thank you!
Minister’s Award for Layla Smutek
On Monday, November 5th this year, a student of our school – Layla Smutek from the 5th grade, received the award of the NSW Minister of Education. The event took place at the University of NSW in Sydney. Layla should be proud of her excellent results in learning the Polish language. We sincerely and warmly congratulate Layla and her parents who couldn’t be more proud of their daughter’s achievements. Congratulations also to the teachers who have had the pleasure of teaching Layla over the last 7 years. A day like this is also a source of joy and pride for our entire school community. Layla began studying at a Polish school at the age of four. Herself and her older brother Krystian attended school every Saturday. They would arrive with a smile on their faces and were always eager to learn and play with their peers. Layla is a very ambitious girl. She puts her whole heart into everything she does. She is not satisfied with half-successes. Over the past years, she has participated in many assemblies and celebrations organized by the school. She always puts a lot of work and effort into a beautiful recitation of poems and singing songs. I am sure that with such an attitude to study and work as Layla shows, she will achieve many more successes in the future, which we all wish for her with all our hearts. Once again, congratulations to Layla and her parents – Dominika and Adam, and to her proud grandmother, who takes an active role in her life. Your commitment to uphold the Polish language and culture is a great example for many Polish families to follow. Layla is fluent in both languages, which is undoubtedly credit to you.
Dear Layla – we are very happy about your well-deserved success!
2023_Father’s & Grandparent’s Day at our Polish School
It was a nice and successful day. A few heartfelt thanks…
Thank you very much to Mr. Darek Plust, whose help is simply invaluable. Without the guitar accompaniment, our assembly would certainly not be the same. We all realise very well how much singing songs together unites people. Songs that were chosen for Father’s Day were lively, cheerful, giving everyone a lot of positive energy and joy. No wonder that everyone present that day enthusiastically joined in the singing. I would like to thank the teachers who chose lovely and charming poems for their students and the parents who put a lot of effort and work into making the children learn to read or recite the selected texts beautifully. I was under a huge and positive impression of reading standards presented by the oldest class! Well done children! Well done Miss Basia! Our middle group – Mrs Ma?gosia’s class – were also in no way inferior to them. It is impossible not to mention Leo, who learned the entire text by heart. Well done, Leo! Big applause also for class 0-I, who prepared a cheerful, and pleasing to the eye and ear, staging entitled: “They are driving the Fiat to our dad”. The children were splendidly dressed up and everyone present had a lot of fun watching cheerfully dressed little actors. I would also like to thank the ladies from kindergarten who put a lot of effort into making the little ones say a few words to their dads. Thank you to Jola, Madzia and Darek for preparing coffee and tea. Mrs. Jola Rybus checked our supplies and bought what was needed. Huge words of gratitude are also due to Ania Nowicka and her husband for ordering and delivering pizza. What a fest that was! We ate everything!!!
Dad’s day also coincided with the birthday of Edytka Storos, for whom we sang “100 Lat” song and whom I would like to thank for the pizza day idea. It was a true hit!
It was a great and successful day and I think that all dads and grandads left school not only full, but also, and perhaps above all appreciated in their role of a FATHER in the life of every child, which cannot be overestimated.
On my way home, with great gratitude in my heart, I thought of all those who contributed to the success of that day and that events like these are needed at school because they build and unite us as a school family. THANK YOU ALL FOR EVERYTHING FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!
Summary of Term 2
Preschool
The past term was exceptionally active and full of good and positive energy for our pre-schoolers. Despite rainy weather and low temperatures, good moods always accompanied our pupils during Saturday classes at the Polish school. Our artwork referred to the sports games in which our pupils had the opportunity to participate on the occasion of International Children’s Day. On days when weather was kind, we spent a lot of time outdoors, where our pupils played football, had fun on the playground and learned the words associated with the current season. There were also games with playdough, drawing and painting, which develop the motor skills of our students.
Thank you very much for the time we have spent together on Saturdays. I hope that the holidays will be an opportunity for family walks and contact with nature. Have lots of rest and see you soon ? More interesting adventures await us in the classroom and in the school yard.
Jolanta Rybus / Magdalena Selevitch
Kinder & Year 1
The past term in the “0-1” class was full of hard work on learning the next letters of the Polish alphabet. Thanks to the kindness of the authors of the textbook
In the past term, the “0-1” class was full of hard work on learning the next letters of the Polish alphabet. Thanks to the kindness of the authors of the textbook prepared by the Polish Saturday School in Randwick, learning is more fluid, and the new – often difficult letters – easier for students to remember. The letters learned over the last few months are: S, L, K, D, Y, U, E, C, N. We start each class with checking the homework and then summarise the material we learned in the previous lesson. Then, it is time for ‘mouth and tongue’ gymnastics, which are very helpful with poems and songs that we practice regularly during each class. Our favourites are: “Autumn Orchestra”, “Winter” and “Toothbrush, paste”. Of the poems – children like the short poems about animals from the “ZOO” series by Jan Brzechwa. Then comes the most important part of the day, which is the introduction of a new ‘magic’ letter of the day. We search for well-known Polish words beginning with a given letter, divide each word into syllables and sounds and build sentences in Polish from newly learned words. Depending on the letter we learn, a physical game is also conducted. We can, for example, play pretending to be a dog or a kitten, or jump like a rabbit. Finally, we write our new letter on the blackboard and learn how to guide the hand correctly when writing it down. After introducing a new letter, it is time to work with the textbook, which aims not only to learn to write a new letter, but also to consolidate newly learned Polish words. While the children are doing the exercises from the textbook, I sit down with the students in small groups and we practice intensively all the words learned, which is also connected with learning to read.
Dear Parents – thanking you for your support, I am asking you to spend a moment each week repeating the material processed in the classroom.
Have a nice break and see you soon.
Bernadeta Kawa / Jolanta Rybus
Year 2 & 3
During last term, in the combined grade 2-3, we were working on a topic: “Farm animals”.
The children learnt and remembered the Polish names of farm animals that can be traditionally found on a farm. Among them were animals such as: horse, cow, pig, hen, rooster, duck, goose, ram, sheep, goat.
During class time, the students learnt where the animals live, what they eat and what are the benefits of breeding them. Children recorded the names of the animals by arranging puzzles with animals. This game, apart from its cognitive values, also gave the students the opportunity to integrate with the group. This quarter, during lessons, the following new letters (softenings) were introduced: s, si, n, ni, z, zi. On the basis of the newly learnt letters, we searched for words in which these softenings occurred and we would build sentences with them. We also learnt the words of the song, “Old MacDonald had a farm”. I strongly encourage you to sing the songs you have learned. In this way, we recapitulate the words learnt during class time.
Thank you for the time spent together. I wish you a good rest and see you after the winter break in class.
Malgosia Jagodzinska
Year 4, 5 & 6
During last term, class 4-6 discussed issues related to the subject of a healthy lifestyle. Children learnt vocabulary related to selected sport disciplines, healthy eating and their favourite ways of spending free time. During the classes on health, students made a poster showing the essential elements of caring for a balanced state of the body and mind. Each child presented their own ‘brick’, from which we later built a collective work entitled ‘MY HEALTH’. The effects of the intensified creative work are shown in the attached photographs.
Another topic we covered was ‘healthy eating’. The students exchanged information on the necessary nutrients and the correct proportions of the food groups as shown in the healthy eating pyramid. After heated discussions about the right amount of sweet snacks for teenagers’ daily caloric requirements, we managed to create a collage of cut-out photos from brochures and other available publications. The students decided to divide into groups of girls and boys. In this way, two works with a common title were created: ‘PYRAMID OF HEALTHY EATING’.
The past quarter was full of hard work. We wish you all a nice rest and see you after the winter holidays.
Edyta Storos
Mini-Olimpics for International Children’s Day
“The project is co-financed by the Polish diaspora funds of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland”
This was really a fantastic and extremely successful day!
On Saturday, May 28, for the first time since the school was founded, we went on a bus trip to the Polish Saturday School in Randwick to celebrate the happiest day of the year that is International Kids Day.
Along the way, with the accompaniment of Mr. Darek’s guitar, we sang well-known Polish songs such as “Sokoly”, “Szla Dzieweczka do laseczka”, “Jagodki”, “Kolorowe kredki” and many more. There was a nice and friendly atmosphere on the bus. When we got there, we quickly formed groups and there was a presentation of the seven countries participating in the Mini-Olympics. To the sounds of music, two children representing both schools lit the Olympic torch. After that the Olympic flag was being brought in by a group of children from both schools. The whole presentation made an absolutely fantastic impression that something really special was about to happen!
What happened next? It was just awesome! Students of both schools, divided into 7 age groups, took part in various sport competitions prepared and conducted by the professional company TRANSFORM-US Fitness for Kids. Everyone gathered at Randwick that day was quite impressed with the professionalism with which the activities and sports competitions were conducted. The kids had a really fantastic day full of fun and healthy sports rivalry. The three best players from each group were awarded 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. With great pride and joy I watched the students from our school, who went up to receive their prize ribbons!
Half way through the day, children and adults recharged their batteries with a hot-dog made with a tasty Polish sausage from Lucynka and Wieslaw Pazdzior’s “Polonez” Polish Deli. 180 sausages have been ordered, of which there was… NOTHING left over. Let this just be a proof of how many people gathered at Randwick that day and how lavishly both schools celebrated Children’s Day. We would like to thank Lucynka and Wiesiek for sponsoring our lunch? The sausages were delicious! We also thank the parents at Randwick Polish School for preparing the meal. Everything was organized very smoothly and without any delays. When the children were leaving, they got popcorn made on the spot and a sweet cup-cake. As the kids were leaving they all have had this beautiful and happy smile on their faces.
A few thanks…
First of all, thank God for the beautiful weather (and it was supposed to be raining all day!) On behalf of our entire school community, I would like to thank Consul General Monika Konczyk, Vice-Consul Joanna Splocharska and all employees of the Polish Consulate in Sydney for the financial support of our project.
Thank you to Magdalena Gondera for organizing the bus. Thank you to Mr. Darek Plust, who, despite the fact that he returned from Brisbane on Saturday morning, accompanied us on the way playing the guitar. Thank you to Dorotka Weale for all the photos she tirelessly took for us. I would also like to thank the photographer of the Polish School in Randwick – Mr. Daniel Aarons for his beautiful photos. I thank the teachers for preparing the flags, and Edyta Storos in particular for pinning the Olympic rings on the flag. Thank you to everyone who went with us and let those who did not want to get up in the morning regret it! I am sure that everyone present at Randwick that day brought home with them fantastic memories of that special day!
Congratulations to all students who bravely represented our school in all sports competitions! Bravo to YOU !!!! I am so proud of you!
A special thanks go to our HOSTS who welcomed us so beautifully and prepared everything wonderfully! We cooperated so well with each other, and the end result was AWESOME !!!
This was an undoubtedly successful and exceptionally joyful day!
Happy International Kids Day!
Scoutmaster’s Szupryczynski Award for Emily Schlage
Last Saturday, June 4th, a student of our school – Emily Schlage received the Scoutmaster’s Witold Szupryczynski’s award. The Academy, during which the awards were handed out, was prepared and organised by the Polish Educational Society which has been organizing this event for over 60 years. For 31 years, the Scoutmaster’s Witold Szupryczynski Award has been given to children and young people of the Polish community who proudly affirm their Polish roots by conscientiously learning the Polish language and participating in various celebrations and academies promoting Poland and Polish culture on Australian soil.
Emily began studying at our school from the beginning of its existence, i.e. in 2017. Since then, both herself and her family have been active members of our school community. All of us – her teachers including me, Mrs. Malgosia Jagodzinska and Mrs. Basia Magolan had the pleasure and honour of teaching Emily during the past 5 years. Emily is a wonderful girl who has continually shown respect and love for everything that is Polish. These were gained from her family home. Emily is also a long-time member of the “Kujawy” Song and Dance Ensemble. In the middle of Term One, Emily’s family changed their place of residence to the beautiful region of the Blue Mountains. With great sadness in our hearts, we had to say goodbye to Emily, who started a new school. However, as a school community, we would like to express our gratitude to Emily and her family for their support over the past five years.
Congratulations to Emily, her proud mother, grandparents and the whole family!
We celebrate Anniversary of May 3 Constitution and Mother and Grandmother’s Day
On Saturday, May 7, 2022, we celebrated two beautiful celebrations at our school. The first of them had a patriotic tint, and it was the Anniversary of May 3 Constitution. The second celebration was Mother’s and Grandmother’s Day. It was a very joyful celebration in a nice, friendly atmosphere. We started the assembly with the singing of the National Anthem, after which the gathered students, teachers and parents sang a song referring to the anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution of May 3, entitled “Wiwat Maj!”.
In the morning, teachers from each class conducted classes on the subject of “My Mom and Me”. We talked to the children about Mom’s hard work and ways to show gratitude for the effort and care that Mothers and Grandmothers put into raising the young generation. It is difficult to describe in simple words a mother’s love for her children. It is a love in every way unique, full of sacrifices and hard work. At the same time, it is a
happy and fulfilling love, full of warmth and joy. A love like no other. The most beautiful kind of love…
During the assembly, students from each year group presented poems dedicated to Moms and Grandmothers. Singing songs for mothers united us in a very special way. After all – everyone has got a mum. Students of all classes prepared a gift for their mothers in the form of heart-shaped cards and flowers. During the presentation of these modest, symbolic, but very meaningful gifts, the entire classroom where our meeting was held was full of emotions, kindness, love, and warmth. You could feel it in every word spoken and in the hugs that our students did not spare their Mums and Grandmothers.
Summary of Term 1
Preschool
We started the first term with our youngest group by welcoming our new students: Sarah, Emilka, Ania, Tomek, Eryk and Michalek. Preschoolers welcomed their new friends with the song “Mr. Bear, it’s time to get up” to the well-known melody “Mr. John”.
Here it is:
“Mr. Bear, Mr. Bear,
It’s time to get up, it’s time to get up
Time to say hello, time to say hello
Stop sleeping now, stop sleeping now”.
At the end of the song, the child who was holding a teddy bear in his/hers hands greeted the other children passing the teddy bear to them. The greeting song turned out to be a real hit, because for some children the barrier of physical contact was impossible to get over. But a teddy bear can do anything! As a result, the soft toy was a link between shy children and the rest of the group.
Then, when asked how they spent their holidays, the preschoolers agreed that most of them went to the beach. Hence, we moved to the topic discussing the safety rules during summer holidays. The children learned that you cannot go into deep water, that you must not go far away from your parents, that they should stay in the shade between 11am and 3 pm, especially during summer months, they should also drink plenty of water, and that they should swim in an inflatable donut or inflatable sleeves.
Another topic discussed during Term 1 was “Insects around us”. This subject was enthusiastically received by the children, because during these classes the preschoolers had the opportunity to observe real insect specimens such as: centipedes, snails, spiders and other insects, such as: ants, ladybugs, butterflies, beetles, poisonous spiders and dragonflies, were represented by plastic toys. The aim of these classes was to observe insects in their natural environment, shaping observation skills, improving visual perception, developing a pro-ecological attitude, assigning the appropriate number of insects to the correct number from 1 to 10 and solving puzzles about insects:
“Its wings are beautiful with patterns
They are all colours
When the hot days come
Children run after them on the meadow (butterfly)
When it’s the beginning of summer
She flies from petal to petal.
Thanks to her diligence
I have honey at home for my guests (a bee)
Their hiding place is sometimes a flower,
How many dots – so many years old.
Their wings are dotted,
These are just .. (ladybirds)
The topic of insects was then linked to observation in their natural habitat. To do this, we went outside to look for them. The children spotted bees, snails and earthworms. We talked about which one we liked the most and why? I warned the children not to try to touch the bee, explaining what might happen to them! We talked about the colours of the insects. Did they look the same? We tried to determine their size.
Our preschoolers liked these observations very much.
Another topic that we focused on in during term 1 was the topic of “The countryside and farm animals”. We read the book “A Year in the Country” and made a chicken and a tractor out of paper.
We also made the flag of Ukraine in the collage technique to express solidarity with our neighbour.
The children got to know the play and the song “The Old Bear is fast asleep” and the poem “Snail, snail, show your horns”.
We concluded term 1 with the topic of Easter and getting to know the Easter customs in our country. Preschoolers beautifully recited the following poems during the Easter appeal:
“The hare says to the lamb:
What a beautiful Easter egg.
Then a chick came out of the egg,
She ruffled her feathers.
Now she runs, screams loudly:
That he wishes us Happy Easter!”
Our preschoolers also sang the Easter song “With an egg and a hare” in a great way and they were happy to do an easter egg hunt.
Thank you very much for all your help and support during term 1 and we look forward to seeing you after the winter break!
Kinga Pacione / Magdalena Selevitch
Kinder & Year 1
Term One in grade 0-1 passed very quickly, filled to the top with work and fun games. This year, four new students have joined the 0-1 grade. We warmly welcome them to our class group. The new students assimilated very quickly with their classmates. In this summary of Term One, I would like to emphasize very strongly how proud I am of the work of each of the students from grade 0-1. At the same time, I would like to express my great gratitude to the parents and grandparents of each of my students for their support and cooperation in teaching children the Polish language. The material learnt in the classroom has been gone through again at home, which is visible during the classes I conduct. I would also like to thank you for handing in homework on time. During Term One of this year, we learned the following letters of the Polish alphabet and related vocabulary: A, M, T, O, I, S. Students in grade 0-1 have a very diverse level of knowledge of the Polish language, starting with children with a very large vocabulary to children who are just taking their first steps in learning Polish. This requires the teacher to use various methods of work, thanks to which all children, regardless of their language proficiency, can learn new language skills from each lesson. Lessons are conducted both collectively and in small groups divided according to the level of language proficiency. It is important that the child, regardless of their language knowledge, can feel that he or she is making progress and that each lesson is another step forward in learning the mother tongue. Once again, I would like to thank both the children and their parents and grandparents for their cooperation in term one. I am looking forward to seeing you all in term two.
Bernadeta Kawa / Jolanta Rybus
Year 2 & 3
Hello to all parents and grandparents of class 2/3.
This school year, classes in the second and third grades are being conducted using textbooks developed and edited by teachers from the Polish Saturday School of Sydney in Randwick. The title of the textbook for Term One is “Come to my home”.
The children learned and memorised new vocabulary related to the theme “my home”.
During the class, we discussed household chores. We also talked about how to safely use electrical equipment that can be found in our homes.
The students also learned the difficult task of reading the time on an analogue watch. Each of the students made their own watch out of paper. Children enthusiastically tried to learn to recognize the hours on the wall clock as quickly as possible. It was a very healthy competition. During the classes we learned the song “Pan Tik -Tak”.
In the following weeks we got to know the vowels “a” and “e”. Students built sentences using words in which these two difficult Polish letters appeared. We also learned the softening of “ci”.
At the end of Term One, students learned about the extremely rich Polish Easter traditions and rituals. We decorated an Easter egg and learned the poem: “Easter egg”.
We finished Term One with an Easter Assembly.
I would like to thank all parents and grandparents for their cooperation during Term One and I am looking forward to your helping in the next term of the current school year.
Malgosia Jagodzinska
Year 4, 5 & 6
This school year, grades 4-6 consists of twelve students. This group of children possesses a very different level of knowledge of the Polish language.
Due to the fact that last year’s grade 3 (5 students) joined class 4-6, the first two weeks were spent on getting to know each other and assessing each student’s language skills.
We repeated and memorised the names of the seasons, months and days of the week.
This year we work using textbooks written by teachers from the Polish Saturday School of Sydney in Randwick for all Polish community schools in Sydney.
The main topic for term one was: “School is fun”. We talked about the duties and rights of the Polish School student, about what it means to be a good friend and student at school. Based on these topics, we got to know a number of new nouns and verbs.
This short term ended with the Easter Assembly, for which students from grades 4-6 prepared and presented texts describing very rich and colourful Polish traditions and customs related to the celebration of Easter.
I would like to thank Mrs. Edyta Storos as well as parents and grandparents for their participation and help in preparing children for the Easter Assembly and for cooperation during term one.
Basia Magolan
Annual State Community Language Teachers Conference & Professional Development Training Day
On Saturday, April 23, an annual Conference for Community Language Teachers in New South Wales took place. That day, together with two other teachers, I once again had the pleasure of representing our school in this extremely important event for community language schools. For years I have been very impressed with the energy with which the Conference is organized. The main goal of it is to improve the qualifications of community language teachers. Together with more than 500 people present at the Conference that day, I had the opportunity to take part in a number of different lectures and workshops. The range and level of training available to participants each year is consistently at a very high level. Congratulations to the entire Organizing Committee for another great success. On behalf of the Ladies present at the Conference and the entire community of the Macarthur Polish Saturday School, we would like to thank the Organizing Committee for the opportunity to be a part of this event and wish you further successes in the future!
Easter Assembly
On Saturday the 2nd of April, the Macarthur Polish Saturday School hosted an Assembly for the occasion of the upcoming Easter. Easter – is one of the most important celebrations in the calendar of the Catholic Church. The traditions and customs of celebrating these holidays in Poland are certainly one of the richest in the world. On that day, the whole school community shared a very special, festive spirit. The day started with searching for bunnies, eggs and other chocolate treats in each of the classrooms. Easter egg hunt is an event that brings everyone lots of joy and fun. From time to time us teachers could hear shouts of happiness and excitement. Then it was time for a class talk, which was a continuation and at the same time a summary of the previous last two lessons, during which students learned about the rich customs and traditions of Easter celebrations in Poland. Just before 11:00 a.m. children from each class changed into national costumes purchased for them in Poland two years ago. A group of over 40 boys and girls – students of the Macarthur Polish Saturday School presented themselves to their parents and grandparents in these costumes looking truly festive and beautiful. While children were getting ready for the performance, the classroom where the assembly was to be held was slowly filling up with guests. When the teachers brought the children to the classroom, my heart grew seeing on one side the beautifully dressed students, and on the other – their parents, grandparents and friends of our school.
We started the assembly by singing our school song, to which the words were written by Mrs. Cecylia Macioch, and then the oldest class performed on the stage. The students briefly introduced the audience to the Polish Easter traditions and customs. During their performance, there was talk of Lent, Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Easter Sunday breakfast and Smingus-Dyngus on Easter Monday. All students deserve great praise for their beautiful reading. After the oldest class, children from grades 2 and 3 performed on the stage. The children recited a poem about Easter eggs and Smingus-Dyngus. They looked really fantastic! After that the children from class 0-1 presented the audience with a short performance about the search for the Easter Bunny. I was so impressed with how well they learned their lyrics. A huge congratulations to both students and their parents. Well done! Finally, our pre-schoolers appeared on the stage. The little ones were wearing cute Easter bunny masks looking very sweet ? Three of them recited a short rhyme, which was rewarded with a storm of applause! All performances were interspersed with cheerful, Easter songs. Thank you very much to Mr. Darek Plust for the guitar accompaniment to each of them.
After all the performances were completed, it was time to meet for coffee, tea and cake. The atmosphere of the meeting was really warm and joyful. Among the guests, I should mention Mr. Adam Gajkowski (President of the Federation of Polish Organizations in NSW) and Mrs. Krysia Morawski, who once again prepared for us a beautifully decorated Easter table. The children viewed with great interest and delight all the decorations that Mrs. Krysia brought. Admiring this table was undoubtedly a joy for the eyes and the heart. Looking at it evoked Easter memories from a faraway country …
I would like to thank our teachers and ladies from the Parent Committee for preparing our Easter Assembly, in particular, Mrs. Dominika Smutek, who funded chocolate treats for our students. Thank you to all those who shared the cake with us and brought the lottery gifts. ? Thank you to our dear sponsors – Marysia and Marek Strzemkowski and Lucynka and Wies?aw Pazdzior for donating gift cards for Polish delicatessen.
Summing up, after my favourite poet—Father Jan Twardowski I would like to wish “each and every one in turn Easter joy, which may last despite suffering, truly Christian joy, which lasts even when they are overwhelmed – whether small or big – only human nights”.
The Premier’s Harmony Dinner 2022
On March 21st this year, we will be celebrating Harmony Day in Australia. This is a wonderful celebration when in a special way, we can express the pride and joy of who we are and where we come from. Although we come from many different parts of the world, we are united by the fact that we live in this unique place on earth, where different cultures, languages, traditions and religions live side by side in harmony and mutual respect. On March 1 this year, three ladies from our school represented our school community at the NSW Premier’s Harmony Dinner with the Prime Minister of NSW – Mr. Dominik Perrottet. This event coincided with the sad news of the war that had broken out in Europe in recent days. Our eastern neighbors are fighting for their home, for the most important values, which are freedom and independence of their country. Dear Ukraine – our hearts are with you! Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet, in his speech during Harmony Dinner, referred very strongly to the recent events in Ukraine. He cited Australia as an example of a country where different cultures and nations live in harmony and respect for the values that are common to us all. Groups representing both Russia and Ukraine were present at the Harmony Dinner. At the same time, he assured Ukraine of the support coming from Australia’s multicultural society. In this war, it is obvious whose side we all should be on. It is a choice between good and evil. Quoting the Archbishop of the Greek Catholic Church in Kiev, Sviatoslav Shevchuk on this important issue, “today nobody has the right to remain silent because silence is killing innocent lives. Ukraine is alive, Ukraine is fighting, but today we are asking the world to be in solidarity with us and not to remain silent, because the word saves, the word builds the world. Whereas silence and indifference kill people”. May we never be unsympathetic to such an important matter, may we always remember to support our brothers and sisters in Ukraine… We cannot remain silent on this matter.
Our hearts for Ukraine
I am deeply convinced that the events of the past two weeks have, to a greater or lesser extent, affected each and every one of us without exception. In my case, initially it was disbelief, then sadness followed by anger, and deep resentment at the fact that history repeats itself again. That there are individuals among us who have learned nothing from the terrible events of the past two World Wars. Today, many of us have recovered from the initial shock of the events that are happening in Ukraine. It’s time to think about what we can do and how to help those who need our help these days. Witnessing the response of our country’s men and women in Poland and their kindness, compassion and openness to those who flee the nightmare of war, it is impossible not to feel proud that the Poles rose up to the occasion. They open the doors of their hearts and homes and support our eastern neighbors in any way they can. I am really deeply touched by the hospitality that our country men and women show to the Ukrainians. In this flood of pain and suffering there is a spark of hope that good is in a man’s heart, that it has not perished and that it can never be uprooted from human hearts. We are the witnesses of this GOODNESS happening right before our very eyes. At this point in time, it is very important to remain in solidarity with Ukraine and not to exhaust the accumulators of empathy and compassion. Help for Ukraine is needed today and will be needed for many weeks or months ahead … This is not a sprint but a long-distance run. May we never become unsympathetic to the disaster that befell Ukraine. May we never “get used to” this tragedy. I was very touched by the words of the Archbishop of the Greek Ortodox Church in Kiev who said that “today none of us has the right to remain silent, because today silence is killing innocent people”.
The kindness and support of our compatriots in Poland inspired me to organise our school community to help Ukraine. Last Saturday, we organized a fundraiser for humanitarian aid for refugees fleeing Ukraine. All income from the sale of bread and donuts was assigned to this purpose. Together, we managed to raise $ 1142!. This is our little contribution to help those who need this help so much these days. I would like to thank everyone who supported me in the organisation of this fundraising initiative! Yesterday the entire sum was paid to CARITAS AUSTRALIA – UKRAINE EMERGENCY APPEAL
So many people helped us on Saturday… Thank you very much to my dear friend for making the flag of Ukraine. I would like to thank Edyta Storos, Karinka, Grandmothers of Tymus and Olivia for making blue and yellow ribbons to be attached to the students and teachers school shirts. Thank you also for preparing materials and decorations for making little Ukrainian flags. I would like to thank the teachers – especially Mrs. Basia Magolan, who made the poster “Our hearts for Ukraine” with her class. Let me also thank Mrs. Maryla and Mrs. Krysia Morawski for their help and support. I would like to thank Marek and Marysia Strzemkowski from Copernicus for supporting our project. Thank you to Ania, Hania and Dominika for ordering and selling bread and donuts. It was quite difficult to guess how much of bread and donuts we should order and it turned out that there was not enough of it, but the most important thing is that with a joint effort we have collected a nice sum, which was then donated to a good cause.
Finally, I would like to thank you, Dear Parents, Grandparents and Friends, for opening your hearts to those who need our help ?
Special awards for our awesome students!
With great pride and joy, we would like to make an announcement that a student of our school – Paulina Miziniak from grade 6, received the 2021 Minister’s Award for Excellence in student achievement for outstanding results in learning the Polish language. Her school friend Mikolaj Koscianski was presented with the Consul General’s award for the best Saturday school students in the last school year. We sincerely and warmly congratulate Paulinka and Mikolaj as well as their parents who are proud of their children’s achievements. It is also a very special day for us teachers – especially those of us who have had the pleasure of teaching Paulina and Miko?aj over the last few years. They both started studying at a Polish school at the age of four. I still remember the day when these two kids came to a Polish school for the first time. Today it has been 8 years since that moment. Both Paulinka and Mikolaj are growing up to be wise, ambitious young people who are not afraid of challenges. Always willing to help, with impeccable manners, courage and a kind heart. I am sure that with such an attitude towards learning and work as they represent, they will be able to achieve all their goals in the future. Once again, congratulations to our graduates and their parents. The fact that both of them are fluent in Polish is undoubtedly a credit to you.
Dear children – you are the pride and joy of our school community and we are all very happy with your well-deserved success!
Mary Christmas and Happy New Year 2022!
Celebrating the end of the 2021 School Year
On Saturday, December 11, the celebration of the end of the 2021 school year took place at Macarthur Polish Saturday School. This time due to COVID restrictions, the ceremony was held in the park near Robert Townson Public School.
The end of the school year is always an opportunity to look at and summarise the year-long work of teachers and students. So there was a moment when each student was awarded his or hers school certificate. Special prizes and distinctions for the best students were also given out. Paulina Miziniak (6th grade) received the Minister of Education’s award for achievements in learning Polish Language, and her colleague Mikolaj Koscianski (6th grade) received the Consul General’s award for the best Saturday school students. We would like to thank Consul General Mrs Monika Konczyk, Vice-Consul Mrs Joanna Splocharska and all employees of the Consulate for funding these awards.
Another item on the agenda was thanks to the ladies from the Parent Committee and all teachers working at the school. In a special way, with tears in our eyes, but also with undoubted pride, we said goodbye to the students of Grade 6. Here is the list of our graduates this year: Paulina Miziniak, Mikolaj Koscianski, Olivia Gogacz, Ethan Gogacz and Paul Klusek. We wish our dear graduates every success in the next years of learning the Polish language.
We would like to thank Mr. Adam Gajkowski – President of the NSW Federation of Polish Organizations for a pleasant visit. Mr. Gajkowski, who has been supporting our school for many years, presented a number of students from grade 6 with ceremonial medals commemorating our great explorer and traveller, Count Pawel Edmund Strzelecki, who named the highest peak in Australia. Our graduates proudly presented themselves holding medals with the image of Edmund Strzelecki on their chests.
The background for our assembly consisted of a beautiful Christmas decoration prepared by Mrs. Krysia Morawski, which traditionally enriched our special day. It included Christmas-themed items that evoke memories of a white, snowy Christmas. It was a visual lesson of Polish traditions and customs related to the celebration of Christmas.
At the end of the day we were paid a surprise visit by Santa. How much joy this extraordinary and long-awaited guest brought with him! The gifts he brought this year were really rich and wonderful. These were: a ticket to Early Start Discovery Space in Wollongong for each of our students, a book from the series “Franklin” for younger children. The older kids, on the other hand, received educational games developing the language and knowledge of the history and geography of Poland. The gifts also included a toy appropriate to the child’s age and something sweet for our little ones.
2021 was a year of intense classroom work. It was also a very challenging and difficult year, with many obstacles along the way. Both teachers, students and parents have earned a well-deserved holiday. Dear All, have a good and restful break and come back to us with a supply of fresh strength and energy for the 2022 school year.
Yours faithfully,
Bernadeta Kawa
Announcement about funding received from the “Polish Community” Association
Announcement about funding received from the “Freedom and Democracy” Foundation
11 November- Poland’s Independence Day
“On November 11, 1918, the dreams of generations of Poles came true – the Polish State was born again: after the partitions and 123 years of captivity, Russification and Germanization, after large uprisings, free Poland returned to the world map” – reads in the resolution of the Polish Parliament establishing the year 2018 the Jubilee Year of the 100th anniversary of Poland’s regaining her Independence. As emphasized in the document, thanks to those who remained relentless, our Nation emerged victorious from the historical test. “Regaining independence took place through a fight full of dedication and heroism, not only on the battlefields, but also on everyday struggles for the preservation of the spiritual and material national substance and in the daily survival of Polish families,” proclaims the resolution. (text source)
We too – the Macarthur Polish Saturday School community – would like to actively participate in the national celebration of this special day. It is an extraordinary day in the history of our nation – for Poles living in Poland and for those scattered all over the world. We hope that, following the example of the Fathers of Independence – Jozef Pilsudski, Roman Dmowski, Ignacy Paderewski, Wincenty Witos, Wojciech Korfanty and Ignacy Daszy?ski – Poles will abandon their disputes to celebrate this joyful anniversary in unity and peace.
Happy Birthday Poland!
The Macarthur Polish Saturday School Community
Summary of Term 3
Preschool
The first topic we have learnt about was “WINTER”.
Based on the photos sent by Maksymilian’s mother, we explained to children what the winter season in Poland looks like. Our students got to know winter sports and the words describing winter season, such us: frost, snow, cold, scarf, sled, etc … We learned together a well-known song about winter: “We will make a snowman”. The second topic that we went over with our preschoolers was “Road Safety”. The children were given many exercises related to this topic. The song “Traffic lights” was a great help. During the following week we talked about “Father’s and Grandfather’s Day”, which is celebrated in Australia on the first Sunday in September. The topic for home discussions was dad’s physical appearance and his profession. As part of art classes, children made red love hearts out of cardboard. Mums and kids worked on beautiful IKEBANAS made of flowers as a gift for their dads and grandfathers. Another topic was “SPRING”. This topic was aimed at making our little students interested in the world
around us and the changes taking place in nature. The children were given sunflower seeds to plant. At the same time, I posted out a very interesting film, “What do plants need?” Together, we established the “Green corner for preschoolers”. We also talked about visible signs of spring in Australia by sharing photo reports of preschoolers looking for signs of spring in their neighbourhoods. Considering the difficult times we live in, I would like to summarise on an optimistic note. I was positively surprised by the incredible enthusiasm shown by all the families from the Polish kindergarten. Their attitude fills my heart with great warmth and optimism for the future. I am sure that the current situation will change for the better soon and everything will be fine.
Yours faithfully,
Elzbieta Purchala
Kinder & Year 1
For the first time in my career as a community language school teacher, it happened that during the entire term it was impossible to conduct face-to-face classes at the school. For almost two years, the whole world has been struggling with a pandemic that is so difficult to control. I was very relieved to hear that in the next few weeks, students in New South Wales would be able to return to the onsite learning. It’s hard to know when Community Languages School students will be able to return to face-to-face classes, but we don’t lose hope. Despite the fact that the classes were conducted online, thanks to the huge help of parents and grandparents, we managed to go over a few topics included in the curriculum program for group 0-1. In term three, we learned the following letters of the Polish alphabet: “a”, “p”, “n” and “b”. With the help of parents and grandparents, the students learned new words, divided them into syllables and sounds, and built sentences using them. The introduction of these letters and sounds was supported by a few short poems from the “ZOO” series written by Jan Brzechwa. Video recordings of each poem were posted out to the students at weekly intervals. Among them there were the following titles: “Tiger”, “Parrot”, “Elephant”, “Boar” and “Panther”. I was delighted to receive many video-recordings of children declaiming these poems. These were sent to me on our class Whatsapp group. Dear Parents and grandparents – thank you for your efforts in sending the photos of beautifully done homework. I look forward to your help and cooperation in term four.
Bernadka Kawa / Urszula Koscianska
Year 2 & 3
Term 3 was quite unusual and unique in every way. During term 3 classes for grade 2 & 3 were held online. With the help of our parents, the children completed their homework sent to them using the class group on Whatsapp. In term 3 students drew Olympic rings and discovered the history and symbolism behind them. This topic was inspired by the Olympic Games, which were held in Japan this year with a one-year delay. Second and third grade students also actively participated in two projects that took place during term 3. The first was to track down the traces of winter in Australia. We would like to thank all those who sent us photos and artworks which are an account of the search for winter. The second project was related to the celebration of Father’s and Grandfather’s Day on the first Saturday in September. The children were asked to make traditional Japanese ikebana as a gift for their dads. It was an extremely creative project, and the children’s creativity exceeded our wildest expectations. In addition to the two above-mentioned projects, students from grades 2 and 3 practiced their Polish reading with their parents and sent us video recordings. Great praise to Dominik and Sofia for their beautiful readings. In term 3, the students were also asked to make a family tree and to draw their room with all the furniture in it. Here are the most active students in term 3: Dominik, Sofia, Adam, Alex and Nathaniel. I would like to thank my parents and grandparents for their cooperation during last term and I look forward to your help in the term 4 of the current school year.
Malgosia Jagodzinska
Year 4, 5 & 6
Term three was completely different from the previous two. Due to COVID restrictions, teaching was carried out online.
Students of year 4/5/6 were involved in two joint school projects:
“Winter in Australia” and “Ikebana for Dads & Grandads”. The works made by the students consisted of wonderful drawings, photos, cards, ikebanas and essays which beautifully described winter in Australia. Congratulations on your ideas and great, creative imagination.
In addition, the students had to describe their preferred means of transport chosen by them (by bike, car, plane …). They also had to write a summary about the Polish legend they recently watched and compose a letter to a friend. Another task was to give their opinion on the “Grzesiek’s Idea”.
In term three, there was something to read and write in every lesson during online learning. Students were learning about three magic words such as: “thank you”, “please” and “sorry” by searching for them in “find a word”.
There were also some rebuses and crosswords to solve. These would give students the opportunity to practice words with “ó”, “u” as well as “?” and “rz”.
The most active students in term three were: Kuba, Mikolaj, Layla and Pawel.
Thank you to the children, parents and grandparents for their cooperation and commitment during term three.
Best wishes,
Basia Magolan
Traditional Japanese Ikebanas for Fathers and Grandfathers
At the end of term three, our students were involved in one more project, inspired by the recent Olympic Games in Japan. In connection with “Father’s Day” celebrated in Australia on the first Sunday of September – students were asked to make traditional Japanese IKEBANA’s and cards with wishes for Dad written in Polish, English and Japanese. Ikebana is a traditional Japanese art of flower arrangement known for a very long time. IKEBANAS symbolize balance, harmony and beauty. Twigs and flowers symbolise heaven, people and earth. It is an art full of mystery and spirituality, in which man unites with nature by paying tribute to it.
There are different styles and names for this art:
• Rikka – standing flowers, tall vases.
• Seika – a form of a triangle, usually three flowers or plants.
• Moribana – a pile of flowers arranged at different angles.
In their compositions, the children used various types of plants, flowers, twigs, strings and other decorations. I hope you will like the photos and the short video that is a photo report of this project.
Congratulations, to those who participated in this project, for your creativity and great ideas! Your IKEBANAS are real works of art. I am also convinced that you had a lot of fun doing them. Your smiling faces are the best proof of this.
“Finding Winter in Australia” Competition
It would seem that nothing special has happened in our school during those 3 difficult COVID months when all of us experienced the sadness of isolation and the inability to spend time with family and friends. It was during this special time that one of our teachers inspired the idea of looking for visible signs of winter in Australia. Did the children from the Polish Saturday School in Macarthur find it? Where were they looking for it? How could you recognise that it is here? You will find the answer to these and other questions by watching the attached video. Congratulations to everyone who took part in this cool project! Thank you very much for the artwork and photos sent to us illustrating the search for visible
signs of winter in Australia. I must humbly admit that your response to the invitation to participate in this competition exceeded our wildest expectations. We have received many fantastic and original works and photos! The rainbow of colours awakened in our hearts hope for the quick end of the lockdown and a
return to normal life. Awards for all participants of the winter competition will be presented upon their return to school.
And after winter, spring comes to us, just like every year ? This special season has the characteristic that it always brings with it hope and I wish all of us this hope for an imminent meeting at school!
Hope to SEE YOU AT SCHOOL soon!
Summary of Term 2
Playgroup
Our “Hardworking Bees” started with reading the poem “Sloneczniki i slonko”. This topic was carried out due to the interests shown by one of our pupils. In our classes, we never forget about improving fine motor skills by performing various art classes. This time, the little ones were preoccupied with creating a Mother’s Day card. The card was entitled “Sunflowers”. As “Every child is an artist” (Pablo Picasso), our “Pszczolki” created a card similar to Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”.
The month of May is always full of very important dates, such as the May 3rd Constitution Day and the mentioned above Mother’s Day.
We celebrated the anniversary of the May 3rd Constitution with the preparation of the Polish flag. The red colour was pasted by the children with the use of red poppies, the white colour was symbolized by the White Eagle. The children did the assigned work listening to the words of the song titled “3rd May Mazurek”.
Another important and beautiful celebration was Mother’s Day. The youngest ones prepared their first sandwiches with my help! Suddenly, beautiful and tasty-looking sandwiches which looked like hedgehogs, mice, cats and suns appeared before our eyes. This was a great way to encourage the youngest to go on a culinary journey and introduce another topic: “Vegetables and fruits”. Children and mothers danced to the song “Olimpics in Jarzynowo” (Smile Centre).
An interesting idea for our “Pszczolki” to get acquainted with the aforementioned subject was the experiment: “Diversity Box”. Carrots, apple, potato and onion were placed in a cardboard box with holes for hands. The children had to guess what was inside. Such a combination of sensory stimulation such as touch, sight and hearing further develops the cognitive skills of our pupils.
The second term was marked by learning combined with great fun. See you soon 🙂
Kinga Pacione
Preschool
During term two, the Preschool Group covered the following topics:
- “My way to school” – we talked about what we see on our way to school, eg cars, houses, trees, people etc. … Making children aware that we always hold the hand of an adult. Art classes: cutting out elements of houses, trees, animals, cars and sticking them on a sheet of paper.
- “Good hygiene means health” – the main emphasis was on shaping everyday hygiene habits, with a particular accent on the time of the pandemic. Educational game using white foam – hardworking little hands (further development of fine motor skills).
- “National Symbols” – Polish National Emblem, Polish flag and reading the poem “Who are you? Little Pole ”. Questions like: Where is Poland located? – showing on the globe. Souvenirs from Poland – children were eager to help put items on the table. Pre-schoolers were asking questions like: What is this?
- “Healthy eating” – introducing the names of fruits and vegetables. A talk about why we should include fruit and vegetables in our daily diet.
- “Mother’s Day” – we talked about our parents, spontaneous answers to the question: “Why do you love your mum?” Art classes: cardboard hearts for mums (compositions made using different coloured paper). Preparing sandwiches as a surprise for mums. The children took an active part in tasting the previously prepared sandwiches.
- “Picnic in the classroom” – a blanket, plastic plates, cutlery, cups. Question for children: What do we need to pack when going to a picnic?
- “Children’s Day” – active participation in this very well prepared celebration on the occasion of Children’s Day. Further development of motor skills (speed, strength, jumping ability). Throwing the ball to the target and the ability to cooperate in a group – deepening social ties with peers. Pre-schoolers also brought their colourful costumes (building up imagination, using polite language forms and helping with changing clothes, developing independence).
- The last topic was “Gifts of Autumn”. Together we looked at the posters showing this season. Paying attention to the need for wearing appropriate clothing during this time of the year. Warm hats, shoes, sweaters and jackets. Art classes: creating a collage of autumn leaves.
Every Saturday we start classes with “News”. Pre-schoolers bring something special to school and try to tell everyone about what they brought. Then they answer questions asked by other children.
At the end of the second term, a new student joined our class. We cordially welcome Maksymilian and his family to our school community.
Elzbieta Purchala
Kinder & Year 1
We started term two introducing the letter “T” to the students based on the poem by Jan Brzechwa entitled “Tiger”. The children were enthusiastically learning a new, happy poem that we continued to rehearse over the next few Saturdays.
Another topic was related to the celebrations of the 230th anniversary of the May 3rd Constitution. During the lesson, students were introduced to the legend of “Lech, Czech and Rus”, which explains why our national colours are white and red. We made Polish flags and together we learned the poem by Czeslaw Janczarski, “Colors of the our country”. At the end of the day, students from the entire school took part in a short academy dedicated to the anniversary of celebrating the Constitution of May 3rd.
The next letter introduced to students was the letter “K”. During the class, the children learned the words starting with the letter “K”, including: kot-cat, kura- hen, krowa-cow, ko?-horse, kaczka-duck, kogut-rooster and koza-goat. We imitated the sounds of animals and made cat masks. The children had lots of fun trying to recognise each other, which was not a simple task because suddenly instead of 18 boys and girls we had 18 identical looking cats in the classroom.
After the letter “K” it was time for another enchanted letter, which this time was the letter “Y”. This letter is sometimes a little difficult for children, especially when it comes to pronunciation, but for a great team like our wonderful students from the combined “0-1” class nothing is impossible! During the class, the students learned that despite the fact that in the Polish language there are no words beginning with the letter “y”, it can very often be found at the end or in the middle of many words. We spoke and pronounced words like: domy-houses, buty- shoes, tygrysy-tigers, oczy-eyes, uszy-ears, nosy-noses, sklepy-shops, etc …
During the next class, the children made a delicious surprise for their mothers and grandmothers, which were extremely attractive-looking sandwiches. Of course, we have also not forgotten about our little bellies, which were previously well fed. We combined the production of sandwiches with further development of the vocabulary with words such as: chleb-bread, maslo-butter, pomidor-tomato, ogórek-cucumber, szynka-ham, ser-cheese, etc…
During the course of term two, the children also learned the letters “e” and “r”. During each class, without exception, we sang the songs “Jesienna orkiestra” and “Zima” together. Children truly enjoy our singing time. Every Saturday we spend the last half hour of class reading books from the “Franklin” series. The text is always read in Polish, and then, due to the large number of non-Polish-speaking children, it is summarised in English. Every year, I am amazed by the attention with which children listen to the content of the books they hear. Dear Parents and Grandparents, I encourage you to read to your children books appropriate to their age and cognitive abilities. Reading for a few minutes a day can really do wonders!
With all my heart I thank you dear parents and grandparents for your support and cooperation in term 2.
Bernadeta Kawa / Urszula Koscianska
Year 2 & 3
Hello to all parents and grandparents of class 2/3
Time is running fast and the second term of the school year is already behind us.
During term two, students learned the following double sounds: “sz” and “cz”. Introducing these double signs was based on words such as “szalik (scarf)” and “czapka (hat)”. A talk with students about the behaviour and preparations of various animals for the upcoming winter. Familiarising children with a wide range of winter sports using educational posters.
Introducing the first softening “c” and “ci” based on the words “cma (moth)” and “babcia (grandma)”. We learned how to write a letter to grandma and how to address an envelope.
We celebrated the 230th anniversary of the May 3rd Constitution. The children learned about the meaning of the following words: constitution, flag, national emblem and national anthem. We memorised the words of Mazurek Dabrowski.
On the occasion of Mother’s and Grandma’s Day, the children prepared beautiful greeting cards and prepared delicious sandwiches. The students’ statements about their mothers and grandmothers were extremely touching and very warm.
Dear Parents and Grandparents, I congratulate you on wonderful children. See you in term three 🙂
Malgosia Jagodzinska / Ewelina Cini
Year 4, 5 & 6
Term two passed unexpectedly quickly.
During term two, we celebrated several important dates: the 230th Anniversary of the May 3rd Constitution, Mother’s Day and Children’s Day. Students from grades 4-6 took an active part in all these celebrations.
During the lessons, we talked about how we travelled in the past and how we travell today. We got to know the means of land, water and air transport. We learned what is the best way to get to another city or country. Using a map we travelled around Poland, we got to know interesting cities and their stories.
The enormous commitment of the students was evident during each class.
I would like to thank parents and grandparents of class 4-6 for their cooperation and help during this past six months.
Basia Magolan
Children’s Day at the Macarthur Polish Saturday School
“Project co-financed within the framework of Polonia funds of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland”
June 1 is definitely the most beautiful and joyful day of the year – a day when in a special way we realize and appreciate what a great joy and hope for the world our children are. Could you imagine a world without children? What would it be like? I definitely would not want to live in such a world. I am glad that I was raised and grew up in a country where “Children’s Day” was celebrated each year. It is a very special day during which we, adults looking at our own children, are trying to discover the child within us.
On Saturday 29th of May we celebrated “Children’s Day” at our school . Instead of the usual routine, students had the opportunity to take part in various activities organized for them by the Parent Committee. “Children’s Day” project was co-financed within the framework of Polonia funds of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. We would like to thank the Consul General Monika Konczyk and other employees of the Consulate General in Sydney for their support of this special initiative.
At 9:30 am, the children met Pierog Wlodek and his cookie friend – the main characters of Mrs. Ania Nassif’s book titled “His secret powers”. These two brave, bilingual characters were played by the author of the book – Mrs. Anna Nassif and the actor – Mr. Michal Macioch. This interactive performance with Pierog Wlodek was very well received especially by our younger students, who stared with bated breath at the huge puppets visible at the stage.
At eleven o’clock, (of course, out of nowhere) Paul the Magician appeared and entertained not only our little ones, but also some parents and teachers who could not refuse to meet this mysterious visitor. Paul – the Magician absolutely charmed, or rather I should use the word “enchanted” everyone watching his amazing, magical performance. With what joy did I look at the laughing and happy faces of our children?! It was joy and happiness in the purest form … Moments like this give life its true meaning. After the show, both children and adults thanked the Magician for his performance with thunderous applause, and I allowed myself to notice that the work he is doing is one of the most joyful jobs you can imagine – because constant laughter and joy of children are always present while he works.
The last part of the day the children spent playing various games and physical activities under the watchful eye of Mr. Michal Macioch. From 11:00 to 12:00, the school yard was full of childish uproar, laughter and shouts of joy, all mixed up with cheerful music. Michal began with a musical warm-up. Children were stretching and jumping and doing all other physical activities which, by their very nature, define being a child. Children are very often tireless in their need for physical activity and movement. After the warm-up, the time came for the sports competition. The participants were divided into two groups that rushed to the goal on the races, ran with the ball back and forth, put the ball over their head and between their legs and performed many other fun and happy sport activities. It was really happy, healthy and noisy time – just as it should be during the event such as “Children’s Day”.
After this highlight of the day, it was the time for a well-deserved meal prepared by our wonderful parents. But wait a minute… I almost forgot to mention that at the end of the day the kids did not go home empty handed. Each of them was given a gift prepared by one of our mums – Mrs. Dominika Smutek – the President of the Parental Committee. Awww – how much fun the kids had while they were opening their packages!
It is impossible to mention here all those people who supported me in the work on the organization of this event. However, I am tempted to mention and honour several people. I would very much like to thank the Consul General Monika Konczyk and Vice-Consul Joanna Splocharska for their help expressed through “co-financing the project” Children’s Day”.
Thank you to Lucyna and Wieslaw Pazdzior, whose generous hearts have opened up for us once again. Thank you very much on behalf of myself and the whole school for delicious sausages that you fed our children, parents and us teachers last Saturday. There were enough sausages for everyone. None left and no one missing on them either. I regret that you could not see what taste and appetite that the kids had eating your sausages. Once again from the bottom of my heart, A HUGE THANK YOU!
In conclusion – thank you all for everything! It is difficult to express and describe in a few clumsy words how grateful I am to You Dear Parents for your support and work on the preparation of this day. Let the payment be the smile and joy of children who have benefited from all the attractions of this special day. To sum it up I would like to quote after Pope John Paul II that “children are the spring of the family and society, the hope that is still flourishing and the future that is constantly opening”.
2021 Mother’s Day
Sandwich fantasies as a gift for Mums and Grandmas ?
On Saturday, May 8, students of the Macarthur Polish Saturday School as a gift for their beloved mothers and grandmothers prepared an extremely tasty and healthy snack, which were appetizing and colorful-looking sandwiches. The atmosphere in each classroom that day was very energetic and cheerful. Each of the children without exception, put their heart, soul and a large dose of fantasy into preparing that yummy sandwich for their Mum. We started with a thorough washing of those little hands, after which we prepared all the necessary sandwich ingredients. These included: bread, butter, ham, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, radishes, corn and other products. Now all it needed was a large dose of imagination, which the students of our school certainly do not lack of, and the sandwich fantasies for Mums and Grandmas came out of the children’s’ hands like “spick and span”. When the work on preparing sandwiches for mothers and grandmothers was successfully completed, all that was left to do was to feed ourselves. This time the students created sandwiches for themselves and ate them with great appetite. How much uproar and joy there was when at the end of the day the children left the classroom holding in their hands a plate with a tasty looking sandwich prepared as a gift for their Mums and Grandmas. Throughout the school, shouts of appreciation and pride were heard admiring the work of little hands. Dear Mums and Grandmas – we are very happy that, together with your children, we have managed to make your faces smile and thus make a tiny contribution to the celebration of this special day ?
Polish National Celebrations – May 2nd & May 3rd
On Saturday, May 1st, the students of the Macarthur Polish Saturday School proudly celebrated two national May holidays with a short program. The first is the 230th anniversary of the May 3rd Constitution, and the second is the Flag Day traditionally celebrated in Poland on May 2nd. During class time, children made white and red flags, which they then proudly waved while singing the song titled “Mazurek on May 3rd”. Ah! With what pride and joy we all sang “Wiwat Maj, Piekny Maj! U Polakow blogi raj!”.
On the occasion of these beautiful May days, the entire community of the Macarthur Polish Saturday School dedicates this short video report to all of you, wishing that we would always be proud of our roots Poles and that we teach young generations of Poles in Australia to love and remember their homeland.
Scoutmaster’s Szupryczynski Award for Isla & Sebastian
On Saturday May 1st, 2021, during the Academy commemorating the 230th anniversary of the May 3rd Constitution, two students of our school received the Scoutmaster’s Witold Szupryczynski Award. For the year 2020, this award was received by Sebastian Bocian (Grade 5), and for 2021 – Isla Budge (Grade 4). The Academy was organised by the Polish Educational Society in NSW, which has been involved in shaping this beautiful, patriotic celebration for over 60 years. For 31 years, the Scoutmaster’s Witold Szupryczynski Award has been given to children and young people of the Polish community who proudly affirm their Polish roots by conscientiously learning the Polish language and participating in various celebrations and academies promoting Poland on Australian soil.
Congratulations to Isla and Sebastian and their proud parents and grandparents!
Dear Isla and Sebastian! We warmly and wholeheartedly congratulate both of you on this very prestigious and well deserved award! You are the pride and joy of our school community! We wish you every success in the next years of learning Polish!
Summary of Term 1, 2021
Preschool
The topics covered during first term include:
- “Grandma’s and Grandpa’s Day” – we made gifts in the form of key rings.
- “Carnival party” – children brought their costumes – attempts to dress up on their own.
- “The Legend of the Wawel Dragon” – visit from a special guest – Mrs. Kinga Pacione.
- “Body parts” – modelling a human figure from play-dough. Attempts to name known parts of the body.
- “Easter traditions” – decorating eggs with paints.
In the first term, we learned new songs such as: “My little balloon”, “Aaa – two cats”, “Hundred years”, “They call me a polka”, “Old bear”, “The train is going from afar”.
Every Saturday we also have adventures with a book, i.e. reading aloud to children.
It is a well known fact that the readiness to write is a very important skill that every child should have before learning to write letters. During term one, we practiced manual skills of preschoolers during classes improving their motor skills:
- Tracing drawing, colouring, painting, during which I paid special attention to whether each child is holding a pencil, crayons or brushes correctly.
- Correct use of scissors intended for 3-4 years old, arranging fingers in scissors (cutting plasticine rollers, cutting along straight lines, cutting out pictures from newspapers).
- Using various art techniques such as: plucking, gluing, painting, cutting, drawing, etc.
- Using various types of movement games to strengthen the fingers: puzzles, blocks, balloons, soap bubbles, working with dough.
I would like to thank our Preschoolers and their Parents for their exemplary attendance in the first term. I am looking forward to seeing you in term two ?
Elzbieta Purchala
Kinder & Year 1
We started Term 1, 2021 by familiarising children with the principles of safe play rules during class time and during breaks. A conversation was conducted about – why do we attend Saturday classes at the Polish school and what is the purpose of our lessons? We visited the school playground and went to see other classrooms acquainting children with their older and younger students from other grades. Everyone introduced themselves with particular emphasis on new students, trying to make them feel welcome and safe. During the following Saturdays, the letters ‘O’, ‘A’, ‘I’, ‘L’ and ‘M’ were introduced to students. During each class, we learned new words in Polish and built sentences based on the words we learned. For example – when introducing the letter “I” we repaired ripped trousers with needle and thread and sewed torn buttons back on. The introduction of new words is always combined with learning how to divide these words into syllables and sounds. The ability to select individual sounds from each word is essential for learning how to read and write at a later stage in the language development of each of the children. Introducing new letters has also been associated with the learning of well-known and popular poems such as: “Glasses” and “Hippo”. The topic of the last classes in Term 1 were Polish Easter traditions and customs. The highlight of the day was the performance of children during the Easter Assembly. Our students presented two happy poems and the “Duckling” dance. Dear parents – thank you for your commitment and support in Term 1. I look forward to meeting my dear students in Term 2 with longing and excitement.
Bernadka Kawa & Ula Koscianska
Year 2 & 3
Hello to all parents and grandparents of class 2/3
This school year, the second grade consists of six boys, and the third grade consists of two girls and three boys. Altogether, there are eleven students in the combined 2/3 class. We warmly welcome Mrs Ewelina Cini, who will assist students in improving their reading and writing skills. During the first two weeks of term one, we went over the entire Polish alphabet and consolidated it through exercises in writing and reading, and through various types of educational games. The children remembered all the basic letters of the Polish alphabet very well, and the third grade remembered all the softening and double characters learned a year earlier. Congratulations! In the following weeks we got to know the vowels “?” and “?”. The next letters that were learned consecutively were: “h”, “ch”, “rz” and “?”. During the classes we sang simple songs, among them: “The old bear is fast asleep”; “Pele, pele goose go home” and Easter songs. At the end of the term, the students learned about Polish Easter traditions and rituals. We decorated Easter eggs and staged a poem called “Easter egg”. We concluded term one with the Easter Assembly.
Best regards and see you in term two.
Malgosia Jagodzinska
Year 4, 5 & 6
There are ten children in grade 4-6. Each student in our class possesses a different level of knowledge and understanding of the Polish language.
Due to the fact that last year’s Grade 3 joined class 4-6, the first few weeks were spent on getting to know each other and assessing students language skills.
We repeated the names of the months, seasons and days of the week. We talked about ourselves, the way we look, our interests, our immediate and extended family and good friends.
Term 1 concluded with the Easter Assembly, for which students in grade 4-6 prepared an interesting presentation about beautiful and colourful Polish Easter customs and traditions.
I would like to thank the parents and grandparents for their support and help in preparing children for their performance at Easter Assembly and for their ongoing cooperation during term 1.
Basia Magolan
Easter Assembly
On Saturday, March 27, 2021, an Easter assembly was held at the Macarthur Polish Saturday School the purpose of which was to present the extremely rich and colourful Polish Easter traditions and customs.
The official celebration started at 11:30 AM. This time the Assembly was held outdoors. The weather was perfect. In the morning we were greeted by a beautiful, warm, autumn Sun. Mr. Adam Gajkowski – the President of the NSW Federation of Polish Organizations and Mrs. Jolanta Zurawski – a long-term manager of the Polish Song and Dance Ensemble “Kujawy” have joined our celebrations. With huge pride and joy, I was looking at a group of almost fifty beautifully and festively dressed up students on one side – and on the other – the gathered in large numbers – parents, grandparents and guests who came to see and admire their children and grandchildren perform. All students were dressed in national costumes bought in Poland at the end of last year. These costumes were purchased in part from the “Stronger Communities” Grant and in part from our own resources. The children looked really spectacular in their new outfits. I am sure that we will have many more occasions to show off ourselves to the public – during assemblies and other events.
After a short welcome, it was time for the children’s performances. We started with the singing of our school song, which in itself gives both performers and listeners a lot of positive energy each time. Then, students from the 5th and 6th class presented Polish Easter traditions and customs. Using words they painted pictures of Easter palms, Easter baskets, a Sunday breakfast and a Smingus-Dyngus on Easter Monday. These verbal images were intertwined with songs. The first of them was entitled “Skacze droga zaj?c” and the second “Ida dzieci ze swieconym”. The next performers were class II and III students who used their gigantic Easter egg-shaped cardboard, which they prepared themselves. The main character of their performance was of course … an Easter egg. Then we sang together another song titled „Pisanki”. After class II & III, class “0” & “I” students appeared on the stage. Little performers were reciting a happy rhyme titled “I tell you, I tell you – what I have with this hare”. The children delighted the listeners not only with the fact that they learned their texts beautifully but also with their children’s joy and smiles painted on their small faces. After that students from Class “0” & 1 danced to the rhythm of the lively and cheerful song “Kaczuszki (Duckings).” I don’t think I will be alone in saying that this dance became the highlight of the whole show. Ah – how much joy was there! It was an extremely colourful and energetic dance that gave everyone a lot of positive energy and joy.
The last and I think the sweetest point of the Easter Assembly was the performance of our Preschoolers. The children, together with Mrs. Ela, presented a dance to the song “They call me Poleczka”. Ah, how much charm, grace and sweetness there is in these little ones! You can look and admire them endlessly ?
At this point, I cannot omit a very important element, which was a beautifully decorated Easter table. It was an extremely important component and at the same time the background for all performances. For the third time, Mrs. Krysia Morawski agreed to prepare it for us. The beautifully decorated Easter table was for children and all of us gathered this day a lesson in itself: a lesson of rich Polish traditions and customs associated with the celebration of Easter. I am deeply convinced that the memories and images of the Easter table will be deeply remembered by our pupils.
After the children’s performances, it was time for a snack prepared for us by our amazing mothers from the Parents’ Committee. There was of course coffee, tea and lots of delicious cake. I am very grateful to Dominika Smutek, Hania Beshai and Ania Nowicka for their great attitude, help and support. It was also a time for a friendly chat – time for Easter greetings. The atmosphere of the meeting was filled with warmth and kindness. While the guests gathered at the assembly were spending their time talking, the students of our school went in search of chocolate eggs and bunnies. There was so much joy and laughter during the egg hunt. This part of the day was supervised by Mrs. Hania Beshai, who bought these eggs and organized the egg hunt. Hania – thank you very much for the joy you gave all children with your initiative. I would also like to thank our dear sponsors: Marysia and Marek Strzemkowski and Lucyna and Wies?aw Pazdzior for funding the lottery prizes.
Summing up, after my favourite poet—Father Jan Twardowski I would like to wish “each and every one in turn Easter joy, which may last despite suffering, truly Christian joy, which lasts even when they are overwhelmed – whether small or big – only human nights.”
Start of the 2021 School Year
On Saturday, February 6 2021, we inaugurated another school year at the Macarthur Polish Saturday School. At 9:00 am in the Church of the Mary Immaculate at Eagle Vale, a Holy Mass was celebrated for the intention of our school students. Under the leadership of Fr. Edmund Budzilowicz, we prayed for God’s blessing over the entire school community. Immediately after the Mass. Mrs. Bernadeta Kawa welcomed all gathered parents and grandparents and gave an important overview of the school policies and operating hours. The last point of the day was saying goodbye to one of our valued and loved teachers – Mrs. Grazyna Pakulska, who due to personal reasons was unable to continue teaching at our school in the current year. We would like to thank Mrs. Grazyna for her hard work, dedication and support she has shown not only to me but to all other teachers over the past two years. Dear Grazyna, I am absolutely convinced that your students will lovingly remember your fantastic attitude and absolutely unique work ethic as well as all the amazing things they learned in class with you.
It is with great joy that we warmly welcome the new teacher of the combined 4th, 5th and 6th grade – Mrs. Barbara Magolan. Basia Magolan is a teacher with many years of experience in working with children. I am deeply convinced that she will became a great support for our team.
The first classes after the summer holidays were held on Saturday, February 13. It was a true pleasure to see the smiling and tanned faces of the children who happily greeted each other and their teachers after the long summer break. The main aim of our community school is not only teaching the mother tongue, but also to develop the beautiful friendships that are formed here.
On that day, teachers welcomed their students and talked to them about school rules of behavior in the classroom and during breaks. The safety of our pupils is our priority.
One of our mothers – Mrs. Kinga Pacione, who works as a kindergarten teacher brought a model of a volcano and demonstrated to students from younger classes simulated volcanic eruptions. How many shouts of joy were there at the sight of colorful lava coming out of the volcano! The children were really and sincerely delighted with this joyful and interesting demonstration. Mrs. Pacione also brought laminated posters illustrating the legend of the “Wawel Dragon”. Children with great attention listened to the adventures of the brave shoemaker Dratewka and were absolutely impressed by his courage and cleverness in defeating the Dragon.
Dear students, parents and teachers – I sincerely wish that we all have a safe and fruitful school year. Let’s make sure that at the end of the year everyone reaches their goal and feels the joy of a job well done!
Competition “JP II as a creator and inspiration for creators”
Last year, the NSW Polish Teachers’ Association, leaded by Mrs. Marianna Lacek, initiated the competition “JP II as a creator and inspiration for creators”. The students of our school took an active part in the preparation of the competition entry – a short film in which each class illustrated some of the most important quotes of the Saint John Paul II. His words, spoken decades ago, changed the course of world’s history – to which we, the people of the twenty-first century, are eyewitnesses. The official presentation of a commemorative diploma for participation in the competition took place on Saturday, December 12, during the end of the year celebrations at our school. On behalf of the NSW Polish Teachers’ Association, the diploma for the whole school community was presented by Mr. Albert Vella, the long-term President of the NSW Federation of Community Languages. I strongly encourage everyone to view our competition entry.
The Consul’s General award for Krystian and Maja
During our 2020 End of the school year celebrations the top students from Polish Saturday Schools were awarded prizes for outstanding results in learning the Polish language. Macarthur Polish Saturday School nominated two year six students: Maja Mukherjee and Krystian Smutek for this award in the 2020 school year. Krystian and Maja started learning Polish 6 years ago. I had the joy and the privilege of being their teacher at Polish school. I remember these quiet, calm, ambitious children who have never come to school without completed homework – always prepared, always ready to learn. Together we have learned the first letters from the Polish alphabet, together we have read the first simple texts in Polish. With that pride and satisfaction I looked at Maja’s and Krystian’s smiling faces as they were receiving their well-deserved awards. Moments like this are the most meaningful moments of every teacher’s life and career and give a sense of a job well done. Their success is also, and perhaps above all, the success of their parents, whom we congratulate with all our heart for raising such a wonderful children. Without your sacrifice, without your hard work, a day like this would never become a reality. Dearest Maja and Krystian , congratulations once again from our entire school community! We wish you nothing but success in the future!
Celebrating the end of the 2020 School Year
The year 2020 was an extremely unique, strange and difficult year for many of us – and so was its ending at our school … Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it was impossible for us to meet together as a school community at various celebrations that traditionally unite our group of students, teachers and parents. Parents could not physically attend assemblies to celebrate Mother’s or Father’s Day or other events during which we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the “Miracle on the Vistula” or the 102nd anniversary of Poland regaining its independence. It was very important to me that our school family would be able to come together at the end of the year graduation ceremony. Luckily we have managed to find a solution ? It was not the first time that Father Slawek Plonka – the parish priest at Mary Immaculate Parish in Eagle Vale has opened to us not only his big heart, but also the doors of his church. Father Slawek celebrated thanksgiving Mass for our school community, after which in the presence of parents and grandparents our students were handed out their school awards and certificates. We were also honoured by the presence of Mr. Albert Vella – the former long-term President of the NSW Federation of Community Languages, whose presence at our ceremony touched me personally. Mr. Albert Vella has been supporting our school from the very beginning. On the day he handed us a Diploma of Recognition for students of our school for participating in the competition “Saint JP II as a creator and inspiration for creators ”. Also present at our ceremony was Mr. Adam Gajkowski – President of the NSW Federation of Polish Organizations. We thank them both for their meaningful presence.
After that, we sang the Christmas carol “Przybie?eli do Betlejem pasterze” and then we went to the park near the church, where Santa handed out Christmas presents to the children. Ah! How much uproar and childish joy there was! And the gifts this year were really rich ? Each student received a book from the series “I love Poland” entitled “100. Anniversary of the Miracle on the Vistula” and the second about how Lolek became the Pope. These titles were chosen not by accident as last year we were celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II and the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw in 1920. The children also received toys and a ticket to the farm.
The event was conducted in a nice and family atmosphere. Not only children but also parents were happy to socialize and spend some time together. This extraordinary year has taught us to appreciate things that we sometimes take for granted…
Celebrating Poland’s Independence Day
On Saturday, November 14, on the occasion of the National Independence Day, the community of the Macarthur Polish Saturday School celebrated the 102nd anniversary of Poland regaining its independence with a short program. At 12:00PM the teachers and students of our school proudly sang the Polish National Anthem and our cheerful and uplifting school song. Year 6 students also greeted their friends from Poland 🙂 The classroom where the performance was held was beautifully decorated with souvenirs from Poland brought by our students to school that day. I am very grateful to those who worked hard to prepare this wonderful and eye-catching exhibition of souvenirs and other items brought from Poland. This beautifully decorated table with its rainbow of colours was not only a pleasure for the eyes, but was also a great visual lesson of Polish culture, tradition and history for the students of our school, who for a few minutes looked at all the beautifully displayed items with bated breath.
We are happy to share a video of the events of that day. We hope that this uplifting film will bring a smile to your face and bring back memories of our home country …
Children’s Day unlike any other
“Project co-financed within the framework of Polonia funds of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland”
On Saturday, October 24th our school community celebrated the most beautiful and joyful day of the year – International Kids Day. Despite the fact that the corona virus pandemic prevented us from celebrating Kid’s Day in June – we did not give up and managed to celebrate it at the end of October. This is the day when in a special way we realise what a great joy and hope for the world children are. Could you imagine a world without children? What would it look like? I definitely would not want to live in such a world.
At 9:15 am, pre-schoolers and students from grades “0” & 1 took part in an hour- long show called “Kitchen Experiments”. Our youngest children really liked the program prepared for them by Sonia from the “Mad about Science” Educational Program. In small groups, they made various kinds of experiments and researches and were simply delighted to see with their own eyes how bubbles suddenly appear from nothing in their small cups or how the papers immersed in various liquids change colour. At the same time, in our school yard, students from older grades were doing all sorts of sport activities with Michal Macioch. Our students had the opportunity to take part in sports and dance games. The school yard was full of childish uproar, laughter and shouts of joy, all mixed up with cheerful music. Michal began with a musical warm-up. Children were stretching and jumping and doing all other physical activities which, by their very nature, define being a child. Children are very often tireless in their need for physical activity and movement. After the warm-up, the time has come for the sports competition. The participants were divided into two groups that rushed to the goal, each team ran with the ball back and forth, put the ball over their head and between their legs and performed many other fun and happy sport activities. It was a really happy, healthy and noisy time – just as it should be during the event such as “Children’s Day”.
At 10:30 am it was the turn of a well-deserved meal prepared by moms from the Parent Committee. Dear mums – I am still and invariably amazed by your fantastic attitude. On behalf of our school community, I would also like to thank you Lucynka and Wieslaw Pazdzior, whose generous hearts are invariably open to us. Thank you for the tastiest sausages in the world!
After a nice meal there was a change. This time kids from grades 3 to 6 gathered together to participate in the “Forensic Detective” show. The younger children went for fun activities prepared for them by Mr. Michal Macioch. All these attractions have met with a great enthusiasm from all the students.
But wait a minute … I almost forgot to mention that at the end of the day the kids did not go home empty handed. Each of them was given a gift prepared by one of our mums – Mrs. Dominika Smutek – the President of the Parental Committee. Awww – how much fun did the kids have while they were opening their presents!
It is impossible to mention here all those who supported us in the organisation of this event. However, I am tempted to mention and honour several people. I would very much like to thank the Consul General Monika Konczyk and Mrs Vice-Consul Joanna Splocharska for their help in co-financing the project Children’s Day at our school as part of “the Polish Community funds’ of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland”.
In conclusion – thank you all for everything! It is difficult to express and describe in a few clumsy words how grateful I am to You Dear Parents for your support and work on the preparation of this day. Let the payment be the smile and joy of children who have benefited from all the attractions of this special day. To sum it up I would like to quote after Pope John Paul II that “children are the spring of the family and society, the hope that is still flourishing and the future that is constantly opening.”
“Drawing for the Pope” Competition
In this extraordinary and certainly difficult year, marked by the corona virus pandemic that overshadows the lives of millions of people around the world, we also celebrated great anniversaries related to the life and sanctity of one of the most outstanding Poles in the history of our nation. In May this year, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of his birth, and a month earlier we remembered the moments of his departure from this world to the Father’s House, which happened 15 years ago. In connection with these beautiful anniversaries, Dr. Elzbieta Kolo from Melbourne undertook the great project of working on the jubilee edition of the book: “Gift to the Holy Father – Polish community in Australia”. The main idea of ??this work was to collect in one edition both prose and poetry as well as art work dedicated to the memory of this Great Man and Outstanding Pole. A few months before the planned edition of the book, Dr. Elzbieta Kolo made an appeal to children and youth of the Polish community to send in competition entries. The “Drawing for the Pope” competition met with a positive response among children who are the students of the Polish Saturday School in Macarthur. Thirteen competition entries were submitted and sent to the competition organizers. To our great joy, 9 of them have been published in this beautifully published jubilee book. All published works are signed with the name and surname of the child who created the artwork. Let me thank Dr. Elzbieta Kolo for her enormous dedication, passion and enthusiasm with which she undertook the work of publishing this book. I would also like to thank our wonderful students and their parents who contributed to the creation of this work. Our school has purchased 8 copies of this book, which will be presented as a gift to each of the families involved in the “Drawing for the Pope” competition. Thanks to the courtesy of the competition organizers, the children will also receive gifts funded by the EJK Book Publishing House. There will also be prizes, which were purchased for each child taking part in the competition by the Parent Committee at the Polish Saturday School in Macarthur. Please see for yourselves how wonderful their work is! Dear students – I warmly and wholeheartedly congratulate you on this beautiful work, in the creation of which you have your part. Let this beautifully published book, and through it the protection of Saint John Paul II, lead you along the paths of your life 🙂
Summary of Term 3, 2020
Preschool
To us teachers – our students are the most important. We want them to be cheerful, happy and to willingly take part in lessons, games and in the broadly understood life of our Polish school. In this very special and unique year, boys outnumber the girls. Almost every Saturday they bring their favourite cars, planes and motorbikes for the “show and tell” activity. And this is what inspired the first topic in Term 3: different means of transport – by land (cars, bicycles, trains, scooters), – air (helicopter, rockets, planes) – and sea (ships, ships, boats). During the lesson, children were presented with illustrations of the different means of transport – they attempted to correctly pronounce the names of individual means of transport, dividing them into the three above-mentioned groups. There was also a talk about safe cycling or scooter riding and how we should be crossing the road safely.
Art classes – we made traffic lights together that the students could take home with them.
Learning new songs: “The train is coming from afar” and “The wheels of the bus go round and round”.
The second topic covered was “Body Parts”. Learning and correct pronunciation of different body parts such as: head, stomach, arms, legs, etc. which was based on viewing educational posters presenting parts of the human body. The teacher points and asks: “What is this?” The students build and develop comprehension competences by listening and answering the questions.
Art classes – children used play-dough to make a whole person and then drew a human head.
Another topic was around the theme “We like books”, the main aim of which was to make children aware of the importance of books in the life of every human being and the benefits of reading books on various topics.
Based on the question “What’s a fairy tale?” we conducted vocabulary building conversations with the children. Illustrations in books and fairy tales were the starting point for the conversation.
The “Dress Up” game was an undoubted hit of Term 3. I would like to thank all the parents for their cooperation – all preschoolers brought their costumes. During play, children learned how to dress independently (buttons, zippers, velcro) and developed their imaginations by dressing up as different fairy-tale characters.
On the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, we organised a mini exhibition of items related to Poland in the classroom: the emblem, the flag, and folk crafts.
Learning the poem “Who are you? – Little Pole”.
Elzbieta Purchala / Ewelina Cini
Kinder & Year 1
In Term 3, we managed to conduct 6 out of 9 classes at school face to face, which we were very happy about. Our adventure learning Polish sounds and letters continues, despite the many unpleasant surprises that the coronavirus has brought on us. The new letters we learned include: P, N, S, R and J. Each Saturday is a fantastic, new adventure. For example, during the lesson where I introduced the letter S to the children, we packed a suitcase with clothes for a trip to Poland. The suitcase contained: pants, shorts, sweater, socks, skirt and a dress. Of course, our imaginary journey took place by plane. Each of the children then had to pack their own suitcase, naming all the clothes they put into it. The newly learned words were then divided into syllables and sounds, and then we built sentences based on the above-mentioned words.
Learning letter R, we went on an imaginary family bike trip. We took the bike apart and named each of its parts. We learned that a bicycle must have: wheels, tires, pedals, a chain, a sit and many other elements to be able to ride on it. Lying on our backs, at a safe distance from each other, we turned our legs in the air, pretending that we were riding a bicycle.
The introduction of the letter J was based on the word “egg”. We discussed the differences between a boiled egg and a raw egg. We found out what a raw egg looks inside. We talked about the many different ways of making egg dishes and menus where eggs are essential.
One of the patriotic topics planned for this year, were the events related to the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw. In a manner adequate to the cognitive abilities of the students, I told them briefly about the events related to this great anniversary. On that day, children coloured Polish national symbols, such as the White Eagle or the flag. We also played with puzzles that showed the map of Poland. We had a lot of fun doing it. Together with students from other grades, we also learned patriotic songs: “Plynie Wisla, Plynie” and “Jestesmy Polks i Polakiem”.
Bernadeta Kawa / Urszula Koscianska
Year 2 & 3
In term 3, we learned new and rather difficult letters and sounds in the Polish alphabet which are: c, ci, n, ni, z, zi. The following lesson topics were covered:
- New sounds and letters – exercises in writing, creating and building words and writing them down;
- Reading aloud using correct punctuation;
- Simple conversation in Polish describing grandma. Writing and addressing a letter to grandma;
- “Miracle on the Vistula” – that is, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw. Conversation with children about this important event in Polish history;
- Learning the song “The Vistula is flowing, flowing;
- Simple conversation in Polish about the role of father and grandfather in the family;
- Singing new and well known songs.
At the end of Term 3, a student from our class – Emilka Schlage came back from a trip around the world. Her coming back was received with great joy by all her classmates. Warm welcome Emilka! We are extremely glad that you are with us again.
See you in term 4 🙂
Malgorzata Jagodzinska
Year 4, 5 & 6
The subjects studied in the combined 4th, 5th and 6th grade included the following topics:
- The largest rivers of Poland:
- Finding rivers on the map and cities located by these rivers,
- The poem “Rzeczka”,
- From the mountains to the sea – the long run of the Vistula River,
- Learning new vocabulary around the topic of “Rivers” (source, bend, river bank, waterfall, etc …),
- Water transport.
- Favourite food / food names. What do we eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert.
- Days of the week.
- The 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw.
- Europe – its history and legends about (her rise)
- European Union.
- Countries neighbouring with Poland (students prepared interesting facts about a selected European country and presented them to the class in the form of posters, slides and homework in their books).
- Grammar: verbs, conjugation of verbs by persons. Numbers 1-1000000
- Last Saturday of Term 3 was dedicated to our dads. We read the poem “My Dad”, we collected words describing our fathers, children were asked to write how they like to spend time with their dad. We have created Father’s Day cards using our own imagination. Everything has been captured on the WhatsApp application for everyone to see.
- We concluded our last day at school with singing songs for our dads.
Grazyna Pakulska
The 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw
ON THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BATTLE OF WARSAW THE MACARTHUR POLISH SATURDAY SCHOOL REMEMBERS ITS HEROES
On Saturday, August 15, 2020, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw, referred to as the 18th decisive battle in the history of the world. “It was a special moment for Poland, reborn after years of captivity. In the hour of the trial, the entire nation fought to defend the hard-won freedom. The victory, known as the Miracle on the Vistula, became a glue for the next generations of Poles”. (Text Source)
We too, the community of the Macarthur Polish Saturday School, paid tribute to our heroic ancestors through a short program commemorating this great anniversary. Unfortunately, due to the current situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we were unable to invite our dear parents, grandparents and guardians to our performance. On Saturday, August 15 – teachers from each class conducted lessons whose main goal was to develop patriotic feelings in our students by learning about this extremely important for Poland and the whole of Europe victorious battle. The lesson content was adjusted to the age and knowledge skills of children. At 12:00 we all met in our school yard. While standing on the grass, students and teachers formed the shape of Poland, and the Vistula River “flowed” through its centre. The background for our performance was a large white and red Polish flag. It was in this setting that we sang the song “Plynie, Wisla plynie”, known to us all since very early age. We are very happy to share with you photos from this event. Let us be united by the pride of the heroism of our ancestors who fought for the freedom of Poland with the sacrifice of their lives. With all my heart I would like to thank our wonderful students for their beautiful performance. I strongly believe that Poland will never be lost again not only because our majestic Vistula River flows as it always have, but also because we have such wonderful students and their outstanding parents and grandparents. It is you, who bring your children to Polish schools every Saturday, to ensure that our Polish language, culture and tradition of the country of our ancestors last here on a continent thousands of kilometres away from our homeland. I would also like to thank our beloved teachers together with Celinka, Michal, Darek and Kris for their ongoing help and support.
WE WILL REMEMBER YOU!
Summary of Term 2
Preschool
After a long break, we had to get used to each other all over again, ie remembering the names of teachers and classmates in the group, as well as the rules of behaviour in the classroom and in the school yard. During the first class, we repeated the material processed during the first term:
- Graphomotor exercises (drawing with a pencil along a trace)
- Developing the ability to pick up and understand children’s literature (reading stories or poems out loud to children).
The new topics discussed during Term 2 were:
- Different professions.
- Four Seasons with particular emphasis on WINTER.
- Pets.
The main goal of the topic PETS was to familiarise children with the ways of expressing respect to our domestic pets, such as: cats, dogs or fish in the aquarium, and how to properly care for them. During the lessons, preschoolers played the roles of various pets and imitated their sounds. During art time, we made our favourite animal together.
The main aim of the topic related to different PROFESSIONS was to broaden the children’s knowledge of what adults do in their daily work. My observations show that young children (3-5 years old) are keenly interested in what their parents, older cousins ??or grandparents do for work. Children enthusiastically describe what work their mum or dad is doing and they imitate that profession while playing with their peers.
Another topic discussed was introduction of the characteristic features for each of the four seasons based on the analysis of the illustration “FOUR SEASONS”. The aim of this lesson was to make the children aware of how many seasons we have and how we can correctly distinguish and recognise each of them (weather conditions, processes occurring in nature, wearing appropriate clothes).
Kinder & Year 1
After a long break caused by the coronavirus pandemic, we enthusiastically returned to school for the last four Saturdays of the second term. I could see the joy painted on the faces of our students when they could finally meet their classmates whom they had not seen for so long.
In class I, the children learned five magic letters, which included: E, Ó, U, P, Y. I think that the biggest problem for boys and girls was the letters “Ó” and “U”. It is not easy to understand why a letter that can be written in two different ways is pronounced exactly the same way. For our pupils, this is just the beginning of the adventure with this magical and sometimes problematic letter. During the lesson, we have discussed the ways how honey is made. There were questions like: Where do the bees live? Do bees have their queen? What do bees do in winter? Is honey sweet, sour or bitter? Should we care for the bees and why?
During the introduction of the letter “P” thanks to our imagination, we could see “falling snow”, while we sang a joyful song “Winter, winter, winter.” We also talked about penguins, which are birds that love to play in the snow. We squeezed together under a large umbrella to shelter from heavy snow. There were also action games pretending we were a train to the rhythm of the well-known song “Jedzie pociag z daleka”.
These were really busy and extremely interesting four Saturdays at our Polish school. We are looking forward to seeing students of classes “0” and I in the next term of the 2020 school year.
Year 2 & 3
In term two, the students of grades 2 and 3 learned more difficult letters from the Polish alphabet. First it was the double sign “sz” and then “cz”. Children enthusiastically tried to pronounce words that are sometimes difficult to say phonetically, such as: czapka, szalik, szumi, czas, poszli, czekali and the like. On the second last Saturday of Term 2, we started our adventure with softening some of the sounds in Polish language. The first softening that we have been learning about was “s” and “si”. We paid a lot of attention to reading exercises, as well as building simple and more complex sentences with the new words, in which you could find a newly learned sounds. The students also matched the pictures with the written words they had learned in class. It was great fun! The children were very good at understanding the new concept of softening the letter “s” with either a dash or an “i”. At the same time, they were able to distinguish in which words they belonged. Learning the song “Siala baba mak” was a great help in learning how to pronounce these difficult sounds correctly. We had a lot of fun singing this famous Polish song.
Year 4, 5 & 6
In the second term of the current school year, students from the oldest class:
- Completed their “How to stay healthy” posters. The girls and boys were brainstorming everything that helps develop our physical and mental health, and then worked in groups on posters promoting a healthy lifestyle. Dear children – your work was really great! We strongly believe that this lesson was not only a great opportunity to enrich your Polish vocabulary, but also broadened your knowledge of how each of us should care for our own health and the health of others
- Presented to students from younger grades a staging of a poem by Stanislaw Jachowicz “Chory kotek”. The props for the poem were made by the children during class time.
- They worked on expanding vocabulary around the topic of “Winter” in Poland and Australia. Together with the teacher, the students even “made” their own snowmen.
- They focused and practiced the singular and plural forms of nouns.
- Each of the Saturday class ended with singing the canon “Panie Janie”.
Our joyful lunch breaks
I think it would be extremely hard to find someone who doesn’t like school breaks. In any case, I have never met anyone like that. Breaks are a time of joy, socializing and relaxation for both children and us teachers. Below you will find a collage of photos that I managed to take during a few breaks last term. I must admit that watching the students of our school play happily with each other gives me and other teachers a lot of joy and satisfaction. We see friendships being made. Also the smile and enthusiasm of these children are simply contagious and spread to all of us – while motivating us and giving us strength. I strongly believe that the memories of those breaks spent at play in our Saturday school will remain in the memory of our pupils for many years to come, and the friendships that were made here will survive the passage of time and our kids will take them with them into their adults’ lives.
A 100 Anniversary of birth of Saint John Paull II
Last Monday, May 18, 2020, we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the birth of our Great Countryman – Saint John Paul II. On that day in Poland, many occasional concerts and festivities were held to celebrate the memory of this extremely unique Person. We too – the community of the Macarthur Polish Saturday School – expressed our gratitude for the gift of Karol Wojtyla’s life by making beautiful frames for the portrait of the Great Saint. I would like to thank Mrs. Cecylia Macioch for her yet another – beautiful initiative.
A beautiful gift from Poland
I am very delighted to share with you the exciting news, which – I trust – will raise and strengthen the hearts and minds of many of you during these difficult and crazy times… Around mid-March – a week before the sudden closing of the school due to coronavirus, I received a package from Poland sent to me by my very good friend who is an English language teacher at the Primary School in Radlow (Poland). The city of Radlow is located in the region of Poland called Malopolska – about 10 km from the town where I come from. In January this year when with a great anxiety the whole world was witnessing the tragedy of bushfires, which since November was continuously devastating our continent, my friend – Mrs. Beata Maciaszek contacted me and offered to prepare a gift for our school community. She got one of the grades that she was teaching involved in the preparation of this gift. The goal which Mrs. Beata had set for herself was to “lift our hearts and spirits” during this extremely difficult time. Mrs. Beata also asked me if our school community would be interested in long-term cooperation with Radlow Primary School, which would give us the opportunity to exchange experiences regarding issues related to pollution and protecting the world’s natural environment. In mid-March, when the package from Poland reached us, the whole world was more and more plunged into the tragedy associated with the coronavirus pandemic, which was starting to affect every human-inhabited continent. Recently, I was able to find more time to sit back, take a good look and read carefully the materials received from Radlow Primary School. I have to admit that I was deeply moved and touched while reading the wishes from both children and teachers. Mrs. Beata and her students have put a lot of work and heart into preparing this beautiful package for us…
Included in this gift were hand-drawn cards with Koala bears and more. There were also greeting cards for each of our teachers, which, unfortunately, I have not yet managed to pass on, because coronavirus succeeded in turning our lives upside down, everything went so quickly and the school was suddenly closed…
Among the materials sent to us you could also find a beautiful poem dedicated to us – written with the intention of lifting our spirits – please read it for yourself – I guarantee lots of positive feelings, warm thoughts, and maybe some tears of emotion…
The thought that came to my mind after reading all the submitted materials are primarily related to the fact that TRUE GOODNESS is still very much present in this world that we live in and you don’t really need to look far to find it. The proof is children’s hearts full of compassion and empathy for the misfortune that happens to another human being. I bow my head low to the work of Mrs. Beata, the School Principal and the entire Teaching Staff at the Radlow Primary School, who, in addition to providing children with knowledge related to subject teaching, instill in them moral and ethical values.
We sincerely and wholeheartedly congratulate you all!
We wish you perseverance, patience and, above all, a lot of good health and hope in these difficult times. Finally, please extend our congratulations and warm words of gratitude to all those children who were directly involved in preparing the package for us. Dearest Children – you are truly amazing! THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts! We wish you nothing but success in the future! I must admit that after seeing what you have sent us, it looks like you are on your way to succeed in life!
We promise that you will hear from us again 🙂
Kindest Regards,
Students, Parents and Teachers from the Macarthur Polish Saturday School
2020_Mother’s Day
Happy Mother’s Day Celebrations to all wonderful and loving Mums from the Macarthur Saturday Polish School! Thank you for every hug, word of encouragement, and acts of love! Best Mother’s Day Wishes for today and always 🙂
Happy Easter
Easter Palms
Students from the Macarthur Polish Saturday School continue to work hard. Although the school is closed – the project of making Easter palms at home has been completed 
These stunning Easter palms are the most beautiful testimony to how we as a school community are loyal and dedicated to remembering Polish traditions and customs associated with the celebration of Easter. At the same time, they are an expression of longing for Saturday classes at our Polish Saturday School.
Thank you very much to our beloved students and their parents for the gorgeous photos of the Easter palms that were sent to us last week.
It is amazing how from a tiny spark a hot flame of Love, Joy, Hope and Belonging exploded…
Thank you, Dear Mrs Celinka, for your uplifting initiative. Thanks to these photos for the first time in this extremely difficult year, we’ve actually managed to feel the atmosphere of the upcoming Easter celebrations. The Polish Saturday School in Macarthur wishes everyone a healthy and hope-filled Easter Celebrations 🙂
Playgroup @ our school
With real joy and pleasure I would like to inform you that from the middle of this term a Playgroup for toddlers under the name “Hardworking Bees” has been operating at our school. The Playgroup project is coordinated by Mrs. Kinga Pacione. Every Saturday I have been noticing how much fun and joy both mums and kiddies have together. These meetings have not only social but also educational aspect as well. From an early age, these children get familiarised with the Polish language and the culture and traditions of the country of origin of their parents and grandparents. Only recently I have realized how much we needed a group like this in our school. We strongly invite everyone interested in being part of this wonderful initiative. Please promote news about our Playgroup among your family and friends. I wish with all my heart that our school family will grow bigger and bigger ?
Polish language Class for Adults
With great pleasure and satisfaction I would like to inform you that since last Saturday a Polish language class for adults has been operating at our school. This initiative was first suggested to me by one of our dads – Mr. Kris Wrona. Classes are conducted by Mrs Renatka Bienkowska. Currently we have 4 people who have sign up to be part of this class. I am deeply convinced that this group will grow bigger soon. We strongly invite everyone interested in being part of this wonderful initiative. Please promote news about Polish for adult’s class among your family and friends. I wish with all my heart that our school family will grow bigger and bigger 🙂
Puppet theater performance
On Saturday, 22/02/2020, students from the oldest class presented to their younger school friends a poem by Jan Brzechwa entitled “On the market stall”. The performance of the poem in the puppet theatre version was prepared by the actor – Mr. Michal Macioch and his mother Cecylia Macioch. Young viewers were delighted with the performance! Congratulations to our great actors and to Michal and his mother for a delightful spectacle they have prepared for us!
Start of the 2020 School Year
On Saturday 08/02/2020 we inaugurated another school year at the Macarthur Polish Saturday School. To my great joy and satisfaction, the school is growing beautifully, which is demonstrated by a large number of new students and their families joining our school community. Despite the rain and bad weather, the atmosphere during the event was really joyful and happy. We started the day at 9:30 with a Holy Mass offered for the Macarthur Polish Saturday School community at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church at Eagle Vale. The Mass was presided over by Father Slawek Plonka – a Polish priest who is the parish priest of a local Australian parish. As the years go by, his Australian parishioners get used to our presence at Saturday Masses for the beginning and ending of each school year which is shown by many nice and warm comments shared with members of our school community. Traditionally, we sang songs in Polish and English with huge enthusiasm. I am very grateful to Michal Macioch and Darek Plust for leading the songs during the Mass and for the beautiful performance of “Barka”. Our school students took an active part in the Holy Mass by reading mass readings and prayers of the faithful. The pre-schoolers carried gifts to the altar. Together with us, the Consul General of the Republic of Poland in Sydney – Dr Monika Konczyk, prayed for God’s blessing for the whole school. She honoured us with her presence on this special day. Thanks to the attendance of Mrs. Consul General, our event was very unique and special. We are very grateful to the Consul General that despite the rainy weather and the great distance, she joined us at our ceremony. I am deeply convinced that the moment when Mrs. Consul presented our new students with their new school shirts, will remain in their memory and in the memory of us all for many years. Mrs. Consul General is an extremely warm and approachable person, and her presence has undoubtedly enriched us all. Among the invited guests, we also welcomed Mr. Adam Gajkowski – President of the NSW Federation of Polish Organisations, who tirelessly supports the activities conducted by our school. We were also happy about the presence of the manager of the Polish Song and Dance Ensemble “Kujawy” – Mrs. Jolanta Zurawski. Our school works very closely with “Kujawy” Ensemble promoting Polish culture, language and traditions of our country of origin. During the organisational meeting, important information was provided to parents regarding school safety regulations. The teachers briefly familiarised the parents with the curriculum in individual classes. During that time, students of our school, under the watchful eye of the Ladies from the Parent Committee, performed artistic works on the subject of “Vacation memories”.
After the official part of the event was over, our school’s teaching staff met for lunch with Mrs. Consul General and other invited guests. The atmosphere of the meeting was extremely warm and friendly. Once again, thank you from the bottom of our hearts to our Dear Consul General for the precious moments spent with us. We are deeply convinced that Polish education in Sydney will develop happily with such a leader.
Celebrating the end of the 2019 School Year
On Saturday, December 7, the end of 2019 school year celebrations were held at the Macarthur Polish Saturday School. We started the day with a Mass celebrated in the Mary Immaculate Catholic Church at Eagle Vale. The Mass was presided over by the priest of the local Australian parish – Father Slawek Plonka. Father Slawek, who is an extremely warm and open person and very respected by his Australian parishioners, has been supporting our school ever since the school was first established in February 2017. During the Mass, we sang several well-known Polish and English religious songs. We are extremely grateful to Father Slawek for his kindness and hope that this cooperation will continue in the future. After the Mass, we went to the Robert Townson Public School, where official end of the school year celebrations were held. We started by reading a congratulatory letter addressed to us by Consul General Monika Konczyk. Mrs. Consul General, who due to the sheer volume of duties could not be present at the ceremony rewarded us with a beautiful letter, which was addressed to teachers, the student community and also, and perhaps above all, to our dear parents.
The next point of the day were the performances presented by students of each class. The first to perform on the stage were our sweet pre-schoolers. They performed the song “They call me poleczka.” It was an extremely charming and sweet presentation 🙂
Then the combined classes of Mrs. Malgosia and Mrs. Bernadka were presenting. The students sang the song “Kuku?eczka”. The last to perform were the students of our oldest class, who, under the watchful eye of Mr. Michal Macioch, presented the puppet theatre, based on the well-known poem by Jan Brzechwa entitled “On the market stall.” Our young artists were rewarded with huge applause, which they undoubtedly deserved not only by the beautiful declamation of the poem, but also with the beautifully made puppets they created themselves. The background to all of the performances was a beautiful Christmas decoration prepared by Mrs. Krysia Morawski, who traditionally enriched the day with a Christmas tree brought from home and a beautifully decorated table. The items displayed on it evoked memories of white, snow and Christmas. It was a visual lesson of Polish traditions and customs related to Christmas celebrations.
The end of the school year is always an opportunity to summarise the year-round work of teachers and students. After the student’s performances, each student was awarded a school certificate. Awards for the best Library user and prizes for exemplary attendance were also given out. In a special way, with a tear in our eyes, but also with undoubted pride we said goodbye to the students of our oldest class. The following girls said goodbye to us: Gabriella Helwani, Julia Koscianska, Malwina Lesniewicz and Anya Bienkowska. We wish our dear graduates all successes in the following years of learning the Polish language.
The day ended with a surprise visit from Santa. How much joy this extraordinary and long-awaited guest brought with him! And the gifts he brought were really wonderful. These were: a ticket to Taronga Zoo for each of our students, a book from the series “I love Poland” entitled: “80 Anniversary of the outbreak of World War II”. Among the gifts was also a toy and something sweet for our little ones.
2019 was a year of beautiful anniversaries and of hard work in classrooms. Both teachers, students and their parents have earned themselves a wonderful summer holiday. Have a good rest everyone and come back to us with a supply of fresh energy and enthusiasm in the new 2020 school year 🙂
Financial support from the “Polish Community” Association
NSW Federation of Community Languages – Annual Dinner
On Saturday, the 23 November 2019, the Annual Dinner of the New South Wales Federation of Community Languages was held. We were extremely impressed by the energy of this event in which, representatives of almost all ethnic schools from all over the state were represented. Congratulations to the President – Mrs. Lucia Johns and the entire Organization Committee on their huge success. We strongly congratulate you for the work and effort involved in the preparation of this celebration, as well as many other events aimed at supporting community language schools in NSW. The following ladies represented our school in this important event: Dominika Smutek and Urszula Koscianska. On behalf of the ladies present at the Annual Dinner and the entire community of the Macarthur Polish Saturday School, we thank the Federation Committee and all those involved in the preparation of the event for the opportunity to be part of it and wish you further successes in the future!
Celebrating Poland’s Independence Day at our school
Last Saturday, November 9, students and teachers from Macarthur Polish Saturday School celebrated the 101st anniversary of Poland regaining her independence.
As every year around this time, the lessons were aimed at familiarising children with the Polish national symbols such as flag, national colours, national emblem and anthem. These activities were aimed at forming and developing national identity in children who are students of our school. When conducting classes, teachers of individual classes used methods suitable to age and cognitive abilities of a given age group.
Last Saturday both students and teachers were asked to bring to school – souvenirs brought or received from Poland, with which we then decorated tables and made a mini exhibition for everyone to admire. The students from the oldest class had to additionally say a few words about the items they brought and justify why they chose such a souvenir. On the map of Poland purchased by the school last year, students glued tiny flags, marking the place of origin of their families. We also practiced the Polish national anthem, in each of our classes without exception. Class I students, under the guidance of the teacher, arranged educational puzzles, the subject of which was the map of Poland. They liked this game so much that they did it three times in a row – of course, each time they would finish in less and less time. The children were also colouring the Polish national emblem – White Eagle, after they got familiarised with the legend of Lech, Czech and Rus.
At 11.00 we all gathered in the school yard to sing the Polish national anthem. For the needs of the school a huge white and red flag was sewn. Each participant of this event was holding it in his or hers hands while singing the anthem.
More photos in our Photo Gallery.
The Consul’s General award for Julia Koscianska
On Monday, October 28, at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Sydney, the top students from Polish Saturday Schools were awarded prizes for outstanding results in learning the Polish language. Macarthur Polish Saturday School nominated Julia Koscianska from 6th class for this award in the current school year. Julia started learning Polish 6 years ago. I had the joy and the privilege of being her first teacher at Polish school. I remember this quiet, calm, beautiful little girl who has never come to school without completed homework – always prepared, always ready to learn. Together we have learned the first letters from the Polish alphabet, together we have read the first simple texts in Polish. With that pride and satisfaction I looked at Julia’s smiling face when she was receiving her well-deserved award from Mrs. Consul General Monika Konczyk. Moments like this are the most meaningful moments of every teacher’s life and career and give a sense of a job well done. Julia’s success is also, and perhaps above all, the success of her parents, whom we congratulate with all our heart for raising such a wonderful girl. Without your sacrifice, without your hard work, a day like this would never become a reality. Dearest Julia, congratulations once again from our entire school community! We wish you nothing but success in the future!
A session on the best ways to save up money
Last Saturday, on October 26, Mr. Michal Brandt (Senior Financial Planner, APT Wealth Partners), payed us a visit. The main purpose was to give answers to two important questions: “how and why should we save up money?” Mr. Brandt shared with us his deep knowledge and experience in his area of expertise.
During the morning session addressed to parents of our school, Mr. Brandt recalled key points from all financial topics. He presented important nuances that are worth knowing about and whose existence we are often not aware of due to lack of time and extremely busy life style… After the presentation Mr. Brandt was answering specific questions from individual participants. I am deeply convinced that every person present at the presentation has found at least one thing for themselves.
At 11:45 Mr. Brandt met with the students of our school. Several young girls and boys of the Polish Liverpool High School have also accepted the invitation to the presentation. Mr. Brandt, who made his debut as a lecturer for school aged children, proved himself excellent in his new role. He explained to the gathered boys and girls what saving money was about in a very matter-of-fact way. The presentation was interactive – the children would answer Mr. Brandt’s questions, and their answers were written on the white board. We learned that each of us, without exception, must choose each day whether, for example, should we pay bills first or buy a new phone, and how much depends on our financial priorities. Mr. Brandt explained to our pupils how one, bad and reckless decision can get us into serious financial trouble.
After the presentation, the children presented Mr. Brandt with cards they had prepared themselves.
To summarise, it needs to be added that there are priceless things in this world that money can never buy and that there are people ready to help others selflessly – people with a heart open to the needs of other people and hands stretched out to comfort and support. These values ??are priceless, and Mr. Michal Brandt has proved to us that, despite the fact that he is an excellent expert in many areas related to finance, he can at the same time offer his valuable time, enthusiasm and dedication to share his knowledge and experience with others. The only payment he received was the smile of our children and the cards they made themselves with the simplest and at the same time one of the most beautiful words in our Polish language “thank you” 🙂
National Reading at Macarthur Polish Saturday School
Co-financed by the “Freedom and Democracy” Foundation at the Senate of the Republic of Poland as part of the “Supporting Polish Education in the World” initiative.
On Saturday September 19, our school took part in an initiative by the Polish Presidential Couple: The National Reading project. This year, the list of suggested texts for national reading has been enriched by Polish novels, including the following titles:
- Dobra pani – Eliza Orzeszkowa;
- Dym – Maria Konopnicka
- Katarynka – Boleslaw Prus
- Mój ojciec wstepuje do strazaków (ze zbioru: Sanatorium pod Klepsydra) – Bruno Schulz
- Orka – Wladyslaw Stanislaw Reymont
- Rozdzióbia nas kruki, wrony… – Stefan Zeromski
- Sachem – Henryk Sienkiewicz
- Sawa (z cyklu: Pamiatki Soplicy) – Henryk Rzewuski
At 10:30, students from all classes gathered in one of the classrooms, and attentively listened to the texts read to them.
The readers were dancers from “Kujawy” Song and Dance Ensemble. Two young people dressed in national costumes devoted their free time and came to visit our school to present the aforementioned texts to our students. Monika Potaczala and Jakub Kawa read beautifully in Polish to children who, sitting on the carpet, listened to novellas surrounding the readers in a semicircle.
On behalf of myself and the Macarthur Polish School community, I’d like to thank these two wonderful young people for their enthusiasm and time. We wish you, many future successes. We hope you can pay us another visit in the near future.
We also thank the “Freedom and Democracy” Foundation at the Senate of the Republic of Poland for financing this wonderful initiative.
A school excursion to Parramatta Park – tour of the Old Government House
Financed by the ‘Wspolnota Polska’ Association from the resources of the Chancellery of the Senate of the Republic of Poland in the framework of caring for the Polish diaspora and Poles abroad in 2019.
Our Saturday excursion was really fantastic!
First of all, thank you Dear God for the wonderful weather.
Thank you to Dominika for booking tickets for our visit to the Old Government House (I highly recommend visiting this place to all those who could not join us on Saturday) and for booking the shelter, as the location turned out to be a real hit! The playground next door was really fantastic!!! The kids had great fun there!!! Thinking of how well equipped the playground was, even surprised us all!!!
Thank you Basia Bialas together with her husband as well as Hania Beshai for feeding us all to our heart’s content 🙂
The success of this day was not only due to the beautiful weather and excellent organisational skills of our beloved Dominica, but also, that we could together both adults and children spend time talking and having fun. Additionally – visiting Old Government House has allowed us to learn many new and interesting things about the history of white settlement in Australia. Thank you all for your support and presence? I wish you all good rest during the holidays. See you at school on 19/10/2019 🙂
The Polish Language Teachers Conference
A very important event for Polish community education in Australia is the annual Methodological Conference for Polish Language Teachers, which took place last Saturday, 14/9/19 at the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Sydney. The conference program was extremely interesting and certainly each of the people present at the Consulate that day was very content with all the workshops in which we had the pleasure to participate. The main speakers were: Mrs. Liliana Sosnowska (ORPEG – Centre for the Development of Polish Education Abroad); Ms Magdalena Debowska (ODN / SWP – Teacher Training Centre / “Polish Community” Association), and Professor Marek Wierzbicki (KUL – Catholic University of Lublin). On this day, the Polish Saturday School in Macarthur was represented by three teachers: Mrs. Ma?gosia Jagodzinska, Mrs. Gosia Lyzczarz-Helwani and Mrs. Bernadeta Kawa. We are extremely grateful to all the organizers, in the forefront with Gosia Vella and Ela Cesarski, and our Dear Hosts – Ladies Consul General Monika Konczyk, Irena Juszczyk and Joanna Sp?ocharska for enabling us to take part in this extremely fruitful meeting. The workshops led by Liliana Sosnowska and Magdalena Debowska were absolutely sensational! The presenters demonstrated many practical games and activities developing language skills, which we will definitely use during classes with students in our classrooms. Once again, thank you to the organizers of this event!
Minister’s Award for Gabriella Helwani
On Monday September 9th 2019, a student of our school – Gabriella Helwani from 6th class, received the 2019 Minister’s Award for Excellence in student achievement for outstanding results in learning the Polish language. Huge congratulations to Gabrysia, her proud parents, and the entire school community. Gabrysia began studying at Polish school at the age of six. I remember very well this beautiful, tiny girl with long, black, braided hair. It was in my class that Gabrysia began her adventure with learning the Polish language. 7 years have passed since then. Gabrysia is growing up to be a beautiful, smart, ambitious girl, not afraid of challenges. I am sure that with such an attitude towards study and work she will be able to achieve all her goals in the future. Once again, congratulations to Gabrysia and her parents. Your success is a great example to follow for many other families where only one parent speaks the Polish language. Gabrysia speaks fluently in both languages, which is undoubtedly a credit to you. Gabrysia – you are a great showcase of our school and we are all very happy with your well-deserved success!
80th Anniversary of the outbreak of World War II
Dear Michal, Cecylia and you Dear students of our school!
Thank you for a beautiful performance. It is difficult to find words describing this event – thanks to you we had the opportunity to experience something really special! Let the tears of emotion that flow from the eyes of those who had the opportunity and the privilege of being part of this spectacle be a testimony to how much the scenes you recalled fell into the hearts of viewers. A great performance! Depth of experience! A lot of emotions! Thank you once again for all your efforts you put into preparation of this exceptional spectacle! I strongly encourage everyone to read the article by Marianna Lacek OAM, who amazingly captured the extraordinary atmosphere of this performance. The article entitled “I believe in Poland so much, Mother” is available on the websites of „Puls Polonia” and „Bumerang Polski”.
A Missionary at our School
On Saturday June 15, a group of very interesting guests, including Mr. Andrzej Stalonczyk, the Head of the Pastoral Council at the Minto parish, visited our School. Mr. Stalonczyk brought with him, Father Krzysztof Stachowiak, a Missionary from the Holy Family Fathers who has been working in Papua New Guinea for the past 15 years. Father Krzysztof, who is an extremely charismatic and humble person, met with our children, and in a very pictorial and warm way, described to us the realities of his work in Papua New Guinea.Children and adults listened with great attention to Father Krzysztof, describing the realities of his Missionary work. It is hard to believe that living standards in a country that is geographically so close to Australia, differ radically from the standards of living on our Continent. It was a great lesson for us all, to appreciate things that we take for granted every day. We are very grateful that, despite his busy schedule, Father Krzysztof found time to meet with our school students.
A very successful workshop
On Saturday, June 29, a workshop with Mr. Krzysztof Bakalarz – Polish psychologist, psychotherapist and trainer took place at our school. During the meeting Mr. Bakalarz in an extremely professional manner answered three important questions:
- Can stress be beneficial for us?
- Is it possible to avoid it, or is it better to learn to deal with it?
- What to do when nothing works and we feel worse and worse?
Despite the fact that the workshop continued for over two and a half hours, all those who participated in it agreed that the time had passed so quickly. I could hear comments like: “I wish my sister was here”, “I wish I had taken my daughter with me”, “I have learnt so many interesting things today”, “great workshop”, “what a fantastic idea”, “will there be more workshops like this one?”
The seminar undoubtedly enriched the people who participated in it. We hope to continue these workshops in the future. We are extremely grateful to Mr. Bakalarz for preparing and conducting it.
Krzysztof Bakalarz, received a master’s degree in psychology at the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poland. Over the years he gained international experience as a trainer and speaker working with both individuals, companies and organizations.
For more information, call 0451 220 869 or visit www.polski-psycholog.com
The most beautiful day of the year!
“Project co-financed within the framework of Polonia funds of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland”
June 1 is by far the most beautiful and joyful day of the year – the day when in a special way, we realize what a great joy and hope for the world, our children are. Could you imagine a world without children? What would it be like? I definitely do not want to live in such a world. I am glad that I was raised and grew up in a country where children were celebrated each year. It is a very special day in which we, adults looking at our own children, try to discover the child within us. In my opinion days like “Kids Day” should be celebrated more than once a year.
On Saturday June 1, together with children from the Song and Dance Ensemble “Kujawy”, we celebrated “Children’s Day” at our school. Instead of our usual routine, the students had the opportunity to take part in sports and dance games under the watchful eye of Mr. Michal Macioch. From 9:30am to 11:00am, the school yard was full of childish uproar, laughter and shouts of joy, all mixed up cheerful music. Michal began with a musical warm-up. Children were stretched, jumped and participated in all the physical activities which, by their very nature, define being a child. Children are very often tireless in their need for physical activity and movement. After the warm-up, it was time for the sports competition. The participants were divided into two groups, they rushed to the goal in the races, ran with the ball back and forth, ran with the ball over their heads and between their legs and performed many other fun and happy sport activities. It was a really happy, healthy and noisy time, just as it should be during an event such as “Kid’s Day”. At eleven o’clock, Paul the Magician appeared out of nowhere, and entertained not only our little ones, but also parents and teachers who could not refuse themselves the pleasure of meeting this mysterious visitor. Paul the Magician absolutely charmed, or rather “enchanted”, everyone watching his amazing magical performance. I looked at the laughing and happy faces of our children. It was joy and happiness in the purest form … Moments like this give life its true meaning. After the show, both children and adults thanked the Magician for his performance with thunderous applause. I allowed myself to notice, that the work he is doing, is one of the most joyful jobs you can imagine. The constant laughter and joy of children are always present while he works. After this highlight of the day, the children enjoyed a well-deserved meal prepared by our wonderful parents. But wait a minute … I almost forgot to mention. At the end of the day, the children did not go home empty handed. The children were given a gift prepared by one of our Mothers, Mrs. Dominika Smutek, President of the Parental Committee. How much fun did the kids have while they were opened their packages!
It is impossible to mention here all those who supported me in the work on the organization of this event. However, I need to mention and honour several people. I would very much like to thank the Consul General, Mrs. Irena Juszczyk and Mrs. Vice-Consul, Joanna Splocharska, for their help in co-financing the project”Kid’s Day“at our school as part of the Polish Community funds of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland. Thank you to Lucyna and Wieslaw Pazdzior, whose generous hearts have opened, once again, for us. Thank you very much on behalf of myself and the whole school, for the delicious sausages that you fed our children, parents and teachers last Saturday. There were enough sausages for everyone. Not one sausage was left. I wish that you could see the enthusiasm, with which the kids were eating your sausages. Once again from the bottom of my heart, A HUGE THANK YOU!
In conclusion – thank you all for everything! It is difficult to express and describe in a few clumsy words, how grateful I am to you, dear Parents for your support and work on the preparation of this day. Let the payment be the smile and joy of the children that benefitted from all the joys of this special day. To sum it up, I would like quote Pope John Paul II “children are the spring of the family and society, the hope that is still flourishing, and the future that is constantly opening.”
Scoutmaster’s Szupryczynski Award for Anya Bienkowska
On Saturday 4 May, during the occasion of the Anniversary of the Constitution of May 3 at the Polish Club in Ashfield, one of our students, Anya Bienkowska (class VI) received the Scoutmaster’s Witold Szupryczynski Award. This award is given to children and young people of the Polish community who proudly affirm their Polish roots by learning Polish language and participating actively in promoting Polish culture on Australian soil. Anya is a wonderful student, who approaches learning with great enthusiasm and responsibility. Congratulations to Anya and her proud parents and grandparents! Anya – you are the pride and joy of our school community! We wish you success in the next years of learning Polish!
Easter Assembly
On Saturday, 6 April 2019, the Polish Saturday School in Macarthur held an Easter assembly, the aim of which was to present rich and colourful traditions and customs associated with the celebration of Easter. As usual, the weather was good for us. In the morning we were greeted by beautiful, smiling autumn sunshine.
We started the day with lessons in individual classes. Of course, Easter was the subject for the day in all age groups. The teachers brought with them lots of props, such as: Easter palms, decorated Easter tablecloths, baskets where you could find salt, eggs, bread, sausage, lambs made of sugar – all those products that we bring to church on Holy Saturday for blessing. Together with the children, we put all items in a basket lined with a beautiful white serviette. Children took turns naming all the products. There were also art classes: children made baskets from a previously prepared template, decorated eggs that magically turned into beautiful, colourful and happy Easter eggs. Class II and III, under the watchful eye of Mrs. Malgosia Jagodzinska, prepared a huge Easter egg for everyone to admire. Look and see for yourself – isn’t it great ?!
At 11:30 we started the official Easter celebrations. I was happy to watch on one side: the parents, grandparents and friends of our school gathered on that day, and on the other side, a group of forty beautifully and festively dressed students of our school. The children looked really colourful and cheerful. After a short welcome to all guests who came to our ceremony – it was time for children to perform. We started with the singing of our school song, which in itself gives both performers and listeners a lot of positive energy each time. Then, students from the 5th and 6th class presented Polish Easter traditions and customs. In words, they painted pictures of Easter palms, an Easter baskets, a Sunday breakfast and a Smingus-Dyngus on Easter Monday. These verbal images were intertwined with songs. The first of them was entitled “Skacze droga zajac” and the second “Ida dzieci ze swieconym”. The next performers were class II and III students who used their gigantic Easter egg-shaped cardboard, which they prepared themselves. The main character of their performance was of course … an Easter egg. Then we sang together another song titled „Pisanki”. After class II and III, class “0” and “I” students appeared on the stage. Little performers were reciting a happy rhyme titled “I tell you, I tell you – what I have with this hare”. The children delighted the listeners not only with the fact that they learned their texts beautifully, but also with their children’s joy and smile painted on their small faces.
The last point of the program was the dancing of all children to the rhythm of the lively and cheerful song “Miala baba koguta.”
Ah – how much joy was there! Not only children danced, but also teachers along with them. It was an extremely colourful and energetic dance that gave all of us a lot of positive energy and joy. The originator of the dance part of the performance was the teacher of our oldest class, Mrs. Grazyna Pakulska, whom I would like to thank not only for watching over the whole program, but additionally with her extremely valuable ideas, she undoubtedly enriched our assembly.
At this point, I can not omit a very important element, which was a beautifully decorated Easter table. It was an extremely important component and at the same time the background for all performances. For the third time, Mrs. Krysia Morawski agreed to prepare it for us. The beautifully decorated Easter table was for children and all of us gathered this day a lesson in itself: a lesson of rich Polish traditions and customs associated with the celebration of Easter. I am deeply convinced that the memories and images of the Easter table will be deeply remembered by our pupils.
After the performances, it was time for the competitions. The first of these was to peel and eat the eggs as quickly as possible. The winner was the routine and experience as the team that included grandmother, grandfather and granddaughter came first. Grandma took no time to peel an egg, and a grandfather ate it in the blink of an eye. In the next competition, 3 racing teams were holding an egg throughout the length of the room as follows: the youngest participant (child) carried an egg on a large tablespoon, mum carried an egg on a tiny teaspoon, and dad carried an egg on a large tablespoon that he kept in his mouth. There were a lot of happiness, joy and applause, and as a reward all participants of the competition received a chocolate egg.
The last point of the program was refreshments prepared by our irreplaceable mothers from the Parental Committee. There was of course coffee, tea and a lot of delicious cakes. I am very grateful to ladies Dominika Smutek, Agnieszka Godden, Agatka Pochanke and Hania Beshai for their great attitude and help. It was also a time for a meeting, a conversation – time for Easter wishes.
The atmosphere of the meeting was filled with warmth and kindness. Thank you very much to our dear sponsors: Marysia and Marek Strzemkowski and Lucyna and Wieslaw Pazdzior for funding the lottery prizes.
Summing up, after my favourite poet—Father Jan Twardowski I would like to wish “each and every one in turn Easter joy, which may last despite suffering, truly Christian joy, which lasts even when they are overwhelmed – whether small or big – only human nights.”
Please see our Photo Gallery.
Annual State Community Language Teachers Conference & Professional Development Training Day
On Saturday, April 13, an annual Conference for Ethnic Language Teachers in New South Wales took place. That day, together with five other teachers, I once again had the pleasure of representing our school in this extremely important event for ethnic schools. For years I have been extremely impressed with the momentum with which the Conference is organized. The main goal of the Conference is to improve the qualifications of ethnic language teachers. Together with more than 750 people present that day at, I had the opportunity to take part in a number of different lectures and workshops. The range and level of training available to participants each year is consistently at a very high level. Congratulations to the entire Organizing Committee for your great success. Thanks to their hard work, the family of ethnic schools, to which we also belong, flourishes and develops like never before. We are extremely impressed and with the enormity of the work and effort put into preparing this and many other events to support ethnic schools in New South Wales. On behalf of the Ladies present at the Conference and the entire community of the Polish Saturday School in Macarthur, we would like to thank the Organizing Committee for the opportunity to be a part of this event and wish you further successes in the future!
Legal and financial presentation @ White Eagle Hall in Cabramatta
On Saturday 30 March 2019 a financial and legal presentation took place in the White Eagle Hall in Cabramatta. The first such presentation took place on November 26 last year in the building of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Sydney. The initiator of the meeting was Mrs. Vice-Consul Joanna Splocharska. Mrs. Vice-Consul, who is an extremely energetic person, and at the same time nice, cordial and full of innovative ideas in a noticeable way animates the Polonia Community in Sydney. The presentation, whose theme was: “Pension planning and inheritance law – answers to your questions” was prepared and entirely carried out by experts in their fields – Mr. Michal Brandt and Mr. Rafal Rogusz.
Mr. Michal Brandt (Senior Financial Planner – APT Wealth Partners) has been working in the financial services industry for 10 years. He is passionate about the complexity of the financial world and is enthusiastic about solving the secrets of the world of economics for the real good of his clients. Mr. Brandt skilfully and steadily leads his clients to achieve their financial goals. What’s more – he believes that listening and understanding the needs of customers is the most important factor on which skilful financial advice is based. The specialty of Mr. Brandt is planning retirement and building an investment portfolio.
The second speaker was a lawyer, Mr. Rafal Rogusz, from the law firm Benefit Legal Lawyers. This company is a harmonious team of experienced specialists in the field of law and commerce. The main priority of Benefit Legal Lawyers is high-quality cooperation with the client in order to achieve the best results favourable to the client. The company operates based on the “no win – no fees” principle.
Benefit Legal Lawyers has many years of experience in:
- Claims for damages,
- Commercial leasing,
- Matters relating to family law,
- Inheritance law,
- Civil proceedings,
- Claims for negligence,
- Business transactions.
The whole meeting was conducted in a nice and family atmosphere. During the break, the audience gathered in the room had the opportunity to make coffee or tea and buy donuts and other tasty baked goods from the Copernicus Bakery. The proceeds from the sale were entirely allocated for the needs of the Polish Saturday School in Macarthur.
Summing up, I would like to once again express the words of gratitude to the initiator of these meetings – Mrs. Vice-Consul Joanna Splocharska and both Speakers: Mr. Michal Brandt and Mr. Rafal Rogusz, who have dedicated their free weekend time to the good of the Polish community. It is impossible not to mention here our host – the Polish Association in Cabramatta. From the first moment, Mrs. Krystyna Cyron supported our initiative and thanks to the openness of her great heart, we were able to use the White Eagle Room free of charge. I also thank dear mums from our school, without whom the meeting at Cabramatta could not take place and all the listeners present that day.
Sausage sizzle @ Gregory Hills Bunnings
On the seventh of April – on a beautiful, sunny, autumn morning, several enthusiasts from the Macarthur Polish Saturday School met near the entrance to Gregory Hills Bunnings to sell sausages, drinks and donuts, and thereby collect valuable funds for the school. From the early hours of the morning, our dear parents were busy organizing the stand: they set tables, fried sausages and onions, cut rolls, put drinks into ESKYs filled with ice, prepared donuts and buns for sale. Our goal for the day was to sell all of these products. It took many hands to work. Thanks to the diligence and generosity of Dear Ladies from the Parents’ Committee: Dominika Smutek, Agnieszka Godden and Hani Beshai, who enthusiastically took care of the organization of this event – we had enough willing hands to help throughout the whole long day. Everyone offered as much time as he could – some came for an hour, others for two or three, and still others were there throughout the whole day. This type of task can not be done and carried out alone – it needed well-coordinated team of parents. Beloved – I am absolutely impressed by your diligence, generosity, professionalism and completely unique and top-shelf cooperation in the team. Not only we were as usual able to earn valuable funds for the school – additionally we all have had cheerful and super joyful day which is demonstrated by the attached photos.
Thank you all for everything – I know how much effort you put in to make this day to be a successful one. I wish you a lot of good rest during the holidays 🙂
The NSW Premier’s Harmony Dinner 2019
On March 21st this year, we will be celebrating Multicultural Day in Australia. The event is a great celebration in which all cultures can express in a special way the pride and joy of who they are and where they come from. Despite the fact that we come from almost every corner of the world, it connects us to live in this unique place, where different cultures, languages, traditions and religions live side by side in harmony and respect. On Thursday 28 of February 2019 four Ladies from our school: Agnieszka Godden, Urszula Koscianska, Malgorzata Helwani and Hanna Beshai represented our school community at Harmony Dinner with the NSW Premier Mrs Gladys Berejiklian.
Welcome Preschoolers! 🙂
When it comes to numbers no other class group is better then our Preschool Group. Our preschoolers have defeated the numbers of all other class squads! Bravo Toddlers! We welcome you with joy! You are the future of our school 🙂 See Photo Gallery for more photos 🙂
Start of the 2019 School Year
On Saturday, 9/2/19, we started another year of work at Macarthur Polish Saturday School.
Traditionally, the inauguration of the new school year took place at Mary Immaculate Church in Eagle Vale during the Mass celebrated for the students of our school. The Holy Mass was presided over by the parish priest – Father Slawek Ponka, who together with us sang in the Polish and English language the favorite song of our holy Pope John Paul II titled “Barka”. The students of our school took an active part in the Holy Mass. Together with the local parish, we prayed for God’s blessing and protection of the Mother of God for the whole year of education for students, teachers and parents.
After the Mass, the organizational meeting began, during which important information about the safety rules at the school as well as the curriculum in individual age groups were provided. Coordinator of the school – Mrs. Bernadeta Kawa welcomed the new students and their families with joy and introduced them into the rules of the school’s work.
In the meantime, our students under the supervision of Gosia Helwani, Urszula Koscianska and Michal Macioch, created beautiful artwork. The theme of which was the memories of past holidays. Our little artists showed not only artistic talent, but also great ingenuity. Take a look at the results of their work and judge it for yourselves 🙂
Methodological workshops for teachers
A very important event for the Polish education in Australia were free of charge methodological workshops for teachers of Polish as a second / foreign language. The workshops took place on Saturday 9/2/19 in the building of the Consulate of the Republic of Poland in Sydney. These trainings were conducted by Mrs. Irena Stempek, one of the best-selling authors in Europe and America of series of textbooks “POLISH step by step – junior”. The Polish Saturday School in Macarthur was represented by five teachers on that day. We are very grateful to all the organizers Mrs. Marianna Lacek and Mrs. Gosia Vella and to our dear Consul Irena Juszczyk and Joanna Splocharska for allowing us to take part in this extremely fruitful meeting. Workshops led by Mrs. Iwona Stempek and Mr. Tomasz Stempek were absolutely sensational! The presenters have demonstrated many practical games and activities that develop language skills, which we will certainly use during classes with our students. For the school’s needs, several sets of this extremely valuable book were purchased, and thanks to the Saturday workshops we have gained the necessary knowledge to make the best use of them during lessons with students. Once again, we thank the organizers of this event!
