Willoughby Public School Newsletter

Dear Parents/Carers 

It has been wonderful to have our students host and perform at our weekly assembly. I love seeing the excited anticipation radiating from our students as the PBEL Caught You Being Good barrels are rolled out onto the stage. We have amazing students who are, safe, respectful, and responsible learners and the Caught You Being Good tokens are a small way for us to acknowledge our students. 

Congratulations to the newly elected Student Representative Council (SRC) students who received their badges on assembly. I know they had a very productive first meeting with our school captains leading the meeting. The SRC provide a valuable voice in representing the ideas of our students. I’m looking forward to hearing from the SRC throughout the year. 

Leadership occurs on so many levels – our Year 5 students with their Chromehurst Buddies, our peer mentors on the playground with their orange fluro vests, 2/6R students managing and looking after the equipment in the Rose Garden for quiet play. We are incredibly lucky to have depth of care and kindness across Willoughby Public School. 

Ms Mikhail and Ms Holland are happy with the response from Stage 3 students who have joined the dance group. We look forward to seeing the group perform throughout 2023. Mr Goodwin highlighted our talented sports people at our assembly who have been selected to represent WPS and Sydney North in AFL and tennis. Congratulations and good luck in the future competitions. 

Our annual Grandparent/ Grand friends Book Week spectacular will be held on Thursday 24 August. Please add this special day to your diary. We look forward to celebrating Book Week with you. 

Safety Reminder: Unfortunately, we have ongoing issues with securing a regular pedestrian crossing supervisor for both Keary Street and Oakville Road. Please remind your children about road safety travelling to and from school, crossing the road safety. Medway Lane provides vehicle access to Willoughby Girls HS and Willoughby PS carpark for staff only. It is unsafe for pedestrians to enter and exit from the carpark gates. Students and families must enter from the designated gateways on Oakville Road and Keary Street. 

Our Willoughby Public School P&C’s first meeting for the year was on Wednesday evening. Thank you to the many parents who attended, P&C is a terrific way to get involved in our school. The P&C provides many opportunities for our school community to get together fund raising as well as strengthening the home / school partnership and friendships. 

Kind regards 

Jennifer Simmonds  

Principal 

Today WPS students helped clean up our school as part of the Clean Up Australia campaign. Staff and students scoured every inch of the school grounds to pick up all the rubbish they could find. At the end of the day, the Year 6 Sustainability Leaders weighed the rubbish. In total, we collected over 4.5kg of waste! 

The clean up was a great way to inspire students to learn about the impact of rubbish on our local environment. 

In March, students in Years 3 & 5 will be sitting NAPLAN online. 

The assessment window runs from 15-24 March.  

NAPLAN is a national literacy and numeracy assessment that students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 sit each year. It is the only national assessment all Australian students have the opportunity to undertake.

NAPLAN assesses the literacy and numeracy skills that students are learning through the school curriculum and allows parents/carers to see how their child is progressing against national standards and over time.

NAPLAN also provides schools, education authorities and governments with information about how education programs are working and whether young Australians are achieving important educational outcomes in literacy and numeracy. 

A Public Demonstration Site has been set up so families can see the types of questions students in each year group who sit the tests get asked. 

Public Demonstration Site: https://nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site

An information flyer for parents/carers has been attached, below. 

Students in Year 3 and Year 5 need to have headphones or earphones that can be plugged into laptops or iPads. If these have not already been brought to school, please ensure they are in classrooms before March 15.

Premier’s Reading Challenge  

This is now underway for the year, concluding in August. Years 3-6 Students are challenged to read 20 quality books between now and August, and our K-2 students read 30. For our Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 students the Challenge is completed at school, during their Library time. All students take part and we read the books together. There is nothing that needs to be done at home. Our Years 3-6 students complete the Challenge independently, whilst well supported by Library staff. We teach the students how to enter the books they have read onto the PRC website, so that they can continue to do that at home until completion. We validate all completed entries online, then towards the end of Term 4 students receive their Certificates. More information can be found by visiting the PRC website. 

When is my child’s Library Day? 

Below you will find confirmation of your child’s Library day. Students need to bring a Library Bag with them to be able to borrow. Unfortunately, we had several books last year come back to us waterlogged, damaged or mouldy. These books would have been able to be saved from accident or mishap, had they been in a protective bag and carried in the back pocket of their school bag, away from drinks and food. This bag can be a named WPS Library Bag, available from the Uniform Shop, or another sturdy bag with handles or a plastic bag. Please make sure it has your child’s name and class clearly marked. Lost or forgotten bags can then be promptly returned to your child. 

Mondays: 5S, 5A, 5T, 2/1T, 2/1D 

Tuesdays: 2/6R, 6D, 6L, 6M, 2RM, V, 1A, 1H, 1M. 

Wednesdays: 4/3K, 4/3C, 4Y, 4S, 1T, 1P, KB, KC. 

Thursdays: 6/5Y, 6/5H, 4PM, 2C, 2M, 2W. 

Fridays: 3N, 3W, 3G, 3H, KL, KS, KJ, KD. 

We look forward to working with you all this year. If you are here with your child on a Thursday or Friday morning at drop-off, the Library is open from 8.35-8.55am. Please feel free to drop in  with your child and borrow/return or just have a look around our lovely Library. 

Mrs Debbie de Silva 

Teacher Librarian 

National Ride2School Day is Australia’s biggest celebration of active travel and one of the best days on the school calendar. It is a day full of fun and colour where students, teachers and families discover the joy of riding and kick-start healthy habits for the future.

On Friday 24 March, we encourage all students to use active transport for some or all of their journey to and from school. It might be on foot, on a scooter, or on a bicycle.

Last year, over 120 students rode a bike or scooter to school and many more walked. We are hoping to see even more students take part this year and already have a number of teachers who will be joining in and supporting this initiative. Mr Michaeil may even be brave enough to be seen in his lycra again ... watch this space. 

More information will be provided in our next newsletter. Below is a snapshot of last years event from some of the schools that took part. 

Willoughby Girls High School has an open day coming up on 22 March 2023.

02 9958 4141 

https://willoughbg-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au