ENewsletter

Normanhurst Public School Vision Statement

Normanhurst Public School is an inclusive and collaborative community dedicated to meeting student needs. We seek to prepare our students to adapt and thrive in a dynamic society by providing diverse and innovative experiences.

Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land - the Dharug people. We extend this respect to the elders, past and present of the Wannagini Nation and to all Aboriginal people here with us today. Always was and always will be, Aboriginal land.

Upcoming events

Event	Date
Whole School Photo Day Students wear full school uniform Black school shoes or black school sneakers	13 February
Meet the Teacher K-2 5:30pm - 6:10pm 3-6 6:15pm - 6:55pm	13 February
Parent Information Evening (New Curriculum) 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm	22 February
Swimming Carnival	23 February
NAPLAN Test Window begins	15 March
NAPLAN Test Window ends	27 March

Change to Sentral

Normanhurst PS is beginning to use the Sentral for Parents App to communicate with parents on everything that is happening at school in real time.

You will have received an email with information regarding the app and how to sign up to the Parent Portal to link with your child’s profile. Please ensure you read the email carefully and follow all of the steps to gain access. We require all families to register for the Sentral for Parents app as overtime we plan to make the Sentral for Parents app a one stop shop for all communications.

Please be patient as we work through any teething problems and adjust to the new system.

Please Note the Access Key is sent in this format

[b][size=22]FX8aTZ3f4Z[/size][/b], the number on either side of the square brackets is your Access Key.

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

Once again a very warm welcome to all our NPS families. I would also like to extend a special welcome to new families to our school.

On Friday Kindergarten 2023 students began their school adventure. It was a joyous morning with Kindergarten happily settling in. It will be really important that in the coming days, parents do not linger in the morning. The playground is well-supervised and the morning drop-off is a lovely way for the students to reconnect with each other.

Thank you to the P&C and our Year 1 parents for providing morning tea on Friday to our Kindergarten families.

This a reminder that the teacher on duty in the morning is not able to discuss any concerns you might have regarding your child. Please email the school to set up an appointment with your class teacher.

School starts at 8:55 am. Students should be arriving at school from 8:30 am. We have noticed quite a few students at school before 8:30 am. Playground supervision starts at 8:30 am and until then students should not be at school. Please call Kerry at NOOSH if you need to have your child at school before 8:30 am.

Attendance Matters

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child's education. Students learn new things at school every day. Attending and participating in school will help your child develop:

Important skills and knowledge to help them learn
social and emotional skills such as good communication, resilience and teamwork.

Research shows that children who attend school every day and complete year 12 have:

Better health
better job opportunities
higher income across their lives.

There is no safe number of days for missing school. Each day a student misses puts them behind. It can be normal for children to go through a stage where they refuse to go to school. Please speak to your class teacher for support and strategies to assist your child to reengage.

Absences

Let the school know as soon as possible and explain why your child can't come to school. You can do this through the Skoolbag and the Sentral App.

SENTRAL

Sentral is our student management system that we are going to use to communicate with our families. If you are not currently registered with Sentral please register. Emails have been sent to the email address that we have been provided by you. If this information is not up to date please email the school. From this year you will be able to access this year's school report as well as book interview times for Parent Teacher Interviews at the end of Term 1.

NAPLAN 2023

The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills. Each year students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 participate in tests for writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.

From 2023, NAPLAN is moving to Term 1 and will take place from Wednesday 15 March to Monday 27 March. The reason for this change is so that results can be returned to schools earlier in the year which will support teachers to understand the learning needs of their students and plan accordingly.

NAPLAN tests are just one part of our school learning assessment program and questions are primarily based on knowledge, understanding and skills gained from the prior year of schooling.

In preparation for NAPLAN 2023, our school will undertake activities to help students to become familiar with the format and functionality of the online tests. These activities are not an assessment of student ability and will not be marked.

Students and parents can access the public demonstration site (https://www.nap.edu.au/online-assessment/public-demonstration-site) to familiarise themselves with NAPLAN and the types of questions and tools available. Excessive preparation for NAPLAN is not required nor recommended.

If you have any questions about NAPLAN, please contact your child’s teacher.

P&C Meeting

The P&C supports the school in many ways throughout the year. They are always welcoming new members and many hands make light work. The first P&C meeting for 2023 will be held on Monday 13 February in the Library. Everyone is welcome.

Communicating with the school

Should you have a concern the best person to contact is your child’s class teacher as they know your child best. If issues are not resolved at this level, please contact the appropriate Assistant Principal. If required, assistance can also be sought from the Principal should the previous intervention not satisfy. If you should have a major concern, please email the school at normanhurs-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au and a member of the school executive will be in touch to assist in resolving your issue. Thank you for your cooperation and for understanding.

Meet the Teacher

Please join us on Monday to take this opportunity to meet your child's teacher. This is an information session for parents only. These sessions will offer insight into classroom management and school programs.

K-2 5:30pm - 6:10pm

3-6 6:15pm - 6:55pm

Have a good week.

Warm regards,

Jacqui Gordon

Positive Behaviour for Learning (PBL)

All students will be looking at our three core values and expectations in their classes for the first few weeks of term. Students will work collaboratively with their classroom teacher to establish classroom expectations. Expectations in the library, computer room and music room will also be explicitly taught to remind students of the expected behaviours. Students will also participate in PBL lessons around the expected behaviour in the playground, moving around the school and when using the toilets. At Normanhust Public School, we have high expectations around students’ behaviour.

Respect

Responsibility

Strive for Success

New Curriculum K-2 This year, K-2 will be taught the New Curriculum in English and Mathematics. The K-2 teachers have been busy undertaking professional learning to ensure that they fully understand the new curriculum and are more than prepared to teach it. The above hyperlink will take you to an information page for parents about the new Curriculum.

The English and Mathematics K–2 syllabuses are the first new syllabuses of the K–12 NSW Curriculum Reform. They are essential to establish strong foundations for future learning success, particularly the development of oral language, reading and writing skills, and mathematical knowledge and skills. During this year, we will be making preparations to implement the new 3-6 English and Mathematics curriculum in 2024.

The new syllabuses emphasise key concepts, identifies essential knowledge and skills, and includes new outcomes to clearly show what is essential. The new syllabuses are clearer and contain more concise language in the outcomes and content. The learning expectations are much clearer and guide teachers to build foundational skills in English and Mathematics.

See the link below for resources created for parents, carers and families of children in the early years of school. The activities support the important learning that happens at home.

https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/literacy-and-numeracy/resources-for-parents-and-carers

Welcome Kindergarten 2023

Apply for Student Travel

https://transportnsw.info/school-travel-apply

Renew or Update School Travel

https://transportnsw.info/tickets-opal/ticket-eligibility-concessions/school-student-travel/update-school-travel-pass

Library Matters

Welcome to the library for 2023. It was wonderful to see so many students keen to borrow books the first week back.

This year, the library is open Monday to Thursday. We are opening the library Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 8:30am – 8:55am for peer reading, borrowing and returning books, and quiet reading. Lunchtimes will be very busy in the library this year with a writing club beginning on Mondays for keen writers. On Tuesdays, students are welcome to visit the library second half of lunch to draw, play games, read books and relax with friends. Chess club is running every Wednesday and makerspace will be on Thursdays.

Each class has an allocated 40-minute library lesson with Mrs Spender. Each lesson allows time for students to browse and borrow books. Students are required to have a library bag for borrowing as this reduces the chance of books becoming lost or damaged. Please ensure your child brings their library bag to library lessons. All students may borrow books for a period of two weeks and after this period these books must be returned or renewed.

Your child’s class has their library lesson on the following day:

Monday – 2F, 2P, 3S, 3L

Tuesday – 6H, 6P, 5F, 5H

Wednesday – KE, 3/4T, 4M

Thursday – KD, KT, 4K, 1W, 1/2N

To inspire a love of reading please share, enjoy and talk about the books your child borrows from the library and please encourage your child/ren to borrow from the library regularly.

Happy reading,

Mrs Spender
Teacher Librarian

Music Information

DEBATING
Students in years 5 and 6 will be able to try out for our 2 debating teams this year with Mrs Spender and Ms Layton. Debating will be a regular commitment on Wednesdays at lunch time in the music room. We will call for students to come to the first Debating meeting on Wednesday February 22nd at lunch time in the Music Room. Students will hear more about it at that time. We will remind them in class on that day.

MUSIC GROUPS 2023
CHOIRS
This year there will be 2 choirs at Normanhurst Public School. Students in years 5 and 6 can join the Stage 3 choir, which will be working towards a concert at the Opera House in term 3. Stage 3 choir will run on Tuesday mornings in the music room from 8:10am. It will require a consistent commitment as we will have to learn a big repertoire. Stage 3 students (in years 5 and 6) can attend the first rehearsal, which will be on Tuesday February 21 at 8:10am in the music room. Students in years 3 and 4 can join the Stage 2 choir, which will be working towards a concert at the Chatswood Concourse in term 4. Stage 2 choir will run on Tuesday lunch times in the music room. It will require a consistent commitment as we will have to learn a big repertoire. Stage 2 students (in years 3 and 4) can attend the first rehearsal, which will be on Tuesday February 21 at lunchtime in the music room. I will remind them on the day.

RECORDERS
All students in year 4 will be learning the recorder in music lessons. The school will purchase recorders, and you will be invoiced the cost of the recorder in your term invoice. Your child will keep the recorder at the end of the learning period.Some recorder players will also have the opportunity to work towards performing at a concert at the Opera House. I will be working with some year 4 students, and other students from the school community who are interested in learning recorder. More information will come soon.

Bronwyn Layton
Music Teacher
Normanhurst Public School
Phone: (02) 9489 1152

2023 Dance Group Auditions!

Being involved in Dance at Normanhurst is a wonderful opportunity that gives students a chance to showcase their talents and be part of a wonderful team.

Auditions for the Junior and Senior Dance Groups will be held next week (Week 3) in the Hall. The Junior Dance Group is for students in Years 3 and 4 and the Senior Dance Group is for students in Years 5 and 6 Please see the information below regarding auditions dates:

· Senior: Tuesday 7 February

· Junior: Wednesday 8 February

Please meet Mrs Enever and Miss Moore outside the office at first half of lunch straight after eating time.

Looking forward to another sensational year of dance at Normanhurst.

Dance Coordinator

Band News - Week 3

Welcome back! 2023 is going to be an exciting year for our bands. Concert Band rehearsals have started and we hope to see you all on Thursday morning at 7.20am for a 7:30am start.

Training Band will begin with rehearsals on Thursday this week. Students are not required to bring their instruments to rehearsals at this early stage. Mr Sismey will engage students in fun musical activities to learn music theory, teach them how to set up their music stands, and help everyone get to know each other.

From Monday 20 February, Training Band will begin rehearsals twice a week with instruments, adding Monday morning rehearsals at 7.20am for a 7:30am start.

Some other things to note:

● Band Rehearsal Duty - please let us know ASAP whether you consent to sharing your details on the Roster, and/or if you would like to pay to “opt out” - email npsbandinfo@gmail.com

● Band Shirt Sizing - please complete the band shirt pre-order form by the end of the week, ensuring you review the sizing chart on the form. We recommend you order up one size. If your child is currently wearing a size 6 NPS sports shirt, order a size 8. The pre-order form can be found at https://forms.gle/VbBA9TNWCY4btzq79

● 2023 Creative Kids vouchers - if you have a 2023 Creative Kids voucher (expiring 30 June 2023) and would like to use it as a part-payment toward band fees for 2023, please email us ASAP with your child’s full name, your child’s date of birth, and the voucher number.

● The Band Sub-Committee meeting will be held on Tuesday 21 February at 7:30pm on Zoom. All are welcome to attend - login details will be circulated closer to the time.

● Our first Band Workshop this year will take place at school on Sunday 26th February 2023 between 1 and 4pm. All students will participate in whole band rehearsals and will also separate into instrument groups for tutorials. This is a fun afternoon for all who attend and we see great progress in musical abilities by the end of the afternoon. Please look out for our email to RSVP your attendance. We will also be looking for a few parent volunteers with a current Working With Children Check to help out on the day - please email npsbandinfo@gmail.com if you are interested.

P & C - Fundraising & Social News!

Welcome to the new year! We have a really exciting year ahead as we fundraise for our school community and look to celebrate flourishing together.

1. Welcome Festival – ALL NEW EVENT

The P&C welcomes you to 2023!This year the P&C are hosting a community event like no other!Normanhurst Public Schools Welcome Festival is a fantastic way to celebrate the new year, welcome new families, reacquaint with old and have some fun!

Activities include:● Sausage sizzle● Live music● Fun activities eg. face painting, bubble entertainer● food truck/s● And more

Date: Friday 10 MarchTime: 5-8pmLocation: On-siteWho is invited: EveryoneMore information coming soon, get the date in your diary!

2. Hello from the P&C LetterEvery year we send out a letter looking for volunteers to help with our many events and working bees.

Shortly you will receive a letter with a few events for Semester 1, so keep an eye out and get in touch with the team if you’d like to get involved. We love meeting new families and welcome any opportunity to partner.

3. Do you love being social? Do you love contributing to the school community?Join the P&C Fundraising and Social team to help to coordinate our community events for all to enjoy. We have more events we’d love to host, but since we are all volunteers balancing working and parenting, we just can’t find the extra hours in the day. Get involved today email fundraising@npspandc.com

4. Year Group EventsThe P&C is excited to announce year group run events. Each event will be facilitated and promoted by the P&C Social and Fundraising teams, but the events will be run by parents from each year group on the day. It’s your opportunity to volunteer atleast once a year to come into the school and share in the spirit. Pop the dates in your diary. We have already had our first successful event hosted by 2023 Year 1 Parents. Last Friday they expertly hosted a wonderful morning tea to welcome the new kindy parents. Thank you Year 1 parents!

1. Hosted by Year 1 Parents – Tissue and Tears Morning Tea for new Kindy Parents – Friday 3 February 9.30-10.30am (Set-up from 9am, mingle and pack-down )

2. Hosted by Year 2 and 3 Parents – Mothers Day Breakfast – Week commencing 8 May (Set up from 6.30am, breakfast to start at 7.30am, pack up completed by 9.30am)

3. Hosted by Year 4 and 6 Parents – Fathers Day Breakfast – Week commencing 28 August (Set up from 6.30am, breakfast to start at 7.30am, pack up completed by 9.30am)

4. Year 6 Farewell – Hosted by Year 5 parents (Various activities)

5. Hosted by Kindergarten Parents – Orientation Morning Tea for 2024 Kindy Parents – One morning in November (Approx 8.30-10.30am, includes set-up, mingle and packdown)

5. Annual event calendar for your diary:

Term 1● Commemorative Class ‘Tea Towel – Creation of portrait in class in term 1.● P&C Engagement Letter – Fundraising and Volunteer call out – Early March, double sided English/Mandarin translation● Sunday, 26 February: Band Workshop, 1-4pm● Friday, 10 March – P&C Welcome 2023 Festival, 5-8pm● Wednesday, 22 March – Harmony Day fundraiser for Canteen● Saturday, 25 March – Election Day BBQ and Bake Stall, Trash and Treasure Market and Local Small Business Market – Raffle, 2nd Hand Goods, 2nd Hand Book Stall (Books, Games, Clothes), Cake Stall, Sausage Sizzle.

Term 2● Week commencing 8 May – Mothers Day Breakfast, 7.30-9am – Bacon and Egg Rolls (Hosted by Year 2 and 3 Parents)● 26-28 May – Band Camp, concert 1pm on Sunday 28 May● Friday, 2 June – Obstacle-thon (Pizza Party, for the highest fundraisers in each year)● Saturday, 17 June – Trivia Night Event (Dress up and themed)● Tuesday, 20 June – Athletics Carnival Fundraiser for canteen

Term 3● Cookie Dough – Band Fundraiser – August/September● Sunday, 6 August – Band workshop 1-4pm● Wednesday, 16 August – Hot Dog Day for Canteen● Week commencing 28 August – Fathers Day Breakfast (Hosted by Year 4 and 6 Parents)

Term 4

● Friday, 27 October – Teacher Appreciation Lunch, and a thank you card – P&C to provide lunch for our wonderful teachers to show our appreciation● Wednesday, 25 October – Fun Food Day for canteen● Friday, 24 November, 6.30pm (Time TBC) – Band Showcase with sausage sizzle and Year 6 students perform solos● Early December – Market Fresh Cherry Drive – order for yourself, friends, neighbours, uncles and aunties

Please note: The P&C committee is run by volunteers, we do our best to deliver to our yearly plans, however some dates/events may change closer to the time. Always stay tuned for regular updates in the newsletter.

A special thank you to the Year 1 parents that generously donated baked goods, and/or came along to host our Kindergarten Tissue and Tears Morning Tea. It was such a nice little event to meet all the new parents and help to answer any questions about the school. Thank you!

If you have any questions about these initiatives, or would like to suggest something new, we’d love to hear from you. You can email Eve at fundraising@npspandc.com

Eve Quigley
NPS P&C Fundraising Coordinator
fundraising@npspandc.com

Fundraising & Social Committee - Entertainment Book

The Entertainment Book is now a digital membership via the App. Give it as a gift, or use the offers within to save. Complete 12-month memberships from the moment you join. Membership covers savings on dining, activities, hotels, shopping and gift vouchers. New offers are added automatically to the App. 20% of each membership is returned to support the P&C. Visit our school page today, www.entertainment.com.au/orderbooks/205p842

Welcome to 2023!

Happy New Year greetings to all our Normanhurst Public Families old and new from the P&C! We are looking forward to another exciting year full of fun events and activities!

First up on the Agenda is Election Day on Saturday 25 March and we NEED YOUR HELP please! See our SignUp Link to volunteer on the day: https://signup.com/go/jTaeePV

For those of you who cannot physically help, but can BAKE… please send us a batch of your home-cooked goodies, pre-wrapped in saleable condition, and with an ingredient listing so that we can safely sell your generous yummy donations. All profits will go to the P&C fundraising kitty. Please contact Bonita on president@npspandc.com and let us know if you can bake something, we gratefully accept all things - but preferably no nuts - and vegan and GF options are great too.

Please see Eve, our lovely Fundraising for her News piece for further information…!

Next General P&C Meeting

Our next formal meeting (and the first one for the year) is on Monday 13 February and should be in the School Library, the Agenda is attached to this week’s Newsletter. ALL PARENTS and CARERS are WELCOME! This will be a hybrid meeting meaning that we will be in-person at School, but if you choose to observe and be present on Zoom, we can also include you in the meeting. You do not need to pre-register just come along and meet the P&C and see what we do! :) The Zoom link will be released shortly, otherwise please ask us.

Note to Sub-Committee Members please, as our Sub-Committee positions were not elected at the AGM, could you please come to our next meeting on Monday night so we can officialize this in our minutes (Zoom dial-in is also accepted.) Thank you to Kerri, Jeanne, Jess, and Michelle who have agreed to stay on.

Social P&C meeting

We will be meeting at the Blue Gum Hotel on Monday 27th February,"6pm for drinks and dinner, 7pm for a meeting", newbies might be curious! Please come and eat at the pub with us and have a social chat to get to know the team as well. ALL WELCOME.

New Treasurer

We have a new team member to elect on Monday night, please join us if you wish to vote. P&C Membership fees must be paid prior to the meeting.

Joining or renewing P&C Membership fees - please pay $2 feePlease ensure you are a paid up Member AFTER October 1 so that you can vote-in the next leadership team for 2023.

Name: Normanhurst Public School P&C Assn
BSB: 032-084
Account: 691 588 Reference: {Full Name} and PC Fee

P&C Contact details

OFFICEBEARERS:
~ P&C President: Bonita Chan (re-elected) president@npspandc.com
~Vice President 1: Andrew Veldon (re-elected) vp@npspandc.com
~ Vice President 2: Emma-Jane Anderson (new) vp2@npspandc.com
~ Treasurer: To be elected treasurer@npspandc.com
~ Secretary: Brooke Lennox (re-elected) secretary@npspandc.com

COMMITTEE:
~ Band President: Leah Manwaring (new) bandpresident@npspandc.com ~ Fundraising: Eve Quigley (re-elected) fundraising@npspandc.com
~ Building Fund: Ian Air (re-elected) building@npspandc.com
~ Grounds: Ian Air (re-elected) grounds@npspandc.com
~ Canteen Convenor: Louise Farag (new)
canteencommittee@npspandc.com
~ Uniform Shop: Amelia Sharpham (new) uniformcommittee@npspandc.com
~ Parent Coordinator: Alex Robertson (new) parent.coord@npspandc.com

Bonita Chan NPS P&C Association
President
president@npspandc.com

Canteen News

Lunch orders

We use School24 as our online ordering system, all lunches must be pre ordered although snacks can be bought over the counter, with cash, at Recess and Lunch. Pre ordering helps to keep food waste and costs down. Cut off time for lunch orders is 8.30am

www.school24.net.au our school code is 2567963

Canteen Roster Sign Up 2023

The canteen needs Volunteers to help it run smoothly in a cost effective way.
Tasks are easy, we have fun and the children love seeing you in the canteen.
There are different shifts on our open days of Wednesday/ Thursday/ Friday.

Please have a look at the roster link below/ QR code or email the

canteen for further information canteen@npspandc.com

https://signup.com/go/aLYOqAD

Any questions please email me on canteen@npspandc.com

Lisa Pang
Canteen Manager

Uniform Shop

Back to School NSW Vouchers

The Uniform Shop is accepting Back to School NSW vouchers for payment towards school uniforms. When ordering online, please enter the voucher number/s into the field provided, then deduct the voucher amount from your purchase total and transfer the remaining amount via direct deposit. Please email a copy of the direct deposit receipt to uniformshop@npspandc.com.

Apply for vouchers at www.service.nsw.gov.au.

Online Orders

All uniform items are available to purchase via our online shop. Orders are delivered to your child’s classroom on Friday each week. The online shop is available at - https://www.npspandc.com/uniform/.

Appointments

If you would like to try on items for size, or purchase our pre-loved items, please book an appointment to visit the Uniform Shop at - https://signup.com/go/ULfAxAF.

Volunteers needed

If you can spare an hour on a Friday morning we would love your help to organise our pre-loved items and pack online orders. Please sign up at - https://signup.com/go/JkjVueE.

Any questions or can’t find what you are looking for? Please email me at uniformshop@npspandc.com

Kristie Whitehead
Uniform Shop Manager
uniformshop@npspandc.com