HouseNews

To acknowledge this momentous year, a badge has been struck to be presented to each student and Staff member with the simple wording 2020 Resilience that sits between our badges of the Grammar School and College, for all our boys and girls in our Junior and Secondary Schools. Wear this badge with pride when you return to our School in 2021; a year filled with hope in so many ways.

This week has allowed us to celebrate with Prize Giving in a unique way. We were thrilled to have a small group of parents present at each of our 10 different Prize Giving Assemblies. Having our Hall filled in a COVID appropriate way, with students presenting a snapshot of their year and prizes presented, has made the end of 2020 particularly meaningful. And mention must be made of the annual Christmas Tree Appeal run by our Prefects. Congratulations and thanks are due for the wonderful collection of food, toys, and funds to be shared with those whose Christmas would otherwise be greatly challenged. We who have so much, have a duty to support those in the wider Sydney community, who are in need. I am very proud of what has been collected and distributed to the three charities the Prefects have chosen: in excess of $2000 was raised for Barnardos who seek to break the cycle of disadvantaged children, young people and families;  non perishable food was collected and distributed to The Food Bank and toys were collected and distributed to The Smith Family.

Now, as you go off to weeks of holiday to refresh and celebrate, I wish you the happiest of times with your families. Remember how precious these times are with loved ones. May your Christmas be a wonderful time to rejoice, to celebrate, and to remember those whose year may have included personal loss.

Stay safe in all you do.

I look forward to welcoming you back to our great School in late January where another large group of new families will join us, as together, we will celebrate our 60th Birthday.

With every good wish.

Every student came back fresh from the holidays, and ready for their last term in the Junior School. In Mathematics, we learnt new topics, including Position, Time, 2D and 3D shapes, and symmetry. In Creative and Practical Arts, we were assigned the task of addressing a world issue, and presenting it through ‘music, drama and dance’. The Year Six students have also been creating and publishing their very own Little Miss and Mr Men books, and we have also been writing some poetry as well. In Geography, we have been learning how Australia gives aid to other countries and how it helps these countries develop their public health and infrastructure programs. We have also been learning about Free Trade Agreements. In Art, we have been creating many masterpieces. The types of art we have worked on include ceramic sculptures, sand art and fruit art. In Science, we have been learning about the ‘Space Race’, the ‘Phases of the Moon', and the tides. We learnt about all of the ‘seas’ on the moon and about the Apollo missions. Year Six have been learning ‘How to Surf’ on Fridays, as well as having a Surf Safety Day. For PE, we have been trying many different sports, such as tee-ball, rugby, cricket, gymnastics and indoor hockey. We also had our Year 7 Orientation Day and Placement exams.

This is how ‘jam packed’ our final term in Junior School has been, but it was all vital preparation for Senior School.

Otylia (J6) and Henry (P6)

What a year! We started with a full calendar of events - Mothers’ Day Lunch, Fathers' Day Breakfast and of course the much anticipated Christmas Markets -  unfortunately things didn't go to plan however we were able to embrace Zoom and meet with Parents each term, continuing to build our community.  We hope the end of 2020 brings you all some peace, to rest up for what will hopefully be a more normal and fun-filled 2021...

Until then, here a few early dates for your diaries:

Clothing Pool Appointments 20th and 21st January:

Volunteers will be available on 20th & 21st January for pre-booked appointments for 2nd hand uniform purchase. See below for details.

Welcome Drinks - Friday 29th January, 6pm

All Parents and Guardians are invited to the 2021 Welcome Drinks on Friday 29th January, 6pm, to help celebrate the arrival of the new school year and welcome new Parents/Guardians into our school community. Registration details will follow in the New Year.

2020/21 PHPA AGM - Friday 5th February

The 2020/21 PHPA AGM is scheduled for Friday 5th February. All Parents and Guardians are welcome to attend. We will be reviewing 2020 activities, introducing the new 2021/22 Committee and looking forward to the year ahead. 

Best wishes for a wonderful Christmas and New Year.

Kate Parsons

Each year Pittwater House offers a limited number of scholarships to students for outstanding academic potential and general excellence (creative arts and sports). These are open to students entering Years 7, 9 and 11 in 2022.

Applications for 2022 scholarships opened on 29 September 2020 and will close on 8 February 2021 (midnight AEDST). Students who apply are required to sit the academic examination administered by the Australian Council for Education Research (ACER) on Saturday 27 February 2021.

Scholarships are available to current students of Pittwater House as well as students attending other schools. Applications must be Australian residents.

Note: Scholarship applications must be completed online. Please click on the link to the School's website for more information and/or to apply: Click Here

Explorations Class

Some students from C9 have participated in a weekly ‘Explorations Class’ this semester with our Co-ordinator of Gifted and Talented, Mrs Victoria James. Students chose a topic of interest to explore from one of the environments: deserts, mountains, rainforests; and oceans. Students were required to keep a weekly journal to ensure accountability for their projects. The program aimed to allow students to take increasing responsibility for their own learning, and to encourage research and problem-solving skills outside of the traditional classroom. The format of the project was entirely up to the students. We are very proud of their proactive stance to learning, commitment to the program, and the outcomes which they have achieved.

Please click on the following link to view the: Explorations Presentation

Visual Arts Galleries

We would like to welcome all parents and caregivers of the Pittwater House community to view the Google Art Galleries.

Please log on to Skoolbag where you will have the opportunity to view the Years 7-12 Visual Arts and Photography and Digital Media creative talents from throughout the year.  Congratulations to all students in producing these wonderful artworks during this challenging year.

2020 has been an exciting year despite the challenges that we have faced in the Performing Arts. Congratulations to all the performing arts students who have shown grit and determination in the face of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Instrumental Music Ensembles have continued to rehearse through this time, Zooming, then in small groups, to Stage Groups, and now outdoors to allow for larger groupings. The students have shown great resilience, flexibility and confidence which has allowed our musical ensembles to continue to thrive.

Even though our choirs have been limited to small numbers and in-class singing, Mrs Colless has continued to work with students in the Cantabile Singers in small numbers, to maintain momentum and engagement.

The Dance staff have continued to provide opportunities for all students, through our newly developed Dance Techniques classes.

Registration for 2021 Ensemble Membership

We welcome current ensemble members and new members to join our 2021 Instrumental and Dance ensembles.  We are looking forward to seeing all our current members return next year.  Make sure you keep up your skills over the holiday break.  Ensemble Registration Form: Click Here

Major Production – High School Musical On Stage! (Years 7 to 11 in 2021)

We have continued to look at the best way to move forward towards staging our Major Production. Stay tuned in early 2021, when we may have a clearer picture on restrictions and regulations around social distancing, group singing and grouping of students.

Private Music Tuition

 We have a group of private tutors who are experienced teachers and achieve great results.  If you are interested in having Private Music Lessons at Pittwater House during the school day. More details can be found on the online form: Click Here. If you have any questions, please email us at performingarts@tphs.nsw.edu.au

Enrichment Opportunities

We are looking for students to perform in our Senior School Assemblies. If your child is interested in performing please email your child’s interest to performingarts@tphs.nsw.edu.au  

NSW All Schools Track and Field Championships

Last week the NSW All Schools Track and Field Championships were held at Homebush. We had several of our top Athletes taking part over the four days of this elite event on the Athletics calendar. Marlena (C7), Leo (G7), Abe (G8) and Isla (C9) all competed against the best athletes from all over the state . We would like to congratulate each of the students for reaching the NSW All Schools level in Athletics in 2020.

Results:

Marlena – 13yrs 800 mts came 11th in her heat in a time of 3.05.30 to finish 33rd overall, 13yrs 200m came 9th in her heat 30.13.

Leo – 13yrs 800m came 5th in his heat in a time of 2.18.12 to finish 13th overall, 13yrs 90m Hurdles came 2nd in his heat in 14.21 and 5th in the final in 14.15.

Abe – 13yrs High Jump was eliminated at 1.45m.

Isla – 12-15yrs AMB Para came 1st winning the Gold Medal in the Girls Long Jump with a jump of 2.38m, 12-15yrs AMB Para 100m came 7th in a time of 19.61, 12-15yrs AMB Para Girls Shot Put came 4th (setting a new National U/16 Record of 6.84m. Isla now holds every National Shot Put Record for AMB Para Athletes from U/16, U/18, U/20 and Open Age Groups! She wasn’t finished yet going on to finish 2nd in the AWB Para 12-15yrs Girls Discus Throw of 18.29m to take home the Silver Medal. Well done Champs! 

Softball 2020

Softball has definitely had many disruptions this year with NSW State Championships being delayed almost 9 months for some players. Throughout many postponements, the girls continued to train intensely in hope that the championships would be allowed to commence.

Pittwater House was proudly represented by Melanie (J5), Sonia (J4), Rose (J1), Marley (J4) as well as Shontelle in (C9). These girls have demonstrated many of the Core Values of the school and have competed and achieved at the highest level of Softball in NSW for their respective age groups. Pittwater House students are certainly becoming well known in the Softball Community as names to watch out for in our future.

Shontelle (C9) and her Manly Warringah Representative Team were runners up in the NSW U16 State Softball Championships held at Southern Districts on 28 and 29 November 2020. From her achievements in Softball this year, Shontelle is also to be congratulated on being selected this week to attend the 2021 U16 Girl’s NSW State Camp to be held in January at Blacktown. Shontelle was also selected this week for the Northern Metropolitan Softball Academy team which represents 3 Associations in NSW. They will compete in March next year. Well done, Shontelle.

Melanie (J5) and Sonia (J4) and their Manly Warringah Softball Representative Team won the NSW U12 State Softball Championships held at Penrith on 7 and 8 November, 2020. Superb achievement Melanie and Sonia.

Rose (J1) and Marley (J4) and their Manly Warringah Softball Representative Team were runners up in the NSW U10 State Softball Championships held at International Peace Park Seven Hills on 5 and 6 December, 2020. Outstanding effort from such young players.    

Available for all students from Kindy to 12 years (Boys) and Kindy to 18 Years (Girls)

If you would like to play netball for the newly formed Pittwater House Netball Club in 2021 on Saturdays at the Curl Curl Netball Courts, please register your interest on Skoolbag or email the Sports Office. Pittwater House will be entering teams into the Saturday Competition.

• Players aged 5-7 will take part in the Net Set Go Program after school on Tuesdays in the Pittwater House Sports Centre from 3.30pm to 4.30pm starting Term 1 / 2021. This is the official starter program for girls and boys. It's a chance to learn the netball basics and for a lot of students, this is the first time they'll pick up a netball or put on a bib. It's a learning experience and lots of fun
• Players aged 8 to 9 (age 7 players considered) will play on Saturday mornings at Curl Curl as part of the Net Set Go Program
• Players aged 10 upwards will play full competition Netball