The Link

Dear parents, carers and community members, 

Welcome back to school for 2023! Our first week of Term ran very smoothly, as we welcomed back our students in Years 1-6, and our Kindergarten and Preschool students experienced their first day of school. The administration team and I spent much of last week confirming our numbers for the year, and happily, on Friday, we were able to put each of our students into their roll classes for 2023. 

Our total enrollment from Kindergarten to Year Six (K-6)  this year is 160, which is only slightly down on the same period in 2022, when we opened with 163.  This allows us to form 7 classes once again. 

On Wednesday, February 8, there were smiles all round when players from the Parramatta Eels vistited the school as part of their annual school blitz. The players ran a special presentation for students K-6 in our school hall where they spoke to the students about health and wellbeing. 

Our swimming carnival will be held at Merrylands Swimming Pool on February 24. 

The event is for competitive swimmers only in years 2-6. Students must be able to swim 50 metres. and be turning 8 or older in 2023 to compete. Students who are not competing remain at school. 

The cost is $20 per student which covers bus hire and pool entry. .

Permission notes for the Swimming Carnival are being sent home with students on Monday 13 February. These must be completed and returned by THIS FRIDAY, 17 February.

 

Last week we were informed  that the 2023 weekly Merrylands Parramatta PSSA summer sports competition will not be running. In its place will be a gala day to be held towards the end of Term 1, and two gala days to be held in Term 4.  

Merrylands Parramatta PSSSA advised that,

"The reasons for this change is that we are;

• having difficulties in securing grounds due to the upgrade with Doyle ground and the flow on effect, along with not being able to book Old Sale Yards on a weekly basis

• bus companies are requiring early cancellations to avoid paying for buses when PSSA is cancelled on Friday morning

• bus companies have changed their earliest pickup time to 9.30am on Fridays

It is unfortunate but as an alternative, we see gala days in terms 1 and 4 being the best option."

In the absence of a weekly PSSA summer competition, Rydalmere Public School teachers are planning an internal weekly competition for our 3-6 students..  

We will be advised of the dates and venues for the PSSA gala days in the next few weeks. 

I am happy to say that in 2023, all our Year 3 students will participate in band training, along with students in older grades who are joining band for the first time.

Rydalmere Public School covers the entire cost of the training and concert band programs, including tuition and instrument hire. This is a significant expense for the school. This year, I am asking that parents of students in the band consider using their Creative Kids voucher to assist us in providing this opportunity. 

Further information on how to use your voucher will be provided by the School Band Program in the coming weeks.

The National Assessment Program Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is conducted annually for students in Years 3 and 5,

The assessment will take place online from March 15-March 27.

Please follow the links below for further information. 

Information for Parents and Carers

Translations

• Arabic (PDF 204 KB)
• Bosnian (PDF 128 KB)
• Simplified Chinese (PDF 254 KB)
• Traditional Chinese (PDF 264 KB)
• Dari (PDF 197 KB)
• Filipino (PDF 128 KB)
• Hindi (PDF 203 KB)
• Khmer (PDF 146 KB)
• Persian (PDF 189 KB)
• Punjabi (PDF  KB)
• Samoan (PDF 156 KB)
• Serbian (PDF 139 KB)
• Sinhalese (PDF 235 KB)
• Somali (PDF 146 KB)
• Spanish (PDF 123 KB)
• Turkish (PDF 135 KB)
• Vietnamese (PDF 142 KB)

Parent-Teacher interviews will be held from February 20-March 3.  This will be an opportunity to meet your child's teacher and let them know about your child's strengths and abilities along with any additional needs or issues.  Further information will be provided in the next few days. 

We are also planning to hold a school information evening this term, in conjunction with the P&C welcome BBQ. We are working with P&C to confirm the date for this event.

This year we are welcoming several new teachers to our team, as well as welcoming back many of our long term temporary and permanent staff. 

Our 2023 Staff are:

Executive Team 

Principal : Ms Campbell

Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction: Mrs Rana

Assistant Principal K-2 Mrs Townsend (M-W)

Relieving Assistant Principal K-2 Mrs James (Th-F Term 1)

Relieving Assistant Principal 3-6 Mrs Dube (Term 1)

Assistant Principal IST (Hearing) Mr Shepley.

Administrative and Support Staff

School Administrative Manager: Mrs Kushturian

School Administrative Officer: Mrs Brett

General Assistant: Mr Markovski

Preschool Team

Teacher: Ms Mo

Learning Support Officer: Mrs Skirde

Primary Classroom Teachers

Kindergarten Daisy: Mrs Townsend and Mrs James

1/2 Sunflower Ms Doyle

1/2 Violet Mrs Scalley (starting Feb 20)

3 Tulip  Mrs Dhanji and Ms James (Term 1) Mrs Aldred (Terms 2-4)

4 Daffodil Mr Bui (Term 1) New Assistant Principal (Terms 2-4)

5 Poppy Mr Hajjaj

6 Hibiscus Mrs Dube (M,T,F. Ms Yap W-Th)

Specialist Teaching Team

Learning and Support Teacher Mrs Green

Science and Technology Mr Quach

Covid Intensive Learning Support Program (CILSP): Ms Choi

English aș an Additional Language or Dialect (EALD):  TBC

School Counsellor: Ms Crichton (Tuesdays)

Itinerant Support Teachers (Hearing)

Mr Shepley

Ms Schumacher

Mr Vogel

Ms Fyvie

Mr Byatt

Ms Lamour

Ms Gordon

Ms Bowman

School Learning Support Officers (K-6)

Ms Miller and Mrs Karaman

Community Hub Leader : Seetha Srinivasan

February 24:  Swimming Carnival 

February 28: Stage 3 excursion: Kids vs Wild

March 13-15: Primary Dental Program

March 15-27: NAPLAN test window

March 23: Harmony Day

April 6: Last Day of Term 1

For more events, please see our 2023 school calendar available for viewing on the Skoolbag App. This calendar is regularly updated as events are confirmed.

Help Us Help You!

This is a request for parents to check that ALL of their child's property is clearly labelled.  If items - including hats, clothing, drink bottles, containers, bags - are named, we can easily return them.

Please also consider:

Hats - Make sure your child's hat is named clearly (these are taken on and off many times a day).

2nd-hand uniform items - if you have acquired any 2nd-hand items, please ensure you remove any old names and rename them with your child's name.

Old lables - go over any faded labelling to ensure it is clear and legible.

Lunch containers and drink bottlles  - we throw out LOTS of unnamed containers each term. Please write your child's name in permanent marker on the container AND lid, not just attach a label, as labels easily come off.

We would prefer to return lost items to the students each week. If they are not labelled, unfortunately they will be disposed of.  

Thank you.

Welcome back to 2023. Hope you have good break and enjoyed the summer sun. 

Adult English Classes

Hub is excited to announce 2 levels of English classes for adults this term: “Conversational English” and “Beginner’s English” commencing from 13th of February.

The One Box Fresh Food Relief Program

Hub is partnering with “The One Box” for the first time to provide food bags for families in need of assistance who have registered through our school.

Hub Weekly programs at a glance: 

Mondays	9:30 am to 11:00 am	Conversational English class (Walk  in)
	1:00 am to 12:30 pm	Beginnners' English class (Childminding available for registered participants)
Wednesdays	9:00 am to 9:30 am or 2:30 pm to 3:00 pm	One box Collection (Only for registered participants)
	9:30 am to 11:30 am	Playgroup with SDN children services (Few spots left)
	10:45 am to 11:30 am or 11:30 am to 12:15 pm	Adult Swimming program (Full)
Fridays	9:30 am to 10:30 am	Dance Fitness with Sophie (Just walk in)
	10:30 am to 12:30 pm	Taster to Jewellery making by TAFE (Few spots left)

For those who I haven’t yet met, I am Seetha, Community Hub Liaison Officer here at Rydalmere Public School.

My workdays are Mondays to Wednesdays and Fridays.

Our Community Hub serves as a gateway to connect families with each other, with the school and with local community services. It provides a  place to meet other parents, connect and grow friendships. It holds weekly or one-off activities that allow people from all backgrounds to participate.

Everyone is welcome at the hub.  

Just drop in for a coffee and chat or join activities.

I am looking forward to meeting you.

Feel free to contact me at 0448331588 or seetha.srinivasan@det.nsw.edu.au to know more about the hub and how you can get involved.