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 - KT

We thank the Darug and Guringai people for caring for the land that we learn and play on. We promise to care for and look after everything we have.

Upcoming events

Event

Date

Harmony Week

20 - 24 March

C.A.R.E.S Excursion Year 6

21 March

Youth Leadership Academy Conference - School Leadership Team

24 March

Sydney North Swimming Carnival

23 March

Election Day BBQ and Cake Stall

25 March

Parent Teacher Interviews

27 - 30 March

NAPLAN Catch Up

21 - 27 March

Anzac Day Assembly

5 April

11:30am

Sentral

From Term 2 all school communication will come through Sentral. You will need to have your Sentral notifications switched on.

Termly accounts will be emailed to you through School Bytes until Sentral Finance is operational.

If you have not signed up for the Sentral App, please call the office for support.

For more information see the link below.

https://www.sentral.com.au/parents

Principal's Message

Dear Parents and Carers,

Mathematics at NPS

Throughout this term students have begun every Mathematics Lesson with a number talk. Number Talks are short daily exercises aimed at building number sense. Number sense is the ability to play with numbers meaning students can visualise problem solving, perform calculations quickly, and be flexible in their mathematical strategy. Number Talks encourage higher level of thinking and mathematical reasoning. Students are building their mathematical vocabulary and learning to confidently share their ideas. Students are given the opportunity to learn from their peers and at the end of a number talk are aware that there may be many ways of thinking about and solving mathematical problems. It’s important to note that the purpose of Number Talks is not in finding the “right answer”, but is the process our students go through. During Number Talks, students are always asked to explain their thinking. When they do this, it gives them a chance to self-correct, which further deepens their number sense.

If you are curious and would like to know more about Number Talks see the link below

https://www.youcubed.org/resources/number-talks-all-ages-video/

Welcome Festival

The Welcome Festival held on March 10th was a huge success. It was wonderful to see all the students, parents, and teachers come together to celebrate the new year. Thank you to the organising committee, volunteers and the P&C who made this event possible. I would like to thank Louise Farag, Alex Robertson, Darryl Forder and their team of volunteers. We appreciate all the hard work and effort that goes into planning such an event. The Welcome Festival was a special way to start the new year and welcome new families to Normanhurst PS.

NAPLAN

Years 3 and 5 have completed NAPLAN. Students who missed tests due to absences will be given the opportunity to catch up this week. The NAPLAN testing window officially closes on Monday, March 27. Thank you Ms. Tilney and Mr. Hill for your organisation and support of students and staff during this time.

Parent Teacher Interviews

It is wonderful to see parents taking the opportunity to book a parent-teacher interview with their child’s class teacher through Sentral. I hope that you will find these interviews a valuable way to learn more about how your child has settled into class and about their learning behaviours and efforts in class. Thank you in advance to the teachers for their devoted time in ensuring parents are informed about their child’s learning. Bookings will close at 5.00 pm this Friday, March 24, with interviews commencing on Monday, March 27.

Harmony Week

This week we celebrate Harmony Week, "Everyone Belongs", the school was a sea of orange. It was lovely to have so many of our students in their traditional dress. Thank you for your gold coin donation which will go towards the purchasing of multi-lingual books for all our students to read and enjoy.

We look forward to our K-6 Harmony Day Assembly on Thursday and parents are most welcome to attend.

Year 6-7 High School Enrolment

This is a reminder that all parents of Year 6 students are required to complete this expression of interest whether their child is attending a NSW Department of Education school or not. This important process allows our high schools to anticipate their student enrolments for next year. Online expressions of interest MUST be completed by March 31.

Parents can complete an expression of interest online via the enrolment tab on our school website, see link below.

https://year7.enrol.education.nsw.gov.au/?schoolCode=2760

Playwork is coming to Normanhurst Public School!

We are excited to let you know that members of the school community, P&C and staff are working together to bring an enriched and inclusive play experience for every child at Normanhurst PS.

Playwork creates and maintains diverse spaces for children to play so their play can be freely chosen, personally directed and intrinsically motivated.

It has many benefits:

More teaching time. With happier, more creative, and well-exercised children who settle in class faster.

Improved behaviour. On average, there is an 80% decrease in the use of behaviour policies and a 90% drop in senior leadership time spent resolving playtime issues.

Improved happiness and well-being. Meeting the basic human right of play means children and staff report feeling less stressed and more excited about school.

Inclusion makes play better for every child, every day...no exceptions!

Watch this video from a school in the UK that implemented playwork into their playtimes.

We aim to launch playwork playtimes in Term 3 and will update you in the coming weeks. We will need help from you, the wonderful parents of NPS, especially in sourcing items. Keep your eyes peeled!

The weeks ahead

The last three weeks of school are going to be very busy, we have a lot of exciting activities planned for our students in week 11. Cross Country notes will be coming home this week.

Wellbeing week is always a highlight with Easter Activities planned for all year groups. Parents are invited to attend the K-2 Easter Hat Parade on Tuesday April 4, at 9:15am. See more information in this week's Newsletter.

Have a wonderful week.

Warm regards,

Jacqui Gordon

Parking Rules

School Travel Ideas Guide

Wellbeing Week

Week 11 is Wellbeing Week! The teachers have planned a wonderful week of wellbeing activities ready to end Term 1 on a HIGH! A separate note sent out through Sentral outlines our Making Day Monday and Tuesday Eggstravaganza Day! We are asking for the students to bring in the following:

K-2 students to start bringing in some Easter related items to glue onto their hats. These items will be shared with the class
Stage 2 students please a small shoe box or other type of small box to build the foundation of an egg related diorama. They may be required to bring extra craft items as student start developing their ideas and designs. The school will provide foam eggs.
Stage 3 will need a hard-boiled egg on the Tuesday Week 11 and some recycled materials to create a devise that will protect the egg from cracking when dropped from a height. Suggestions include: string, sticky tape, recycled boxes, cardboard and plastic bags, bubble wrap. We are encouraging bringing in recyclable items.

Monday Making Day
K-2 - Making Hats for the Hat Parade.
Stage 2 - Finalising their Eggcellent Egg themed dioramas.
Stage 3 - Egg Drop STEM Challenge

Eggstravaganza Tuesday
9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. - Diorama Display in the COLA
9:15 a.m - K-2 Hat parade lower asphalt
10:15 am - 11:00 a.m. - Egg Drop Challenge lower ashpalt

We would love to invite parents, carers and to watch the K-2 Hat Parade under the sails in the lower asphalt (K-2 students have also been practising some special songs to sing for the audience), view the dioramas displayed under the COLA and watch Stage 3 drop their eggs from the Year 6 verandah above the lower asphalt. I wonder how many will NOT crack!

Green Team at Normanhurst Public School

Green Team is a group of K-6 students who wish to work together to make our school more sustainable. Our current meeting time is second-half lunch on a Tuesday. We are looking to implement some fantastic solutions to reduce waste and increase recycling throughout the school. We are also hoping to raise awareness about the impact our waste can have on the environment.If you are interested in joining Green Team, come and see us!
Mrs Dougall (KD), Ms Page (6P) & Mr Lutton (3L)

HARMONY WEEK!

Harmony Day Photos!

Amazing Year 5 Wasp Artworks!

Parent Reading Helpers

Can you spare an hour or half an hour one or two after mornings or afternoons a week? Next term we are going to start our Parent Reading Program. This program will help further develop confident and fluent readers across the school and provide students with regular reading practice.

We are asking for parent, carer and grandparent volunteers to come in one or two days a week to read with students across the school. Parent reading will occur Monday to Thursday just outside the students’ classroom. Training will be provided!

Please email the school with your preferred times and days. We will then set up a roster and timetable. The program will start Week 2, Term 2.

Prior to you volunteering for this program, you will need to visit the school office with a photo ID and there is also some documentation to fill out. Volunteers will also need to sign in and out of the school in the office and wear a ‘Visitor Lanyard’.

We are looking forward to welcoming our Parent Readers.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday
10:10 a.m.	10:10 a.m.	10:10 a.m.	10:10 a.m.
11:40 a.m.	11:40 a.m.	11:40 a.m.	11:40 a.m.
2:00 p.m.	2:00 p.m.	2:00 p.m.

Awards for Week 7 & Week 8! Well Done!

Band News

WELCOME FESTIVAL - FRIDAY 10TH MARCH

Thanks to everyone who helped on Friday evening. The band played wonderfully, especially considering it is so early in the year for a public performance. Well done! Keep up the great work.

SEMESTER 1 BAND FEES

Please check your emails - NPS Band Semester 1 2023 invoice details have been sent out. Semester 1 fees are due on 23rd March 2023. Many thanks for your prompt payments.

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.

BAND REHEARSAL DUTY
Many thanks to those parents who have already helped out. It makes a huge difference! Don’t forget to send us your Working with Children Check details including your full name, WWCC number, date of birth and WWCC expiry date.

BAND CAMP 2023
Band Camp is on Friday 26th to Sunday 28th May 2023 at the Collaroy Centre. More info coming this week.

BAND CAMP INFORMATION SESSION VIA ZOOM
Parents of first time Band Campers? Join the Band Camp information session on Thursday 23rd March at 7:30pm via Zoom. We will give you an overview of the Camp program and expectations, and answer any questions you may have. The Zoom link will be provided closer to the date.

SPECIAL ANZAC DAY ASSEMBLY
This will be held on Wednesday 5th April 2023. More information to follow.

NO REHEARSAL - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL TERM

Due to the Cross Country being held on Thursday 6th April, there will be no band rehearsals held on this day.

SAVE THE DATE

Friday 26th - Sunday 28th May Band Camp @ Collaroy Centre

Sunday 6th Aug - Band Workshop 1pm - 4pm @ NPS (preparation for ASBOF)

Sunday 13th Aug - Training Band and Concert Band will be performing at the Australian School Band and Orchestra Festival on Sunday 13th August at the UNSW Kensington Campus.

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. School Grounds Working Bee was a success

Thank you to all the families that came along on Saturday 4 March between 9am-5pm! The school was looking wonderful for the Welcome Festival as well as improved for our children. Your time and effort is so appreciated. We will hold two more working bee’s this year, so stay tuned for dates next term.

2. Normanhurst Public School P&C Welcome Festival

This year the P&C hosted a community event like no other on Friday 10 March from 5-8pm! Thank you to everyone who came and enjoyed the Festival. We had a fantastic time, and were thrilled with the way the school community came together and had a fun time.

We had a very special new team create this new event and we are so incredibly lucky to have them as part of our P&C. Louise Farag, Alex Robertson and Darryl Forder. Thank you so much for the huge amount of time and effort you put into creating this wonderful community building event, and thank you to Bonita Chan our P&C President for constant support during the whole planning process.

Activities included:

● P&C run Sausage sizzle and drinks stand, face painting, live music from the NPS Concert Band, live music from musician Zac Sellars (@zacsellars), three delicious food trucks – Jimmy’s Smash Burgers, Dolce Bacio Gelato and tasty mexican from Meraki Eats.

● Two exciting inflatables – The Cliffhanger, a HUGE Dry Slide, and the Tiger Jumping Castle.

● Thanks to the year 6's who set up a (temporary) Tattoo Parlour. They had something for everyone!

● The crew from Westleigh Rural Fire Service bought the truck along so the kids could sit in a real fire engine and learn all about the importance of fire safety.

● Uniform Shop Pre-loved Summer Sale

A massive thank you to Normanhurst Eagles Football Club for setting up some ball skills and social games. It was a huge hit!

A special thanks to Anna Cavill at Stone Real Estate for supporting our event. Anna has been a long time supporter of the NPS P&C and for the Welcome Festival her support enabled us to bring in the inflatables.

Thank you to our Welcome Festival volunteers

Thank you to everyone who signed up and volunteered to help for the evening. If I miss your name, I apologise, please know that we appreciate everyone who is able to donate their time to help at these moments. Cam Unicomb, Daniel Hogan, David Foot, Justin Walsh, Mark Farag, Mohammad Soltani, Ryan Cherrie, Shell Vines, Ben Zunica, Donald Cheong, Ekhlas Nasser, Emma Zhou, Fiona Zhu, Stephanie Cannavo, Ian Air, Charlie Q, Jeremy Rankin, Kerri Wickenden, Robert Joscelyne, Octa Moningka, Julie, Kirralie Fogarty, Michelle Adrian, Min Wang, Sara Norton, Sylvia Xu Connor, Blaise Porter, Catherine Field, Lachlan Monardo, Riley Losciuto, Isabella Hogan, Louise Monardo, Cat Hogan, William Dowd, Katherine Dowd, Ekhlas Nasser, Sophia Fisher, Eden, Chris Fisher, Nieve, Oli Wickenden, Kerri Wickenden, Charlie McManus, Oli Wark, Yen Wark, Sarah McManus, Adele Primmer and Bonita Primmer, Azam Vahabzadeh, Nidhi Singhal and Chris Borg.

And to the fabulous staff at Normanhurst Public School. Thank you for supporting this event and joining in the fun.

Even though the Welcome Festival was a community-nurturing event, and not a fundraiser, the event raised approximately $2,990 that will be allocated to fund upcoming school projects.

Share your thoughts on the Welcome Festival and tell us how we can make it better for 2024: www.surveymonkey.com/r/69m8qkn

3. Election Day Sausage Sizzle and Cake Stall

This Saturday 25 March

There are two ways to volunteer and help out:

1. Grab a pair of tongs: Come and help out on the bbq or selling cakes! Please sign up here: https://signup.com/go/jTaeePV

2. Bake something: We are looking for donations for the cake stall – chocolate crackles, cupcakes, whole cakes, banana bread, lolly bags, savoury treats – we would love for you to take some time to bake something for us to sell. All items need to be individually wrapped, to confirm your goodies please get in touch with P&C President. Bonita: president@npspandc.com

4. SAVE THE DATE!!! Team Trivia @ Magpies, Waitara – Saturday 3 June 2022

Start rounding up your friends and family… Get excited and book your babysitter now!! Tickets available now. https://www.trybooking.com/CGTVE

$40 per ticket, or purchase a table of 10 for $350.

THEME: Icons & Legends

TIME: Room open from 6pm for meals/platters, Trivia starts at 7.30pm

More info to follow…

The annual Trivia night is an amazing opportunity to raise funds to support our 2023 fundraising goal for our school. Get savings for a HUGE silent auction! A competitive LIVE auction. Games and dancing will top off the night!

If you are a business and able to supply a service or a prize we’d love to hear from you. Prizes may include wine/gift voucher/club membership/experiences.

Platters will be available. We will contact tickets purchases to arrange.

5. Are you a DJ or A/V technician? We’d love your help to step up the Trivia dancing session! Music, lights…help us turn the party vibe on. If you are willing to donate your time, we are willing to reward you with tickets and copious amounts of gratitude. Contact us at fundraising@npspandc.com

6. 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

7. Mothers Day Breakfast

The 2023 Mothers Day Breakfast will be hosted by Year 2 and 3 Parents – during week commencing 8 May (Set up from 6.30am, breakfast to start at 7.30am, pack up completed by 9.30am). More details to follow.

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.

Eve Quigley

NPS P&C Fundraising Coordinator
fundraising@npspandc.com

SAVE THE DATE!!! Team Trivia @ Magpies, Waitara – Saturday 3 June 2022

Start rounding up your friends and family… Get excited and book your babysitter now!! Tickets available now. https://www.trybooking.com/CGTVE

$40 per ticket, or purchase a table of 10 for $350.

THEME: Icons & Legends

TIME: Room open from 6pm for meals/platters, Trivia starts at 7.30pm

More info to follow…

If you are a business and able to supply a service or a prize we’d love to hear from you. Prizes may include wine/gift voucher/club membership/experiences.

Platters will be available. We will contact tickets purchases to arrange.

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

P & C News!

SignUp link for Election Day volunteers

Election Day is THIS coming Saturday 25 March and WE NEED YOUR HELP please see this SignUp link to volunteer on the day: https://signup.com/go/jTaeePV

Baking and Sweet treat donations

CALLING OUT FOR OUR BAKERS AND CAKE MAKERS!!… All profits will go to the School P&C Fundraising kitty. Please contact ME/Bonita on president@npspandc.com and let us know if you can make something yummy… please send us a batch of your home-cooked goodies, pre-wrapped in saleable condition, and with a full ingredient listing so that we can safely sell your edible donations. We gratefully accept all things - but preferably no nuts - including vegan and GF options too.

Thank you to our sponsors and suppliers

Please see Eve’s piece on the Welcome Event, however I’d also like to make special mention and thank again Anna Cavill from Stone Upper North Shore who is a proud sponsor of our Welcome Event and is an award-winning real estate agent and ex-Normanhurst local…! A bit about them below:

“Anna is the leader of The Cavill Team and the Director of Stone Upper North Shore. She is consistently ranked among the top 100 agents in Australia by REB and is known for her energy, commitment, and support for her clients. Anna's deep understanding of the real estate market and astute knowledge of the local area, combined with her tenacious negotiation skills, have resulted in her achieving impressive sales results and high praise from her clients. Anna values honesty and integrity in all that she does and is dedicated to providing exceptional customer service that meets the individual needs of her clients.”

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
school code is 2567963

If you have ordered for your child and they aren’t going to be at school you can cancel the order yourself before 8.30am. Otherwise you need to contact the canteen to see if a cancellation is possible. If you are collecting early please pop by the canteen and you may be able to collect your order. Once food has been prepared a cancellation/refund is not possible.

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 News!

Thankyou!

A big thank you to all those who helped me at the Welcome Festival - Michelle A, Jeanne O, Kerri W, Angela D, and the year 6 boys - Jack W, Oliver R, Patrick O, Lutphy D and Fletcher B. It was a fun night with a lot of pre-loved items sold!

Winter stock now available

Winter uniforms are now available to purchase either online or in-store. Please book an appointment if you would like to try on items for size.

New items for sale include dark navy gloves and beanies at bargain prices! Pop into the shop or have a look online.

Order cut off date 30th March

The last day the Uniform Shop will be open this term is Friday 31st March. Make sure you get your orders in by Thursday 30th March. Orders received after this date will be delivered in Term 2.

Term 2 transition to winter uniform

At the start of Term 2 we have a transition period where either summer or winter uniform may be worn. From Monday 15th May full winter uniform must be worn.

Appointments - Thursday and Friday mornings. Book at - https://signup.com/go/ULfAxAF

Online Orders - delivered to your child’s classroom on Friday each week. Order at - https://www.npspandc.com/uniform/

Volunteers needed - we’d love your help if you can spare an hour! Sign up at - https://signup.com/go/JkjVueE

Questions? Email me at - uniformshop@npspandc.com

Kristie Whitehead
Uniform Shop Manager
uniformshop@npspandc.com

NOOSH Autumn Vacation!

REMEMBER - AFTER SCHOOL CODING @ NPS!

The Australian Performing Arts Grammar School - Open Day

I am writing to formally invite your school community to our upcoming Open Morning Tours.

https://www.apgs.nsw.edu.au/index.php/enrolment/open-days/open-morning

The Australian Performing Arts Grammar School is an exciting, innovative school for students with a passion for the creative and performing arts. Established in 2005, APGS is open to students of artistic ability, dedicated to nurturing talent and encouraging rigour and dedication to both the performing arts and academic learning. The school is a boutique institution, designed specifically to meet the needs of young people who, in addition to their academic studies, desire to focus on Music, Drama, Dance and/or Visual Arts.

These tours will be held on:
- Term 2 - Wednesday 3rd May, 9 00am – 10 30am
- Years 7 to 9 Term 2 - Wednesday 3rd May,10 00am – 11 30am
- Years 10 & 11 Term 3 - Wednesday 26th July, 9 00am – 10 30am
- Years 7 to 9 Term 3 - Wednesday 26th July, 10 00am – 11 30am
- Years 10 & 11 Term 4 - Wednesday 18th October, 9 00am – 10 30am
- Years 7 to 9 Term 4 - Wednesday 18th October, 10 00am – 11 30am
- Years 10 & 11

Families may register online to attend the tours and are welcome to contact us should they have any further enquiries.

Kind regards,
Eunice Chung Lee
Head of School (Operations)

Ethics classes at Normanhurst Public School

Dear Parents and Carers,

Could you be an ethics teacher for NPS?

We are seeking volunteers so that we can provide ethics classes for all the families who have requested it for their children.

Ethics teachers receive full training by Primary Ethics, the not-for-profit organisation approved to design curriculum and training for the ethics program. Training consists of a two day workshop and short online modules. Lesson materials are provided. Suitable volunteers have an interest in children’s education and development of critical thinking skills and must be available at lunchtime on Wednesdays each week.

In ethics classes, children learn how to think logically, disagree respectfully and support their arguments with evidence, rather than act according to blind habit or peer pressure.

Children discuss topic such as:

-imagining how others feel

-how do we treat living things?

-what is laziness?

-how do we disagree in a respectful way?

-fairness

If you are looking for an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to our school, please visit www.primaryethics.com.au and/or contact the current ethics coordinator Chris Mansfield (0402813874)

Hornsby Chinese Language & Culture School - Link

http://hclcs.nsw.edu.au/index.php/

Normanhurst Public School

Term 1, Week 9, 20 March, 2023