Somersby Snippets

Term 1 Week 6, 2 March 2022

MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL

We are now halfway through the term and well into this term’s units of learning. With the further easing of restrictions in schools this week, we are looking forward to bringing back some of the much-loved elements of school life.

Swimming Achievements

Congratulations to the strong team of swimmers who competed in the small schools’ swimming carnival last week. Airlie, Sebastian, Emily, Orlando, Zach, Levi and Roxy gave their events their absolute best and proudly cheered for our school. Roxy showed impressive stamina entering every event for which she was eligible, sometimes with only a few minutes between races. Airlie, Orlando, Emily and Roxy were successful in making it to the Brisbane Water Zone swimming competition this Friday. We wish them the very best in their events.

Assembly

This Friday we will hold our first onsite assembly with visitors in two years. Parents and carers are welcome to attend. The assembly will be held in the hall at 12:30pm. We plan to hold future assemblies in the morning when students’ attention is at its best, however this term we have netball on Friday mornings. Year 6 leaders who have not yet received their badges will be presented with them at this assembly.

In-School Music Lessons coming to Somersby PS!

We are excited to be launching our new music program in partnership with Primary Music Institute Central Coast (PMI CC). PMI CC will be providing high-quality and affordable instrumental music tuition to our school community in a variety of instruments and lesson formats. We plan to commence as soon as we have a solid group of students signing up. Current offerings are guitar, vocals, keyboard and drums. Once the program is up and running, we hope to broaden the lessons to include woodwind and brass.

To enrol your child or if you are interested in more information please contact Sarah and Nate on 0411758285 or email them at admin@pmicentralcoast.com.au. 

Kiss and ride

The ‘kiss and ride’ zone of an afternoon has begun to cause some problems with traffic queuing. There is enough space for three cars to safely stop next to the footpath while children hop into the car. We ask that anyone using the kiss and ride zone remains in their car the whole time and moves forward right to the front of the line when free. If you need or prefer to get out and help your child into the car, we ask that you park on the right hand side or outside the fence. This allows the line to move quickly and smoothly. Students are seated under the COLA out of the weather (currently rain but hopefully sun again one day) and are called by teachers when their car arrives.

COVID Update

The RAT kits that were sent home on Monday are the last sets for the term. We no longer need to test twice weekly but rather can use the kits whenever your child may have any cold or flu symptoms.

Checking in

All visitors to our school at any time must visit the office and sign-in using the school QR code (or book if no smartphone is available). This is different to the COVID QR codes in other places and will remain in place. Knowing exactly who is on our site at any time is vital for us to be able to ensure the safety of our students.

Communicating with your child’s teacher

One of the great things about our school is the relationships between teachers and families. It is so important that teachers and parents work together to help each of our students thrive and grow. If at any time you wish to discuss issues about your child, you are welcome to make contact with your child’s teacher or myself. The best way is to phone the school or send an email. We will then phone you back as soon as practical to either make an appointment or discuss your child’s needs over the phone. Some classes also use Class Dojo for quick messages. Generally, teachers will make contact after 3:15 as their priorities during the day are on teaching the class and playground supervision. Our teachers are on-duty from 8.30am – 3.15pm. They all have at least one duty and only have one break per day. For any urgent matters please speak to me or Mrs Comensoli in the office. The time before school is used for lesson preparation and we ask that parents do not arrive to discuss any issues without first requesting that the teacher is available.

Selective High School Test

The selective high school placement test will be held at Somersby PS for registered students on 10 March 2022. We wish our Somersby students the best of luck for the test.

Attendance

Full attendance at school (all day, every day) is essential for children to achieve their educational best. Occasionally, your child may need to be absent from school. Justified reasons for absences include:

      • Being sick (which we are all too familiar with currently)
      • Having an unavoidable medical appointment
      • Exceptional or urgent family circumstances


Regular appointments, such as for ongoing therapies, or family holidays are not considered acceptable reasons for missing school. It might not seem like much but making plans for your child to miss school affects their learning and can be disruptive to the rest of the class.

Student leaders

Year 6 would like to thank everyone for supporting their fun ‘Twosday’ last week. They raised an impressive $100 on the day. They have ordered an apple slinky machine which they plan to use to turn students’ home-brought apples into slinkies for a small donation. They will let you know when they are set to slink!

Canteen

Our school’s canteen coordinators, Mandy and Mel, deserve a huge congratulations for their work in achieving the Great Choice Certificate and badge from the NSW Healthy School Canteen strategy. This means that at our canteen:

      • Sugar-sweetened drinks are not for sale
      • Occasional packaged foods and drinks have a Health Star Rating of 3.5 stars or above.
      • Portion limits are met for Occasional foods and drinks and Everyday flavoured milk and 99% fruit juices.
      • At least ¾ (75%) of the menu are Everyday foods and drinks and no more than ¼ (25%) of the menu are Occasional food and drinks.
      • Only Everyday foods and drinks are actively promoted in meal deals and specials. Occasional foods and drinks are not placed on the countertop at the point of sale.

In addition to the health benefits, our canteen offers a great opportunity to get to know other parents and connect with the school. I encourage you to complete the slip sent home earlier this week and volunteer in the canteen.

Have another great fortnight of learning at our great public school. I hope to see many parents and carers at the P&C meeting on Monday evening.

Kirsten Blake

Principal

Key Dates

            Term 1 2022

4 MarchNetball program K-6
4 MarchAssembly 12:30pm
4 MarchClean up Australia
4 MarchGKR Karate forms due
10 MarchSelective High School test
11 MarchNetball program K-6
18 MarchEOI Forms: Moving to a NSW Government High School in 2023 due.
18 MarchNetball program K-6
21 MarchHarmony Day
24 MarchCultural Celebrations Jilliby PS
1 AprilAssembly
6 AprilSchool Photos
8 AprilCross Country
27 AprilANZAC assembly

ENVIRONMENT GROUP NEWS

Clean Up Australia Day inspires and empowers communities to clean up, fix up and conserve our environment. The official Clean Up Australia Day is Sunday 6 March, but of course you can organise a Clean Up for any day of the year! 

The Environment Group has organised a School Clean Up Day which will be happening on Friday the 4th of March. Class teachers will take students around the school where they will clean up their designated area. 

At Somersby Public School our focus is as much on preventing rubbish entering our environment as it is removing what has already accumulated. As a school we will continue to clean up our environment daily and keep Somersby rubbish free.

OFFICE NEWS

Expression of Interest – Placement in Year 7, 2023

Today our Year 6 students will be bringing home an Expression of Interest form for enrolment at high school next year. These forms are to be completed and returned to the school office by Friday 18th March. All forms should be returned, even if you are intending to enrol your child in a non-government or out of area high school in 2023.

Jo Comensoli

School Admin Manager

P & C NEWS

We are excited!! Excited to be getting canteen back up and running again! As you know, this week we have a simple menu, chicken or vege burger with lettuce and mayo. Drinks will be available to purchase from the canteen on Friday. Regular menu and other items will be available from next week. A note was also sent home with an expression of interest in helping in our canteen. Don’t forget to get that returned also.

Next Monday evening 7th March, we have our AGM at 7pm, this is a quick meeting followed by our general monthly meeting. Don’t be shy, come along, meet new people, and share some ideas. We discuss things like fundraising, uniforms, canteen and much more!! Just remember that what we do is all voluntary and it’s all for the kids and their time at school!! Many hands make light work.
Look forward to seeing you there.

Nicki
President

Winter Uniforms

Black unisex long pants:

If you intend to order black pants for your child/ren for winter could you please email me the sizes and quantities you are likely to need so we can make sure these sizes are in stock.  Thank you.


Candice Towne                                                                                                                                                  Uniform Officer

candice@scottstubes.com.au

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GKR Karate forms due by 4 March.

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