Dear Parents,
Welcome!
Welcome back for the 2023 school year and a very special welcome to all of our new families. I hope everyone had a wonderful break and was able to take some time out to relax. 2023 is set to be an amazing year at Normanhurst Public School. We welcome new teachers Ms Karen Moran and Mr Adam Lutton who will be working at our school on temporary contracts for 2023. These staff members have participated in our staff development days this year and are very pleased to have joined our Normanhurst team. Congratulations to Ms Samantha Page who has been appointed in a permanent position. Ms Page is familiar with the school and the students and we congratulate her on her appointment. A full staff list will be published in next week’s newsletter. This week all of our Kindergarten students are completing a Best Start Interview and will commence normal school days on Friday.
All students are to wear their sport uniform on Friday.
COVID Smart Measures 2023
We are continuing our COVID-smart measures into 2023.
While the community continues to transition towards living with COVID-19, NSW Health advised that the unpredictable nature of the virus will continue to present a health risk to the community, with new waves of transmission expected this year. Our school will continue to operate with baseline COVID-smart measures in place this term to minimise transmission. These include a combination of layered safety measures, such as:
Strongly encouraging masks to be worn by all students, staff and visitors, particularly when indoors or outdoors when physical distancing is difficult to maintain
Strongly encouraging up-to-date vaccinations for our staff and students, including COVID-19 booster shots for anyone eligible
Maintaining natural ventilation with windows and doors open whenever possible, including when cooling/heating systems are in use
Continuing to provide RATs and other hygiene products to schools free of charge.
In certain circumstances, NSW Health and the Department of Education may recommend that additional COVID-smart measures be temporarily reintroduced at our school. We will provide further details of any changes to COVID-smart measures at our school, if and when required.
Please continue to notify our school if your child tests positive to COVID-19 as we will continue to regularly notify the school community of any known positive cases, to prioritise student and staff safety and wellbeing. Although no longer mandatory, NSW Health recommends you register your result with Service NSWExternal link; this helps you to access medical support from NSW Health, including antiviral medicines, if you're eligible.
For further information about the COVID-smart measures in place this term, refer to Advice for families.
2023 Classes
Following student numbers being confirmed today, we hope to form our 2023 classes tomorrow. We anticipate forming 16 classes based on Department of Education staffing allocations. Our classroom and support teachers spent considerable time working together to achieve class groups that are balanced academically and socially. We also considered all parent requests that were made prior to the deadline and accommodated these wherever possible. Please be mindful that students are not always initially happy about the class they have been placed in at the beginning of the year and it can take a couple of weeks for them to settle into new routines. In Department of Education primary schools, the number of teachers allocated is based on a staffing formula, necessitating the need for composite classes where numbers do not fall neatly within a year level. Please be aware that your child will be completing an educational program appropriate for their year level and stage of development regardless of the class in which they are placed. Teachers cater for the different rates at which their students learn and the different levels at which they are progressing. Expectations for each student differ and will be measured against the ability of the child.
Term 1 Dates
All dates for Term 1 will be available on the Sentral parent calendar app if you are looking to plan ahead for the term. we will no longer be publishing a term calendar in the Newsletter.
Parent Information Evening - Meet your child's Teacher
Our 2023 Parent Information Evening will be held on Monday 13 February. At these sessions teachers will outline their class routines, expectations and teaching/learning programs, as well as answer any questions you may have. Details regarding this event will be distributed next week. For now, please add this date to your diary, as the partnership between parents and the school contributes significantly to the success of children’s education.
A few gentle reminders
No dogs are allowed on the school grounds
No parents or students are to walk through the car park at any time of the day. The car park is a no go zone.
Warm regards,
Jacqui Gordon