ENewsletter

FROM THE PRINCIPAL'S DESK

It has been marvellous to see the gradual return of events and opportunities that support the very fabric of our School. All of course in a COVID safe way. Therefore, when we all paused at 11.00am for our Service on Remembrance Day, Mikayla had pre-recorded the playing of the Last Post and Rouse and whilst we were unable to sing our National Anthem, the solemnity and dignity remained. Our Head Prefects Jared and Olivia together with recently appointed RSM Rory, all supported me at varying times through the zoomed Service

Our new elected Prefect team have been straight to work and are focused on their portfolios to ensure each area is given substance and is highlighted in the remaining weeks of Term 4. In this vein our SRC Prefects Olivia and Will introduced themselves at our Friday Assembly and set the scene for their year ahead, when student voice continues to grow. Given that our Prefects have oversight for the whole school, Olivia and Jared spoke to the Junior School at their Assembly on Friday. Whilst cross age links are currently not permitted under the Stage 3 Health Orders, we hope that when we return for Term 1, our whole-school leaders will support junior students in varied ways, seeking to create meaningful links and support structures, and be the role models so necessary in school settings.

It was wonderful to have the Prefects recommence the Monday Morning Notices from the “radio Pittwater House” news desk. Morgan House Captains Lara and Zane set the scene for Week 6 with their coverage of key announcements and, of course, birthdays through the week.

Although it is challenging to believe, our thoughts in a school perspective must now turn to Christmas, and the Christmas Appeal run by our Prefects. With their 2022 theme of Community, what better decision could be taken than by supporting local charity One Meal for the food items that we all implore you to bring in, and place beneath our Christmas Tree in the foyer. And the toys we are eagerly expecting will be donated to Bear Cottage. With toys and food offerings, the third element of our Appeal has always centred on donations offered at the Carol Service. Therefore, in the absence of Carols this year, we are most grateful that the PHPA are generously donating half of their Christmas Raffle proceeds to the Prefects Charity. In a year that has been so difficult for so many in our community, this is particularly heart-warming.

Mention of the Christmas Raffle allows me the opportunity to encourage all families to support the PHPA in this way. Not only are there magnificent Christmas Hampers to be won, but additionally, funds will come back to the School in a way that will support so many projects across our School. The recent sharing with you, of funds distribution, is indicative of how each student is the beneficiary. So please buy those raffle tickets and help all the students of Pittwater House: PHPA Christmas Hamper Raffle

It now gives me great pleasure to introduce six of our Prefects who will, through this medium, outline their vision for the coming year. Thank you to Jared and Olivia, our Head Prefects, Ewan and Mikayla, our Deputy Head Prefects, and Olivia and Will our SRC Prefects whose words that follow, will allow you to gauge the benefits they seek to instil in the coming year. In further editions of HouseNews this year, our House Captains and General Prefects, will similarly showcase their portfolio to you.

Meanwhile I trust you are all appreciating life’s offerings; and enjoying the freedoms now available to us. We are certainly delighted to have the happy playground noise and focused learning returned in all parts of our School. We have pivoted and will continue to pivot as new and different scenarios require innovation and creativity.

With every good wish.

Olivia and Jared, Head Prefects

Jared and I are honoured to have been elected to the role of Head Prefects for 2022.

We will work hard to build a supportive and rewarding school environment. Listening and communicating openly with you all, will always be our main priority.

Our leadership team has chosen COMMUNITY as our theme for the year. This means focusing on developing a healthy and positive school community, to set an example each day, demonstrating our determination, optimism, hope and compassion and inspire all of us to contribute to our collective success.

A community that shares similar values, interests and beliefs is a community where all of us feel accepted, have emotional safety and an identity.

Students will have influence, they will have a say in what happens and a voice that everyone can hear, community means we are willing to help one another and receive help in return.

We will build trust in each other and establish a supportive, caring environment that will help us all bounce back from the isolation of lockdowns and the many new, and sometimes confusing health restrictions.

We want to create a community that shares our history, our work and our rewards.

Our Christmas drive this year will be donated to two local charities. Toys, games and presents under the tree will be given to Bear Cottage. Non-perishable foods such as rice, pasta and Christmas puddings will be donated to the One Meal foundation. Every item collected will make a huge difference to someone that is less fortunate than us.

Our retail economy is opening up again so we’re encouraging our Pittwater House family to help us with the Christmas hamper raffle prize. All donations are greatly appreciated. Please purchase raffle tickets for the chance to win the magnificent Christmas hampers.

Let’s kick off the Christmas season with laughter, cheer, and hearts full of hope.

Be kind to each other, tell your school mates, friends and your family that they are special and that they matter to you, so that this year, we can all enjoy a prosperous new beginning.

We look forward to working with you all and are excited for the upcoming year.

Mikayla and Ewan, Deputy Head Prefects

As the Deputy Head Prefects of the School, we are excited to be fulfilling this role as well as having the opportunity to work with the entirety of the 2022 leadership team. We are looking forward to running the College Union Program and Big Brogram and are excited for them to resume after such a long period of isolation.

This year with both the Big Brogram and CUP groups, we’re aiming for increased student engagement by addressing each year level’s different needs and adjusting the program to suit them accordingly. For these programs, we are hoping to balance their original intention of sparking larger conversation about mental health with more light-hearted activities in order to develop closer bonds between students, strengthening our school community. Our programs help to lend a hand to those within the School and we believe that by linking the Big Brogram to the Head Above Water charity and CUPs to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), we can extend our beneficial influence to not just the School, but our wider community as a whole.

The programs aim to connect younger and older students in the hope that every student has a person they can talk to and look up to, no matter the year group. This ties the program back to the 2022 Prefect Team’s core theme of Community, which is incredibly important especially after the disruption caused by COVID-19. Inspired by this theme, the leadership team has chosen to donate to Bear Cottage and the One Meal charity this Christmas. The Christmas tree is located in the foyer of the hall, please remember to leave a donation (non-perishable food items or gifts such as toys) if possible before the end of term.

In the coming weeks, we are going to send out a survey to all students asking what they would want to see implemented as we return back to normal. With over 150 new students joining next year, we’re very excited to introduce them to the Pittwater House community and hope that these programs can help them forge new bonds and provide skills that will last throughout their time at school and into the world beyond.

Olivia and Will, SRC Prefects

Will and Olivia are honoured to be elected to the role of SRC representatives for 2022.

Our focus for the year will be to forge stronger connections throughout the cohorts of the Senior School, and with the Junior School. We believe closer relationships throughout the School will build a more cohesive Community. Our leadership theme for the year is community, and we aim to reintroduce SRC representatives into each form to be a voice on behalf of the students' opinions from each cohort. We plan to meet with new students at the start of each term to make them feel more comfortable in their new environment. We would like to achieve this by using members of the SRC as well as other pre-existing members of the School community to make the new students feel less intimidated with starting a new school. This will create lasting connections between the new students and pre-existing members of the School community.

We understand the Covid 19 pandemic has brought about unprecedented times and during the lockdown. We began to understand not only the educational impact it had on the students but the social. Through this experience we have come out the other side being more aware of the impact social isolation can have on students and therefore with the help of the future chosen representatives, we aim to minimise the possible threat of this social isolation. This further ties into the Leadership team's theme of Community. As with a greater sense of community also comes a greater sense of connection. We really look forward to reestablishing and creating new connections so that we can further better the School environment in the year to come.

As Olivia has been training with Reach for the last 12 months, we believe that her past experience will further develop the communication and connectivity between our year groups, resulting in a more cohesive School environment. Olivia looks forward to sharing her knowledge and experiences that she has been fortunate enough to receive through the Reach organisation with the SRC students.

We are really excited to be working with the School community in the year to come and we cannot wait to establish new relationships through the SRC in 2022!

2022 Prefect Team News

Community Problem Solving Team

Congratulations to the Community Problem Solving team who received 2nd place in the 2021 Australian Future Problem Solving Program, Senior Division.

JUNIOR SCHOOL NEWS

From the K-6 Teacher Librarian

Bookface

In their final week of remote learning, students in Years 3-6 were asked to try their hand at Bookface. This was a creative task that took considerable thinking and planning as students lined up their face and/or body - and sometimes their pet - with a book cover, trying for a seamless match. The final product, when successful, creates the appearance of, “a melding of life and art.” I received many beautiful, and often hilarious, submissions. These are the best of the best! Enjoy.

SENIOR SCHOOL NEWS

Cadet News

With the change in Health Orders, cadets will be parading each Monday for the remainder of the term. As the Q-store is not accessible currently due to the building work on the School site, cadets with uniform components that no longer fit will need to wear their normal school uniform.

During the last school holiday break, a number of rank attended virtual promotions courses with NSW 1st Cadet Brigade. All candidates were successful in completing the course and will be promoted at the parade on 22nd November. Congratulations to Jared, Sascha, Jamie, Rory, Tom, Bridget, Aiyla, Sascha, Anderson, Ruby, Shontelle and Lachlan.

Any cadet wishing to resign from the program needs to collect the resignation form from Reception, fill it in and return their uniform before the end of term.

Year 10 PDHPE

During PDHPE lessons, Year 10 are currently working through a “Free to be” unit. Here, they explore ways to challenge their weaknesses, supporting their own identity, as well as that of others. One of the activities completed in class has been the building of a Marshmallow Tower - encouraging teamwork and investigating the different roles with a group. As the pictures show, the activity was a great success, with the tallest tower (76 cm) being built by the group of Lachlan, Rory, Alvin, Alex and Brandon.

School Information

https://www.pittwaterhouse.com.au/portal/school-information

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GENERAL NEWS

School Uniform Shop

The School Shop is open for face-to-face sales. The Pittwater House School Uniform Shop is located in our car park at 70 South Creek Road, Collaroy, adjacent to the swimming pool. Please enter the shop through the visitor entrance door located in the corner of the car park opposite our vehicle entrance gate. Staff and Students only are to enter through the entrance located within our gated school grounds.

Please note there is no parking available for the uniform and clothing pool shops during our drop-off (8:00am-8:30am) and pick-up (2:45pm-3:30pm) times during the term dates.

Current students can purchase items from the Shop before school and during recess and lunch. Junior School students must have written permission in their school diary from their parents or carer.

Parents and carers wishing to visit the School Shop to purchase uniform items MUST have an appointment which can be made on the school shop online booking service: Direct Booking Link. Due to COVID restriction only one parent per student is permitted.

If you have any queries please call Mrs Tess Spark on 9972 5721 during opening hours or email teresa.spark@tphs.nsw.edu.au.

NOTE: School Uniform Shop Temporary Closure

The School Shop will be closed from: Monday 22nd to Friday 26th November. It will re-open on Monday 29th November as per regular hours.