Dear Parents,
It is hard to believe that we have 3 weeks left of the school year and it is less than a month before Christmas. The next few weeks will be extremely busy as we begin the countdown to the end of the year.
150 Year Commemorative Assembly
This year, 2022 marks the 150th Anniversary of Normanhurst Public School. " The school has a long history in the local community which holds very high expectations for academic achievement and personal development." P.G. Williamson, Editor 125 Commemorative Booklet
As we acknowledge and celebrate 150 years of education at Normanhurst PS I am proud that we continue to uphold the values that are deeply embedded in our school and school community. The school continues to provide opportunities for students to reach their potential and we can proudly say that every child is known, valued and cared for. This week we honour the past and look to the future. Thank you to Ms Alison Taylor and Ms Ingrid Blair for all your organisation. To the young historians who have collaborated to create the presentations to mark this historic milestone, well done. We look forward to welcoming past students to our wonderful school on Thursday.
Art Auction
The Art Auction is still live. If you have not yet bought your raffle tickets please do so. The artworks created by the students are beautiful and will make a wonderful addition to any home as well as a great memory of your child's year at school.
Social Media
We are seeing that students are quite familiar with the social media platforms Tik Tok and Instagram and a few other social media platforms. It is critical that we all work together to support our children with the time they spend online, access devices and monitor what they watch as well and the information they are exposed to. A reminder that most of the social media platforms are designed for children 13 years and older and many of our students do not have the social and emotional skills to navigate the online content they engage with.
Each social media site and app has its own criteria for minimum age requirements. Most require users to be at least 13 years of age before they can register, although some sites are created especially for children under 13. Wonderful resources and ideas are available through the e-safety commissioner.
https://www.esafety.gov.au/parents
Please access our school website and look for the SchoolTV webpage/link for more support and ideas.
https://normanhurs-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/
Leadership Teams 2023
Congratulations to the 2023 Leadership Team, the following students have been voted by their peers Isabella H, Zara T, April A, Millie O, Zac Z, Fletcher B, Lachlan M and Leo M. I would like to acknowledge all the students who put themselves forward for the nomination it takes courage and resilience to address your peers and teachers well-done everyone. I would like to highly commend all students. The speeches presented were well-planned, thoughtful and engaging. The school captains and vice captains will be announced at the 3-6 Presentation Day on Thursday December 15.
Congratulations to the following students who have been nominated as Sports Leaders for 2023.
Waratah - Jaxon K, Nathan C, Adele P, Sophia F
Banksia - Riley L, Andie H, Eden M, Sarina S
Eucalypt - Natalie R, Aurelia Z, Douglas R, Jack W
Acacia - Ruby G, Oliver W, Jenson C, Paige J
The sports captains and vice captains will be announced at 3-6 Presentation Day on Thursday December 15.
Reporting to Parents
Teachers complete formal written reports to families twice per school year. Teachers are currently completing Semester 2 reports which will be issued to parents and carers on Thursday 15th December, 2022
Reports are a summary of your child's progress for each semester. The majority of students are expected to achieve in the sound level on school reports. Achievement is assessed and identified across the five bands which include:
Outstanding, High, Sound, Basic, Limited
It is vital that all students know that there is always more to learn and that learning is a journey they are on throughout their lives.
End of Year Gifts
We request that children not exchange food gifts such as candy canes this year due to the easy transmission of the COVID and other viruses. Sticky fingers make for an unsafe environment.
Update your details – returning late in 2023
Please remember to provide up-to-date address, email, and phone contact information when it changes. Email the office normanhurs-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au your changes including the names of each child and their class. Please email the school if you are returning late to school in 2023, we need to know this information for class planning.
Classes and Numbers
As the year is ending, we are currently planning for next year. At this stage, our numbers are changing daily. Next year we are expecting to make 16 classes. Due to numbers these classes will include composite classes and single grade classes. Class structure is determined by the staffing formula provided by the Department of Education. The placing of children into new classes is a complex and time-consuming process as each year we strive to ensure that we have well-balanced classes. This process is currently taking place. When forming balanced classes, many factors are taken into consideration: academic ability, special needs such as learning support, English as an additional language or dialect, behavioural and social needs, medical needs and learning behaviours. As this is a very complex task, and as I have mentioned in previous Newsletters, we do not take parent requests for teachers or for students to be placed together. Teachers use their professionalism as they place students in a class that will best meet student's educational needs. Thank you for your support with this process.
Stationary Lists for 2023
Stationary lists are included in this week’s Newsletter for your information. They will also be available on our website.
Presentation Days 2023
Notes will be sent home later this week informing you if your child is receiving an award. Please arrive 10 min before the official start time. We thank you in advance for your support. We are very excited to welcome you on site but please keep in mind that we are required to host a COVID safe event. Thank you Ms Moore for all your hard work and organisation.
Warm regards,
Jacqui Gordon
