Normanhurst Public School

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.

We acknowledge the traditional custodians of this land - the Dharug people. We extend this respect to the elders, past and present of the Wannagini Nation and to all Aboriginal people here with us today. Always was and always will be, Aboriginal land. 

Normanhurst PS is beginning to use the Sentral for Parents App to communicate with parents on everything that is happening at school in real time.

You will have received an email with information regarding the app and how to sign up to the Parent Portal to link with your child’s profile. Please ensure you read the email carefully and follow all of the steps to gain access. We require all families to register for the Sentral for Parents app as overtime we plan to make the Sentral for Parents app a one stop shop for all communications. .

Please be patient as we work through any teething problems and adjust to the new system.

Dear Parents,

This is our final newsletter for 2022. Once again It has been a year like no other we have  experienced, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for the support provided to us throughout the year as we navigated another year of COVID. 

As a school and a community we look forward to celebrating our students achievements on Thursday 15 November at our K-2 and 3-6 Presentation Day Assemblies. 

To our Year Six students who are moving to their high schools in 2023, thank you for the contribution you have made to Normanhurst Public School will always have a special place in our hearts.

Thank you to our teachers and staff for the commitment, collegiality and professionalism you have committed to ensure our students experience wonderful learning opportunities. Working alongside you this year, has been a privilege!

Thank you to the parents, carers and grandparents who have supported the school in 2022. We look forward to working with you in 2023 to achieve even greater things.

For those families who are leaving Normanhurst PS, I wish you all the best for 2023 and beyond.

To everyone who is returning in 2023, there is a lot to look forward to! 

2023 

Year 1 - 6 are to return to their 2022 classroom first day back, January 31.

On behalf of the staff, I would like to wish you all a safe and happy holiday season. It is time for everyone to rest, recover, reflect, rebalance, recalibrate and rejuvenate.

Warm regards,

Jacqui Gordon

Last night was our Year 6 Farewell and Graduation Ceremony. The students had a wonderful time singing and dancing the night away. 

There are many people to thank for the success of the evening. A big thank you to our fabulous parent community, specifically: 

• Andrew Veldon who generously donated the function room at Magpies.  
• Lauren Erickson for her outstanding photography skills on the night.  
• Bill Penrose for the absolutely scrumptious cupcakes. 
• Michelle Adrian for the spectacular balloon display. 
• The sensational Year 5 parents who helped organise, decorate, set up and pack up on the night. Your help has been instrumental and greatly appreciated. 

Last Thursday, Year 6 students hosted the Mini Fete. There were 15 amazing stalls available for students to visit. The event was highly successful and that is largely attributed to the hard work of our Year 6 students and the support of the Normanhurst Community. Thank you for ordering a sausage sizzle, donating items to the White Elephant Stall and sending in wallets full of coins that allowed students to engage in activities. Our Year 6 students were small business owners for the day and worked tirelessly at both the K-2 and 3-6 sessions. Their hard work paid off as they raised a total of $4700. This money will allow Year 6 to purchase a gift for the school in their memory. 

Here's what some of our Year 6 students had to say about the day: 

“I felt like I was running a small business. I liked taking initiative and being a leader on the day” – Hoon K 

“Selling everything at the White Elephant Stall was such a great experience” – Ieuan S 

“It was fun to practise having a job” – Adrian G 

“It was fun to watch kids complete our activities” – Kahleb G 

“It was a great experience because I got to work with my friends” – Liv P 

“It was an excellent experience that was enjoyed by all” – Dom Z 

“It was great to see all the kids reactions to our hard work” – Zoe P 

“It was nice to be able to help the younger students enjoy the day, like helping count money” – Robbie L 

“Mini Fete was very exciting, and I enjoyed setting up a stall with my friends” – Willow H 

“It was crazy and chaotic, but it was great at the same time” – Claudia B 

“My group did really well, it was fun to run a stall and be in charge with my friend” - Mitch C 

“I found the mini fete very enjoyable, and I liked doing it with my friends” – Tom C 

That’s a wrap on our second ‘For the Love of Reading’ challenge. Well done to all students who participated and continued to develop a joy of reading for pleasure. As a school we collectively read 8762 hours. We fell just short of our goal of 9000 hours but we did have 1 week less than last term.  

Congratulations to our winning classes and students: 

K-2: 1N 

3-6: 4T 

The Peer Reading program was a great success and a HUGE thank you to our very dedicated peer tutors. The Kindergarten and Stage 1 students truly benefited from the regular reading and working with other students to improve their reading skills. This program will restart in Term 1 next year, bigger and better!

Year 2 students participated in swim school everyday in Weeks 8-9. Every student improved in their swimming skills and gained confidence in the water. All the students consistently displayed the school values and can be commended for their respectful behaviour, their responsibility for their belongings and their striving for success in improving their swimming ability.

Wasn’t it wonderful to see our Concert Band in action at the 150 year commemorative assembly! Thank you to those parents who helped set up and pack away afterwards.

There is a lot going on for our bands as the school year wraps up. Please take some time to read through the following and contact us at npsbandinfo@gmail.com if you have any queries:

Presentation Day: Thursday 15 December

● There will be no morning rehearsal, but all band students should bring their instruments and music as both bands are playing at the Presentation Day assemblies.

● Concert Band will play for the Yr 3-6 assembly commencing at 9:30am, and Training Band + year 6 band members will play for the K-2 assembly commencing at 11:30am.

● We would love a couple of parent helpers to set up from 9:00am and pack away after the K-2 assembly. Please contact us at npsbandinfo@gmail.com if you can assist.

Christmas Concert: Thursday 15 December

● We will finish off our year with a combined Training and Concert Band performance at the Christmas Concert. Please wear something Christmassy and arrive at the hall from 5:30pm (no later than 5:45pm) for a 6:00pm start.

● Following the performance, all band students are to return to the hall to officially sign out of band for the year and return hire instruments, blue Training Band folders and red Concert Band folders.

● We would love some parent volunteers to help move percussion instruments before the performance and pack up afterwards. Please come directly to the hall when arriving with your children.

● If your child will not be attending the concert, please let us know at npsbandinfo@gmail.com.

2022 Creative Kids vouchers

● If you still have a current Creative Kids voucher (expiring 31 December 2022) and would like to use it as a pre-payment toward band fees for 2023, please email us as soon as possible with your child’s full name, your child’s date of birth, and the voucher number.

2023 bands

● Training Band 2023: thank you to all those who have returned their signed Code of Conduct. Please keep them coming! In the meantime, our Instrument Hire Coordinator is busily endeavouring to accommodate hire requests. If you have not already done so, please let us know as soon as possible if you are hoping to hire an instrument through

us. There are more Training Band students than there are instruments available for hire so please do move quickly.

● Concert Band 2023: families who have been hiring instruments from us in 2022 and are continuing in the Band Program in 2023 will be aware that 2023 instrument hire preference will be given to Training Band. However, please let us know if you would be interested in rehiring an instrument if the option becomes available.

Social and informal P&C meeting

Thank you to everyone who joined us on Monday night, we covered some interesting topics in a social atmosphere and it was great to meet other school parents face-to-face!

Please join us in Week 5 of Term 1 in 2023 - next year (date TBA) for our next one…!

P&C Contact Emails

OFFICEBEARERS:
~ P&C President: Bonita Chan (re-elected) president@npspandc.com
~ Vice President 1: Andrew Veldon (re-elected) vp@npspandc.com
~ Vice President 2: Emma-Jane Anderson (new) vp2@npspandc.com
~ Treasurer: VACANT (still seeking) treasurer@npspandc.com
~ Secretary: Brooke Lennox (re-elected) secretary@npspandc.com

COMMITTEE:
~ Band President: Leah Manwaring (new) bandpresident@npspandc.com
~ Fundraising: Eve Quigley (re-elected) fundraising@npspandc.com
~ Building Fund: Ian Air (re-elected) building@npspandc.com
~ Grounds: Ian Air (re-elected) grounds@npspandc.com
~ Canteen Convenor: Louise Farag (new) canteencommittee@npspandc.com
~ Uniform Shop: Amelia Sharpham (new) uniformcommittee@npspandc.com
~ Parent Coordinator: Alex Robertson (new) parent.coord@npspandc.com

NOTE: At our last General Meeting, Louise Farag was nominated at the election but was considering the position; she has officially accepted the role now so please Welcome her to my team as Canteen Convenor, taking over from Kerri Wickenden!! :) Thank you Kerri for all your support over the last year and doing the handovers to Amelia and Louise, I will still look forward to seeing you in our Sub-Committees!

Sub-Committee positions were not re-elected however the team from the previous year have verbally confirmed they are happy to continue on. I will require you to please be present in our next meeting next year so we can officialize this in our minutes. Thank you to Kerri, Jeanne, Jess, Michelle, who have agreed to stay on. I will be in touch with each of you shortly. :)

Bonita Chan
NPS P&C Association President
president@npspandc.com

Orders placed during school holidays

The Uniform Shop is now closed for the year and will reopen on Friday 27th January. Online orders received during school holidays will be delivered to your child’s classroom on the first Friday of Term 1 2023. The online shop is available at - https://www.npspandc.com/uniform/.

Opening dates 2023

Appointments are available to visit the Uniform Shop prior to children returning to school next year on Friday 27th January and Monday 30th January. Appointments are also available for Kindy families on the Best Start Interview days. Please book at - https://signup.com/go/ULfAxAF.

Volunteers needed

If you can spare an hour or two we would love your help to organise our pre-loved items, pack orders and assist families visiting the Uniform Shop. Please sign up at - https://signup.com/go/JkjVueE.

Back to School NSW Vouchers

The Uniform Shop will be accepting the Back to School NSW vouchers for payment towards school uniforms in 2023. The program will provide 3 x $50 vouchers, totalling $150 for each eligible child. Apply for vouchers at www.service.nsw.gov.au.

Any questions? Please email me at uniformshop@npspandc.com if you have any questions or can’t find what you are looking for on our online shop.

Merry Christmas and have a fun and relaxing break! See you in 2023!

Kristie Whitehead
Uniform Shop Manager
uniformshop@npspandc.com

A HUGE thank you and farewell to Linda (also known as Nana or Nana Linda by the children) Your children probably know her even if you don’t!, she is Caroline from Year 5’s Grandmother. This amazing woman has volunteered in the canteen all day almost every Friday for the last 5 years. She has been the most tremendous support and help to me and I am extremely grateful for all her help and support, I couldn’t have done it all without her!

The reason we haven’t had to push for volunteers on Fridays for the last 5 years: Linda

The only way we have been able to keep our current Friday menu when preparing 150+ orders on a Friday: Linda

The reason your child gets served quickly at the counter on Friday: Linda

Now that Linda is leaving the NPS family we need Regular volunteers especially on Fridays. PLEASE consider helping in the canteen in 2023. We will be using Signup.com for rostering so have a look and see where you can help. Contact me if you would like to know more. The children love to see you in the canteen and it is a fun place to help. https://signup.com/go/aLYOqAD

Please pop up and check if we have your children's lost property, we do our best to return lost property.

Please ensure that all your items are labelled with both their first and last name clearly - otherwise it won't find it's way back home!   

Thank you! 

Office Staff