Dear Parents/Carers,

We are nearing the busy end of the year with many upcoming events. Things will go ahead in modified formats due to the COVID restrictions but we have plans for our major events.

The elections for 2021 student leaders are scheduled for 25.11.20. Students will present their speeches to the Stage 3 classes and the rest of the school will zoom into the presentations. Parents of the students presenting speeches will be able to join by zoom also.

We have a Dharug language workshop planned for 30.11.20. The Darug people are the traditional owners of the land on which our school and most of Sydney is situated on. Classes will participate in a workshop to explore and become familiar with some of the Dharug language.

We have an exciting activity planned for party day so look out for the details which will be sent out soon.

The Year 6 Farewell will be a Year 6 only activity this year held on 9.12.20. We will have a modified graduation assembly on 14.12.20 and details will be firmed up closer to the date

We had planned to update the report format and use SENTRAL reports for our Semester 2 reporting. Unfortunately the set up and training was more complex than we anticipated and it was not possible to complete before semester 2 reports were due to be prepared. We will aim for Semester 1 report next year to use the revised format.  We gathered parent feedback on reporting. Parents generally agreed the reports gave them valuable information on their child’s skills and  progress. Some parents asked about where children were in relation to the rest of the class or grade, you can request your child’s teacher give you details of the percentage of children in each achievement level. It is important to remember reporting process is a summative report of all work across the semester, it isn’t based on individual assessments or tests but rather all the work completed. We have a strong emphasis on  ensuring children understand and can apply what they learn, if we focus on individual assessments it encourages learning for the test and not to develop a deeper understanding of concepts. The semester 2 reports will go home on Wednesday 9.12.20.

Regards,​

We are currently taking Kindergarten enrolments for 2021.

Students who will turn 5 before the 31 July 2021 are able to enrol in Kindergarten.

Kindergarten enrolments must be in as soon as possible.

Please call the office on 9631-8253 or email the school at pendlehill-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au

 Students should be at school unless:

• they have a medical certificate which states that they are unable to return to school due to an ongoing medical condition and the expected timeframe
• they are currently unwell. 

Please Note: Students absent for 3 days or more require a Dr's Certificate when they return to school.

Stay up to date with Opal and ticketing changes for school travel.

See File below.

As parent access to the school grounds is still restricted, we will be taking uniform shop orders using the following procedure. Orders and payment must be placed in an envelope in the box located at the Smith Street entrance on Monday mornings. These orders will be filled and sent home with children. Please use the attached order form, clearly indicating the students name/class and size required (size range is - 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16).

Unfortunately, orders will not be filled unless accompanied with the correct cash payment, as we are not yet able to accept electronic payments. Orders CANNOT be made through the school website. Should you have any questions, please contact us through our P&C Facebook page - Pendle Hill Public School P&C association.

Unfortunately due to COVID-19 restrictions children are currently not able to bring lolly bags or other items to share with their classmates on their birthday.

A reminder that visitors, including parents, are only allowed on school grounds during the day for essential business. This would generally only be to attend a prearranged meeting with staff members, to collect a child if they were sick, or to leave school early for some good reason. Please make all other enquires by phone. We are processing 2021 Kindergarten and preschool enrolments electronically. Email the school for details.

Parents/ carers of K-6 children may enter the grounds at drop off times between 8.25 am and 8.55 am and from 2.45 pm to collect children. Please make sure your child is at school by 8.55 am each morning. If you have older children please try to meet and drop them at the gates. Preschool and Early Intervention parents are able to enter outside these times to collect and drop off children.

It is great to see all of our students back full time. Thank you for assisting at drop off and pick up times.

Children can be dropped off between 8.25-8.55 am. Any children arriving after this time will be marked as late in the roll. From tomorrow morning we will be shutting the Pendle Way gate when the morning bell has gone and anyone entering the site will need to enter through Smith Street after this time. It is really important children arrive by bell time each day, children arriving late interrupt the class and miss out on learning time. If a child is late 10 minutes each day this equals over a week of learning time lost over the school year.

In the afternoon parents should not enter the school until 2.45 pm, unless you are collecting a pre-schooler.  Older children should meet their parents at the gate. Please leave the ground as soon as you have collected your child. This will assist with physical distancing on site.

SEVEN HILLS TOONGABBIE CRICKET CLUB 2020-21

Seven Hills has a proud history stretching back to 1928 as a successful community based cricket club playing in the Parramatta District Cricket Association.  While Seven Hills has produced some quality players including Australian cricketer Doug Bollinger, our focus is fostering a family environment and ensuring everyone gets a game, no matter what their ability.

5/6V being creative making the Aboriginal, Australian and Torres Strait Islander flags for NAIDOC WEEK activities.

Preschool have been involved in many activities to commemorate NAIDOC week “Always was always will be”.

We were creative and used a variety of methods to paint using our hands and natural materials collected from our yard.               

Issue 8 is out now. Closing date 27th November.

Please remember LOOP (ONLINE) ORDERS ONLY.   

No Cash or Orders will be taken at the School Office.

Appreciation is not just about celebrating achievements, it’s about recognising the every day positive qualities in people, like kindness and courage and loyalty.

Have you celebrated the people in your family lately?

Take the time to do it this week by joining our Family Connect ‘Appreciation’ Challenge.

To find out how, go to go to www.familyconnect.org.au

Over the past two terms, Pendle Hill PS has been working on their Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP), which is a requirement of all NSW government schools.  Many many hours of work has been invested by teachers and executive to ensure the plan is reflective of our high expectations and aspirations for students at our school. Teachers have been planning, participating in professional development, presenting professional development and collaborating together to build the SIP. On Tuesday, teachers were involved in learning about and developing the vision for our school. Teachers recorded their aspirations and strengths of our school and it was incredible to share these insights with each other. We look forward to consulting with the community in the following months to finalise our vision and Strategic Improvement Plan 2021-2024.

What is a Strategic Improvement Plan?

A Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) is a working document that details the steps your school will take to improve learning outcomes, and the achievement and growth of all students. To ensure continuous improvement, the Strategic Improvement Plan (SIP) reflects where your school is at and how it will further improve learning, teaching and leading.The school plan School improvement is at the heart of the work we do as teachers and school leaders, and needs to ‘touch every classroom’, be the work of every teacher and impact every student.

School improvement and why it matters!

School improvement is a continuous process, centred on maximising outcomes for all students, and sustaining this improvement over time. Fostering equity and excellence in our school is underpinned by a strong moral purpose, and founded upon a shared commitment to ensuring growth and achievement for all students, no matter where they live or what kind of learning challenges they may face. School improvement is grounded in rigorous self-assessment and analysis of your school's current situation with respect to student outcomes and teaching and leadership practices.

It uses a rich evidence base of quantitative and qualitative data, and is:

• research informed
• continuous
• focused on improving learning, teaching and leadership practices.

Explicit use of data enables you to closely monitor student progress and achievement, allowing you to 'put a face to the data'. It supports a collective responsibility for understanding the needs of every student in your school.

All working together towards improvement

The learning of all teachers and leaders is as important as student learning. A deliberate and purposeful focus on continuously developing the capabilities of all teachers and leaders in your school is fundamental to school improvement.

When we work towards being a great school that meets the needs of all of our students, together we are:

• ensuring our students learn through engaging teaching
• leading with a clear vision based on shared values
• partnering proactively with others, especially parents, carers and the local community
• engaging our learners, teachers and leaders in reflection and decision-making
• focusing our culture on student growth, attainment and wellbeing
• strategically targeting all our resources to achieve the student growth, attainment, and wellbeing we have planned.

Schools are safe and open for full time face-to-face learning

All schools are returning to full on-campus learning from Monday 25 May.

All school activities and operations will be in line with Australian Health

Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) and NSW Health guidelines

as applicable.

School students do not need to follow physical distancing guidelines, but

should follow good hygiene practices like:

• Regularly washing hands

• Avoiding sharing drinks or food

• Coughing or sneezing into your elbow, or a tissue which should be

discarded immediately.

POSS BOXES

Each class has a box to collect their Penny Possum tickets for following our school expectations: Helpful, Safe, Respectful Learners.  When the box is filled with tickets the class choose a reward that they suggested earlier in the term.

Many classes are close to achieving their reward, so keep on going Pendle Hill!

Congratulations! You have worked hard as a team to fill your Penny Possum box. We look forward to hearing about your class reward. 

Have you changed your Phone Numbers or Address? If so please complete the slip below and return to the office. Only changed details need to be included. (One slip per family is fine.)

Our preferred method of payment is online. You can do this easily by clicking the button below.You can do this easily by clicking the button below.

School attendance

All students should be at school unless:

• They have a medical certificate which states that they are unable to return to school due to an ongoing medical condition

• They are currently unwell.

Students who have a medical certificate to stay at home will be supported to learn from home in line with regular procedures if they are

able to. These regular procedures are different to what was offered during the learning from home period. If you require work to be provided

to your child whilst they are at home due to an underlying health condition, you should contact the school for assistance.

Please note, students who live with a family member in one of the categories identified as being at increased risk by the AHPPC, should

attend school unless a medical practitioner advises otherwise in writing.

If your child is unwell, do not send them to school. If they are unwell at school you or your nominated emergency contact will need to collect them immediately. Please make sure your contact details are up to date.

If a student is absent without a medical reason for more than three days, this will be recorded as an unauthorised absence and followed up by

the school.

Students absent for 3 days or more require a Dr's Certificate when they return to school.

If you need any support to get your child back to school, please contact your school.

Remember, the school needs to be notified of any absences. You can do this by:

1. Skoolbag - this is the best way to contact the school 

2. Writing a note

3. Speaking to your child's teacher

4. Calling the school