Drummoyne Public School

Term 1 Week 4 Newsletter - Friday 23 February 2024

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Dear Drummoyne PS Community,

Parent Information Session Wrap-up

It was fantastic to see so many of you attend our parent information sessions this week and a big thank you to our wonderful team of teachers for their preparation and presentations. Research tells us that a positive home-school relationship and parental /family involvement in school-based learning activities is strongly correlated with improved student outcomes. I hope you found your teacher’s presentations informative and now feel more comfortable to reach out to your child’s teacher in order to continue to build a positive learning partnership for your child/ren.

Learning and Support Team (L&ST)

Continuing in the same vein, I had the pleasure of being part of Personalised Learning and Support Plan (PLaSP) meetings with parents, this week, organised by our L&ST coordinator, Leigh Russ. Our L&ST provides extra support for teachers and identified students and, this year, we are looking to refine our L&ST practices in order to maximise parent/family engagement and best support our students. Please look out for updates from Ms Russ in the newsletter (there’s one this week!) to stay informed about L&ST initiatives and how the team works, in partnership with you, to maximise learning and wellbeing for our students.

February P&C Meeting Wrap-up

The first P&C meeting for the year was very well attended and I enjoyed having the opportunity to share a detailed picture of where our school is at, outline a few of my school improvement priorities for the year  and begin the ongoing dialogue around how the P&C and the school can support each other to achieve our shared objectives. As a part of our school community, there are many ways for you to get involved and support the school. I strongly encourage you all to come along to the next meeting (Tuesday 18th March @ 7:30pm) to learn a little more about the school and see how you can contribute.

Every Day Matters: Regular Attendance

The evidence is clear that consistent attendance is the essential first step for your child to have a positive experience at school. Every day matters for your child’s learning and, in recent years, we’ve seen too many students miss valuable days of school. 

Help us make sure your child is achieving their best and stays ahead in their learning with regular school attendance. The more time your child attends school, the greater their opportunity to learn, make new friends and improve their wellbeing. If your child is absent from school, please let us know why as soon as possible, even if it’s just a few minutes at the start or end of the school day. Where possible, medical appointments should take place outside school hours and family holidays should be taken in term breaks.

If your child is feeling anxious about coming to school and you need support, please reach out to your child’s teacher or to me directly. We are here to work with you and your child to help them attend school each and every day. There are also helpful resources for parents and carers on the 
Every Day Matters website.

Regards,

John Nguyen​

Principal 

john.nguyen34@det.n​sw.edu.au 

Upcoming Events

Week 5

Tuesday 27 February

2.40pm Primary Assembly (years 3-6) in the Hall - Class 3/4 Hosting. SRC badges presented

Wednesday 28 February

8.30am Stage 2 Choir - meet Ms Champion at front gate

8.30am Stage 3 Choir in the Library

Friday 1 March2.35pm Clean Up DPS Day

Week 6

Tuesday 5 March

2.40pm Infants Assembly (years K-2) in the Hall- Class 1/2P Hosting. SRC badges presented

Week 7

12 March

2.40pm Primary Assembly. House Captains hosting. Swimming carnival ribbons being presented
13 - 25 March NAPLAN for students in years 3 & 5
21 MarchHarmony Day
12 AprilLast Day of Term 1

Term 2

29 April

Staff Development Day - no students at school
30 April First Day of Term 2 for students
3 MayCross Country Carnival
19 June Athletics Carnival
26-28 June

Year 6 Canberra overnight excursion

Year 5 Bathurst overnight excursion

FROM THE DEPUTY'S DESK

Student Attendance - the importance of arriving to school on time

Arriving at school and class on time:

  • Ensures that students do not miss out on important learning activities scheduled early in the day
  • Helps students learn the importance of punctuality and routine
  • Gives students time to greet their friends before class
  • Reduces classroom disruption

Lateness is recorded as a partial absence and must be explained by parents. Please support your child to arrive at school on time, ready to learn each day. This will help set them up for success later in life.

Dianne Colb

Deputy Principal

PBL

Principal's Awards and Principal's Badges

Students receive values certificates from their teachers throughout the year for demonstrating our values of Respect, Responsibility and Resilience.

Once a student receives 5 values certificates, they are able to trade them in at the school office for a Principal's Award.  The 5 values certificates can be a combination of the 3 school values and come from any year the student has been in. 

Once the student has received 3 Principal's Awards, they can bring those 3 awards to the school office and choose their Principal's Badge from one of the 3 values.  

Principal's Awards

Respect Awards - Rawson says congratulations to:

  • Sophie P - 1/2K
  • Matthew L - 1/2M

Responsibility Awards - Monty says congratulations to:

  • Quinn T - 1/2D
  • Darcy W - 1/2J

Principal's Badges

Mr Nguyen says congratulations to:

  • Harrison H - 1/2P - Responsibility

This week's assembly was hosted by class 1/2M

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SRC Elections

Congratulations to all our Semester One SRC representatives.

Stage 2 & 3 SRC representatives will be presented with their badges at the 3-6 assembly on Tuesday 27th February. 

Stage 1 SRC Representatives will be presented with their badges at the K-2 assembly on Tuesday 5th March.

Sam Davis

The Learning & Support Team

This year the Learning and Support Team will continue to provide the Building Resilience in Children (BRIC) social skills program. BRIC seeks to provide students with the opportunity to interact and communicate with others and access to play and social opportunities with other children. Additionally, the BRIC club helps children to develop and reinforce play and social skills. 

Rationale 

BRIC clubs make use of LEGO to create structured play opportunities for students to learn and practise communication and social skills alongside other students. BRIC activities are known to help children improve their communication, joint task focus, sharing, and turn-taking as well as their collaborative problem-solving skills. Students work in small teams across the course of the term to build creations using Lego. 

Student participation 

Students are welcome to come along next week to the BRIC session. The program will be run in the Kindergarten playroom on Tuesdays and Thursdays at lunchtime.Students will be grouped into teams of 3 students. In each group, 2 students are identified by the Learning and Support Team staff as those who would benefit from this type of play therapy to support their communication and social skills. The third student is a Year 6 student leader who will facilitate the play under the supervision of a teacher.  

BRIC club is held each Tuesday and Thursday from 11:30am-12:10pm in the Kindergarten playroom. During these 40 minutes, students will participate in 10-minute rotations being in different roles. These are: 

  • The Architect – this student has the instructions to build the model 
  • The Supplier – the student has control of all the block/brick pieces 
  • The Builder – the student is responsible for putting the model together 
Please let your child know they are very welcome to join us.

Leigh Russ

Assistant Principal

Clean Up DPS Day

Next Friday, 1st of March, is clean up DPS Day! Please bring tongs and/or gloves.

Clean up Australia Day started as Clean Up Sydney Harbour Day way back in 1989 and has been growing ever since. Each year thousands of school students across Australia clean up their schools to create a healthy environment and conserve our beautiful country.

You will be seeing some posters around the school about clean up DPS Day, that we have worked very hard on.

Many thanks,

Ava, Phoebe S, Sophia, Juno, Blake, Korney, Joe, Rivi, Kieran and Phillipa

2024 environmental leaders 

Choir news

Stage 2 Choir

We look forward to seeing any year 3 or 4 students at 8.30am on Wednesday to begin our year of singing. We have chosen the first two songs to learn and are excited to begin. 

Remember that the first few weeks are a 'trial' session and we encourage EVERYONE that is a little curious to come along to test your vocal chords. A list of students who are willing to commit to the choir will be taken towards the end of term. 

Ms Champion and Ms Sole

Attention Stage 3 singers!

Stage 3 Choir will be starting next Wednesday (28th February) at 8:30am. Rehearsals will be weekly, and they will be held in the library. Students are to refer to Google Classroom for any updates regarding our songs or rehearsals. If you have any questions or are wanting to join, please come and let me know before Wednesday. 

Stage 3 Choir is a commitment. Members are expected to arrive promptly at 8:30am for rehearsals each Wednesday, with their practice materials. They are also required to practice our repertoire during the week between rehearsals. Please consider these requirements before coming to rehearsals. All Stage 3 students who are interested are welcome. Looking forward to singing with you all soon.

 Miss Xenos

Stage 1 Choir

Stage 1 Choir will be held each Monday at second-half lunch in the KB classroom. Year 1 and 2 students are welcome to come and sing for enjoyment - the more the merrier.

Mrs Buchanan

Year 6 to Year 7 transition to High School

In NSW Government schools, moving from primary school to high school is called the 'Year 6 to Year 7 transition'.

Applications will open in March. All year 6 parents are asked to fill in the expression of interest application (EOI) or placement not required application (PNR) on our school website, found at : https://year7.enrol.education.nsw.gov.au/?schoolCode=1774

Expression of interest in a government high school

If you would like your child to attend a government high school in 2024, you will need to complete an expression of interest for Year 6 to 7 transition. You may choose to accept a place at your local high school or select up to three preferences besides your local high school, and the process has three rounds that take place over the course of a year. Please fill in the selection criteria with as many reasons as possible. After you submit this expression of interest and it has been assessed, your child will be offered a place at a government high school.

Placement not required in a government high school

If your child will not require a placement in a government high school next year (ie, if they have accepted a place for 2024 at a private, independent, Catholic or interstate school) you still need to complete a placement not required application (PNR) also found on our school website.

The EOI & PNR  process is now available online. Please click on the above link or visit the enrolment section on the DPS website.

If you are unable to complete the process online, a paper form is available from the school office. Applications close on Friday 5 April 2024.

Leigh Russ

Assistant Principal

Volunteers needed for Friday morning Ethics classes

 Do you have half an hour a week? Volunteer as an ethics teacher!

In ethics lessons, students explore everyday issues suitable for their age. They learn to think and listen carefully, to make decisions backed by good reasons and evidence, to discuss and disagree without putdowns. As an ethics teacher, you’ll get a lot out of it too! 

Our volunteers come from all walks of life. They can be parents, grandparents, uni students or local community members. You don’t need past teaching experience. Primary Ethics offers full, free training, lesson scripts and ongoing teaching support.  

Curious? Please email Helen Kerr-Roubicek on Kerrroubicekhelen@gmail.com

 or scan this QR code to visit primaryethics.com.au/volunteer

ALL THINGS SPORTY

2024 Drummoyne School Swimming Carnival

A huge congratulations to all students who participated in our school swimming carnival last Friday 16th February. It was great to see our students enjoying themselves in both the races and the splash pool. The participation and effort was outstanding!

Thank you to all student helpers and teachers for making the day a huge success. 

Age champions and house points will be announced along with the presenting of the ribbons at the week 7 Primary assembly on Tuesday 12 March.

Special congratulations goes to Sam Allport for breaking the DPS record for the 50m freestyle which has been held for the last 20 years!

A full report will be published in an upcoming newsletter.

Amanda Champion & Leah Pegler

Junior State Touch football Cup in Wagga Wagga last weekend

Last weekend five DPS students competed in the Junior State Touch football Cup in Wagga Wagga.

Juliette and Ella were part of the under 12 Girls team who won the Junior State Cup Final, beating local hosts Wagga Wagga with a score of 11 to 6. It was a monumental occasion for the Balmain club as it was the first time since 2010 that a Balmain team has won a final.  It was also the first time one of their girls teams has ever won a title! The girls finished with a record of 11 games played, 11 games one, scored 60 tries, conceded only  15 tries .

Juliette and Ella along with the rest of their team will play the winner of the Northern Conference (played this weekend in Dubbo) in the best of three final series on Sunday 3 March to see who will be crowned Overall State Cup Champion.

Isaac played in the under 12 boys comp.  In a very tough competition the boys played 6, Won 2, drew 2 and lost 2, narrowly missing out on the quarter finals (on tries scored for and against differential).

Maeve was in the 10 girls team who finished second in their pool, winning 5 out of its 6 games. They comfortably won their quarter final match but went down in the semi final to eventual winners Cronulla.  It was a brilliant performance by the girls to finish with a record of Played 8, Won 6, scoring 33 tries and conceding 20.

Maksim played in the 10 boys competition. The boys performed fantastically, topping their pool only losing one game.  They went down in the quarter final by the narrowest of margins 8-9 (under a modified finals scoring system which meant they actually scored the same number of tries as their opposition but the opposition scored the all important first try).  Maksim's team played 7, Won 5, Lost 2, scored 62 tries and only conceded 11.

Pathway programs for primary school students

The School Sport Unit is conducting a series of trials to select area teams for the following state selection pathway programs for primary school students: 

  • NSW Australian Football Primary All Schools Girls 12 Years and Under Selection Pathway.
  • NSW Netball Primary All Schools Boys 12 Years and Under Selection Pathway.


The attached flyers have the upcoming trial and registration details. Parents/carers must register their child and can access the registration form via the QR Code on the flyer. Other trial information can also be easily accessed through the flyer

HELPING YOUR CHILD WITH THE NEW CURRICULUM

Beck Cantlay

Assistant Principal Curriculum & Instruction

STEAM

Upcoming Art Competitions

The Young Archie's

The Art Gallery of New South Wales invites budding artists between the ages of 5 and 18 to submit a portrait for the Young Archie competition.

The portrait must be of a person who is special to you – someone who is known to you and who knows you and plays a significant role in your life.

For more information please see:

https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/prizes/young-archie/enter/

The Harmony Day Poster Competition

This competition is open to school students in all schools in Australia. Entries are based on the student’s school year for 2024.

Students can enter an A3 drawing, painting or mixed media work based on the theme: Harmony – what can we do?

For more information see: 

https://movingforwardtogether.org.au/poster-competition/

Belinda Richmond

Art / STEAM Teacher

More swimming carnival photos

GENERAL NEWS

Sydney Secondary College, Balmain Campus Open Night

Today  staff and ex-students from Sydney Secondary College (Balmain) visited to share with our primary students the transition opportunities and wide variety of school activities offered at SSC.

Families are invited to attend the school's Open Night on March 4th from 5-7pm.

See flyer QR code below for more information.

OFFICE NEWS

SMS Messaging

In an effort to make it easier for parents to notify the school of a student absence, we are using SMS messaging. At 10am each morning, if your child has been marked absent, you will receive an SMS message to your phone. You will then be able to respond via a phone call, email or reply via Audiri with the reason for your child's absence.

 If you have documentation supporting the absence (such as a medical certificate), please send it to school with your child when they return. 

Important - Please update your group subscriptions in Audiri ASAP

This year, our school will be beginning to streamline some of our communication practices in an effort to keep our school community engaged and informed. As part of this process, we ask that you please join your child/ren's CLASS GROUP  as well as their YEAR GROUP (rolled over from last year) in the Audiri app. This will help us to ensure that you receive information relevant to you and your child/ren. Detailed instructions are included below.

How users can subscribe to open groups in the Audiri app:New users joining your school can subscribe to Open Groups by following these steps in the Audiri app:

  • Click on the Resources icon at the bottom of the screen.
  • Click on the Groups card that appears on the Resources page.
  • A list of all the Groups that have been created by the school appears, allowing the user to subscribe by sliding the button to the right of the group's name, to the right-hand side. The user can also unsubscribe to a Group by sliding the button to the left.
  • Thank you for your support.

    Children with Anaphylaxis

    There are several students at our school who have a severe allergy to certain foods (peanut products such as peanut butter and Nutella, nuts, sesame seeds, coconut, eggs, milk, shellfish and some fruits and grains) that could induce an anaphylactic reaction.

    Whilst we are not asking you to exclude particular foods, we would like your support in encouraging your child not to share their food items with other students. Teachers will also emphasise with the children not to share their lunch or recess at school to avoid possible accidents as a result of your child’s kindness.

    Current notes due on School Bytes

    • School Contributions note - all students

    P&C ANNOUNCEMENTS

    K-2 Parent Social 2024

    We had a great turnout for our first P&C event of the year. Parents from our K-2 families gathered for fun, frivolity and an opportunity to meet new friends. A good time was had by all!

    Thank you to all of our volunteers who made the event happen.

    P&C AGM and Committee Election

    The P&C AGM will be in March, when all positions will be voted on for the following 12 months.

    We will NOT be able to run fantastic events, or raise money for amazing resources if we don't have a full team this year :(

    We want to hear from YOU, if you can take on ANY of these roles from mid March:
    • Events Leader
    • Coordinate Trivia Night - date TBC
    • Coordinate Kids disco - date TBC
    • Coordinate Fete - August date TBC
    • Coordinate Mother's Day stall - May
    • Coordinate Father's Day stall - September
    • Coordinate Colour Run - TBC
    • Coordinate Xmas Raffle - December
    • Coordinate Mufti Days - 1 per term
    • Lead the Sponsorship / fundraising team
    • Assist with sponsorships / fundraising
    • Lead / assist with community Grants applications
    • P&C President
    • P&C VP Canteen
    • P&C VP Uniform Shop
    • Treasurer
    • Secretary
    Please email president@drummoynepublicschool.com.au or tell your class parent to pass your details to the P&C as soon as possible.

    Angela Farrell

    P&C President

    Order online with Flexischools

    We are now using Flexischools for Canteen & Uniform shop online orders. 

    School24 credit

    Please read carefully as this message contains important information on balance transfers from School24 accounts.

    The school canteen and uniform shop online orders have moved from School24 to Flexischools this year. For parents that were with the school last year and currently hold a balance on School24, the P&C have provided a few options below. These must be actioned by 15th March.  

    If you hold a balance with School24, you have the following options: 

    Option 1 - Transfer balance from your School24 account to your Flexischools account.

    Option 2 - Donate your balance to Drummoyne Public School P&C.

    To proceed with either of these options, parents must provide approval for the P&C to action the request via the link below. We will then be able to check your School24 balance arrange for the transfer. The form is due back by 15th March, please complete this as soon as possible.https://forms.gle/U53Pkgq6ptXJXjEG8

    Any requests beyond this date or requests for refunds, will need to be individually emailed to treasurer@drummoynepublicschool.com.au

    Once the P&C have received your request, we will aim to complete all requests before the start of Term 2.

    For any questions, please contact treasurer@drummoynepublicschool.com.au

    Flexischools account

    Attached is a flyer with a great $5 credit, promo offer from Flexischools, for parents who sign up and create an account before 25th February.  The $5 credit will be deposited into your account on 26th Feb. Get in quick!

    Contact our P&C

    Please follow us on:

    Instagram @drummoynepublic.pandc

    Facebook @drummoynepublic.pandc

    And on our Facebook Private Group - for community members only. Please request access to join.

    UNIFORM SHOP NEWS

    Uniform Shop Opening Hours

    All uniform shop orders are now to be placed on Flexischools.

    Summer uniform is worn in Term 1.  Please register and order uniforms online at: 
    https://user.flexischools.com.au/register

    The uniform shop is open for face to face sales on Friday mornings from 9am - 10am

    If you need to contact the uniform shop volunteers please email:

    uniformshop@drummoynepublicschool.com.au

    MONTY’S MUNCH CANTEEN NEWS

    This week @ Monty’s Munch

    Dear Parents & Carers,

    Thank you to our wonderful parent volunteers Oznur, Emillie and Esme. Thank you to student helpers Charlotte, Korney, Delilah, Deniz, Joanna  and Alexandra.

    Sushi

    Unfortunately due to less demand for Sushi we will be moving to fortnightly orders. The next orders for Sushi will be available for the 5th of March. 

    New menu item - Gluten free banana bread $2.00 - Made in the canteen using bananas, gluten free flour, light olive oil, eggs, vanilla essence, bicarb soda, 1/4 cup of sugar, cinnamon

    Volunteers needed - February

    MON 26th:    9:30am - 10:30 am…..1.        10:30 am - 11:30 am…….1

    THUR. 29th.  9:30am - 10:30 am…..1.        10:30 am - 11:30 am…….1

    FRI MARCH 1st  .   9:30am - 10:30 am…..1.        10:30 am - 11:30 am…….2

    To Volunteer


    If you have received an email regarding emergency lunches, please pay at earliest convenience. I have sent emails to a handful of parents to let them know that the canteen has provided lunch for their child. A big Thankyou to the parents who have paid. We appreciate your prompt payment. For parents who haven’t paid please follow instructions below.

    Please pay through Flexischools IOU service. Log in to account. Click order food. Click on the date you are ordering. There will be at the top of page IOU 'repay money to the canteen'. Select the denomination amounts to add to money owing. Click ADD ITEM or order food then click ADD ITEM. It is so easy.

    Kind regards,

    Canteen and P&C Committee

    AFTER-SCHOOL ACTIVITIES

    BandMonday and Friday am

    Contact Directions in Music on 9662 2211

    Keyboard & GuitarTuesday and Thursday pm

    Contact David Koh from VIP Music on 9411 3122

    Greek Classes – Monday, Tuesday, Thursday pm

    Contact Charoulla Themistocleous on 0411 137 266

    Turkish Language Class – Thursday pm

    OmerCan 0418 695 766 Bahar 0475 738 726

    Enrolment forms and detailed Information on ataturk.org.au/okul.

    GOWRIE NSW OSHC

    To book Gowrie NSW - enrolment forms can be found on the Gowrie website:

    https://www.gowriensw.com.au/out-of-hours-care/drummoyne-and-stmarks

    Contact Rekkha for more information on 0436 616 744.

    COMMUNITY NEWS

    (The following notices are listed as a service to the community but are not endorsed by the school)

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