Drummoyne Public School

Dear Drummoyne PS Community,

On Tuesday we held our Year 6 Leaders Induction Ceremony, a wonderful opportunity to formally welcome and celebrate our 2026 student leaders. Our new prefects and house captains showed great pride as they received their badges and pledged to uphold our school values in the year ahead.

We were pleased to welcome special guests from Sydney Secondary College, Balmain Campus – Deputy Principal Mrs Laga'aia, along with School Captains Beth Alderson and Nathan Rotem – who joined us to share their experiences of high school and insights on leadership. Their presence added a meaningful connection to the next chapter of our students’ schooling.

Congratulations to all our newly inducted leaders. I look forward to seeing them guide, encourage and inspire our student body throughout 2026.

Celebrating Our Wonderful Volunteers

It was wonderful to see so many of our volunteers able to join us for our Thank You Morning Tea this morning. We are incredibly grateful for the time, energy and heart you bring to our school – whether it’s supporting events, helping in classrooms, contributing through the P&C or volunteering for Scripture and Ethics.

Our community is strengthened by the people who give so generously, and it was a great opportunity to pause and acknowledge just how much you do for our students and our school. Thank you again for everything – we truly couldn’t do it without you.

Lei-ing It All on the Line at our P&C Trivia Night

Thanks to Emilie, Belle and their team of volunteers, our hall was transformed into a tropical paradise for a Hawaiian-themed Trivia Night last Friday. It was great to see so many of you bringing the island energy - the competition was fierce, the laughter was loud and I’m sure some of those team names should've won awards of their own. Nights like this highlight one of the most important parts of school life - community. When we come together to have fun, connect and support the school, it sends a powerful message to our kids that Drummoyne PS is a place where everyone belongs.

Regards,

John Nguyen​

Principal 

E: john.nguyen34@det.n​sw.edu.au

This week a group of Year 4 and Year 5 students visited The Sydney Institute of Marine Science (SIMS) at Chowder Bay, Mosman, to experience their first of three workshops for ‘SEA KIN CONNECTIONS’. This project is a collaboration between SIMS, Taronga Zoo Conservation Society, National Parks and Wildlife Service and artists Jennifer Turpin and Sophie Raymond. The aim of the project is to promote an interdisciplinary approach, engaging students in scientific inquiry & artistic expression while fostering empathy and advocacy for marine life in Sydney Harbour.

During the day students learned about the importance of marine ecosystems and the concept of regeneration in Sydney Harbour. Working with marine scientists and using very sophisticated microscopes, students were able to look at tiny creatures/organisms in the SIMS laboratory. Under the microscopes they were able to view and learn about kelp and epifauna.

Students also learned about the importance of the seagrasses that are native to Sydney Harbour and the importance of them being preserved as they act as a nursery for baby fish and creatures in the harbour. They were also able to assist with the slow and careful cleaning of the seagrass in the water tanks by carefully scraping off the algae that naturally attaches to the grass.

A highlight for many of the students was seeing the baby seahorses at various stages of development. These seahorses will be eventually released into the harbour into ‘seahorse hotels’.

Orla Page

Stage 3 Teacher 

Congratulations to Aaron N who competed last week against 15 of the top stage 1 students in the Metropolitan South & West Public Speaking Competition grand final. Aaron proudly represented the Iron Cove Network to deliver his great speech (which you can read below). What a great achievement Aaron!

Aaron's speech

Can I tell you something amazing? Dreaming big can change your life!

Dreaming big fills your heart with excitement, colors your world with hope, and helps you become anyone you want to be.

Imagine playing basketball for the Chicago Bulls—they’re my favorite team! You run onto the court in your bright red jersey while thousands of fans cheer for you. That’s what happened to Michael Jordan, maybe the best player ever! But did you know he wasn’t even chosen for his high school team at first? He missed lots of shots, but he kept practicing and never gave up. That’s what dreaming big is all about!

When you’re seven years old, dreaming big is like finding a magical treasure map inside your mind. Your dreams can take you on adventures—let you soar like a superhero, shoot basketball shots that always swish through the net, or send you out exploring space as an astronaut or scientist.

Dreaming gives you the power to imagine endless possibilities and inspires you to reach for the stars, even when things feel hard. Big dreams shine like stars in the night sky. They guide you forward and remind you to keep dreaming, even when you stumble.

Look at all of us here today. Not long ago, we were giving speeches in our schools and now look where we are! We have all come so far because of our dreams. That means we all had a dream, worked hard, and followed it to get here together.

Even the greatest heroes made mistakes and wanted to quit sometimes—but they didn’t. They kept dreaming. Because when you dream big, you always have something wonderful to look forward to.

So, I encourage you—dream as big as you can! Maybe you’ll be a basketball star, an artist, a scientist, a doctor, or even a superhero.

Give your dreams a chance. Work hard every day, believe in yourself, and never give up. Dreaming big makes life exciting, and you will discover just how truly amazing YOU can be!

I went to Cambodia because my mum supports a charity called Hark Angel (https://www.harkangel.org/) which builds schools for poor children. We went there to see the schools we’ve already built and meet the children and teachers.

Instead of talking about all the days, I will talk about the last day. We first went to a primary school called Kok Doung where they had thousands of students but didn't have enough space for them until Hark Angel came and built them a building. After we built them a building, other charities donated to them. Then we went to a temple and had a monk's blessing. He blessed us by splashing holy water, throwing flowers on us while singing a cultural song. The blessing made me feel blessed.

After that we went quad biking. I went with my mum and the founder of the charity and his friend. We stopped to look at and pet water buffalo. While we were biking it started raining and the mud came and splashed us. It was blood spiking and thrilling.

Finally, we went to a place called Apopo where they train African giant pouched rats to find landmines. They are also known as heroRATS. We saw how they detected the land mines and we also got to hold them.

The next day we had to leave the hotel at 7:30 am to catch a flight to Singapore. When we got there, we had to wait 6 hours until our next flight home to Sydney which was 7 hours long. We arrived home tired and happy.

Max A - 5/6H

​Last Friday, students ate lunch with their Peer Support groups for 2025. Although the weather was not our friend, students left with a smile on their faces after reconnecting with old friends. 

There are many transition points in children’s lives - including moving from one class to another. Such processes can involve uncertainty and instability, and they can also be powerful opportunities for learning and growth.

We will be using some resources from Peer Support Australia to help guide students through this transition time by reconnecting with their peers and developing understanding and skills in responding positively to change.  We will be running 2 sessions on Wednesday afternoons in Wk 8 and Wk 9. 

Research has identified key skills and protective factors that are particularly valuable in times of transition to help lessen the potential negative impact of such experiences. These include positive relationships, self-awareness, effective social and self-management skills and the ability to practise helpful coping skills.

You can support this learning at home by helping your child to describe their experiences and the feelings that they have during transitions. They can cope with change by knowing their strengths and how to use them through strategies such as talking with others, thinking positively and persevering.

Amanda Champion

Last Friday, Miss Cantlay and I had the pleasure of attending a course at Gibberagong Environmental Education Centre, Bobbin Head. There, we learnt about ways in which teachers can integrate Aboriginal histories and cultures into the new history, geography and science syllabi. Our presenters, Lea and Dave gave us some practical and engaging programming ideas that we are excited to share with staff and eventually, our students.

Finally, we went on a wonderful walk on Country, where we viewed shell middens, rock carvings and listened to the interesting history of the local area. How lucky we are to live in a country with such rich history and culture.

Jess Buchanan

Federal member Sally Sitou will be hosting an online briefing for local parents regarding the new ‘social media delay’ for under-16s coming into effect in December.

Parents will have the opportunity to hear from the Minister for Communications, Anika Wells, and also a representative of the eSafety commission regarding these changes, and what they mean for parents and children.

Parents will also have the opportunity to submit questions ahead of time.

Details

Date: 9 December 2025

Time: 6.00pm-7.00pm

Location: Online. Link to be provided closer to date, upon RSVP.

RSVP essential via: Online Briefing - Social Media Delay - 9 December

The year’s end is quickly approaching! The last week of borrowing from our library will be Week 7 with all books to be returned by the end of Week 8. Mums, Dads and Carers, please help your children to return any overdue books so they can all be accounted for by the end of the year.

Many thanks,

Mr Neufeld

Book Club brochures have arrived! Look out for your copy of Book Club coming home in your child's schoolbag! It's packed with hundreds of books from just $3 to help you on your child's reading journey.

It is easy to order. The Book Club LOOP platform for parents allows you to pay by credit card. Your child’s order is delivered directly to school safe and sound and the books will be given to students in class. You can place your child’s order at scholastic.com.au/LOOP or using the LOOP app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play.

For more information please see The Scholastic Parent's guide to Book Club

Book Club issue 8 closes on 5th December.

With the weather warming up, we are noticing lots of jumpers and hats being taken off and left about the school. To ensure items can be returned, please ensure your child’s name is permanently and clearly labelled on belongings such as school hats, jackets, lunch boxes, drink bottles and school bags.

Please use a permanent laundry marker to label clothes, hats and shoes, or sew or iron on personalised labels, go through your child’s bag with them regularly and check that labels haven’t faded with washing.

Regular school attendance is important for your child’s learning and social development. If your child is absent from school, you must ensure that you provide the school with a written explanation.

The School Bytes Parent App allows you to quickly and easily submit an absence notification to the school, or respond to an absence that has been recorded but not yet explained. This is especially helpful for future planned absences, such as a scheduled medical appointment.

Late arrival or early departure

Parents must come to the office and sign their child/ren in or out of school when arriving late or leaving early. This ensures student attendance is correctly recorded. Phoning ahead 10 minutes before you arrive when picking up early allows time to bring the student to the office.

Extended leave

Families are encouraged to travel during school holidays. If travel during school term is necessary, you can only submit up to 9 days leave on the School Bytes Parent App.

If travelling for 10 days or more, you will need to complete an Application to leave - travel This form is now electronic and can be completed within the forms section of School Bytes.

For more information, visit the School Bytes website and check out the "Parent Guides" for helpful FAQs and tutorials.

How to guides

Downloading the App provides real time school updates, access to online forms, upcoming event dates, payments and permissions on the go, students reports and plans, as well as being able to submit absences quickly. 

Download today:

App Store - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/school-bytes/id6463097826  

Google Play - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=education.schoolbytes

Can't download the App? The parent portal can also be accessed on a web browser:

https://portal.schoolbytes.education/auth/login

If you experience any difficulties registering or using the app, please contact our admin team at drummoyne-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au.

Dear Parents & Carers,

A reminder to parents when ordering recess to please let their children know there is a recess order for them to pick up.

Kind regards,

Anna & the Canteen Committee

New 2026 Kindy Families can now register for Flexischools and order under the class New Starter 2026.

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