Caves Beach Public School Newsletter

Welcome to Week 5 Term 1 Caves Beach Public School for 2025

It has been wonderful to see how well our new Kindergarten students have settled into their classes. This is a tribute to the families and school staff for providing a smooth transition to school. We thank all our parents who were able to attend the parent information sessions throughout last week. We value these sessions and the connections we can build with parents of our students. If you have any questions that were left unanswered, please contact your child’s teacher for clarification.

Make My Day

It was a pleasure to have a visit from two lovely 3/4B students last week. Haylee and Zoey brought some amazing handwriting samples. Both girls produced beautifully accurate work. Congratulations girls you are stars!

Leadership Assembly

Last Friday we held our first Leadership Assembly, and it was impressive! Congratulations to all our new school leaders. We are very excited and looking forward to a particularly special year with this wonderful group.

Swimming Carnival

It was great to see so many of our students actively participating in our annual school swimming carnival. Thank you to all the parents who were there to support their children and take on roles to assist our staff. Congratulations to all our students on their behaviour and to those who have been successful in reaching the next stage. Thank you Mr Remington and all the school staff who made this event possible.

Real School Parent Session

Our next parent communication session is our Real Schools Parent Information Session and is booked for Tuesday 18th March at 3:15. We invite all parents to access the invitation and information via the link blow.

Caves Beach Real Schools Parent Information Session - Video Invite

School Voluntary Contribution.

As you may be aware, voluntary school contributions play a vital role in enhancing the educational experience we offer our students. These contributions help us provide essential resources, programs, and extracurricular activities that enrich our students' learning environments. They also support special projects and improvements to our facilities.

This year, we are asking for your support through voluntary contributions. Your generous donations will directly benefit our students and help us maintain the high standards of education that we strive for. We understand that every family’s situation is different, and contributions are entirely voluntary. Any amount, large or small, will make a significant difference.

We appreciate that prior to forming classes, several parents made enquiries with staff members about providing additional stationery items such as pencils, pens, scissors, glue sticks, and other materials. We would like to reassure you that these items will be supplied by the school, and they are not an expected additional purchase for students. We do understand that many students prefer to be organised with their own belongings and may feel more comfortable using personal items rather than school resources. While we completely respect this preference, please know that the school will always ensure all necessary materials are provided for your child’s learning.

If you choose to contribute, please find the details below: • Suggested Contribution Amount: $50 • Payment Methods: Schoolbytes

We appreciate your consideration and support. Together, we can continue to provide a vibrant and enriching learning environment for our children.

Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact the school office.

Sue Gibson

Principal

Week 5

• Friday 28th February - Zone Swimming
• Friday 28th February - Healthy Harold

Week 6

• Monday 3rd - Thursday 6th March - Healthy Harold 

Week 7

• Wednesday 12th March - Naplan commences Yrs 3 & 5

Congratulations to the following students who will represent their class in Parliament. 

In 2025, NAPLAN will take place from Wednesday 12th to Monday 24th March for our students in Years 3 and 5. Students will complete four tests including writing, reading, language conventions (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. These assessments are spread over the testing period, and we aim to keep the process calm and with minimal stress for the children. Students have viewed practice questions to ensure that they are familiar with the format and understand how to navigate the screen. Below is a link which allows you to view some sample questions. https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/public-demonstration-site

The tests are online, with the exception of Year 3 writing. The tests are tailored (or adaptive), which means that each test presents questions that may be more or less difficult depending on a student’s responses. Tailored testing allows a wide range of student abilities to be assessed and measures student achievement more precisely. A student’s overall NAPLAN result is based on both the number and complexity of questions they answer correctly. Your child should not be concerned if they find questions challenging; they may be taking a more complex test pathway. 

What can I do to support my child?

-          Ensure that they have a good night’s sleep and healthy breakfast.

-          Pack a drink bottle and Crunch n Sip.

-          Reassure them that we use this information to track growth and how we can help them to improve.

-          Encourage them to do their best.

-          If possible, allow them to type using a keyboard at home and become confident with how to type capital letters, punctuation and paragraphing (Year 5).

Achievement Report

Student achievement is shown against four levels of proficiency: Exceeding, Strong, Developing and Needs additional support. A NAPLAN individual student report will be provided to you later in the year.

Disability adjustments

Adjustments are available for students with disability. The adjustments will reflect the normal support a student receives in classroom assessments.

Withdrawals and exemptions

You can withdraw your child from NAPLAN tests. Your child may be exempt from NAPLAN tests if they have:

• significant disabilities that severely limit their capacity to participate in the tests
• a language background other than English and have recently arrived in Australia (less than a year before the tests).

NAPLAN Website for Parents- https://www.nap.edu.au/naplan/for-parents-carers

Please contact your child’s classroom teacher if you have any questions.

Our Learning Support Staff

Mrs Pei Ling Chensee

Tell us something about yourself (brief background, best place for coffee, best beach, what days do you work at Caves Beach PS)

I have been at CBPS for 5 years as LaST. I love my chai teas since coming back from India after a teacher exchange program in 2019. It is exciting to know that our school has been partners with EXCHANGE program since 2020. I would recommend the best coastal walking - from Caves Beach to Munmorah SRA with stunning wildflowers and spectacular coastline. 

What does a typical day look like as LaST?

I work with small groups of students in the morning to improve fluency, expression and phrasing and to develop decoding and self-correcting skills. My maths groups love their Bond Blocks activities to improve fluency in numeracy concepts, working towards their learning goals. Our activities support class teaching.  Spelling and writing groups meet with me in the afternoon. 

How do we support our child who is receiving support from you?

Regular school attendance is essential for students to achieve quality learning outcomes during additional learning support. If your child’s attendance is less than 90% per term, it may impact their learning and learning support. Your partnership is important to ensure your child is attending school as students receive daily learning and support from specialist teachers and SLSOs. Learning and work samples from my small groups are usually posted in class Seesaw and you can always call me for a meeting to chat or get in contact with the class teacher. 

A massive thank you to our amazing P&C for purchasing a brand-new Caves Beach soccer kit! Our student models are looking sharp and ready to hit the field in style. We truly appreciate your support in helping our students shine!

Week 5 – Term 1

What a wonderful start to the year! It has been great to see so many students return to band and instrument lessons over the past two weeks. 

If you have any adjustments to the enrolment of your child in band, please see Mrs Scott. This will include prompt return of hired instruments if your child is not continuing, there is a waiting list on some instruments and failure to return will incur hire fees on the instrument. 

Seesaw codes will be sent home this week for new students and families, communication will commence on this platform from 6. 

With enrolments almost confirm planning for the year will now be able to commence, watch this space! 

Senior band will play at this weeks assembly, looking forward to a great first performance! 

There are places available for new band members from this week - notes are available in the music room from Mrs Scott at any time. 

Weeks 5 and 6 – Term 1

Junior band 8:15am – 8:55am - Tuesday and Thursday  

Senior band 8am – 8:55am - Wednesday and Friday  

Please send a black display folder with current band music to rehearsals each week. 

Lance Verdon- Clarinet, Saxophone and Percussion - Tuesday, Thursday, Friday  

Bethanee Swilks- Keyboard - Tuesday

Isabella O'Brien - Flute and Bass guitar - Tuesday and Wednesday

Bryn Wilson-Kellaway - Trumpet and Trombone – Wednesday

Fees:

Fees will be collected through the school office for all band members. These were added to your school bytes accounts last Friday, please let me know if there are any errors or if you can not view these fees. 

Fees can be paid off termly @ $60 per term. Instrument hire fees are due term 1 to secure the instrument for your child. Instrument hire fee is non- refundable.

Band fee - $60 per student per term, Junior and Senior band.

Instrument Hire fee - $100 per year, due term 1

Reeds:

Reeds are available for purchase with cash only to Mrs Scott:

Clarinet - Rico - $3.50 (Beginner students) 

Clarinet - Vandoren - $4.50 (Intermediate - advanced Students) 

Saxophone - $4.50 

Bass Clarinet - $7.50

Students will be supplied with a reed when one is broken so they can continue to participate in rehearsals and lessons.  A slip will be sent home with your child with the cost displayed and payment is expected within the same week. 

💡 Stay Tuned!

There will be smaller fundraisers happening throughout the year, so make sure to keep posted on our social media and check the school newsletter for updates! 📣

💡 Can You Lend a Hand?

We’d love some extra help at these events! If you’re available to volunteer, please email us. Every little bit of support makes a huge difference! 🧡

👏 Seaside Bites – A Team Effort!

A massive thank you to Madonna and our incredible volunteers for making the first week of the Seaside Bites a great success! Your dedication and hard work keep everything running smoothly, and we truly appreciate all that you do. 🥪🍎

A special shoutout to the volunteers who helped clean and organise the canteen before reopening! Your time and effort behind the scenes made a huge difference, and we couldn’t have done it without you. 🧽💙

 🏅 New Sport Jerseys!

Last year, the P&C purchased new sport jerseys for the school, and it’s fantastic to see the kids wearing them! We’re looking forward to seeing them in action at sporting events this year. Go Caves Beach PS! 🎽👏

👕 Uniform Shop 

A huge thank you to Dea for all your hard work organising uniform shop orders! We truly appreciate the time and effort you put in to make sure everything runs smoothly for our families. Your dedication doesn’t go unnoticed! 💙

📣 YOU CAN FIND US! 📣

💌 Email us: cavesbeachpublicschool@pcaffiliate.onmicrosoft.com

🌏 Visit our website:https://cavesparent.org

📘 Join us on Facebook: Caves Beach PS P&C

🛍 Buy, Swap & Sell Page: P&C Buy Swap and Sell

Have a great week,

Caves Beach PS P&C Team 🎉

🍔 Seaside Bites Canteen News 🏖️

We have kicked off our first week of food service with great success ! 🎉

Seaside Bites would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our incredible volunteers who have generously given their time over the last few weeks. 🙏 Your support and dedication have made a world of difference, and we truly appreciate everything you do to help keep the canteen running smoothly. 💖

We’d also like to give a warm welcome to all of our new volunteers this year! 🎉 Thank you for offering your help – we are super excited to have you on board. Your involvement ensures that we can continue to provide a range of healthy, tasty options to the students and staff each day. 🥗🍽️

Also a big thank you to everyone who placed food orders this week!. 🍔

Birthday Ice Block Buckets! 🎂

You can celebrate your child’s special day by ordering a bucket filled with ice blocks to share with their friends during school. The cost is just $17 per bucket, and you can place your order up to 5 days in advance through the QKR app. 🎉

🤝 Can You Help?

Our canteen relies on amazing volunteers to keep our doors open. Parents, grandparents, and carers, if you have a spare morning once a month, we’d love your help! No experience needed—we’ll train you as you go. 💪🍴 📩 Interested? Pop into the canteen for a chat or email cavescanteen@gmail.com to sign up—we’d love to have you on board! ❤️🥪

Below is our current volunteer roster for the next fortnight. We would like to thank you all for your precious time and look forward to seeing you soon. 😊 If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch.🌟

Ordering Uniforms

The Uniform Shop operates online all year round – orders placed via QKR will be delivered to classrooms throughout the week.  Alternatively, you can request that orders are left at the office for you to collect. 

If your uniforms are too big/too small, please email us and let us know - we can arrange an exchange to ensure that you have the right ones.  Or if you have ANY questions regarding uniforms prior to ordering - please let us know via email and we are happy to  help! cavesuniformshop@gmail.com

Place your order via the Qkr! App (quick, simple & our preferred option)

**You can link a credit card or debit card to the Qkr! App

If you need an order form to order/pay via direct deposit OR have ANY questions regarding uniforms prior to ordering - please let us know via email and we are happy to help! cavesuniformshop@gmail.com

If your uniforms are too big/too small, please email us and let us know - we can arrange an exchange to ensure that you have the right ones.