We have now wrapped up the process of electing new school and house captains for 2024. It is my privilege to share with the community the students elected by their peers and teachers to these positions:

2024 School Captains

Ari Bartlett, Kayne Smith-Velich, Violet Borg and Eva Tsiaousis

2024 House Captains

Cook – Eddie Hayes and Piper Beckitt

David – Hollie Agland and Lakin Lewis

Hunter – Linda Alasmar and Archie Pulsford

Shortland – Olivia Brogan and Riley Ford

Congratulations to each of the students above, they will no doubt serve our school well in 2024. In announcing the captains, I would also like to thank and acknowledge the students in Year 5 that nominated for positions and were willing to stand in these positions of responsibility but missed out. To put yourself out there and stand for election is not an easy thing to do. These students managed it with maturity, warmth and a sense of humour. Well done.

Christmas Cards

For those families new to  Lambton Public School in 2023, our school has a lovely student Christmas card tradition where, if they wish to participate, the students write Christmas cards for their friends and place them in a special Christmas Mailbox each morning. During the day, the ‘Christmas Elves’ (2023 Captains), sort and then deliver Christmas cards to each of the classes later in the day. It gives the giving of Christmas Cards a kind of ‘receiving mail’ feel and the students really love it. This process will run between Monday 27 November and Wednesday 13 December. Students can bring in their cards on any day during this period and post them in the mailbox. I’ve challenged the students again this year to go beyond writing ‘To Tony, Merry Christmas from Bill’ to actually write a short message of thanks or gratitude in their cards. For example, ‘To Will, thanks for always making me laugh, Merry Christmas your friend Andy’ or ‘Dear Zoe, I really appreciate that you encourage me when we play handball. Have a Merry Christmas from Sarah’. A little message with kind words could make a wonderful difference to our students. There are more details further on in today’s newsletter, however, please note that participation is optional for all students.

Have a great week!

David Holland

Congratulations to the following students who were awarded students of the week for Term 4 - Week 7

Congratulations to the following students who this week completed 200 Nights of Home Reading and who are now eligible for ‘Pizza with the Principal’ at the end of this term:

It is never too late to start reading for 10 minutes per night.   We would love as many students reading as regularly as possible.

Parents please note: to be eligible to participate in ‘Pizza with the Principal’ the final day to hand in home reading journals for the 200 nights of home reading prize is this coming Friday, 1 December, 2023.

We look forward to parents and carers joining us on Tuesday 5 December as we come together as a community to celebrate our student’s successes. 

This year our Presentation Day assembly will be held in the Multi-Purpose Centre (Hall) at Lambton High School to ensure there is plenty of room for our students, staff and school community.  Students should come to school in the morning wearing full school uniform and will travel to and from Lambton High School by bus with their peers and teachers.  For this formal occasion, Year 6 students must wear their regular uniform, NOT their Year 6 T-shirt.

If your child will be receiving an award on Presentation Day you should have received a notification of this via email so that you were able to make arrangements to join us on the day. In doing this, we would respectfully ask that you do not disclose to your child that they are to receive an award, we would like the announcements of awards on the day to be a surprise to the students. Morning tea will be provided for the award recipients and their guests at Lambton High School after the assembly.

The canteen will be closed for recess orders, all students need to ensure they bring something to eat at recess.  The canteen are accepting lunch orders and will be open during lunch as per normal routine.

We remind parents and carers that students will not be able to leave the venue with their parents, all students will return to school with their teacher on the bus. If parents wish to take their child home after they arrive back at school, they need to come to the office and sign them out, however, it will be marked as an unjustified absence as normal classes will continue after this event. 

We hope you can join us to celebrate our student’s achievements at our 2023 Presentation Day Assembly, regardless of whether your child is receiving an award or not.

With the moist and humid weather over the past 2 weeks, the teachers and students have noticed an increase in the mosquito population again. A reminder to parents that students are encouraged to pack a roll-on insect repellent in their bags for use if needed. They can apply it before the recess and lunch breaks any day where they would like to avoid mosquito bites.

Our 2024 Swimming Carnival for all students in Years 3 – 6 in 2024 will be held at the Forum Aquatic Centre, Newcastle University on Friday 16 February 2024.  The carnival is primarily for students in Years 3 – 6, however if your child will be in Year 2 next year and turns 8 in 2024, they may be eligible to attend. To be eligible, these students must be able to competently swim 50m and be an active member of a swimming club. Yr 2 students who attend, will compete in their 50m freestyle race, which is the first race on the day, and must return to school with their parent directly after this race. Yr 2 students who do not meet this eligibility will be required to attend school with the remainder of K-2, for a normal day of school.

Permission notes for the 2024 swimming carnival were sent out via School Bytes last week and be due back by 9 February, 2024.  We apologise for the additional expense at this time of year however the carnival will be held not long after students return in 2024. This will not leave a lot of time to finalise the organisational planning for the carnival. 

Judging took place on Friday  of entries received in our Visual Arts Competition and the winners will be announced early this week. The judges had a hard job choosing the best artworks from each stage.   The winning artworks will be made into a collage and displayed permanently at the front of the school on the electrical box that operates the Croudace Street lights.  

A big thank you to students who took the time to create their own original artwork for the compeition. 

We are delighted to share with you the enriching experience that our Stage 3 students have been a part of this November. Our young learners attended an inspiring series of three workshops hosted by Kieran from the LifeChanger Foundation, on November 1st, 8th, and 15th.

LifeChanger Foundation is a commendable organisation dedicated to preventative mental health and wellbeing. Their mission aligns seamlessly with our school's ethos, focusing on empowering our youth with the social, emotional, and resilience skills necessary to thrive in our rapidly changing world. Through their early intervention programs, LifeChanger engages with youth, educators, parents, and local mentors to foster a supportive community around our children.

The workshops were thoughtfully designed to guide our students on a journey of self-discovery and personal growth. The sessions provided a safe and nurturing environment where our students could explore critical life skills and values. Here’s a glimpse into the key areas our students delved into:

1. Understanding the Power of Emotions: Our students learned about emotional intelligence and how to navigate their feelings constructively.

2. Embracing Change and Bouncing Forward: They were equipped with strategies to adapt to change resiliently and to see challenges as opportunities for growth.

3. Understanding Values and Strengths: Each student had the chance to reflect on their personal values and identify their unique strengths.

4. Navigating Friendships and Building Meaningful Connections: The importance of healthy relationships and effective communication was emphasised, aiding them in building lasting friendships.

The feedback from our students has been overwhelmingly positive. They’ve expressed feeling more confident in who they are and excited about the person they are becoming. It was a heartwarming sight to witness their engagement, as they learned the importance of resilience, the courage to face life's adversities, and the joy of genuine connection.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the LifeChanger Foundation for their invaluable contribution to our students’ personal development. We are confident that the skills and insights gained during these workshops will serve as a strong foundation for our students' future well-being and success.

The number of people contracting the Covid-19 virus has been rising steadily again over the past week with health authorities encouraging citizens to be extra vigilant with adopting the measures that we know to be Covid-smart. We remind all families that if children are unwell, they should not attend school until they are well and symptom free. If in doubt, please support your child to conduct RAT tests any morning where they have cold or flu-like symptoms before attending school. If we continue to work together and respect this advice, we stand a better chance of avoiding outbreaks of Covid in the school. If your child does test positive, we still appreciate you notifying our office so that we can keep the whole community alert to potential risk or exposure.  

Thank you to those families that contacted us recently to let us know that your child will be leaving or moving to another school in 2024. If any other families learn between now and the end of the year that your child will need to move, we would appreciate you letting us know early, as it influences our enrolment and therefore our class structures and 2024 planning. The best way to notify us of a move, is simply to email the office. 

The final school assembly for 2023 is scheduled to take place in the hall on Thursday 7 December and will be led by our 2023 School Captains. Family and friends are invited to join us if you can.