Plattsburg Public School Newsletter

Thank you to the Plattsburg community for your support throughout Term 3. Your commitment and effort have been key in keeping things on track. To the teachers, parents, and students—your hard work and dedication haven’t gone unnoticed. We’ve faced challenges together, and it’s thanks to everyone’s contribution that we’ve made it through. Let’s keep up the good work as we move forward.

Friday Week 2 of Term 2, 25th October is Grandparent's Day. Grandparent's Day is a special opportunity to celebrate the important role grandparents play in our lives. It’s a day to honor their wisdom, love, and support, and to recognize the lasting impact they have on their families and communities. Whether they’re sharing stories, offering guidance, or simply spending time with us, grandparents bring a unique and cherished presence to our lives. We look forward to showing our appreciation and making this day memorable for them! Communication will continue in the lead up to the day.

Please use the two-week holidays as a chance to relax and recharge. It’s a great time to step away from the routine, spend time with family and friends, and enjoy some downtime. Whether it’s catching up on rest, exploring a new hobby, or just taking it easy, these two weeks are a well-deserved break for everyone. I hope we all make the most of it and come back refreshed for the next term. 

Regards,

Mr Dave Hopson (Relieving Principal)

By the pre-teen years, many children are starting to become increasingly independent wanting to do more things without their parents and/or carers around. Use the holidays as an opportunity to talk with and show your child how to be a safe pedestrian, rider and passenger. This upskilling will support them as their need for independence increases.

Talk to your children about safe places to play. Highlight the risks and challenges in different neighbourhoods and traffic environment differences when on holidays.

Consider independent activities your child might do in the holiday period and how you can help to make it safer. For example:

Chalk drawings - can be lots of fun but ensure your child is not working across driveways or shared paths where they are at risk of not being seen by a driver or cyclist. Always have an adult or friend standing upright when drawing so they can easily be seen.

Playing with balls -talk with your child and their friends about stopping to look for vehicles/riders before chasing runaway balls. Encourage one of them to be a spotter to keep an eye out for vehicles/riders and to pause the play, get everyone to stand in a safe spot until it’s OK to resume play. Check road safety risks of installed basketball or netball hoops such as not being seen by drivers entering or exiting driveway entrances, blind spots from street bends or corners and so on.

Changes in traffic - talk to your child that quiet roads don't mean they are always safe roads, they must be alert to vehicles/riders. eg cul-de-sacs

Riding and walking to the shops or friend's house or having sleepovers - discuss how to be a safe and responsible pedestrian/rider/passenger. Highlight the potential places of risk when playing or travelling. Talk about what to do if they're feeling unsafe or there's an emergency.

Things to share with your children when they're out and about:

• they always tell you/an adult when and where they are going
• if feeling unsafe, tell someone and move to somewhere safer
• avoid playing near driveways and carparks as drivers may not see them
• check their bike's brakes, bell, reflectors and tyres are all working before going for a ride
• correctly wear a helmet when riding any device
• remove their headphones when near traffic so they can hear approaching vehicles
• stop, look, listen, think before they cross the road, and not just follow their friends
• wear bright clothing so drivers can see them, especially when it's twilight.

2025 Kindergarten Orientation Dates. If you have a child who turns 5 by 31st July 2025, they are eligible to enrol in Kindergarten next year. Please complete an online enrolment now! Please share with any families that would like to enrol at Plattsburg Public School. Any students enrolled by Friday 25th September 2024 will recieve a free bucket hat.https://ehub.enrol.education.nsw.gov.au/

This unit 1/2H have been looking at different ways we can add detail to our writing. This week we have been looking at figurative language. Here are some fantastic examples of the similes students created:

It was as dark as night. -A

The forest was as quiet as a mouse. -C

The girl's dress was red like a poppy. -K

It was as dark as Midnight. -V

The trees were tall like the Eiffel Tower. -O

The trees were tall like buildings. -C

The girl's dress was red like fire. -I

It was as dark as the deepest ocean in the world. -V

The trees were tall like a beanstalk. -M

Mr Henderson

Congratulations to all our amazing school representatives who presented their public speaking speeches at Zone level!

Your hard work, confidence, and dedication shone brightly, and we are incredibly proud of each one of you.

A special mention to Astrid who achieved Highly Commended at Zone Public Speaking.

Well done to all participants!