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Term 2 Week 5 Newsletter - Monday 26th May 2025

From the Principal

Each week, our newsletter can be translated into many different languages, by selecting your preferred language, from the drop down menu, above.

Term 2 Week 5

Flying High with Diversity – Our Welcome Wall is Growing!

A friendly reminder to all families that our Welcome Wall proudly displays the flags of the many countries our students and their families have come from. This vibrant display is a celebration of the rich cultural diversity that makes our school community so special.

Over the past few years, we’ve welcomed a number of new enrolments from around the world, and we’re excited to be updating the wall to reflect this. New flags have been ordered and will be added once they arrive and are ready to be installed.

The Welcome Wall is more than just a colourful display – it’s a symbol of inclusion, respect, and belonging. It helps every student feel seen and valued, and reminds us all of the strength and beauty that comes from our diverse backgrounds.

We look forward to unveiling the updated wall soon and celebrating the cultures that make our school such a unique and welcoming place!

Students Making a Difference – Giving Back with Heart

Thank you to Kelly in Year 5, who generously gave her time to join youth volunteering programs during the April school holiday break.

We thank Kelly not only for her generosity and teamwork, but also for the genuine care and compassion shown to others.

Together with over 500 young people from across Sydney, Kelly helped prepare and deliver nearly 5,000 meals, snack packs, and care kits to vulnerable individuals.

We are proud of her contribution and the positive impact she has made.

A flyer highlighting the organisation and their initiatives is included in the Community section of this newsletter for families who would like to learn more or get involved.

Student Represents Sydney West at PSSA NSW Hockey Tournament

We are incredibly proud to share that one of our talented students, Darcy, recently represented the Sydney West region at the PSSA NSW Primary Schools Hockey Tournament, held in Newcastle last week. This outstanding achievement is a testament to her dedication, skill, and sportsmanship on the field. Darcy played with great determination and proudly represented both our school and the region. Congratulations on this wonderful accomplishment!

NEW OOSH SERVICE - ENROL NOW!

We’re pleased to announce our new Out of School Hours (OOSH) service: TheirCare.
Please refer to the Community section of the newsletter for more information about the service, how to get in touch and the invitation to the Information Session.

ATTENDANCE MATTERS (repeated)

To support you in monitoring your child’s attendance, we encourage parents to access the Parent Portal in School Bytes where you can view your child’s attendance levels on a visual map. This map provides a clear view of your child’s attendance rate, calculated on the number of actual and partial days attended as a percentage of the total possible school days for the term. Attendance summaries will also be included in your child’s half-yearly and yearly reports.

Instructions for accessing this information through the Parent Portal are provided below. If you need any assistance setting up or navigating the portal, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our business manager, Mrs Clare Cattell.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO SEE ATTENDANCE DATA ON SCHOOL BYTES (repeated)

Once you have set up your Parent Portal account in School Bytes (see below information in 'From the Office' news) you will be able to view your child's attendance data.

In the Parent Portal you will see a tab called 'attendance' on the top bar of the page. This will bring you to your child/ren's attendance information.

2025 Term Dates & Holidays

TRAVEL SHOULD BE TAKEN DURING SCHOOL VACATION PERIODS, RATHER THAN DURING THE SCHOOL TERM

Please note: School development days for staff are included in these term dates and parents and carers should not send their children to school on these days.

Winter school holidays - Monday 7 July to Friday 18 July
Term 3 – Monday 21 July to Friday 26 September. The school development day is on Monday 21 July and all students K- 6 start on Tuesday 22 July.
Spring school holidays – Monday 29 September to Friday 10 October
Term 4 – Monday 13 October to Friday 19 December. The school development day is Monday 13 October. All students K - 6 start on Tuesday 14 October.
Summer school holidays (Eastern) – Monday 22 December to Monday 26 January 2026

From the Relieving Deputy Principal

Term 2 Week 5

Monday 26 May 2025

Dear Parents and Carers

Last Wednesday, our Stage 1 students engaged in the National Simultaneous Storytime event, joining an impressive 2,204,658 participants across Australia. This year’s story was ‘Truck Cat’ by Deborah Frenkel and Danny Snell. This annual celebration of reading not only fosters a love for literature but also highlights our commitment to embracing our rich and diverse cultural landscape.

Students explored themes of identity, belonging, and friendship, reinforcing the values of respect, understanding, and acceptance that we hold dear in our school community. The story shared during the event sparked meaningful conversations among the students about the importance of creating an inclusive environment for all.

In addition to these important lessons, our young learners expanded their vocabulary with words like "interloper." They discovered that an interloper is someone who intrudes into a situation where they are not welcome, often for personal gain—a powerful concept that encourages critical thinking and empathy.

As part of their learning, students also wrote detailed descriptions of the main character, Yacoub, and had the opportunity to share their writing with Mrs Black. This activity allowed them to delve deeper into the structure of narrative texts and enhance their skills in character description.

We are proud of our Stage 1 students for their enthusiastic participation and their growing understanding of storytelling. This experience not only nurtures their love for reading but also builds a foundation for a more inclusive and respectful community.

With all the wet weather, the Zone Cross Country carnival was postponed last Thursday. The event is planned for this coming Thursday 29 May. We thank Miss Davidson & Mrs Berry for keeping us up to date with the change in plans. Wishing all participants all the very best.

Irene Robbins
Deputy Principal (Rel)

Staying safe online!

As our children increasingly engage with social media and online gaming, it's vital to ensure their safety in these digital spaces. We encourage you to stay informed about the potential dangers and to have open conversations with your children about their online experiences. Last week I came across some new information regarding changes to the online game ROBLOX. For valuable insights and tips, please refer to the article from Safe on social education and consulting by Kirra Pendergast and the Friendly Schools Plus resource on "How to Stay Safe on Social." There is also a link to the Australian Governments esafety guide below for more information. Together, we can help our children navigate these platforms safely.

https://www.esafety.gov.au/key-topics/esafety-guide/roblox

Term 2 Diary Dates

Monday 28 April - Staff Development Day
Tuesday 29 April - Staff Development Day
Wednesday 30 April - Students return to school
Wednesday 30 April - K-6 ANZAC Remembrance Service under the COLA
Monday 5 May - 5/6H Parent-Teacher Interviews scheduled this week in administration block
Monday 5 May - 7pm P & C Meeting via Zoom
Thursday 8 May - P & C Mothers' Day Stall at school
Friday 9 May - 7am P & C Mothers' Day Breakfast at school
Monday 12 May - Stage 2 Zoo Excursion
Wednesday 14 May - 1:35pm K-6 Assembly under COLA - Stage 1 item
Friday 16 May - Walk Safely to School Day
Thursday 22 May - Zone Cross Country Carnival
Friday 23 May - Winter PSSA competition begins for Stage 2 and Stage 3 teams
Monday 26 May - National Sorry Day
Monday 26 May - Gumnut & Wattle Debating Teams to Castle Hill PS
Tuesday 27 May - National Reconciliation Week
Wednesday 28 May - Stage Finals of Spelling Bee
Wednesday 4 June - 1:35pm K-6 Assembly under COLA
Monday 9 June - Public Holiday
Thursday 12 June - JPPS Athletics Carnival at Greenway Oval
Monday 16 June - 7pm P & C Meeting via Zoom
Wednesday 18 June - 1:35pm K-6 Assembly under COLA Stage 2 item
Thursday 19 June - Athletics Carnival Backup date in case of inclement weather
Monday 30 June - Bronze Medallion Morning Tea with executive
Tuesday 1 July - 10:30am Principal's Morning Tea for Bronze Award Recipients in hall with parents
Tuesday 1 July - 5:30pm Their Care (new before/after school provider) Information Session via Zoom
Wednesday 2 July - Year 6 Excursion to Canberra (3 days)
Thursday 3 July - Semester 1 Student Reports published on Impromation Parent Portal
Friday 4 July - Year 6 return from Canberra
Friday 4 July - Last day of Term 2

Our School Expectations

Congratulations to our students who have demonstrated our school expectations of Respect, Responsibility and Aspire.

This week's expectation is:

Respect: Follow the rules of the game

Purchase Pride Badges

Purchase Pride awards recognise positive student behaviour on the playground and in the classroom. When students receive ten Purchase Pride award cards, these should be left in the boxes on the ‘award shelf’ inside the school office foyer. Each set of ten awards needs to be bundled together and clearly labelled with the student’s name and current class. The acceptance of awards closes for administration at 9am every Thursday morning.

Purchase Pride cards also have a 'tear-off' strip. This strip may be removed by the recipient and placed in the appropriate stage box in the award shelf, to go in the lucky dip draw, for a canteen voucher. Canteen vouchers are drawn by our SRC representatives, at the end of each term. Students are notified directly, if successful.

Award recipients will be presented with a coloured Purchase Pride badge, the week after their name is published in this newsletter, at the Monday morning assembly, during term time. This badge may be worn on the school uniform. Students are encouraged to hand in their awards regularly and not 'stockpile' them.

Congratulations:

Rose P-B (2B), Indiana R (2B), Victor C (2B), Aiden S (2O), Arianna J (3L), Timothy C (3ES), Olivia H (3ES), Andrew C (3L), Jordan C (3L), Olivia X (3/4B), Raj S (3/4B), Toby S (3/4B), Claire H (4B), Satvik T (4B), Krish P x 5 (4B), Justin S (5/6H), Avani C (6B)

Class Awards System

In addition to Purchase Prides, JPPS has an incremental class awards system. When a student has received ten class awards, these should be left in the boxes on the ‘award shelf’ inside the school office. The ten class awards need to be bundled together and clearly labelled with the student’s name, current class and award level reached. A clear, snap lock bag is ideal for this purpose! Students need to be responsible for their own awards, as replacements are not issued. Students are encouraged to hand in their awards, rather than 'stockpiling' them until Term 4, so they don't miss out on special celebrations, such as the Principal's Morning Tea.

10 Class Awards = Bronze 20 = Silver 30 = Gold 40 = Bronze Medallion
50 = Silver Medallion 60 = Gold Medallion 75 = Platinum Medallion and Principal for the Day!

All awards (including Bronze) received by 9am on Thursday mornings, are ‘stamped’ and published in the next school newsletter, which is usually on the following Monday, in term time. At this time, I indicate when these awards will be presented. Silver Awards, Gold Awards and all Medallions, are presented at whole school assemblies. Please note that Bronze Awards are only presented at the end of each term, at the Principal's Morning Tea.

Bronze Award

Bronze Awards will be presented at the Term 2 Principal's Morning Tea, for Bronze Award recipients. This special event will be held at 10:30am on Tuesday 1st July, in the school hall. Parents are cordially invited to attend.

Congratulations:

Mia C (3L)