Term 3 Week 5 Newsletter - Monday 18th August 2025
From the Relieving Principal
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Term 3 Week 5
Monday 18th August 2025
Dear Parents and Carers
Student lessons for The Anxiety Project began across the school last week. We will be publishing core lesson ideas in the newsletter, however, parents will be able to learn more about The Anxiety Project at the upcoming free course for parents, at school next month. Please use the QR code on the information form below, to register your intention to attend.
Congratulations to our JPPS Dance Troupes, who performed so beautifully at the Dance Spectacular Eisteddfod at Abbotsleigh, yesterday. Well done dance teachers: Miss Davidson, Mrs Walters, Miss Shine and Mrs Berry!
Planning for Kindergarten 2026 is well underway. Miss Nelson has begun the preparations for orientation sessions for students and parents. It's now time to enrol for Kindergarten in the new year. Please communicate this message to friends and family with young children, who live in our area.
Much like doctors do 'rounds' in hospitals to observe and discuss patient care, teachers and school leaders engage in Instructional Rounds to observe and reflect on teaching and learning in classrooms. This is not about evaluating individuals, it's about building a deeper, shared understanding of what effective teaching looks like and how we can grow as a learning community. Based on the model developed by Elizabeth City and her colleagues, the process includes four key steps:
Identifying a Problem of Practice or Focus Question
Before visiting classrooms, the team identifies a specific teaching and learning challenge (called a Problem of Practice). This might focus on something like how students are engaging with higher-order questions, or how they explain their thinking during maths lessons. The goal is to address something real and relevant that can help move learning forward.Classroom Observations
Small teams of educators visit classrooms to observe short segments of instruction (typically for 20 minutes). During these visits, observers take careful notes about what students and teachers are doing and saying - not to judge, but to gather descriptive, objective evidence. The focus is on what’s happening, not on evaluating performance.Debrief and Look for Patterns
After all observations are complete, the team comes together to analyse the evidence. They identify trends or patterns in what they observed. For example, are students actively discussing ideas with one another? Are they being asked to think deeply or just recall facts?Next Level of Work
Finally, the team discusses what the next steps should be. What changes or supports could help improve teaching and learning school-wide? This helps educators identify professional development needs, try new strategies, and collaborate across grade levels.
Instructional Rounds offer many benefits:
Shared Language & Vision – Teachers and leaders build a common understanding of what great teaching looks like.
Improved Practice – Teachers learn from one another and bring new ideas back to their own classrooms.
Student-Centered Focus – Observations are focused on what students are actually doing, helping us better support how children learn.
Collaborative Culture – Rounds encourage teamwork, professional growth, and a strong culture of continuous improvement.
If your child mentions that a group of adults visited their classroom, it was likely part of this professional learning process. Teachers are always informed in advance, and the environment remains respectful and non-disruptive for students. The focus is not on any one teacher or student, but on improving learning for all.
By using the Instructional Rounds model, our school is taking thoughtful, research-based steps to ensure every child receives high-quality instruction every day. We’re proud of our staff’s dedication to reflection, learning, and improvement and we thank you for being our partners in this journey.
Have a positive week!
If you can be anything, be kind!
Adela King
Relieving Principal
The Anxiety Project Lessons Begin Across K-6
Dance Spectacular Eisteddfod
Congratulations
Eva (2-O) recently competed at the Evolution Dance Competition. She performed her very first Lyrical Duo and Classical Ballet Solo at Marana Auditorium, and was thrilled to receive:
1st place in Lyrical Duo
1st place in Novice Ballet Solo
Congratulations Eva!
Student Attendance - Every Day Matters (repeated)
As part of your child's Semester 1 and Semester 2 report, we include the semester's attendance summary, imported from School Bytes.
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, at any day during the year. The attendance rate is calculated on the number of actual and partial days attended, as a percentage of the total possible school days for the term.
If you need any assistance setting up or navigating the portal, please don’t hesitate to reach out to our office administration team.
2025 Term Dates & Holidays
We encourage student travel to be taken in school holiday periods, not during term time.
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 3 Week 5
From Art to Speaking, Dance to Spelling - What a Week!
Dear Parents and Carers
We have a fantastic week of events ahead at JPPS and are delighted to share the highlights with you!
This Tuesday, 19th August, our Year 6 students are hosting a fun Mufti Day with the theme ‘Multiples.’ Students are invited to come dressed as twins (or more!) with a gold coin donation to participate. This is a wonderful initiative from our senior students, and we thank you for supporting them.
On Wednesday, 20th August, we are proud to host The Hills Public Speaking Finals here at JPPS for our Stage 2 and Stage 3 teams. We extend our thanks to Miss Brasier and Mrs Robinson for their commitment to preparing and guiding our students.
Later this week, several students will also take part in ‘Wild for Art’ at The Field of Mars. This unique outdoor experience encourages students to connect with nature and express their creativity through artmaking inspired by the natural environment. Thank you to Mrs Lizarraga for organising this inspiring opportunity. We look forward to hearing all about the students’ experiences.
We also wish the very best to our students competing in the Premier’s Spelling Bee Finals online at school this Friday.
Over the weekend, our Dance Troupes brought much excitement with their recent performances. They will continue to showcase their talents at another eisteddfod next Tuesday, 26th August, and at The Hills Spectacular on Sunday, 31st August.
We are so proud of our students’ enthusiasm and achievements across such a wide variety of events. A heartfelt thank you goes to the teachers who give so generously of their time to support and lead these groups—your dedication is truly appreciated.
Irene Robbins
Relieving Deputy Principal
Term 3 Diary Dates
- Tuesday 19 August – Year 6 Mufti Day Fundraiser - Theme ‘Twins/Multiples’
- Wednesday 20 August - 1:35pm K-6 Assembly under COLA
- Friday 22 August - Last day of Winter PSSA
- Tuesday 26 August - Dance Troupes – Hawkesbury Eisteddfod
- Thursday 28 August - P & C Father's Day Stall
- Wednesday 27 August - ICAS Mathematics
- Thursday 28 August - K-6 Assembly Stage 3 performing
- Friday 29 August - PSSA Winter finals
- Sunday 31 August - Dance Troupes Hills Spectacular
- Tuesday 2 September - Kindergarten 2026 Parent Meeting at school 9am or 6pm via Microsoft Teams
- Thursday 4 September - Zone Athletics Carnival at Sydney Olympic Park
- Friday 5 September - ES1 and Stage 1 Science Incursion
- Monday 8 September - P&C Meeting via zoom
- Tuesday 9 September - Maths Olympiad
- Wednesday 3 September - 5pm to 7pm Parent Session 1 The Anxiety Project
- Wednesday 10 September - 5pm to 7pm Parent Session 2 The Anxiety Project
- Wednesday 17 September - 5pm to 7pm Parent Session 3 The Anxiety Project
- Wednesday 10 September - Year 5 Leadership Day
- Friday 12 September - Summer PSSA resumes
- Thursday 18 September 9:30am K-6 Assembly and Book Character Parade
- Tuesday 23 September 10:30am Principal’s Morning Tea in Hall
- Wednesday 24 September – 11am Bronze Medallion Morning Tea in Principal’s Office
- Friday 26 September - Last day of Term 3
Our School Expectations
Congratulations to our students who have demonstrated our school expectations of Respect, Responsibility and Aspire.
This week's expectation is:
Aspire: Play cooperatively
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:
Leah T (KS), Nathan R (KS), Celina A (2B), Abigail G (2B), Mathew P (1KR), Imogen L (1T), Ethan C (1T), Denis W (1/2R), Mercury Y (3ES), Britney W (3/4B), Ellie L (3/4B), Caroline L (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 3 Principal's Morning Tea, for Bronze Award recipients. This special event will be held Tuesday 23 September at 10.30am, in the school hall. Parents are cordially invited to attend.
Silver Award
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur on Wednesday 20 August, under the COLA, at 1:25pm at the K-6 assembly. Parents are cordially invited to attend.
Ireen S (4ML), Satvik T (4B), Anton R (5/6B)
Gold Award
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur on Wednesday 20 August, under the COLA, at 1:25pm at the K-6 assembly. Parents are cordially invited to attend.
Samuel L (5W), Nathan W (5/6B)
Bronze Medallion
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at on Wednesday 20 August, under the COLA, at 1:25pm at the K-6 assembly. Parents are cordially invited to attend.
A morning tea for Term 3 Bronze Medallion recipients will be held in the principal's office at recess on Wednesday 24 September at 11am.
Silver Medallion
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:25pm, under the COLA, at our Open Day Assembly on Wednesday 20 August. Parents are cordially invited to attend.
Gold Medallion
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:25pm, under the COLA, at our Open Day Assembly on Wednesday 20 August. Parents are cordially invited to attend.
From the Teachers
DANCE NEWS
On Sunday, our JPPS Stage 1, 2, and 3 dance groups proudly represented our school at the Dance Spectacular Eisteddfod at Abbotsleigh – and what a fantastic day it was! Stage 1 shone brightly, taking out 1st place in their combined K–2 section, while Stage 2 wowed the judges and were awarded 2nd place in their category. Stage 3 impressed with a beautiful and polished performance, showcasing their dedication and passion for dance.
A huge thank you to Miss Davidson, Mrs Walters and Miss Shine who attended on the day and supported our students throughout – your time, encouragement and guidance made this wonderful experience possible.
Certificates will be presented to all dancers at this week's K-6 assembly, Wednesday 20th August at 1:25pm in the COLA.
Congratulations to everyone and we look forward to our next eisteddfod!
International Competitions and Assessments for Schools Information (ICAS)
ICAS assessments will be held before school and students need to arrive by 7:20am for assessments to start at 7:30am. If you have registered your child to sit one of these assessments, please see the relevant dates below as well as the location students are expected to go to, to undertake their assessment. Mrs. Walters will be at the canteen steps directing students to their allocated rooms where they will meet their supervising teachers.
Supervising teachers will be marking the roll at 7:25 am, any students who are late will miss out on participating due to the disruption it causes to participants. We will not be undertaking makeup assessments.
| English: Week 4 Tuesday 12th August 2025 | Mathematics: Week 6- Wednesday 27th August 2025 | ||
| Year 3 | In 3L with Mrs Barr | Year 3 | In 3L with Mrs Lovell |
| Year 4 | In 4D with Mrs Scott | Year 4 | In 4D with Miss Davidson |
| Year 5 | In 5W with Mrs Berry | Year 5 | In 5W with Mrs Dorabjee |
| Year 6 | Computer Room with Mrs Lizarraga | Year 6 | In 3N with Mrs Narayan |
NSW Premier's Reading Challenge The NSW PRC will be wrapping up this term and has been extended for students until Friday 19 September 2025 (Week 9). Well done to the 134 students who have completed the Challenge so far! All students who complete the Challenge before the end date will receive a Purchase Pride award and a personalised bookmark as a reward for their efforts. Their names are also on display on their class bookshelf in the Library!
K-2 | 30 books
3-6 | 20 books
Books read should be from the list of approved books for their age range or above. All students are able to add up to 10 Personal Choice titles to their list. Please note that only 5 books from a same series can be counted and any PRC books below their age level will also be considered a Personal Choice book. These are to be entered online through the NSW PRC Student Experience site, which can also be found via your child's Student Portal. For more information, please see Mrs Chapman in the Library.
Renee ChapmanTeacher Librarian
Kind regards,
Mrs Renee Chapman | Teacher Librarian
From the Office
STUDENT TRAVEL PASSES
Students who require a School Opal card or travel pass but have not yet applied need to apply or update their details as soon as possible.
In the Opal network, students should travel with a Child/Youth Opal card until they receive their valid School Opal card. If outside Greater Sydney, parents should contact their local bus operator to discuss their travel needs.
Students living in rural and regional areas will receive their travel pass from their nominated transport operator. It may be issued via their school or be sent directly to them at home. Note: some rural and regional operators do not issue travel passes. Students/parents should confirm with their nominated operator if they do not receive a pass.
TERMS OF USE
Students using School Opal cards must tap on and tap off in line with the Opal terms of use .
This includes travel within the approved times between 6.30am and 7.00pm from Monday to Friday on school days only. Students must use their Child/Youth Opal card for any travel outside these times.
All students are required to comply with the Student code of conduct. The code of conduct aims to ensure the safety and well-being of school children and other passengers. It is important that parents ensure their child is aware of this, as failure to comply with the code of conduct can result in a suspension from travel.
FREE FURNITURE AND A PIANO
The school has some furniture and a piano to give away! Please see the images below if you are interested or if you know of a local childcare centre/playgroup that could use them.
- Desk heights are 55cm and we have a couple of 63cm, 66cm and one 48.5cm desk.
- The chairs are all Kindy classroom size.
- The round table is adult size.
- The desks with backing are student size.
If you would like any of this furniture please pop in for a site visit this coming Friday 22 August from 8:30am to 9am. Alternatively if you are unable to make that time, please contact the school via the schools email johnpurch-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au.
From the P & C
FATHER'S DAY STALL
Volunteer opportunities for 'Father's Day Stall 2025' are now open.
Please click on the following web link (or copy it into your web browser if clicking doesn't work) to go to the signup sheet:
To sign up, just follow the instructions on the page. It only takes a few seconds to do.
Thank you for volunteering!
Natalie Campbell
JPPS P&C
JPPS UNIFORM SHOP
General Notes:
Opening Hours (School Days): 8:30-9:30am every Monday, Wednesday, Friday.
Online Ordering & Pick Up In Shop:
To shorten your waiting time in the shop, we highly recommend all parents order uniforms online and arrange pick up. Items can be changed if there is a sizing issue.https://uniforms.jppspandc.org.au/
Friendly Reminders:
Any size change of items (except hats & socks) has to be arranged within 14 days upon purchase with FULL packaging and receipt shown ONLY. Any used items or missing packaging will definitely NOT be accepted.
FROM THE CANTEEN
Volunteers needed: Our school canteen is in URGENT need of volunteers to help keep it running smoothly! especially on our busiest day--FRIDAY. If you can spare time from 9.30am - 1.15pm once a month, please email jpps.canteen@gmail.com Thank you for your support!
From the Community
Please note our school publishes community information for the convenience of families but does not endorse any activity, organisation, person or product.
JOHN PURCHASE PUBLIC SCHOOL accepts no responsibility for content on third-party websites and providing a link does not imply that the school endorses that website.
A MESSAGE FROM THEIRCARE OOSH SERVICE
TheirCare is an experienced Outside School Hours Care (OSHC) company with 495 services nationally. TheirCare was founded in 2017 and provides a stimulating and safe environment for all children in OSHC. During sessions, children develop life-skills, friendships, confidence, and creativity through play-based programs. We look forward to starting the TheirCare service with an official start date of Monday 21st July - 2025. An online information night is scheduled on Tuesday 1st July – 5.30pm (details attached) so families can meet the team and to find out about registrations, times and bookings for the service.
🎉 Ready to Jump In? Let’s Get Started!
Not enrolled yet for OSHC? No stress—it’s super quick and easy to sign up! Just click here and get started.
📝 A Few Quick Checks Before You Finish:
To help us create the best experience for your child, please double-check these details during enrolment:
- ✅ Emergency contacts – make sure we have someone to call if needed
- ✅ Medical information – including allergies, medications, or health conditions
- ✅ Any diagnoses – like asthma, anaphylaxis, or other important info
This info helps us keep your child safe, supported, and smiling throughout their time with us.💬 Got Questions? We’re Here to Help! Our friendly Customer Support Team is available Monday to Friday, 6:30 AM – 8:00 PM (AEST) 📞 1300 072 410📧 info@theircare.com.au
We can’t wait to welcome your family to TheirCare!
Please also refer to the flyers below for further information.
