Term 3 Week 6 Newsletter - Monday 25th August 2025
From the Relieving Principal
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Term 3 Week 6
Monday 25th August 2025
Dear Parents and Carers
Good luck to our dancers at the Hawkesbury Eisteddfod tomorrow and on Sunday!
Last week, the Australian Institute of Family Studies released data from their most recent study into the mental health of young people. It revealed that 34% of young people, aged 14-19 years, reported suicidal thoughts and behaviours in the last 12months. The report draws on data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (LSAC) — Australia’s largest and longest-running study of child development, which has followed 10,000 children and their families since 2004.
This is an alarming statistic. At JPPS, we are working to support the mental health of our students through the implementation of The Anxiety Project. Students are learning strategies to manage anxious thoughts before they reach this critical age.
Please come along to our free parent sessions and learn how you can support your child now and in the years ahead, to maintain good mental health. Below is a link to last week's media release. Media release: One-third of teens experience suicidal thoughts and behaviours
Please use the QR code on the form below, to register your attendance at the 5pm-7pm parent sessions on these Wednesdays - 3rd, 10th and 17th September.
Our supportive P & C is holding a Father's Day Stall at school this Thursday, 28th August. Students are reminded to be organised and ready to go shopping with their class, on Thursday!
Have a positive week!
If you can be anything, be kind!
Adela King
Relieving Principal
Selective High Schools and Opportunity Classes 2026
Information regarding selective high school placement for Year 7 2026, was released on Friday afternoon, 22nd August. Parents are advised to refer to the following information from the NSW Department of Education, should you have queries regarding this year's process and testing methodology. This 'Outcomes' information site will have updates to parents' frequently asked questions, as well as translation pages:
Year 6 'Multiples' Mufti Fundraiser
Congratulations!
Maggie (in 3/4B) attended Penrith String Eisteddfod and won four first prizes in four sections, including 8 years and under solo with accompaniments, 8 years and under solo without accompaniment, Junior Championship and Junior String Ensemble. Congratulations Maggie!
Student Attendance - Every Day Matters
If your child is absent from school, a member of the administrative team will send you a text message or email. Parents are encouraged to respond to these messages as soon as possible, to avoid absences being recorded as unjustified.
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.
As part of your child's Semester 1 and Semester 2 report, we include the semester's attendance summary, imported from School Bytes.
If you need any assistance setting up or navigating the School Bytes 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 6
Dear Parents and Carers
Well done to Victoria (Stage 2) and Arin (Stage 3) for proudly representing our school in the NSW Premier's Spelling Bee Regional Zone Final, held online last week. Both students demonstrated great focus and resilience in a highly competitive event, tackling some very tricky words along the way!
Best wishes to our talented dance troupes performing at the Hills Dance Spectacular this Sunday. A sincere thank you to Mrs Berry, Miss Davidson, Mrs Walters and Miss Shine for their dedication in preparing and supporting our dancers. We’re cheering you on!
Irene Robbins
Relieving Deputy Principal
Spelling Bee Representatives
Congratulations Silver Award Recipients
Congratulations Gold Award Recipients
Term 3 Diary Dates
- Tuesday 26 August - Dance Troupes – Hawkesbury Eisteddfod
- Wednesday 27 August - ICAS Mathematics
- Thursday 28 August - P & C Father's Day Stall
- 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:
Responsibility: Be safe and walk on hard surfaces
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:
Aurora L ((KS), Bonnie H (KS), Ronav R (1/2R), Bella Z (1/2R), Ruby K (1/2R), Olivia X 3/4B, Viraaj R (3/4B), Eric W (3ES), Andrew C (3L), Dominic M-C (3L), Luca C 5/6B
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 at 1:35pm on Thursday 28th August, under the COLA. Stage 3 students will be presenting an item. Parents are cordially invited to attend.
Amelia Q (4ML)
Gold Award
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:35pm on Thursday 28th August, under the COLA. Stage 3 students will be presenting an item. Parents are cordially invited to attend.
Bronze Medallion
These awards will be presented at the next assembly. This assembly is planned to occur at 1:35pm on Thursday 28th August, under the COLA. Stage 3 students will be presenting an item. 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 1:35pm on Thursday 28th August, under the COLA. Stage 3 students will be presenting an item. 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
The Anxiety Project Lessons
CHECK-IN ASSESSMENTS
2025 ‘Check-in’ Assessments Year 3-6
‘Check-in’ Assessments for 2025 will commence on Monday 1st September 2025 and will continue until Friday 12th September 2025. These assessments are completed online by students in Year 3 to 9, in NSW public schools every year.
John Purchase Public School students in Years 3-6 will each complete a reading test and a numeracy test. Students in Year 6 will also complete a writing task. The reading and numeracy tests are designed to take up to 60 minutes each. The Year 6 writing task is designed to take 40 minutes (including 5 minutes planning at the start, 30 minutes writing and 5 minutes to check and edit work at the end). Both the reading and numeracy tests have approximately 50 items (including a small number of items for trial purposes). The Year 6 writing task is a single prompt marked against set criteria.
No preparation is required at home. The assessments will be completed during lesson time, and there is no expectation for students to revise or study in advance.There is no formal feedback or test results shared with parents. These are internal assessments intended to guide classroom teaching rather than to report student achievement. The results are used by teachers to identify areas of strength and where further support may be needed.
Thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact class teachers.
Adele Walters
Stage 3 Relieving Assistant Principal
Public Speakers
Stage 2 and Stage 3 students delivered their speeches last week. As a result, we congratulate Grace (4D), Mivaan (3N), Pashaan (5/6H) and Myilen (5DM) who will represent JPPS at the Hills Public Speaking competition.
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 |
K-4 Cricket Clinic with West Pennant Hills Cricket Association
On Monday 11th August, students from Kindergarten to Year 4 were fortunate to take part in a cricket skills session with the West Pennant Hills Cricket Association. The students enjoyed learning and practising a variety of cricket skills, including catching, bowling, batting, and aiming for the stumps. Guided by experienced coaches, the children were highly engaged and had a wonderful time developing their skills while having fun.
We would like to thank the West Pennant Hills Cricket Association for generously offering their time to work with our students. If your child is interested in playing cricket, please see the flyer below for more information on how to sign up.
Katie Moore
Stage 2 Assistant Principal
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 - a small number left
- The round table is adult size.
- The desks with backing are student size.
If you would like any of this furniture 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 OOSH
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.