Term 3, Week 8 7 September, 2020

4 Blakehurst Public School, Dewrang Street, Carss Park, NSW 2221 Tel: 9546 1555 Fax: 9547 1796 E-mail: blakehurst-p.school@det.nsw.edu.au Website: blakehurst-p.schools.nsw.edu.au A Message from our Principal, Mr Cameron Smyth-Gapps Thank you to our P&C I would like to thank our P&C for operating the Father’s Day Stall this year. With so many events needing to be cancelled or postponed due to COVID, I greatly appreciated the flexibility of our P&C in being able to offer a COVID-safe option for our students. I would also like to recognise the volunteers who assisted with arranging and wrapping the gifts. COVID restrictions limited the number of parents who were able to operate the stall but there were certainly many additional helpers behind the scenes. As always, I thank you for your ongoing commitment to the school community. School Canteen I would like to thank our canteen committee and canteen staff for the tremendous changes that have been taking place in the canteen in recent months. Our menu is continuing to evolve and the quality of our fresh and healthy food options is like no other school. Our canteen committee made a lovely gesture by preparing soup for the staff recently as a ‘thank you’ for the work that our teachers have undertaken during the COVID period. The soup was absolutely delicious and was greatly appreciated by the staff! Please continue to support our school canteen and if you are yet to do so, please complete the canteen survey (on Skoolbag) so that your feedback can be used to inform menu items moving forward. Online information sessions for 2021 Kindergarten Parents Given current COVID restrictions, our initial parent meetings for Kindergarten 2021 will take place online this term. We are hoping to offer a more ‘traditional’ orientation experience for our students next term if Department of Education regulations allow us to do so. All families with a child enrolling in Kindergarten next year have received details regarding the upcoming workshops. As a reminder, parents can select from one of the following options:

• Tuesday 8 September at 10am • Thursday 17 September at 7:30pm Please join one of the meetings using the links that were sent out by the school. If you require further information or wish to have the links sent to you again, please contact the school on 9546 1555.

The Bush Telegraph

Blakehurst Public School Newsletter

A caring community school - safe, respectful, resilient, engaged.

Parent Teacher Interviews Please be reminded that our Parent Teacher Interviews will be held in Week 10 this term. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, our interviews will be conducted over the phone. You will receive a pack at the end of Week 9 which has a copy of the school’s interview page and 3 of your child’s work samples. These will be used as the basis for discussions and are being provided to families as it is not possible for parents to visit classrooms and view their child’s work samples in person at this time. The school will be utilising the online booking system again this term. To book an interview with your child’s teacher, please refer to the login details below. Further details have been sent home to families as a hard copy and through Skoolbag. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school on 9546 1555. Website: https://www.schoolinterviews.com.au/ Password Click on ‘MAKE A BOOKING’ and enter 66zkj – you can then follow the prompts to book interview times with all relevant teachers Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) workshops Thank you to the parents who joined us for our first BYOD online workshop last week. The next workshop will be held this Thursday 10 September. The workshops provide important information around the school’s implementation of the program and its implications for students and parents. I strongly encourage parents with a child in Years 4-6 this year to join the upcoming workshop. I would also like to acknowledge the work of Miss Blewitt, Mrs Kearns, Miss Lambros and Mrs Talwar in leading this Stage 3 initiative. Further information will be made available at the beginning of Term 4. If you have any questions following the workshops, I encourage you to contact the school on 9546 1555. Language classes on the school grounds Parents are advised that the language classes that usually run on the school grounds have reverted to being online for the remainder of the term. Information has been sent directly to families by Victory Chinese School. This change is due to updated COVID-19 restrictions that advise against students of various ages mixing together in the same classroom for extended periods. We hope to see the program back on school grounds in Term 4. Parent Surveys Thank you to the families who have already completed our School Excellence Parent Survey. At this stage, we have 20 families who have completed the survey. This is a great start but the more families that we have complete the survey, the more that we are able to ensure that future directions reflect ‘the voice of the community’. The survey is open until the end of the term. Thank you for taking the time to provide our school with important feedback. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSflydnRKc34sBhILs26j3zPtpSwEyJAjju_1qCLixdzaLkFHA/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0 Kindergarten Enrolments for 2021 Our families are reminded that the school is currently accepting Kindergarten enrolments for next year. If you have a child commencing Kindergarten in 2021, please complete the Application to Enrol in a NSW Government School, which can be downloaded from our website or collected from the school office.

National Walk Safely to School Day Walk Safely to School Day is this Friday 11 September. This initiative in now in its 21st year and extends to also promote safe practices when commuting to and from school by car or bike. I encourage all parents to talk to their child/children about safe commuting practices. Please refer to the following link for additional information: http://www.walk.com.au/WSTSD/ Online Dance Competition Our dance groups recently participated in the ‘Ooh La La Dance Extravaganza – Educational Schools Online Competition’. This was to ensure that our dancers still had the opportunity to showcase their talents, given that all face to face competitions have been cancelled this year. Each dance was filmed in full make-up, hair and costumes in the school hall early this term in order for us to be ready to enter a variety of competitions across the year. I would like to congratulate our dance groups on their wonderful achievements in this competition. Our results were as follows:

Infants Section: 1ST PLACE - "Andy's Room" Jazz

Primary Section: 1ST PLACE - "Nature is Speaking" Contemporary 2ND PLACE - "Expecto Patronum" Jazz

Given that our dance groups competed against other schools from across Australia, this was a tremendous achievement! The next competition that we entered will be adjudicated at the end of September. I would also like to thank Mrs Wheeler and Miss Lambros for their incredible work with our dance groups this year.

Assembly Awards Congratulations to all of the students who received special awards at the Week 6 and Week 7 assemblies. There were a large number of awards given out this past fortnight, which shows that many of our students are working towards achieving our higher level awards by the end of the year. Keep up the great work everyone!

Week 6

All these winners are in KW! All these winners are in KB!

Here are our other special award winners at the Week 6 assembly (see names below).

Congratulations to the students who were finalists in the Public Speaking Competition.

• Mia Parlett 5/6B • Aabha Sharma 5/6T • Scarlett Williams 3/4S • Angus Anketell 5/6K • Aliya Daewoud 3/4H • Eneral Iderbaatar 3/4H • Annika Goodman 3/4S

Congratulations to the students who received Highly Commended awards in this year’s Public Speaking Competition.

• Maeve Wheeler 5/6T • Nigama Rachumulla 3/4S • Declan Wheeler 3/4K • Lucy Bishop 5/6B

Week 7

Here are our other special award winners at the Week 7 assembly (see names below).

Blakehurst Bluey says… At Blakehurst Public School we are Safe, Respectful, Engaged and Resilient learners. PBL Assembly Awards The following students received awards in assembly…

Star Awards Danilo D K-2G Aiden L KB Reha C KW Jasmine K KW Ilias M 3/4K Mira Dae G K-2G Jordan L KB Eli D KW Eric L KW Chloe O 3 /4K Melissa A KB Ethan L KB Katie D KW Anna P KW Filip D 3/4S Astrea A KB Matilda M KB Layla E KW Cody S KW Nigama R 3/4S Marlee B KB Ayande N KB Caysan F KW Martin S KW Rosa S 3/4S Wesley C KB Gabriel P KB Kassem F KW Aliya D 3/4H Angus A 5/6K Emma D KB Akshath S KB Malik G KW Stefan O 3/4H Finn G KB Ana T KB Aria H KW Kris T 3/4H Leah G KB Dora X KB Aria J KW Brooklyn Z 3/4H Mohamed H KB Alicia A KW Mia J KW Yemen D 3/4K Khaled I KB Amber B KW Jack J KW Jordan G 3/4K Bronze Award Silver Award Gold Award Clancy H 1J Jayla B 1J Kitty M 3/4K Andre M 3/4K

Joelle N 1J Declan W 3/4K Annika G 3/4S Jontey S 1J Panos K 3/4S Angelina A 3/4H Aiden M 3/4S Penny C 3/4H Jeyla O 3/4S

Diamond Award Mya H 3/4H Vicky Y 3/4S Banner Award Harry W 5/6K Jason H 3/4H Chloe B 5/6K Dylan K 3/4H

Enerel I 3/4H Jarvie D 3/4S Michael M 3/4H Wasim H 5/6K Claire B 3/4K Zerrin U 5/6K

Taylor F 3/4K Sophia V 5/6K Mikhaila I 3/4K

Welcome to our first set of staff profiles for the year. We are now including a collection of profiles in each Bush Telegraph between now and the end of the year so that new and incoming families

have the opportunity to learn a little more about our staff, given that there are limited opportunities for parents to connect with teachers at the moment. As a parent, it is nice to know a

little bit about the teachers who are working so closely with your children on a daily basis.

Mr Adam Hotson Current role: LaST (MacqLit) and PDH (Personal Development and Health) for Years K-4

What are your interests or hobbies outside of school?

Cooking, NFL (American Football), Movies, Spending time with my kids

When you were a student at school, what was your favourite subject?

Maths

As a primary school teacher, what curriculum area do you enjoy teaching the most?

PDH and Maths

Do you have children? I have 3 children, Noah (10), Chloe (8) and Faith (5)

What is your favourite type of music, band or song?

My Spotify playlists are broad and varied. My music tastes are often influenced by the mood I’m in or the activity I’m involved in.

What are some things about you that our community may not know and you are willing to share?

As I’m new there is probably a lot that the community doesn’t know about me… but I’m really friendly and have been told that I could talk under water. If you see my around the school, feel free to chat with me to find out a little more about me!

Thanks Adam for sharing a little bit about yourself with the school community

Blakehurst Public School

Staff Profiles

Miss Hannah Barnett Current role: Kindergarten teacher

What are your interests or hobbies outside of school?

My interests and hobbies outside of school include; netball, running, weight lifting, reading and spending time with friends and family.

When you were a student at school, what was your favourite subject?

My fondest subject during primary school was history in Year 5. We turned our entire classroom into a community living during the time of Federation. We had pretend crops to keep alive, animals to care for, money to manage and jobs to uphold. I also enjoyed PSSA Sport where I played netball and softball. However, my favourite subjects were actually found in high school when I was able to study Dance and Drama.

As a primary school teacher, what curriculum area do you enjoy teaching the most?

I honestly believe my answer to this question depends on what it is I’m teaching. There are elements of each curriculum area that I enjoy and it’s always nice to be able to include student interests into what we are learning.

Do you have children? I am the mother of a beautiful 1 year old cocker spaniel named Jazzie. She loves cuddles and kisses, enjoys snuggling on my lap whenever I sit down, and follows me around the house hoping I will take her for another walk. She is the best!

What country or city have you visited that you would really like to go back to? What was it about this place that made it so memorable?

I lived in London for 2 years between 2011-2013 and travelled all around Europe. I would love to go back one day to visit my favourite places. These were, Scotland for its kind people and historic feel, and Egypt for the engaging ancient history, museums, stories and landmarks. I was lucky enough to spend 2 nights sailing down the river Nile on a small raft boat that held 20 people. We slept out under the stars and ate traditional Egyptian food cooked by our captains on a small grill attached to the boat. It is a beautiful memory.

What are some things about you that our community may not know and you are willing to share?

I danced for 18 years in all styles, and competed throughout NSW and QLD. I was a dance teacher for 5 years at my studio, teaching jazz, modern, contemporary, tap, and acrobatics to children and adults of all ages (including teaching my mums tap class!). Dance was a huge part of my life growing up and I have a strong appreciation for the arts.

Thanks Hannah for sharing a little bit about yourself with the school community

Miss Hayley Gallagher

Current role: K-2G Support Class teacher

What are your interests or hobbies outside of school?

Walking, going to the beach, watching movies and spending time with friends and family.

When you were a student at school, what was your favourite subject?

My favourite subjects were English, drama and art. I enjoyed the ability to be creative and express myself in each of the topics.

As a primary school teacher, what curriculum area do you enjoy teaching the most?

I enjoy teaching across all curriculum areas. I am passionate about helping students to grow and develop as a whole child. I find it extremely rewarding to watch students develop confidence in themselves and their skills.

Do you have children? I have 2 amazing and boisterous children. Jake is 14 years old, he loves playing basketball, baseball and riding his bike. Lyla is 4 years old. She attends daycare 5 days a week so mummy can work with other children. She is really looking forward to starting school next year and loves LOL dolls and Barbies.

What is your favourite type of music, band or song?

I like a bit of all types of music, as long as it has a good rhythm.

What country or city have you visited that you would really like to go back to? What was it about this place that made it so memorable?

I took my children on their first overseas holiday last year to Fiji. We all had a lovely time exploring the country, getting to know the friendly people, learning about their culture and the relaxing environment. We would love to go back and explore some more.

What are some things about you that our community may not know and you are willing to share?

Prior to teaching in Primary Schools I taught in Long Day Care for 7 years. I find that the skills you develop as an educator are transferrable across all educational settings.

Thanks Hayley for sharing a little bit about yourself with the school community

School Calendar Upcoming events at Blakehurst Public School Please put these dates in your diary. Dates and events are subject to change. Check the school website for recent updates and changes.

Term 3 – 2020

Term 4 – 2020 P&C News P&C Meeting Thank you to all those who zoomed into our last P&C meeting- it’s always lovely to see new faces :) Our next meeting will again be a virtual meeting, on Thursday 24th September at 2pm. The P&C meetings are open to everyone. If you would like to receive the link to join the meeting, please email blakehurstpandc@gmail.com and we will send you the meeting details. If you would like to join the P&C association as a financial member, please drop us an email and we will send you through the membership form and details of how to pay your $2.00 annual fee. Being a financial member gives you the opportunity to vote on motions and decisions for the P&C and also the opportunity to receive the minutes after each meeting. Father’s Day Stall We hope that all our BPS families had a lovely day on Sunday. Huge thanks go out to all the families who made a purchase at our very busy little stall on Thursday. It was so wonderful to see the students deliberating their purchases and choosing special things for the ones they love. Thank you for your ongoing support.

Term 3 Week 8

Monday 7 September Footsteps - Years K-6

Tuesday 8 September

Premier’s Debating Challenge 2020 - Round 1 - online Kindergarten 2021 New parents Zoom Meeting 1 with Principal 10.00am - 11.00am

Thursday 10 September Premier’s Debating Challenge 2020 - Round 2 - online

Friday 11 September Walk Safely to School

Term 3 Week 9 Monday 14 September Footsteps - Years K-6

Thursday 17 September Kindergarten 2021 New Parents Zoom Meeting 2 with Principal 7.30pm - 8.30pm

Term 3 Week 10

Monday 21 September Footsteps - last day - Years K-6 Monday to Friday 21 - 25 September Parent Teacher Interviews - online

Friday 25 September Last day Term 3

Term 4 Week 1

Monday 12 October Term 4 starts - Teachers and students return

Term 4 Week 3 Monday 26 October Backflips against bullying

Sausage Sizzle We are delighted to be supporting the SRC at their upcoming Walk-a-thon by providing a special food day service on the day. All proceeds from the sausage sizzle will go to the SRC, towards their water refilling stations. The P&C will also be donating a refillable water pouch with every sausage sizzle order. Say Thank You with Soup Day The P&C and canteen team provided a delicious soup lunch to our teachers and staff last week. This was a way of saying thank you to office and support staff during SASS week, but also a way for parents to say thank you to our teachers for all their hard work this year. Thank you to Carla for making the soup and the canteen team for getting the soup served to the staff. Blakehurst Bites - Canteen News Canteen Survey Thank you to all of the families and children who filled out our canteen survey. The canteen team will be using your feedback and suggestions to put together the summer menu over the next few weeks. Congratulations to the Gillies family - the lucky winners of the $20 canteen voucher draw. Top Selling Items The children and staff are loving the current winter menu - the new chicken breast fillet burger is becoming a very popular menu item - order one this Wednesday, so that your child can find out just how delicious they are. With fresh bread and rolls now being delivered every morning, students and teachers are loving our fresh and tasty sandwiches. Take a look on Flexischools to see how many fresh sandwich fillings are available. Delicious fresh green apple slinkies are also racing out the door! Only $1.50 - a great way to encourage your child to eat fruit. Special Food Day The children loved the Mexican SFD, held a few weeks ago. The canteen team are working on ways to put some new Mexican inspired lunches into the new menu. Volunteers Thank you to the mums, dads and grandparents who have joined our canteen volunteer team over the last few weeks. Volunteering has never been easier with our new digital sign up! You can sign yourself up, have total control over the days and times you help and can make changes if your plans change. Go to https://signup.com/go/FcggjSG Here is what one new volunteer said last week “Today was my first volunteer shift in the canteen this year. Such a great vibe, it was great seeing all the kids faces again.” Volunteers are needed every morning, but also any afternoon from 2pm, to make sure our kids spend recess playing, not waiting in long lines for food. If you have any canteen feedback, questions or menu suggestions, we would love to hear from you, please don’t hesitate to drop us an email to Blakehurstpandc@gmail.com

Canteen Coordinator: Deb Bennetts School Lunch Orders via www.flexischools.com.au

: blakehurstpscanteen@gmail.com

With this glorious sunshine all around at the moment, it’s time to dig out those hats and make sure your child is being sun safe and protected. We have school caps and bucket hats in all sizes, ready to protect all those beautiful faces in the playground. We are ready for summer! New stock has arrived ready for the summer term and we are able to fulfil any orders made on flexischools or by paper order form. Drop us an email with any questions or to request an order form. Blakehurstuniformshop@gmail.com

Uniform Coordinator: Christine Parlett : blakehurstuniformshop@gmail.com.au

Orders can be made via www.flexischools.com.au

Premier’s Reading Challenge Congratulations to the students below, who have finished their Premier’s Reading Challenge. Well done to these great readers!!

Tiana H, Aabha S, Taylem D, Jovial W, Jackson C, Enerel I, Penny C and Minnie M Hamzi D, Hugh B, Emna A, Bill F, Cadell B, Dante M, Jason H and Mya H

Also: Lucas Y, Mia P, Marina P, Ilias M, Faith M, Mia B, and Jordan G. All Kindergarten to Year 2 classes have also finished the PRC. Well done!

Book Club All Book Club orders are due online by 3pm, Thursday 10th September 2020. Please see below for information on how to order online or go to the website for further information https://mybookclubs.scholastic.com.au

Thursday 10/9/20

Student Banking School Banking is a fun, interactive and engaging way to help young Australians learn about money and practice good savings habits. For each weekly deposit made at school, students will receive a Dollarmites token. Once they collect 10 tokens, they can redeem them for a School Banking reward. If your child has previously participated in School Banking, or has an existing Commonwealth Bank Youthsaver account, they can start banking straight away by bringing their Dollarmites deposit wallet to school on School Banking day. If your child has lost their deposit wallet, please contact your School Banking Co-ordinator or visit any Commonwealth Bank branch for a replacement. If you would like to know more about School Banking, please ask for a 2020 School Banking program parent guide from the school office or visit www.commbank.com.au/schoolbanking

All bank books must be handed into the office first thing on Thursday mornings.

No banking will be collected from the classroom.

Keep up the great work and remember school banking day every Thursday

BLAKEHURST BITES WEEKLY MENU

I N T R O D U C I N G O U R F R E S H F O O D S U P P L I E R S . . .

Carss Park Finest Meats – Local family owned butchers

PizzaBox Café – Manoosh made fresh every Monday

Suntop Bakery – Fresh wholemeal bread and soft rolls delivered daily

St George Food Distributors – Restaurant quality fruit, vegetables and groceries