With Mr Coombes taking some much deserved leave to spend time with his family, our 2025 School Captains, Audrey Grace and Daniel Ni have been tasked with writing this week's Principal Report.

Term One Principal Message 

By Daniel N and Audrey G

As we reach the end of another school term, our students have once again displayed an outstanding amount of effort in their work and in extracurricular activities. Not only did they try their hardest, their outcomes provided them with priceless learning experiences and skills. All students have faced this new year with a great attitude and approached all their schoolwork with their heads held high.

During this break, all the grades should relax and enjoy their freedom from school and stress. We totally understand the amount of effort poured in by the students and their parents, and hope that they are able to recover and participate in activities that bring them joy. 

Not only do the students need this. Their hard-working teachers and staff who have supported them the entire way through. All our results reflect their hard work and determination to pull through a hard year and provide us with the most opportunities possible. That’s the best thing about our wonderful staff here at Artarmon Public School. 

Students have matured and improved academically, socially, and athletically with the help of OARS, NAPLAN, new buddies, and the swimming carnival, encouraging these three traits in our wonderful students. This led to personal growth, being the scaffold for their learning and their achievements.

Year 5 camp was a major milestone in the development of adapting to new environments and creating closer connections with their peers. Going out to a far away place, leaving the warm comfort of their bed can be very challenging to students, but they have pushed through and proved themselves worthy of facing their fears and frightening experiences.

On the other hand, Year 6 camp was to a much more populated and modernised area, Canberra. Throughout the term, Year 6 has been learning about Australian democracy and forms of government. This camp extended their knowledge to new depths with tours to Old and New Parliament House, and all the other government heritage listed sites.

Kindy to Year 2 will participate in the Easter Hat parade where they will wear cool hats with the theme of Easter. This encourages their creativity and is a fun activity, where they can dress up, be inspired and in awe of each other's creativity and creations.

3-6 girls had the opportunity to participate in the Skellern Cup, which is a soccer tournament encouraging young girls to begin playing a sport originally thought to be male only. There, they had a fun day filled with exercise and had the opportunity to learn from both others and themselves. Stage 3 girls won their competition on the day and Audrey (Stage 3) and Bianca (Stage 2) won the All Star awards on the day.

This term has certainly been a great representation of our students and staff effort and capabilities.

From Wednesday 2nd April to Friday 4th April, 206 excited Year 6 students and 10 dedicated teachers, visited our nation’s capital. Travelling in 5 coaches, we set off at 6:45 am, just as the sun was coming up! 

In Canberra, students were given the opportunity to participate in a variety of educational programs with a focus on our country’s history, culture, heritage, and democracy. These activities supported our history unit, Australia as a nation, and deepened our understanding of democracy. 

After visiting the Royal Australian Mint, a group of students came face to face with an important member of Australia’s government, her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. APS students were very excited to ask her questions and even had a photo opportunity.  

The Australian Government recognises the importance of all young Australians being able to visit the national capital as part of their Civics and Citizenship education. To help families meet the cost of this excursion, the Australian Government is contributing $30 per student under the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate program. This money was applied to cover some of the excursion costs paid by our families and is paid directly to the school.  

Artarmon’s most senior students were wonderful representatives of our school. They demonstrated their knowledge of Australia’s systems of government and made the most of each opportunity to discover more about our nation's capital. 

After 3 long and tiring days, our students and wonderful staff returned home. We had a wonderful time and learned so much! 

A sea of green overlooks the arena in which the federal debates are held. Our guide pours priceless information into us. We stare in awe, through the glass that looks over the famous house of representatives.  

Last Wednesday to Friday, Year 6 attended the annual Canberra Camp where we visited well known landmarks and museums. In my opinion, the most memorable place we visited was the current Parliament House.  

During our time there we learnt about the Senate and the House of Representatives, where different members of parliament sit during federal meetings. We even held our own meeting and debated our own laws. 

Overall, I loved every part of Canberra Camp. It was fascinating, knowledgeable and fun! 

by Lilia 6MR 

The Year 6 camp was my favourite camp of all the camps, well the 2 school camps I’ve been to anyway! And we did learn a lot.  

Let’s start from the beginning. I was on Bus 4, which meant I had the National Gallery of Australia as my first activity. We learnt that art can really be anything. From ginormous sculptures to small paintings, it really shows how diverse art can really be. One of my favourite sculptures would have to be from the sculpture garden. My favourite was ‘Ouroboros’ made by Lindy Lee. It is a sculpture depicting a snake eating its own tail, representing renewal.  

The Australian Electoral Centre taught us all about voting, and how the parliament works. We learnt that there are two main sections of parliament, the House of Representatives and the Senate.  The House of Representatives gets elected in different zones with approximately the same number of voters, and the Senate get elected by state and territories. We learnt so much, and we had so much fun. 

We went to many places in the space of 3 days. Sometimes we only spent an hour at one place; sometimes we spent three. But no matter what we enjoyed it. In all the places we went to, from Questacon to the museum of democracy; embassy drive to the mint, learning was made fun. We learnt so much and didn’t even realise it! We had fun everywhere, even in places we thought would be boring.  

We made new friends during down time and shared a seesaw with 7 other people. I don’t think many people, and most definitely me, didn’t want it to be over. One of the most popular and most enjoyed places we visited was Questacon. Personally, my favourite part of Questacon was either the free fall slide, the fabric launching tubes or the earthquake room. 

By Nirish and Holly 6PS 

Canberra, a once in a lifetime opportunity, with friends, fun and chances to learn so many things. For me, it was an unforgettable, amazing experience. My friends were what made my Canberra experience what it is now, a special opportunity. I also enjoyed Questacon, a centre filled with games and activities that build your creativity and knowledge about science.   

I will always cherish my memory of Canberra Camp and the endless benefits of it. 

by Grace 6MR 

Canberra Camp was an opportunity to learn about Australia's past and present, such as going to Old and current Parliament House to learn about democracy and voting and going to Questacon to learn about natural disasters and science. There are many fun things to do in Canberra, but my favourite in particular was Questacon.  

Overall, the Canberra Camp was a great experience and to the 2026 Year Sixes, I wish you guys a great time next year.  

By Cloe 6MR 

Learning about currency and the history of Australian money gave me and my peers a clear explanation of The Mint. Located in Canberra, The Mint is a place in which coins and many other currencies are made. The building and company were founded over 50 years ago, making this was one of the many significant places to visit on our trip to Canberra.  

Going to The Mint gave Year 6 an opportunity to fully get an understanding and have knowledge about the first currencies ever made all the way to today. 

By Jossy 6MR 

During the last two weeks of Term 1, our Year 2 students have been diving into swimming lessons, where they have been developing vital water confidence and gaining essential skills in water safety and survival. Through these lessons, students have learnt how to safely participate in water-based activities, enhancing both their physical and mental fitness to increase their wellbeing. Throughout the two weeks, they have had a blast with their friends, making memories whilst staying active and engaged. The swim scheme is often referred back to as a highlight of students’ Year 2 experiences. They have all worked incredibly hard each day and should be proud of their progress. 

They sure have made a splash this year! 

Keep up the swimming Year 2! 

On Friday 28 March, a team of 15 APS chess players competed in a Chess tournament at SHORE Senior School organised by the Sydney Academy of Chess. We came first in the whole tournament with a score of 23.5 points, beating many other schools such as Neutral Bay and SHORE. Our top players were Elvin Di who came second, Justin Chau who came third, Daniel Lowe who was fourth and Winston Bai who was fifth. We cleared the trophy and medal shelves as we received six out of the eight awards. It was a great experience for all of us, no matter if we won or lost.

 Our win qualifies us to compete in one of the Semi-Finals which will be held in Term 3.

In Term 2, we are offering our students the opportunity to participate in the NSW Public Schools Student Survey. The survey gives students the chance to share their thoughts and feelings about life at school, including questions about their engagement, learning experiences and wellbeing at school. 

Hearing directly from our students will help us understand what’s working well and where improvements can be made to our school. The survey is confidential, takes around 10 to 15 minutes to complete, and will be conducted online during school hours. 

Participation is voluntary. If you prefer your child not to participate, please contact our school office to complete an opt out form. Please complete the opt out form by Friday 2nd May 2025. 

Further information about the survey is available at https://education.nsw.gov.au/npss 

The School Photographer will be at Artarmon Public School on- 

• Monday 26 May 2025 -Term 2 Week 5 

• Thursday 29 May 2025- Term 2 Week 5 

Details about these days, including classes and group photos, will be sent home closer to the date.  

As we move into the holidays, a timely reminder to make sure you are following all traffic signage around the school and setting a good example for your children by crossing at the designated crossings.

CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE TICKETS

CLICK HERE TO BOOK