SWIMMING CARNIVAL

A big thank you to everyone who helped with this year's Swimming Carnival. Congratulations to all students who competed. Thank you to the parents and families for coming along to support us, and to the staff members who volunteered their time on the night. Particular thanks to Ms Wyllie who managed the carnival for us.

I would like to thank the Allahwala family for donating two mango trees that will be planted in the school garden. Their donation is much appreciated considering the trees that were stolen from our garden.

P&C MEETING TONIGHT

Meeting date: 24 February 2021

Time: 7.00pm

Join Zoom Meeting

https://au01web.zoom.us/j/8285840946

Meeting ID: 828 584 0946

The P&C meeting is a great opportunity for families to hear what is happening at school. Feel free to join tonight’s meeting.

CLASS PARENTS

We have trialled a new process for Class Parent Selection this year. We hope this has become a fair and more transparent process. Class Parents are being notified today via e-mail and are invited to attend a morning tea on Wednesday 3 March at 9.00am in the school hall. At this meeting we will talk about the expectations of the role and answer any questions you may have.

YEAR 5 CAMP

5 buses full of excited Yr 5 students and teachers left this morning for the Great Aussie Bush Camp. They will have three days of fun activities and an opportunity to learn about each other and form new friendships. They will be back on Friday afternoon.

We ask parents to keep an eye on the School App as we communicate the arrival time.

Our 2021 Kindergarten students have settled into school routines very quickly. They have enjoyed getting to know their teachers and their new kindergarten friends.

Some of key areas of focus for our Kindergarten students are; learning to be independent and cooperating with others, participating in small groups, working independently and following directions.

Many of our kindergarten classes have begun working in rotational learning groups. Small rotational groups give teachers a chance to focus in on small group learning goals.

Here are some photos of our kindy students having fun in their first sport lessons this week.

Band parents, in addition to email communications, we encourage you to regularly check Newsflash for upcoming events and important band updates. We will publish advance dates as soon as we know them to help you plan the year!

Registrations for Band:

Band registrations for 2021 are now closed. Registrations for Band will re-open in Term 4 for our 2022 student intake.  

Tutorials:

Small group tutorials and individual in-school tutorials have started.  Parents have been emailed tutorial details (including tutor name, tutorial time, tutorial day and location).

If you have a question regarding your child’s tutorial, please email your Tutor in the first instance. Alternatively, email tutorband@artarmonpandc.org.au.

Important note – All Students participating in the Band program are expected to take lessons (at school or externally) in their band instrument. If you were going to arrange an external music tutor but now need in-school tuition, please email Jane/Rebecca, our Tutor Coordinators, this week (email: tutorband@artarmonpandc.org.au).  

Instrument Hire

If you have hired an instrument, this is a reminder to read, complete and return the pink slip asap. Pink slips can be found inside the hired instrument case and should be returned to the Band mailbox near the school main office.

If you have a question regarding instrument hire and maintenance please contact Kirsteen, our Instrument Coordinator at apsbandinstruments@gmail.com

Band Rehearsals

Important Note – due to year 5’s being away on camp this week, there will be combined Concert Band & Senior Band rehearsal this Thursday (25^th Feb) at lunchtime (12.50-1.40pm).

Rehearsals for Training Band will start next week (Friday 5^th March) and will be held each week on Fridays from 7.50am to 8.50am (arrive promptly at 7.50am for 8.00am start)

Jazz Band rehearsals have started and will be at the following time for this week only:

• Friday 26^th February 7.50 – 8.50am
• After the above date, Jazz Band rehearsals will be held weekly on Thursdays from 3.00 – 4.00pm.

Orchestra rehearsals started last week and will be held weekly on Wednesdays from 8am to 8.50am. This week’s Orchestra rehearsal will go ahead on Wednesday (24^th Feb) before school.

All band rehearsals are held in the school music room. For rehearsals before school, students should arrive at school promptly at 7.50am so that the band rehearsal can start by 8am.

Creative Kids Voucher – Apply Now

As you may be aware, the NSW Government will continue to contribute a $100 Creative Kids rebate this year for NSW residents.  It is the same as last year and similar to the Active Kids rebate in that you can claim it against the cost of your child's activities from a registered provider and you can only claim it once from one provider for the year.

The Artarmon P&C is registered as a Creative Kids provider for the band and strings programs. We have set up a form on the Myschoolmusic parent portal for you to provide your Creative Kids voucher number to us.

If you would like to use a Creative Kids voucher to reduce your 2021 band fees by $100, then please follow these 3 steps by 22 March 2021:

• Apply for a voucher for your childon the Service NSW website:  go to https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-creative-kids-voucher. You should do this now.
• As soon as you receive your voucher (it will be emailed to you by Service NSW), log in to the Myschoolmusic parent portal Music Portal Login, answer YES to the question on the Creative Kids form andenter your Creative Kids voucher number  and the other details.
• When you receive an invoice by email from the band treasurer for your ensemble fees and instrument hire,pay $100 less than the total amount on your invoice as soon as you receive it.  Please note that this discount may already be included on the invoice.

If you have more than one child please follow the process for each child individually.

If you have a child who is in both band AND strings, you can only reduce your band OR strings invoice by $100.

Note that instrument tuition fees which are paid direct to your tutor are a separate fee which must be paid in full unless your tutor advises you that they are a Creative Kids provider. In that case you can choose to use the voucher for your tutorial fees instead of (but NOT as well as) your band/strings fees.

Please note that due to the number of children in the band and strings programs, we are unable to process refunds on the band or strings fees if you pay the full amount and decide later to apply for a Creative Kids voucher. You must pay $100 less on your band or strings invoice and tell us your Creative Kids voucher number by Monday 22 Mar 2021. Thank you for your understanding.

If you do not intend to claim the Creative Kids rebate as part of your 2021 band or strings fees (eg. because you are not eligible or have already used it with another provider), then:

• Please pay the full amount of your band or strings invoice as soon as you receive it.
• Log in to the Myschoolmusic parent portal Music Portal Loginand respond NO to the question on the Creative Kids form. You can do this now.

Any questions please email band@artarmonpandc.org.au

Parent Portal – Update Class Details

Classes for 2021 have been confirmed and communicated to parents.

If your child is enrolled in Band, please log into the Parent Music Portal and update your child’s class details this week. This is important information we need for scheduling & communication purposes with the school.  

https://portal.msmusic.com.au/artarmonmusic

Questions?

For general questions, please refer to the Band Information Pack which is available in the Parent Portal and on the school website under Music Programs. Band rehearsal times for your child(ren) and the name of your Band Coordinator(s), once assigned, will also appear in the Parent Portal when you login.  

If you have a question about your hired instrument or instrument tutorial, please contact your Tutor in the first instance. Alternatively, contact our Instrument Coordinator or Tutor Coordinators.

• Instrument Coordinator: Kirsteen Daly (APSbandinstruments@gmail.com)
• Tutor Coordinators: Rebecca Wall & Jane Absolum (tutorband@artarmonpandc.org.au)

THANK YOU!

Email: band@artarmonpandc.org.au

Strings parents, please remember to check Newsflash regularly for upcoming events and important updates. We will publish advance dates as soon as we know them to help you plan your year.

Don’t forget to subscribe to SZApp for String Ensemble News. Found under Manage tab, choose the String Ensemble to keep in the loop with any alerts to upcoming events and updated news.

The strings program is only open to Year 3 students and above. To date all spots have been filled so please come back next year for the next intake.

Reminder to update your child’s class details

It is very important that we know which class your child is in. Please log into your parent portal and update the class name, and any other contact details that may have changed. This only takes 10 seconds of your time.

https://portal.msmusic.com.au/artarmonmusic

Creative Kids Vouchers

As you may be aware, the NSW Government will continue to contribute a $100 Creative Kids rebate this year for NSW residents.  It is the same as last year and similar to the Active Kids rebate in that you can claim it against the cost of your child's activities from a registered provider and you can only claim it once from one provider for the year.

The Artarmon P&C is registered as a Creative Kids provider for the band and strings programs. We have set up a form on the Myschoolmusic parent portal for you to provide your Creative Kids voucher number to us.

If you would like to use a Creative Kids voucher to reduce your 2021 string fees by $100, then please follow these 3 steps:

• Apply for a voucher for your child on the Service NSW website:  go to https://www.service.nsw.gov.au/transaction/apply-creative-kids-voucher. You should do this now.
• As soon as you receive your voucher (it will be emailed to you by Service NSW), log in to the Myschoolmusic parent portal Music Portal Login, answer YES to the question on the Creative Kids form and enter your Creative Kids voucher number  and the other details.
• When you receive an invoice by email from the strings treasurer for your ensemble fees and instrument hire, pay $100 less than the total amount on your invoice as soon as you receive it.

If you have more than one child please follow the process for each child individually.

If you have a child who is in both band AND strings, you can only reduce your band OR strings invoice by $100.

Note that instrument tuition fees which are paid direct to your tutor are a separate fee which must be paid in full unless your tutor advises you that they are a Creative Kids provider. In that case you can choose to use the voucher for your tutorial fees instead of (but NOT as well as) your band/strings fees.

Please note that due to the number of children in the band and strings programs, we are unable to process refunds on the band or strings fees if you pay the full amount and decide later to apply for a Creative Kids voucher. You must pay $100 less on your band or strings invoice and tell us your Creative Kids voucher number by Monday 22 Mar 2021. Thank you for your understanding.

 If you do not intend to claim the Creative Kids rebate as part of your 2021 band or strings fees (eg. because you are not eligible or have already used it with another provider), then:

• Please pay the full amount of your band or strings invoice as soon as you receive it.
• Log in to the Myschoolmusic parent portal Music Portal Login and respond NO to the question on the Creative Kids form. You can do this now.

Any questions please email band@artarmonpandc.org.au

Kind regards

Angie, Natalie, Sheryl & Kali (Creative Kids voucher parent volunteers & assistant band convenor)

Invoices

Invoices for Strings Annual Fees 2021 will go out this week. Please check your email for invoice details. The payment of invoices is due 12 March and prompt payment is appreciated. If you intend to use the Creative Kids voucher towards the payment of strings fees, please ensure you pay $100 less than the total of your Annual Ensemble fee. If you have any questions related to an invoice or payment, email stringstreasurer@gmail.com

Helping with Strings

We still need to fill in many volunteer roles to assist with Strings 2021. Certain roles only require an hour for one term. Other roles require a little more time. The more people who help out, the less any single person has to do. The smooth running of the Strings Ensemble relies on the dedicated team of parent volunteers.

• MOTHERS DAY BREAKFAST CONCERT CO-ORDINATOR and ASSISTANT: Organises MOTHERS Breakfast concert including advertising in Newsflash, coordinating parent volunteers to buy and serve hot cross buns, tea/coffee, hand out flowers to mothers and set up/clear up. The MOTHERS DAY breakfast concert is at the start of Term 2 and involves approximately 4 hours of preparation beforehand in your own home and being at the school on the morning of the concert.

• PLAYATHON CO-ORDINATOR & ASSISTANT:  Organises annual Playathon: sources prizes, distributes practice log, analyses results, distributes prizes.  The playathon occurs in Term 2. Requires work in your own home and contacting local businesses.  Approximately 20 hours in total.

• ASSISTANT MUSIC INTENSIVE CO-ORDINATOR:  Assisting to organise the Term 2 weekend intensive at the school: permission forms for student attendance; student sign ins; parent supervision roster etc.  Approximately 15 hours in total from your own home, plus time at the school on the intensive weekend.

• MUSIC CAMP CO-ORDINATOR & ASSISTANT:   Organises music camp in Term 3 including transport, liaison with venue, parental permission, dietary requirements, sleeping arrangements, payment, parent supervision roster. Several people usually share this role, from band and strings programs.  Approximately 30 hours preparation time in your own home and own time, plus time onsite at the music camp weekend.

• FESTIVALS CO-ORDINATOR & ASSISTANT:  Registers Strings for festivals on Mr Mansukhani’s advice, organises permission notes, works with the school to organise transport.  Most festivals occur in Terms 2 & 3.  Work from your own home (although being able to talk to Mr Mansukhani in person is useful – can be done before Strings rehearsals in the mornings).  Approximately 8 hours per festival.

If you are interested in volunteering for one of these roles or would like more information, please email strings.artarmonpandc@gmail.com

Ensemble rehearsals:            

2021 Strings Committee