WELCOME TO OUR NEW KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS

It was so wonderful to see our Kindergarten class of 2022 have their first full day of 'Big School' on Monday. The children were so settled and had a fantastic day of getting to know their peers and teachers whilst navigating an exciting playground with 143 new friends.

A huge thank you to the Kindergarten teachers, support staff and admin staff who helped every family settle into the school and have a positive start to their school journey.

Kindergarten families, we are looking forward to welcoming you again and providing more detailed information about how school works on Thursday night at the Kindergarten Information Night. 

Date: Thursday 10th February

Time: 6pm

Location: Via Zoom

https://nsweducation.zoom.us/s/69154699803

Webinar ID:     691 5469 9803

Passcode:        591791

Year 5 OC Classes

Congratulations to our new Year 5 OC students on settling in so well and beginning your time at Artarmon.

OC families, please join us for an information sessions via Zoom where you will be able to meet your child's classroom teacher and get a taste for how the OC program works at Artarmon.

When: Thursday 10th February

Time: 6:30pm

Location: Zoom

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2021 SPORT CAPTAINS

Today our new sport house captains were presented with their badges and sworn in to their official student leadership positions. We know they will do an amazing job supporting the students of Artarmon.

MUSIC IS BACK

How wonderful it was to sit in my office this week and hear music groups back playing together. It was a sound that was truly missed last year and it is great to have have them back playing and learning together. A huge thank you must go to Mr Mansukhani, Mr Walmsley and the P&C music coordinators and volunteers for everything they have done to get us back up and running in a COVID smart way.

I am truly looking forward to listening to some performances later in the term.

PARENT TEACHER INTERVIEWS

Information will come home on Monday with your child's confirmed classroom teacher and booking instructions for your parent / teacher interview.

Please remember this will be booked through the Schoolzine portal and to book, you must be registered and also subscribed to the grade your child is in. This is done through the 'manage' tab on the app.

GENERAL PERMISSIONS

Our general permission form will look a little different this year. They will come via email, allowing you to fill out the details online.

Information regarding our choices and enrolment into religious education and ethics classes will come home in a separate email. 

It has been so pleasing to see all children coming back into school and engaging in learning and play in a COVID smart way.

You would have seen, over the last week, a few notifications alerting families that positive cases were amongst our community and you should monitor for symptoms. Please be reminded that our COVID smart measures at school are there to minimise the risk of transmission when this occurs. Attendance is still mandatory and a legal requirement unless your child is unwell, or is in isolation due to being identified as a close contact.

Students will be marked as an unapproved absence if they do not attend school due to COVID infections in the community.

RAT DISTRIBUTION - ROUND TWO

Round two of RAT kits (4 X kits per child) will be distributed through student bags rather than parents and carers needing to collect from the school.

RAT kits will be put in students bags to be taken home on Thursday this week. A reminder will be sent to families on Thursday to remind them to check their child's bag when they get home. If your child is not at school on Thursday, they will be given their RAT kits when they return.

If you do not want your child to bring their RAT kits home via their bag and would prefer to collect, please add your details to the Google form.

WHAT TO DO IF MY CHILD TESTS POSITIVE?

1. Remain calm and seek medical advice if needed.
2. Register your positive case through the Service NSW app.
3. Notify the school of the positive RAT or PCR result as soon as possible
4. Follow NSW Health advice to isolate for 7 days.
5. The school will be in contact with you to check on your wellbeing and offer you access to the Department's Digital Learn from Home Packs.
6. Students can return to school after their 7 day isolation as long as they are symptom free.

It is recommended that staff and students that return to school after recovering from COVID-19 do not participate in rapid antigen test surveillance for 28 days (four weeks after recovery) following release from self-isolation. This is due to NSW Health advice that people who have recovered from COVID-19 have a low risk of contracting it again in the following 28 days. After 28 days (from week five after recovery) staff and students may resume participation in RAT surveillance.

ARTARMON COVID SMART MEASURES

• Surveillance testing using RAT Kits twice per week (Staff & Students)
• Mandatory surgical masks for all staff when indoors.
• Mandatory staff vaccination.
• Stage cohorting and staggered break times.
• Staff and student hygiene practices including, sanitiser in every room, physical distancing practices and enhanced cleaning throughout the day.
• Good air flow and ventilation in all learning spaces.
• No parents, carers or visitors allowed on site.
• Morning drop off locations to allow for stage coohorting
• Afternoon pick up - K-2 Oval and 3-6 meet their parents/carers off site.

School   Band   News

It is so wonderful to see our children back to face-to-face band rehearsals last week and our week was buzzing with new enrolments, auditions, a very well attended Band Information Night, and instrument pick-ups.

Our director and our wonderful parent volunteers have been super busy scheduling and getting your instruments ready, organising your child(ren)’s tutors, and carefully navigating the current COVID-19 rules. A big “thank you” to them! 

Please see upcoming key dates below:

Key Dates:

Please note the week starting 7 February is week 3.

Regular band rehearsal times

Training Band: Fridays        8.00 am – 8.50 am

Junior Concert Band:           Mondays 10.55 am – 11:45 am

and Thursdays 8.00 am – 8.50am

Concert Band:                  Mondays 8.00 am - 8.50 am

and Thursdays 12.20 pm – 1:10 pm

Senior Concert Band:         Tuesdays 8.00 am – 8.50 am

and Thursdays 2.00 pm – 2.55 pm

Jazz Band:                      Thursdays 3.00 pm – 4.00 pm

Orchestra:                       Wednesdays 8.00 am – 8.50 am

* All rehearsals will be at the Music Room.

Additional Training Band and new students Try-out

Students who were in year 2 in 2021 and have missed out on the Band Try-Out in Term 4 last year or are new to the school can still try out in Term 1. Try-outs will take place between 8:50-9:00 in the mornings of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in week 3.

If you haven’t registered your child for try-out, please follow the link below and register your child via “New Student Register” if you are new to the portal or login and choose “Add a child” if you already have an account. Once your child is registered, we will contact you with an allocated try-out date and time.

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

Orchestra Audition

Students who are interested in joining Orchestra are still welcome to audition. At this stage, due to no cross-cohorting rule between Stage 2 and Stage 3 students, we will only be auditioning Stage 3 (year 5 and year 6) students.

A big thanks and apology for those who expressed interest from year 4.

For the audition, no preparation will be required. The audition will involve a sight-reading exercise only.

To ensure we allocate enough time for auditioning, if your child is interested in auditioning, please sign up using the Google Form below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc0-uup1FoInuNhoxSB6o4EvHKJNdqbKxW2I5YddJTiLBiRuA/viewform?usp=sf_link

Got a question?

Step 1: Have you looked in the 2022 band information pack? A copy is available in the MSM parent portal.

Step 2: Keep up to date with our weekly Band News.

Step 3:

For instrument related enquiries please contact our Instrument Coordinator Kirsteen at apsbandinstruments@gmail.com.

For tutor related enquires please contact our Tutor Coordinator Jane at tutorband@artarmonpandc.org.au.

For invoicing related enquiries, please contact our Treasurer Lynn at treasurerband@artarmonpandc.org.au.

Step 4: for any other enquiries please contact your wonderful Band Coordinators!

Band coordinator contacts:

A big welcome and “thank you” to our new members of the 2022 Band Committee:

Siv The – Training Band Coordinator

Priya Chari – Concert Band Coordinator

Christine Cao – Senior Concert Band Coordinator

Manjula Sreekanth – Assistant Band Convenor (student records)

Jun Li – Assistant Instrument Coordinator

Min-Jie Lou – Festival Coordinator

Lakamini Meegahapola – Assistant Treasurer

Thank you!

Clare Li - 2022 Band Convenor

band@artarmonpandc.org.au.

Dear Strings Parents

It’s exciting to see that the ensemble rehearsals have recommenced at school.

Key dates to put in the diary.

2022 (Term 1) calendar dates

Correspondence

If you are not receiving emails from the Strings Committee, you need to log into your parent portal and update your contact details immediately. A lot of information goes out via email that is not included in Newsflash.

If you have trouble logging into the parent portal, email your group coordinator or the strings convenor. Please update your child’s class details on the parent portal. https://portal.msmusic.com.au/artarmonmusic

Please let your strings coordinator know if you have not received an email link to attend ensemble rehearsals for Training Strings, Junior Strings, Concert Strings, Senior Strings via Zoom run by Mr Mansukhani. Please check that these invites are not in your spam/junk/promotions folder.

If your child is sick and/or unable to attend a rehearsal, please notify your corresponding Strings Coordinator.

Strings info session and Instrument collection

Monday 7th Feb 2022 630pm - 715pm in the Music Room,

Instruments will be able to be picked up on the time and day above. Please check in using the QR code at the entry of the Music Room. We ask that only one parent attend per student, observe social distancing and wear a mask if attending with your child. If you are unwell, please do not attend and email the Strings Convenor to arrange another time to pick up your instrument.

Please ensure you have confirmed your acceptance email as instruments will only be allocated once this been done. An invoice will be sent out this once the instrument is collected and this will require payment to guarantee your spot.

There will be an opportunity to purchase music bags for $20. Please ensure you have this available if you’d like to purchase one.

Invoices

Please keep an eye out for invoices that will be sent out this week in regards to instrument hire.

Ensembles 

All ensembles will commence in Week 3. Details are as follows.

Ensemble rehearsals times:             

Instrument tuition lessons and group lessons

This is currently being organised and tutors will make contact soon in regard to the 30-minute lesson time. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Got a question?

If it is about your hired instrument or instrumental tutorial, please contact your tutor at first instance.

Alternatively contact our instrument coordinator or strings coordinator if required. For anything else please contact your Strings Convenor.

THANK YOU!

2022 Strings Committee

Enrolments for Guitar for 2022 now open for Year 3 to Year 6

APS has along established Guitar Tuition program.

Guitar lessons are available at school during school hours. Lessons are catered to all levels. The program focuses on reading music for guitar, guitar basics & enjoying a wide range of music.

Junior & Senior Guitar Performance Groups play music from a wide range of music genres. Students are able to join groups when they attain an appropriate level of competence on the instrument.

For further information please contact :

Mrs Lan Zhong or Mr Andre Laus

Mobile 0431 603 305 / 0422 286 807

Email : lanzhongster@gmail.com /  dreyrollan@gmail.com