It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas as the days and weeks become busy and there is so much in our calendars to finish before we break for the summer holidays.

I am looking forward to the final weeks of 2023 and celebrating the outstanding achievements of our students and community. Below in this report, please read some of the recent learning experiences, activities and achievements our students have been involved in. A huge thank you to all the teachers and students involved. It is amazing to see our students engaging and succeeding in these programs.

For a quick reference, below is a small table to cross-check your calendars so you don't miss any special events!

As noted above, I understand there are a number of events that are scheduled after school hours to celebrate the end of the year.

Students are not allowed to stay at school unsupervised and wait until the event starts. I understand it is a busy time of year, however, it is up to parents and carers to organise supervision and care for children during these hours. Staff and teachers are not able to do this.

BUILDING WORKS - ADMINISTRATION BLOCK

Thank you to everyone for your flexibility and understanding with our new major building works happening on our administration building.

As sent out via the SZapp earlier in the week the major impacts for families are:

• Bottom gate near uniform shop - This area has now been blocked off. Please use the main entrance to the school. If you need to access the uniform shop 
• Access the office area - The office is still accessible via the ramp and main doors.

YEAR 1 FAMILIES

• Students will still line up and be dismissed from the McMillan playground each day.

Teachers have gone through any changes with their classes and taken students for a walk around the area to talk about being safe around the fencing.

CONGRATULATIONS HANNAH!

A huge congratulations to Hannah W in Year 4 who has won the NAIDOC Medal of Excellence for her entry in the 2023 NAIDOC Week School Initiative Competitions. The aim of these initiatives is to provide students with a greater understanding of the importance of friendship and cultural diversity.

Her poem, Respecting Culture (Adam Goodes) was one of only 38 winning entries across the entire state! 

Respecting Culture (Adam Goodes)  

After being named Australian of the year 

No-one could hear 

Hear his yelp 

For all he wanted was no judgement from the crowd 

He even shared it out loud 

But no-one cared 

So he stared in the crowd 

And announced he was done 

He played for fun 

But enough was enough 

And now he’s an Aussie legend 

SCHOOL SPECTACULAR

A huge shout out to our amazing teachers and student teachers who committed so much of their own time to practising and rehearsing to be a part of the NSW Public School School Spectacular last week.

We are thrilled that 14 talented students recently wowed audiences at the NSW Schools Spectacular to celebrate its ‘Fabulous’ 40th anniversary. They were joined by over 5500 public school students from Kindergarten to Year 6 at Qudos Bank Arena.  No other show in the world has as many students, a symphony orchestra and one dancing chicken puppet.

As part of the primary moving choir, our students performed 22 songs, with favourites being the 80’s segment, Set It Off, It’s Time to Dance, Louder Than Words, Uptown Funk and Rip Up the Recipe. This is an excellent opportunity to see the possibilities that the arts can provide students and to meet others from schools all over NSW.

Their dedication and passion across the multiple rehearsals and 4 performances were commendable. Join us in congratulating these students for their outstanding achievements!

The performance will be televised on December 9th at 7pm on Channel 7.

Aboriginal Art Creation with Aunty Bibi Barba 

Yanu and thank you to Aunty Bibi, along with her colleagues Uncle Steve and Judy, for their invaluable contributions, lessons and collaboration shared with our students. 

Zooming in to Sydney’s New Transportation System 

This term, 5/6LB and 3SK have been working on a Sydney Metro project which involves delving deeper into the different challenges and difficulties the Sydney Metro faces. We have been looking to find some improvements and solutions to make the Sydney Metro the best it can possibly be for the community. We had the opportunity to research an area that interested us and create our own inquiry. We broke our research up into smaller inquiry questions, assisting in answering the main question. 

We have all taken a different path and perspective on how we will present this project. Many students have decided to be creative and make posters, dioramas and interactive slideshows to present their learning to the class. Some people have decided to focus on the design or placemaking, while others have decided to choose the topic on how it affects the community. 

5/6LB have all made a research paper which sums up the ideas and information we have uncovered in our analysis. Some students from 3SK have taken a more unique approach by building the Sydney Metro train from Lego pieces! Students have interviewed peers and teachers from around the school, to know and understand their different views and ideas on the Sydney Metro. With these thoughtful insights, students are able to acknowledge the value of this highly futuristic form of transportation and draw conclusions.

In conclusion, this project is very broad and you can go in any direction you like with it. For example, Saisha from 3SK has taken the outlook of a narrative story about the Sydney Metro. The students from both classes have worked hard on the Sydney Metro project and have thoroughly enjoyed researching, learning and presenting their final products. 

By Nishika Sesodia and Reuben Zhang from 5/6LB

"Our Local Wildlife" - Willoughby Council Storybook Competition

Willoughby Council - ‘Our Local Wildlife' storybook competition.pdf

Please click here to order your food for Carols Night:

Online orders for the uniform shop must be placed by Wednesday 6th December to ensure classroom delivery by the end of term. 

The uniform shop will be open for in-person orders until Friday 15th December.

It will re-open on Wednesday 31st January 2024 from 10am to 2pm. 

ETHICS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED 2024

Primary Ethics in Artarmon Public School

Can you spare an hour each Wednesday afternoon in 2024? Consider volunteering as an ethics teacher. We are seeking more volunteers so that we can provide ethics classes for all the families who have requested it for their children.

In ethics lessons, students explore everyday issues suitable for their age. They learn to think and listen carefully, to make decisions backed by good reasons and evidence, and to discuss and disagree without putdowns. As an ethics teacher, you’ll get a lot out of it too!

Our volunteers come from all walks of life. They can be parents, grandparents, uni students or local community members. You don’t need past teaching experience. Primary Ethics offers full, free training, lesson scripts and ongoing teaching support. 

If you are looking for an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to our school, please visit http://primaryethics.com.au/volunteer/ or contact Stephanie at stephaniebone@gmail.com for more information.

The first day of school for most students next year will be Thursday 1st February 2024. Year 5 OC students will begin on Friday 2nd February 2024 and new Kindergarten students will be informed by letter of their starting date.

It is vital that we know if your child/children will NOT be returning to Artarmon or will be returning late next year. Some families take extended holidays in January/February and we need to know your return date so that your enrolment can be counted. This information will enable the school to plan for staffing and classing needs. This note does not apply to Year 6 students.

If your family are not returning in 2024 or returning late, please let us know by filling in this simple form:

https://forms.office.com/r/YwD80YXui5