Dear Artarmon Community,

For the last newsletter of the year, I wanted to take this opportunity to share my appreciation of our students, staff and community. I am extremely proud to be the principal of this school and it was a magnificent last couple of days where we were able to formally recognise and celebrate the year's success at our Presentation Day assemblies. To the students who received an award at their assembly, congratulations! These awards are extremely special and represent your effort, achievement and personal attributes throughout the year.

During my speech at the assemblies, I recognised and thanked our outstanding teachers and staff. Without their dedication to their roles, we wouldn't be able to achieve what we achieve every year and provide the opportunities we do for your children. I am privileged to work with such a dedicated and hard-working team every day.

In 2024 there are a few teachers leaving our school for different reasons, and we wish them the very best.

Ms Wolski is leaving for the year to work as an Assistant Principal in Wilcannia Public School in far Western NSW, Mrs Hiotis is taking maternity leave, Ms Prowse is heading to Moree Public School, Mr King is moving to St Augustines Primary School, Ms Gunton is moving to work closer to home and Ms Fenton is leaving for a year of travel and adventure. To these wonderful teachers, we wish you all the best with your next adventures.

I would like to acknowledge the work that goes behind the scenes in the office from our outstanding admin team. Without them, our school would not be able to function.

Congratulations to our newly elected student leaders for 2024.

Our 2024 School Captains are:

• Sidra Aleem Uddin
• Arighna Mishra

Our 2024 School Prefects are:

• Chloe Zheng
• Nicole Collins
• Jeevika Bulsari
• Zoe Ru
• Song Gan Chan
• Aiden Jin

CAROLS NIGHT

I cannot thank enough Mr Walmsley, Mr Mansukhani, our P&C and tribe of volunteers who helped plan and organise the carols night last week. I understand it was disappointing to have to cancel at the last minute due to the rain, however, please understand we can not take risks with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of school and personal musical instruments or with lightning in the background and children holding metal instruments.

The community spirit was still alive though, and it was fantastic to see our community come together and have a BBQ and use the school grounds to spend time together and relax at this busy time of year.

BEST WISHES FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Summer holidays are for taking the time to relax, recharge and spend quality time with family and friends. My best wishes to you all during this time and I am looking forward to another successful year in 2024.

To all families leaving us, and especially our Year 6 cohort, my best wishes to you with your new adventures and educational journey.

Merry Christmas to all and I hope you all get a little something you asked for to help celebrate the festive season.

Please find attached to link for our 2024 Grade Book Packs supplied by LJ Harper.

Orders need to be in before Monday 12th February 2024 and all Book Packs will be delivered to the school.

Due to rising costs of supplies, book packs are a little more expensive than previous years.

For 2024, calculators have been added to Book Packs for Years 4, 5 and 6 to support new curriculum implementation. From 2025, Year 4 will continue to have a calculator on the book pack list as the expectation will be that students can use the same calculator through Years 4-6.

Year 4 Slam Poetry Competition

This afternoon, Year 4 students came together in the school hall for the Year 4 slam poetry competition. Slam poetry is a form of performance poetry that combines the elements of performance, writing, competition, and audience participation.

Over the past few weeks, many Year 4 students have been planning, writing and rehearsing their own piece of poetry, to be presented in a ‘slam’ format in front of their peers. Students experimented with emotive expression, emphasis, hand gestures and vocal projection during their performances.

Congratulations to all participants, and to our competition winners, for their performances!

WHAT A YEAR IT’S BEEN

What a year it’s been
Full of fun, friends and laughter
The things I’ve heard and seen
Some I’ll always remember

I walked through the school gates
Head held up high
Running forward to great my mates
Then standing in my line

It was the first day of school
And I was so excited I laughed
I thought it was so cool
To be in year six at last

In term one
I really had a blast
Camp was so fun
I played and jumped and laughed

Then came term two
There was the history fair
People dressed in hats and shoes
With lots of knowledge to share

Term three had book week
With everyone dressed up
I was Brystal Evergreen
And I was the only one

Finally term four
The last one for me
With fun day and so much more
I wish I had more time to see

What a year it’s been
Full of fun friends and laughter
And as I move on from APS
The motto ‘learn to live’ I’ll always remember

By Ariane Tow

YEAR 6 RECOUNT

Year 6 was very hard,
Homework had no place in my heart,
Homework was kind of fun,
But we were happier when in was done,

In Term 3 there was a color fun run,
We were forced to run in the sun,
To raise money for the school,
It was so hot, we wanted to swim in a pool,

In Term 3, we put on a show,
My friend and I were in much woe,
The show was based on the Amazing Race,
The competitors had to rush in haste,

To reward ourselves from the year,
Fun day was near,
Sports, ice blocks and signing bears too,
We said goodbye in a sad mood,

This year was a success,
So now, we had to wear a fancy dress,
High School was awaiting us,
Primary school lies in dust 

By Amelia Ip and Bridget Li

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.

As we are nearing the end of the school year, its more than likely your child has grown out of their current uniform. If you have any Kindergarten/smaller sized Artarmon uniforms that you no longer need, we would love to take them off your hands. If you have any spare shirts, pants, dresses, skorts and in particular, tracksuit pants, please take them to the front office. Your kind donations are greatly appreciated.