ARTARMON PUBLIC SCHOOL COMMUNITY

We are very fortunate to have such a large and engaged community that supports our school.

Social media has many advantages - sharing information, sharing details of upcoming events and connecting community members.

It also has some negative effects - spreading of rumours, making negative comments about others, but most of all, encouraging us to have a negative mind set with all the whinging that occurs. 

I have had many parents share their concerns about the negative comments being made in chat groups. My advice would be to get out of the group immediately if it is affecting you. If you are managing a chat group and it's concerning you, please shut the group down.

WE HAVE A GREAT SCHOOL WITH PARENTS, STUDENTS AND STAFF WHO CARE FOR EACH OTHER AND WHO ALL DESERVE RESPECT.

Coronavirus Update - Please use Google Translate if required

PLEASE  DO NOT TAKE YOUR HEALTH ADVICE FROM GOSSIP

AND SOCIAL MEDIA.

The Department of Education is responsible for the health and wellbeing of students in over 2000 schools. They take advice from  State and Federal EXPERTS.

Please remember that all suspected and confirmed cases of COVID-19 must be reported immediately to the Incident Report and Support Hotline on 1800 811 523 . If there is a diagnosed case in our school community we would be notified immediately and safety procedures would be put in place.

Medical advice talks about checking those that would be in CLOSE CONTACT -  a person who has spent significant time either face-to-face (15 mins) or in an enclosed space (two hours or more) with someone who has returned a positive result for COVID-19.

I would like to stress that the single best way to protect ourselves from the spread of any respiratory infection is to maintain good hygiene standards:

1. Practice regular, 20-second hand washing with soap and water. 
2. Cough or sneeze into your elbow – or better still – a tissue (and dispose of it immediately)
3. Children should stay at home if they are sick.

Children should not be staying at home because you think they may get sick.

As information is provided to the school, we will forward it you. 

Please be kind to each other and listen to EXPERT advice.

Harsh words said now can effect relationships and be hard to recover from. They can also spread unwarranted panic.

Yr 2 Swimming will be going ahead following advice from the Department of Education that school programs should go ahead as normal. Your children are at no further risk than they would be at school.

As stated above, we take our advice from the experts and NOT from the gossip and chatter on WeChat or other social media groups.

The Coronoavirus will eventually cease but your children will always need to be safe around water.

Yr 2 teachers are looking forward to the swimming but as with everything we will notify all families of any changes.

K-2 Easter Hat Parade

When: Wednesday 8th April

Where: McMillan Rd Playground

Time: 9:15am

Hats for the parade will be designed and created at school. Each class will work with their assigned older 'buddy class' to help the children design and build their own magnificent Easter hat creation.

What do I need to do as a parent?

Come along on the morning of 8th April to watch the parade and festivities.

After a long and tiresome bus ride, we arrived at the Great Aussie Bush Camp. There, we did fun activities such as bushcraft where we used sticks and leaves to build tents and fires, or the giant swing where you overcome your fear of falling in an exhilarating experience. Afterwards, we were always rewarded with icy snow cones and a tasty lunch or dinner. Night activities were the best, excluding the swarms of hungry mosquitos in the air. We had the county fair where we had our own shops and tried to earn the most money, and the disco where we danced until we were soaked in sweat. The Great Aussie Bush Camp helped us conquer many fears and tested our teamwork skills, we had a brilliant time there and the long bus ride was definitely worth it! - Ashley 5JW

Harmony Week is a time to celebrate Australian multiculturalism, and the successful integration of migrants into our community. Australia is one of the most successful multicultural countries in the world and we should celebrate this and work to maintain it. The message of Harmony Week is everyone belongs. It is about inclusiveness, respect and belonging for all Australians, regardless of cultural or linguistic background, united by a set of core Australian values.

On Thursday 19th March, students at APS are encouraged to wear their traditional cultural dress for Harmony Week. Children who do not have a cultural dress or want another option can wear orange. Parents are encouraged to get involved and speak to their child about their cultural background (e.g. the meaning behind the cultural dress, foods, greetings or sayings in other languages).

Did you know?

• Nearly half (49 per cent) of Australians were born overseas or have at least one parent who was.
• We identify with over 300 ancestries.
• Since 1945, more than 7.5 million people have migrated to Australia.
• 85 per cent of Australians agree multiculturalism has been good for Australia.
• Apart from English, the most common languages spoken in Australia are Mandarin, Arabic, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Italian, Greek, Tagalog/Filipino, Hindi, Spanish and Punjabi.
• More than 70 Indigenous languages are spoken in Australia.

(These facts are taken from ABS 2016 Census Data.)

Come along and have a great time solving clues and looking for items, whilst walking around the local area.  Make up teams of 6 or less with at least 1 adult in each team.  After finishing come back to the school grounds to enjoy a bbq lunch.

Please open the flyer and click the link to book.

Regards Jackie

Hello Strings Parents. Please check Newsflash weekly for the latest news and reminders.

Exciting news

For the first time Junior strings will be included alongside with Concert Strings and Senior Strings for the upcoming Sydney Eisteddfod. The Sydney Eisteddfod is the most prestigious music competition in NSW. This project will require everyone to do their part and practice both their ensemble and private lesson material diligently at home. As the students will representing the school and the music program, it is expected every student to put in maximum effort and always try their best.

Parents to take note that good posture is important as it reduces tension and promotes more economical playing motion. Plus it gives a great first impression to the audience and the adjucator!

Diary Dates

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.

Reminders

Junior Strings, Senior Strings and Concert Strings will be performing at the Mother’s Day breakfast concert on Thursday 7^th May before school. This will be a good test for the students in preparation for the Eisteddfod performance.

We are looking for a group of parents to organise and assist with this. It is an informal concert and easy to organise. Tasks include publicising the event, buying, serving hot cross buns and drinks, collecting money and clearing up. Please contact strings.artarmonpandc@gmail.com if you are able to help with this event.

Helping with Strings

We still need to fill in many volunteer roles to assist with Strings 2020. 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.

• SECRETARY:  this parent volunteer deals with correspondence, takes minutes at meetings, prepares the agenda, sends out meeting reminders and prepares thank you letters.  There is one Strings meeting per term held at the school in the evening.  Approximately 4 hours per meeting with preparation and minutes being completed from home in your own time.

• 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 at Collaroy 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 at Collaroy on 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:                 

Committee Positions

BAND NEWS

Hello Band parents. Remember to check Newsflash regularly for upcoming events and important band updates. We will publish advance dates as soon as we know them to help you plan.

2020 Calendar Dates:

*Music camp includes Band, Strings and Guitar students

More detailed communications will be sent out about these events in the coming weeks.  

Parents – We need your Help!

For the above events to go ahead, we need parent volunteers to help with the organisation and running of events. We still need a Music Camp Coordinator (Band)! If you are interested in this role or have any questions, please email band@artarmonpandc.org.au .

Thank you to all the parents that have volunteered to date! Your help is greatly appreciated.

Invoices

Confirming Semester 1 invoices have been issued. Please check your email for invoice details. The payment of invoices is now due.  Prompt on time payment is greatly appreciated.

If you intend to use a Creative Kids voucher towards the payment of band fees, please ensure you pay $100 less than the total of your Semester 1 invoice.

If you have any questions related to an invoice or payment, email treasurerband@artarmonpandc.or.au

Pink Slips

If you have hired an instrument in 2020 you will have received a pink slip with the instrument (inside instrument case). If you have not already done so, please sign and return pink slip to the band mailbox outside the main school office.  

Parent Portal – Update Class Details

By now you should have updated your child’s class details in the Parent Portal. If you have not yet done so, please log into the Parent Portal and update your child’s class details as soon as possible. This is important information we need for scheduling & communication purposes.

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

Band Registrations

Band registrations for 2020 are now closed and any recent registrations will be placed on a waiting list.  Registrations for band in 2021 will re-open in term 4.

THANK YOU!