20 March 2025

Principal’s Report – Term 1 Week 8

The students have had a lovely week celebrating cultural diversity within the school. Students have been discussing and learning about the variety of cultural backgrounds within their classes.  Yesterday it was great to see students wearing cultural dress or a “Splash of Orange” to celebrate this year’s Harmony Day theme “Everyone Belongs.”

P&C Annual General Meeting- Tuesday 18 March

Thank you to all the parents who came to the P&C AGM to elect our new executive committee for 2025. We have a very passionate and supportive group of parents who will lead the P&C for another year. Thank you to the following parents who have volunteered their time to support our school and community.

President: Mr Matt Lutze

Vice President: Ms Xara Roznerski

Treasurer: Mr Ian Warren

Secretary: Vacant

Class Coordinator Liaison: Mrs Amy Hansen

Thank you to Mr Ehren Faulkner for volunteering to become part of the P&C finance team led by our new treasurer Ian Warren.

At the meeting last Tuesday spending priorities were discussed for the year.  Discussion of the following initiatives for 2025 will take place at the next meeting on Tuesday 6 May.

1. Replacement of 120 laptops - $90,000
2. Support for the hands on science program- $10,000
3. Support of gardening club- $5,000
4. Creative arts programs- - $7,000
5. PE and playground equipment- $10,000
6. Library resources and books- $8,000

The P&C also discussed the canteen and the need for back up assistance when Becky is not available. Our P&C manage three businesses including the uniform shop, the canteen and Café Owl, as well as overseeing a large band program. We are very lucky to have such a dedicated team leading our parent body and giving our students and their families a range of affordable opportunities. Thank you to all who contribute to fundraising and running these valuable programs.

Class Coordinator Meeting- Thursday 13 March

Last Thursday we had our school induction for all our new Class Coordinators. Thank you to all those parents who attended. The Class Coordinator is the communication link between school, parents and the P&C. Class Coordinators have emailed a welcome email to all their class parents. If you have not received an email, please complete a permission slip at the front office to give permission for your email and contact details to be shared with the coordinator.

Some parents missed the Parent Information nights and therefore will need to complete this manual application form, as the QR code has now expired.

National Ride2School Day- Friday 21 March

Tomorrow our school we will celebrate National Ride2school day promoting active travel. Students are encouraged to ride, skate, walk or scoot to school. Mrs Ward and Mrs Kennedy will greet students at the front gate with stickers. Mrs Ward and Mrs Kennedy are our road safety teachers, promoting safe and healthy practices for our students.

Friday Assembly and Sport

This week is the last week of summer PSSA and our last ”Runch” week for this term. Normal lunch and recess will resume on Fridays as from next week.  Winter PSSA trials will begin next weeks for all 3-6 students.

Our assemblies this week will be:

11.15am              3-6 assembly in hall

2.15pm                K-2 assembly run by 1F in the hall.

Principal awards and merit cards will be given out during these assemblies.

NAPLAN 2025

Our year 3 & 5 students will finish all the NAPLAN testing by tomorrow. Catch - up days have been scheduled for tomorrow and next Monday for those students who missed any of the tests due to sickness or misadventure.

Thank you to Mrs Nelson, Mrs Birrell, Mrs Oscroft and the year 3 & 5 teachers, for all their organisation of these tests.

Leadership Camp Tuesday 25 March

Next Tuesday our 8 school leaders will attend Narrabeen Sport and Recreation camp for leadership training. The leaders will work with other school leaders from local skills on team building and organisational skills, to assist with their roles this year. Our school leaders for 2025 are:

Captains- Leo Gichanja and Niamh Murgatroyd

Vice Captains- Willow McDonald and Sam Rudnev

Leaders: Jasper Williams, Sam Scudder, Rachel Swan and Josie Han

Parent Teacher Interviews

Teachers will be hosting interviews for all student’s parents in the last two weeks of this term. An email was sent out this week with the booking availability of all teachers and instructions on how to book an interview.

It is encouraged that all parents book a time to meet with the teacher to discuss academic, social and emotional goals of the students. These interviews are a great way to start working with the school to support your child with their learning this year.

School Contribution 2025

This week you will receive a statement of account for the year’s additional program costs. Programs like dance and gym are not covered by government funding and additional contributions are needed to cover the salaries of these specialist instructors.

We will also be seeking additional contributions for the many technology licences that have been purchased by the school to support school and home learning. Thank you to our P&C fundraising last year which has enabled school contributions to be kept to a minimum this year. Prompt payment of these contributions is appreciated.

Tina Lee – Principal

Dates for your Diary

PSSA Training & Games

Please be ready to meet your coach at the below time and venue. Hats and drink bottles are compulsory.

Harmony Week

Julia Kim and Juliet Dawson from 2W. Both students are wearing traditional dress from their culture, Julia is wearing a traditional Korean dress and Juliet is wearing a dress from the Caribbean. Behind them is the beautiful Harmony Day artwork that 2W created.

Harmony Day - Everyone Belongs

This Harmony Week we are coming together to support the Asylum Seekers Centre with the gift of digital connection. If you have an old device at home that is still in working order, but you are not using anymore, you may like to give it a new life with the Asylum Seekers Centre.

From their website: 

People seeking asylum in Sydney do not receive government income support, and can struggle to access mobile phones and computers. You can help by donating your second-hand laptops, tablets and phones. Your donation can help someone to study, look for work, contact family and deal with government agencies and organisations.

We accept the following devices in working condition:

• Laptops: up to 7 years old
• Macbooks: up to 9 years old
• Tablets: up to 7 years old
• Phones: up to 7 years old
• iPhones – iPhone 6 or newer, reset (how to check your iPhone model)
• iPads – iPad 5 or newer, reset (how to check your iPad model + here is a list of iPads we accept)
• Mice, headphones, webcams and chargers (spare chargers are always welcome)

We don’t need:

• Printers
• Desktop computers
• Screens (under 27 inch)
• Keyboards, calculators, Kindles, cameras, TVs, cables, software, modems
• Software CDs
• Manuals or boxes

Devices must be erased and reset and find my iPhone disabled. For more information on how to do this please see the link above.

We will organise to complete the forms and drop your devices into the centre. If you would like to donate an old device in working order please drop it off to the school office. Please note that any devices that the centre will not accept will be recycled appropriately for you. If you do not wish for this to happen, please label your old device with your child’s name and class and we will organise for it to be returned to you.

Ride to School Day - Tomorrow Friday 21 March

Join thousands of students across Australia in celebrating National Ride2School Day this Friday, 21 March! This special day encourages students to get active by riding, walking, scooting, or skating to school instead of being driven.

As part of the National Ride2School program, this event promotes physical activity and helps develop healthy habits. More than 350,000 students participate each year.

Let’s get moving and ride your bike to school this Friday! 🚴‍♂️🛴🚶‍♀️

Mrs Ward – Classroom Teacher

Mother’s Day Stall - Friday 9 May

The P&C will be hosting the first fundraiser for the year, the Mother’s Day Stall and Raffle. 

How the stall works:

Children donate a new & unused gift that Mum would like. The students are then able to purchase ONE gift for $10.00 and they must have donated a gift in order to visit the stall. Please do not bring in alcohol or nuts.

Some parents in the past have been extra generous and donated more than one gift. Please note, regardless of how many gifts you donate, there is a limit of one gift purchased per child. 

Parent volunteers from the kindergarten classes will be required to sort out gifts and collate items, as well as set up the stall and work on the day. Please contact your class coordinator if you can assist in any way. 

We also need raffle prizes, the bigger the better. If any parent has a link to a local business that could donate a prize, please could you reach out to them. 

Please advise of any raffle donations to

mvpspandccommunication@gmail.com

P&C Committee

Kindergarten Science

The kindergarten professors continue to explore materials and their properties. Recently we investigated how materials change shape when bent, twisted, stretched or squashed. The students experimented with sponges, rubber bands, pipe cleaners, foil and Play-Doh, predicting and testing what would happen. With Play-Doh we made shapes that could roll and ones that would not, discovering how shape affects movement. We also experimented with bending, twisting and stretching our bodies.

The students discovered that some materials, like Play-Doh, stay the same even when their shape changes—they can always be reshaped! We discussed which materials were flexible or rigid, making real-world connections through hands-on discovery and great scientific thinking!

Mrs Sorensen, Early Stage One Science

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 25

Next

Drama Club 2025

After many excellent auditions that displayed the impressive drama talent across our school Mrs Hacking, Mrs Sorensen and I are proud to present Manly Vale Public School’s Drama Club for 2025:

Roles: Elsie Sciascia, Darcy Richmond, Xavi Lincoln, Bessie Valentine, Ella Wilson, Lucy Paehlig, Amber Kelcey, Vincent Dawson and Theo Boreham. 

Understudies: Amelie Eves, Ollie Bergelin, Cora Morgan, Grace Coles, Bobbi Giles, Sophie Brooke, Ashleigh Gray, Benji Yung and Zoe Chakravarty. 

Drama Club will now be busy for the rest of the term rehearsing our play for submission into the LightsUp Drama Festival next term. 

Miss Webster – Classroom Teacher

High School Information for Year 6 Parents

All Year 6 parents are required to complete an online enrolment form by next Friday 28 March (week 9).

This indicates your preference of NSW Government High School. If you intend to send your child to a Catholic or Private school, there is a section on the form to indicate this decision.

Mackellar Girls and Balgowlah Boys academic portfolio applications are due by this Friday 21 March. Please see the PDF links below.

MACKELLAR GIRLS

BALGOWLAH BOYS

THE FOREST HIGH

Academic Placement Test - Wednesday 2 April 8:45am-12:45pm

NSW Government High School’s Year 6 Orientation Day takes place on Tuesday 2 December 2025.

Parents are advised to regularly check the local high school’s websites throughout the year.

Interrelate Family Program (Years 3-6)

Each year we offer an evening Interrelate Program to families across Year 3-6 who may be having those ‘Tricky Talks’ conversations come up at home. This is a completely voluntary program and attendance is at the discretion of each individual family. 

The two session program will be delivered in the school hall next Monday 24 March. 

6:00-7:00 pm     Session 1: Where did I come from?

• Individual and family differences
• Correct names for body parts
• Keeping bodies safe
• Conception, fertilisation, assisted reproduction and birth

7:15-8:15 pm     Session 2: Preparing for puberty

• Puberty - growing and changing 
• Boundaries and safety in relationships
• Healthy and unhealthy relationships 

An email was sent home to all 3-6 families earlier this week to enrol and pay for this family program.

Interrelate Class Program - Years 5 & 6 Students

On Tuesday 25 March and Thursday 27 March, the year 5 & 6 Interrelate classroom programs will commence during school time. Each grade will attend three 90 minute sessions over the following three weeks. All content is delivered in a professional and age-appropriate manner by the Interrelate educators.

Year 5: Moving into the Teen Years 5

An introduction to relationships and sexuality education that prepares growing minds with the knowledge to enter puberty informed and empowered 

Year 6: Moving into the Teen Years 6

Helping students prepare for secondary school, covering the physical, emotional and social changes that occur during puberty, encouraging students to reflect on how this affects their relationships and sense of self.

An email was sent home earlier this week to give permission and pay for your child’s participation in this classroom program.

Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking Competition

Manly Vale Public School enters the Multicultural Perspectives Public Speaking competition each year. This year the competition is celebrating its 30th year and we are proud to be part of it. It is a highly popular event amongst our 3-6 grade budding public speakers. 

The topics for this year’s competition are 

Stage 2 

Stage 3

Students prepare and rehearse their speeches at home and present them to Mrs Banham in weeks 9 and 10 (Tuesday or Wednesday lunchtime), where they receive feedback on their speech. The final selection of the speakers will then be made, and they will present their speeches at the school final. 

The MPPS school final is scheduled for Friday, 2 May 2025, Week 1, Term 2, at 9.00am in the school hall. 

We are looking forward to hearing your fantastic speeches! 

Mrs Banham and Mrs Mauger

School Photo Day

School Photo Day – Wednesday 9 April

A friendly reminder that School Photo Day is coming up in Week 11 on Wednesday 9 April.

Photo order envelopes have been sent home with students.

Parents can place orders online via Advancedlife.com.au using our unique school code, P2B 27Y HEW. Online ordering is the easiest way to ensure a smooth process on the day, however envelopes can be returned to the office prior to the day. 

Thank you for your support! 🌟

Library News

Crafty March – Wool/ Yarn needed

Students have been flocking to the library at lunch to enjoy some creative craft. During lunchtimes students in years 1 – 6 are welcome to visit the library in the second half of lunch on their usual nominated days.

This week we made some wonderful fluffy pom poms and we will continue to make more next week. We would welcome any donations of unused yarn or wool scraps that you have at home to add to our shared supply. Alternatively, your child might like to bring in a special wool or yarn to be used on their own pom pom.

Ali Webster – Teacher Librarian

From the School Counsellor (Cliona Mulloy)

Please find the information on three free online parenting webinars to support parents of children with an intellectual disability or autism, starting Friday 28 March.  

Canteen

New Menu Items

The Canteen will be trialling some new menu items over the next few weeks (our first trial item is an extra mild butter chicken). If you would like to provide a review to us of the new items, please have your kids hand write a review and hand it in to the canteen at recess or lunch. Please include the date you tried the item and the name of the item.

You may be lucky enough to receive a free item from the canteen for providing a review.

PSSA Orders on Fridays

Please only order through the RECESS section if your child attends PSSA. They are not at school to collect their orders at lunch. We have made lots of the hot foods available to order so there is a great selection to choose from.

Placing a flexischools lunch order

Please make sure you select the correct date for your lunch order and check that you get a confirmation email that the order has been placed. Remember to order by 8.50am or use the late order section up until 10.00am

Got an allergy?

If your child has an allergy, please make sure to let the canteen know ahead of time so we have a record of it. Do not forget to tick the allergy alert button when making an order so that we can take extra care when preparing your child's food.

Sign up to help at the canteen

Volunteering at the canteen is a great opportunity to see your kids. Please sign up for a shift to help out. 

Please consider completing this short food safety course if you will be making sandwiches and toasties with us. Once you have completed the course don't forget to send us a copy of your certificate. 

Birthday orders

Order your birthday frozen treats through the birthday treats section on Flexischools by 1.00pm the day before. 

Flexischools Ordering

If you are having trouble ordering or need help with your account you can call Flexischools on 1300 361 769 or submit a question online.

Got a question? or need to get in touch

Feel free to contact the canteen on email manlyvalepscanteen@gmail.com

Becky McGowan – Canteen Manager

Community Notices

Q Station

This autumn school holiday, families are invited to step into the magic of the season with a thrilling array of activities!

Experience the allure of scenic nature walks, indulge in kids-eat-free nights, and embark on fascinating family history tours - there’s an adventure waiting for everyone!

School Information