14 August 2025

Principal’s Report – Term 3 Week 4

Dancesport Showcase- Year 5

Last Monday afternoon, our year 5 students performed the Cha Cha, Tango and Salsa for their parents in the school hall. This dance program teaches dance but also leadership and social skills are implemented as part of the program. It promotes and teaches respectful relationships, social and leadership skills for our year 5 students including perseverance, dealing with rejection, being uncomfortable to achieve a goal and helps to build resilience for our future leaders. A big thank you to our year 5 teachers for their commitment to the program and to our dance instructor Svajone Jazilionyte who taught the students the dances. It was lovely to also have Gordon Gilkes the founder of the program at our Showcase this week. Our top 25 couples will compete against other schools at the Homebush Gala event on Wednesday 27 August.

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 34

Next

Open Day- Wednesday 6 August

Thank you to the large group of parents, grandparents and community members who visited classrooms and watched our Intermediate Band and Junior Choir perform, as part of our open day celebrations last week. The weather was perfect for a picnic on the oval, and our book swap fundraiser raised $289.00. The books will be sold again this Friday morning as we still had a lot of books left. All money raised goes to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation- “The Great Book Swap”

The school tour was a great way to end the day. Thank you to all the parents, and grandparents who attended this important day on our school calendar.

P & C Meeting- Tuesday 12 August

Last Tuesday we had our P&C meeting. The Trivia Night is now well underway with the date set for 25 October. Our annual Skip-a-Thon will take place after the Father’s Day breakfast on Friday 5 September. We hope to raise $15,000 to go towards refilling and stocking the wellbeing wagons on the playground, new equipment for our newly renovated K-2 area of the playground, and some soccer goals and equipment for the oval area of our playground. Sponsorship forms will be sent home soon. Please ask friends, family and neighbours to sponsor this fundraiser for our new playground equipment and resources.  The K-2 students will skip for one hour and the 3-6 students for an hour and a half.

Thank you to the dedicated group of volunteers that run our P & C. They all give so much of their time to ensure our school is well resourced and provide equipment for our children.

Neurodiverse Parent Workshop - Friday 8 August

We had a very informative session on Neurodiversity led by Rebecca McCash from FutureTech. It was incredible to listen to her speak regarding her journey living with Autism and ADHD. Our teachers at Manly Vale are well trained in catering for the specific needs of our Neurodiverse students and it was reassuring to listen to Rebecca talk open and honestly about how schools and workplaces need to adapt and support our Neurodivergent students and colleagues. A great workshop for the P&C to support. Thank you to Skye Abernethy for organising the workshops, and to all the parents who attended.

Stage 3 Camp- Canberra

Next week our year 5 & 6 students will travel to Canberra for their stage 3 camp. They will be away for 3 days, from Monday through to Wednesday, returning at approximately 5.30pm. Teachers attending are Mrs Lee, Mrs Blackband, Mr Dylan, Ms Taylor, Mrs Johnston, Mrs Ward, Mrs Banham and Ms Cash. We hope they all have a fabulous time visiting our Nation’s capital to support their learning of government and democracy. Please make your final payment today if you have not already paid.

School Tour - Wednesday 20 August

Next Wednesday there will be a school tour at 3.30pm on Wednesday 20 August. All new enrolments and families are welcome to come to the tour. Please meet at the office.

Friday 15 August- Athletics Ribbon Assembly

This Friday we will hand out the athletics ribbons from the competitive carnival. Students from Years 2-6 will receive a ribbon if they were placed at the competitive carnival at David Thomas. All parents are welcome to attend this assembly to see the presentation of ribbons and records. The assembly will take place under the K-2 COLA at 9.00am.

The zone athletics carnival is on Thursday 21 August. Good luck to all our athletes.

Friday 15 August- Book Purchase- Gold Coin

Due to the large number of books, we had left over from the Book Swap from Open day, we have decided to put the books out for sale again this Friday. The stall will be set up near the flag poles during Café Owl. Please bring along a gold coin and purchase a book. All donations will be given to the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.

School Choir Performance- Wyangan Concert- Friday 22 August

Next week our school choir led by Mrs Mauger will perform as part of the Wyangan Concert at the Chatswood Concourse at 7.00pm. The choir will be at Chatswood to rehearse all day to prepare for the evening performance We wish them all the best for their performance next week. Please ensure you have returned permission notes and money to the office prior to this day.

Kindergarten Excursion- Zoo- Tuesday 19 August

Kindergarten will spend a day at Taronga Zoo next Tuesday 19 August. This is always a highlight of the early stage 1 calendar. Please be sure you have completed the permission note and paid for this wonderful excursion prior to the day.

Tina Lee – Principal

Deputy Principal’s Report

Australian Primary Principal’s Day- Thank you Mrs Lee

Friday 1 August was Australian Primary Principals Appreciation Day. We do not usually get the opportunity to acknowledge and thank Mrs Lee for all the incredible and valuable work she does, every day and year-round.

“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge” Simon Sinek

Message from the P&C

Mrs Lee, this quote encapsulates your leadership here at Manly Vale Public School where you take the time to make every child, teacher and parent feel known, valued and cared for every day. We thank you for everything you do.

On behalf of the P&C for Manly Vale Public School, we want to express our belated thanks and appreciation on Australian Primary Principals Day which was on August 1^st.

Your outstanding leadership and unwavering dedication to our school are truly inspiring.

You consistently create a nurturing and vibrant environment where students, staff, and families all feel valued and supported. Your commitment to our students' education and well-being is evident in all you do.

We are incredibly fortunate to have you at the helm. Thank you for everything you do for our school!

Year 1 Phonics Screening Check

This term all Year 1 students will be assessed on their Phonics Knowledge using the mandatory year 1 Phonics Screening Check.

What is Phonics?

Phonics is the relationship between letters and sounds and is vital in learning to read. Some

children struggle with learning to read so it is important that these children are identified

quickly so teachers can plan for any specific support they may need.

What is the Year 1 Phonics Screening Check?

The Year 1 Phonics Screening Check is a short, quick assessment that tells teachers how

your child is progressing in phonics. Your child will sit with the class teacher and will be

asked to read 40 words aloud. These words include 20 real words and 20 nonsense words.

The test normally takes a few minutes. If your child is struggling the teacher will stop the

check. The check is carefully designed not to be stressful for your child.

Why use nonsense words?

The assessment includes pseudo or nonsense words to see if the student is able to use their

knowledge of blending to read a word rather than their memory of having seen that word

before.

More information

More information is provided in a fact sheet below. If you have any further questions, please talk to your child’s class teacher.

Dates for your Diary

Winter PSSA Manly Zone Competition

PSSA Training

PSSA Games

Athletics Carnival Results

We are excited to announce that our school Athletics Carnival has now officially wrapped up, with the remaining field events and the 1500m race completed last week. This marks the conclusion of a fantastic carnival that has showcased determination, sportsmanship, and plenty of smiling faces along the way.

Congratulations to every student who participated and gave their best effort—it is a great achievement to be involved and an important part of our school spirit. A special well done to our ribbon recipients, whose results are attached for your reference.

Ribbons will be presented at this Friday’s morning assembly in the K–2 COLA at 9:00am. Parents are warmly invited to join us for the celebration.

As a reminder, students who placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the 100m, and 1st and 2nd in all other events, will be representing our school at the Zone Athletics Carnival next Thursday, 21 August. Permission notes have been emailed to these students’ families.

Well done to all our athletes—we are so proud of your efforts and achievements!

6T PSSA Persuasive Writing

This term, 6T have been exploring the art of persuasive writing. Students have been learning how to craft engaging texts with clear structure, strong arguments, and supporting evidence. To give students a voice, the class chose their own persuasive topic, why PSSA (Primary School Sports Association) is important and should continue. With passion and purpose, 6T have developed convincing arguments to defend the value of school sport in building teamwork, fitness, and school spirit!

Mrs Taylor - Stage 3 

Kindergarten Science

Our kindergarten professors have been busy identifying and labelling parts of the body involved in movement, including the muscular, skeletal and nervous systems. A highlight was our fascinating X-ray investigation of the bones in our hands — did you know X-ray machines help doctors see inside the body? We’ve also explored parts of our body that move on their own. The digestive system is especially amazing — it works all day without us even thinking! To bring it to life, we did a hands-on experiment to model how digestion works from start to finish. 

Mrs Sorensen - Early Stage 1 Science 

Prev

Showing images 1 - 8 of 22

Next

Parent Workshops

Anxiety Project Parent Survey

This is a note for all our families who participated in The Anxiety Project workshops in 2024. We hope you are still finding it a highly worthwhile experience and are seeing the benefits of the project at home.

Participating families will have received an email from me this week with additional information and a link to the survey. The survey takes around 4 minutes to complete. The survey will ask for our 4-digit school code: 4021.

Participation in the project research survey is voluntary. Its purpose is for our school to better support your child, assess the impact of the training and assist the NSW Primary Principals’ Association (PPA) shape this training for more families. Any information is stored confidentially by the PPA. The PPA will use the email address you provide to survey you after training also. Information collected is destroyed at the completion of the research project.

Link to survey: 

Thank you for your support!

Karen Lucey

AFL Clinic Photos

Library News

Book Week Celebrations

It is time to Book an Adventure and celebrate Book Week with us during Week 6 this term. Book Week is a wonderful celebration of reading and a chance to learn more about our talented Australian authors and illustrators. It is held annually in schools right across Australia. The theme for Book Week this year is Book an Adventure. During Library lessons we have been diving into the wonderful world of Children’s Book Council of Australia shortlisted books. These books have been selected as the best Australian books of the year and are the inspiration for our Book Week celebrations. 

Book Week Dress Up Day

We will be holding our favourite Book Week Dress Up Day on Monday 25 August with a parade at 9.00am straight after the morning bell (weather permitting). Parents are welcome to attend. Students are encouraged to dress up as a character from a book to celebrate their love of reading. Costumes do not have to be elaborate or expensive – it is a great idea to use things that you already have at home, including borrowed clothes or recycled materials. Take inspiration from the adventure theme or dress from any genre – it is entirely up to you!

Visiting Author - Nathaniel Eckstrom

On Thursday 28 August we will host illustrator Nathaniel Eckstrom at our school. Nathaniel is renowned for his vibrant and imaginative children’s picture books. His work is characterised by playful, dreamlike illustrations that resonate with warmth and energy, capturing the essence of childhood wonder.

Nathaniel has illustrated over 30 children’s books and his illustrations have earned notable accolades, with several books being shortlisted for the Children’s Book Council of Australia (CBCA) Book of the Year Awards.

Nathaniel will be sharing some of his artistic techniques with students on the day and speaking about his illustration process. He will be signing pre-ordered books throughout the day. Students are also welcome to bring in their own copies of Nathaniel Eckstrom books to be signed.

Book Week Emoji Challenge

Are you a master code cracker? We are holding an optional fun Book Week Emoji Challenge - can you figure out the book titles using only emojis as clues? Entry forms will be handed to students this week and they can be completed at home with the help of families and friends. Finished entry forms can be returned to the gold box in the school Library by Friday 22 August. We will randomly draw a completed Emoji Challenge at the Dress Up Day parade to win a book week prize! 

Hint: all books are from the Children’s Book Council of Australia 2025 Shortlist - Early Childhood, Picture Book and Younger Readers categories which can be found on the CBCA website. 

Book Worms Guessing Competition

All students who bring a library book and borrow a book from the library for the next 2 weeks (week 5 and 6) will be eligible to guess how many bookworms are in the Book Week jar. The winning guess/es will win the jar of tasty bookworms!

Happy Reading!

Ali Webster – Teacher Librarian

P&C Fundraiser - Skip-a-Thon Friday 5 September

This week all children should bring home their Skip-a-Thon sponsorship form, to gather sponsors from family & friends. If you do not receive your form or need additional forms, see the school office. 

The Skip-a-Thon has been a huge success the last couple of years. The kids have a fun day and a lot of money is raised for the school. Once again, there will be a range of activities which the children can participate in for their designated time slot, not just skipping, so that even those students who are unable to skip can participate.

There will be prizes for the top 3 highest money earning classes from K-2 and 3-6. 

• 1st Prize - pizza for the whole class
• 2nd Prize - cupcakes for the whole class
• 3rd Prize - Quelch Sticks for the whole class

*For students with dietary restrictions and are unable to eat pizza or cupcakes, it can be substituted with a Quelch stick*

All sponsorship money must be collected upfront from the sponsor. It is essential all sponsorship forms are returned filled out in full, whether cash and/or Flexischool donations, so the student’s contribution can go towards their class tally, and eligible for the class prizes. The form and all cash must be returned to your teacher by 9.00am Friday 5 September. You can give as little or as much as you are able, and your donation will remain confidential.

Thank you for your continued support for the school - now let’s raise some money!

Manly Vale Public School P&C

Father’s Day Breakfast Friday 5 September 7.30-9.00am

Come along and enjoy a gourmet sausage sizzle with your child at school, while being entertained by the school band & choir. Bring gold coins to get a photo with Dad at the Photo Booth. Classrooms will be open for parents to tour.

Breakfast orders are NOW available on Flexischools, there will be no over the counter food sales on the day. Cafe Owl will be selling coffees, which you must pay directly to them on the day. The cut off to order your breakfast on Flexischools is 4.00pm Friday 29 August. You MUST show your Flexischools receipt at Cafe Owl on the day for redemption. 

Volunteers

This is the year 1 & 2 run fundraiser for the year. For this event to run smoothly we need A LOT of parents to help. Thank you to the parents who have already put their hands up to help, but we need more. If you’re able to assist please email mvpspandccommunication@gmail.com

Manly Vale Public School P&C

Canteen

PSSA Canteen Orders

PSSA students, please order your Friday canteen orders through the RECESS section only. Orders placed through the LUNCH section will not be able to be collected due to students attending sport.

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. 

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 https://flexischools..com/hc/en-au/

Got a question? or need to get in touch

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

Becky McGowan Canteen Manager, Manly Vale Public School

Northern Beaches Balgowlah Boys – School Tours

Community Notices

School Information