13 February 2025

Principal’s Report – Term 1 Week 3

What a great way to start off our week with the annual school swimming carnival. It was wonderful to see so many students participating in various swimming events and watching eager and enthusiastic parents cheer them on from the side of the pool. Thank you to Mrs Ward and Mrs Birrell for all their organisation of this event and to all the teachers who volunteered on the various roles for the day. We were all very thankful that the weather remained sunny without storms or rain. Ribbons for the place getters in races will be given out on Friday morning 21 February at 9.00am under the K-2 COLA.

Year 6 Camp- Great Aussie Bush Camp

Yesterday our year 6 students headed off to Tea Gardens for their year 6 camp. For some students this is the first time they have been away from their parents. It is a wonderful camp where students canoe, climb the high ropes, travel across water on a Flying Fox, and get muddy by completing a commando course. It is always a lot of fun and a great time for our year 6 students to bond as a grade and prepare for leadership. Students are required to push themselves out of their comfort zones which is great preparation for high school.

Thank you to Mr Dylan for his organisation of the camp and thank you to Mrs Blackband and Mrs Taylor for attending the camp. Mrs Lee will also make a guest appearance tonight.

Band 2025

Next week our Junior, Senior and Intermediate band will begin their rehearsals. If you have any enquiries or questions regarding the band program, please contact the band committee, Mrs Taylor or Ms Tamone at school, who will be able to answer your questions. We are looking forward to another successful year with our band.

NAPLAN 2025

All students in years 3 & 5 this year will sit the NAPLAN test online. The tests run over a 2-week period from Wednesday 12 March to Monday 24 March. Students who require additional time and support during these test sessions will be contacted by the school to authorise and give permission for these adjustments. A permission note will be sent home to those students next week, and parents are to sign the permission note for these adjustments to occur.

Information and practice tests are available on the NAP Public Demonstration site.

P & C Meeting- Tuesday 18 February

Next Tuesday evening at 7.00pm we will hold our first Parents and Citizens (P&C) meeting in the staffroom. All parents are invited to attend. This will be the last meeting with our current executive team who will stand down and make way for new parent leaders. The Annual General Meeting of the P&C is on Tuesday March 18 at 7.00pm. All parents can nominate and elect a new P&C executive during this meeting. A gold coin donation is required to vote or nominate for a position on the P&C during that meeting. Payment can be made next Tuesday at the P&C meeting, or at the office.

Next week’s meeting will clarify the events for the year and discuss school contributions and activities. All welcome.

Parent Information Nights- (weeks 4 & 5)

Next week we will start our welcome evenings for all parents this is an opportunity to meet your class teacher and see the classroom. All teachers will outline their expectations for the year and ask for a parent to become the Class Coordinator for the year. Please make sure at least one parent can attend these evenings to take home the valuable information and sign up for the class email lists which you can also access from the link below.

Parent Nights:

Tuesday 18 February      Kindergarten evening in classrooms- 5.30pm
Monday 24 February      Stage 2 (years 3 & 4) in classrooms- 5.30pm
Tuesday 25 February      Stage 1 (years 1 & 2) in classrooms- 4.30pm
                                       Stage 3 (years 5 & 6) in hall and then classrooms - 5.30pm

Dance 2025

Next week our K-2 dance program with Ms Vanessa begins for all our students. This program is weekly on a Tuesday & Wednesday. All classes from kindergarten to year 2 attend these weekly classes for this term and next, culminating is a Dance concert for parents at the end of term 2. It is always a very popular program and enjoyed by students and parents. This program does incur an additional cost and will be invoiced to parents later this term.

Dance ensembles will be auditioned over the next few weeks. This is part of our gifted and talented programs. Students can try out for the Girls Dance Ensemble and the Boys Hip Hop group. Rehearsals do occur on Tuesdays at lunchtime. The Dance Ensemble does incur additional costs for costumes and external performances at Glen Street theatre later in Term 2.

Tina Lee – Principal

Dates for your Diary

Temporary Out-of-Area Allowance for some Manly Vale Public School Families transitioning to High School

Following comprehensive community consultation, changes to school offerings and school intake areas are being implemented in the Northern Beaches from 2026.

Under the revised intake area boundaries, all families will have guaranteed access to a co-educational high school.

The updates provide improved alignment between primary schools and high schools, enabling more students to move from primary school to high school with their peers.

The alignment of intake areas is a high priority for the Department because it promotes student and community cohesion through the transition to secondary schooling.

From 2026, all students living within the 2026 Manly Vale Public School intake area will be designated to The Forest High School as their guaranteed co-educational option. These students will have an additional guaranteed option to enrol at either Northern Beaches Secondary College Mackellar Girls or Northern Beaches Secondary College Balgowlah Boys campuses, if single-sex schooling is preferred.

However, some families who enrolled at Manly Vale Public School under the existing 2025 intake area, may find themselves zoned to a different high school intake area (Northern Beaches Secondary College Cromer or Northern Beaches Secondary College Freshwater campuses) from 2026.

To support all students at Manly Vale Public School to transition to high school with their peers, the department is implementing a temporary out-of-area allowance for these families.

The allowance applies to families of Manly Vale Public School students whose address has been designated to NBSC Cromer or NBSC Freshwater, under the 2026 intake area plan.

These families will be able to make an out-of-area application to one of the Manly Vale Public School aligned high schools (NBSC Balgowlah Boys, NBSC Mackellar Girls or The Forest High School) which will be accepted.

The allowance will be in place from 2026 until all the Manly Vale Public School 2025 kindergarten cohort transitions to Year 7 (expected to be in 2032).

These measures ensure all students who enrolled locally at Manly Vale Public School, as per the current intake area, can transition to high school with their peers.

Swimming Carnival 2025

2025 School Swimming Carnival – A Splashing Success!

On Tuesday, 11 February, our school swimming carnival was held under perfect weather conditions, with incredible participation and enthusiasm from all students. It was a fantastic day filled with competitive spirit, sportsmanship, and personal bests. From the first race to the final relay, students gave their all, cheering each other on and displaying great determination. A special congratulations to our Year 2 students, who swam at the carnival for the first time – their energy and excitement were a joy to see! The event ran smoothly thanks to the dedication of our staff, and it was wonderful to witness such a strong sense of community and support poolside.

Several school records were broken throughout the day, showcasing the incredible talent within our student body. A huge congratulations to those who set new benchmarks! The top three swimmers in the 50m freestyle age events and the top two swimmers from all other races will progress to the Zone Swimming Carnival, which will take place on 19 March at Warringah Aquatic Centre. More information and permission notes will be sent home to those students soon.

Ribbons will be presented at the morning assembly in the K-2 COLA at 9:00 am on Friday, 21 February (Week 4), and our Age Champions will be announced at the end-of-year Celebration of Learning assembly in December. A big thank you to everyone who contributed to making the carnival such a success – we hope all students had an amazing day in the pool!

Congratulations to the following students who broke records at the carnival:

• Charli Gower
  • Girls Open 100m Freestyle 1:13.59 (previously held by Isabella Entwistle of 1:17.32)
• Mitchell Richardson
  • Boys 9yrs 50m freestyle 41.48 (previously held by David Huisman of 41.62)
• Josie Han
  • Girls 11yrs 50m freestyle 35.53 (previously held by Charli Gower of 36.37)
  • Girls 11yrs 50m backstroke 41.95 (previously held by Charli Gower 44.47)
• James Weatherston
  • Boys Jnr 50m breaststroke 57.16 (previously held by Jack Weatherston 57.60)
  • Boys Jnr 200m IM 3:42.13 (previously held by Hudson McLaren 3:48.11)
• Jules Huisman
  • Boys Snr 50m backstroke 41.00 (previously held by Dylan Seymour (41.46)

Band Rehearsals

Band rehearsals will commence in Week 4 (17 February)

Times and days are as follows:

Junior Band                        Monday lunchtime / Tuesday 3.00pm -4.30pm
Senior Band                     Monday & Wednesday 7.40am - 8.40am
Intermediate Band            Tuesday & Thursday 7.40am - 8.40am

School Photo Day

School Photo Day – Wednesday 9 April

Mark your calendars! Our annual School Photo Day will be held on Wednesday, 9 April (Week 11). This is a wonderful opportunity to capture lasting memories of your child’s school year. Students are required to wear their full summer school uniform, including black school shoes, to ensure a neat and consistent look across all photos.

Parents can now order photos online using the link provided below. Please ensure orders are placed before photo day to avoid any late fees. If you would like sibling photos, these must also be ordered in advance through the online portal. Further details, including pricing and package options, are available on the ordering website.

We appreciate your support in ensuring all students arrive on the day looking their best and ready for their photos. If you have any questions, please contact the school office.

Ethics Teachers Needed

Ethics classes are an alternative to religion and non-scripture, teaching our kids to think, reason and discuss a range of ethical issues, whilst learning to respect other points of view and come to a deeper understanding of their own beliefs.

At Manly Vale, we have a very successful program but need more teachers to meet the demand for classes, particularly in Kindy, yr 2 and yr 4

No experience needed and online training is provided - the commitment is just a 30-minute class on a Wednesday morning, and 15 minutes to read through the lesson materials beforehand - and all materials are provided so no lesson planning needed!

If you or anyone you know is interested - please contact the ethics coordinator, Tamara Tyler, at tamara@tylermail.com.au or 0439220673

For more information about the ethics program, go to www.primaryethics.com.au.

Opportunity Class Applications 2026

2026 Opportunity Class and Selective High School Applications - Important Information for Parents of Current Year 4 and Year 6 Students

We want to inform you of important dates in the application process for Year 5 Opportunity Class (OC) and Year 7 Selective High School enrolments. Please note applications close soon.

Key Dates:

7 November 2024 to 21 February 2025 – parents and carers apply for selective high school or opportunity class entry in 2026 online.
2-4 May 2025 – students sit the selective high school or opportunity class placement test for entry in 2026.
19 May 2025 – make up test date (approved illness/misadventure requests)
Term 3, 2025 – placement outcomes and offers released to parents and carers
Term 1, 2026 – students who gain entry begin attending their opportunity class or selective high school

New Testing Process:

Another important change is that the placement tests in 2025 will be held at scheduled times over multiple days (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) and conducted mostly in external test centres (i.e. not in schools). Students will be allocated an external test centre within the local area of their current school.

The 2025 selective high school and opportunity class placement test dates are 2-4 May 2025.

This year marks a shift in the application timeline; applications are now due earlier than in previous years. It’s crucial that parents prepare early to navigate this new schedule.

For more detailed information, including how to apply online, please visit the NSW Department of Education Selective High Schools and Opportunity Classes website.

Catherine Nelson - Assistant Principal

Book Club

Book club order cut off Monday 24 February

Library News

Library Lovers’ Day

In libraries across Australia 14 February is known as LIBRARY LOVERS' DAY – dedicated to book lovers everywhere. 

The day is an opportunity to honour libraries, and the wonderful books held within their collections. 

We are celebrating our love of libraries for the whole month of February. This week we have set up a Heart Hunt. Twelve love hearts are hidden around all areas of the library. How many can you find? We will also have love-themed activities available during lunchtimes in the library.

Library Borrowing

Library borrowing will commence next week (week 4). We have a wonderful range of classic and current fiction and non-fiction titles including the most beautiful picture books, senior fiction and graphic novels. 

Please help your children to remember to bring their library bags on their allocated library day. Students in Kindergarten may borrow 1 book each week, and students in Year 1 and above may borrow 2. 

Outstanding books need to be returned each week so that students may select new books to take home. 

We look forward to getting to know your little readers and helping to grow their love of literacy in 2025.

Ali Webster – Teacher Librarian

Canteen

The canteen is available for recess and lunch orders each day and open for over the counter purchases (cash only) at lunch. Please place your orders by 8.50am each day, if you miss the cut off time, there is a late order option available until 10.00am each day.

Lunch orders are collected from the canteen. K-2 from the lunch collection line closest to the hall, years 3-6 from the canteen counters.

Frozen items can be collected from the frozen item line at the canteen with their lunch bag.

Kindergarten 2025

We cannot wait to meet the new Kindy students of 2025. We recommend letting your child settle into school and the excitement of lunch times before sending them with some money to spend at the canteen. When they are ready, please remember that they only need a little bit of money as it can be very tempting to spend large amounts all in one day.

If you will be ordering lunch from the canteen in the first few weeks of term, please let your child's teacher know so that they can help them find their way to the canteen to collect it.

Don't forget to download the Flexischools app for online ordering https://flexischools.com.au/ and turn notifications on so that you never miss a message from the canteen.

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

Australian Girls Choir Open Day

Look no further than the Australian Girls Choir (AGC) because we encourage, challenge and inspire girls as they learn to sing, dance and perform. School aged girls are invited to come along to our February Open Day to try our fun and inclusive classes and learn more about being part of the AGC! Please visit our website to register to attend our free Open Day: ausgirlschoir.com.au/joinagc

School Information