13 October 2022

Newsletter Articles

Principal’s Report

Welcome back to all our students, staff and community. It is hard to believe we are in the final term for 2022 and the countdown is certainly on for our Year 6 students until they leave their primary school and head off to high school. Graduation and end of year activities are certainly being planned and the excitement is beginning to build for our senior students.

Thank you to Mrs Oscroft who was able to relieve as principal in the last 2 weeks of last term while I had long service leave. She did an amazing job organising the many changes to routine in the last 2 weeks and leading the staff and students to a positive finish of a very busy term. Thanks also to Mrs Blackband who relieved as deputy principal during this time.

Selective High School - Congratulations!

Congratulations to Michael Love, Dylan Du and Terezka Havelkova on their successful selection into Manly Selective High school for next year. The entry examinations for selective high schools are extremely difficult and very competitive as many students from all over the state sit these tests. Congratulations to all three and good luck for next year!

Additional Staff Development Day- Monday 19 December

The Education Minister Sarah Mitchell announced another scheduled Staff Development Day for the end of the year to prepare teachers for the implementation of the new curriculum next year. Therefore, the last day for students will now be attending school is Friday 16 December. Our Year 6 students will now be clapped out of the school on this day at around 2.30pm.

Please make alternative care arrangements for the Monday 19 December, as it is a pupil free day. Sustainable OSHC will be operating for extended care in the lead up to Christmas.

Trivia Night- Saturday 22 October

Thank you to Amy Hansen and Kate Williams and the committee of volunteers, for organising the return of our annual Manly Vale Public School trivia night. It takes a lot of work to organise these events, but it brings the community together, along with fundraising to support our students and the school. Funds from these events have helped to support Learning and Support programs in the school, the purchase of playground equipment and resources for the science teachers this year. Our new playground equipment will be installed over the Christmas holidays.

Some of the donated prizes for the night include:

1. Principal for the Day voucher- This auction item is always a popular one, with parents bidding to allow their child to become the “Principal for a Day”. The student spends a day visiting classrooms, awarding stickers, handing out principal awards, addressing a morning assembly and having morning tea with the executive team to discuss what they would like to see changed in the school
2. Morning tea with your class teacher- this voucher allows your child to choose 3 friends and have a lovely morning tea with the teacher/ teachers of their choice.
3. Homework Vouchers (3-6)- These vouchers can be cashed in with your child’s class teacher to allow them a week free of homework.

It is always a great night. Thank you to all those parents who have purchased tickets and donated prizes.

Years 3-6 Assembly this week- Friday 14 October - 2.30pm

This Friday we will have a 3-6 assembly in the school hall starting at 2.30pm, after the school teams return from PSSA. All merit awards and principal awards will be given out during this assembly. Parents welcome!

K-2 assembly- Friday 21 October 10.30am

Next week we will have a K-2 assembly at 10.30am in the hall. 1FH will be hosting this assembly and all merit and principal awards will be given out to K-2 students. The change of time for this assembly is to allow for the hall to be set up for Trivia night. Parents welcome!

Friday change of routine

This term PSSA sport has been scheduled for an earlier time each Friday to allow sport buses to return to schools by 2.30pm. This now means PSSA teams will be leaving school at 12.00pm to start games by 12.30pm. This earlier time means that PSSA students only have a small menu of choices in the canteen if they order their lunch to allow Becky and her volunteers enough time to make the lunches before the early pick up.

Please don’t forget to indicate on your order if your child is going to PSSA.

Another alteration to the Friday timetable is that all assemblies and SRC meetings will now be moved to the afternoon for a 2.30pm start, as the hall is now required for home sport in the assembly timeslots.

Notes to go home via email

In the endeavour to make our school as paperless as possible, we will be sending home most permission notes electronically to parents. Unfortunately, these notes can go to junk mail or the “other” folder in your inbox. Please check the Bush Telegraph each Thursday to check what notes have been sent home, to prompt you to check your inbox.

If you find that the notes emails are going to the wrong folder, please mark the email as “Not Junk or Spam”

Band Tour- Next week

Our senior band will attend a school Band Tour to the Bathurst from Monday 17 October to Wednesday 19 October. On the tour the band will visit some country schools to perform. Workshops have been organised at various venues along the way.

Thank you to Ben Dickson our conductor, and Ms Taylor and Mrs Johnstone for all their organisation of the camp and attending the camp for the 3 days. Mrs Lee will also attend the camp after Kindergarten Orientation on the Monday.

Kindergarten Orientation- Monday 17 October & Monday 24 October

We will welcome our 2023 Kindergarten students into classrooms for an orientation to the school. All families should have received invitations to these days and be ready to come to both sessions. The students will work in kindergarten classrooms whilst their parents will attend the hall for information sessions on the school. It is important to attend all the orientation sessions.

Thank you to Mrs Oscroft and the Kindergarten teachers for all their organisation of the day and to our wonderful office team who have put Orientation packs together and provided communication to parents around these events. We look forward to meeting our 96 new Kindergarten students for 2023 and their parents next week.

Thanks also to our current Kindergarten parents who are providing a lovely morning tea for our 2023 families on both days. It is wonderful to have our old Kindergarten parents welcoming our new ones, a tradition started many years ago but sadly has not been able to happen due to COVID guidelines in the past few years.

Monday 17 October- KT & KA parents provide morning tea

Monday 24 October- KS & KM parents to provide morning tea

Thank you to our resident celebrity grandma Maggie Dent who has gifted the teachers with 20 free tickets to her conference next Monday night. It was a lovely gesture, and we are truly appreciative of this very generous donation. Thank you Maggie!

Dates for your Diary

Selective High School Applications – Year 7 2024 (current year 5 students)

Current Year 5 students seeking placement for Year 7 2024 are required to apply online to sit the Selective High School Tests that will be held on Thursday 4 May 2023.

The online application website opens Tuesday 18 October and closes Wednesday 16 November. For students to be eligible to sit the test, parents must apply online.

If you have questions regarding your child’s suitability for this Gifted and Talented high school placement opportunity, please contact your classroom teacher. If you require additional advice, please contact Mrs Nicole Blackband via the school admin office.

Application guide -

Application website -

Maths Problem Solving Challenge

Term 3 Week 10 Solutions & Successful Mathematicians

Week 1 Questions

Online orders due by 28 October 2022.

Canteen News

The canteen relies on volunteers to open for counter service at lunch. The canteen needs volunteers in the mornings to make sandwiches as well as at lunch to serve at the counter. Feel free to sign up with a friend to make it more fun.

Emergency Lunch Payments

If you have been advised that your child has received an emergency lunch from the canteen, please pay for it as soon as possible. You can make payment via Flexischools using the IOU option.

Friday PSSA Lunch Orders

PSSA is now at an earlier time, if your child is participating in PSSA please use the PSSA early lunch option. Don't forget to select YES to the PSSA alert so we can find your order easily.

You will be able to order snacks, drinks, sandwiches / wraps / rolls (no toasties) and sausage rolls! (Sorry, no sushi will be available for PSSA students)

Your early lunch will be ready to collect at 11.00am (recess). You can eat it early or keep it for later in the day.

We know you will be missing your Friday Sushi so don't forget you can still order it Tuesday - Thursday.

Robyn Lambley & Becky McGowan - Canteen Managers

Community Notices

School Information