Pennant Hills Public School eNewsletter

Return to School

As the students prepare to return to school either on Monday 18 October or Monday 25 October there may be some uncertainty about this return from the students. The NSW Department of Education has some useful websites that you may find beneficial.

Wellbeing - Wellbeing (nsw.gov.au)
Going to school - Going to school (nsw.gov.au)
Parent and carers toolkit - Parent and carers toolkit (nsw.gov.au)
Back to school - Back to school (nsw.gov.au)
Advice for families - Advice for families (nsw.gov.au)

Kindergarten 2022 Information Evening, Tuesday 19 October at 7pm

All parents/carers of students attending Pennant Hills Public School for Kindergarten in 2022 are welcome to attend this information session, to be held via Zoom.

Topic: Kindy 2022 Information Evening
Time: Oct 19, 2021 07:00 PM Canberra, Melbourne, Sydney

Join Zoom Meeting

https://nsweducation.zoom.us/j/66427186989?pwd=eW5ubUNqcVFBMHQzeUJyQVF6TlgyUT09

Meeting ID: 664 2718 6989
Passcode: 799892

We look forward to seeing you then.

Kindilinks Orientation Program

From next Monday our school will be considered to be under Level 3 plus restrictions. At this level the school is very limited on the activities that it can conduct. In particular this relates to our Kindergarten Orientation program known as Kindilinks. At this point we are unable to predict when this may be able to occur. Hopefully later this term the guidelines will change to allow this program to take place. There are a couple of points that we already know that will need to be in place if this activity is able to take place.

1. The student is enrolled at our school for next year
2. Parents will only be able to drop off and pick up

As soon as we are given further information, I will be sure to make the necessary changes to ensure this important activity takes place. To assist you in familiarising yourself with our school I suggest you take the time to look at the school’s website. It will give you a great start as you and your child begin your schooling journey from next year.

Learning from Home Packs – Term 4 Week 3

For those families of students in Years 2-6 that require the hard copies of the Learning from Home packs please book in via the system we use for Parent Teacher interviews. Please use the following link, School Interviews and enter the code, j5mqn. Select your desired time to come to the 3-6 site. This booking site will be open from Thursday morning at 10am. All packs will be able to be collected this Friday or Monday for next week’s pack. Please only come and collect a pack if you need one. Please do not just call in to the office to try and collect a pack as you will be politely turned away. We have this process to ensure we are following our Covid-19 Safety Plan to assist you and the wider community. Please note there will not be any Learning from Home packs for students in Kindergarten or Year 1 as they are expected to return to school for face-to-face learning.

Opportunity Class Test

As a result of the most recent advice from NSW Health regarding the duration of COVID-19 restrictions and the return to school plan, the Opportunity Class Placement Test has been rescheduled to Wednesday 17 November 2021, further details on the testing arrangements will be confirmed soon.

End of Year Events

At this point in time, we are unable to predict which, if any, events are able to take place at the end of the year. Normally towards the end of the year the school would hold the Year 6 Mini-fete, Celebration of Learning, Year 6 Farewell, and class or grade Christmas Party. I hope that we are able to hold some if not all of these events in some way shape or form. At present these types of activities are unable to take place. As the guidelines continue to change, we will regularly consider what can take place and how to ensure the end of the year is celebrated appropriately following the current advice.

Uniform

As we have entered Term 4 students are able to wear the summer uniform. I appreciate that due to the lockdown and the guidelines placed upon the Uniform Shop it has been impossible for parents to order and collect their purchases. From Monday the Uniform Shop manager will be able to finally access the Uniform Shop. As she has not been able to do so there is a lot of things she will need to do before she is able to begin packing and sending out orders. The Uniform Shop is only able to take online orders at this point and distribution of these orders will take place after school. Alison will process your order as quickly as possible. Please be patient as she works through a very large back log of tasks. As such if your child does not fit into their school uniform, please send them to school in clothing that, as closely as possible, resembles the school uniform. There will be a grace period of a few weeks for all families to ensure that they have the correct uniform. Once Alison has an idea of how long it will take her to clear the back log, I will let you know when this grace period will end. Thank you for your understanding and patience as she works through this situation.

Kind Regards

Mr Matt Pinchbeck
Principal

Around the School

Stage 3 produced some amazing work last week. Keep up the great work Stage 3, we look forward to seeing you in person soon!

Research posters

Alex – 5W

Project: The Titanic

Alex created an excellent poster from the research he found about the Titanic.

Owen – 6M

Project: World War 2

Owen created a diorama and researched how the Australian Army set up 3 different trenches. There was the frontline trench, the support trench, and the reserve line.

Flinn – 6M

Project: The Roman Empire

Flinn created a poster and represented various information that he had researched. He particiulary enjoyed researching famous historical sights that are in Rome including the Trevi Fountain.

Jimmy – 6M

Project: the United Nations

Jimmy researched many different aspects of the United Nations and created a book to present this information. There was some interesting information about UNESCO and the World Health Organisation.

Isabelle – 6R

Project: Mt Everest

Perspective artworks

Louise – 5W

Clementine – 6M

Archie – 5M

Tahlia – 5B

Political campaign posters

Helena – 5W

Helena presented her poster and explained the importance of having enough job opportunities for the people of Australia.

Callum – 5M

Liam – 5M

Claire – 5B

Pop Art Artworks

Ishaan – 6M

Owen - 6M

Fitness

River – 6M

Growth Mindset

Kate - 6M

6R (along with the rest of stage 3) are studying Human Rights.

Thanks to the lockdown they have also become experts at using the online tools to complete and turn in our work.

Emily N - 6R

Haniya - 6R

Charle - 6R

Emily - 6R

World Teachers' Day

World Teachers' Day is the 29^th of October. It is a day where we acknowledge the work that we do and take a moment to reflect on our impact. Thank you to our wonderful P&C for being ahead of the game and putting together a selection of photos of our students saying ‘Thanks!’. Our teachers are second to none, they work hard, they are problem solvers and creative thinkers, they have a spark for teaching and they are lifelong learners themselves. I feel privileged to be a part of the teaching community at Pennant Hills.

We are so excited to be back with some of our students to celebrate the day!

Kind Regards

Mrs Kate Wasson

Deputy Principal

Welcome back to Week 2 of Term 4.

We are all very excited about going back to school. Kindergarten and Year 1 are going back to school next week, (week 3). Then in week 4 we are all back at school, yeh!

We hope that you have had a relaxing break and are ready to go back to the last term of learning for this year.

Q: What time is it when the clock strikes 13?

A: It’s time to get a new clock.

Have a great week, see you all soon.

Lexie - PHPS Leader

Mrs Griffith

Relieving Deputy Principal

KB - Jack M, Eliana J, Jordan S

KC - Julien T, Sophie L

KD - Elliott K, Nicholas A

KL - Isabella M, Finn R, Ashleigh D

1A - Noa S, Abhaya S, Edwin R

1E - Toby S, Luca H, Sian Y

1M - Lily B, Jenna K, Lexie M

1/2P - Joanna A, Emma C, Luc P

2A - Kieran H, Ashley H, Theo B

2B - Emily H, Luke Z, Amelie M

2W - Johan A, Pippa C, Millie V

3D - Kay M, Angela C, Gemma D

3H - Sotirios J, Annabelle T, Madeleine W

3R - Lucas B, Charles D, Amity G

4B - Lucinda B, Joshua N, Keiran P

4F - Onadi P, Ryan P, Kiric C

4M - Daniel C, Finn K, Leo W

5B - Stella M, Amelia M, Nekiah T, Annabelle K

5M - Althea F, Nikita W, Archie B

5W - Munira G, Chrissie C, Jackson W

6M - Kate A, Owen Q, Clementine I

6R - Celine A, Isabelle K, Vivaan M

6S - Ameya A, Manna L, Myrah C

Music - Adam F (KD), Gavin Z (KB), Shriya I (1E), Kaleiya S (1M), Emily H (2B), Sean M (3R)

Hillsbus school services will recommence from Monday 18 October 2021. From that date, Hillsbus will also recommence School Term timetables for all public routes for students who use public routes to school.

From Monday 18 October:

Route 610X peak extensions from/to Kellyville will be curtailed to operate between Castle Hill and the City
There are minor timing changes to routes 602X, 607X, 610X, 611, 612X, 613X, 614X, 615X, 616X, 619, 620X, 622, 642X and 652X

Schools which are directly affected by any of these changes have been informed with new school advice sheets.

Travellers are encouraged to plan their trips on Transportnsw.info or call 131500 for travel options.

Thomas Uthaug

Service Development Manager

Tootsie, LoobyLoo, Vivyan, Opi, Porcus and Kartoffel are a family of guinea pigs that are joining the PHPS family. Once we return to face-to-face learning at school, they will start visiting us every day and live with Ms Schmidt & her 11 yo daughter, Marnie when they aren’t at school.

There is lots of research supporting the idea that educational support animals can:

be a source of comfort & safety for children
alleviate anxiety & distress
facilitate social interaction
provide lessons about feelings, self-control, responsibility, grief & attachment
support interaction with living creatures
be read aloud to!!

I absolutely love that last reason - it is my most favourite of all!!

Kartoffel Opi Tootsie LoobyLoo Vivyan Porcus

More information about what it will actually look like when the guinea pigs are at school, will be in future Newsletters & on the website, so please keep an eye out for more Guinea Pig News.

If you have any questions, concerns or comments about the guinea pigs being at school, please feel free to contact me via email or call the school on 9484 1134.

Ms Schmidt

Learning & Support Teacher

Hi All

Thanks to everyone who joined last week's P&C meeting. Whilst there hasn't been too much to report on from a P&C perspective it was great to hear from Mr Pinchbeck on the return to school plan.

I'm sure everyone is very excited to have their children back at school in the next few weeks. The P&C is very happy to have the canteen opening on Monday 25 October to serve the school. The uniform shop will also be operating in a virtual capacity, with Flexischool online orders being delivered to the office for collection.

The P&C will work with Mr Pinchbeck and the school over the next few weeks to monitor the guidelines and we hope to get some other P&C activities up and running again.

Have a great week.

Luke

If you would like to subscribe to our P&C meeting emails (minutes and agendas),

please subscribe at the following link: http://eepurl.com/dlK3PD

Luke Whenman

President, PHPS P&C

pandcpresident@gmail.com

If you have any questions, or would like to be involved with the canteen, please contact me.

Heather Tyler

0425 274 681

canteenphps@gmail.com

The Uniform Shop is currently closed while Level 4 stay-at-home rules are in place.

Year 6 Signature Bears and Balls

Year 6 parents please note that orders for the signature bears and balls are due by Monday 18October.

Due to current Covid-19 restrictions we are encouraging families to place their orders for the signature bears and balls online via Flexischools.

Kindergarten T - Towels

Kindergarten parents please note that orders for the commemorative t-towels are due by Friday 22 October.

Due to current Covid-19 restrictions we are encouraging families to place their orders for the t-towels online via Flexischools.

Term 4 Operating Protocols

The Uniform Shop will be permitted to resume operations from Monday 18 October, once students return to face-to-face learning in staggered cohorts, however under Level 3 Plus rules, the Uniform Shop can only operate outside of school hours to process orders.

Any outstanding Flexischools orders that have been placed in the last three months will be processed during Week 3 of Term 4. Parents will be notified when their orders have been processed.

At this stage the uniform shop will not open for over the counter sales and service as visitors are not allowed on site.

The situation may change later in the term, with restrictions easing, and any updates will be advertised in the newsletter.

From Monday 18 October uniforms can be ordered online through Flexischools or alternatively download an order form from the school website.

Once all students have returned to school, uniform orders will be delivered to the students’ classroom.

Order forms are available on the school website by following the link:

https://pennanthil-p.schools.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/doe/sws/schools/p/pennanthil-p/about-our-school/uniform-shop/Order_Form_and_Price_List_Term_3_2021.pdf

Alison Parker

Uniform Shop Manager

phpsuniformshop@gmail.com

Year 2 Families!

Some music enthusiasts love the challenge of sitting down at the piano or picking up their violin to learn a song. That’s because they understand learning to play music brings a wide array of beneficial traits that extend beyond the music room! When a musician learns to read, play and perform music, they gain mental, cognitive and emotional health benefits that will last throughout their lifetime. Read more about it here: https://www.musicnotes.com/now/tips/17-surprising-health-benefits-of-playing-an-instrument/

PHPS's band program is open to any students from year 3 upward, and we encourage all students who have an interest in music and learning to join. No prior musical instrument experience is necessary. Learning an instrument is a skill which can benefit students in so many ways.

If your child is interested in joining the band program, sit down and watch the following video with them. It provides explanations and demonstrations of the instruments we have available for the band program. It's been put together by Teaching Services Australia to assist with band recruitment and education for students and families. https://youtu.be/ms0rubz99Iw

We've opened our Expression Of Interest form, and encourage all current year 2 students to fill it in.

Google Classrooms and Zoom for Band

We're continuing with Google Classrooms and Zoom for the time being. We're planning for when they will be returning with the conductors.

Please make sure you're logging into the Band Google Classrooms and attending the Zoom sessions. Links for the Zoom sessions are going out via the WhatsApp groups.

Award Worksheets
Please keep your children working on their worksheets with their tutors. Term 3 worksheets for Training and INtermediate bands should be complete, or nearly complete.

Can any completed worksheets please be submitted as soon as possible through the new Worksheet Submission Web Form. https://forms.gle/NpPEG9jk2FsYdmmq7

Instrument Sales

If you're in the band program, or thinking of joining the band program, we're looking to sell some of our older instruments, including a Trumpet, an Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, and a Euphonium. If you're interested please get in contact.

A Note From the Committee Convener

I'd like to thank everyone for their continued support during this time. Conducting a music program online is a difficult task. We're all trying our best, and will endeavour to keep it as interesting as possible for the students. But we'll need your help in encouraging your children to continue to take part in the band exercises.

Pennant Hills Public School Band Committee

phpsband@gmail.com

Website: http://www.phpspandc.org.au/band/