Pennant Hills Public School eNewsletter

Student Leadership 2023

Over the last few weeks, the school has been engrossed in its student elections for our 2023 Student Leadership team. These few weeks each year provide the students with an opportunity to apply for leadership positions, but to also be a part of a democratic process to select their student leaders for the following year. This year’s speeches were simply amazing from the students. Each and every one of them should be very proud of their efforts, regardless of the outcome.

Below is a list of our leaders for 2023. Each of them will be inducted at our Celebration of Learning on Monday 12 December at Pennant Hills High School. Congratulations to everyone involved in applying for a leadership position. Each of you would have made a great student leader.

Top 10 Leaders 2023 - In alphabetical order

Boys

Girls

Daniel C	Amelia C
Siharth G	Elinore F
Reuben T	Elsie G
Lewis W	Kaya G
Nathan Y	Roshini K

House Captains

Banksia	Melaleuca	Angophora	Grevillea
Lauren N	Julia V	Gemma P	Lucinda B
Logan S	Tom S	Kobe J	Joshua N

Performing Arts Captains

Band	Choir	Dance	Strings
Finn K	Mana A	Cassius H	Monica L
Kris G	Francesca I	Indie M

Staffing Update for 2023

As we approach the end of the year there are a few staffing changes that will take effect from the beginning of 2023.

Congratulations to Mrs Amy Ford who has been successful through the NSW Department’s Merit Selection process. Next year Mrs Ford will take up a permanent position as Assistant Principal Curriculum & Instruction at a school on the Central Coast. This promotion is wonderful news for Mrs Ford who has worked tirelessly as part of the school’s executive over the last few years. Her contributions to our school have been huge and she will be a loss. However, the promotion and being closer to home is such a huge bonus for her and her family that she cannot pass it up. A recruitment process is underway and as soon as I can announce the successful applicant I will do so.

I can announce that our school’s new Assistant Principal Curriculum and Instruction is Mrs Amanda Hobbs. Mrs Hobbs has been an Assistant Principal for the last seven years at a nearby school and has demonstrated her skills and knowledge during that time. We are very fortunate to have someone of such calibre joining our community next year. Her role will be off class and to work with staff to achieve our school’s Strategic Directions (no small task). I must thank Mrs Rebecca Stalenberg for her time on the panel assisting in selecting the right person to our school. We warmly welcome Mrs Hobbs to our school next year.

Miss Shannon Steel has made the difficult decision to relocate north with her partner to be near their families. Miss Steel is an outstanding young teacher who has exceeded my expectations as a beginning teacher. We thank her for her contributions and wish her the best for her future both personally and professionally. Her position will be filled temporarily at the beginning of the year, and I will move through the Department’s recruitment processes throughout Term 1 to permanently fill the position.

I can announce that Miss Sarah Lester has been permanently appointed to our school. Miss Lester is very excited to be appointed to Pennant Hills PS as her first appointment. Miss Lester will join us from the beginning of 2023. We warmly welcome her to our wonderful community.

Stage 3 Camp – Milson Island

Next week and the week after Years 5 and 6 respectively will attend their camp at Milson Island. These camps are designed to challenge students in a supportive way and build their team building skills. The students will participate in many personal challenges and have a great time doing so. Many thanks to all the teachers for giving up their time to support their students. Staff attending the camp will be spending time away from their own families, and with this in mind we acknowledge the sacrifice they are making for our students. It is very much appreciated.

NAPLAN Presentation

Last week Mrs Wasson and I presented this year’s NAPLAN results and how the school’s structure is tied together to support our identified goals. Thank you to the parents who gave their time to come to the presentation. Whilst the presentation may have been a bit dry for some, the conversation that took place due to the presentation was beneficial for those in attendance, including Mrs Wasson and myself.

COVID-19 – Rapid Antigen Tests

Today all students will receive a pack of five Rapid Antigen Tests (RAT). If your child does not receive their allocation today, they will receive it within the next week. These tests are to be used for symptomatic testing. As always if your child is unwell the advice is to keep them home from school in order for them to recover and limit the spread of any virus. If your child does happen to test positive to COVID-19 please ensure you notify the school. I thank you for your understanding and assistance with this matter.

Kind Regards

Matt Pinchbeck

Principal

House Captains for 2023

The votes are in and I’m pleased to announce the school’s sport house captains for 2023!

Introducing:

Gemma and Kobe representing Angophora
Logan and Lauren representing Banksia
Josh and Lucinda representing Grevillia
Tom and Julia representing Melaleuca.

Congratulations to our 2023 House Captains! We look forward to a great year of sport.

Swim School

Students from Years 2 and 3 have begun swim school this week. Despite the wind yesterday, they’ve come back enthusiastic about the next 2 weeks. Thank you to our dedicated teachers who are supporting our students in this program.

Christmas Toy Appeal

2022 has been another difficult year for many families and this year we are supporting the Sydney Children’s Hospital Network by donating new toys to children of all ages in hospital during this holiday period. Your contribution will make an immediate impact on the lives of these children. The Children’s Hospitals (Westmead and Randwick) have patients who range from newborns to 18 year-olds and would appreciate any donations of new toys to cater for this age range. The majority of toys that they receive are for the 3-11 year age range, so if you could think outside of this age bracket, it would be very much appreciated.

A few things to consider when donating toys;

Please only bring the toys to the school hall on the nominated days and times
All toys must meet Australian Safety Standards
For health and safety reasons, toys must be brand new, unopened and unwrapped (this allows them to decide who the toy should go to)
Glue or paint in craft kits must be non-toxic and non-flammable
All DVDs need to be G or PG Rated

The following won't be accepted:

Toy guns, swords or war games
Bikes, scooters, tricycles, roller skates etc

Gift cards are also highly recommended!

Drop off information

K-2
- Monday 5 December
- 8:30 - 9:15am
- School Hall

3-6
- Tuesday 6 December
- 8:30 - 9:15am
- School Hall

Kind Regards

Kate Wasson

Deputy Principal

Timeline for the Leadership Process

Wednesday 23 November - Announce PA captains

Celebration of Learning

Monday 12 December
Pennant Hills High School – Hall
K-2 - 9:45am
3-6 - 11:30am

Year 6 End of Year Dates

Thursday 1 December: Year 6 Fun Day
Monday 12 December: Celebration of Learning
Monday 12 December: Year 6 Farewell
Friday 16 December: Year 6 Graduation Assembly – 10:00am
Friday 16 December: Year 6 clap out and bell ringing – 2:30pm

Kind Regards

Melissa Griffith

Relieving Deputy Principal

Lost Property

Our lost property collection has grown over the year and we know someone must be missing their belongings.

Named lost property can be located at the

K-2 Site: on the old verandah
3-6 Site: in the Year 5 corridor

Any items left uncollected on the last day of school, Friday 16 December, will be donated or disposed of.

If you recognise any of the items photographed below, please visit the respective office to collect them.

K - 2 Office

3-6 Office

Mrs Klimoski

Student Administration Manager

KA - Declan D, Naia R, Charlie G, Agri A

KC - Felix, Kristian, Zachary, Flynn, Elise, Maddy

KD - Tayyab J, Audrey L, Claire L

KR - Hugo S, Josh R, Audrey C, Teddy I

1A - Eliana J, Ashleigh D, Andy Mc, Harriet E, Jayden W, Finn R

1E - Kianah J, Sydhen S, Gavin S, Maya V, Isabelle S, Ishan S

1M - Coralie A, Adriaen D, Ella S, Isabella M, Tom N, Oliver RNo entry

2A - Joanna A, Grace G, George Y, Keyan P, Alexandra P

2B - Aston A, Xavier D, Lachlan W, Frankie S, Nellie M

2M - Sidney M, Edwin R, Lachlan N, Ruben B, Chloe H

Last Friday, PHPS played Normanhurst West.

Teeball

Boys: NW defeated PH 6 - 7

Girls: PH defeated NW 3 - 0

League Tag

Girls: NW defeated PH 7 - 6

Boys: NW defeated PH 7 - 4

Miss Hansell and Miss Dy

Stage 2 Interschool Sport Coordinators

Last Friday, Stage 3 played Thornleigh West PS at Campbell Park.

League Tag

Girls: TW defeated PH 10 - 9

Boys: PH defeated TW 14 - 5

Softball

Boys: TW defeated PH 12 - 2

Girls: TW defeated PH 11 - 4

Two rounds to go! This Friday we play Epping North PS at Thomas Thompson Reserve (League tag), and Edward Bennett Oval (Softball).

Mr Bryant and Miss Steel

Stage 3 PSSA Interschool Sport Coordinators

Student Borrowing Has Now Finished For The Year

Many thanks to all those students who have been returning their library books this week.

Borrowing has now finished for the year so it is time for all books to be returned so that the library can be organised for the coming year.

Overdue book reminders are now being issued so have a good look under beds, bookshelves and anywhere else you think the books may be. If your child attends BASC, please check there too.

If your child receives a reminder notice and you cannot find the book, please let me know so we can double-check the shelves. It is amazing how some books just miraculously make their own way back to the library.

Happy book hunting!

Ms Davis

Teacher Librarian

We are a SPECTACULAR SCHOOL!

Have you seen the magic? This week is the 2022 Schools Spectacular. A huge arena event showcasing the musical talents of public school students in NSW. Over 5000 students from all over the state will be singing, dancing and playing to present a magical and spectacular show.

24 students from our school are spectacular, they are part of the Arena primary choir. We have been practising since the beginning of this term. It is going to be a wonderful experience for them.

Tickets are still available for the show through Ticketek

https://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=SCHOOLSP22

Hope to see you there.

Ms Stevens

Music, Drama and Choir Teacher

President’s Message

Hi All

Planning is underway for the final P&C activities for 2022, with the Ostacool Course (www.obstacool.com.au) pencilled in for Thursday, 8 December and a BBQ during the End of Year Concert on Thursday, 15 December. Details are to be confirmed in the next few weeks.

The December P&C General meeting will be held in person on Tuesday, 6 December, at 7.30 pm in the hall on the K-2 site. This is a great chance to celebrate the end of the year and say thank you to our many volunteers from 2022. We’ll also farewell some families who are leaving PHPS in 2022.

Have a great week.

Luke Whenman

P&C President

pandcpresident@gmail.com

Beautiful fruits and vegetables are growing in the K-2 VEGGIE GARDEN at our school.

The strawberries are ready to eat and the tomato plants are loving their new compost!

1 M has been growing the tomato seedlings. Well done, students!

The new compost has been kindly donated by a parent of 1M. If you ever have too much compost, please let the Green Team know. We can always use it to grow more at our school grounds!

Pusheen cannot believe that we haven’t received any offers to help with counter sales at recess or lunch at the 3-6 site!!

The canteen traditionally gets busier and busier as we approach the end of the school year and we would really love to be open more at both sites, but without volunteers this will not be possible.

We also need more helpers for the K-2 canteen to keep running.

So… WE NEED VOLUNTEERS for the following times please:

RECESS: 3-6 only: 11-11.45am. Any day but especially FRIDAY.

LUNCH: Both sites: 1-1.45pm. Any day for 3-6. WEDNESDAY and FRIDAY for K-2 at this stage.

Please contact me if you are able to help at either of these times or if you would like to know more. It’s a fun and easy way to get involved in your child’s school life and they just love you being there.

All volunteers need a current “ Working With Children Check” which can be obtained through Service NSW.

PSSA Alert

Please remember to click on the PSSA Alert when placing a lunch order on a Friday if your child is in stage 3 and plays PSSA sport.

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

Heather Tyler

0425 274 681

canteenphps@gmail.com

Appointments

Please click or scan the QR Code below to make an appointment, you will be redirected to our square booking site.
Standard appointment times are in individual 5-minute increments. You may still need to wait while the appointment before you is being served.
If you require a longer appointment for purchases or need to try on items, please book a Double Appointment instead as these appointments will allow additional time.
Appointments specifically for incoming 2023 Kindergarten students and New Students are now available.
If the available times are not suitable, please contact us via email at phpsuniformshop@gmail.com to organise alternative arrangements.

CLICK HERE FOR UNIFORM SHOP APPOINTMENTS

Stock Update

All outstanding summer shirt orders have now been distributed.

We are currently out of stock of size 6 Zip jackets due to a delay in shipment from our supplier. Current estimate of shipping is early term 1 2023. Any orders placed that are unable to be fulfilled will be placed on backorder until stock arrives.

Second Hand

Second Hand / Preloved items will continue to be available online via Flexischools. Only items in very good condition will be added for sales online, and these items currently will not be available for purchase directly from the shop. If you don’t find what you are looking for on Flexischools then you can book an appointment to look through the unsorted / unlisted items at the shop. https://user.flexischools.com.au/login

Janine Sherlock

Uniform Shop Manager

phpsuniformshop@gmail.com

There's Still Time To Join!

There were a number of Year 2 children who wanted to take part in the instrument blow test we conducted last Friday, but they couldn't as they were not on the list of children who had filled in the expression of interest form. The good news is that whilst we may have already had the blow test there's still time to join the band. We're in the process of allocating instruments now, so if your child is going to be in Years 3-6 next year, and wants to join, please fill in the Expression of Interest form linked below.

Click Here to fill in the Expression of Interest for for the Band Program

When it comes to extracurricular activities for your child, there are fewer better to join than band. Music education is excellent for your child’s mental and physical development, and leads to good things.According to one study in the USA, more than 65% of high school graduates participated in some kind of music program during their school years. For college graduates, that number reaches 86%. For post-graduates, that number tops out at almost 90%. Also, 83% of people earning six-digit salaries participated in school music programs.

Read about 4 Great Reasons to join band!

Future Band Events

Our performance calendar has a number of events for the year. So please keep your eye on this section of the newsletter for important dates to keep free.

PHHS orientation day, Tuesday 29 November - select Yr 6 students
Christmas Busking Hornsby Westfields, Saturday 10 & Sunday 11 December - doodle poll OPEN
Celebration of Learning, PHHS Monday 12 December - SCB, JB
End of Year Concert, Thursday 15 December - All Bands + Strings (CONFIRMED)

Keep your eye on the newsletter, WhatsApp and emails for more details.

End of Year Concert - Calling all parent players

If you play a band instrument and would like to play in the end of year concert with your child we would love to have you participate. But there will be a couple of proviso's.

It must be a band instrument (Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Sax, Trumpet, Trombone, Eupho/Baritone, Tuba) - unfortunately it cannot be piano/keyboard or percussion as we just don't have enough room to accomodate a bunch of keyboards on stage.
You'll need to be able to play the parts proficiently. Given that the exact pieces haven't been selected yet, this may leave you only a short period of time to practise, so we're kind of hoping that if you're keen to play you'll be either very proficient on your instrument already and be able to basically sight read the part, or be willing to put in a bunch of practice in a short time to get up to speed. Probably not an issue if your child is in the Training Band, but ICB & SCB parts might be a challenge for anyone who's well out of practice.

So if you're interested, please let us know ASAP. Include your instrument, and which band your child is in, so we can send on music as soon as we have it.

Progressing To The Next Band In 2023

After speaking with the conductors it's been decided that in order for a Training Band student to move to ICB in 2023 they must have had their Terms 1, 2 & 3 worksheets signed off and submitted. For an ICB student to move to SCB in 2023 they must have had all their ICB Term worksheets signed off and submitted.

At their next lesson please talk with their tutor to let them know the importance of getting these worksheets signed off, and make sure your child takes their worksheet to their tutor (often things don't get signed just because they've been left at home).

Once complete the worksheets are to be submitted through the Worksheet Submission Web Form. This can be done on your mobile, it doesn't need to be handed to the conductor.

If anyone needs a particular worksheet you can print them from the Band web pages here.

A Message For The Year 6 Band Members

Any year 6 student who wants to receive their Gold Award with shiny treble clef pin needs to get their SCB worksheet (or AMEB Grade 3+ cert) handed in plus composition and solo done ASAP.

The Gold Award worksheet can be found here.

Rehearsal Punctuality

I know we're getting toward the end of the year and there's not long to go, but can everyone please make an effort to have the students to rehearsals on time in the mornings. For SCB & ICB that means arriving at 7:20AM to setup so they can start by 7:30AM. For the Training Band it's arrive at 7:35AM to setup, so they can start by 7:45AM.

What To Practice

Senior Concert Band

Please ensure you're practising the following pieces **priority:

**Christmas at the Movies
The Herald Angels Swing
Tales of the Sea (https://youtu.be/f_JNFoSTkDw)
Aztlan (https://youtu.be/LdJcZi5jsV8)

Jazz Band

Please ensure you're practising the following:

**Blues Machine (https://youtu.be/x6LehBpCZJc)
Havana (https://youtu.be/A9DnpdPEiRI)
Hit the Road Jack (https://youtu.be/ia027MOA0qk)
**The Blues Brothers Rockin Soul Revue (https://youtu.be/wisZDspnBUA)

Intermediate Band

Please ensure you're practising the following pieces as well as working on your term 4 worksheet exercises:

**The Mandalorian (https://youtu.be/QvJI4ay661k)
**How To Train Your Dragon (https://youtu.be/YOXlKEMuCVc)
**Race to the Moon (https://brolgamusic.com/catalog/race-moon)
El Toro (https://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&productID=2232924&type=audio)

Training Band

Please ensure you're practising the following pieces as well as working on your term 4 worksheet exercises :

*Frosty the Snowman
*Rock-a-saurus Rex (https://www.jwpepper.com/sheet-music/media-player.jsp?&productID=2379535&type=audio)
Zap! (https://youtu.be/bm9t2DTbCvI)
Attack of the Slide Trombones (https://www.halleonard.com/viewcloserlook.action?itemId=44000422&name=attack-of-the-slide-trombones)

Term 4 Parent Helper Rosters Open

There are still a number of places in the parent helper rosters for this term. Please get them filled in ASAP

SCB - There are still lots of rehearsals missing helpers for the rest of this term.

A full list of parent helper duties is available here.

Crowding the door - please don't let the students crowd the door with bags and instrument cases. School bags should go on the silver shelves, instrument cases on the ramp.

If it's raining the flutes, clarinets, & trumpet players can put their cases under their chairs inside and pack away in there. The larger instruments will need to pack away outside on the ramped area. If it's bucketing down, then having them pack away inside may be necessary.