Willoughby Public School Newsletter
Thursday 16 October 2014 Term: 4
Week: 2
DATES FOR THE COMING WEEK
Thursday 16 October
Friday 17 October
Sunday 19 October
Monday 20 to Fri 31 October
Thursday 23 October
Friday 24 October
Wednesday 29 October
Thursday 30 October
Friday 31 October
Monday 3 November
Tuesday 4 November
Wednesday 5 November
Thursday 6 November
Friday 7 November
Monday 10 November
Thursday 11 November
Thursday 13 November
Monday 17 to 28 November
Monday 24 November
Friday 28 Nov to 3 December
Friday 5 December
Monday 8 December
Year 2 Band Blow Test
Year 3 - 6 assembly - 3M & 3T
Year 1 Symphony Concert - Ultimo
WPS P&C Grounds Working Bee. 10am – 12pm
classes: KM + 5D, KI + 4I, KG + 3T, KS + 3M, 1AC + 3U,
1T + 4D, 1D + 5M, 2R + 6R, 2T + 6S, 2MK + 4L
Year 1 Group 1 1T, 3-6 MW, 4D, 4I, 4L, 4M, 4T
Badger Swim School - North Sydney
Year 2 Group 1 (2G, 2MK, 2R, 2S, 2T) Badger Swim School
Kindy 2015 Information Night 6 pm in hall
K - Year 2 assembly 1T - 9.00 am - 9.45 am
Kindy Teddy Bear’s Picnic - Field of Mars
Kindy Teddy Bear’s Picnic - Field of Mars
Count Us In Music Event K - 6
Year 3 - 6 assembly - 5M
World Teachers’ Day
Kindy Orientation Day A - K - 9.30 to 10.45am
Dr Shoe at Uniform Shop
Mums’ Melbourne Cup Luncheon - Laurelbank Cottage
Year 6 Long Reef Excursion with AUSECO
Kindy Orientation Day L - Z - 9.30 to 10.45am
Dr Shoe at Uniform Shop
K - 2 assembly - KM & KS
Year 6 Fete
Kindy Orientation Day A - K - 9.30 to 10.45am
Dr Shoe at Uniform Shop 8.30 - 9.30 am
Year 5 End of Year Picnic Bowling and Movie at Chatswood
Kindy Orientation Day L - Z - 9.30 to 10.45am
Dr Shoe at Uniform Shop 8.30 - 9.30 am
Year 3 - 6 assembly - 3D
Year 1 Group 2 (1AC, 1BR, 1D, 1L, 1W) Badger Swim School
Year 2 Group 2 (2W) Badger Swim School
Year 3 Group 2 (3D, 3L, 3M, 3S, 3U, 3T)
Kindergarten 8 day Swimming Program at Lane Cove
Year 5 & Year 6 - Surf Education at Collaroy for 5 sessions
Dr Shoe at the Uniform Shop 8.30 to 9.30am
Annual School Chess Championship
Year 6 End of year Picnic - Manly Kayak Centre
Year 6 Dinner Dance
30-34 Oakville Road, Willoughby NSW 2068 Ph 9958 1355 Fax 9967 2381
Newsletter submissions by Monday 5.00 pm to: [email protected]
Email: [email protected] Website: www.willoughby-p.schools.nsw.edu.au
P&C Website: www.wpspandc.com.au
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
No one fails when they do their best.
Anon
Welcome back to term 4 and a special welcome for our new students and parents/carers. Teachers
will be completing assessments in preparation for report writing, students will be involved in various
activities such as swim school, surf education and various other sporting activities. Please read the
diary at the front of the newsletter each week for important dates and information. The term 4
invoices and excursion notes will be given out shortly.
A big thank you to Michelle Verhagen for doing a great job as relieving Principal while I was away and
thank you to our other staff for their great jobs in relieving positions -- Klair Mikhael, Deanne
Wedmore, Mandy Rodgers and Juliet Spence.
K-2 Athletics Carnival
The last Friday of last term K-2 had their Athletics Carnival. It was a terrific day filled with fun,
sunshine and plenty of exercise. We had running races and relays on the high school oval, Rose
Garden games and lots of other fun activities. A big thank you to Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2
teams of dedicated teachers, Fran Graham – team leader, Harry, student helpers and parents/carers
who worked so hard to make this a special day for all our students.
Artworks
Hugues Sineux has been working hard on our two new art installations and don’t they look fabulous.
The gorgeous mural in area 2 brightens up the area and the area outside the K – 2 toilets will be a joy
to walk through. Thank you Hugues for your outstanding artistic work.
Spelling Star
Congratulations to Andrew Zhou for reaching the Senior State Finals of the Premier’s Spelling Bee.
Andrew will be competing Wednesday 5 November from 2pm to 6pm at Ultimo. Good luck Andrew –
we are all behind you.
Police Band
The rain held off and we had a very entertaining concert from the Police Band on Tuesday morning.
They played fabulous tunes from cartoons, videos and movies and their lead singer was terrific –
thank you to the Police Band for coming to Willoughby, putting on a concert and workshopping with
our students. Thank you to Lynn Donohue, Carolyn Brasher, the concert band coordinators and the
team for organising this special event -- great job.
Visiting Principals
On Monday morning we will have a number of Principals from around the state visiting our school.
There is a State conference later in the week for all Principals and I have been asked to show a
group of them around our fabulous school and talk about what we do at Willoughby. Willoughby is
held in very high regard throughout our community and the wider community.
Principal’s Message
After eight years at wonderful Willoughby and with a great deal of thought it is with mixed emotions
that I announce that I will be retiring at the end of the year. I have always said that when my husband
retires I will retire and now that time has come. I am giving plenty of notice so that there will be lots of
time for the selection of a new Principal for Willoughby. I will let everyone know about the process as
soon as I can. I look forward to working with our fabulous community for the remainder of the year.
Patricia Petterson
DEPUTY PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Staffing News
At the end of last term Jenny Kirk, Phil Skurrie and I, completed the merit selection process and
interviews for three permanent teaching positions in 2015. Two of the successful candidates are
current Willoughby teachers, congratulations to Leigh Denton and Kylee Morgan and the third is
Cassandra Stericker from Ermington PS. We look forward to welcoming Cassandra at the
commencement of 2015.
Uniform eStore
The new uniform shop estore is open for business. For the convenience of those families who may
not be able to shop personally, online shopping is now available at:
https://wps-uniform-shop.myshopify.com/
The complete uniform is available.
A huge thank you to Janice Choy and Lynda, Farzana and May for all their hard work in getting the
eStore up and running.
The Uniform Shop is located at the end of the wooden classroom opposite the entrance to the
Kindergarten and Year 1 building. It is open each Wednesday and Friday from 8.30am to 9.30am.
Preloved items are available at very reasonable prices.
Students Leaving or Returning Late in 2015
At this time of year we start to plan for 2015. It is very important that we are able to determine an
accurate number of student enrolments as this number impacts directly on the classes we form for
the next year. If your child is leaving Willoughby in 2015 could you please write a note to your child’s
teaching informing them of the date of their last day and the school they will be attending in 2015.
Some families take extended holidays in January and February. If this is the case for your child and
they will be returning late after the school commencement date, please also write a note to your
child’s class teacher.
Enrolment Dates for 2015 are:
Year 1-6
Wednesday 28 January 2015 (New students will be given an appointment time)
Kindergarten Monday 2 February 2015 (Kindy Best Start interviews from Tues 27 to Fri 30 Jan)
Kindergarten 2015
Our Parent/Carer Information Night is on Monday 20 October at 6pm in the school hall. At this
evening parents/carers will meet some of our current Kindergarten teachers and other staff, find out
about the Kindergarten Program for 2015 and receive a school information booklet. Information about
the Kindy Orientation Days in 2014 and enrolment will also be given. Dates for Kindergarten
Orientation are:


Monday 3 and Monday 10 November for those children with A-K surnames.
Thursday 6 and Thursday 13 November for those children with L-Z surnames.
All Kindy Orientation times start at 9.30am and finish by 10.45am. Students are encouraged to wear
their Willoughby uniform and will meet outside the hall .
Values Education
This term we will focus on the importance of integrity.
The value and indicators will be displayed in each classroom. We encourage all students at
Willoughby:
●
To be honest to yourself and trustworthy in the classroom, doing your work and attending to the
task to the best of your ability.
●
To be honest about the rights and responsibilities of yourself and others.
●
To be a good friend, including others and being able to be trusted as a friend.
●
To be trustworthy on messages, on excursions or representing the school in the community.
Assemblies
Our roster of K-2 and 3-6 assemblies will continue each week from 2pm. Parents and carers are
welcome to attend these assemblies in the hall. Any changes to these times will be published in the
Newsletter.
Week
Date
Class
1T
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Thursday 23 October
Please note the time is 9 to 9.45am.
Thursday 30 October
Thursday 6 November
Thursday 13 November
Thursday 20 November
Thursday 27 November
Thursday 4 December
Tuesday 9 December
10
Thursday 11 December
K-2 Presentation Day Assemblies:
Kindy 9.10-10.00 am WPS hall
Year 1 10.10-11.00 am WPS hall
Year 2 11.30-12.30 pm WPS hall
3
5M
KM & KS
3D
No Assembly
4T
No assembly
3-6 Presentation Day WGHS hall 9-11am
Reduce, reuse, recycle
Australians throw away 3.3 million tonnes of food every year – up to a quarter of the country's food
supplies - mainly because we purchase too much. Consider planning your meals and only buy
what you need. Reduce packaging in your child’s lunchbox and use re-usable containers rather
than plastic wrap where possible. It also leaves our school grounds much cleaner!
Michelle Verhagen
CHRISTMAS CARD COMPETITION
The Hon. Joe Hockey MP is running his annual
Christmas card competition for students in the North
Sydney area. There are three winners and these cards
are used by Joe Hockey to send to community leaders
across Australia.
Winners will receive a gift voucher, a framed copy of
their printed Christmas card with their artwork and extra
copies of the printed cards to give to their own family and friends.
This year’s theme is Friendship.
Entries need to be on A4 sized paper and must have the student’s name,
their class and their school written on the back.
Pictures can be painted or drawn with pencil.
If you would like to enter please give your entry to Mrs Leslie (3L) by
Friday 7 November. No late entries will be collected.
Margaret Leslie
WPS P&C CHESS CLUB NEWS
The 2014 edition of the annual Willoughby Public School Chess Championship will be held on
Friday 5th December (Week 9) in the School Hall. Entry is open to everyone, so please put this
date in your diaries now! Registration will open on the Chess Club website very soon.
Got a question? Feel free to email us at [email protected] or visit our website
http://www.wpspandc.com.au/chess/
Chess Club roster Tuesday 21st October:
Dance / Newham / Saunders / Metcalfe
WPS P&C BAND NEWS
Band News and Rehearsal Supervision for Week Commencing 20 October
Training Band
Concert Band
Performing Band
Tuesday 21 October
Monday 20 October
Thursday 23 October
Wednesday 22 October
Friday 24 October
F Crowther, B Hall, T Dellit
S Best, P Basser (Walsh), W Li (Dong)
A Hudson (Nouri-Azari), P Measday, K Howard
A Constantian, M Cummins
J Clear, J Grieves
For details of the weekly rosters, please see the WPS P&C website:
www.wpspandc.com.au/band/
Convenor – Caroline Herrman
[email protected]
Secretary – Nikki Templeton 0488 660816
[email protected]
www.upstairsdownstairs.net.au
WPS UNIFORM SHOP NEWS
LAST CHANCE TO DONATE GIRLS’ UNIFORMS
With the change of season and so many students wearing the new uniform, we’d love to help
those in need by donating our preloved uniforms to Cana Communities, before Christmas.
■
■
■
■
■
Summer & winter dresses, white short sleeve shirts & maroon skorts.
Clean, ironed, neatly folded and no plastic bags please.
Good condition/no large paint stains.
Please check the pockets.
Use the box in the Office. (All other items should go directly to the uniform shop.)
Thanks for your support.
DR SHOE WILL BE AT THE UNIFORM SHOP ON THE FOLLOWING DATES
Kindergarten orientation days
Monday 10 November
Thursday 13 November
Friday 5 December 8.30-9.30
WPS BAND INFORMATION NIGHT
Wednesday 29 October 6.30 pm
in the WPS School Hall
All parents/carers and children welcome
Would your child like to join the
WPS Training Band in 2015? Come along and find out more…
The WPS band program is run by a happy, dedicated group of parents, with significant support from the
school. The program gives children in Year 3 and up the opportunity to discover music and learn a
musical instrument in a fun, group setting.
The information night on Wednesday, 29 October is open to all interested parents and their children. The
main intake for Training Band is children currently in Years 2 and 3 at Willoughby Public School, but older
children are welcome.
The Information Night will start at 6:30pm sharp and finish around 7:15pm. Parents will hear our
Performing Band play, learn more about the instruments available and be introduced to what you need to
know about the band program (such as costs, commitment, instrument choices and the process) plus, you
can ask any questions you might have and meet some of the conductors.
If you are unable to make it on the night, the information will be available on the
Band section of the P&C website: www.wpspandc.com.au . For any queries, please
contact:
Nikki Templeton - Band Secretary
Ph. 0488 660 816
[email protected]
Caroline Herrman – Band Convenor
Ph. 0414 414 466
[email protected]
WILLOUGHBY PUBLIC SCHOOL P& C GROUNDS COMMITTEE
YOUR SCHOOL NEEDS YOU
Make sure WPS is a school we can all be proud of
School Grounds Working Bee
Sunday 19 October 10am - 12pm
Come along and help our school look fabulous. No
prior gardening experience necessary! The following
classes are asked to come along to help out at the
grounds working bee:
KM + 5D, KI + 4I, KG + 3T, KS + 3M, 1AC + 3U, 1T +
4D, 1D + 5M, 2R + 6R, 2T + 6S, 2MK + 4L
Bring: Shovels, rakes, wheelbarrows, gloves, hats and a drink.
Kids can bring bikes, scooters, skates and lots of energy.
Morning tea will be provided and of course the
‘Big Lolly Hunt’ for the kids!
(Cancelled if wet weather)
Any questions contact [email protected]