Principal’s News
Welcome everyone in our school community to the start of the 2020 school year. I’d like to welcome our new families and
Kindergarten children to our wonderful school. I hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable school holiday period with your
children, family and friends. Despite ongoing challenges and a very busy start to the school year, our teachers and students
are enthusiastic about the year ahead and ready for learning.
Students are settled into their 2020 classes, including our new Kindergarten children who started ‘big’ school this Monday.
Teachers have been working hard in the school holidays to ensure that class programs, activities and events are organised
and ready to go. Our learn to swim program has already started this week, our school’s 3-6 Swimming Carnival is scheduled
for tomorrow and the school’s Music Instrumental Program is up and running. As always, we have a jam-packed school year
ahead with many extra-curricular activities on offer for students to extend their interests or just ‘have-a-go’ at something
different.
Wednesday, 5 February 2020 Term 1, Week 2
Dates to remember 6 February Swimming Carnival Yrs 3-6
7 February PSSA Trials
12 February Junior & Senior dance group auditions
14 February PSSA – Round 1
17 February Tri-Skills program commences
19 February Junior & Senior dance group auditions
28 February Zone Swimming Carnival
14 March International Food Fair and Mini Olympics
PARENT INFORMATION NIGHTS - 2020
10 February Kindergarten 5.30 – 6.30PM
12 February YEARS 1 & 2 6.00 – 7.00PM
12 Febrary YEARS 3 & 4 5.00 – 6.00PM
Please note that these sessions are for parents only.
It has been lovely to see children and families back at school after the long Christmas school holiday break. Many of our
families have been either directly or indirectly affected by the recent, unprecedented bushfires across NSW as well as the
Novel Coronavirus situation. Our thoughts go out to those people who have lost their lives and/or property in bushfires. I
would also like to thank those families affected by the Coronavirus school attendance exclusions for supporting the school
community by following the Department’s advice in relation to this matter. I ask that everyone in our school community remain
considerate, understanding and respectful of others during these challenging times. This includes our School Office staff who
work extremely hard to respond to enquiries, care for sick and/or injured students, prepare and disseminate correspondence
and assist in keeping our school operational on a daily basis. Pymble Public School is an inclusive school and reminds and
teaches students about respectful behaviour and caring for others in times of need.
I look forward to a year of rich learning, fun activities and seeing students grow and reach their potential.
Kindergarten 2020
Our new Kindergarten students started this Monday with great enthusiasm and excitement. There were very few tears (from
children), with most children more than ready to begin their primary school journey. This is an important milestone for children
and their parents and we work hard to ensure as smooth a transition into Kindergarten as possible. Our Kindergarten Team,
support staff, office staff, Mrs Doig and me have been planning for our 2020 Kindergarten cohort’s transition into our school
since early last year. While our Kindergarten students seem very settled and enjoying school, this can be a challenging time
for some children. It is important to communicate with your child’s class teacher (or Mrs Carew) should you have any concerns
about any aspect of your child’s start to their Kindergarten year. Our priority is that all children are happy, safe and learning
at school. I’d like to thank Mr and Mrs Blatchford for hosting the Kindergarten ‘Tea & Tissues’ (for a second year running) as
well as our school’s P&C for coordinating this event.
3-6 Swimming Carnival
Our annual school swimming carnival will be held at the PLC Aquatic Pool tomorrow, Thursday 6 February. This is always
an exciting carnival and I wish all students well in their events. Parents are welcome to attend, with allocated parent seating
available at the centre. A reminder that students must wear a swimming cap to participate in swimming events as this is a
requirement of the centre. I look forward to a great carnival.
Term 1 Learn to Swim Program
Our Term 1 learn to swim program started this week for students Years 1-6, with our Kindergarten students starting next
week. We are very fortunate to have a school swimming pool and a fantastic learn to swim program. The cost of this program
for this term will be included in your Term 1 fees. A reminder that all students must bring a pair of sandal type footwear to
wear to and from the pool and are to apply sunscreen before or the morning of their swimming lesson.
Meet the Teacher / Parent Information Evenings
Next week the school will run parent information sessions for parents and carers of Kindergarten, Stage 1 (Years 1&2) and
Stage 2 (Years 3&4) children. The Stage 3 (Years 5&6) parent information session was already held this Monday evening.
These parent information sessions provide valuable information about class programs, activities, events and school
requirements. We encourage all parents to attend their child’s parent information session where ever possible. Please note
that these sessions do not allow time for individual parent meetings. If you need to speak with your child’s class teacher
please contact the school to make an appointment. It is also preferable that children do not attend these sessions. We look
forward to seeing parents at their respective information sessions.
Bruno Diodati Principal
Classes for 2020
This year we have 622 students across 24 classes. We have welcomed 12 new students from Years 1-6 and on Monday we
welcomed 85 new Kindergarten students. Our 2020 classes and staffing structure is as follows:
Bruno Diodati PRINCIPAL
Nicole Doig DEPUTY PRINCIPAL
Jill Rose OFFICE MANAGER
Diane Frankish OFFICE
Julia Nelson OFFICE
Mary Day OFFICE
Joanne Weir OFFICE
Caity Longfield KC
Jane Carew (Early Stage 1 Assistant Principal) / Haley Mylius KJ
Sally Lorimer KL
Jane Shields / Wendy Ross KS
Caitlin Creeley 1C
Isabella Hampton 1H
Ariane Newell 1N
Pip Hiley (Stage 1 Assistant Principal) 1P
Elyse Baulderstone / Kylie Booth 2B
Gemma Jones 2J
Paige Kingston-Smith (Stage 1 Assistant Principal) 2K
Amanda Wiblin / Alan Long 2W
Megan Henkin 3H
Nina Lazic-Kirk 3K
Yvonne Wilson / Kylie Dugan 3W
Annie Lee-Joe 3/4L
Lucinda Holbrook (Stage 2 Assistant Principal) / Cara Oates 4H
Alex Ryan 4R
Tim Sillato 4S
Karen Armbrister 5A
Jess Andrews 5J
Jess Battaerd 5/6B
Robyn Herbert (Stage 3 Assistant Principal) 6H
Katrina Hann 6K
Anthony Younis YEAR 6 TEACHER
Kathryn Harris / Lauren Knight TEACHER LIBRARIAN
Mel Schicht LIBRARY OFFICE
Petula Brown / Jenny Harrison LEARNING & SUPPORT TEACHER
Pauline Jensen / Rob Santos / Melinda Black / Vijay Thattat /
Charlotte Hudson
SCHOOL LEARNING & SUPPORT
OFFICER
Clare Brouggy – Thursday & Friday COUNSELLOR
Ian Burke GENERAL ASSISTANT
Chris Dormer / Catherine Jaucian / Kaitlin Richards SCIENCE
Rebecca Venter (Stage 2 Assistant Principal) INSTRUCTIONAL LEADER
Petula Brown ENGLISH AS AN ADDITIONAL LANGUAGE DIALECT TEACHER
Andrea Date-Chong EXECUTIVE RELEASE TEACHER
Deputy Principal’s News
Welcome back to all of our PPS families. It has been wonderful to see our students settle quickly into their new classrooms.
Just a few reminders about the start of the school year:
• Please ensure that all of your child’s belongings are labelled and they have their hat and a water bottle each day.
• If your contact details have changed, for example, email address, phone number or living arrangements, please
update these at the school office or send an email to the school advising of any changes. Communication between
home and school is essential in building a positive partnership and it is important that these contact details are kept
up to date.
• The school day begins at 8.55am. Students are supervised by staff in the playground from 8.30am. As there is no
supervision on the playground prior to 8.30am, students should not be at school before this time. Arriving at school
on time ensures that students do not miss out on important learning activities scheduled early in the day and reduces
classroom disruption. If for any reason your child arrives after 8.55am, they must be signed in at the office by an
adult.
Should you have any concerns about your child, your class teacher should be your first point of contact. If they cannot help
you, they will refer you to the Stage Assistant Principal or to the Deputy Principal/Principal depending upon the nature of your
concern.
Nicole Doig
Deputy Principal
Library News
Welcome back to another year at PPS. As usual this year I will be teaching most of the classes however the remaining
classes will be taught by Mrs Lauren Knight. In general, the classes coming to the library this year have 30 minute lessons,
and so children should, where possible on their library day, return their books to the library when they arrive at school before
going to the classroom. This is vital on Wednesdays and Fridays as the children go directly to sport, assembly or scripture
and do not have the opportunity to return books at 9 am as they are not in the classroom with the teacher when all books
need to be returned to the library. On Tuesday mornings, when the library is closed the stage 3 children who have library and
any others should still drop their returns into the library before going to the classroom. With lessons so short, if children arrive
at the lesson with books to return there is not sufficient time to return them, and so those children will need to return to the
library when it is open to borrow.
Children will usually be given time to borrow in library lessons, but time is available for borrowing every day when the library
is open, either before school or at lunch time. The library is usually open to children before school on each day EXCEPT
Tuesday and is also open on at lunchtime each day EXCEPT Friday. I would encourage children to visit the library outside
their library lesson to have access to a wider variety of books. The very limited time available during the lesson makes it
harder for voracious readers to select their books, so they should take advantage of the additional times available.
All children in K-4 need a library bag with them in the library to be able to borrow books, while children in years 5 and 6 are
able to borrow without a library bag. The children need to be able to open and close their own library bags and a plastic
shopping bag is not acceptable. The bag should also be clearly named, and for younger children have something which
makes it readily identifiable. The regular reading of a range of books is one of the best ways for children to develop as
learners. I am available to assist your children (and you) in choosing books when they visit the library.
Miss Harris
Teacher Librarian
Change to the Canteen – Thursday 6 February
Due to tomorrow’s swimming carnival, the canteen will be open for online lunch orders for students in Years 1
and 2 only. Over the counter sales will take place at recess but NOT at lunch time.
Students attending the swimming carnival are reminded not to place a canteen order tomorrow.
Junior Dance 2020 Attention Year 3 and Year 4 boys and girls
Auditions for the junior dance group will be held in weeks 3 and 4 for any boy or
girl in Year 3 or 4.
WHEN / TIME: Wednesday 12th February (week 3) at 8:15am – 8:50am
Wednesday 19th February (week 4) at 8:15am – 8:50am
IMPORTANT: Students auditioning will need to attend both audition days
WHERE: In the school hall
WHAT TO WEAR: Students should wear appropriate dance attire. If students have jazz shoes,
ballet shoes or foot thongs they should wear these. If not, bare feet are fine.
CRITERIA FOR AUDITIONS:
* Any student in Years 3 or 4 is welcome to audition.
* Junior dance classes are held on Wednesday mornings at 8:15am-8:50am. You must be available to
attend the weekly class.
* Auditions for the Sydney North Schools Dance Festival are within the first 2 weeks of term 2 and
performances are the last 2 weeks of term 2. Students must be available for these dates.
* The junior dance group will be involved in a variety of performances throughout the year including
Sydney North Schools Dance Festival (SNSDF) at Glen St Theatre, Open Day and Night of Stars. This
will mean that dancers will occasionally be required to leave school during school time.
* Students who are selected for the group may need to purchase jazz shoes, tights and a costume for
performances. Depending on the routine, costumes can cost between $50 - $100 and are worn several
times throughout the year.
* There are compulsory and strict restrictions for the size of the group. Please be advised that there are
limits to the number of dancers that can be selected due to safety regulations from the SNSDF.
Mrs Phillipa Hiley (1P)
Dance Co-ordinator
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Please visit the link below and fill out the online form by Monday 10th
February if your child wishes to audition for the junior dance group.
http://bit.ly/PPSjuniordance
Senior Dance 2020 Attention Year 5 and Year 6 boys and girls
Auditions for the senior dance group will be held in weeks 3 and 4 for any boy or
girl in Year 5 or 6.
WHEN / TIME: Wednesday 12th February (week 3) at 7:30am - 8:15am
Wednesday 19th February (week 4) at 7:30am - 8:15am
IMPORTANT: Students auditioning will need to attend both audition days
WHERE: In the school hall
WHAT TO WEAR: Students should wear appropriate dance attire. If students have jazz shoes,
ballet shoes or foot thongs they should wear these. If not, bare feet are fine.
CRITERIA FOR AUDITIONS:
* Any student in Years 5 or 6 is welcome to audition.
* Senior dance classes are held on Wednesday mornings before school. You must be available to attend
the weekly class.
* Auditions for the Sydney North Schools Dance Festival are within the first 2 weeks of term 2 and
performances are the last 2 weeks of term 2. Students must be available for these dates.
* The senior dance group will be involved in a variety of performances throughout the year including
Sydney North Schools Dance Festival at Glen St Theatre, Open Day and Night of Stars. This will mean
that dancers will occasionally be required to leave school during school time.
* Students who are selected for the group may need to purchase jazz shoes and a costume for
performances. Depending on the routine, costumes can cost between $50 - $100 and are worn several
times throughout the year.
* There are compulsory and strict restrictions for the size of the group. Please be advised that there are
limits to the number of dancers that can be selected due to safety regulations from the SNSDF.
Mrs Lucinda Holbrook (4H)
Dance Co-ordinator
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Please visit the link below and fill out the online form by Monday 10th
February if your child wishes to audition for the senior dance group.
http://bit.ly/PPSseniordance
PPS Band Program
Welcome back to everyone in the PPS Band Program. We hope you are all getting back into the swing of rehearsals,
tutorials and lessons. The committee have been working hard to get everyone up and running for the start of the year.
Below is the committee and what they are responsible for. Please email [email protected] if you need to get in
touch with anyone:
Junior Band Parent – Rochelle Robinson
Concert Band Parent – Alex Walker
Performance Ensemble – Sarah Till and Ange Osborne
Jazz Band – Linda Henderson
School hired instruments – Lisa Ting
Treasurer – Michelle Bell
Group tutorials and teachers at school – Rachelle Wilson
General enquiries, queries and joining band – Zannie Abbott
Teacher in charge – Mrs Herbert
We will have key dates available for the year shortly.
Looking forward to a great musical year.
Zannie Abbott
0418 274 291
PPS School Stream app
Have you downloaded the School Stream app? You can download the app for free onto as many devices as you wish. All
parents are strongly encouraged to download our new PPS School Stream app. Should you have any questions regarding the
app or trouble downloading the app please visit the school website for easy to follow instructions.
Uniform Shop Opening Hours
Please find below the opening hours for the Uniform Shop.
• Tuesdays 1.30pm – 4pm
• Thursdays 8.15am – 10.30am
Lost Property
In 2020, please help us keep the lost property area tidy by returning items back into the buckets provided. Items with NO NAME will be sent to the 2nd Hand Uniform shop and proceeds from these sales will be used to fund school improvements.
2nd Hand Uniform Shop dates for 2020
Term 1 2020
Friday 7 February 8.30 – 9.15am
Friday 27 March 8.30 – 9.15am
Term 2 2020
Tuesday 28th April 8.30 – 9.15am
Friday 19th June 8.30 – 9.15am
Prayer Group
Christian Prayer Group meets each Wednesday morning of term at 9am. A warm welcome is
extended to anyone who would like to attend.
Any enquiries, please contact Jackie Tham ([email protected])
Pymble Public School Parents and Citizens Association Meetings
P&C Meetings 2020
The first meeting of the P&C is on Wednesday 12th February from 7.00 pm in the PPS Staff Room. Everyone is welcome to attend, discuss and get involved.
On the agenda this meeting we will be discussing:
• Events for 2020.
• Fundraising priorities.
• Welcome to new parents.
Upcoming dates for 2020
Term 1
Wednesday 12 February, 2020
Wednesday 11 March, 2020
Wednesday April 8, 2020
Term 2
Wednesday May 13, 2020
Wednesday June 10, 2020
Term 3
Wednesday August 12, 2020
Wednesday September 9, 2020
Term 4
Wednesday October 14, 2020
Wednesday November 11, 2020
Wednesday November 11, 2020 AGM
We look forward to welcoming all parents and citizens.
Community News
Learn to play the acoustic guitar in a friendly
environment. Learn to play your favourite songs.
Beginners and intermediates are welcome. Please contact Bernadette Palmer on
0400 364 064.
Wahroonga Rugby Club – TIGERS
Come and try – 6pm 7 February & 21 February
Wahroongarugby.com.au
Manly Warringah Basketball Association
Various programs available in 2020
manlybasketball.com.au
Killara West Pymble Rugby Union Football Club
Registration Days 4.30pm 7 February & 14 February
www.kwprugby.com
North Shore Softball Association
Register now for the 2020 season!
www.northshore.softball.org.au
MCCARTHY STUDIOS 2019
Classes in the Hall at Pymble School
Friday 3.15 to 4.45pm Kindy/Year 1 - Dance/Drama/Singing 3.30 to 7pm Junior -Musical Theatre/Drama/Singing/Dance Wednesday 3.15 to 5pm Years 2/3- Dance/Drama/Singing 4.30 to 6pm Junior – Singing/Dance For times and further info, please email [email protected]