Newsletter Term 1 week 4 2024
"We acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians on whose land our school rests. Their footsteps and whispers blow in the wind, drift on the clouds, remain deep in the sandstone and float on the waterways of this place. Their memories and Dreaming stories will continue to connect us to the land and guide future generations of our school community. Country is alive if you take the time to look, listen and learn."
Principal's message
Meet The Teacher
Thank you to the families that took up the opportunity to pop in and introduce themselves to our teachers. Research has shown that when schools and families work together children’s learning is enhanced. Children do better, have stronger social and emotional skills, are more engaged and stay at school longer! Opportunities to strengthen these partnerships are important. There was a definite buzz in the school, it was lovely to see the pride that our students showed when explaining to you how their classroom operated. Thank you to the many parents who gave me such positive feedback.
2024 Class parents
Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to be a class parent for 2024. We had a few classes with multiple parents, I am sure there will be a chance for this opportunity again. Thank you to the many first parents who have taken this up. We are meeting on Wednesday the 28th of February at 8.30am in the library.
Wakakirri 2024
We are currently exploring opportunities for our students to participate in Wakakirri this year. Wakakirri is a nationwide initiative for Australian schools that provides a platform for students to express their thoughts, ideas, and aspirations through the art of storytelling and dance. Inspired by the belief that great stories can inspire change, Wakakirri is designed to promote student engagement and well-being in schools through the creation and performance of captivating Story-Dances.
This will combine dance, drama and music opportunities into a performance opportunity at a professional theatre in Term 3. It is important for both our students and teachers to have a chance to unleash their creativity, with students having the chance to choose and develop a story they wish to tell guided by our school ethos “ great stories inspire change”
This will replace our dance, drama and choir ensembles for 2024. Interested students will be invited to a meeting next Wednesday at lunchtime to ask questions and find out more about this fantastic initiative.
P&C meeting
Looking forward to seeing many of you at P&C tonight.
Brooke Keevers
Principal
Assistant Principal News
Stage 3: Peer Mediation
Our Year 5 "Peer Mediation" initiative emphasises the development of skills, values and attitudes essential for Balgowlah North Public School student leadership. This program is designed to aid our kindergarten students in navigating conflict situations by fostering mutual understanding and enabling practical dialogue. Through one-on-one conversations, participants learn to lend a compassionate ear and collaboratively develop solutions beneficial to all parties involved.
Our workshop on Wednesday 6th March engages students in activities centred around problem-solving, conflict resolution, active listening, and effective communication. By incorporating various key leadership principles, the program empowers students to translate their thoughts into action, thereby nurturing them into impactful leaders.
They learn to be role models for other students to follow by:
- Identifying the qualities of effective leadership and acknowledging their personal strengths.
- Grasping the impact their leadership can have within their school community and among their peers.
- Striving to cultivate positive relationships and support networks.
- Developing resilience and the ability to navigate challenges effectively.
- Mastering teamwork and cooperation skills.
- Embracing enjoyment and fulfillment in their endeavours.
Susie Stock
Assistant Principal (Relieving)
School News
Learning Support
We will be running a Stage 1 Learning Support Information Session on Tuesday 5 March at 2.15pm. Please complete this form if you would like to attend:
https://forms.gle/Ef6RKg9TigogXuSP7
Creative Arts Corner
2024 Higher Potential and G&T in Creative Arts opportunities
There are numerous Creative Arts opportunities (Dance, Drama, Visual Arts and Music) provided by the Arts Units NSW.
The following suggestions provide students with unique extension experiences in creative arts. If you are interested in any of the experiences for your child below please contact Eliza McAllister or the school directly and apply online.
Music
Instrumental and vocal items for state music festivals
NSW Public Schools State Music Camps
Sydney North Public Schools Vocal Ensembles
Dance
2024 NSW Public Schools Dance Ensembles
2024 NSW public schools boys dance ensemble
Drama
Drama Skills Development Workshops
Visual Arts
The Nagoya Sister City Art Exchange
Library News
Library Bag
Books have been ‘flying’ off the shelves and many are reading, reading , reading.
Thank you to everyone who is bringing a library bag (or a plastic bag) to school to put their borrowed library books in to transport home. A library bag provides a designated space to carry your borrowed books, preventing them from getting damaged or misplaced in your backpack along with other items. A library bag also encourages responsibility and respect for borrowed materials. By keeping books separate from other belongings, students are more likely to handle them with care and return them on time, promoting good library etiquette.
Premiers Reading Challenge
The Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely. The Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC) is open to all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 10, in government, independent, Catholic and home schools. If you need help using the website and the answer cannot be found on the PRC Support site, please contact - prc@det.nsw.edu.au
2024 Challenge dates
Monday 26 February 2024: Challenge opens
Friday 23 August 2024: Challenge closes for student entries
For more information and an updated booklist please check the Premie’rs Reading Challenge website https://online.det.nsw.edu.au/prc/home.html
Admin News
Parking at Kiss and Ride
Please remember there is no parking at kiss and ride between 8.30am and 9.30am.
Health Conditions
Please advise the school immediately if your child has a contagious disease as we have students/staff/community members who are immunocompromised.
Merit Certifcates and Awards
Please see the image below for details on how our award system works.
Admin Team
The Week Ahead
Wednesday 21 February P & C Meeting
Friday 23 February Kindergarten Parents drinks
Monday 26 February K-6 Assembly @ 1:45pm
Friday 29 February Scripture, Ethics and additional activities begin
Positive Behaviour for Learning
Class Snapshot - 6/5M
Waste Free Wednesday
KE and 5V are the winners for this weeks Waste Free Wednesday. Unfortunately the rain got in the way of taking photos this week!
P & C News
Second Hand Uniform Shop
Welcome to the second hand uniform shop!! For those who are new to our school, BNPS has a second hand uniform shop available to all families. 100% of the money raised from sales goes directly back to the P&C and helps to provide resources for our children and the school.
The shop is open weekly, on Wednesday’s, between 2.30pm – 3.15pm and all items are $10.We are located on the front verandah (Manning Street side)-Just look for the clothing racks!
Credit card facilities available. Cash also accepted. To make this whole process possible, we need your uniform donations. Please only donate items that are in good condition (would you put it on your own child?). We would also appreciate items being washed before being donated and please only donate items that are the current BNPS school uniform. All uniform donations can be dropped to the office at anytime. Please keep an eye out on the ‘North Balgowlah Community Group’ and ‘NOBAhood’ pages on Facebook for reminders of when we are open. Thanks in advance for your support.
Eve Harvey
P & C Meeting
The first P&C meeting of the year will be held on Wednesday 21 February at the school library. It’s a great opportunity to get involved and we’d love to see as many of you there as possible. If anyone has any agenda items they’d like raising at the meeting, please email Cath Mcmillan at pandcbnpssecretary@gmail.com
Treasurer position
In more P&C news, we are sad to be losing our wonderful Treasurer Lisa Forster, who is stepping down from her role after many years of service. Thank you Lisa. This means that the Treasurer role is immediately available for election. If you have any financial experience and can spare some time to join our committee in this role going forward, we’d love to hear from you to discuss further- please reach out to Karen (quincylane@outlook.com)
Koolkuna News
Book Donations
It's that time of the year again where we ask families to clear out their bookshelves and donate any unwanted children's books to Koolkuna to send to Africa as part of the charitable initiative "Books for Africa". Koolkuna has been donating to this initiative for over 5 years & appreciate all of your help! Please drop off at Koolkuna OSHC - next to parent Sign In/Out Area.Koolkuna OSHC Admin
School Community News
NBSC Cromer Campus open night
An open Night will be held on Tuesday March 26th from 4pm to 7:30 pm. This has been rescheduled and some families may not be aware of the new date.
Principal talks and school tours commence at 4:30pm, 5:30pm and 6:30pm. Bookings are not required.
School Sponsors
