Balgowlah North Public School eNewsletter

"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 News

Celebrations
As we approach this wonderful time of year, we find ourselves reflecting on and celebrating the incredible achievements of our school and our community. Our teachers are currently finalising student reports, providing a wonderful opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate each child's progress throughout the year.

It’s important to remember that every child embarks on their own unique learning journey. As we celebrate their efforts and personal bests, we encourage you to take pride in their accomplishments, no matter how big or small.

This week, we will be sending out invitations to parents whose children will be receiving awards during our upcoming Celebration of Learning assemblies. We warmly invite all parents to join us in these important celebrations, as we come together to honour our students' hard work and successes.

End of Year Celebrations
In the final weeks of Term 4 our students will engage in Stage Celebration Days to celebrate a wonderful year of learning, friendship and fun. We have decided to make our whole school picnic a biennial event.

Please find details of the wonderful end of year events we have planned below:

K – 2 Motiv8 Day

What: Students will take part in high energy activity stations that promote fun, inclusivity and teamwork. Students should wear mufti clothes and appropriate footwear. All students will be required to wear a hat to be able to participate in this outdoor event.

Where: Balgowlah North Public School Oval

When: Wednesday 11th December

Stage Two Laser Tag and Movie Day

What: Students will participate in a morning of safe, team-based recreation with a laser tag course set up on the ovals of the school grounds. Students will have a picnic lunch followed by a movie afternoon in their classrooms. Students should wear mufti clothes and appropriate footwear. All students will be required to wear a hat to be able to participate in this outdoor event.

Where: Balgowlah North Public School Oval

When: Monday 16th December

Stage Three Manly Kayaking and stand-up paddleboarding

What: Students will participate in recreational kayaking activities around North Harbour and Manly Cove. If the weather is unfavourable they will participate in land-based activities. Students will travel to and from the venue by bus. Students should wear mufti clothes and appropriate, sun-safe attire for kayaking. All students will be required to wear a hat and complete a water competency assessment to be able to participate in this outdoor event. Students will need to bring water, lunch and recess. No lunch orders will be available.

Where: Manly Kayaking – East Esplanade, Manly

When: Monday 16th December

Further information with specific details about each of the Stage Celebration Days will be sent home in coming weeks. Costs for these events have been included in your Term 4 account.

Battle of the Bands
On Sunday our Concert Band battled it out against Curl Curl North Public School and Allambie Heights Public School for the coveted Battle of the Bands Trophy at this friendly competition. Congratulations to our band who played well against ensembles with more instrumentation. The result was that we received an award for a workshop with respected band conductor (and also the adjudicator for the day), David Cosentino. David is well known for his skills and knowledge of ensemble conducting so we are very lucky to receive this award and will put it to good use next year.

Year 6 Fun Day
I am excited to share that our Year 6 students have been hard at work designing and creating their very own games and sporting activities. We are thrilled to announce that they will be hosting a Fun Day event in Week 9, on Friday, 13th December.

Each class will have a scheduled 45-minute time slot to enjoy the exciting activities, which will take place under the COLA and on the adjacent ovals. The games available for our Year 2 to Year 5 students will range from just 10 cents to 50 cents per turn, while our Kindergarten and Year 1 students are welcome to participate with a gold coin donation, which will be greatly appreciated.

All funds raised from this event will go towards purchasing a special Year 6 gift for the school, making it a meaningful occasion for our students as they celebrate their final year with us.

We encourage all students to participate and look forward to a fun-filled day!

Enjoy your week.

Brooke Keevers
Principal

Assistant Principal's News

Supporting Positive Transitions
As we look towards planning for 2025, we invest a great deal of time and care into supporting transitions for each and every student. Transitions are a collective effort that require collaboration amongst students and teachers so that we can empower students to navigate changes with resilience and confidence.

Class formation
Our teachers take great pride in knowing their students and they use their depth of understanding to support class formation that considers academic, social-emotional and behavioural needs for every student. Class formation is a complex process and our teachers dedicate themselves to ensuring they do all that they can to meet the needs of all students.

Class Reporter Program
Each of our classes will participate in the ‘Class Reporter Program’ where the teacher facilitates a conversation with students about what questions they might have about moving into the year ahead. The class teacher compiles these questions and the students nominate class reporters who will go and survey an older class and come back to share this information with their peers. This is always a positive and rewarding experience where students start to look forward to their next school year with familiarity and confidence.

Individual transition program
Our Diverse Learner’s Team supports students with more significant learning, social, emotional or behavioral needs with a targeted intervention program. This involves collaboration between teachers to observe students in classrooms and share individual learning goals or education plans to enable continuity and support transition from one year to the next. This program is scheduled to take place later in Term 4.

Supportive Conversations and a Growth Mindset
Transition from one school year to the next can be a time of uncertainty and trepidation for many of our students. We endeavour to cultivate a change-positive culture to assist our students in developing their ability to tolerate ambiguity, adapt to new circumstances and embrace change by framing conversations as an opportunity for learning and growth.

As students progress through their educational journey, transitions play a crucial role in their development and success and we are committed to ensuring students and their families feel supported in this process. If you have any concerns about your child’s transition please contact the office so that we can support you.

School News

Dancing Through the Ages: Our Students in K-4 Step Back in Time!
Our students have been on an exciting journey, exploring the world of dance across different eras! From the first dance 40,000 years ago by the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, to the early bushdance of the 1700s, to the groovy moves of the 1970s and to the street for Hip Hop, our young dancers have been learning how people have expressed themselves with movement throughout history.

The impressive creativity has been flowing as students have been putting their own spin on these historical dances, composing original routines that blend the past with their own unique flair. Next week, our dancers will take to the stage in costume, ready to transport us through time with their performances which will be shared by film by the end of the term. From flapper feathers and bell bottoms to backwards hats and sunnies, it’s going to be spectacular and we just can’t wait! Everyone has tried their best, had fun and I’m just so proud of them!

Mrs McAllister

KR Class Snapshot

PBL Week 6

Admin News

The school grounds are supervised from 8.30am, if you require for your child to be at school before this time please send them to Koolkuna.

How to see notes on the School Bytes Parent App
If you are wishing to see any excursion notes these can be found by going into the School Bytes parent app, clicking on your "activities tab" and then the event name.

Transitioning from SchoolZine
We are starting to transition from SchoolZine to School Bytes app in 2025.

E-bikes, e-scooters, bicycles and skateboards are not permitted on school grounds under any circumstances as their use jeopardises the safety of our community. Use of play equipment is prohibited outside of school hours and playing on school grounds after school and during the school holidays should always be under the supervision of an adult.

We understand that the community enjoy having access to the school grounds outside of school hours so we urge you to please assist us in keeping our school safe by adhering to these protocols and notifying local police if you observe any concerning behaviour occurring on the school grounds.

Manly Police - 99768099
Dee Why Police - 9971 3399

Administration Team

Library News

Teacher Picks!

Mrs Hardy’s favourite picture book is:

‘The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane’ by Kate DiCamillo

‘A classic tale by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . . Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle – that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.’ - Amazon

“I like how the character learns life lessons throughout the story. He learns how to love, as he hates everyone at the beginning. So it's a journey of love and learning to be kind.”- Mrs Hardy

Library News

This week will be the last opportunity to borrow books from the school library. Please ensure all library books are returned by Week 8 for our annual stocktake.

Thank you for your cooperation and support!

Amanda Mason

Food Scrap Friday

The Week Ahead

Wednesday 20 November P & C Fundraising Meeting for Year 1 parents 7.30pm in the library
Thursday 21 November Strings Program Student Information Session - Kindy & Year 1
Thursday 28 November Community Helpers Thank You breakfast 8am
Monday 25 November K-2 Assembly 2.30pm
Monday 2 December 3-6 Celebration of Learning Assembly
Tuesday 3 December K-2 Celebration of Learning Assembly
Wednesday 4 December Instrumental Ensembles Performance Evening 6.00pm - 7.30pm
Friday 6 December Year 6 farewell
Saturday 7 December P & C Christmas Carnival
Friday 13 December Year 6 Fun Day
Wednesday 18 December Last day of school Year 6 clap out

P & C News

BNPS Christmas Carnival:

Last week for Tombola Jar Collection:
We are blown away by the incredible efforts of the Tombola jar class collections. Thank you for your support! Reminder that this week is the last week for collections as we will be doing the final tally on Friday, the 22nd, for the big winner of the class pizza party!
Congrats to 4/3P for winning last week’s count with 60 jars!

Last Week to Order Carnival Wristbands at the Early Bird Price
Carnival entry is free, but early bird unlimited ride wristbands are on sale here for $40 until the 26th November for the pre-order sale. Buy yours today!

Calling All Jam Makers!
We are looking for people to help us make jam for our jam stall at the carnival. If you are keen to assist, please drop your homemade jams/preserves to 58 Woodbine Street by the 30th of November.

Volunteer on the Day:
As you can imagine, an event of this scale cannot operate without the support of the entire school community. Please see here for how you can help out during the day.

Entertainment Schedule*:

11:00	11:30	The Singing Squad
11:40	11:55	BNPS Visual Arts
12:10	12:30	Monsters Dance
12:40	13:00	School Band
13:10	13:30	NB Dance Co
14:30	16:00	DJ Kit Kat

Facebook Event Page:
Please join our exciting new BNPS Carnival Facebook event page here to learn more about what is on offer throughout the big day!

*Subject to change

The BNPS Christmas Carnival Committee

Christmas Stall

Band News

Battle of the Bands
On Sunday our Concert Band battled it out against Curl Curl Public School and Allambie Heights Public School for the coveted Battle of the Bands Trophy at this friendly competition. Congratulations to our band who played well against ensembles with more instrumentation. The result was that we received an award of a workshop with respected band conductor (and also the adjudicator for the day), David Cosentino. David is well known for his skills and knowledge of ensemble conducting so we are very lucky to receive this award and will put it to good use next year. Something to look forward to.

Strings Program – information session
Thank you to the parents who attended the strings information session last Thursday. If you are interested in joining strings or would like to know more, please head to our website where you’ll find information about the instruments, program and register your interest. Alternatively, drop in to see one of our rehearsals in action and speak with the conductor on Thursday before school in the Library. Register your interest via the online form BNPS String Program Registration Form.xlsx

Junior Band 2025 – instrument offers issued soon
Instrument offers will be issued soon. We are just making sure we see everyone who is interested before we send out our recommendations. It is important that you wait to hear from us before making a decision. Stay tuned!

Open Rehearsals – this week and next week
Any Balgowlah North parent is welcome to drop into the Hall to see a rehearsal in action. Bands rehearse on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings plus Monday and Thursday lunchtime. Come along and say ‘Hi’.

Join The Band – What Happens at Rehearsals
We welcome students from year 3 – 5 in 2025 to join our band program. Read all about band on the website or drop us an email if you have questions – bnpsband@hotmail.com.

Koolkuna News

Please find attached the XMAS and 2025 Summer Vacation Care Program. Bookings are now open via the Xplor Home App.
Please use the Xplor Home App to find the bookings tab and book into the appropriate sessions labelled "Vacation Care K-2" or "Vacation Care 3-6" where you will be able to book each child in for the days requested. When a solid orange circle is displayed above, your child is successfully booked in for that day.
Changes or cancellations will be accepted up until 2 weeks prior to your booking and must be requested via Email.

Year 3 2025
This is a reminder for all children who are currently in Year 2, going into Year 3 in 2025, please ensure you book in for the 3-6 Vacation Care Program.

Kindergarten 2025
If your child is beginning Kindergarten in 2025, please ensure you only book your child in from the 13th January 2025 and not the pre-XMAS period or first week of Vacation Care. We also highly recommend that parents consider the changes in routine that your child will be facing and the new expectations of a regular school day. This will be an exhausting time period for your child and we encourage children beginning in Kindergarten to attend between the hours of 9am-3pm to support this transition and their emotional regulation.

Reverse Advent Calendar
As we approach the holiday season Sustainable OSHC is participating in a Reverse Advent Calendar. In support of One Meal - Northern Beaches, Sustainable OSHC will be collecting a range of goods to donate to those families doing it tough these holidays. Our Reverse Advent Calendar will begin on Monday 19th November and run for 24 week days until Friday 20th December. Refer to our Reverse Advent Calendar on display at the Sign In/Out Area to identify which products we are collecting on each day. We hope our families will support this initiative by encouraging your children to drop the goods under the Koolkuna OSHC Christmas Tree.

Canteen News

Flexischools update
Look out for the new "Multi Order" function on flexi schools, coming soon. The Multi-order function will allow parents to place orders for several students across different services and dates. This is currently available via desktop but will be released to app soon.

School Community News

Congratulations to Millie who won the U12 girls Sydney Water Surf Series on Saturday and on Sunday she came 1st in the U12 girls Kracka Challenge. Big weekend. Her prize included a new custom board!!